This is another teaser recipe from Hedy Goldsmith's cookbook, Baking Out Loud, and it's perfect for the 4th. She remembers the flavors in this lemon ice from her childhood....and all I could think of when I saw her foodie photo (which I shamelessly attempted to reproduce) was a hot summer day and the relief those ices brought to us as kids. Do you remember serving ices, sorbets and ice cream frozen in orange halves? Very 60's. So this was a fun recipe, with lots of memories attached. Trust me, when you taste this, you'll feel like a kid again. It's amazing....intense, tart and not too sweet. Almost a granita, except you churn it instead.
Have a safe and happy 4th!
South Philly Lemon Ice
From Baking Out Loud by Hedy Goldsmith
Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
Method:
Combine two cups of water with the sugar, agave and salt. Cook, stirring, until just boiling and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and zest.
Allow to cool and then chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Churn according to manufacturers directions.
Every now and then I receive an email from Peter Minakis inviting me to one of his Greek dinners. My chances of ever going to one are nil, so as always, I lived vicariously through his menu. A while back, an announcement of his Santorini Sunset dinner arrived in my inbox and after reading the menu, the tomato fritters caught my eye and stuck in my mind. Luckily, I found the recipe on Peter's website, printed out the recipe and gave them a try.
Peter explains Santorini tomatoes are "stressed into ripeness from the blazing sun, little moisture and volcanic soil. The result is the sweet, ultra-flavourful, dwarf-like Santorini tomato or “domatinia”." Unfortunately, no Santorini tomatoes in Florida (I've only been there once and yes, the tomatoes we had for lunch were bright red and so sweet), but Peter roasted his cherry tomatoes to get as close as possible to the flavor he remembered. He also used mashed potato as one of the 3 binders, replacing the bread crumbs. While the trinity of dill, parsley and mint are the herbs of choice, Peter substituted basil for the dill.
I think you'll really enjoy these fritters; crisp on the outside and soft inside. A lovely side for anything you're grilling, but most especially seafood.
Santorini Tomato Fritters
From Peter Minakis at Kalofagas.ca, Greek Food and Beyond
Ingredients:
2 pounds of ripe cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
Approx. 1 cup of self-raising flour
1 baked potato, mashed
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 egg
crumbled Greek feta to taste
vegetable oil for frying
Method:
Toss the cherry tomatoes with some olive oil, salt, pepper and some cloves of garlic and roast in a 450F oven for about 30-45 minutes or until they are slightly shriveled the the skins have just burst. I roasted the potato at the same time.
Allow to cool to room temperature and strain the excess liquid (I didn't have any) and reserve the roasted tomatoes in a large bowl. Mash the potato and add to the tomatoes.
In a skillet, saute the chopped scallions in some olive oil until translucent. Allow to cool and add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Add the flour, egg and herbs and black pepper to the tomato/potato mixture and mix thoroughly. The mixture will be soft and a bit wet. Add more flour for binding if you need to.
Add some crumbled Feta and taste test your mixture. Adjust flavourings with herbs, pepper or with some more cheese.
Pour some vegetable oil into a large, non-stick frying pan over medium high heat and when a drop of water sizzles, the oil is hot enough to fry the fritters.
Use an ice cream scoop to drop the fritter mixture into the oil and flatten each fritter into the shape of a pattie. Fry each fritter for about 2 minutes per side and reserve on large plate or platter that’s covered in paper towel.
Reserve in a warm oven until the entire batch is ready to be served. Makes about 12 patties.
Everyone has their own comfort foods. Mine have always involved vanilla-flavored things...puddings mostly. Boring, I know. And yes, I also choose vanilla ice cream over most other flavors when in an ice cream store, but for some reason never thought it a comfort food. It's a fun food. Although considering the calories, I don't know how we can call ice cream food, but whatever.
Who knows where the love of comfort food it starts? Childhood, I should think. My mother made a lot of comfort foods...in particular, her Floating Island comes to mind; it was ambrosial. One rarely sees it on a menu in restaurants in the US, but I've enjoyed it often when in France. I think it's considered a "nursery food" in Europe. But do you know, it's the crème anglaise that gets me every time. I could eat it by the bowlful. Forget the little egg white islands.
Crème anglaise is also referred to as English Custard. So simple to make...milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla....things we usually have in the fridge and pantry. Handy when you need comfort. You have to be a little bit cautious when making it so it doesn't curdle, but it's not brain surgery.
After making one of my rhubarb recipes for the blog, I had several stalks of rhubarb left over; I had recently seen Marion Cunningham's Rhubarb and English Custard recipe when I was searching for another recipe in her Breakfast Book (which frankly, you should all own and if you're still debating it, read this wonderful old Gourmet review HERE.). I had one of those "why haven't I made this before" moments. I took my leftover rhubarb and made her dish. Definitely comfort food, but with a difference. Of course, I ate most of the custard first.
Marion Cunningham's Rhubarb with English Custard
From The Breakfast Book
Ingredients:
1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. (4 cups)
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 inch thick slice fresh gingerroot
2 cups English Custard (recipe follows)
Method:
Put the rhubarb into a saute pan that has a lid. Add 1 cup of water and cook, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, just until the rhubarb is barely tender. Do not overcook! Carefully remove the rhubarb from and pan and set aside. Discard the water.
Put the sugar, 1/3 cup water and gingerroot into the saute pan and heat until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a boil. Add the rhubarb and stir gently for about a minute so the rhubarb is coated with the syrup. Allow to cool, remove the gingerroot and refrigerate.
Serve with English Custard on top.
English Custard
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten with a fork
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla
Method:
Heat the milk to a simmer point. Not boiling, but little bubbles around the side and steam rising from the milk. Remove from heat and add sugar. Sitr to dissolve. With a whisk, slowly temper the egg yolks until all the milk is combined. Pour back into the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Pay attention, as there will be a slight thickening and the mixture will coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, strain, and then add the vanilla. I like my custard cool, so I place some plastic wrap on the surface so it won't form a skin, and refrigerate.
