Grilled Peach Bruschetta

Sometimes the most unusual combinations make the most delightful dishes. That's how I feel about my Grilled Peach Bruschetta. 

The rosemary olive oil, goat cheese, basil and balsamic bring out earthy qualities of a peach that are magnificent to discover. It's a combinations you should most definitely try.

Topped on toasted baguette, this a dish that will impress your guests during your next summer get together. 

Grilled Peach Bruschetta

(Makes 10-12 servings)

By Susan Watson Leiser

1 large ripe but firm peach, halved and pitted

¼ cup rosemary olive oil

10-12 slices French baguette

4 ounces goat cheese, softened

10 large basil leaves, chiffonade

Balsamic vinegar to drizzle over finished bruschetta

Brush both sides of baguette with rosemary olive oil.

Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat. Place prepared baguettes on grill pan. Grill on each side for about 5 minutes to lightly grill. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, brush halved peach with rosemary olive oil on both sides. On the same heated grill pan, place both peach halves on the grill, cut side down. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board to cool.

Once peaches are cool, cut into thin slices. You should get about 20 to 24 slices.

Spread goat cheese onto each toasted baguette. Top each with two peach slices. Top each with basil chiffonade and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Fresh Peach Cake

It's peach season. What better way to enjoy the juicy goodness of this fab summer fruit than with a cake? A homemade one, natch!

Here, we have the Fresh Peach Cake recipe from Ina Garten. I followed the recipe exactly but omitted the nuts due to my food allergy.

Some reviewers on foodnetwork.com said the batter overflowed while baking. I did not have this problem, but perhaps it is because I did not use the nuts. I used an Pyrex glass baking dish.

Coffee cakes are great to make - especially for all of you non-bakers (gasp) out there. Probably the biggest challenge is peeling the peaches, but this is so worth the energy. Trust me! This is a good one to do with the kiddies: Layering the peaches and sprinkling the cinnamon sugar is always a ton of fun with little hands.

Enjoy!

Fresh Peach Cake

(Serves 8)

By Ina Garten

From “Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?”

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and pecans.

Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Please note: The Jersey Girl did not use pecans due to her food allergies.

How to Peel a Peach

1. Bring a pot of water to a roiling boil.

2. With a slotted spoon, drop in your peaches gently. 3. Cook in the rapidly boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove with slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of ice water.

5. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off with your finger tips.

6. Pit the peach by splitting it open if you can. Remove the pit with your fingers or a spoon.

Summer Smoothie Peach Style

I have rocked out smoothies in the past featuring blueberries and strawberries, but this one features the one and only peach.

Light and refreshing, this is a perfect start to a hot day.

To make this, you need to peel your peaches. It's not that hard! I swear.

Here's the process to do that:

1. Bring a pot of water to a roiling boil.

2. With a slotted spoon, drop in your peaches gently.

3. Cook in the rapidly boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove with slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of ice water.

5. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off with your finger tips.

6. Pit the peach by splitting it open if you can and continue with your recipe.

Now onto the smoothies:

Peach Smoothies
(Makes 4 servings)

2-3 peeled peaches
5 oz. plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups ice

Add all ingredients into a blender. Puree until smooth. Serve in cups garnished with a fresh peach slice.

It's that easy!

Blondies

We domestic goddess types always need a crowd-pleasing dessert that is easy peasy up our sleeves. So, I bring to you: Chocolate Chunk Blondies.

Really, Ina Garten is bringing the recipe to you. My blog is just a portal for her genius.

This recipe calls for all the chocolate chip cookie basics. I used regular chips instead of chunks because that's all I had. And I omitted the nuts due to my food allergies.

The pros of this recipe are that it is amazing and super easy. And less cleanup and cooking time than baking straight-up regular chocolate chip cookies.

The con is that it requires an odd-shaped baking pan: 8 1/2 by 12 by 2. Since I am a hoarder of many cooking and baking useless and random items, I of course, had this size on hand. You may need to hit up Bed, Bath and freakin' Beyond (I will always think of it like this due to Mario Cantone and Sex and the City and one of his awesome phone calls on the streets of NYC to Charlotte - my fave, natch). But really, the Triple B's has all the fanciful and random kitchen thangs a gal could want. Plus you can peruse As Scene on TV items while you're there. Always a fascinating experience. I would just purchase the weird size pan rather than finagling with the measurements and times and whatnots. People say I am this amazing baker, but really, I just follow the instructions. That's it!

Here's the recipe. It is so fab. Oozing with chocolate and brown sugar. Soft, yet perfectly crusty. There is nothing else to say.

