Crisps, cobblers, crumbles, there are so many ways to use the fruits of the season and this cake is a keeper. I’ve made it three times in the last two weeks to rave reviews every time…served warm from the oven after dinner, served to a group of my women painters, served for breakfast, it is terrific. It has a crisp, sweet top and a warm, moist cake with bubbly blueberries and dots of tart/sweet nectarines (I’ve used peaches in a pinch). This recipe comes from Lizzie who whipped this up while I made dinner one night.

The Best Blueberry Nectarine Crumble Ever

The Topping:
4 TBS. unsalted butter
1/2 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1. Combine dry ingredients and cut the butter into the mixture until it forms large crumbs. Refrigerate.

The Cake:

1 1/2 Sticks butter (12 TBS.)
3/4 Cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder (I make my own to avoid that metallic taste that comes with store-bought varieties, see tips section)
1 1/3 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Large eggs
2 Cups frozen or fresh blueberries
2 Cups nectarines, diced

Butter a square cake pan.

1. Use electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until very creamy. Add vanilla.
2. In a small bowl add baking powder, flour and salt. whisk to combine.
3. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternating with the eggs, starting with flour and ending with flour. Beat well continously as you do this.
4. Fold in the blueberries and nectarines and pour into pan.
5. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until top is set, crisp and golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This is great with whipped cream.

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This dish is so beautiful, it is the most perfect dinner recipe because it is so easy, healthy and looks AMAZING! Take a look at those layered fat slices of eggplant. Only Mario Batali could do it this well and it is a Mario recipe from his Molto Italiano cookbook.

I made this as a side dish to a Bistecca done with Mario’s amazing marinade which turned an ordinary rib eye into an amazing Bistecca that tasted like a dry-aged cut of the best beef ever. I’ll post the Bistecca separately, but this was really a star of the meal.

1/2 Cup olive oil
2 Large eggplant
salt and pepper to taste
3 Cups tomato sauce (see below)
1 Bunch basil, leaves removed and cut into a chiffonade (see my tips on chiffonade in the tips section)
1/2 Pound fresh mozarella
1/2 Pound taleggio cheese (my own addition)
1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 Cup lightly toasted bread crumbs (see my tips on making bread crumbs in the tips section)

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees and oil a baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Cut each eggplant into 6 thick slices and season each with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are deep brown on top. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool. Lower oven temp to 350 degrees.
4. Arrange the 4 largest slices in a 9 x 12 baking dish, spacing them evenly. Now layer this way:

1/4 cup tomato sauce
sprinkle of basil
1 slice of mozarella side-by-side with 1 slice of taleggio
Now repeat with another layer of eggplant using all ingredients

5. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs over the top and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and it is lightly browned. These can be served hot, warm or at room temp.

A quick tomato sauce:

Saute 3 cloves of garlic, sliced in 3 TBS. olive oil
Add 1/4 cup onion, diced
When transparent, add one can San Marzano tomatoes
Add salt and pepper
Add glug of olive oil
Add 1 tsp. dry thyme or 1 TBS. chopped fresh
Cook for 10 minutes

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These pepper came from Saveur Magazine and Bobby made them one night. He grilled the peppers on the stove, using hot banana peppers. They were lemony and tangy and delicious. I still think I like Italian stuffed hot peppers with mascarpone cheese better but this was a delicious summery dish.

4 Large hot banana peppers
9 Oz. crumbled feta
2 TBS. olive oil
2 TBS. plain greek yogurt
1 TBS. minced fresh parsley
1/2 Tsp. lemon zest
1/4 Tsp. dried oregano (preferably Sicilian)
2 Egg yolks
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 Cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1. Grill or broil the pepper for 5 minutes until they are just soft. Cool down. Keep the broiler on.
2. Use hand mixer to mix feta, oil, yogurt, parsley, zest, oregano, egg yolks and salt and pepper, mix very well until creamy
3. Make lengthwise cut in peppers and stuff them with the filling
4. Sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese
5. Broil until they are golden brown and very bubbly (very important to cook them through, wait until they are really bubbly)

Serve hot.

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This pancake recipe was adapted from Chef Kenny Shopsin’s popular pancakes. These were so easy to make, quick, creamy and so delicious and fragrant. Pancake mix is fast and easy but this homemade pancake recipe is really fast. Only pure maple syrup will do for these beauties and I also toasted some walnuts to sprinkle on top.

They are creamy, rich and yet light. The original pancake recipe called for a cup of heavy cream but I substituted 1/2 and 1/2 for great results with a little less fat.

