Watermelon Popsicles

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. 

Raw Summer Cold Noodle

In the summer, it's hard to eat, sleep and even breathe. Salads have always been my escape on hot summer days when I don't have much of an appetite, but recently I've been looking for some new cold & delicious alternatives. I love playing around with no-bake or raw recipes and am always overjoyed with the low prep and delicious results. I find that simplicity & allowing the natural flavors shine through is the key in raw 'cooking'.  

Cold sesame noodles is one of my favorite summertime dishes and I was excited when I saw a method for making noodles out of zucchini. With my new favorite kitchen toy, a julienne peeler, whipping up this simple summer recipe was a breeze (around 10 minutes total!) and a great way to eat raw. There are many benefits to eating vegetables in their raw state, most being that none of the nutrients is lost during the cooking process. Raw Zucchini has high levels of Potassium and Fiber as well as impressive values of Vitamin C (58%!) and Vitamin A, B-6 and Magnesium. 

When I received 4 gigantic zucchinis in my farm share this week, I was determined to make zucchini noodles. I julienned 2 of them and made the sauce out of some peanut butter, though I suspect that any and all nut butters would be delicious. This recipe is mostly a guideline, experiment with different preparations, customizing it to your taste. This one, of course, is on the spicier side. if you prefer milder version, nix the sriracha and chili powder and take it easy on the ginger and onion. Get out there and get your raw on! 

Raw Summer Cold Noodle

Sauce 

1/4 cup nut butter or sesame paste

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil  

2 teaspoons grated ginger

2 tablespoons of lime

1 tablespoon sriracha  

1 dash chili powder

Combine all ingredients in bowl and stir till smooth. If mixture is thicker than you'd like add more soy sauce or water. Set aside

Noodles 

2 large zucchinis, shredded with a julienned peeler

1 cucumber,  shredded with a julienned peeler

1 cup bean sprouts

1 onion, diced

Garnish 

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Cilantro to taste, chopped

Toss together ingredients in a large bowl . Slowly add sauce, dressing as much as you'd like. Do be aware that the zucchini will release liquid over time. Chill or serve immediately. Enjoy!

Ginger Peach & Black Raspberry Water

An ice machine breaking on a 90 degree day is a sad reality of summer. When scrounging for a refreshing beverage without ice,  I decided I had to get creative. I had just gone an picked black raspberries from my favorite farm in Jersey. I decided to macerate the berries with a few slices of ginger, peach & citrus then submerge them in water and stuck it in the fridge. The water instantly turned a brillant red and was absolutely refreshing. Now I like to take on of my 32oz. mason jar and leave it in the fridge with water fruit I have laying around. Weather it be to cool down, mix up the usual water chugging you need on these hot days, or to spice up a cocktail, I'm positively smitten with the simplicity and versatile uses of this flavored water. Now this recipe is merrily a suggestion, the brilliance behind this water is to use what you have on hand. Play around and experiment with different fruits, add a dash of honey or maple syrup and refill it and just leave it in the fridge to have around at all times. 

Ginger Peach & Black Raspberry Water

32 oz of water

1/2 cup raspberries

1 peach

1 lemon

ginger root to taste

honey or maple syrup, to taste (optional) 

Grab a large jar and macerate the black raspberries and peaches. Add the juice of 1 lemon and add 3 slices of ginger root, cover with water. Allow to sit in the fridge for a minimum of an hour. Replenish after each use and enjoy on its own or with your favorite spirit! 

Roasted Duck Breast

As you may have noticed, I don't blog about meat or even cook it often. I'm a veggies kind of gal and although I will never entirely give up meat, I use it sparingly, and feel my best when I eat a primarily vegetable based diet. I appreciate the animals sacrifice and am a huge advocate of humane animal slaughter and husbandry.

However, man-oh-man, put me in front of anything with duck in it, I'm all over it like white on rice. Peeking Duck, Duck Pho, Duck Salad, Duck Fat Fries, Foie Gras....in every way imaginable, I could drink Duck Jus by the gallon, its definitely my favorite meat to say the least. My obsession for duck probably comes from my family, mostly my father, who has  cherished it and by default, always ordered it when dining out. It was only natural that when my mother asked him what he wanted for Father's Day dinner, he requested it.  

This is a full proof preparation of muscovy duck breast. The trick is to do a quick sear on the fat and finish in the oven. This ensures juicy perfection and is perfect for medium rare, as it should only ever be enjoyed at. Duck breast is a perfect addition to any meal such as salads, soups, or simply on its own with some greens and starches. Duck is also incredibly malleable to sweet additions, and goes well with pretty much any fruit you can think of. Grilled peaches & apricots is a favorite of mine, but strawberries & cherries also delicious. Be sure to save the excess fat and drippings from this dish, as duck fat is a out of this world flavoring for veggies, eggs, and can easily be turned into a outrageous jus. 

Roasted Duck Breast

3 Muscovy Duck Breast (roughly a half pound each) 

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Lay duck breast on a cutting board. With a proper knife, score the fat side of the breasts in a criss-cross pattern, seasoning with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron grill pan or any other ovenproof skillet over medium heat. 

Lay breasts fat side down on grill pan and render off fat. Around 5-6 minutes. Reserve excess fat. Turn over for one minute and turn fat side down again and place in oven for roughly 8 minutes for medium rare. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly and savor! 

Strawberry Lavender Tarte Tatin with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

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!

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!

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. 

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?