Good morning, comrades around the kitchen table. Today AE went out to discover a new restaurant called Giardino,” across the street from Sugar’s Ribs. Their food is delicious and I especially want a recipe for their shrimp and polenta with pumpkin, zucchini, tomato and wine. Also , would Giardino share the rosemary cream on their excellent salmon?”
We had a Fare Exchange conversation about desserts flavored with both chocolate and peppers. That is Mexican through and through. On the Italian menu, according to the Giardino restaurant mentioned above, DCB looks for a tiramisu-flavored dessert, “but easier and cheaper to prepare.”
ALL WEATHER SOUP
Summer seems like an odd time for soup recipes, but we learned from a fellow chef that it’s a wise move to prepare a pot of nutritious soup at the beginning of a week and eat it throughout the week. This week, thanks to you, MHW, for sharing another all-weather soup.
“My source,” wrote Ms. W., “was Marilyn Geraldson’s cookbook, ‘The Veggie Lady Shares Tips and Recipes.'”
Until now we had a lamb and vegetable soup, gazpacho and now one that starts with ground beef and ends with beans.
Taco Soup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pack of taco seasoning
2 packs of dry ranch dressing
2 cans Ro-tel tomatoes
2 cans shoepin corn
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of black beans
ignite 1 can of red kidney beans
Brown the ground beef and let it drain. Add other ingredients; don’t drain anything. Simmer until well heated.
This soup is served well with a dollop of sour cream and shredded Cheddar cheese on top.
Note: Whole grain corn can be substituted for shoepeg corn. If 2 cans of Ro-tel tomatoes are too hot, replace 1 can of diced tomatoes with one can of Ro-tel. This is great for the crockpot and freezes well.
HOMEMADE BASIC
When she married into a pie-making, pie-loving family, Susan Gary brought her own homemade crust into the family mix.
pie crust
1 cup shortening (more for a flaky crust)
1/4 cup butter (more for taste)
3 cups of flour
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
5 tablespoons of water
Cut the shortening and butter into a mixture of flour, salt and sugar into very fine crumbs.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg, vinegar and water. Quickly add liquid to the flour mixture; toss quickly with a spoon until just blended.
Form 2 balls with your hands. Cover one, roll out the other between 2 sheets of floured wax paper, turning halfway through, until dough is larger than a pie pan. Remove the top sheet of paper, invert the pan onto the dough, turn and slide the dough into the pan. Add the filling you chose, repeat with the second ball of dough and place on top of the pie.
Also handwritten on Mrs. Gary’s pie crust page were the following recipes for making buttermilk and crème frache at home. Note that you will need a little buttermilk “starter” to start your homemade quart.
Homemade Buttermilk
1/4 cup buttermilk
Enough milk to make 1 liter
Seal and set aside in a warm place until thickened. Keep cool.
Creme fraiche
1 pint of whipped cream
1 tablespoon fresh buttermilk
Close and let rest in a warm place until the consistency of sour cream. Keep cool. Can be sweetened with powdered sugar.
PEACH PERFECTION
And here’s a seasonal use for that crème fraiche, from an anonymous reader as part of the peach season’s just-started discussion. He or she wrote, “This is a Martha Stewart recipe. I haven’t tried it, but it sure looks good.”
Peach and Crème Fraiche Pie
The rich texture and slight tartness of creme fraiche makes an ideal foil for tender (but not overly soft) peaches in this streusel tart. As it cooks, the cream — spread over the crust and dotted on the fruit — becomes like a custard.
Pâté Sucree (French sweet dough base):
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
Grind flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse flour, about 10 seconds. Add egg yolk and pulse. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through the filler opening until the dough just holds together. Turn the dough onto a work surface; shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 2 days).
Streusel:
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Sift sugar, flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Use your hands or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Put aside.
Preparation of the crust:
Remove the pâté sucree from the refrigerator. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9 1/2- or 10-inch pie plate (about 1 1/2 inches deep). Trim the edge to 1 inch; fold under and crimp as desired. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover the edge of the crust with foil. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake, covered, 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment (keep foil on edge). Bake until lightly golden, 5 to 8 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly; remove foil; reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Filling:
1 1/2 pounds ripe (4 to 5 medium) yellow peaches, pitted and quartered
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons of crème frache
Place peaches in a medium bowl and sprinkle with sugar and salt; gently toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Filling the crust:
Spread 2 tablespoons of crème frache on the bottom of the crust; sprinkle with 1/3 of the streusel. Place the peaches on top; spread or top with remaining 3 tablespoons crème frache. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
Bake until the crème frache is bubbling and the streusel is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cover the edge of the crust with foil if it browns too quickly. Let cool for 15 minutes on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
With this sweet note we close the conversation for today, we look forward to next week.
REQUESTS
— Two Giardino specialties
— A simpler tiramisu
TO REACH US
Fare Exchange is an old meeting place for people who love to cook and eat. We welcome your recipes as well as your requests. Be sure to include accurate instructions for every recipe you send, and know that we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
E-mail: [email protected]
