The Little Jasmine That Could

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We interrupt our scheduled hiatus to bring you these photos of the night blooming jasmine, cestrum nocturnum, in bloom. No words can express the scent on our deck at night.
 

First signs of life at the end of April this year

I am toying with the idea of putting him in the ground next Spring and see if he comes back like he has on the pot.  Otherwise he might take over the whole deck.  The progress since last year has been above and beyond my wildest dreams.  Way to go little jasmine!

Peach Tarte Tatin For A Cool Summer Evening

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Nothing could be simpler and more delicious than this peach tarte tatin.  It follows the same steps as its more famous sister, the apple tatin.  Enjoy it while you can.

There are lots of peach recipes on the blog, from peach crumb pie to peach chutney.  Check them out on the Master Recipe Index above.

The Sous Chef and I are going to take a few days off for a much needed rest from blogging.  You know she has issues pending, and so do I.  We will see you back here in the Fall.  Enjoy the rest of the Summer, if you can call it that. It's still raining here this weekend and it's cool.  We have the fireplace going.  It's the middle of August and this is the deep South.

 

Peach Tarte Tatin

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons butter
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
10 medium (about 3 3/4 pounds) slightly ripe peaches: peel, remove pit and cut in quarters
 Frozen puff pastry crust, thawed

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

 

• Heat the lemon juice, 1 cup sugar  and 6 tablespoons butter in a large iron or oven proof skillet over medium-high heat until the mixture boils.
• Place the peaches in the skillet and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully turn peaches over; cook 8 to 12 minutes longer until syrup is caramelized and thickened. (If peaches are really ripe, reduce cooking time.
• Place pastry on top of peaches, fold dough under to form a rim around edge of peaches. Cut 4 to 6 small slits in dough so steam can escape. Bake for approximately 25 minutes — until crust is golden.
• When tart is done, place large platter over top of tart. Quickly turn skillet upside down on the serving plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream (with a dash of Bourbon).

All photos Lindaraxa

Spiedini D'Agnello...Grilled Lamb Skewers

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We finally had a Friday night without thunder and rain, perfect for grilling these lamb kebabs I have been dreaming about.  The recipe comes from one of the only food magazines I still subscribe to, La Cucina Italiana.  If you are looking for authentic Italian dishes, this is where you will find them.

Spiedini is the Italian word for skewers and agnello is, of course, lamb.  I have to confess I have never made lamb skewers, although I have eaten them a couple of times and loved them.  The problem is that you must first buy a leg of lamb.  That is a major proposition but one that is easily justified.  A leg of lamb can be expensive and, if you are going to buy one,  it better be for a special occasion, like Christmas.  Well, I have news for you. I have done the math and it is no more expensive than a couple of steaks. The small leg I found was about 3 lbs, bone in,  and at $7.62/lbs came to approximately $22.00.  I used half and froze the rest for another day.   Four or five generous skewers can be made out of this leg for $6.00 a head, much less than the price of a good steak.
 

My daughter, who never raves about my cooking anymore, oohed and aahed throughout the entire meal.  I splurged further and accompanied with saffron rice and red peppers.  A little curry would have been great, but you know how she feels about curry.  We had a leftover artichoke which we marinaded in a vinaigrette sauce and grilled before the kebabs.  A peach crumble for dessert would have been nice at this time of the year but we are trying to be good and cut back on sweets.  Boring.....

 

One last thing, make sure you use yellow peppers.  They are milder and go best with the lamb.  If you must, orange or red are okay, but green ones are too strong.

As I am finishing this post, it is thundering again.  It figures, it is Saturday afternoon.  I'm so glad we had those skewers last night.

Spiedini d'Agnello
Lamb Skewers
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 3 lbs boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut in 1 inch pieces
Olive oil
Fresh rosemary
A few drops of Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper

Pancetta or slab bacon cut in 1 inch pieces (about 32 pieces)
2 to 3 Yellow Peppers
Cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)

 Directions:

Have the butcher debone the leg.  I didn't think of it at the time and now I'm kicking myself.  Make a good marinade of olive oil, plenty of fresh rosemary, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.  The longer they marinade the better.  Wrap them in tinfoil and forget about them.

