Zucchini Cherry Tomato Salad
It has been a hot summer here in Atlanta. When it is this hot, the last thing I want to do is stand over a hot stove or oven to cook something. That is one of the reasons I love this zucchini cherry tomato salad…
Tag: summer
Spinach, Fig, and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing
I don’t know about you, but for the last few weeks my local farmers market has had the best figs! As a result this spinach, fig, and goat cheese salad with honey balsamic dressing has become a favorite meal. This salad is also a great…
Cherry Tomato Basil and Feta Crostata
Every summer I plant a rainbow of cherry tomatoes in my garden. This tomato, basil, feta crostata recipe is a delicious way to enjoy them. It is based off of a tomato tart recipe that is one of my mom’s favorites. Her recipe uses a pie crust, but I like using a puff pastry. Puff pastry provides a flaky, crunchy crust that is the perfect base for the yummy tomatoes, basil, and feta. Using frozen puff pastry* keeps things simple and saves time.
Serve with a salad for a light dinner or slice into smaller pieces and serve as an appetizer
Skip to detailed instructions with pictures.
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Tomato Basil Feta Crostata
June 27, 2021
: 4-6
: Moderate
Ingredients
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 2 c. cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
- 3/4 c. crumbled feta cheese
- ½ c. basil (loosely packed)
Directions
- Step 1 Take puff pastry from freezer to thaw. Preheat oven to 400°. Clean the tomatoes and basil. Chop the garlic cloves. Thinly slice the basil.
- Step 2 Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add garlic & tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Shake the pan every few minutes to ensure they cook evenly. When garlic is brown and about 1/3 to 1/2 of tomatoes pop open, remove from heat and set aside.
- Step 3 Place puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper. Rollout with rolling pin or press with your fingers to smooth the dough and form a square. Pick up parchment paper and dough and place on a sheet pan.
- Step 4 Top the puff pastry with crumbled feta, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Sprinkle basil over the feta.
- Step 5 Top crostata with tomatoes and garlic, saving some of the tomato drippings in the pan. Fold the edges of the dough up to form a 1/4 to 1/2-inch crust. Brush the crust with the reserved tomato drippings.
- Step 6 Bake at 400° for 25 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese melts. Let cool a few minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Detailed Instructions
Step 1. Take puff pastry from freezer to thaw. Preheat oven to 400°. Clean the tomatoes and basil. Chop the garlic cloves. (You can mince it, but I like having chunks of garlic on top of the crostata.) Thinly slice the basil.
Step 2. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add garlic & tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Shake the pan every few minutes to ensure they cook evenly. When garlic is brown and about 1/3 to 1/2 of tomatoes pop open, remove from heat and set aside.
Step 4. Top the puff pastry with crumbled feta, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Sprinkle basil over the feta.
Step 5. Top crostata with tomatoes and garlic, saving some of the tomato drippings in the pan. Fold the edges of the dough up to form a 1/4 to 1/2-inch crust. Brush the crust with the reserved tomato drippings.
Cherry Tomato & Goat Cheese Pasta
If you’ve seen my roasted tomato & shallot ravioli recipe, you know I get lots of cherry tomatoes from my garden. This cherry tomato pasta recipe is one of my favorite to make with them. It is SO quick and easy! In the time it…
Roasted Cherry Tomato & Shallot Ravioli
I always plant cherry tomatoes in my garden. A few plants can produce LOTS of cherry tomatoes. As a result, I have some great cherry tomato recipes. This roasted tomato ravioli is one of my favorites. It is quick, easy, and delicious. Pair it with…
Burrata with Grilled Peaches, Prosciutto, and Balsamic Vinegar
Ever since I had my first Caprese salad, I have been a huge fan of fresh mozzarella cheese. And then on a fateful trip to the East Atlanta Farmers Market, the cheese guy there introduced me to burrata. It was a revelation: fresh mozzarella on the outside and creamy deliciousness on the inside. What!? I was hooked after the first bite. Now, any time I see burrata on the menu I have to order it. This recipe for burrata with prosciutto and grilled peaches is my favorite version to make at home. Top it with some really good aged Balsamic vinegar and it is heaven on a plate.
A note on aged balsamic vinegar: This is a dish where splurging and using a really good aged (10+ years) balsamic vinegar makes a big difference. To know you are getting the good stuff look for balsamic vinegar with the Modena DOP. Modena, Italy is where Balsamic Vinegar was created and the DOP designation tells you the product you are buying is the authentic good stuff. Places like Acetaia di Gorgio, which I visited on my trip to Modena, have been making balsamic vinegar for generations using the traditional methods. If you ever visit Modena you should stop by their house for a tour and a tasting. (The Acetaia is literally in the attic of their family home.) The tasting will blow your mind. Their balsamic vinegar is amazing.
