GRILLED NECTARINES and PEACHES WRAPPED IN BACON

Oh my, it has been a while since I've shared with you here. I'm sorry. Summer totally got away from me. Between travel, photography work, kids home from school, and a family health crisis, the past couple of months have slipped by. Yesterday, the last of my brood went back to school, I breathed in the empty house, and within minutes was cooking up this post for you. It's really nice to be back!

Earlier this summer when I needed a quick appetizer, I wrapped peach wedges in bacon and tossed them on the grill for my in-laws. Within minutes, everything had been devoured so I figured... this is a recipe worth sharing. With Labor Day coming, I thought this easy, crowd-pleasing concoction could come in handy if you're cooking for friends this long holiday weekend. Bacon is always good and here it hits a pretty darned transcendent note when it's wrapped around peaches and nectarines all warm and juicy from the grill.

I started the summer with a stone fruit recipe and I'm ending the summer with another one - delicious bookends.

INGREDIENTS
serves 4 as an appetizer, or you can double/triple the recipe to feed a crowd

• 2 medium ripe, but firm peaches and/or nectarines 
• 8 slices of bacon (I really like the thinly sliced bacon here)
• olive oil
• 16 fresh basil leaves
• aged or reduced balsamic

Preheat a grill to medium heat. Or preheat a cast iron grill pan over medium.

Slice each peach/nectarine into 8 wedges. Cut each slice of bacon in half. Wrap each peach/nectarine slice with a strip of bacon (if you carefully wrap the bacon around the peach and let it stick it to itself, I find that you don't need a toothpick to hold the bacon in place). Lightly brush the outsides of your wrapped peach/bacon with olive oil to prevent sticking to the grill.

Grill wrapped peaches/nectarines for about 5 minutes per side until the bacon is crisped to your liking. If you use a thicker cut bacon, adjust cooking time accordingly.

Top with a fresh basil leaf or chopped basil, and a drizzle of balsamic. Eat right away.

Happy Labor Day!

HONEY-MASCARPONE FROZEN YOGURT

You know that feeling when you bring home a new cookbook and as you flip through the pages, you find yourself bookmarking recipe after recipe? To me that's the first sign of a great cookbook. Confirmation of greatness comes when the recipes deliver delicious results. Well, Yogurt Culture, by my buddy Cheryl Sternman Rule, is that kind of book. There are so many recipes I want to make, I've lost count. And every one I've tried has been simple and fantastic.

Yogurt Culture is about yogurt of course, but it goes way beyond what one might expect of yogurt recipes - yes there are wonderful lassis, smoothies and tatzikis, but with well over 100 recipes, Cheryl tempts us with Smokey Egglant-Tahini Dip, Coriander-Lime Grilled Chicken (our family loved it!) and Regal Creamy Beef Curry, just to name a few.

The first recipe I made from Yogurt Culture was this delectable Honey-Mascarpone Frozen Yogurt and I knew I had to share it with you. Cheryl's clever additions of mascarpone, lemon zest, olive oil, and vanilla bean elevate fro yo to a heavenly level of sophistication, yet the recipe couldn't be much easier to make. Cheryl suggests drizzling a bit of olive oil over the frozen yogurt and I readily second that notion. My favorite concoction is a kind of summer sundae -  Honey-Mascarpone Frozen Yogurt with slivers of donut peach, marcona almonds and that splash of olive oil. I think you'll love it too.

INGREDIENTS from Cheryl Sternman Rule's Yogurt Culture

• 2 1/2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone
• scant 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• scrapped seeds from 1/2 plump vanilla bean
• finely grated zest of one lemon
• optional for serving: sliced peach or nectarine, salted-roasted marcona almonds, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together yogurt, mascarpone, honey, olive oil, vanilla, and lemon zest.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. You can serve the frozen yogurt in this soft serve form, or transfer the frozen mixture to a small baking dish and place it in the freezer to harder further.

When you're ready to serve the frozen yogurt, take it out of the freezer 10-20 minutes before serving to allow the yogurt to soften a bit.

I suggest topping the frozen yogurt with peaches or nectarines, marcona almonds and a light drizzle of olive oil.

 Serves 4

Peach, Endive, Arugula, and Marcona Almond Salad

Last week, when I glimpsed this year's first organic peaches at Monterey Market, I squealed with delight. Summer is on its way! My produce guy at Monterey Market told me the peaches were good and I knew exactly what I wanted to make: Thomas Keller's Peach Salad has been earmarked since I got Ad Hoc At Home.

