Georgia Peach Poundcake

Summer-on-a-Plate

Greetings, dear CT readers!

I hope your summer is swell so far! 

It’s that time of year again where I start to obsess over the best of the season - Georgia peaches, Jersey corn and tomatoes. In my book, there’s nothing better, especially when paired with fresh mozzarella, homegrown basil, and all washed down with a lovely Chenin Blanc. For me, it’s the perfect summer lunch or dinner. There’s really no recipe needed for this - use the best produce you can find and create your own delicious summer-on-a-plate.

Peach Poundcake

But this post is all about poundcake, specifically, peach poundcake. Each year when I get my shipment of peaches from The Peach Truck, I think long and hard about the how to get the most out of my 13 peaches. Of course, I love just eating them out of hand, standing over the kitchen sink, sweet peach juice running down my chin, or sliced over morning cereal, or in the dish above. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t also use them in a baked item. A few years ago, I made this fabulous Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel - wow, definitely a winner! 

This year, I wanted something a bit simpler and found this terrific poundcake from NY Times Cooking. What makes this even more special is the peach glaze drizzled over the top while the cake is still warm. The whole cake just works perfectly - it’s not too sweet, but has all the elements you’d expect from a poundcake - a moist, buttery texture perfect with a cup of coffee. It really doesn’t need it, but if you are so inclined, cut a thick slice, toast it, and spread a bit of salted butter over it - heaven! Or gild the lily, hit it with a dollop of whipped cream and serve for dessert after a summer dinner. Anyway you look at it, you cannot go wrong.

Hope the rest of your summer is happy!

Peach Poundcake

(NYT Cooking)

Ingredients:

1 C unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted and cooled to room temp, plus more for greasing the pan.

2-1/2 C AP flour, plus more for dusting the pan.

3 medium, ripe, red-hued peaches (about 1 pound), pitted 

1 TB fresh lemon juice

3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten

1-1/2 t vanilla extract

1 C unsifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed

1-1/2 C granulated sugar

2-1/2 t baking powder

3/4 t Kosher salt

Prep:

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour a 9x5” loaf pan and set aside.
2. Dice 1 peach into 1/3” pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel and set aside.
3. Add the remaining 2 peaches and the lemon juice to a food processor or blender, and blend on high until completed puréed. Measure out 1 leveled cup of the purée and transfer to a mixing bowl along with the melted butter, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine and set aside.
4. Completely scrape down the sides of the food processor, and make the icing using the small amount of puréed peaches still remaining. Add 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar to the remaining peach purée in the food processor and blend on high until combined. The icing should be thick but thin enough to drizzle. Add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or a splash of water to thin, as needed. Cover and set aside until it’s time to ice the cake.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine. Pour the peach mixture into the flour mixture, and whisk well until the batter is thoroughly combined, then fold in the diced peaches. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan, spread evenly to the edges, and bake until crusty and golden brown on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 75-80 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
6. Stir the icing a final time and spread on top of the warm cake, allowing the extra icing to drip down the sides. Cool the cake to room temp. Slice and serve, or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 3 days.

TIP: use the boldest-colored peaches you can find, as their skins will lend blush to the glaze. However, you can also peel the peaches, if you mind the specks of skin.

Recipe-in-a-Flash: Pan-Roasted Green Beans with Golden Almonds

This might not be the most summery-type recipe, but I was recently gifted some beautiful, just-picked green beans and didn’t want to just throw them in the oven with the usual suspects of salt, pepper, & EVOO. The ever-reliable NYT Cooking site came to the rescue with this terrific recipe. It’s a bit more work but worth it. Charring the beans gives it a delicious smokiness, and the melding of shallots, parsley, and lemon plays perfectly with the beans.

I served it alongside fresh Sockeye salmon that I pan-seared with a sprinkle of Paradise Powder from the wonderful Paradise Seafood Market on Marco Island, chased down with a crisp white wine from Sicily.

