End of Summer Peach Cobbler

Would you care for dessert?

Say yes. In fact, skip the dinner part.

It's nearing the end of summer. Well, we've now reached the official cross-over date into fall. Peaches are just dropping from the trees from ripeness, and the noise is keeping us all awake... well, not really, but wouldn't that be a lovely Like Water for Chocolate moment?

Well, how about we make some delicious, fresh...

End of Summer Peach Cobbler

I have never ever made this before. Truth be told, when I hear "cobbler" I think of a shoe-maker. I read through several recipes, and then sort of smashed them all together. It turned out very very well.

First, of course, gather what you will need:

Peach filling:

1/4 cup of sugar + 2(+) tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1.5 pounds of peaches--halved, pitted, and cross sectioned.

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar + 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

half teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup buttermilk (lowfat)

It's very hard to divert from a classic. My primary variation on all the recipes: blend the brown and white sugars together.

For the topping:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually blend in butter (by hand or electric mixer). It should start resembling coarse meal. Add buttermilk, and stir just until a dough forms.

First, pit the peach, (optional: peel... I sure did!) and then slice to size.

For the filling:

In a big bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the peaches, and the lemon juice, and mix gently.

Spread the peach filling evenly at the base of a baking dish.

Evenly top peaches with the cornstarch mixture.

Place beside vintage hand-towel, and reflect on Americana.

Bake @ 350 for about 35 or 45 minutes, just until topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy summer while it lasts.

made from scratch, but not altered.

Tomato Sugar spends a lot of time documenting the straying from the confines of the recipe. While living in Lawrence, I have still been cooking a great deal, and have actually found a few recipes that I enjoy, quite a bit, as is. Sure, maybe a tweak here or there, but nothing much to write home about.

Here is a list of recipes actually worth following:

Mexican Rice

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Pasta w/ Vodka Sauce

Stuffed Tomatoes (rice, onion, garlic, spinach, feta)

I have big plans for risottos, curries, my mother's chicken cacciatore, eggplant parmesan, and of course, desserts-- but I can't share those yet. (I have to make them first).

Stay tuned to Tomato Sugar for concoctions straight from the farmer's market in Kansas, and a special kind of bachelor food I have come to love (and name), Nacho Mamas.

It's what's on the outside.

I am a sucker for beautiful packaging. Sure, it helps if the product itself is fantastic, but if it isn't, you can still have something absolutely lovely around your house. Here are some of my favorites:

Frank Hi Wines has come up with some of the most charming bottles, and the wine itself is on the affordable side of things. My favorite bottle is the Chardonnay (far right), but I have actually yet to try this wine, as it is unavailable where I live. I think it's a New York thing. I've been dreaming of having a couple bottles kicking around my apartment since before I drank, or had an apartment. Now that's marketing.

You can't mention beverage packaging without bringing up Jones Soda, the Canadian company who accepts amateur (beautiful, hopeful, funny, inspiring) B&W photos to publish on their bottles of bright colored soda:

And may I present my favorite curry powder. I'm not sure it's top-of-the-line, in fact, for the price it couldn't possibly be, but it has to be the most beautiful little tin-box curry on the market today. Plus, it's what my mother always kept in her pantry. Sold.

Ah, harissa. It's not the most popular condiment, but it should be used way more than it is. It's excellent for fish, and my favorite post-Easter sandwich. And if you're going to buy harissa, I don't think you'll find a prettier bottle than this.

There hasn't been a better-lookin' olive oil since Pop-Eye's girlfriend. From the south of Spain, beautiful, delicious, and smooth, I love this olive oil. One of these is pale and simple, and one took on the peach-notes of the soil around the trees. It reminds me of my time living in Granada, Spain with olive farmers. The "bottles" are gorgeous too.

Perhaps no food on the (American) market today is more misunderstood than Balsamic Vinegar. If it doesn't cost more than $100, it isn't "authentico." The bottle pictured is around $239, and is beautiful, and is tiny, as all good balsamics should be. Balsamic vinegar goes through an extensive aging process, 12, 18 or 25 years, and then undergoes an inspection by a panel. If the vinegar does not pass, it can then be "lengthened" with other means and sold on the market as what we in America know as Balsamic Vinegar. If, however, it passes, something wonderful happens.
If you're going to make a sweet, old fashioned, french dessert, shouldn't what you begin with look sweet, old fashioned and french?