I brought home a sizable bag of peaches and Otis and Lilah, who seemed to be as excited about stone fruit as I am, gobbled up the peaches immediately. I went back to the market for two more rounds of peaches before I could keep enough fruit away from my hungry kiddos to make TK's salad.

Not surprising for a Thomas Keller recipe, the salad was a multi-step deal. First I had to make the peach puree. See recipe here. Peeling the peaches and smelling their unique perfume made that task worthwhile.

My laid back approach in the kitchen left me feeling little resentful that I had to do so much work to prepare a salad. I just wanted to eat all the seductive ingredients: baby arugula, endive, Marcona almonds, and of course peaches. I mustered enough willpower to finish preparing the salad.

INGREDIENTS
adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

• 3 heads white Belgian endive
• 3 heads red Belgian endive
• 2 tablespoons Peach Puree 
• 1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds ripe peaches
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 cup salted Marcona almonds

I like the way Keller gives detailed directions for simple tasks. For preparing the endive he suggests cutting 1/2 inch from the bottom of each endive head. This will allow the outer leaves to easily fall away from the core. Continue cutting the base at 1/2 inch intervals until all the leaves come loose. (This technique may be obvious to you, but I had always cored the endive first. TK's technique is so much simpler and makes for a nicer looking endive leaf in the end.)

Place endive leaves in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes to refresh. Then drain and dry the leaves. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together peach puree, shallot, parsley, and vinegar. Then slowly whisk in oil.

Cut peaches into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Using the peach trimmings, finely dice to make 1/4 cup of peach bits. Stir diced peach bits into the dressing. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Drizzle 1/2 dressing around the sides of the large bowl holding the endive leaves. Toss to lightly coat with dressing. Season with salt and chives. Toss arugula and peach to coat with a light layer of dressing.

Arrange salad on a serving platter with a little more vinaigrette over the top. Bring remaining dressing to the table in a bowl for adding as one wishes.

Serves 6


A Yummy Supper variation:

The heathen in me kept eating the salad with my fingers. I surrendered to my impulses and morphed Keller's recipe into one that suited my style. I tossed some arugula and peach slices in TK's dressing and placed them and a Marcona almond on a piece of endive.... elegant salad immediately transformed to lovely finger food.

Peach Puree

I made this puree out of a sense of devotion to Thomas Keller. For months have been craving his Peach Salad with Marcona almonds. Finally, peach season has begun and I have a chance to indulge.  Usually I don't follow recipes with such precision, but Keller's recipe calls for peach puree as a base for the salad's dressing and Keller brings out the perfectionist in me.

INGREDIENTS
from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

• 2 pounds ripe peaches
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

First peel the peaches. If the skins cannot be easily removed, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut an X in the bottom of each peach that extends about 2/3rds of the way up the sides. Plop the peaches in the simmering water for 30-60 seconds or until the skins begin to loosen. (My peaches were not super ripe so it took a few minutes in the hot water before the skins were loose.) Remove peaches from boiling water and transfer them to an ice bath.

 Peel peaches......

Remove pits and cut peach flesh into 1/2 inch pieces. Puree the peaches in a blender (Keller suggests a Vita-Mix machine. I just used my regular blender). Put puree through a fine mesh strainer.

Mix puree, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Keller suggests placing a candy thermometer on the pan and cooking the puree at a simmer until it reaches 215-220 degrees. Skim off foam as it appears. (I would suggest keeping an eye on the texture of the puree as it cooks. By the time my puree reaches 200 degrees it was a bit too thick. ) Remove from heat.

Pour puree into a jar and let cool to room temp. Cover and refrigerate for up to one month.

I have to confess, after making the peach salad, I am not sure that I would go to the effort of cooking the peach puree again. It isn't terribly difficult to make, but it felt like one step too many (and led to the dirtying of way too many dishes) just to make a salad. Simply adding diced peach to the dressing will be enough for me next time. Regardless of my lazy tendencies, I felt I should share Keller's recipe with you. The puree does find other uses - like being mixed in with yogurt or spread on toast. And if Keller brings out the perfectionist in you, I wanted you to have access to his complete original recipe.

Makes about 2 cups