Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts

Friday, October 15, 2010

Vanilla-Roasted Peach Soup with Cardamom Cream


It must be a busy time of year for food bloggers. Most of the food blogs I follow don't seem to be posting much these days—myself included. My life at the moment is crazy-go-nuts, and things probably won't ease up until the end of the school semester. I have actually done some baking though. For two recent birthdays at the office, I made a tres leches cake and a cream cheese and raspberry coffee cake. However, the problem was that I didn't have time to take a decent photo of the desserts let alone sit down at a computer to write a blog entry about them. I'll get around to adding those two recipes to the blog eventually.

But now, I'm back.

Thumbing through my Cooking Light cookbook, I found this recipe for peach soup. I wanted to make it for several reasons. First, I love fruit soups. They remind me of Europe. I don't know why fruit soups aren't more popular here in the US. Second, the recipe called for a vanilla bean. I'm sorry to admit it, but I have never used a real vanilla bean although I've seen it done many times on TV. And finally, I had a bag of amazingly wonderful Utah peaches that needed to be used.

This soup was very easy to prepare, even the vanilla bean part. The aroma of the house while I was roasting the peaches was true aroma therapy. After I took the peaches out of the oven, I took a bite. Yum!! One of these peach halves served with a scoop of ice cream would make a fantastic dessert. Katie and I loved the soup, and I now want to invite some people over for dinner and serve it as the first course. Katie and I did find out, however, that we like a larger dollop of the cardamom cream than what the recipe calls for. Next time, I may double that part.

Before all the peaches are gone, give this soup a try. Share with friends; they'll think your so continental.






Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Peach Ice Cream


It's summertime, and several food blogs I follow have been posting ice cream recipes. I thought I'd get my ice cream maker out and throw our family's favorite recipe into the ring—peach ice cream.

To tell the truth, I'm very surprised that this is our favorite because no chocolate is involved—quite a departure for us. This ice cream is great with canned peaches, but tastes oh so fine with fresh.

I have a 1 ½ quart Cuisinart ice cream maker. For the price, it's a fantastic little ice cream maker, and makes the process very easy. If you have this type of ice cream maker where you freeze the bowl, make sure the bowl is frozen solid. I had to lower my freezer's temperature a bit. It also helps to chill the ice cream mixture before adding it into the machine.

This recipe is not just limited to peaches. Basically, any pureed fruit can be used.


Ice Cream! Ice Cream! We all scream for peach ice cream!


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Baked Pears Without Chocolate

Our local food co-op is great. We get good food at a nice price, and we're helping the community. Plus, we love to volunteer at the co-op. We always end up working alongside some really nice people.

This month's share included six ripe pears. But as it turns out, I'm the only one in the family who likes pears. Katie, however, was determined to find something she could do with them. She went searching through recipes from our old innkeeper days and found an incredibly simple one for baked pears. Neither of us has ever had them, but Katie decided to make them for dessert. Now, baked pears didn't sound terribly exciting. My motto has always been, "If it doesn't have chocolate, it's not a dessert rather a side dish."* But, I was willing to give baked pears a try.

After dinner, Katie brought out the pears. All three kids wrinkled up their noses, but I forced them to take the obligatory bite. All it took was that first spoonful, and we were hooked. Yum, yum, yum! Happiness in my mouth! They would have been completely devoured in seconds until I spotted my camera, and shouted "Don't eat them all. I want to take a picture for the blog." A recipe this good and this easy must be shared.**

So, here it is.

A little artistic still-life photography of the co-op pears

I admit this is a fantastic dessert. But, I bet I could probably
figure out some way to add chocolate.

*I have a niece who doesn't like chocolate. I know! What's up with that?
**We like this so much we've now had it two nights in a row.