If you’ve got green beans in your summer garden, try it. The recipe says the almond-shallot topping will work with just about any vegetable so you may want to think about this for your Thanksgiving table.

Pan-Roasted Green Beans with Golden Almonds (NYT Cooking)

4 Servings

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

8 oz green beans and/or wax beans, trimmed

1/4 C blanched whole almonds, coarsely chopped

3 TB EVOO, plus more as needed

1 large shallot, minced

1 TB fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, thinly sliced

1 lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add salt (a teaspoon or so, or to taste). Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until bright green but still firm, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water. When cool, drain again. Pat dry with paper towels until completely dry.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the almonds and the oil, adding more oil if needed to just cover the almonds. Cook over medium heat until the almonds are golden, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shallot. It will cook in the residual heat.
3. Coat a large skillet with oil. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the beans and season with salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until charred dark brown in spots and tender-crisp, about 7 minutes.
4. Top with the almond mixture, then the parsley. Grate the zest from a quarter of the lemon directly over the beans, then cut the lemon into wedges for serving. Season with pepper and serve.

You Can Take the Girl Out of Jersey...

The view from our condo.

In July 2019, after a long-time desire to live in a warm climate,  escape the harsh northeast winters, and to experience life in someplace other than New Jersey (where I had lived my entire life), we moved to Puerto Rico. What could be bad, right? It’s part of the United States (yes, folks, it is a US territory, not a foreign country - you wouldn’t believe how many people do not know that), warm weather all year round, beautiful ocean views, laid back island vibes, a large “ex-pat” community, an English-speaking island (sort of), US financial system, US healthcare insurance accepted, US Postal Service, etc. 

Friends and family were simultaneously sad at our departure, and envious of our forthcoming life in paradise. Well, paradise is not always what it seems.

As an aside, in case you are not aware, Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898 after centuries of Spanish rule. It is roughly 3,500 square miles, situated in the Greater Antilles chain, and has a population of approximately three million people.

The Puerto Rican people are very proud of their heritage and extremely protective of their culture. Many of the natives have absolutely zero interest in becoming a US state, fearing the loss of their culture. They cite Hawaii as an example (they are not totally wrong).

Back to my story.

Yes, it is a beautiful island, with incredible views around every corner. The Atlantic and Caribbean oceans that encircle the island are a gorgeous crystal clear blue-green hue. But with its location in the West Indies, comes the threat of hurricanes every year from June - November. The island has still not recovered from the devastating twin hits of Maria and Irma in 2017. As a result of those hurricanes (resulting in shortages of food, water, and fuel), the agriculture industry was almost entirely wiped out. Farms were destroyed. Fishermen whose families fished those waters for generations left the island. Healthcare professionals left for work on the mainland. On an already poor island, thousands of people slid into poverty (the poverty level on the island is 40%). 

Local wildlife

Many houses and buildings damaged during the 2017 hurricanes have still not been repaired (the ubiquitous blue tarps on many rooftops), crumbling structures line the streets and highways. I found this very depressing.

Prior to the hurricanes, the electric grid in Puerto Rico was fragile, due to the corruption of the government-run agency. Afterwards, it was almost non-existent. Our power went out almost weekly, sometimes for just an hour, sometimes for a whole day. During the earthquake in early 2020, we had no power for a week (we considered ourselves lucky compared to some other parts of the island).

Due to a lack of farm-fresh foods, food prices on the island are sky-high. This is also due in part to the antiquated Jones Act of 1917 which stipulates that anything being shipped to the island must first go to the US mainland. On top of this, the few farmers that are still on the island ship their first-rate products off the island to get top dollar, so the locals are left with mediocre produce (farmer’s markets were not at all like what we had experienced in the states).

