One Last Summer Hurrah! (A cookbook writing kinda summer)

This summer has been an amazing and busy one. I am knee-deep in recipe testing and writing for my very first cookbook. It’s such a dream to be able to tell stories and share recipes in one cohesive place, and I seriously can’t wait to share that with all of YOU! But, let me tell ya: It’s not easy! It’s so much more than just a collection of blog posts and recipes. This is a whole different beast and isn’t like anything i’ve ever done before (In fact, I almost titled this post: “Writing a cookbook is really hard!”) But, I’ve learned that most things in life have a learning curve, so it’s really satisfying and rewarding to make it over some of these tough humps.

A weekend of cookbook recipe testing at the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow’s Culinary Suite

The summer has been so jam-packed: from the NABJ journalism conference in Miami, to a birthday trip to Negril, Jamaica where I ate ackee and saltfish for breakfast, pepper shrimp on the side of the road, and swam in the caves and jumped off of the Negril cliffs.

But, it was awesome to end on such a high note in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. So, how was the highlight of my summer a few weeks in Eureka Springs, Arkansas?!

Well, I must admit that I had never heard of Eureka Springs until I discovered the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow (https://www.writerscolony.org/). It just so happens that Eureka Springs is a gorgeous town with sprawling views, replete with natural springs, and is a progressive pocket and art hub in Northwest Arkansas, about an hour outside of Bentonville and American Art Museum Crystal Bridges. It’s a town that forces you to relax and chill—the perfect environment to foster creativity and writing. And the best part? They have a culinary suite that’s specifically designed for people testing recipes and writing cookbooks. I knew it would be the perfect place for me to end my summer recipe development and writing with a bang.

It was such a change of pace from NYC. I started each morning by having tea on my porch, rocking in a chair and reading poetry and the culinary historian Jessica Harris’s memoir. I then got to work in this giant, gorgeous kitchen, with double convection ovens and just about everything I needed to test many, many recipes in a single day. I ended the day with a feast prepared by the resident chef, Jana. When I needed a break, I’d take a walk through the hilly town, and would arrive back home, ready to make buttercream and butterscotch. Within a few feet, I’d probably pass a family of deer leisurely crossing the street, or the green Eureka Springs Trolley going by..

But alas, the summer is melding into autumn, and the temperatures are cooling down, and I’m back in the City. I’m so thrilled to be back in the swing of things, back to recording our Why Food? Podcast at Heritage Radio Network and being plugged into the food scene here. But, I’m already planning my next trip to Eureka. The amount of work I got done in an abbreviated time was simply unparalleled. I have to see how the next month goes—I may need another baking and writing retreat at the Writer’s Colony before this book is written!

Blood Orange Sherbet

First things first.. it’s Sherbet, like Sorbet. I’ve been pronouncing it wrong my entire life, until last week it seems. I’ve probably been spelling it wrong, too. There are some things I have my Baton Rouge upbringing to thank, and I’m sure both misprououncing and misspelling Sherbet is one of them (farewell Sherbert, like Herbet!)

I was recently sent a package of gorgeous Sanguinellos (I learned, another name for “Blood Oranges”) from Frieda’s Produce. I love the name Sanguinello— a much more polite thing to call a fruit than “blood.” I did, briefly, consider calling this post Sanguinello Sorbet because I love alliteration and it just flowed! But, then how would you guys find it when you searched for it :) So, we’ll call it Blood Orange Sherbet, which is what it is.

I juiced these beauties, and was quite tempted to make Blood Orange Mimosas, but decided on something even more refreshing to celebrate the last weekend of summer: ice cream! Well, not ice cream, but something similar: sherbet. Sherbet is made just like sorbet, except there’s cream in it. I remember Orange Sherbet always being around when I grew up, and I didn’t quite get it. But, now that I’ve been sorbet-ing fruits aplenty, adding cream felt like a fun, next step.

There’s something really satisfying about juicing citrus manually, so I spent some time and juiced and juiced and juiced. (I think there’s red-tinted juice still splattered somewhere in my house.) Then, I just added it to a blender with milk, cream, sugar and a little corn syrup to prevent crystallization. I blended until it came together, and then I poured it into my ice cream maker. And voila! That’s it. Well, almost it...

I couldn’t stop at Blood Orange Sherbet when Blood Orange Givrées would be even more enticing!

