Watermelon Popsicles

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It's summer! Watermelons usher in a whole wealth of delicious ways to beat the heat. This wonderful flowering vine produces a bounteous & versatile fruit. From salads to soup to desserts, watermelon is one of my favorite and fondest summer fruits. 

This year I have spent the summer trying to feed children their fruits and vegetables. A mission I've realized is easier said than done mission, I have to say the least been frustrated with these harsh critics. When I read Mark Bittman's feature Watermelon, Man,  I knew I had a trick up my sleeve for the kids. This low sugar treat is a great way to get the kids excited about eating fruit without any added sugar. Watermelon is also high in Vitamin A & C as well as Potassium so they can think they're getting spoiled. This simple 'recipe' can be whipped up in a jiffy and is malleable to the wealth of seasonings that compliment watermelons juicy and sweet flavor.

Watermelon Popsicles

1 fresh watermelon

 Juice of 2 limes

1 sprig mint or basil

Remove skin from watermelon. Cut into chunks and remove seeds. In a blender, puree watermelon chunks and lime juice. Pour juice into molds and add a leaf of mint or basil to each popsicle. Freeze for 6 hours. 

 

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Strawberry Lavender Tarte Tatin with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

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I'm still strawberry obsessed. My cabinets are full of preserves, I am still drinking gin with strawberry shrub and on father's day I was asked to bring dessert. Strawberry preserves it is! Knowing my ma' always has puff pastry in the freezer, I knew I could whip this up lickety split. Like I have said in the past, pre made puff pastry is a great way to be fancy, without all the elbow grease. If you're like me and like a challenge every once in awhile by all means make your own puff pastry. It is one of those things you should make a lot of in one go and stock up on for future meals. For this recipe I simplified it by using preserves I had already made prior, but the fresh stuff will do just fine if you want to make it from scratch.  I love the lavender in these strawberry preserves, it offers a wonderful aromatic quality to the berries, that is delicious with the flakiness of the puff pastry and the sweetness of the berries that is mellowed by the whipped creamed. Now this recipe is for a crowd, simply half it for a smaller serving though its hard enough to share!

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Strawberry Lavender Tarte Tatin 

Enough for 12 or more

2 10 x 15 sheets puff pastry, frozen or fresh

3 half pints Strawberry Lavender Preserves, recipe follows

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream, recipe follows

METHOD

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 18 x 13 (standard cookie tray) sheet trays and lay parchment paper atop. Set aside.

Take prepared puff pastry, frozen or fresh, and lay out 2 10 x 15 sheets. Cut each sheet into thirds and lay atop parchment paper. With a fork, gently pierce dough creating slight holes throughout each sheet. Crinkle edges of dough to ensure that preserves stay put while baking. Pour preserves atop and bake until crust is golden brown, around 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool and top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

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Strawberry Lavender Preserves

Makes 6 half pints

5 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

3 1/2 cups granulated sugar 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh lavender  

METHOD

Wash & clean berries. Hull berries and slice in half. Cover with sugar and stir. 

If canning prepare sanitized 1/2 pint jars and a water bath for jars. 

When the juices are released from the fruit, pour into a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rapid boiling and add lemon and lavender, stirring often for around 10 minutes or until the juice begins to run thick. Remove from heat and funnel into sanitized jars or set aside. 

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Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract  

1 vanilla bean

METHOD

In a large bowl or mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Gently half vanilla bean and scrape seeds from inside. Beat in vanilla extract and bean inners until peaks form. If hand mixing, use extra cold bowl and whisk.

Feel free to add a tablespoon of confectioners sugar to your whipped cream. I prefer mine without, since I am normally enjoying it with something sinfully sweet=] 

Fun Fact

Did you know vanilla bean is actually from orchids of the genus Vanilla? 

 

Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Beignets

I recently went on a road trip to Detroit and met some kindred spirits. We some how decided to make Beignets after talking about a trip to New Orleans. Beignets, a traditional French pastry, most notably identified with New Orleans are essentially a fancy doughnut that can be topped with confectioneries sugar or stuffed with savory meats. I decided to take some liberties with the traditional form of beignets and rolled my beignets into orbs instead of the rectangle shape, feel free to play around. This recipe requires some prep time to allow the dough to form, but if you don't feel like waiting around, most speciality food stores sell pre made beignet mix that only requires water and no rising time. I hope you enjoy these fried treats as much as we did!

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Heirloom Apple Tarte Tatin with Clothbound Cheddar

As you may have noticed, I have been on a bit of a puff pastry kick. The reason being that it is just too easy not to! This recipe from start to finish took less then a half an hour, and most that time was spent baking the pastry in the oven.

In our fruit share from Lancaster Farm Fresh this week we got the biggest apples I have ever seen, the rome apple. Roughly the size of two fists, these apples are hearty, tasty and perfect for baking! With my trusty puff pastry already in the freezer, I simply sautéd the apples in butter, cinnamon and a touch of maple syrup. Full disclaimer, this is not a traditionally tarte tatin, which requires a bit more work then this recipe.

Now there is nothing more American then apple pie with cheddar cheese, quality or not, and the folks in the pastry kitchen at Talula's inspired me to rethink this tradition (we have a nearly identical recipe on the menu), and play with the sweetness of the apples and pair it with a zesty but mild cheddar. I recommend Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, which is the standard Vermont cheese wrapped in muslin and aged for a minimum of 10 months in the Cellars at Jasper Hill. The cheese on its own is similar to a English-Style cheddar as opposed to Cabot's more American Styling, and the aging transforms the cheese, giving it caramelly, nutty, and tangy flavors. The cheese compliments the apples and maple and hits ever note on your palate.

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