 Puerto Rican Green Parrot

So not only does everything take longer to get there, now it costs more. And, if like me, you are used to being able to get almost anything you want at supermarkets, and products of a high quality, this was shocking and extremely disappointing. And don’t get me started on my never-ending, island-wide search for really good bread, pastries, and bagels (spoiler: they don’t exist there)!

For someone like me, who is very food-oriented, the lack of really good restaurants in Puerto Rico was surprising. Not to say there are none, but they are few and far between. Fried everything is the major food group. Ethnic restaurants (Thai, Indian, good Asian, etc) are practically non-existent. Good wine stores? I had to drive thirty minutes to get to one. 

I know these issues sound like first world problems, and these things are not important to many people who move to Puerto Rico, but they were to me.

Technically, the island’s official languages are Spanish and English, but only about 20% of the island’s population speak English. My two years of high school Spanish were woefully inadequate. Dealing with electricians, plumbers, etc., were near impossible - thank heavens for Google translate. Not to mention trying to speak with doctors. It was draining trying to communicate. 

Let’s talk about driving in Puerto Rico. I can sum it up this way: it’s like the wild west. Very quickly, you learn to drive defensively for two reasons. One, the roads are a mess, and two, drivers are not very good. One person told us that drivers are bad because there is really no driver education required (that explains alot). 

What we didn’t fully grasp before moving was that we would be the interlopers, viewed as outsiders, coming to dilute the culture. There is an “expat” community, people from the states who have relocated either full or part-time to the island, but we found not much in common with alot of these folks. 

To be fair, our timing was off. About six months after moving, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. So all the amenities at the gated golf/beach resort where we lived were closed, and the complex practically deserted. Another thing we didn’t know before purchasing this apartment was that this was primarily a weekend/vacation second home community (only about 20% of the residents live here full-time). We were hoping for a more active life socializing with other residents, but that was not in the cards.

I discovered that living on an island was not for me. I felt trapped. Yes, I could get in the car and circumvent the island (you could drive the entire island in about three hours), but having to fly to see friends or family was expensive and complicated. 

In April, 2020, I accidentally stepped on a fire ant mound and got a terrible reaction. Luckily, I had access to tele-health with a dermatologist who was able to prescribe meds.

The final blow was in August, 2020 when during my regular daily walk, I slipped in a mud puddle and fractured my wrist. Surgery was required almost immediately and a plate and seven screws are now a permanent part of my anatomy. I may never be able to play tennis again (not that I played before!). Even though our health insurance was accepted widely on the island, the hospital did not accept it, and we had to pay everything up front (the ER, the surgeon, the surgical suite, the hardware inserted in my wrist, the anesthesiologist, the GP who had to clear me for surgery, etc). None of the hospital forms were in English.

I had a sneaking suspicion Puerto Rico was trying to tell me something…go home!

After much soul searching, I moved back to New Jersey in February, 2021. Four snowstorms threw me a welcome home party. To be honest, I am not happy about the circumstances that brought me back, but I am happy to be back. Back to good supermarkets, incredible restaurants, great farmer’s markets, access to music and theatre, and the ability to get in the car and drive to get-togethers with family and friends. 

Jersey peaches!

My advice to anyone thinking of relocating to an island paradise, rent for at least a year before buying. We threw caution to the wind and took a leap of faith, thinking that if it didn’t work out, we could always leave. Easier said than done.

True, New Jersey is not perfect, but it’s pretty damn good. You can take the girl out of Jersey, but you can’t take Jersey out of the girl. 

Author's note: this is a more in-depth version of an article first published in the Healthcare Marketer's Exchange.

The Great Olive Oil Dilemma

Olives on the vine in Sicily

While in Sicily a few years ago, we visited an olive farm where, of course, we sampled the wares (directly from the giant stainless steel vats). The oil had the luscious flavor and delicious scent of just-harvested olives that you would expect from tasting at the source.

Our prized tin from Sicily

We bought a BIG tin at the ridiculously low price of 10 Euros and carted it home. We used it sparingly, knowing that when the tin was empty, we could not replace it. After awhile, the tin ran dry and our search began for a new "house" olive oil.