True story: I was reading Jessica Harris, culinary historian’s memoir “My Soul Looks Back,” while I have the sherbet freezing, and I’m thinking about putting it in some hollowed out oranges to be fancy, and she’s talking about how she made Orange Givrées at a dinner party back in NYC’s primetime days when she was hanging out with Maya Angelou and James Baldwin and the like. Orange Givrées are when orange sorbet is put back in the orange and re-frozen. So, that decided it. Into the oranges the sherbet went. And since Labor Day was just around the corner, I knew it would be the perfect thing to share with some of the folks at the writing retreat I’m at in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (Check out the direct sunlight in the photo below—don’t see that when I’m in NYC, that’s for sure.)

The blood orange sherbet was a hit! I know it looks a little pinker in the ice cream maker, but the color contrast from indoor lighting compared to outdoor lighting was shockingly different. I may have to start taking all of my food photos outside now!

Blood Orange Sherbet

8-10 Sanguinellos (Blood Oranges) - yields about 1 and 1/2 cups, 12 ounces juice
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)

Note: If you want to make Blood Orange Givrées, halve and hollow about 4-6 oranges. Once the sherbet is frozen, you can scoop it into the halves and then re-freeze completely before serving.

1. Juice the oranges. You should have a total of 1 and 1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice.

2. Combine the juice, milk, cream, vanilla, sugar, corn syrup and lemon juice in a large bowl or blender. Whisk or blend until combined.

3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to its directions. Once churned, freeze in an air tight container until ready to enjoy. (If making Givrées, scoop the sherbet into the hallowed out orange halves before freezing.)

Thanks to Frieda’s Produce for generously sponsoring this post.

Pesto-Tomato Rustic Tart

The end of the summer means one thing: an abundance of ripe and tasty tomatoes. I’m a girl who loves pizza, but tomato tarts might be even better than pizza. They’re kind of like pizza, but are a whole lot fancier. Plus, since you’re making it, you get to customize it as you please: you choose the sauce, the cheese, and the toppings.

I wasn’t sure what sauce I wanted to use, so I took this fun quiz about different pestos to determine my “Pesto Personality” or “Pesto-nality.” As someone with a degree in psychology who has a mild Meyer Briggs Personality Type Indicator obsession, I was all for this foodie personality quiz. This quiz just confirmed my hunches and told me I’m a classic, traditional kinda girl. Because that’s the pesto I got: Classic Pesto—the basil, parm & pine nuts variety. And lucky for me, classic pesto is a perfect match for the tomatoes in my tart.

I decided to keep this recipe weeknight dinner or casual Saturday afternoon simple: a round of pie dough, the Classic Pesto, a few squares of Asiago cheese, and some sliced tomatoes. I smeared some pesto on the pie dough round, layered the cheese on, then added the sliced tomatoes. I folded up the dough in true rustic tart form, and then brushed a little egg wash on before baking in a 350 oven for 40 minutes. The prep time was about the amount of time it took to slice the tomatoes—that’s it! So, skip pizza night to enjoy this late summer, 5-ingredient savory tart!

Pesto Tomato Rustic Tart Recipe

One Round of Pie Dough
1/4 cup Classic Pesto from Filippo Berio
4 squares of Asiago cheese
3 large tomatoes, sliced into 1/4” thick pieces
1 egg, whisked for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 350F. Roll the pie round to 13” across. Smear the 1/4 cup pesto on the round in an even layer.

Layer the 4 slices of cheese on top of the pesto. Layer the tomatoes on top of the cheese. Fold the edges of the dough over about one inch, and brush the edges with egg wash.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minute, until the crust is brown. Remove from the oven and you can enjoy warm, or at room temperature. This is best the day it’s made because the crust will be crispier.

This post has been generously sponsored by Filippo Berio.

Red Dragon Fruit Popsicles

I have long been a fan of dragon fruit — the melon-like, kiwi-like fruit with its red exterior and slightly-sweet, slightly-earthy tasting fleshy interior speckled with black seeds. This fruit is so unique that it just feels special to eat one and is truly a fest for the eyes. Classic dragon fruit with white, fleshy interiors can be found pretty much year round, but a few weeks ago, I received some “good mail”— an entire box of dragon fruit. And you can’t imagine my surprise when I sliced into one to discover that is was red inside.

To my surprise, I discovered that red dragon fruit are much tastier than their white-interior counterparts. They just have a lot more flavor and are pleasant and refreshing to eat. My favorite way to eat one is to slice it in half, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, bite by bite.

I was always surprised to learn that the juicy red flesh dyed my fingers and fingernails much like beets. Which means they’re packed with more antioxidants than the white-flesh ones.

In an effort to preserve the fruit I didn’t eat fresh, I decided to make popsicles with a couple of them. I simply scooped the flesh out of two dragon fruit, added some fresh lime juice and a little honey, blended it, and poured it into a popsicle mold before freezing.

