I went berry picking again today; summer tradition and all. July means raspberries, blueberries, red and black currants. And the peaches at the orchard / farm that I typically go to are becoming ripe. So, I thought that I would make this Peach Currant Streusel Pie as a surprise present for someone. Peaches were very sweet and the currants are a very nice balance. Yummy.
Monthly Archives
July 2017
I thought that I would do a quick and easy giveaway this week, using my all-around go-to brownie recipe, and this time add toffee bits and toasted pecans. I love this brownie recipe — it comes together in minutes, is a million times better than “the box” and it really versatile. And just to be creative, I used a cookie cutter to make the cuts round on these Toffee Pecan Brownie Bites.
Amother bit of bounty from my weekend in Maine: Chanterelle, Gruyère and Thyme Tart with mushrooms that I foraged in the woods myself. Let me start with this disclaimer: If you do not know your wild mushrooms, please don’t go foraging; just buy them in the shops. Even if you know your mushrooms, please be exceptionally careful. I have been “mushroom hunting” with my father since I was a toddler and even I prefer to have a second set of eyes on them.
All that said, this is an absolutely delicious tart and very simple to make. In theory, you could also use straight up crimini from the shops, but the chanterelles have a lovely peppery bite to them. Lunch to wrap up the week.
So, after my trip to Maine last weekend, I’m devouring the bounty that I brought back. Today, that meant making a “Traditional” Maine Lobster Roll. Now, “traditional” is all relative. Everyone has a slightly different recipe for the lobster “stuffing” but a few things hold true:
1. as much lobster as you can get in the roll.
2. not too much mayo (and some people prefer melted butter over mayo altogether)
3. buttered, toasted top-split hotdog bun
I add lettuce, but some people hate that. Some people add a little bit of celery to the lobster, but I hate that. I add a little bit of horseradish and chives. Some people add paprika or dill. Either way, the rolls in the photo are “overstuffed” and delicious.
Today, we’re back to experimenting with some unconventional flavors in the cookie department. Who would have thought to combine pine nuts, rosemary and black pepper into a sweet shortbread cookie? Turns out, it’s an awesome combination. I’m not sure if I think that these would go better with sweet such as tea or savory such as wine and cheese. Either way, they do taste good, even if you end up thinking “Hmmm, what’s that flavor?”.