Sour Cream Peach Pie

Corn, Peaches, Tomatoes..... These are the foods I think of and reach for during the summer months when local produce is at it's peak.  Purchase your vine-ripened peaches at your local farmer's market.

This peach pie is the perfect accompaniment to an outdoor BBQ dinner.  Don't let the sour cream throw you off.  It makes a creamy, delicious pie.

Ingredients:

• Pastry for 9-inch pie
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup commercial thick sour cream
• 5 cups peaches, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450F.

Mix together flour, sugar, and sour cream until smooth. Arrange peaches in unbaked pie shell.  Pour sour cream mixture on top.

Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees F, then lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until filling is set.

If desired, sprinkle brown sugar over hot pie and broil 1 to 2 minutes till sugar is melted.  Be careful not to burn the sugar as it burns quite easily. 

I've been making this pie for years.  I usually don't add the brown sugar on top as I don't feel that this pie needs anything extra.

Hint:
To easily peel peaches, fill a pot with water and bring to a low boil.  Turn down heat, add peaches and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.  Plunge into cold water.  The peels should easily slide off.

Cedar Planked Salmon

Salmon is one of the power-house foods and it's so easy to prepare.  This particular one was done on parchment paper and grilled on the BBQ.  You can just as easily make it in the oven.  We like it best on the cedar plank as you can serve it directly on the table and it makes a lovely presentation.

Ingredients:

• 1 salmon fillet
• olive oil
• sea salt
• pepper, optional
• red onion, diced
• 1 lemon, sliced thinly

Place the salmon, skin side down on parchment paper or cedar plank.  If the salmon has been skinned on both sides, use parchment paper only.  Lightly coat salmon with olive oil.  Sprinkle on sea salt and pepper.  You can easily add other seasoning such as a lemon pepper or Mrs. Dash, but we like it best plain and simple.

Sprinkle on the diced red onion.  Layer lemon slices over top.

Grill on a medium BBQ for approx 1/2 hour or until done.  The salmon should be moist and flakey.  It's best when it's not overdone as it's gets too dry.  Alternatively, you can bake it in the oven at around 350 degrees for the time.

Serve with wild rice, green beans, or tomatoe salad.

Caprese Salad - with a twist

We love a caprese salad during the summer months, especially when local tomatoes are plentiful.  We often plate the traditional caprese salad of sliced tomatoes, bocconcini with a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil.

This is a bit of a twist, just to change it up.

Ingredients:

• small tomatoes - 1" to 2" diameter
• mid or large sized bocconcini balls (or buffalo mozarella if you can find it)
• fresh basil leaves
• balsamic dressing or glaze

Slice each tomatoe 3/4 of the way through, but not all the way.  Slice the bocconcini.  Insert a slice of cheese and a small piece of basil between each slice.

Drizzle with balsamic glaze or a balsamic vinaigrette.

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Notes:

• Balsamic glaze is a like a thick balsamic syrup.  You can find it at most grocery stores in the vinegar aisle.
• If you can find (and afford) buffalo mozarella, it's a lovely complement to tomatoes.  This is the traditional Italian cheese made from buffalo milk.  It's richer and creamier than traditional bocconcini.

Grilled Veggies

We love grilled vegetables and this is an easy stand-by recipe in our household.

Any kind of vegetables will do.  Mix and match for great flavour and a colourful display.

Ingredients:

• red, yellow, orange peppers
• mushrooms
• sweet onion
• Japanese eggplant
• zucchini
• summer squash (which is really a yellow zucchini!)
• Feta or goat cheese
• balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.  Toss in a bowl together with some balsamic vinaigrette (save some for later).

Grill over medium heat in a veggie basket just until softened, but still with a bit of a crunch to them.  A veggie basket looks like a wok with holes in it.  It's perfect for grilling vegetables and mini potatoes.

Layer on a platter and sprinkle with some additional vinaigrette.  Sprinkle the goat cheese or feta cheese on top.  The cheese will melt slightly.

You can serve this right away or let it sit and serve at room temperature.  Either way, do not add the cheese until just before serving.

Wild Rice Salad

A nice summer salad, easy to prepare and a nice change of pace from traditional lettuce salads.

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice mix (I use brown and wild rice)
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mandarin oranges (tinned), broken into pieces
1/4 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup snap peas, chopped
1/2 pecans, optional

Dressing:
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp honey, optional


Prepare rice according to directions.  Run under cold water to cool.

Add all ingredients, along with rice, to a bowl.  Add dressing and gently toss.

Corn Salad

Need something to do with all that left-over corn on the cob?  This quick and easy salad uses lelft-over corn with fresh summer vegetables.  It's like nature in a bowl!  Great for a potluck or picnic.

This recipe has been adapted from Trish Magwood's cookbook "In my Mother's Kitchen" - www.trishmagwood.com.

Ingredients:

• 3 ears of corn on the cob (already cooked)
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup snap peas, chopped

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup oilive oil
• juice of one lime
• 1 tsp salt

Cut corn off cob and combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix the dressing together and toss gently with the salad.  Keep well for a day or two.

Note:
The original recipe calls for shelled edamame (a powerhouse veggie).  I didn't have any so I used snap peas which I had on hand. 

Marinated Flank Steak

This recipe is from our friends, Brad & Gitta.  Take an ordinary flank steak, marinate it overnight, grill it the next day and enjoy a flavourful masterpiece!  Great for those summer BBQs.  If you're serving a crowd, simply marinate two flank steaks, no need to double the recipe as it makes a lot of marinade.  You will use the marinade as a dipping sauce with the meat, so it doesn't go to waste.

Sorry no pictures of the grilled meat..... next time!

For 2 large flank steaks:

(serves 4 very hungry people or more)

• 20 oz beef consommé
• 2/3 c soy sauce
• 3-4 sliced green onions
• juice of one lemon ( or a few tsp vinegar)
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 tbsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 3-4 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 c beer

Score steak in diamond pattern on both sides.  Pour all of the mixture (not the beer) into a large shallow pan.  Place steak into pan in single layer, flip a few times to coat well with mixture.

Pour beer overtop, do not stir.  Marinate 24 hours in refrigerator.  Remove from refrigerator 1-2 hours prior to barbequing.

While barbequing steaks on med-high, heat marinade in sauce pan to boiling and let simmer.  Slice steak thinly against the grain in sloped direction and serve with marinade for dipping.

Serve with grilled asparagus and potatoes.