We hopped around from brand to brand (Lucini, California Olive Ranch, Kirkland, to name a few) and while they were all good, nothing really made us jump up and down with joy. Which brings me to today's post:

Are you as confused as I am over what constitutes a really good olive oil?

You may have heard about the "bombshell" olive oil study done by UC Davis in 2010. The study concluded that 69% of imported olive oils labeled extra virgin, were in fact, not extra virgin. WOW! Understandably, this sent shockwaves through the food industry, olive oil producers, and the public. The report, funded in part by California olive producers, raised all kinds of questions and since then many olive oil groups have upped the standards for producing and marketing olive oil. But as an average home cook who uses alot of olive oil, I still have doubts if what I'm buying is the real deal. In addition, I am overwhelmed by the gazillions of brands out there. And unless I am at a store or olive ranch where I can taste a drop or two of the production, I am buying blindly (and most likely, so are you). 

I still don't have an answer to my ongoing quest for an above-average everyday EVOO, but I did find this article from Serious Eats very interesting. If you have a favorite olive oil, please share. Eventually, this long winter will pass and it will be tomato season and I need to have my olive oil dilemma resolved by then.

Jersey tomatoes, fresh mozz, Georgia peaches, with basil and EVOO!

Dough Pizzeria, Caldwell

Heirloom Stracciatella

Summer in New Jersey. Can’t beat it. Warm temps, beautiful beaches, rolling countryside, and gorgeous Jerseyfresh produce. I went in search of how a local restaurant makes the most of the bounty.

Dough Pizzeria, owned by Ed Simmons, exemplifies what makes “the Garden State” a chef’s playground. Their chicken comes from Gladstone Valley Farms in Peapack (pasture-raised, non-GMO), the pork in his homemade sausage is from Riverbend Farms in Far Hills, and of course, his produce is Jersey-grown (Circle Brook Farms in Stanhope). Let’s not forget about seafood: Jersey clams are on the summer menu. 

I asked Ed about his favorite produce. He likes “challenging, unique” greens, such as escarole, collards, jicama, broccoli rabe, and kale. He is definitely a veggie-forward kind of guy — his current breakfast smoothie consists of kale, spinach, and avocado. 

Ed’s philosophy is to offer patrons high quality, healthy ingredients  with excellent customer service, at an affordable price. 

Falafel

Dough has a rich and varied menu. Obviously, there’s pizza (almost every table orders a crispy, wood-fired pie). But there’s also a creamy stracciatella, served with heirloom tomato, avocado, and watermelon; tender meatballs, and interesting salads (on one of my visits, I had a wonderful escarole and strawberry salad). The new summer menu highlights a quinoa salad dotted with summer squash, radish, blueberries, and pistachios in a lemon-cumin vinaigrette; little neck clam pappardelle served with bacon, Jersey corn, in a white wine butter sauce; Jamaican-jerk pork medallions (a special); and the currently on-every-menu- around (but for good reason) poke (raw tuna with jicama salad, crispy wonton, candied ginger, and avocado). There's also a lovely vegetarian falafel served with butterhead lettuce and cashew tzatziki.

So how did a guy from Sussex county come to own a pizzeria in Essex county? Ed started working in local restaurants at age 14, discovered he was good at cooking, and put himself thru culinary school at the CIA. He  worked in New York City at various restaurants but was laid off after 9/11. This lead to a big life decision: he realized he didn’t want to work for other people anymore. While he and his wife opened a children’s fitness center, he continued to work in the food industry, working at Columbus Bakery in NYC where he learned all about pizza. At home, he began experimenting with wild dough starters and practiced his craft for four years before opening his own restaurant. But he didn’t want to open a typical pizza joint. He focused on developing a spot where the chefs could be creative in utilizing local foods, where guests are warmly welcomed, and where exemplary service is job #1 for the staff. 