Moist, Delicious Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

1 3/4 cups flour
3 TBS sugar
1 TBS ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 cup milk (I used 2% milk)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 TBS canola oil
Butter and maple syrup for serving

Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, ginger, salt, and allspice together.

Add the 1/2 and 1/2, pumpkin, milk, and eggs and whisk until smooth.

Heat 2 TBS canola oil in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.
Add the batter using a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup.

When bubbles form, flip them and cook, they’ll need 2-3 minutes on each side.

Serve them right away with butter and pure maple syrup. (The syrup is great microwaved for 10 seconds to warm it).

By the way, I made these again using pancake mix since I had about 5 minutes to make the batter. So I used a good quality pancake mix (New Hope Mills), added a cup of pumpkin and spices and it was done in 1-2-3, tasted great, sorry Kenny.

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A white paper bag with a little mesh window. Ingenious. I’m thinking this as I look at the bag of potatoes on my counter. I do not want to throw the bag away. There’s something so old fashioned about it and so fine. So simple. Reminding me that the food we eat is ALIVE…breathing. Needing air to thrive.

At the little market near Geneseo, New York, The Farmer’s Wife, I found this bag of tiny white potatoes from the South. They were fresh so they cooked in no time (this always amazes me about fresh potatoes). I slathered them with a good quality extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and a handful of herbs from my garden and WOW, what a great way to serve potatoes. They can be at room temperature which makes them great for brunch when company is over.

I served these with a frittata for brunch today…all of it topped with strawberry shortcake, complete with homemade biscuits and whipped cream…GirlCook LOVES summer cooking!

Warm Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs
(inspired by a recipe from Jaques Pepin’s aweseome “Chez Jaques” cookbook!)

2 lbs. potatoes (perferably small and very fresh)
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
Handful herbs from the garden (I used 12 stalks of chives, one large stalk of tarragon/leaves separated from the stem, and 3 stalks of flat-leaf parsley)

Cover potatoes with cold water and bring water to a boil over medium heat. Cook until done when fork comes out easily (don’t overcook), approximately 15 minutes depending on freshness of potatoes.

Cut up the herbs (using a small garden scissors makes this so easy…just snip the chives and all other herbs.

Drain potatoes and return to a large bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the herbs which have been cut into small pieces.

Stir and serve. Can be served at room temperature.

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We had family over today. We were just going to sit and talk. I hadn’t gone grocery shopping. There’s something about an empty fridge that makes my sad days even worse. So my empty fridge left me feeling even bluer than I already felt. Until I remembered that dozen brown free range eggs I bought at the market yesterday. And the few spears of asparagus I had left over from the market.

I sometimes think that eggs are a cook’s best friend and maybe that explains my constant yearning to plop a chicken coop in my back yard and make my neighbors just deal with the noise and the smell just so I can reach in every morning and get one, warm, brown (or maybe baby blue) egg.

So as I ponder my inner farm girl and think about how great it would be to raise a few chickens, I think about all the things a GirlCook can whip up with a dozen eggs and a few cans of this and that on hand…and how something so simple can be even better with a great Italian name attached to it.

Artichoke & Asparagus Frittata

6 whole eggs
3 egg whites (I frequently add extra whites to reduce the cholesterol content of my frittatas)
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
6 large stalks of asparagus, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 can quartered artichokes
2 oz. of your favorite cheese: manchego, cheddar, swiss, gruyere, or any other cheese that melts nicely
salt and pepper to taste

Beat the whole eggs and egg whites and set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet set to medium heat and add the asparagus, cooking for 4 minutes until browned and partially cooked. Add the drained artichokes and saute for another 3 minutes until browned.

Add the eggs and cheese and cook for 5 minutes or until the bottom is set.

Invert the frittata on a large plate and slide the uncooked side back into the skillet to cook for another 5 minutes.

Slide frittata onto serving plate and add salt and pepper to taste.

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Sometimes when this GirlCook is feeling blue, I eat a big fat bowl of strawberry shortcake. For breakfast. And then again for dinner. A big bucket of strawberries, fresh picked; freshly whipped cream; and big golden fresh made biscuits, still warm from the oven. Yeah, that will do the trick.

Today, I served this after a brunch of frittata and warm herbed potatoes. Seeing my family loving it up brightened by blues. Edna Lewis is one of my favorite GirlCooks and her recipe for sweet biscuits is what I used here. They are buttery and sweet and the perfect tonic.

So, the blues are still lingering, but made sweeter now.

Strawberry Shortcake with Edna Lewis Sweet Biscuits

2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 pt. heavy whipping cream
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

For biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 scant tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup milk
1 TBS melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sift the flour and then sift it again with the baking powder and salt. Add the sugar. Cut the butter into the flour.

