¼ cup sugar 2 cups washed sliced local strawberries 2 Tbs. lemon juice Put sugar in a small pan with a scant ¼ cup of water and bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, till sugar dissolves and you have a simple syrup. Wash, hull and slice enough juicy red strawberries to make 2 cups. Place strawberries in a blender […]
Read morePeaches in red wine make a perfect ending to a summer meal. And little peaches, like the ones that appeared last week, are just right; larger peaches or nectarines would need cutting into chunks rather than moon-like slices. You may have to be patient, though, if the fruit was brought to market hard (to prevent bruising.) Give your peaches a […]
Read moreStrawberries make a last appearance in this week’s recipe, but if strawberries have had their day, you can use any soft berry in season – raspberries are delicious. Ripe berries, cream and meringue are pretty much all you need for this summer-long standby, and if you’ve no time to make meringue, you can hop across the street from the market […]
Read moreThis week’s recipe is sweet and simple, and it’s a twofer. In no time, you’ll have a small bottle of ruby-colored syrup and a little dish of fruit compote. Local strawberries take the star role in this recipe, with rhubarb as the character actor, and parsley playing the part of “mystery ingredient.” We had two other local inspirations. Grown-up rhubarb […]
Read moreIt’s the season for peaches. Ripe peaches are fragile, and easily bruised, so peaches tend to be sold on the hard side. Give them a few days on a kitchen counter, and they’ll finish ripening and smell wonderful. For a sweet ending to a summer meal, try running halved peaches under the broiler. Grilled peaches with honey-rum butter 4 firm, […]
Read moreThis week’s recipe is for Summer Pudding, originally a British dessert made with fresh redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries—and, traditionally, a good, non-gummy bread. (If bread strikes you as weird, try slices of plain pound cake.) The bread soaks up the berry juices, staining the pudding red. Blackcurrants, are hard to come by here, but you can substitute blueberries and toss in […]
Read moreSweet strawberries have a faithful companion in tart rhubarb. They’re often called the first two fruits of spring, although rhubarb is strictly speaking a vegetable. Rhubarb was introduced to America by Benjamin Franklin and was commonly called pie plant, supposedly because of its use in pies. Here it joins strawberries in a crumble – humbler than pie, and even easier! […]
Read moreWe’re still enjoying peaches, one of summer’s quintessential treats. Easily bruised, peaches are often brought to market on the hard side. Put them inside a paper bag (side by side, rather than all piled up) and give them a day or two to fully ripen. Here’s a simple way to prepare peaches, to serve with cream or ice-cream. You’ll need […]
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