And, not quite "packaging," but the box from Magnolia Bakery in New York City certainly deserves some recognition. There isn't enough style anymore, or beauty, and I salute those who maintain it.

And if you can't afford a $200+ bottle of Balsamic, or a trip to NYC, you can certainly drive to Target. Their line of chocolates, Choxie, certainly overwhelmed the market with not only beautiful and hip packaging, but commercials as well.

Open (carefully), and dig in.

In Memoriam

Before leaving for Kansas, Judd and I tried to eat at one of my favorite restaurants one last time, to say goodbye. We had been trying to make the rounds during the last month or so to some of our favorite Salt Lake City restaurants: Chanon Thai (best burn-your-face-off authentic Thai), Stoneground (Italian-American fusion, best caprese sandwich), Bombay House (best chicken tikka masala that I have since appropriated), Gourmandise (chicken curry salad sandwich and french onion soup, and pastries, of course), Mi La Cai (tofu with eggplant, or lemongrass tofu, and the shrimp springrolls with peanut sauce), Takashi (everything, but for me the Strawberry Fields roll and Sunshine roll)...

And this was the final stop: La Izalquena.

Never heard of it? Well, maybe that's why it was closed by the time we got there.

La Izalquena has been a staple in my life ever since my 8th grade Spanish class, where we took a field trip there to experience: 1. a menu written only in Spanish. 2. a restaurant staff that could speak only Spanish. 3. exotic cuisine. 4. our teacher so happy she was salsa-ing and cha-cha-ing between tables and 5. the west side of town. I was hooked, and a regular ever since.

The restaurant was situated, as all great restaurants are, in a strip mall, and near a check-cashing place, an army recruiting center, and a planned parenthood. If you want fantastic and authentic, these are the first, literal, signs.

Over the years, English found its way onto the menu. The counter staff was, for the most part, bilingual... or, at least, able to perform the job in 1.5 languages, even if part of that was gesture-based. And, even though I am a very adventurous eater, I confess with pride that I ordered the exact same thing every time:

(note: La Izalquena shut its doors before I could take a camera in-- these photos are simply suggestions of what once was).

The best horchata in town, served only slightly blended.

And Pabellon Venezolano:

Now, if this were La Izalquena's, the only difference would be there would be an over-hard egg fried on top. This dish traditionally consists of black beans, fried plantains/bananas, rice, and shredded/pulled beef, Carne Mechada, which is cooked in various spices. Fortunately for me, this is the national dish of Venezuela, so I know I will eat it again, in some semblance. But I loved it here, and I haven't seen the egg anywhere else...

So if you're in the neighborhood, lay some flowers or light a candle near the door marked D4 at 2194 West and 3500 South.

La Izalquena, you will be missed.

julie and julia

for my 6th month anniversary i saw this:

starring meryl streep as julia child:

based on this book, about julie powell's year of cooking julia child's recipes:

i absolutely loved the movie, for so many reasons. obviously, the food, and love of food, was a huge factor in my love of the film, but as i left the theatre feeling inspired, hopeful, and lightened, i still couldn't put my finger on what had caused this.

finally, having broke-down and read several reviews, including the new york times, i was able to articulate it: here is a movie starring women, for women, about women, and somehow also not about men. nothing against men, some of my best friends are men, but it is a rare thing indeed to see an entire movie, especially a big-budg-mainstream movie, about women and the ambitions of women where men and relationships are simply a decorative tool. sure, there are relationships in this, but only to hint that their lives are impacted by love. and is it significant that we are allowed this level of freedom when the ambition is, ahem, in the kitchen? probably. but hey, elevate cooking to an art and i'll forgive it.