Add the milk all at once.

Put dough on a well floured surface. Knead for a few seconds. Roll out to 1/4″ thickness and cut out with a biscuit cutter (don’t twist the cutter when finishing each round). Brush tops with melted butter, put on a tray and bake for 12 minutes.

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This banana blueberry bread is a winner, it’s terrific. This recipe comes from the book “Eat Well Live Well” by Pamela M. Smith which my mother gave me. She is a diabetic and we are always looking for low-sugar, healthy treats. This fit the bill. It was super moist and has very little sugar, the bananas do the trick.

Filled with complex carbs, it is a winner, great for the diabetic in your family but healthy and awesome for everyone. The best thing about this is that it is super moist and can be kept for days in the fridge and toasted.

The recipe calls for walnuts, I used pecans which were great. Any nut would be great.

Banana Blueberry Bread

1/4 cup canola oil
2 TBS honey
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, uncooked
1 cup blueberries (I use frozen)
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, broken into pieces
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oil, honey and eggs in a food processor. Mash the bananas with a fork and beat into the mixture, set aside.

In a bowl, mis flour, baking soda and salt. Add the oats and stir in the blueberries (carefully) and nuts. Add to the banana mixture, stirring JUST until moistened.

Pour batter into a glass loaf pan that is coated with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or when toothpick stuck into center of the bread comes out clean (this could take as little as 50 minutes).

For muffins: line muffin cups with paper baking cups and fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Note that one slice of bread or one muffin = 1 complex carb and 2 added fats

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Farmer’s Markets are here again. How happy we are after a long winter. Today marked my first Farmer’s Market excursion, to the Canandaigua Farmer’s Market where I bought a bunch of beautiful tender greens from a young girl from Italy Hill Produce in Branchport (they also have a winery named Hunt Country Vineyards).

But tonight’s dinner has The Farmer’s Wife on Route 63 just north of Geneseo to thank. It was there that I bought a paper sack full of snap pea branches just picked that morning. I picked and shucked the peas which was worth every minute to gain one precious cup of fresh sweeter-than-sweet peas.

Then I bought a big, fat bunch of asparagus. I didn’t think their large size could yield such a tender stalk.

And finally, I bought two big, plump, red tomatoes grown locally in a hydroponic garden.

We considered having leftover but with this bounty in my kitchen, I couldn’t resist my first fresh pasta of the season. Fast, easy and so delicious, I was inspired by the bounty.

The only thing that could have improved it would be the organic purple garlic that The Farmer’s Wife usually has around August of the year.

Spring Pasta with Peas, Asparagus and Artichoke Pesto

1 cup shelled fresh peas
6 large asparagus spears cut into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 cup fresh spring greens ripped into small pieces
1/4 cup toasted walnuts (these can be baked in a toaster oven at 325 degrees for 3 minutes, watch them carefully so they don’t burn)
2-oz. piece of good quality Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or similar
2 peeled garlic cloves
3/4 can artichokes, drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put 1/4 pound small rigatoni in boiling salted water and cook until just done al dente.

While pasta is cooking, put peas and asparagus in a separate pot of water and bring to boil, boil for 3 minutes and drain.
Add greens and stir in to wilt. Set aside.

Put walnuts, parmigiano, garlic cloves, artichokes and olive oil in a food processor and process with blade until thick and combined, approximately 30 seconds. Set aside.

Drain past when cooked reserving 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water.

Put hot pasta in large bowl. Add the peas, asparagus and greens. Add 1/2 of the artichoke pesto from the food processor. Add the chopped tomatoes. Add a small amount of the leftover pasta water to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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So here’s the trick to a really great melon. Buy it in good, firm condition, they are almost always very under-ripe in supermarkets. (A farm fresh melon would be delicious but unfortunately not available out of season). Put the melon on your counter for 3-4 days, until it starts to give the scent of melon and begins to get softer when you press either end of the melon. Then put it in the fridge to chill it overnight. This works every time for me and yields a supersweet melon, especially when those great home growns are not available.

Arugula is one of my favorite greens, it is slightly peppery and so distinctive…and high in nutrients.

The Recipe:

2 1/2 Cups of arugula (we are fortunate to have plentiful, pre-washed arugula that is of great quality. Again, homegrown is the best!)
1/2 Melon, sliced in 1/4″ slices and cut into 1″ pieces.
2 TBS. Balsamic vinegar
3 TBS. Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk vinegar, oil and herbs together. Pour over greens.

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