Skip to substitutions, detailed instructions, or other peach recipes
Burrata with Proscuitto & Grilled Peaches
July 18, 2020
: 4
: Easy
Ingredients
- 2 ripe peaches, cut in half
- 4 slices of good crusty bread (e.g., sourdough, ciabatta)
- 4 slices of proscuitto
- 8 oz burrata cheese
- 2-3 c. arugula
- 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
- Good quality aged balsamic vinegar to drizzle
Directions
- Step 1 Grill the peaches cut side down for 5-7 minutes over medium high heat. Grill the sliced bread for 4-5 minutes turning once half way thru.
- Step 2 Toss the arugula with olive oil. Add salt to taste. Divide evenly between 4 salad plates.
- Step 3 Top each salad with 1 grilled peach half, 1 slice of prosciutto, 1/4 of the burrata (~2 oz.), and 1 slice of grilled bread. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.
Substitutions
- If you can’t find burrata cheese you an substitute mozzarella
Detailed Instructions
Step 0. Preheat the grill. Slice the peaches.
Step 1. Grill the peaches cut side down for 5-7 minutes over medium high heat. Grill the sliced bread for 4-5 minutes turning once half way thru. (You don’t need to turn the peaches – keep them facing down the whole time.) The peaches and the bread should have well define grill marks.
Step 2. Toss the arugula with olive oil and salt to taste. Divide evenly between 4 salad plates.
Step 3. Top each salad with 1 grilled peach half, 1 slice of prosciutto, 1/4 of the burrata (~2 oz.), and 1 slice of grilled bread. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve. If you are using good aged balsamic vinegar you don’t need to drizzle a lot to get a lot of flavor.
Secrets to a Great BLT
I bought a house so that I could grow tomatoes. Store bought tomatoes just aren’t the same and I could only get cherry tomatoes to grow on my condo balcony. So now that I have a yard, I plant LOTS of tomatoes. One of the…
Mom’s Peach Ice Cream
It just isn’t summer until I’ve had homemade peach ice cream. My grandparents had two Georgia Bell peach trees in their backyard and I remember summers when they were just loaded with peaches. Naturally, peach ice cream was often on the menu. Those summers are…
Peach Shortcake
I originally planned to post my recipe for strawberry shortcake, but when I went to the Decatur Farmers Market and the first peaches of the season were there. I couldn’t resist making Peach Shortcake instead. My mom went crazy over it, so it is now officially in the summer dessert rotation. The secret to the recipe: perfectly ripe peaches! It also doesn’t hurt that I use BQ’s Buttermilk Biscuits as the base for the shortcake.
ps. Clearly, this recipe works with strawberries, too. See instructions for using strawberries instead.
Skip to shortcuts or detailed instructions with pictures.
Peach Shortcake
June 13, 2020
: 6
: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 batch BQ's Buttermilk Biscuits
- Peach mixture
- 3 c. peeled, diced peaches (5-7 peaches depending on size)
- 1-2 tsp. sugar
- Whipped cream
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp. sugar or vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Directions
- Step 1 Make biscuits per recipe or use comparable substitute.
- Step 2 Peel and dice peaches. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp. sugar depending on sweetness of the peaches. Let sit at least 15 min. until the mixture gets juicy.
- Step 3 Add 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla to cream. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Step 4 Build shortcakes. Cut biscuits in half. Place bottom half on plate. Top with 2-3 Tbsp peach mixture, then whipped cream. Repeat with biscuit top, then peaches, then whipped cream.
Strawberry Shortcake
For strawberry shortcake, in step 2, replace peaches with strawberries cut in quarters. A 16 oz. package of strawberries should be about 2 cups.
Shortcuts
Let’s face it, we don’t always have time to make a delicious dessert from scratch. If you are short on time, try one or more of these shortcuts.
- Use biscuits or scones from your favorite bakery to save time making biscuits. In a pinch you could use Mary B’s frozen biscuits – these are the kind my mom gets when I’m not there to make biscuits.
- Make strawberry shortcake instead of peach – it takes longer to peel and dice peaches than it does to quarter strawberries.
- Use Reddii-whip or similar canned whipped cream to save time making the whipped cream. Note: It doesn’t take that long to whip cream, so I encourage you at least once to try making whip cream yourself.
Detailed Instructions
Step 0. Wait for the peaches to get perfectly ripe. Let them sit on the counter until they are ready. Don’t stack them on top of each other – they bruise easily. For most varieties they will give slightly when you touch them. When they are ripe they should smell really peachy.
Step 1. Make biscuits and cut to 2.5″ diameter. (See BQ’s Buttermilk Biscuits). Sprinkle a little sugar on top before baking.
Step 2. Peel and dice the peaches. With some varieties of peaches when the peach is really ripe, the skin will just peel right off. If you haven’t mastered this technique, see Southern Living’s advice on how to peel a peach. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp. sugar (depending on sweetness of the peaches). Let sit at least 15 min. until the mixture gets juicy.
Step 3. Add 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla to cream. Whip until stiff peaks form.
Step 4. Build shortcakes. Cut biscuits in half. Place bottom half on plate. Top with 2-3 Tbsp peach mixture, then whipped cream. Repeat with biscuit top, then peaches, then ending with whipped cream.
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