When you’re looking for a restaurant that stays true to its’ (Jersey) roots, think Dough in Caldwell. Fresh ingredients, local farmer partnerships, sustainable practices, and delicious food.

Dough Artisan Pizzeria

437 Bloomfield Avenue

Caldwell, NJ

973-226-3300

#Jerseyfresh

Photos courtesy of Dough Pizzeria

Peaches!

You know here in the Garden State, we’re all about #Jerseyfresh produce, and summer is the time when it really gets into high gear. Jersey peaches are something I look forward to every year, but they don’t come into their prime until July through September. So when I saw an article in Food & Wine raving about peaches from a small, specialty grower in Georgia, I decided to splurge and order a box.

Whoa! Wow! Wonderful! And, of course, OMG!

My order of Georgia peaches sent from The Peach Truck arrived on a Friday, perfectly timed for weekend eating and baking. When I opened the box, I found thirteen beautiful peaches, carefully wrapped in paper, packed in foam to prevent bruising, and at peak ripeness. When I picked one up and held it to my nose, that’s where the first “wow” came out of my mouth. It was the aroma and essence of summer. 

Now, what to do with these beauties? Well, of course, the opportunities were endless. I knew I would bake something, but what? Right now, I needed to sink my teeth into one of these babies. Wonderful! The texture was perfect - no mealy, blah flesh. And sweetness like I’ve never had in a peach before. 

Now I was peach-obsessed! Need to eat them, use them, in EVERYTHING! 

I started with a little pre-dinner snack. How about Jersey tomatoes, Georgia peaches, homegrown basil, and fresh mozzarella? Whoa! This, my friends, is what summer is all about! We had this simple dish for lunch every day that weekend.

So, what did I bake with the peaches? I thought you’d never ask! There are zillions of peach recipes out there to choose from, but the folks at The Peach Truck have put together a lovely collection of recipes on their site and one, in particular, caught my eye. Their Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel. Oh yeah…that’s got my name all over it. If you know anything about me, it’s that I will take a good coffee cake over any other type of sweet or dessert every time! And in reading the recipe, I just had a feeling that this was going to check every box on my “coffee cake must-haves.” Buttery? Check! Cinnamon? Check! Nuts? Check! And just for good measure, this recipe threw in one of my favorite spices: cardamom. 

Off I went to bake last Sunday morning! This makes a nice, big 9” cake, so you could make it for company, take some to work (as I did), or just keep it for yourself and eat it every day (as I did)! The cake is baked in a springform pan (essential so you don’t have to invert it and risk losing any of the incredible streusel!), and is easy to put together. The aroma in our house from the cardamom and cinnamon was heady. 

From the minute it came out of the oven, I was in love. A thing of beauty, I could see the streusel had baked to a perfect golden brown. After cooling, I released the cake from the pan, and waited (not so patiently) to cut it after dinner. 

OMG, people! This was the holy grail of coffee cakes! The body of the cake was super light with a fabulous buttery taste, intermingled with the incredible sweetness of those peaches. And the streusel was over-the-top amazing: sweet, crunchy, spicy. I know I’m gushing, but really, it is all that! If you’re a coffee cake fan (like me), MAKE THIS CAKE! 

Now for the bad news, peach season in Georgia is over, and The Peach Truck is sold out, but Jersey peaches are going strong. And wherever you are, use your local sweets. 

How good was this cake? So good, that I’m making it again today for dinner with friends. I have four peaches left and since the recipe calls for 2-3, believe me, I’ll be enjoying that last peach the old-fashioned way: out of hand, with those slurpy, sweet juices running down my chin.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Print recipe here!

Al Fresco Dining

Last weekend I ramped up the outdoor cooking and dining. Since we were in Alaska the early part of the summer, we got a late start enjoying the backyard to its fullest.

