Tomato and Peach Salad with Buttered Bread and Pistachios

Tomato and Peach Salad with Buttered Bread and Pistachios

Ingredients:

2 cups big chunks of bread

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup salted and shelled pistachios

salt and pepper to taste

3 big handfuls clean lettuce

balsamic vinegar and olive oil

1 ripe peach, sliced thin

1 ripe tomato, sliced thin

8 small fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half

salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add bread chunks and toss to coat in fat. Allow the bread chunks to toast and brown until golden on most sides. Add the pistachios and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In a medium bowl toss together greens and a drizzle of oil and vinegar. Use as much or as little dressing as you’d like. Divide greens into prepared bowls. Top with peach slices, tomato sliced, mozzarella, and bread and pistachio mixture. Top with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy immediately. 

Recipe found at: http://joythebaker.com/2013/06/tomato-and-peach-salad-with-buttered-bread-and-pistachios/

Charred Mexican Zucchini

Charred Mexican Zucchini:

4 green zucchini squash, sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and red pepper flakes, to taste

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup queso, crumbled (Mexican cheese)

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

ancho chili powder, for dusting

1 lime cut into 4 wedges

Directions:

Turn oven onto broiler setting.  Place zucchini halves on baking sheet  cut side up.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and crushed red pepper flakes.  Place under the broiler until sizzling and well charred.  This could take 2 to 5 minutes depending on your broiler situation.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you assemble the topping.

In a medium bowl stir together mayonnaise, queso, and a few grinds from the pepper mill.  Stir until evenly combined.

Top each zucchini half with a few spoonfuls of prepared filling.  Dust generously with ancho chili powder and serve immediately with wedges of lime. Enjoy! 

Recipe found at: http://joythebaker.com/2013/06/charred-mexican-zucchini/

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Heirloom Tomato Tart: makes 1 9×9-inch tart

adapted slightly from The Guardian

For the Sundried Tomato Pesto Sauce:

(This will actually make enough sauce for two tarts.  Either double the Tart ingredients below, or reserve the extra sauce for topping on toast, eggs, or pasta.  It’s delicious.)

1-8 ounce jar sundried tomatoes, some of the oil reserved

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 small red chili, seeds remove and coarsely chopped

big pinch of granulated sugar

1 scant teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil from the sundried tomato jar

For the Tart:

1 9×9-inch sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed but still cold

small handful fresh basil leaves

4 ounces goat cheese

3 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick and drained on paper towels

handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and seeds removed

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

olive oil

Directions: 

• To make the Sundried Tomato Pesto Sauce, combine sundried tomatoes, garlic cloves, chopped chili, sugar, salt, and oil in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until combined, but still slightly coarse.  The mixture does not need to be completely smooth.  Taste and season as needed.
• Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Unfold a chilled sheet of puff pastry.  Roll lightly with a rolling pin just to flatten completely.  Place on the prepared baking sheet and spread about half of the pesto sauce over the puff pastry, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the edges.  Coarsely tear basil leaves over the sauce.  Crumble goat cheese over the sauce.  Arrange heirloom tomatoes in a single layer over the goat cheese and press down slightly.  Try to cover as much of the sauce as possible as it can burn in the oven if exposed.  Add a few cherry tomato halves.  Sprinkle generously with fresh thyme and drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at lease 10 minutes before serving.  

Recipe found at: http://joythebaker.com/2013/08/heirloom-tomato-tart/

Fresh Fig and Almond Breakfast Cake

For the Cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

For the Topping:

8- 10 fresh figs (depending on the size), sliced in half

1/2 cup sliced almonds

3 tablespoons turbinado (or granulated) sugar for topping

To make the cake:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 10-inch cast iron skillet.  You can also use a 10-inch cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and sugar. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and butter.  Whisk in the vanilla and almond extract.

Add the buttermilk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined and no lumps remain.  Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Top batter with fresh figs, gently pressing the figs part-way into the batter.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds and then sprinkle generously with sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow cake to cool to room temperature before slicing to serve.

Cake will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. 

Recipe found at: http://joythebaker.com/2013/08/fresh-fig-and-almond-breakfast-cake/