Nectarine Cake

It was definitely a busy summer for me with a flurry of activities. Although I enjoy fall, I am a bit sad that summer days are over. Once again, it is time to bid farewell to hot summer days, lemonade stands, and beach parties. The past few days have been gloomy, chilly, and dark, marking the beginning of fall. Sweat pants and sweaters days are here to stay. Hopefully we will get some Indian summers before we dive into deep freeze.

As we transition into fall, I find myself craving for summer cake. A simple nectarine cake fits the bill as it is quick and easy to prepare. This cake is commonly made with apples but it’s also made with stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, and plums. And as nectarines ripen towards the end of summer, this is one last cake to say goodbye to summer days!

My mother makes the best nectarine cake. Big chunks of nectarine nestle into a moist light cake. The cake gets better the second day, when the nectarines juices seep further into the cake. I love the last taste of summer with these juicy fragrant nectarines, and now that summer has ended, I wanted to use those ripen summer fruits in a cake and savor it with a cup of coffee on those chilly morning days. So here’s one last summer cake… enjoy!

Ingredients: 

3 medium ripe nectarines, cut into cubes
1 cup 1 1/2 Tbsp (250 g) butter, at room temperature
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (200g) sugar 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (250 g) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 24 cm (9 1/2 inch) spring pan.

Beat butter and sugar together until very fluffy and white, about 4 minutes. Mix in the eggs slowly, one egg at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon zest.

In another bowl sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add the flour mixture slowly to the egg mixture. Don't over mix. Fold in nectarines with a spatula.

Pour batter in the pan and level the top. Bake for about 50-60 min or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Gâteau aux nectarines

Ingrédients: 

3 nectarines mûres de taille moyenne, coupées en cubes
250 g de beurre à température ambiante
zeste d'un citron
200g de sucre

1/4 càc d'extrait de vanille
4 œufs, à température ambiante
250g de farine
1/2 càc de levure chimique
une pincée de sel

Préchauffez le four à 180ºC. Beurrez un moule de 24 cm.

Battez le beurre avec le sucre environ 4 mn. Ajoutez les œufs, un à un en battant après chaque ajoût. Ajoutez l'extrait de vanille et le zeste de citron.

Dans un saladier, tamisez la farine, le sel et la levure chimique. Ajoutez le mélange aux œufs et mélangez délicatement. Ajoutez les nectarines.

Versez la préparation dans le moule. Enfournez 50 à 60 mn ou jusqu'à ce qu'un cure-dent inséré ressorte propre.

Saupoudrez de sucre glace avant de servir.

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Potato & eggplant salad

Eggplants are such a staple in the Mediterranean diet, and even though they're available all year round, I love to eat them in summer. And now, with the summer coming to an end, this is a great recipe if you still have all these garden vegetables on hand. The addition of garlic, coriander and lemon juice brings a bright, warm, citrus flavor to the salad. It's perfect accompanied with meat, fish or chicken... and it can be a light night meal.

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium eggplants, cubed
1 cup of frozen or fresh green beans
a handful of corandier, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
a pinch of paprika
salt, to taste

In a large skillet, heat some oil and fry the potato cubes. Once browned, set aside.
In the same skillet, fry the eggplant cubes. Set aside.
Finally, fry the green beans and set aside.
Put the fried vegetables in a salad bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, salt, garlic and coriander. Add this mixture to the vegetables and mix slowly. Sprinkle some paprika and serve.

Salade d'aubergines et de pommes de terre

Ingrédients:

2 pommes de terre moyennes, coupées en cubes

2 aubergines moyennes, coupées en cubes

1 tasse d'haricots verts, frais ou surgelés

une poignée coriandre, haché

3 gousses d'ail, écrasées

75 ml de jus de citron

60 ml d'huile d'olive

une pincée de paprika

sel, selon goût

Dans une grande poêle, faites chauffer de l'huile et faites frire les cubes de pommes de terre. Réserver.

Dans la même poêle, faites revenir les cubes d'aubergines. Réservez.

Enfin, faites y revenir les haricots verts.

Dans un bol, mélangez le jus de citron avec l'ail écrasé et la coriandre. Salez. Versez sur les légumes frits, et mélangez délicatement. Saupoudrez de paprika et servez.

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Pasta alla Norma

This vegetarian pasta dish originates from Sicily. It was named after Sicilian composer Bellini's hugely successful opera "Norma". Pasta alla Norma is a typical Sicilian dish with eggplants, sweet & ripe tomatoes, ricotta salata, fresh basil, olive oil and pasta. It is usually made with Ricotta Salata cheese, which gives a distinctive original flavor. However, you can substitute it with pecorino or feta, but you know it won't be the same.
Some insist that the pasta must be maccheroni… Well, I used spaghetti (this is what I had in my pantry). A delicious easy dish to enjoy on a weekday night...

