Category: summer

Basil Pesto

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I have been looking forward to making pesto over pasta for a summer dinner ever since I planted my garden in late May.  I have made pesto before, of course, but there’s nothing quite like making dinner with ingredients I grew myself (right in my own backyard).  Once my basil plant had grown tall enough to require its own short stake in my garden, I picked a couple handfuls of beautiful green leaves and pulled out my food processor.  I don’t remember the first time I made pesto and I don’t remember if I used a recipe but for people who enjoy cooking (and I can’t speak for everyone), I feel there are certain things we intrinsically understand how to make.  For me, pesto is one of those things and (let’s be honest) I can probably trace my “intrinsic” understanding back to the countless cooking shows I have watched since I was a little girl.  Basil + olive oil + garlic + pine nuts + Parmesan ­= pesto.

what I used:

2 handfuls freshly picked basil leaves (stems removed)
1 garlic clove, peeled (use 2 if you really LOVE garlic)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup pine nuts (I think I will use 1/4 cup next time)
2-4 tables. Extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
1/2 bag Al Dente egg fettuccini, cooked al dente (of course)

how I made it:

Bring water that has been salted liberally to a boil.  As the directions on the bag of pasta instruct, cook the pasta for 3 minutes (I actually cooked mine for 4 minutes, and was very happy with the result).  Once the pasta is drained, I drizzle olive oil on it and toss to prevent it from becoming a mass of pasta.

Using a food processor (I have used a blender in lieu of a food processor before and it works, but it’s nearly impossible to get the finished pesto out of the blender pitcher), mince the garlic by itself until it’s completely minced and evenly coats the bowl of the processor.  Add in the pine nuts and Parmesan and process until a paste forms.  Add in the basil and pulse a couple times to chop it up.  Stream in the olive oil while the processor is turned on.  I like a saucy pesto so I tend to add more oil than most people probably do, so add as much or as little olive oil as you like.

All you have to do now is remove the sharp blade out of the food processor without cutting yourself and spoon the pesto over your pasta!  If you have a few cherry or grape tomatoes from your garden they are a delicious addition to the pesto and pasta, just cut in half and add to the bowl before serving.

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars

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This is an ode to my dear friend, Jocelyn.  I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who loved dessert in the form a bar more than her.  In fact, before I met Jocelyn I didn’t realize an appreciation for dessert bars existed.  For some reason, I also associate summer time with Jocelyn, so this was a natural fit.

From a baker’s perspective (this baker’s perspective anyway) creating a bar is a lot like making simple cookie dough without the hassle of scooping and baking several cookies – you just throw the dough onto a sheet pan and when it’s done and cooled all you have to do is cut into little squares or rectangles and the bars automatically look absolutely adorable.  So, I guess my secret is out of the bag: I like to make dessert bars because they are easy.  Bars also tend to contain layers and fruit components, which is always impressive.  I will admit that I use a ruler and straight edge to measure my bars before cutting them with a sharp knife that gets cleaned after every cut to ensure that each bar looks perfect, but they are still easy to make.

Here is my very “summery” dessert bar recipe that was adapted from a random promotional Kraft foods magazine and won the heart of Jocelyn:

what I used:

½ cup butter, melted
1 package yellow, white or lemon cake mix (whatever I have on hand)
2 eggs
2 tsp lemon zest
3 tbls lemon juice
2 blocks (8 oz each) cream cheese
½ cup sugar
2 ½ cups blueberries (rinsed)

how I made it:

pre-heat oven to 350°.  Line a 13×9” pan (I use a glass baking dish) with foil or parchment paper (enough to be able to pull out of the pan on each side once cooled).

Combine melted butter with cake mix, 1 egg and 1 tbls of the lemon juice.  Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the lined pan.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg, lemon zest and remaining 2 tbls lemon juice with a mixer and pour over the pressed crust.  Top with blueberries and sprinkle the top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the center is almost set.  Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into squares (see method above).

I pull the bars out with the parchment or foil onto a cutting board so I have a completely flat surface for cutting and can go to town with the ruler and straight edge.  Wiping a sharp knife with a damp cloth or paper towel between each slice really gives the bars a beautiful presentation and allows the layers to shine through in each bar.

Cherry Cobbler

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Growing up in Michigan, cherries and summertime have always been synonymous.  Unfortunately, the year I decide to move back to Michigan is the year when the state experienced an uncharacteristically warm winter followed by frosts, leaving the cherry capital of the state, Traverse City with a scarce cherry crop.  Traverse City reported losing 90% of the state’s tart cherries and 80% of its sweet cherries in 2012 due to the weather experienced in the early winter season.  I did not let this deter me in my pursuit to capture a quintessential flavor of Michigan summers.

In early August I realized that throughout my baking history I had yet to bake a cobbler of any sort.  In the autumn I often make apple crisp but I typically focus my summer baking efforts on ice cream and cold or room temperature desserts.  I also received some beautiful Grand Haven peaches in early August and the logical recipe to make was peach cobbler.  While researching recipes for peach cobbler I came across a recipe by Paula Deen, a woman who is as synonymous with Georgia as the peach itself and assumed she would be the authority on fruit cobblers.  And an authority she is.  Paula’s Deen’s recipe for cobbler couldn’t be simpler and the baked result couldn’t be fluffier, richer or more satisfying if you added ten sticks of butter.

Adapted from Paula Deen’s recipe for peach cobbler, I came up with a memorable dessert that captures the essence of Michigan summers in every bite!

What I used for the cherry filling:

4 cups cherries, pitted
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

What I used for the cobbler:

1 ½ cups self-rising flour *
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups milk
1 stick butter

* if you don’t have self-rising flour, you can substitute the same amount of all purpose flour and add ½ teas. salt and 2 teas. baking powder.

For the filling:
Combine the cherries, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbls. cornstarch and ½ cup water in large pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  The filling can be made in advance.

For the cobbler:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Once oven is pre-heated, place the stick of butter in a baking dish (9×9 inch) and allow butter to melt in the oven.  Remove baking dish from oven and set aside.

Whisk together 1 ½ cups self rising flour and 1 cup sugar.  Once combined, slowly whisk in the 1 ½ cups milk and ½ teas. vanilla extract to avoid clumping.  Continue whisking until completely combined.  The batter will be thin.

Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish.  Pour the cooked cherries over the batter (including all of the syrup).

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the cobbler is golden brown.  I place the baking dish on a cookie sheet while baking the cobbler in case any of the juices bubble over.

Allow cobbler to cool as much or as little as you’d like before serving on its own or with vanilla ice cream.