On Saturday morning, after coffee and the paper (outside, of course) we were off to the Paterson Farmer’s Market. It’s the first time we’d been there this season (and it’s the end of July already!). The market was bursting at the seams with gorgeous produce and flowers. We immediately headed to our favorite farmer to see if she had any zucchini flowers (even though it was mid-morning and they are usually first to go). Success! They had beautiful blossoms, albeit small, but nice. We also picked up a basket of regular zucchini and some ripe tomatoes. Here in the Garden State we're all about #jerseyfresh!

On the way home, I fired off a note to my friend over at OlderFatterHappier.com for her zucchini flower recipe, remembering how good they looked on her site a few weeks ago. By the time we got home, the recipe was in my inbox. However, after washing and inspecting the little flowers, we felt they were a tad too small to stuff so I moved on to Plan B (finding a suitable substitute recipe!). 

Food52 did not let me down. They supplied a fabulous recipe for a zucchini flower frittata, and since one of my most favorite things is breakfast al fresco, we decided to hold the flowers for Sunday brunch. The frittata was absolutely delicious! After a quick sauté of a few chopped blossoms and onions, you pour the egg mixture into an oven-proof pan, place the remaining whole blossoms on top, and into the oven it goes for a short bake. 

Later in the day, I threw together a wonderful tomato/nectarine/basil/ricotta salad. Just mix quartered tomatoes and nectarines in a bowl, add some chopped basil, and crumbled ricotta salata (you could also use torn bufalo mozzarella or crumbled feta), extra virgin olive oil, salt, ground black pepper and let the flavors marinate for a few minutes while you grill. Served alongside fabulous “lacquered” chicken thighs, it was a fabulous day of outdoor dining. There is really no recipe for these wonderful chicken thighs. We merely marinate boneless chicken thighs with Mama Sita’s marinade for a few hours in the fridge, then grill. The result: crispy, delicious, and moist chicken! 

But wait! There’s more! Remember those zucchini I bought at the Farmer’s Market? Well, in addition to grilling a few for dinner, I decided to use the rest for an incredible Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (from the King Arthur Flour site). Of course, I’ve made zucchini breads before (hasn’t everybody at about this time of the summer?), but this one (IMHO) should definitely be at the top of the list. Brimming with shredded zucchini, honey, cocoa, espresso powder, and chocolate chips, it was fantastic! I strongly encourage you to try this recipe!

Now, of course, any al fresco day at our house wouldn’t be complete without our favorite summer drink: mojitos! This drink personifies summer for me, and I’ve been using this same recipe (see below) for the past couple of years. Try it, see if you don't agree that it is a winner. If you have a mojito recipe you’re partial to, please share!

Happy Summer!

Perfect Mojito recipe

From the book 101 Mojitos and Other Muddled Drinks by Kim Haasarud

Introduction 

This is a very simple and delicious drink to make, but unfortunately it gets muddled up (literally) too often. There are two important keys that will guarantee a perfect Mojito every time. First, you must use fresh-squeezed lime juice. No premixes or bottle lime juice here — they just won’t cut it. Second, the lime juice to simple syrup ratio must be 1:1. Do not take liberties. Use a jigger for accuracy. If you get these two things right, you’ll be making perfect Mojitos at every party! 

Ingredients 

10-15 mint leaves, plus sprig for garnish 

1 oz. fresh lime juice 

1 oz. simple syrup (see Note) 

2 oz. premium rum (such as 10 Cane, Bacardi Superior, Cruzan, etc.) 

Splash of soda water 

Steps 

In the bottom of a rocks glass, muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice and simple syrup. (Muddle lightly to just release the oils in the mint, do not pulverize the leaves.) Add the rum. Top with crushed ice and the soda water. Stir well from the bottom up. Garnish with the mint sprig and serve.

Notes 

To make simple syrup: Combine 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool completely, then bottle and keep refrigerated until ready to use. This makes enough for 10 Mojitos.