When ready to grill, alternate lamb, pancetta or bacon, and peppers.  I started with a tomato which takes less time to grill, and put one on each end.  Make sure you have at least five pieces of lamb in each skewer,   even if you have to break the pattern a bit.

Light your grill to medium high and cook the skewers in lightly oiled grill rack, turning occasionally, for 6 or 8 minutes for medium rare.  Only cover them if using a gas grill.  When ready, transfer to a plate and let rest about 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Adapted from La Cucina Italiana magazine

Cheesy Summer Squash Casserole

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I know I have been a bit derelict in my summer cooking this year but we have had so much rain lately that outdoor meals have been few and far between.  Whatever grilling we have done has been quick and simple,  for fear of being rained out.

Although this casserole is somewhat similar to mine, it is simpler and quicker and perfect for a midweek meal.  I have changed the oil to olive oil and added the chopped red peppers.  You can substitute a small can of pimientos. The bake time has been increased to 30 minutes and I suggest that if it is not browning, like mine didn't, raise the temperature to 375 during the last 10 minutes.  Remember all ovens are different, so check after 20 minutes.


Serves 6 - to 8

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced

1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1/2 large red pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 sleeve crackers, crushed medium to fine (recommended: Ritz)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the squash, onion, red peppers and butter until soft. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan, Cheddar, and sour cream. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Place in the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.

Adapted from Paula Deen
 Reprise from My Kitchen By the Lake, July 2010

The View From My Corner....by The Sous Chef

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Things are going amok at Lindaraxa's so I've decided to take matters in hand.  To begin with, there is a cat in the house.  Not only that, she is the spitting feline cat version of me.  My Mom and my sister both think she is cool.  I think she is arrogant, cocky and catty.   She has taken over the house from front door to  back porch.  Now she is lying on the floor in Mom's study pretending to help with the blog.  Ha!

This is the one I'm stuck with

It all started last week.  Well, you know the story.  Two cats occupying our front door, my gateway to freedom! Everything has changed now, all for the worse.  Cats rule the front, we puppies are delegated to the back.  But we were here first.  I thought we had seniority, whatever that means.  Everything now is "Here Coco", "Cute Coco", "Come Coco".  Coco? Whoever thought of that stupid name! Yikes.

I'm so depressed I just can't get out of bed

I have been the lady I'm not supposed to be.  I did try to chase her but she is fast...Boy is she fast.  She has been spending lots of time going around the house and snooping around.  I think she is staking out some safe hiding spots   Yesterday she got on top of Mom's dining room table.  Can you imagine if I had done that! Mom just smiled and said "Cute Coco" and picked her off the table.  Cute Coco....wait til Madame Mere hears about that.  I think she will be a good ally.  If only I knew how to use the phone.  What's an area code?

My new chilling out place

 On top of that she has driven off the yard all my favorite things to chase.  Remember the bunnies who ate Mom's hostas? Not a one in sight.   I wonder where the family in the front bushes relocated to.  Maybe that's where I should go.  I know! I will escape for a couple of hours and pretend I am lost.  Make them sweat it out and miss me.  Lily is no help.  She's a wimp, a softie and a traitor, just like Mom.  She grew up with a kitty so she is perturbed.  Her name was Willow and she was here when I arrived.  I hated Willow but I pretended to like her for my big sister's sake.  I adore my two legged sister, she is so-o-o-o cool.

Happier Times

For awhile there I thought it was all temporary and things would get back to normal in no time.  Mom hates cats.  She used to be our biggest ally.  But things have changed.  Mom has changed.  I think she's getting old and softie.  Yesterday she went to Petsmart and came back with two cat collars, one for day and another with sparkly things for night.   I knew then I was a dead Westie.  She didn't even take me and I love to go to Petsmart with her.  I could have shown her where the kitty stuff was...way in a corner in back, about a quarter of the dogs stuff.  Even the fish have a bigger area. That's how high Petsmart thinks of cats.  We take up half the store.  And we have Grooming and Obedience School all to ourselves.  Ever heard of Obedience School for Cats? They are useless and docile and boring.  So they catch mice...big deal.  Dogs Rule!

My favorite Christmas sweater in Reggie D Retail Red

But she can't compete with me in the wardrobe area.  I have more collars than she does, at least one for every season of the year;  plus activity collars, like my favorite swimming collar.  Oh, and I have a coat for winter and a raincoat for rainy days, in plaid and red .  But she has a bell on her collar.  Boy is that annoying.  At least I know where she is.  Wait til Mom goes out...Chase is on!