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

By Ina Garten
From "Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof"
Makes 12 large bars

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks, such as Nestle's

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 12 by 2-inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, scraping down the bowl after each addition. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake! The toothpick may have melted chocolate on it but it shouldn't have wet batter. Cool completely in the pan and cut into 12 bars.

Please note: The Jersey Girl omits the walnuts, and uses two cups of chocolate chips in place of chocolate chunks if that's all she has in her cupboard. I also cut them into smaller squares, usually yielding 20-24 bars.

Gnocchi in Pomodoro Sauce

So this is only the best dish ever: Gnocchi in Pomodoro Sauce.

You can of course just use store bought gnocchi, but I'm including the recipe I use to make homemade gnocchi. It is the method by Giada DeLaurentiis.

It's not as hard as you think. For reals.

Interestingly, the potatoes are cooked in the microwave. I have tried baking and boiling in the past, and I strongly believe microwaving is the best route to texture perfection in the gnocchi. I use a potato masher to mash up the potatoes before mixing them with a wooden spoon into the egg, and then combining the sifted flour in with my hands. I use my hands so that I do not overmix the dough. That way, it is light and fluffy. As god intended gnocchi to be, of course!

Making gnocchi may seem intimidating, but I think it is a simple pasta to make and it is so much fun to do. It is a great pasta to make with little children as well.

The pomodoro sauce is fabulous. It is a recipe I found on Pinterest. I have made it many times. I love how the oil is infused with fresh herbs. Be sure to cook it in an oven proof dish as you can just pop it under the broiler as soon as you add the gnocchi, fresh mozzarella, parmigiana cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

My son loves this dish. He requests it again and again. Yay!

Gnocchi

From “Everyday Pasta”

By Giada De Laaurentiis

Makes about 54 gnocchi

2 baking potatoes, such as russet (about 12 ounces each)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup all-purpose flour

Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high until tender, about 12 minutes. (You can also bake the potatoes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes, or until tender. While the potatoes are still warm, cut them in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Stir in the egg, salt and pepper. Sift the flour over the potato mixture and stir just until blended.

Scoop out a large spoonful of gnocchi dough. Roll each scoop on the work surface into about a 1/2-inch-diameter rope.

Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces.

Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the tines of a fork to form grooves in the dough.

Set the formed gnocchi on a baking sheet while you form the rest of the dough.

Working in batches, cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until they have all risen to the surface, about 3 minutes. Scoop the gnocchi into a colander with a slotted spoon while you cook the second batch.

Add to your sauce.

The Jersey Girl notes: I often use 3-4 potatoes, as I can not find potatoes that are 12 ounces each. I mash the potatoes with a potato masher. You want a smooth consistency. I mix the egg with a wooden spoon. I mix the flour with  my hands. When making the gnocchi with the pomodoro sauce listed below, I gently scoop the cooked gnocchi out of the boiling water with a wide slotted spoon directly into the warm pomodoro sauce. I also cooked the gnocchi in three batches, not two. 

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

By www.foodiecrush.com

• 
  
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoons

• 4 stems fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

• 4 stems fresh oregano

• 2 stems fresh rosemary

• 2 stems fresh basil, plus 2 more stems for garnish

• ½ yellow onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

• 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

• ¼ cup heavy cream (optional)

• 1 16-ounce package potato gnocchi

• 8 ounces cherry size mozzarella balls, cut in half

1. 
   
2. 
   
   
3. Add ¼ cup olive oil to a 10-inch high sided sauté pan or a saucepan over medium heat. Add the parsley, oregano, rosemary and 2 stems of basil and cook for about 5 minutes or until the herbs become crisp.
4. Remove the herbs and discard then add the onion and garlic to the oil, lowering the heat if needed so the onions cook gently and don't brown. Cook until the onions are transparent, about 5-7 minutes, then crush the tomatoes with your hand and add to the pan with juice. Season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thicken, stirring occasionally. (I also add about 2 Thsp. chopped fresh basil to the sauce before simmering.)
5. 
   
   
6. Stir in the heavy cream (if using) and remove from the heat.

1. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Season generously with kosher salt and cook until the gnocchi float to the top of the boiling water. Drain and then place the gnocchi into the cooked sauce. Top with the halved mozzarella balls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese then drizzle the tops of the gnocchi with the remaining olive oil. Broil for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese melts and the tops become crispy. Garnish with additional basil leaves and serve immediately.
2. The Jersey Girl notes: I did not use fresh oregano and I did not use cream. It is fab without, in my opinion!
3. And here is my cutie pie Evan helping me cook and digging into the delciousness on two separate occasions:
4. 
   
   
   
   
   
5.