Luscious Peaches with Prosciutto Recipe

From Daryl aka Avery

Thanks to the research I'm doing for my COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series, I am amassing a whole new library of cookbooks. I can’t seem to help myself. All in the name of research.

I’ve mentioned this before, but peaches are my favorite fruit, and when they’re in season, I’m a nut for peaches. Thanks to a cookbook I found called the Perfect Peach, I’ve been inspired to make a spinach and peach salad and a peach cobbler. This weekend, I made a peach appetizer that was so simple my protagonist Jenna would shout, “Hooray!”

The authors of the cookbook, Nikiko and Masumoto, share wonderful memories throughout this book. I could spend hours reading of the farm and family. And the pictures...wow, wow!!!

For this particular recipe, the authors wanted something that reached out as a thank you to all the people who help them – in bringing produce to the table. 

Not just the farmer, but the workers on the farm, the people supplying the seeds, etc. You get the idea. It takes a village to make one meal. The story brought tears to my eyes.

So from my table (and the authors') to yours:

PEACH BASIL PROSCIUTTO
(tweaked slightly re: proportions)

To serve four people handsomely:

2 peaches sliced in eighths

1 pound prosciutto, cut into thin one-inch slices

12-16 large leaves of basil, rinsed, stem removed

Directions:

Slice the peaches

Slice the prosciutto

Prepare the basil

Lay one slice of peach in each basil leaf. Using a piece of prosciutto, wrap at the center around the peach/basil combo, twisting or pressing at the end so the prosciutto holds together.

That’s it!  EASY!!!

NOTE: In the Perfect Peach recipe, the skin of the peach is cut off. I prefer the skin on for texture. You can do either.

Also, my husband liked the peach with the prosciutto by itself, no basil. I happen to adore basil and loved the combination.

Eat to your heart’s content!

* * *

The first book in A Cookbook Nook Mystery series is out!!

FINAL SENTENCE

You can order the book HERE.

It's set in the fictional coastal town of Crystal Cove, California and features Jenna Hart, a former advertising exec who returns home to help her aunt open a culinary bookshop and café.

The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series is out, too! 

TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE
You can order the book HERE. 

Next up: DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT preorder here
INHERIT THE WORD, available soon!

You can learn more about Daryl by clicking this LINK. "Like" my page on Facebook and "follow" me on Twitter. And if you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests! You can also follow and "like" Avery Aames the same way:  Facebook and Twitter. 

How to Make Dairy-Free Whipped Cream and Beat Breast Cancer by Cleo Coyle (Vegan Recipe)

I must thank a follower of this blog for inspiring today's post: Nancy Prior Phillips...

Nancy is an enthusiastic reader in general and a booster of mysteries in particular. Over the past year, she's been an incredible inspiration to me (and many others) in her fight against breast cancer. 

Nancy bravely posted on facebook throughout her chemo treatments while showing off a variety of nifty-looking wigs. She's kept her spirits up through radiation and recovery, and we all think she's amazing. (You can friend Nancy on facebook by clicking this link, and I'm sure she won't mind my saying so!)

Nancy also recently developed an allergy to milk products, more specifically casein, and she's quickly learning about clever solutions. When she told me about this one, which is also a vegan solution for dairy-free whipped cream, I tried it and loved it.

Although I don't have a dairy allergy, my late mother, Rose, who fought colon cancer, developed an intolerance to lactose late in life, and I probably will, too. If she were still with me, I'd be tickled to whip this up for her. Since I can't do that, I'll whip it up for you (with thanks to Nancy) and you can bet that we both sincerely hope you will...

Eat with (everlasting) joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

How to Make
Dairy-Free (Vegan)
Whipped Cream 

To download this recipe in a free PDF document that you can print, save,
or share, click here.

Cleo Coyle, lover of fluffy,
sweet stuff, is author of The
Coffeehouse Mysteries
and
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries

Recipe adapted by Cleo Coyle 

Courtesy of Nancy Prior Phillips

This dairy-free whipped cream, made with coconut milk, is absolutely delicious. It's a fun recipe to execute and fairly easy. There are a few tricks to getting it right, and I'll share them with you below. My first tip...

When you make this whipped coconut milk, you'll notice it has a slightly different consistency than dairy cream; it's a little looser. Not to worry. Frankly, it's great served as is, right after you whip it, but you can also get a firmer texture by placing it in the fridge for about an hour after it's whipped--which means it also stores very well. So you can whip it and eat it, OR pop it in the fridge to firm it up even more. And you can store any leftovers in the fridge, too, so you can continue to...eat with (dairy-free) joy! ~ Cleo

Ingredients:

1 Can Coconut Milk - Do not use "lite" coconut milk;
   yes, lite is great for cooking, but it won't work in this recipe.
   You will need regular, full-fat coconut milk.

1-2 Tablespoons powdered (confectioners') sugar      
      (or the equivalent in artificial sweetener)

(Optional): 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Step 1 - Chill it, baby: Place the can of coconut milk (not lite, just regular coconut milk) in the fridge for at least 48-hours. Although some recipes say “overnight,” that never works for me and my fridge; the cream does not harden enough for me in less than 2 days, so I simply store a few cans in the back of my refrigerator (the coldest part). That way, there will always be one ready when I want one.

Step 2 - Bottoms up: Take the can out of the refrigerator and gently turn it over. Now open the top (which was previously the bottom) and you will see a translucent liquid at the top of the can. Pour this out—you’ll get about ½ cup. (Save it for my Caramelized Banana recipe, which you'll find at the end of this one.)

Step 3 – Whip it good: Inside the can, you will see the hardened coconut cream. Spoon it out into a cold bowl (pre-chill the bowl about 15 minutes in the fridge or freezer). To the bowl, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (or artificial sweetener). Although I don’t add additional flavor, this is the time to add ½ teaspoon of vanilla, for example, or cocoa or cinnamon, if you like. 

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until it’s frothy. (I also pre-chill the beaters in the freezer, about 10 minutes.)

If you find the cream is a bit loose for your taste, no worries, simply place it in the fridge for an hour or so and it will firm up beautifully. Serve as you would dairy whipped cream and store leftovers in the fridge.

And now a little
Bonus Recipe

Cleo's
Caramelized Bananas
in Coconut Cream

This is what I do with the clear coconut liquid (about 1/2 cup) that separates from the hardened coconut cream. I pour it from the can into a plastic container and keep in the fridge until I'm ready to use it in this recipe.

To Make the Caramelized Bananas: Pour the clear coconut liquid into a skillet. Add 1-2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar. Warm and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add sliced bananas to the pan (3 to 4 medium bananas); the slices should be flat and in one layer. 

As you cook the mixture, the bananas will soak up the sweetened coconut liquid and caramelize. Be sure to turn the slices gently during cooking, so both sides have contact with the pan's hot bottom. Serve at once by placing the warm bananas in a bowl or glass and dolloping the whipped coconut cream on top. The whipped cream will melt down, giving you Caramelized Bananas in Coconut Cream that is out of this world and (for vegans and diary-free eaters...) a dessert that tastes like ice cream!

Eat with (dairy free) joy! 

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice). 

Friend me on facebook here.

Follow me on twitter here. 

Visit my online coffeehouse here.

A Brew to a Kill

Last year's
hardcover bestseller
is now a  bestseller
in paperback!

To learn more,
click here. 

"A foodie's delight...
And a satisfyingly
rich mystery."

~ Kirkus Reviews

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling

works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark

Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the

12 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 

 

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of 
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries, which Cleo writes
under the name
Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.

Playing with Cherries

How many times have you eaten a fruit pie and thought you could just eat the yummy filling? My family and friends are always in various states of dieting or foresworn foods, and I've noticed that the pie shell is often neglected and left in tattered bits on the plate. So when I saw a deconstructed peach pie, it got me thinking.


I had never heard of a deconstructed recipe before I started watching cooking competition shows. One of their favorite games is to hand the contestants the ingredients for a dish, say lasagna, or meatloaf, and ask them to deconstruct it and make something else out of the ingredients. You can imagine that it's sometimes very challenging.


In the deconstructed pie recipe, they cooked the peach pie filling on the stove in a pot. That's easy! But then they cut circles out of the pie dough, sprinkled them with sugar and baked them. Eh. I can think of more exciting things than pie dough.




So I pulled out frozen puff pastry. I read a recipe not too long ago in which the baker went to all the trouble of making her own puff pastry but then filled it with canned pie filling. She did the hard part, but said she couldn't find a recipe for cherry pie filling. Here it comes. So easy.



I did two things with my cherry pie filling. First, I used some to make turnovers. Except I made cute little packets instead, which I think are prettier than the typical triangular turnover. And then, I made the deconstructed version of the cherry turnover. The cooked cherry pie filling went into cute little ramekins, and I baked puff pastry (cut with cookie cutters) to decorate them.




If you're feeding kids, you could even use these cute little disposable shaped bakers that I found, No clean-up! If you don't have time for puff pastry (even ready made) stick a graham cracker or a favorite cookie in the ramekin. It would be just as cute. It's sort of like eating a fruity pudding. Warning though: if you hate tapioca, you will not like this.



If you bake your own little puff pastry shapes, be sure to brush them with a beaten egg and sprinkle sugar on top. Or use the icing below to decorate them and add a little zest.



Please note that I made these with sweet Bing cherries. If you are lucky enough to find sour cherries, you will want to increase the sugar substantially. The only trick here is to not burn the cherries. They are loaded with juices but it doesn't come out until they begin to cook. Keep an eye on them especially in the beginning. If you plan to serve them warm, eat plain or with ice cream. The icing will run off if they have not cooled.

Cherry Pie or Turnover Filling

4 cups of cherries
2 2/3 tablespoons tapioca
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg, beaten

Place all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan. Heat initially over medium high, watching to be sure they don't burn and stirring occasionally. Once the juices begin to release, cover, turn heat to low and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For square turnovers:

Cut a sheet of puff pastry into quarters. Place about 4 cooked cherries in the middle (about two tablespoons). Bring opposite corners to the top and press together well. Bring the remaining corners to the top and press together well. Brush with beaten egg. Bake 20 minutes or as instructed on the pastry package.

Icing:

powdered sugar
lemon

Place 1/4 cup powdered sugar into a small bowl. Stir in drops of lemon until it reaches a nice drizzle consistency. Too runny? Just add more powdered sugar.

You can even dip the wings into the icing!

 

Blue Cheese Potato Cakes

by Sheila Connolly

I thought I was done with Irish recipes for a bit, but I keep finding good ones—as I keep saying, Irish cooking had gotten a lot better in the past decade or two. This one you might call a new classic: it uses potatoes (which the Irish have been doing well for a couple of centuries) and blue cheese (there are a lot of dairy farms in Ireland—my great-grandfathers in Co. Cork raised cattle), but it adds a nice mix of herbs and garlic to punch up the flavor.

BLUE CHEESE POTATO CAKES

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 pounds baking (you want a mealy potato, not a waxy one) potatoes,

   peeled and cut into 2" pieces

   (note: this recipe makes 12+ cakes,

   So feel free to reduce it)

2 Tblsp unsalted butter

2 Tblsp fresh chives, minced

1 Tblsp garlic, minced

1/4 tsp nutmeg (if you like)

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tblsp fresh dill, minced

2 Tlbsp fresh parsley, minced

1 cup (4 oz. by weight) blue cheese, crumbled

1 egg yolk

1 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup milk

1-1 1/2 cups bread crumbs or panko

oil for cooking

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 12-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash.

In a small skillet, melt the butter over low heat.  Cook the chives and garlic for 1-2 minutes, until soft. Stir into the mashed potatoes. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, pepper, dill and parsley.  Cool completely.

 Stir in the cheese and egg yolk (leave the cheese lumpy).

Shape the mixture into 12 cakes.  Refrigerate on a sheet of waxed paper or foil for 10 minutes.

Dredge the cakes in flour, then coat with the egg mixture, followed by the bread crumbs or panko.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the cakes and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until browned. (You can cook them to this point then reheat them for serving.)

Serve with a dollop of sour cream if you want

.

All aboard the quinoa train: it's worth the trip

Submitted by Mary Jane Maffini, who also blogs here as one half of Victoria Abbott.

Lately my friends have been whipping up these amazing quinoa salads – no two alike – claiming that quinoa is a super food. Well, the only super food I recognize is chocolate, but there is not much of that on my diet (eleven pounds, thanks for asking). Still I am looking for filling but healthy additions to change the menus and there are a gazillion variations on this. What can I say? Everyone seems to be trying it. They even do a decent takeout version at our local super market.




 It doesn't look like much before, but it pairs up with sweet and savory ingredients to make for happy eating.

We really liked our adaptation . It may not be chocolate, but it’s easy, healthy and a bit different. Not so sure about the calorie count, but I stopped caring when I tasted it. 

• 1 ¼ cup quinoa, well rinsed (do not omit this step - see below). I used white, but will try red the next time.
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup good maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup raw unsalted chopped cashews
• ¼ cup salted sunflower seeds (oops - ours were the honey variety)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sea salt 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. If you buy your quinoa in bulk, make sure you rinse it really well.  Cover the quinoa with plenty of water and let it stir it a bit. Drain after three minutes and repeat twice . Cover with 2 ½ cups water, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to lowest setting. Takes about 17 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and let it cool completely.
2. In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, lemon, Dijon and maple syrup. Add about ¾ of the dressing to cooled quinoa. Stir in cranberries, cashews, green onions, sunflower seeds and salt. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature; just before serving, stir in remaining dressing and check for salt and pepper.
3. Go ahead, have a little square of chocolate later on, but you may not even need it.

Mary Jane Maffini is one-half of Victoria Abbott and the author of three other mystery series: the Camilla MacPhee books are set in Canada’s capital (as it is spelled north of the 49^th parallel) and feature a lawyer and victims' right activist, the Charlotte Adams series features a slightly bossy professional organizer from upstate New York, and the Fiona Silk comic capers unfold in West Quebec. There is no quinoa in any of them, but you may find chocolate.  Also spoiled little dogs, like these two who hang out in the Charlotte Adams books. 

Check out www.maryjanemaffini.com and sign up for her newsletter. You’ll get Victoria Abbott at no extra charge. 

Don't let her be lonely on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryjane.maffini