Seasonal Love

Pie Made Easy: A Peach & Blueberry Galette

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Peaches and blueberries!  It’s summertime here in Texas and the peaches are divine. (thank you springtime rains).  So what do you do with those little peaches?  First, take a short trip to the hill country and buy as many as you can from the local farm stand.  Then, grab one of those softly fuzzy little orbs, put it up to your mouth and BITE down.  Experience the warm lush sweet nectar of the peach. And don’t be surprised if it’s juices run down your chin and into your hand. It’s just the best!  With sticky hands, drive yourself to the market and pick up some blueberries and citrus; then get yourself home.  Take out a few of your pantry staples (see below) and prepare yourself to bake one of the most fantastic rustic pies you’ve ever had!  Ok, I’m getting a little bossy but I just can’t help myself.

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites.  It couldn’t be easier and it’s the perfect dessert for your summertime entertaining.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 medium peaches, rinsed, pitted and cut into 1” pieces
½ pint of blueberries, rinsed & dried (gently)
½ Tbls of turbinado sugar
½ Tbls of all-purpose flour, + ½ tsp
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of ground ginger
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
2 tsp of fresh lemon or orange juice
Zest of 1 medium lemon or 1 small orange
1 egg, whisked
Splash of water
1 Tbls of turbinado sugar
1 roll of Pillsbury pie dough

Process

Preheat oven 400°
Thaw one roll of Pillsbury dough.  Place parchment paper on a ½ sheet pan.  Sprinkle ½ tsp of flour in the center of the parchment paper (same circumference of the dough – as close as possible).  Roll dough out on the floured parchment paper.  Place in refrigerator to keep cool. 

Meanwhile, in a large non-reactive bowl, gently and thoroughly mix the peaches, blueberries, sugar, ½ tsp flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and lemon juice. The juices of the fruit will begin to macerate and the mixture will thicken.  Set this aside and remove the dough from the fridge.  Let the dough stand at room temperature until it is pliable. 

Take the fruit mixture and place it in the center of the dough; leaving a 1-2” lip around the circumference of the dough.  It will look like a pile of fruit.  Gently fold the edges of the dough over the pile of fruit (like you would a pie crust).  The dough will not meet in the center and you don’t want it to.  It should only encase the fruit as far as it can go.  You will have a medium circle of fruit showing.  Make sure the dough is folded securely. 

Combine egg and water in a small bowl.  With a pastry brush, gently brush egg wash over the entire dough portion of the galette.  Generously sprinkle sugar over the egg washed dough.  Place in the pre-heated oven for 20 to 30minutes or until the dough is golden and the fruit is bubbling.

Yields 6 servings

Tips
*It’s always great to make your own tart dough.  But let’s face it sometimes time is an issue.  Therefore, a store-bought dough is just fine.  I used Pillsbury because I think it is one of the best and most easily accessible doughs in the market.  It just works!

A Salad of Lettuces, Fennel, Radish with a Watermelon Juice Vinaigrette

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Who knew I’d be testing a watermelon recipe in May!  I’m attending a writer’s retreat this weekend, http://www.eatwriteretreat.com, and was placed into a group of 4 women bloggers for a cooking competition.  Our task was to come up with recipes using sponsor ingredients; one of which is watermelon.  OMG! Watermelon in May you ask?  Well, we all went back and forth on the best way to utilize the watermelon especially since it is out-of-season. 
After some brainstorming, vigorous debate and the fact that I was the only one who could purchase watermelon at the market (living in Texas) I assumed the task of coming up with a recipe.  It’s a 3-stepper:  making watermelon juice,  a vinaigrette out of it & bringing the lettuces and vegetables together.  Here’s to a fabulous collaboration, winning the competition and having a super delicious summer salad to share in May.  Rockin’ it with watermelon!