2 medium eggplants, cut into cubes
1/2-cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped or 1/2 tsp dry oregano
6 leaves fresh basil, shredded
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
2 lbs tomatoes, ripe, seeded and chopped or canned Italian tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated ricotta salata or pecorino...
1 lb spaghetti or maccheroni

Sprinkle the eggplant cubes with salt.
Place in colander and let stand for an hour or so.
Place on paper towels to drain.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Brown eggplant cubes on both sides. Set aside.
Alternatively, brush both sides of eggplant cubes with olive oil, place on cookie sheet, bake in a pre-heated 450º F oven for 15 minutes or till nicely browned. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Add onion and sauté till golden. Add garlic and sauté for 1 or 2 minutes.
Add the tomato, fresh oregano, red chili flakes and basil. Cook about 10 to 15 minutes at high heat; do not allow sauce to dry out.
While tomato sauce cooks, bring water to a boil. Cook pasta and drain when done. Place in a bowl, pour tomato sauce and eggplant cubes and mix. Sprinkle the cheese and serve.

Pâtes alla norma

2 aubergines, coupées en cubes

120 ml d'huile d'olive

1 oignon, haché

4 gousses d'ail, écrasées

1 1/2 càc d'origan haché ou 1/2 càc d'orgian séché

6 feuilles de basilic, hachées

1/4 càc de piment d'Espelette

1 kg de tomates mûres, épépinées et coupées en dés ou une boite de coulis de tomates

sel et poivre

3/4 tasse de ricotta émiétté ou de pecorino...

500 g spaghetti or maccheroni

Saupoudrez les aubergines avec du sel.

Laissez-les dégorger de sel pendant environ 1 heure.

Placez-les sur du papier absorbant.

Faites chauffer l'huile d'olive dans une sauteuse. Faites frire les aubergines.

Vous pouvez les badigeonner d'huile d'olive et les glisser au four pendant 15 mn à 220ºC.

Faites chauffer 2 càs d'huile d'olive et faites revenir l'oignon, puis l'ail.

Ajoutez les tomates, l'origan, le piment et le basilic, et laissez mijoter 10 à 15 mn.

Faites cuire les pâtes dans de l'eau salée bouillante. Egouttez et placez dans un saladier. Versez la sauce tomate dessus, ajoutez les dés d'aubergines. Mélangez et parsemez de fromage. Servez.

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Chocolate chip cookie dough brownies

Even though I haven’t been posting as often as I would like, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking or baking. Now I'm back to blogging and I miss it so much. Summer has been hectic, but beautiful. I want to apologize for my absence, hope you didn't miss me a lot :)

Well, these chocolate chip cookie dough brownies may just take the ultimate prize.

As soon as I saw the recipe from RecipeGirl I knew it was a genius idea. Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies right? I wanted an original recipe, something new and yummy!

Ingredients:

BROWNIE:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

COOKIE DOUGH (EGG FREE):
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

Prepare the brownies: 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don't over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Prepare the cookie dough:
In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It's okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

If you'd like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.



Source: RecipeGirl.com

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Stuffed bread loaf

This weekend was the weekend of leftovers, and I love leftovers. I love them because I don't have to make dinner, for one thing and mostly because all the real work is already done, leftovers free me up to be creative in a low-key way.  So, this stuffed bread is an idea for an easy-to-put-together appetizer that guests will enjoy, and a way to use your leftovers too.

This is a very flexible recipe, and you can adjust amounts and ingredients to what you have hanging out in the fridge. Switch out the ham for turkey or the provolone for Swiss or cheddar. Add grilled eggplant slices, chopped olives, salami, ricotta, grilled zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes... There really is no end to combination with this recipe.

Honestly, there's nothing like a versatile recipe to make my day. Add to that affordable and quick and you have a real winner for me!!!



Ingredients:
1 round bread loaf
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 pound (115g) sliced ham
7 oz (200g) sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese
1 (12 oz / 340g)) jar roasted red peppers, drained

Slice the bread vertically but not all the way through the bottom.
Combine oil, oregano, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic in a medium bowl. Stir to mix well. Brush generously the interior with this mixture.

In assembly line fashion, make piles of cheese, ham and roasted red peppers to fit down in your bread slices. Be sure the pepper rings are drained well to prevent a soggy sandwich.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and place the bread 20 mn until cheese is melted. 

Note : You can add other ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, sliced olives, pesto, marinated artichokes, grilled eggplant slices, ricotta, salami.... just use your imagination!!!

Pain de campagne fourré

Ingrédients:

1 grand pain de campagne

75 ml d'huile d'olive

1 càc d'origan

1/2 càc de poivre

1/4 càc de paprika

1 càc d'ail écrasé

200 g de tranches de jambon

200 g de fromage provolone tranché ou de mozzarella

1 boîte de 340 g de poivrons rouges égouttés

Couper la miche aux 2/3 de sa hauteur. Réserver la calotte. 

Dans un bol, mélanger l'huile avec l'origan, le poivre, le paprika et l'ail.

Badigeonner généreusement l'intérieur du pain de ce mélange.

Disposer en rangs successifs les poivrons grillés, les tranches de fromage, et le jambon.

