End-of-Summer Pie

My mom brought me a big bunch of peaches and apples from a local farm this weekend. So I put them together in a pie.

Ingredients:

Filling
3 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
3 large peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cup sugar
1 tsp freshly grated cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest
½ tsp honey
Dots of butter

Crust
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup butter, cut into half inch cubes and placed in the freezer for 30 minutes
½ tsp salt
5-7 tbsp iced cold water
Butter, melted for the top of the pie



To Prepare:

1. Stir the all filling ingredients except the butter together in a large bowl until the fruit is well-coated, let sit at room temperature.
2. Put flour into a food processor with the butter cubes and pulse until pea-sized balls form.
3. Add one teaspoon of water and pulse until incorporated, repeat until it comes together as a ball, do not add too much water.
4. Separate the dough into two balls and placed onto a well-floured surface.
5. Gently roll out the dough balls and, flouring the surface and rolling pin well.
6. Place the first crust into the bottom of a deep pie plate and gently ensure that it conforms to the plate without stretching.
7. Fill with the filling and place dots of butter evenly over the surface.
8. Place the top, fold and pinch the edges together, and pierce the surface with a knife in a circular pattern.
9. Brush the top with butter and bake at 375º for 35-40 minutes or until the center bubbles.
10. Serve warm.

Summer Fresh Gazpacho

I’ve been inspired by some amazing bowls of gazpacho this summer. During a trip to Milwaukee my boyfriend and I stopped for a light lunch and coffee at Alterra by the Lake Michigan marina and it was the first time we ever tried this chilled soup. After a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s current Renoir exhibit, we stopped at Frog Burger for corn on the cob, garlic fries, and a bowl of our new favorite soup. Somehow it’s just the perfect thing to enjoy in the shade on a beautiful late summer day.

So I’ve been experimenting. Here’s my favorite combination of these beautiful ingredients which I’ll be serving up for dinner tonight with some nice fresh bread.

Ingredients:

5 cups garden fresh beefsteak and roma tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled, deseeded, and diced
3 celery heart stalks, diced
2 large red bell peppers, deseeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup white vinegar
3 cups tomato juice
10 drops tobacso
1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped
Olive oil, drizzled liberally
Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:

1. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, tasting as you go.
2. Chill for at least four hours to allow the flavors to come together. The longer it sits, the better!
3. Serve in chilled crocks. Eat outdoors.

Pasta with Apple and Oyser Mushrooms

I walked down to the Rittenhouse square farmer's market this morning as part of my attempt to jump back into cooking.

I found an excellent selection of mushrooms and threw together this delicious pasta dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup oyster mushrooms, washed and broken into large bites
1 cup shitake mushrooms, washed and broken into large bites
1/2 large cortland apple with skin, cut into half-inch pieces
2 cups freshly cooked pasta (I like Barilla Plus)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

To prepare:

1. Lightly coat a medium frying pan with olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms and toss lightly until coated, add salt and pepper to taste, cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes.
3. Lower the heat and add the apple, recover and cook for about 2 minutes until the apple are just blanched.
4. Add the pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste.