Summer is so much about the fresh produce and grilling that almost all of the pictures below were based around one of these two concepts (dessert is the exception). Okay, I also put in two killer dessert recipes that were neither grilled or considered summer produce, but they were darn tasty! Rather than do a bunch of different blog posts to cover everything, here are pictures of some items that really hit the spot in the warm weather. Since Texas won't actually cool down for another month, these recipes are still great to try. If you want the recipe for any of these, comment and I will send it to you via personal email!
Produce Recipe Pics
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| Tomato Soup |
Grillin and Chillin: Grilled & Chilled Tomato and Onion Soup with Basil Chiffonade,
Olive Oil Drizzle, and Crumbled Feta
Even insipid winter Roma tomatoes are brought to life by grilling them. In winter, I would just use a grill pan indoors to the same effect and add a pinch of sugar to the soup to bring out the sweetness that winter produce lacks. For a vegan version, omit the Feta crumbles.
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| Quinoa Salad |
Plenty of Protein: Red Quinoa Mediterranean Salad
If you haven't yet tried quinoa, you are missing out. It's one of the "ancient grains" that have existed for centuries and is actually a complete protein. This salad takes the flavors of the Mediterranean and combines them with quinoa for a nutritious, tasty, and CHEAP lunch or dinner option. I was playing with the camera to make the picture look like it was in motion, so sorry for those that may feel dizzy!
Grilled Recipe Pics
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| Meaty Good! |
We have a wonderful organic and local produce and more delivery service called Greenling in our area. They ran a special on local Waygu ground beef, so I took a chance.... If you don't know Waygu, it's American Kobe beef. These are happy beef cows pastured and kept from getting stressed. Rumor has it, in Japan these prized cows are even fed beer! Happy cows = tasty meat. Two tricks: manipulate the meat as little as possible - don't knead it to death and cook no more than medium for a really juicy burger.
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| Cake! |
You Grilled That?!: Grilled Angel Food Cake with Sliced Strawberries
The Dallas Farmers Market hosts a wonderful cooking class series each summer and I had the opportunity to attend. Once of the chefs grilled angel food cake and served with fresh berries and whipped cream. I thought - how easy and simple would that be and so I tried it. What a revelation! The angel food cake takes on a marshmallow-like taste from the grill markings and the berries and fresh whipped cream really offer a taste of summer with a side of naughty richness from the cream. Since my sweetie prefers strawberries, I just sliced some up and put some sugar on them to punch up the sweetness.
Dessert
A meal isn't complete without a killer dessert. Here are two that I tried. One is a take on a French apple cake and the other is a crazy take on a calzone, courtesy of a killer pizza restaurant in town, Il Cane Rosso.
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| A Taste of Fall in Summer |
Oui! French Apple Cake
Consider this a preview of fall - a cake made with sliced, cooked apples baked into a custardy cake with a toasty sugar topping.
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| Trust me - this is awesome |
OMG Good: S'mores Calzone
When I tasted this at the summer cooking class, I couldn't wait to try this at home. If you are lucky enough to have a pizza oven that goes to 900 degrees like Il Cane Rosso, lucky you! Us mere mortals can only get our ovens to 500 degrees, but we can still make it tasty good. How can you not love a pocket of pure, gooey, chocolatey goodness? The marshmallow is both fluffy and carmely, while the chocolate is melting and rich. If you're making pizzas, take some of the extra dough and try this.
Happy eating!
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