Here she is with that damn bell

So dear readers, I am appealing to you to intervene on my behalf for I don't know how much longer I can keep on pretending.  Keep in mind my nature is to chase and torment cats, squirrels and anything that moves fast.  That's what we were bred for.  A cat's worst nightmare, not the other way around.  And remember who picks those recipes you like so much.  And who nixes the bad ones.  And boy, does she have bummers.  Chicken livers (yuck). Bet the cat will encourage her to do more of those....and there goes the blog, and my reputation.

I just ignore her...maybe she'll go poof!

I know our readers will probably be mad about getting a cat story instead of a recipe; but until things change I have no alternative but to go on strike.  How can I think of food and new recipes when my world has been turned upside down by a cat!  This cat!

Please help restore the honor of a proud West Highland White Terrier...

Occupy Lindaraxa and make her get rid of that cat! 

Kitties, Peaches And Almond Torte

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What a dilemma we have in our hands.

Last week two kittens showed up at our doorstep.  Actually one showed up first and two days later his sister was lounging on the doormat when my daughter opened the door. Word gets around quickly in the animal kingdom, especially when there are two suckers involved.

Originally my next door neighbor (the real culprit since she started feeding them first) decided she was going to keep the male and took him to be neutered, only to find he had been fixed before.  I immediately said I wanted no part of it.  Then my daughter got involved and that's when the trouble started.

Here's the one that started it

Ferociously guarding the front door.  When is tea time?

That night there was a blanket for the white one to spend the night.  The next morning she got breakfast in bed.   Then I got involved in spite of the fact I don't like cats.  Now she has me wrapped around her little paws. Yesterday we let her in the house for a few minutes and she was in heaven.  Yes, I can do this.  Dogs? no problem, show me my pad!   Last night was an ordeal hearing her meowing to come back in the house.

I am told sometimes people get the kitties fixed and then release them in neighborhoods like ours where they know they will be taken care of.   I wonder why they don't go the extra mile and find them a place to begin with.  There's no question in our minds that these two once had a home.  Now they have occupied my front door!

The sous chef is having a fit.  She spends all day by the window on alert mode.  We have brought her out to see the kitty and see if she calms down and doesn't chase (see where we are headed?) Everything is fine until the cat moves.

My worst nightmare come true...

Our neighbor is having second thoughts about keeping the male now and the cats, being cats and wise, have picked up on it.  The male is spending more time by our front door, even though the white one keeps him at bay.  Nah, nah, I was here first...these suckers are mine!

I just got an email with pictures of outdoor cat houses.  I think the dice have been cast.

They won't let me out...I am a prisoner in my own house!

On a serious note, if anyone in the Atlanta area is looking for a kitty or knows someone who is,  these two are available.  They are as good as it gets...seriously (that coming from someone who doesn't even like cats). The male has the cutest personality and the white female is a lady and very, very sweet. Lucy will personally escort them to your front door.  Send an email to lindaraxa@gmail.com.  We really can't keep them, not with a Westie in the house.   .

Somehow I managed to bake a torte this weekend to go with the beautiful peaches I got from another neighbor.   I have a soft spot for almond cakes particularly served with fresh raspberry or peaches and creme.
 
The recipe is from the Chez Panisse Dessert Cookbook which is a classic and a must have.  The torte is rich, dense, and very easy to make.  Everything is made in the food processor in less than 10 minutes.

The longer the cake sits the better it gets.  Have it with a cup of tea.

Chez Panisse Almond Torte

Ingredients:

1¼ cups sugar
⅞ cup (7 oz./200g) soft almond paste*
1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. almond extract (optional)
6 eggs
1 cup (4.5 oz/130g) flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:


1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Beat the sugar with the almond paste until the almond paste is in fine pieces. Or, better, pulverize it in a food processor. Add  the butter and the vanilla, then cream the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add  the whole eggs, one at a time — the eggs should be at room temperature — and beat or process after each addition so the eggs are thoroughly mixed in.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to mix.   Beat just until thoroughly blended.

3. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and turn the batter into it, smoothing the top evenly. Bake for 1 to 1¼ hours (mine baked for 1¼ hours) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center feels springy when you push it gently.