Préchauffer le four à 180ºC et placer le pain environ 20 mn jusqu'à ce que le fromage fonde.

Note : On pourra substituer ou ajouter d'autres ingrédients tels que : des tomates séchées dans l'huile égouttées, des olives kalamata hachées grossièrement, du pesto, des artichauts marinés et épongés, de la ricotta, du salami....

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Roasted pears with goat cheese & pine nuts

This looks good, don't you agree? Well, let me tell you something, these roasted pears taste absolutely amazing!! As long as you like fruit and cheese combo, you will hit the jackpot with this recipe. 

Well, we are basking in beautiful weather. Spring has finally arrived, bringing us the sunshine and the wonders of nature with it! I look forward to the time when apple and cherry trees start to bloom because we know that spring has finally arrived.

Though pears are basically a fall time food, this dish is all about being fresh and light to welcome the spring season.  Well, I think this dish could work really in any season! 

I loved this dish, because I love pears and I am fond of goat cheese! The sweetness of the pears contrasted the pungent goat cheese well, and the crunchiness of the toasted pine nuts complemented the soft texture of the pears. A recipe I will be making again and again!

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 ripe but firm pears

3.5 oz (100g) goat cheese, crumbled

3/4 oz (20g) pine nuts

1 sprig rosemary

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp (30g) butter

Wash the pears, slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small sharp paring knife and a spoon remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling.

Heat the butter in a skillet and brown the pears, skin side down, on low heat for about 10 mn.

Preheat your oven at 350ºF (180ºC).

Place the pears in a ovenproof dish and pour the cooking butter on top. Add half a cup of water in the ovenproof dish. Bake 10 to 15 mn.

Meanwhile, gently toss the goat cheese with the pine nuts and the rosemary in a small bowl. Season.

Remove the pears from the oven. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation. Spoon a bit of honey and bake them again for another 10 mn. Serve immediately.

Poires rôties au chèvre et aux pignons de pin

Ingrédients (4 personnes):

2 poires

100 g de fromage de chèvre demi-sec

20 g de pignons de pin

1 petite branche de romarin

2 c. à soupe de miel

30 g de beurre

Lavez les poires et les coupez en deux en retirant les pépins. Creusez-les légèrement.

Faites-les dorer ensuite côté chair dans une poêle avec le beurre sur feu doux pendant 10 min.

Préchauffez votre four à 180° C.

Déposez les poires dans un plat allant au four, et arrosez-les avec le reste de beurre de cuisson, plus un 1/2 verre d’eau dans le fond du plat. Enfournez les poires 10 à 15 min.

Entre temps, mélangez à la fourchette, le fromage de chèvre, les pignons et les brindilles de romarin hachées. Assaisonnez.

Sortez les poires du four et garnissez-les du mélange de fromage de chèvre. Arrosez de miel et remettez au four 10 min. Servez aussitôt.

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Eggplant Frittata

This frittata has the smell of summer, it has a savory flavor and a wonderful aroma. 

Actually, as you know, I’m a big fan of frittatas. They make a great healthy meatless meal that can be prepared with minimal effort.  Sometimes we all need meals like that, don’t we? Baked frittatas are easy to make and hold well in the refrigerator, and they’re equally good hot, cold or at room temperature.

I had originally contemplated making some eggplant parmigiana, but I was running low on energy and wasn’t in the mood for breading and frying.  I wanted something a bit lighter for dinner, so I decided to use my lovely eggplants to make a frittata!

Ingredients:
8 eggs
1.5 lb (700g) eggplants, peeled every other strip and cubed
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle sea salt over eggplant cubes and let them sit in a colander for half an hour. Rinse the eggplants then pat them dry with paper towels.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and saute the onion. Add the eggplants cubes and the garlic and let them cook on medium low heat until golden and cooked. Stir them frequently.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with cheese, salt and pepper. Pour in the egg mixture to the cooked eggplants, lifting edges of eggplant so eggs coat bottom of skillet. Cook over low heat covered until set and cooked through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve!

Frittata aux aubergines

Ingrédients:

8 œufs

700 g d'aubergines, partiellement épluchées puis coupées en dés

1 oignon, haché

6 gousses d;ail, écrasées
50 g de Gruyère râpé

1 càs de persil haché
sel et poivre selon goût

2 çàs d'huile d'olive

Versez les dés d'aubergines dans une passoire, saupoudrez de sel et laisser dégorger 30 min. Rincez les dés sous l’eau froide et puis essuyez-les avec du papier absorbant. 

Verser l’huile d’olive dans une poêle. A feu doux, y faire revenir l’oignon. Ajouter les dés d’aubergine et l’ail écrasé. Cuire à feu doux jusqu'à ce qu'elles deviennent molles. Ne pas oublier de remuer régulièrement. 

Dans un saladier, battez les oeufs avec le fromage, sel, et poivre. Les ajouter dans la poêle, couvrez  et poursuivez la cuisson à feu doux. La frittata aux aubergines est cuite lorsqu'elle se détache facilement de la poêle. Parsemez de persil haché et servez aussitôt!

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