Peach-Blueberry Cobbler (v)

Treat for the dog-days of summer.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, August 2005 (p146). Tip-o-the-hat to Veganaise for being such a great cream substitute in this recipe.

2½ pounds peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and cut into ¾-inch-thick wedges (about 8 cups)

1 cup blueberries (about ½ pint)

²⁄₃ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted soy butter, cut into small pieces

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

¾ cup Veganaise + ¼ cup water

Sanding sugar for sprinkling

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°, with racks positioned in upper and lower thirds.
2. Stir together peaches, bluebetries, ¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a 12-by-8½ inch (2-quart) baking dish; set aside.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and remaining ¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl or stand mixer. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or 2 knives to form clumps that are no larger than small peas.
4. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into the Veganaise; stir with a fork to combine. Discard pod. Add cream mixture to flour mixture; stir until a soft, sticky dough forms. Using a spring-loaded ice-cream scoop, scoop out 10 equal portions of dough onto the filling & sprinkle with sanding sugar.
5. Protect your oven with a parchment-lined cookie sheet on the lower rack. Bake cobbler on the top rack until the topping is golden brown and juices ar bubbling (55-70 minutes). If topping browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
6. Let cool 1 hour before serving.

AUGUST DOTM SPICY PEACH SORBET (V)

August is for peaches! Summer is for being really lazy about posting on DOTMC!
I dedicate this post to my littlest sister who is in need of non dairy desserts.

I had used my Flip to make a companion video to this recipe to put on Food Punk, and it was really cute and then my computer and Flip had a massive falling out and I lost every video I ever saved. However, I still got a crappy pic with my phone that you see here! Huzzah! Look out for your hard copy in the mail it IS coming. Promise. (For lots of rambling on the recipe below,and some ice cream tips you can check out Food Punk).



4-6 good size peaches peeled and chopped
A couple chiles ( I had dried Chiles de Arbol, but  fresh jalapeno or any such nice chile would work well I think)
2 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp of Sorghum Syrup (or corn, no judgments here)
a pinch of salt
the juice of one lemon and (optional) a shot of Tequila

Cook the peaches in a saute pan over med heat. As they begin to cook and break down add the honey and syrup. Stab your chiles with a paring knife and throw them in. When the mixture looks like it would make an ok jam, take it off heat, discard the chiles and puree mixture in a blender.
( I kept half of one of my chiles and threw him in the blender)
Strain the mixture into a metal bowl. This is annoying but so necessary, just keep pushing the puree through with a spatula.
Make sure to scrape off all the goo clinging to the bottom of the strainer as that is the good stuff!
Put the bowl in the fridge and be patient while it gets nice and cool. (2-4 hrs or overnight)
Freeze according to the ice cream maker's directions

Granita, granita, granita.

Hi everyone! Hope your summertime has been swell. I'm not much of a "summer person," admittedly. It's just... too hot. I don't like being hot. Or sweating. Or humidity. Yeah, I pretty much hate summer and I'm super stoked it is nearly over.

But I'm not a total hater! There is one thing I like about summer: THE FOOD! I weirdly love foods that are associated with heat and boardwalks and outdoor eating (preferably in the shade with a fan or close proximity to an air conditioner). I love food that is grilled outdoors, the smell of burning charcoal or wood, summer berries and stone fruits, watermelons, chilled drinks, and cool/refreshing desserts.

We have a janky window AC unit, so using the oven has been totally off limits for the last couple of months. I didn't have to look far to figure out what this year's DOTMC recipe would be, thankfully. I had some beautiful, super-ripe nectarines from the farmer's market. They were so sweet- but had that tart edge.. the kind of fruit you bite into and just start telling everyone around you about how you have the perfect piece of fruit.
Our dessert drink of choice lately has been Moscato D'Asti... lightly sparkling, (not too) sweet, crisp, fragrant, almost peachy white wine. I thought it would be nice to mix with the nectarines is a frozen way. Thankfully, the two were a perfect pair, and the granita came out beautifully, totally refreshing, and so very easy too.

Below is my recipe card for July's DOTMC... apologies for the tardiness! They'll be in the mail this week.Take care and happy, happy late summer.