4. Let cool for about 20 minutes before releasing the sides of the springform pan.

*a 7 oz tube is fine.  Make sure you buy almond paste and not marzipan.  I did not use the almond extract.  I think it is an overkill and the recipe without it has plenty of almond flavor.

Recipe adapted from Chez Panisse Desserts
Photos:  Lindaraxa

Canning On A Rainy Day...Cantaloupe And Ginger Preserves

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To say that the Fourth of July weekend was a washout is an understatement. A flood is perhaps a better word.  It started raining on Wednesday and it hasn't stopped yet.  Today, in defiance more than frustration, the young people went out on the lake.  Which reminds me, I'd better get started on some hot chocolate before they come in all drenched from the rain. 

On the plus side I watched the entire season of Mr. Selfridge which I had somehow missed and made a big batch of Crab and Corn Chowder and my favorite Thai Shrimp And Pineapple Rice, both of which appeared hot on different nights and cold on subsequent lunches.  I really haven't had to cook much this past weekend and that is what I call great planning.  But then I got bored....and started canning some of the summer fruit. 

This is a post I started and never finished on the holiday weekend at the beginning of the month.   It is typical of what we have been enduring all summer long.  Summer...what summer?! Perhaps instead of Global Warming we should start worrying about Global Drowning!

To say we are depressed is a major understatement.  The garden is in tatters.  All the hard work we did and the money we spent in the Spring to enjoy the fruits of our labor this Summer have been a waste.  It has been raining on and off since the beginning of June with the big downpours reserved for the weekends.  Even when not in the forecast, stray thunderstorms seem to appear out of nowhere to ruin an otherwise decent day.  The herbs are the worst.  No basil left, or parsley to speak of, and the tarragon is hanging in by a thread.  This is the first summer I have had to go out and buy fresh herbs at the store to use in my cooking.  

The Georgia corn this year has been wonderful.  I guess it likes the rain.  I don't hold out much hope for our heirloom tomatoes but we will have to wait on that.  What the rain hasn't killed the rabbit has enjoyed.  I could kill that little monster.  He adores the hostas, particularly the buds just as they are about to bloom.  My daughter, who thought he was cute when we first moved in, has now turned into his worst nightmare spraying anti rabbit stuff in every leaf she can find.  No matter, he couldn't care less.  See the big hosta in the middle with the three spikes?  Those were blooms one day, headless spikes the next. Sometimes I really hate nature.

There is one plant that is really enjoying this weather in spite of the fact it wasn't supposed to make it up here...  the cestrum nocturnum or Night Jasmin that I'm so fond of.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for blooms in another month or so...that is if we haven't been evacuated in Noah's Ark by then. 

This was him when I returned from New York in late May:

And then there is Sandra's hydrangea, a gift she brought me last Fall:

The gardenias put on quite a show this year.  So did the ferns.  Not so the roses or the geraniums.  All in all a C- .  So I mope and can.

This is an Italian recipe that is quite divine and different here in the States.  The melons have been fantabulous this year, particularly the honeydews.  This one is with cantaloupes and I don't go through all the canning rigmarole but you can if you want. 

Fresh preserves and marmalades are like nothing you buy in a jar and  so easy to make.  You should really try making some in the summer when the fruit is fresh, plentiful and inexpensive.  You won't be sorry.

Makes 2 to 2 1/2 pints

Confettura di Melone e Zenzero

3 medium cantaloupes, seeded, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 to 4 lemons
2 TBs finely grated fresh ginger
3 whole star anise

Put melon in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar.  Let stand chilled and covered 8 hours or overnight.

Drain the melon, reserving the liquid.

Squeeze 1/2 cup lemon juice from the lemons.  Reserve 2 halves of the juiced lemons.

In a saucepan combine melon, melon liquid, remaining 3 cups of sugar, lemon juice, lemon halves, ginger and star anise.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes or until the melon is translucent and tender.

Reserving syrup, drain melon and discard lemon halves. Return syrup to saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until thickened.  About 30 minutes.  Remove syrup from heat and stir the melon back in.

Ladle preserves into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch on top.  (this is where I stop)  Put jars in a pot, cover with about 2 inches of water and boil for 20 minutes covered. Or use your own canning procedure.

Recipe from La Cucina Italiana