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Rather than use a raspberry vinegar for this salad dressing, whole berries are instead blended into the white wine vinegar mixture before adding the oil. The berries stay a bit chunky, adding texture to the dressing. A hint of honey and mustard deepen the flavors.
Raspberry Thyme Vinaigrette
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1-2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
16-20 raspberries, either fresh or frozen (thawed)
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or other mild vegetable oil)
Whisk together the white wine vinegar, honey, mustard, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Add the raspberries and mash them with a spoon to mix them into the mixture. With a whisk, add the oil gradually. The dressing will separate in the refrigerator, so be sure to shake well before serving.
Makes about 1 cup of dressing and will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Shortbread is a classic favorite and so versatile. I like the combination of orange and thyme flavors in savory dishes, so I thought I'd try them together in a sweet. Buttery, crispy, slightly sweet, with a bit of citrus and a hint of thyme, these are wonderful cookies to accompany afternoon tea. Or morning coffee.
Orange Thyme Shortbread
1 cup of butter, room temperature
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh orange zest
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
In a mixer or food processor, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar and beat well. Add the orange zest, thyme leaves, flour and cornstarch until well incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in waxed paper and chill for about 20 minutes.
Roll dough, between parchment paper sheets, or on a floured surface, to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a floured cutter and place on lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 18 minutes or until light golden brown.
Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Makes about 36 2-1/2 inch cookies.
Note: For a little more savoriness, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with fleur de sel or fine sea salt. I did that to a few of them, and they are definitely my favorites.
Purchased puff pastry and a half an hour or so of caramelizing onions makes this an easy appetizer to pull together. It can be done ahead and slightly reheated in the oven, but it takes just fine at room temperature, too. The ingredients are simple but the combination of crisp pastry, softly sweet onions and a hint of cheese and thyme is satisfying.
Caramelized Onion Tart
1 package puff pastry
4 large yellow onions, peeled, halved and cut into slices
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or Romano or Asiago)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pastry (or cut the pre-rolled sheets) into two strips, each about 15 inches long and 5 inches wide. Place each strip onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Pre-bake the strips for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. The pastry will puff up dramatically, then fall.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and gently stir and cook them down. They shouldn't brown, but will slowly soften and caramelize. When they are completely softened and limp, sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Spoon the onions onto the pastry - if it's still puffy, just poke it with a fork and pile on the onions.
Sprinkle with the cheese and thyme leaves. Bake 10 minutes longer. Cut into crosswise pieces about 2 inches wide to serve. Let cool slightly before serving.
Nothing says summer like fresh tomatoes and herbs. This recipe is so easy, and fast. It can be made for a few people or many.
In a wide dish or rimmed plate, layer sliced tomatoes - red, yellow, orange, or whatever you can find. A few cherry or grape tomatoes halved and sprinkled on top would be good, too. Sprinkle with drained capers and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Dot softened goat cheese on top, and sprinkle all with torn fresh basil leaves.
Some of our lactose intolerant friends just have problems with cow's milk cheeses. So goat's milk (chevre) or feta is an option, as is sheep's milk. If you look in your deli section, you'll find cheeses made from the milk of various animals.
Summer means vegetables fresh from the market or the garden. However, this recipe, although best with freshly picked produce, is fine with supermarket fare as well. Zucchini, corn, tomatoes and fresh basil are sauteed, topped with a little cheese and baked until bubbly. Easy to prepare ahead and bake at the last minute, this dish is wonderful with grilled meats, and really highlights the flavours of summer.
Zucchini Vegetable Medley
2 medium zucchini, cut into bite sized chunks (zucchini varies greatly in size - use about 4 cups)
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of corn kernels - fresh is best, frozen is perfectly fine
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tablespoons of fresh basil, sliced thinly
1/2 - 1 cup of freshly grated cheese, either Parmesan or mozzarella
In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter until melted over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauteed until tender crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, stir and saute until the zucchini is beginning to soften. Add the tomatoes and garlic, continue stirring and sauteeing until the tomatoes have lost some of their liquid. Add the corn and cook for about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat, season to taste and stir in the basil leaves. Turn into a shallow baking dish and top with the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until bubbly and hot.
It's summer. Strawberries are the first fruits to ripen. Fragrant, juicy and oh, so sweet. I freeze bags of them for use in the winter - for smoothies, desserts, and sauces. Thinking about how I use them, I realized that I often make a sauce for pancakes or for cheesecake and other desserts. How much more convenient it would be to have a sauce ready to go from a jar!
I had a hard time finding a recipe I wanted. Finally, I concocted one of my own. I'm happy with it, and you might be, too. Sweet strawberries combine with tart rhubarb for a sauce that has deep flavour and isn't overly sweet.
4 cups sliced rhubarb
4 cups sliced strawberries (depending on the size, I either halve the berries or slice them)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup water
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a large saucepan, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, salt and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring well. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly. The consistency should be sauce-like. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
Place into clean jars (about 5 half-pint or 250 ml), cover with sterilized lids and screw on the caps finger tight. Place into a hot water bath and process for 15 minutes. Cool on the counter and ensure that the lids are sealed before storing in a cool dry place.
This dessert is easy, light, delicious, and takes advantage of one of the first things to harvest from a spring garden - rhubarb. Stewed, then stirred gently into whipped cream, the result is cloudlike sweetness with an edge of tang. The rhubarb is also wonderful over ice cream, stirred into yogurt, or eaten plain.
Rhubarb Sauce
1 1/2 - 2 pounds of rhubarb stalks, washed and cut into 1 inch slices
1 cup of white sugar
2 tablespoons of candied ginger, finely chopped
Place all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb releases its juices and begins to soften. Raise the heat slightly and continue cooking until the rhubarb is soft, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Rhubarb Fool
1-2 cups of rhubarb sauce
1-2 cups of whipped cream, unsweetened
Stir the rhubarb gently into the whipped cream. Pile into a bowl or serving dishes. Will keep for a short time in the fridge. You can adjust the proportion of rhubarb to cream to your own taste.
This will serve 4 - 6 people, with some rhubarb sauce leftover.