Salad Ingredients

6C of baby lettuces 
2C of fresh fennel, shaved (whole bulb with fronds)
1C of fresh radishes, shaved
1C of fresh watermelon, minced-1/8"to 1/4” pieces
1/4 to 1/2C of Watermelon Vinaigrette
1/2C Insalate ricotta (optional)
1/4C of basil, julienne 
Fennel Flowers or yellow edible organic flowers

Process

Place lettuces in a medium size mixing bowl. Drizzle ¼ of the watermelon vinaigrette over lettuces and gently toss so that vinaigrette surrounds the leaves.  Place sliced fennel & radishes in a small bowl.  Drizzle 1/8C of the watermelon vinaigrette over the vegetables.  Toss lightly so that all the vegetables are covered with vinaigrette.  Add a drizzle more if necessary.  Place dressed lettuce leaves onto a serving platter.  Gently place dressed fennel/radishes on top of the lettuces.  Fluff so that the fennel/radish mixture does not press down on the lettuces too much.  Sprinkle insalate ricotta & basil across the top of salad.  Garnish with fennel flowers or organic flowers.  Serve immediately.

Watermelon Juice & Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 

1/4C watermelon juice
1tsp honey balsamic
1/2C mild extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Salt & fresh ground Pepper
Place all ingredients into a 1-2C size container with lid.  Cap tightly and shake vigorously until liquids are incorporated.  Serve with lettuces of your choice.

For Watermelon Juice

Place watermelon in a blender. Puree watermelon until liquid. Pour watermelon juice through a medium sieve.  Pour first run sieved watermelon juice through a smaller sieve.  Skim foam off top of watermelon juice. Chill.  Juice can be kept for up to 3 days refrigerated or 1 month frozen.

Tips
*slice fennel & radish with a mandoline so that they are translucent
*place sliced fennel & radish in an ice bath to keep color, freshness & crisp
*using a seedless watermelon is always easier
* the smaller “personal” watermelons you can purchase in the stores now are a perfect size for this recipe (you’ll have only “some” left-over)

Peach Tart - A Texas Hill Country Summer Dessert Recipe

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Oh the blessing’s of a Texas summer!! Thanks to my fab neighbors & a very wet spring, there were piles upon piles of sweet baby peaches to be had; right here in my hill country hood. These luscious tarts were made for a Chardonnay tasting I catered last week.

The recipe seems lengthy but is really quite simple just a few steps; plus you can buy your tart shells at your local gourmet market. Yip!

For the Peaches

3 medium size peaches, halved/pitted 1tsp white or brown sugar ½ tsp salt 1tsp extra virgin olive oil for the honey cream 2 8-ounces cream cheese, room temperature 6 ounces of golden honey Pinch of salt (optional) 1 package small to medium tart shells (a package of 12 works great for size) ½ jar of peach preserve peach prep.
Place prepped peaches into a medium size bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the peaches and mix so that the oil surrounds the peach halves entirely. Evenly sprinkle salt and sugar over peach halves. Heat a grill pan to high. Place peaches flesh side down, turn heat down to medium and cook until flesh becomes somewhat soft; about 2 minutes. Turn peaches over and cook until just soft. Peaches should be slightly charred and soft to touch but not falling apart. Take off heat and set aside on a sheet pan or tray. Cool completely. Once cool, slice the peach ½’s into ¼’s then 1/8’s then 1/16’s. These slices should be pliable but not falling apart. Set aside.

Honey Cream Prep

Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix on medium with a paddle implement until smooth. Add honey while continuing to mix. Stop mixing and scrape down bowl. Continue to mix until all honey has been poured. Scrape down sides and place in a container that has an airtight seal. Set aside. tart shell prep Unwrap tart shells and line them up. Place up to 2 TBSP of honey cream into each shell. Spread honey cream evenly inside the shell with an offset spatula. putting tart together Place peach slices on top of the cream beginning from the inside outer edge of the tart circle.
Continue this process working from the outer edge in – overlapping the peach slices slightly until you come to the center. Take a small piece of peach or cut a small piece and fill in the center. It will eventually look like a peach rose. Set aside. glaze prep In a non-reactive saucepan, over low-heat, heat peach marmalade until just soft. Take off heat. With a wide brush – pastry brush, dip in marmalade, brush off excess on side of pan and gently brush over the peaches on each tart. Cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate tarts until needed. Take out up to an hour before serving and bring to room temperature.

Serve as is or with freshly whipped cream topping…maybe a little fresh mint from the garden. Eat with pleasure. Serves 8-12.