Red Dragon Fruit Popsicle Recipe

Prep time 10 minutes, Freeze time 5 hours
Makes 10 popsicles

2 red dragon fruit (about 20 ounces flesh total)
Juice from 2 limes
3 tablespoons honey

Use a spoon to scoop the dragon fruit flesh into a blender. Add the juice from two limes and 3 tablespoons of honey. Blend on medium until a puree forms, about one minute.

Pour into a popsicle mold. Freeze for 90 minutes, then add popsicle sticks. Freeze an additional 3 and a half hours. Remove the popsicles from molds and store in an air tight container in the freezer, using wax paper or parchment paper in between the popsicles to keep them from sticking together. Enjoy for a nutritious, refreshing summer treat.

Note: Be sure to remove the popsicles from the molds within 12 hours, otherwise, they will stick and be difficult to remove.

This post has been generously sponsored by Frieda’s, the specialty fruit company.

Gnocchi in Spicy Tomato Pesto Sauce

Gnocchi is one of my favorite types of pasta. It’s more of a pasta-like dumpling, and the pillowy bits are perfectly complemented by this creamy, pesto-based sauce.

I made homemade gnocchi, but this recipe works great with store-bought gnocchi too. The magic is in the sauce. It’s simple, versatile and tasty.

I sauted the gnocchi in the creamy, pesto-based sauce, then topped it with freshly grated parmesan and red pepper flakes. To make the sauce, I combined equal parts Filippo Berio Spicy Tomato Pesto with cream in a skillet over low heat, and I stirred it until it made a homogenous sauce.

Hot Chili Pesto Sauce

To make this dish, cook the gnocchi according to directions. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining 1/4 cup pesto with 1/4 cup cream in a skillet over low heat. Stir until it’s combined. Once the gnocchi finished cooking, I added it to the creamy sauce. To serve, I topped it with freshly grated parmesan and a hefty sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Gnocchi in Spicy Tomato Pesto Sauce Recipe

16 ounces packaged or homemade gnocchi, cooked according to directions
1/4 cup Filippo Berio Spicy Tomato Pesto
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Prepare the gnocchi according to directions. While the gnocchi is cooking, combine the Filippo Berio Spicy Tomato Pesto with the heavy cream in a skillet over low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon or a heat-proof spatula until combined.

Once the creamy, spicy tomato pesto sauce is ready, add the prepared gnocchi and stir until the gnocchi are heated throughout. Add the freshly grated parmesan and red pepper flakes, and serve immediately.

Blackberry Sorbet

Blackberries are winners. They may not get the fanfare that strawberries get—from being recreated for every Pop Tart flavor, Laffy Taffy and even Starburst candy, but blackberries have a whole lot of flavor and they add a stunning purple-ish color when broken down. Oh, and their antioxidants and fiber make these sweet little berries quite the superfood.

I love snacking on fresh blackberries. But I also love using them in desserts. So, I continued my sorbet ‘em quest, and I decided to sorbet some blackberries. Making sorbet is my new favorite thing. It’s easy. It’s simple. It’s fresh. It’s delicious! (And if you missed my Raspberry Rosé Sorbet, fear not, this refreshing recipe lives on here.)

So, here’s another berry-forward sorbet. It’s pretty much just blackberries, water and sugar. I added lemon juice and lemon zest because blackberry + lemon is life. Also, it helps balance the flavor due to the added sugar. (The sugar isn’t just to sweeten it— it’s to give it structure, so try not to skimp on this ingredient.) The last thing I added is optional: liquor. I like adding alcohol to my sorbets because it keeps them soft & scoopable once they’re in the freezer. If you choose to keep yours booze-free, you can let the sorbet soften at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping.

Soft and scoopable homemade blackberry sorbet.

Blackberry Sorbet Recipe

Makes 1 quart
Prep time 15 minutes
Total time 4 hours

4 cups blackberries (about 450g)
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
Zest from 1 small lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 and 1/2 tablespoons vodka, kirsch, or rum (optional!)

Combine the blackberries, water and sugar in a blender.  Blend until pureed.  Strain the blackberry puree through a sieve to remove the seeds (this part is optional—if you want a more rustic sorbet with tiny seeds and you love fiber, you can skip this part).  Stir in the lemon zest, juice and alcohol (if using). 

Assemble your ice cream maker and churn according to directions. Spoon out the slushy sorbet into a container, and cover with plastic.  Freeze for about four hours.  The sorbet is now ready to enjoy!  Keep frozen until ready to use.  I served these with even more fresh berries and it’s a lovely contrast to the sorbet!