hot fun in the summertime

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“Hot Fun in the Summertime” was written by Sylvester Stewart, or better known as Sly Stone of the band Sly and the Family Stone. Sly Stewart wrote this song in 1969 extolling the beginning of summer and the fun that one has during these lazy days. I will say this summer so far has certainly been hot, and extremely humid too. Despite the heat and humidity, one still needs to eat no matter how hot it is.
 
Now that New Jersey peach season is in full swing, I tweaked Melissa Clark’s recipe for Baked Oatmeal with Berries and Almonds to work with peaches. First I made a tiny cross on the bottom of the peaches and blanched them in boiling water for approximately 30 seconds. This enabled me to peel off their skin. Next, I cut segments into the peach and cut it away from the pit. In place of almonds, I used toasted walnuts that I coarsely chopped and used 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon in lieu of nutmeg. The baked oatmeal came was delicious and had a lovely sweet taste from the peaches. The peaches were full of flavor and was a great change from using berries. Give it a try while peaches are still available. I’m going to purchase some and prep them for baking, but freeze them in portion sizes for fall and winter when I’m yearning for a bit of summer.

I am always looking for new and interesting cookies to bake. I’ve been on a run of oatmeal chocolate chip raisin for a few months now and I was getting bored with them. I’ve been following “The Vanilla Bean Blog,” by Sarah Kieffer (her Instagram account is @sarah_kieffer). Ms. Kieffer is a self-taught baker and has two books to her credit, “The Vanilla Bean Baking Book,” and “100 Cookies.” I’ve been making her Chocolate Sugar cookies for almost a year now and I recently discovered her Neapolitan Cookie. This recipe for Neapolitan Cookies is not like the one I recently posted on this blog. For this recipe you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, freeze-dried strawberries, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, red food coloring (optional), Dutch-process cocoa powder and sprinkles or granulated sugar for rolling.
 
I found freeze-dried strawberries at my local Wegmans Market. Make sure you select freeze dried (crispy) and not dried strawberries, which are chewy. The cookie batter comes together quite easily in a stand mixer. As there are three flavors to this cookie, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, I weighed out the cookie dough, then portioned it into approximately three equal amounts. The freeze-dried strawberries need to be pulverized into a powder then incorporated into the batter. I did the same with the cocoa powder. Instead of pulling off 15 pieces of each flavor to press into a ball, I opted to roll each flavor into a log and slice. If you go with this method, I suggest chilling the dough for 30 minutes which will help each color/flavor to remain distinct during slicing.
 
These cookies were scrumptious! Initially, I thought they might turn out too sweet (2-1/2 cups flour to 1-3/4 cup sugar), but they were perfect. Ms. Kieffer suggested black cocoa powder for a richer color, but the Dutch process was fine. You can find Hershey’s Special Dark 100%Cacao powder at your local grocery store. The strawberry flavoring was subtle, but noticeable. You can add red food coloring for a more distinctive red, but they’re perfectly fine just with the strawberry powder. My husband has now found a new favorite flavor. I can’t wait for my granddaughters to try them.
 
As you may remember, I am a brand ambassador for Alexian Pâte and Specialty Meats. Recently, I received several packages of pâté, Eggplant and Goat Cheese, Mushroom and Artichoke and Truffle Mousse.
 
The first recipe I created was for an Eggplant and Goat Cheese Pâté Toast using Benchmark Breads Sour Dough Pan Loaf. I purchased my bread at the AsburyFresh Market held Sunday mornings in Asbury Park. However, they are available at various locations in Monmouth County and soon at their retail location in Little Silver.
 
I started by toasting the bread on my outdoor grill then rubbing the toasted bread with a garlic clove to infuse more flavor into the bread. Using dental floss, I carefully sliced several slices of pâté and placed it on the bread. I fried a runny egg and placed it on top. Some salt and pepper on the egg and voilà you have yourself a delicious meal. My husband is always game to try new dishes and he was impressed with this one. It’s great for a fancy breakfast or brunch with friends; the best part, it’s so easy!
 
For the Mushroom and Artichoke pâté, I upped my pizza game and used it as a topping. I make my own pizza dough, but now I’m letting it ferment for 24 hours in my refrigerator before using. Also, I cook my pizza right on my Weber gas grill grates to achieve a nice brown and slightly charred bottom. After stretching out the dough on a pizza peel, I topped it with a schmear of whole milk ricotta cheese, followed by lots of finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, whole milk mozzarella, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Just before I was going to pull the pizza off the grill, I added thinly sliced pâté. To slice, I lay the pâté flat on a cutting board and with a long, thin serrated knife, slice it parallel.
 
What a tasty pizza. The pâté has a wonderful flavor which reminds me a bit of pesto. Not only does it contain artichoke hearts, but spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, cream, onion and tarragon along with “all natural, not artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no preservatives and no fillers.” [1] Both my husband and I enjoyed this variation of pizza; we were pleasantly surprised how wonderful this creation was.
 
[1] alexianpate.com/our-story/

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Neapolitan Cookies
Adapted by Sarah Kieffer, “The Vanilla Bean Blog”
 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes 
Additional Time: 30 minutes 
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 15 cookies
 
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon [364 g] all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of freeze-dried strawberries, which equals 8 grams (measured before pulsing)
1 cup [2 sticks | 227 g] unsalted butter room temperature
1 3/4 cup [350 g] granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 or 3 drops red food coloring optional
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
Sprinkles or granulated sugar for rolling
 
Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, pulverize the strawberries into a powder.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
5. Dump the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into three equal portions. Put one-third of the dough back into the mixer and add the powdered strawberries and food coloring, if using. Mix on low speed until totally combined, then remove the dough and quickly wipe out the bowl of the mixer.
6. Add another third of dough to the mixer. Add the cocoa powder and mix on low speed until totally combined.
7. Pinch a small portion (about 1/2 oz [15 g]) of each of the three doughs, and press them gently together, so they adhere to each other, but keep their unique colors. Press the piece into a cookie scoop or roll it into a ball, then roll the ball into sprinkles or granulated sugar. Place 6 or 7 cookies on each sheet pan. Bake the cookies one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the cookies are puffed, 10 to 11 minutes.
8. Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove them and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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