Summer's Last Call: Peaches, Nectarines, Corn and Tomatoes

Summer is waning despite the heat and humidity here today. I'm looking forward to fall and all the soups, stews and braises I'll be making. Over the next few weeks the produce will change at the markets so preserve, can and freeze what you can. Before long, we'll be talking about asparagus and ramps in the Spring! That's the best part of eating locally. It's like the seasons; they change and each one is special in their own way.
Here's a last hooray! for summer fruit.

Nectarine, sour cherry and blueberry cobbler.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, 1/4 cup
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
4-5 cups fruit total (use any you have on hand; frozen and thawed fruit works well too)
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

In a 9x13 inch pan, melt the butter.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, milk and baking powder. Pour over butter.
Spread fruit evenly on top.
Dust with remaining 3/4 cup sugar.

Bake on middle rack of oven 30-35 minutes until golden brown.



Don't forget the ice cream!

Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies from the Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook

The Metropolitan Bakery has been providing Philadelphia and surrounding areas with handmade rustic artisan breads and goodies since 1993. Hailing from the area myself, I was pleased to happen upon this sepia toned cookbook a couple years ago. I've always been fond of Metropolitan Bakery's breads and make it a point to go to one of their store when I visit Philadelphia.

Most frequently, I visit their spot at Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market. The breads, pastries and cookies are among the best I've ever tasted (and I've been discovering and tasting a few here in Northern Virginia!). Most recently, I bought 2 large slightly crunchy cookies which were delicious. So, I'm on a mission to hone my baking skills with this book (among others) which contains over 100 recipes from rustic breads to brioche to cookies. Additionally, there are add -ons to the baking recipes such as jams, chutneys and spreads ranging from sweet to savory.

Today, I started with something approachable for me; cookies. Who doesn't like a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie, right? This recipe got my attention because it has nuts, which I love, and oats. But instead of being a traditional chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, this recipe calls for the oats to be processed into a flour-like consistency. Along with roasting the nuts and using, well let's face it, a lot of butter! this cookie turned out aromatic and crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. I'd put it up there with the best of them!

(Yes, that's 3 sticks of butter. Move along now, nothing to see here...keep reading)

I hope you like them too.

Here's the recipe. I altered it slightly. In parenthesis is what I used due to not having all the chocolate on hand. Frankly, I wouldn't change a thing. Feel free to use the original recipe, or my alterations.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup old fashioned oats (I used Quaker oats because I bought a barrel of it at Costco)

3 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup milk chocolate chunks (processed 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups bittersweet chocolate chunks ( I used 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels and it seemed like plenty)

1 1/2 cup pecans, toasted* and roughly chopped

1 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted* and roughly chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper or non-stick sheet (I found the parchment allowed the cookies to rise a bit more)

In a food processor, grind the oats until they become fine like flour (1)

In a large bowl, combine:

ground oats

flour

baking powder

baking soda

salt

1 cup of chocolate chunks which has been grated over small holes ( I used the food processor again, pulsing it until the morsels became fine) (2)

In an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and the brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added. (3)

Beat in vanilla.

Place mixture on low and add flour mix until combined.

Fold in the chocolate chunks/morsels, pecans and walnuts.

Drop dough in 2 tablespoon portions onto parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between dough. Bake in middle of oven for 10 minutes. Rotate sheets from top and bottom, and the bottom to the top for even baking. Bake an additional 6 minutes. Cookies should be light golden brown(4). Transfer to cooling rack. Repeat until all dough is done.

*To roast nuts, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread nuts on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes(5). Allow to cool and rough chop.

(1) Oats before and after grinding.

(2) Chocolate morsels after grinding.

(4) Add eggs one at a time to the butter and sugars.

(5) After nuts have cooled, rough chop before folding into cookie dough mixture.

Now being that this recipe made between 50-60 cookies - share with your friends!

Sour Cream Cheesecake with Farm Fresh Blackberries

Last Sunday at the Dupont Market I bought blackberries. They are still sweet and plump, so keep an eye out for them and enjoy while they last! Here's a recipe for an easy and light cheesecake, with blackberry topping.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon cinnamon

24 ounces Cream Cheese - softened

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup blackberry jam

2 cups fresh blackberries - or you can substitue frozen berries

Directions

Pre heat oven to 325 and allow cream cheese to come to room temperature.

Combine together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. I used a food processor. Press evenly onto bottom of a springform pan.

In mixer, whip cream cheese with paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time. Add sugar slowly. Pour mixture over crust.

Bake on middle rack for 45-50 minutes until set. Depending on your oven and size of springform pan, you may need slightly more or less baking time.

Mix sour cream and sugar until incorporated. Mix in vanilla. Pour over cheesecake and continue to bake 10 additional minutes. Allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, combine preserves and berries in pan and heat on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.

Pour berry mixture over cheesecake and serve.

Hint: make both cheesecake and topping the day before. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat berry mixture in pan or microwave. Serve berries poured over entire cake, or along side for individual use.

Sour Cherry Coffee Cake

I already miss cherry season ! First, the Mt. Rainier cherries showed up at the markets. So red and yellow with a hint of sour balanced by sweet cherry goodness. I made cobblers and crisps galore!.

Next, came the sour "pie" cherries. Who would have thought sour was good? Oh my. These cherries, found at my local farmer's market and grown in Maryland, are delicious. I bought 2 quarts at a time, but when I realized the season was nearly over, I stocked up with 4 more quarts and froze them whole. I washed and dried them, then placed them on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, I store them in Zip-lock baggies.

Tonight, I thawed about a cup and a half for this recipe by running them under tepid water in a colander for a couple of minutes. I pitted them, and reserved the juices for the recipe. If you can't find sour cherries, use bing cherries instead.

This recipe is easy, quick and most of all, delicious!

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans-- coarsely chopped
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons for coating cherries and nuts
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sour cherries, pitted with juice
8 tablespoons unsalted butter -- softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh orange juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.Toast the chopped walnuts in a baking pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees.Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. In a second bowl, combine the cherries and the nuts.In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy; add the sugar and honey gradually, beating the mixture until it is very light. Add the eggs, one at a time. With mixer at lowest speed, add the flour mixture (reserving 1/4 cup), alternating it with the orange juice.Toss the cherry-nut mixture with the reserved 3 tablespoons of flour, and add to mixer. Blend into the batter on low speed just until incorporated evenly. Turn the batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan (or use non-stick spray), approximately 10 x 7 x 2 inches. Bake the bread in the center of the oven for 45 minutes and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should pull out dry.

Cool the loaf for 15 minutes in the pan; unmold onto a rack to cool down.

This bread is good warm or cold, and goes well with a pat of butter.