Blueberry Avocado Smoothie
Adding avocado to this smoothie really thickens it up and adds healthy fats to the equation.
INGREDIENTS
1 Ripe Avocado
1 Cup Wild Blueberries
4 Ice Cubes
1 Tablespoon Agave Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Cup of Milk
Combine all of the ingredients into a blender or a food processor. Pulse for 1 minute and pour into tall glasses. If you do not want to use milk you can substitute with rice milk, soy milk or coconut water. Serves 2
Baked Pears With Marsala Wine
INGREDIENTS
1 Medium Lemon
8 Firm Bosc Pears
1/3 Cup Sugar Plus 2 Tablespoons
½ Cup Sweet Marsala Wine
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Take a small knife and remove the peel from the lemon in strips. Squeeze the juice from the lemon. With a melon baller, remove the cores from the bottom of the unpeeled pears, but do not remove the stems. With a pastry brush, brush the insides of the pears with the lemon juice, then sprinkle the insides of the pears with the lemon juice. Next, sprinkle the insides with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a shallow 2 quart baking dish, mix the lemon peel strips, Marsala and 1/3 cup of water. Place the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar on the sheet of waxed paper. With the pastry brush, brush the pears with the melted butter. Roll the pears in the sugar to coat. Place the pears, cored ends down, in the baking dish. Sprinkle with any remaining sugar. Bake the pears, basting with the syrup in the dish, for 45 minutes until fork tender. Slightly cool or serve warm. Serves 8
Summer Pasta Salad With Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Corn & Basil
A simple pasta dish that offers a winning summertime combination of tomatoes, corn, basil and fresh mozzarella. It is great for any backyard food affair because it goes with just about everything. Dress this salad just before serving as the pasta absorbs the dressing and you may need additional lemon juice or oil.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Penne Pasta
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 ½ Cups Fresh Corn
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 ½ Cups Fresh Mozzarella (Cut Into Tiny Cubes)
4 Tomatoes (Cored & Diced)
Zest From 1 Lemon
1 Cube Basil Leaves (Rinsed & Dried)
Dressing
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Aged Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Finely Minced Garlic Clove
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil For Pasta
½ Teaspoon Salt
Bring the water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the pasta. About two minutes before the pasta is done add the corn. Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente. Drain both the pasta and corn. DO NOT rinse. Add 1 tablespoons olive oil to the cooling pasta to keep from sticking. Shake to distribute the oil and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, olive oil and salt. Before serving, combine the pasta and corn with the fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and lemon zest. Mix in the dressing and gently slice the basil into thin strips and add to the salad. Serve immediately. Serves 10
Blueberry Crumble
Who doesn’t love blueberries?! Blueberry Crumble is such a simple and delicious dessert. Something about it just warms the tummy!
INGREDIENTS
Blueberry Filling
2 Pints Fresh Blueberries
1/3 Cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Flour
2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
Topping
1 Stick Butter
6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
½ Cup Oats
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
¼ Teaspoon Grated Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon Salt
The first thing that you will need to do is to make the topping. Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in the butter until it is all crumbly and the largest butter chunks are pea sized. Next toss the blueberries with sugar, flour and lemon juice. Transfer the blueberry mixture to a buttered 9 inch baking dish. Spread the crumble on top and bake in 350° F oven for 40 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling gently through the crumble. Serve warm. Serves 6
Cold Watermelon Soup
More and more farm stands and supermarkets have a variety of melons in the summer. Watermelon is one of the ultimate tastes of summer.
INGREDIENTS
4 Pounds Juicy Watermelon
½ Cup Chablis
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Mint
Lime Slices For Garnish – Optional
Cut off the watermelon rind. With a melon baller, but out 8 balls of watermelon fruit and reserve them for garnish. Remove all the seeds, cut the watermelon into rough chunks and spin them in a food processor. Add the wine, lime juice and chopped mint. Puree until smooth. Chill for several hours. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish with reserved melon balls and lime slices. Serve 4
Victoria’s Garden Party Cake
This cake is so easy to make! People will think you spent all day in the kitchen.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Stick Butter (Room Temperature)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice
Zest of 1 Lemon
Zest of 1 Orange
2 Jumbo Eggs
2 Cups Flour
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Crème Fraiche
1 Cup Fresh Raspberries
2 Ripe Peaches (Pitted & Sliced In Half)
¼ Cup Fresh Raspberries For Serving
Whipped Cream For Serving
Preheat the oven to 375° F and grease a nonstick 9 inch sprinform pan. With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the lemon & orange juices plus the zests and combine. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time. Follow with the dry ingredients, but do not overmix. Add the crème fraiche and combine briefly. Scrape the sides so that all of the ingredients are incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the raspberries evenly around the cake. Set the peaches in the batter, in a circle, with the cut sides up. Place the pan on a sheet pan and bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Let the cake cool completely. Serve plain or with fresh berries and whipped cream. You can substitute blueberries for the peaches if you wish.
Serve 8
Haricots Verts, Almonds, Cherry Tomatoes & Goat Cheese Salad
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Pounds Haricot Verts
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
½ Cup Sliced Toasted Almonds
2 Thinly Sliced Shallots
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
¾ Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
Steam the beans over boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove immediately and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain well and lay on paper towels to further dry. In a large serving bowl combine beans, tomatoes and toasted almonds. In a small bowl combine shallots, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk well and pour over haricot vert mixture. Gently combine and top with goat cheese. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6
**To Toast Almonds – Toast In A 400° F. Oven On A Cookie Sheet For 4 Minutes.
Watermelon and Persecco Parfaits
This adult dessert is cool and refreshing. It is great for those hot evenings and very easy to make. Watermelon is one of the ultimate tastes of summer and everything gets better with Persecco.
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Diced Watermelon (Remove The Seeds Or Use Seedless)
1 ½ Cups Fresh Raspberries
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Cups Persecco
2 Tablespoons Chambord Liquor
Layer the watermelon and raspberries in 4 parfait glasses. In a glass pitcher combine the Prosecco, Chambord and lemon zest. Stir and quickly pour over the parfaits. Serve immediately. Serves 4
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Never refrigerate tomatoes as the cold temperature dulls the flavor and changes the texture.
INGREDIENTS
1 Small Sliced Very Thin Red Onion
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Pounds Quartered Mixed Color Heirloom Tomatoes
½ Cup Chopped Chiffonade Basil
½ Cup Shaved Ricotta Salata
In a serving bowl, combine vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and sliced red onion. Combine and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. This will soften the onion. Combine the chopped basil and top with shaved cheese and serve. Serves 6
Hollandaise Sauce
Hollandaise Sauce is used to prepare eggs Florentine. It also pairs nicely with poached fish and roasted or steamed asparagus.
INGREDIENTS
4 Egg Yolks
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon & Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Water
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
¼ Freshly Ground White Pepper
2 Sticks Melted Unsalted Butter
Set a bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water. Combine the egg yolks, lemon and lime juice and water. Whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. You must not turn your back on this process and make sure to whisk constantly. Whisk another minute more. Remove the bowl from over the saucepan. Add the salt, cayenne and white pepper. With a blender mix while slowly pouring in the melted butter for two minutes. Cover and keep warm over a very low heat until ready to serve. Makes 2 cups
