Dessert me!

One of my major flaws is a fanatical fondness for anything containing sugar (sweet tooth courtesy of my Gramps). While I am pretty good at avoiding processed sweet things (except frosted animal crackers), quality desserts are a staple dietary contribution at my house, right up there with water and cheese.

An over abundant recipe collection roams my counter tops, getting wet, crinkled and covered in food splatters. Lately I have been trying different seasonal desserts from various recipe sources and have yet to hit a dud. So here is my latest sweet concoction, from Martha Stewart's cute little food publication:

Peaches with cornmeal shortcakes
Cornmeal shortcakes
1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing

Homemade whipped cream - I had no idea how simple making my own whipped cream is, knowledge can be dangerous!
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Fruity filling
1 1/2 pounds peaches, halved, pitted and cut into 1/4 inch slices (5 cups)
5 ounces blueberries (3/4 cups)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar. Using the large holes in a cheese grater, grate butter into flour mixture, mixing and breaking it into even smaller pieces with your fingers. With a fork, stir in buttermilk until dough just comes together. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface (I usually roll dough out between 2 sheets of wax paper, less of a mess) and roll out dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Cut into 6 squares (or rectangles).

Place dough squares 3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until shortcakes are golden and puffed, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (Store shortcakes tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 2 days).

In a medium mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and confectioners' sugar on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Cut shortcakes in half horizontally. Divide peaches among bottom halves, top with whipped cream and blueberries and sandwich with top half.

Then put on a pretty plate, take a picture for your blog and chow down!

Feasting

The candles were Matt's touch

This week we had a tasty, summer weeknight feast; slow cooked mutton shanks (from Flying Mule Farm) marinated in Mexican adobo and beer sauce, last minute cous cous from a box, sweet water melon and good company. The adobo marinade was given to me by a friend from work who loves meat and loves to cook. It is made with vinegar. chilies, paprika and other spices. Before refrigeration became so common, adobo was used a a method of preserving food in warm weather but now it used mainly as a way to flavor meat. After about 10 hours in the crock pot, the dark meat was falling off the bones and chock full of homemade flavor.

Mmmm

Well, we couldn't have such an amazing dinner and finish it off with store bought dessert, so homemade peach frozen yogurt it was! Matt's mom so generously gave us an electric ice cream maker and I wanted to try it out right away.  Working with ingredients I already had or could get at the moment, I followed a very simple recipe that came with the maker.

First thing, freeze the bowl that comes with the maker for at least 18 hours (2 or 3 days is even better), so it is cold enough freeze your yogurt or cream when it is whipping. When the bowl is cold enough, take one can of peaches (fresh peaches would be even better, I'm certain) and chop them up in the blender. To that add 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup juice from the peaches and 2 cups of yogurt. Blend it together, set up the ice cream machine (4 parts, very simple), turn it on, pour in your yogurt mixture and let it whip for 20-30 minutes.

Who knew making frozen treats was so darn easy?

The machine has a hole in the top, making it way too easy to taste test (to make sure you get a good consistency, of course) throughout the whipping process. When it is a consistency you like, you can either eat it right away or put it in the freezer for an hour or two to firm up. One awesome aspect of making frozen desserts like this is that it makes more, volume wise, than what you started with because air is whipped into it.  More dessert is always better in my estimation!

Some day I would like to make ice cream with an old hand crank ice cream maker. Similar idea, but you get to be even more involved in the dessert transformation.

I really could not believe how easy this was and it tastes so wonderful. I have to admit I was intimidated by the thought of making frozen yogurt and ice cream, however it is just as easy as making a cake and easier than pie.

We added some rosemary sprigs just to be different

Next ...vanilla sheep's milk ice cream!