[note: the devil wears prada, girl gets into publishing/fashion industry, and her live is torn asunder by two men. legally blonde, girl goes to law school because of a man, and her life continues to orbit around marital engagements and the possibility of].

so.

read this:

and, of course, this:

and cook for your friends:

have some fun with it:

make something lovely (julia child's boeuf bourguignon):

and french onion soup, of course:

and, a clafouti:

and above all, have courage, serve it anyway, and never apologize:

“Noncooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.” -- Julia Child

banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

ah, dessert. something i haven't explored much since the series eating in overdraft took over, on account of the common belief that poor people shouldn't do anything "extra." but i have very good news: 1. dessert shouldn't be considered extra, at least every once and awhile, so i hereby give you my permission. 2. if you're really poor, and you live far enough away from your parents, you can eat dessert and nothing else, and no one will ever know! 3. banana cupcakes can be made from bananas that have turned brown, and will be thrown away anyway, so really, you're actually SAVING money.

by the way, i ate these for dessert and breakfast (don't tell mom), so that makes them even more practical if you think about it.

you kind of have to really think about it though.

banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

these banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting turned out more moist than i expected (thank you, banana fruit), and the recipe yielded more than twice what i was expecting. what isn't pictured or featured on the blog was that i made a separate banana cake from the extra batter and frosting for a friend who has been on unemployment for awhile. i read a story in vogue (no, i don't read vogue, silly, i read books), and heard a story on NPR about how trendy it has become to talk about the economy and saving money during this crisis, and how some people resent that, and others are like "what's the big deal, we should have been riding our bikes all along?" either way, i never really thought i'd be someone who talked about the economy. but, when it comes to food, and eating well, it's hard to convince the very very poor that it is possible. so, what i'm saying is... i'm hip now?

anyway, this recipe wasn't changed too much from a very nice food blog, but i have included here some baking tips that i use. so, first, gather what you will need.

for the banana batter

3 cups flour (i don't yet have a favorite baking flour, if you do, go for it)

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1.5 teaspoons salt

2.5 cups sugar (i think i ended up using closer to 2 cups or less because of the sugar of the fruit and the frosting... when baking with natural sugars in fruit or when i know i'm gonna major-ly frost something, i always round down on the sugar content)

3 eggs

about 1 and 1/8 cups oil (for this i often choose to use half oil, half butter to fulfill the requirement... this can be at your discretion, i've done it both ways, but i love butter)

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.5 cups milk (aim for a fuller-fat milk, like whole)

4 overripe bananas

2 cupcake tins (will yields 24-36 cupcakes)

1 small bread or cake tin

bring the eggs, butter (if you're using it), and milk to room temperature.

for the cream cheese frosting:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature.

bananas don't last long in my house. they get cut up into cereal every day, packed off to work, and other such things. there is no way a banana will ever get the chance to overripen in my home, so, i had to set some aside for these purposes:

finally, weeks later, i was ready to begin.

i preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and lined my muffin tins with as many pale yellow papers as i could find (when i ran out, i settled for other colors). then i beat the eggs. i always beat the egg yolk and whites separately: i was once told by a chef that it made the cake, or whatever, lighter, fluffier, and airier, and i believe it. maybe it's a high-altitude thing, or maybe it's a lie, but i'm not taking any chances.

i let the egg-parts rest, and combined all the dry ingredients in the largest bowl, sifting lightly together.

next, i mashed the banana thoroughly, removing any large lumps.

the next part was easy. i gradually added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients: first the milk, then the butter/oil, then the egg yolk, then the whites, then the vanilla, and finally, i put in the banana. i beat thoroughly for about 3 minutes (i rarely use an electric mixer).

next: pour the batter into the lined tins (or, below, these adorable heart cupcake shaper things, available at target and other such places... this has been greased ahead of time.)

pop in the oven. now, start the frosting! combine all the frosting ingredients, and beat until fluffy.

i lied about the electric mixer... but you beat cream cheese and butter by hand for 5 minutes, and then talk to me! (note: this is more than 8oz cream cheese. that's because i was surprised @ the amount of batter i had, and chose to frost an extra cake for that aforementioned friend... you may choose to either not frost it, or be more conservative with the frosting...)

feel free, as i did, to set aside some frosting and add just a drop or two of yellow food coloring for the purposes of decorating. i chose yellow because bananas are yellow, but you can choose any color you would like.

oh man, they smell delicious. but don't let their sweet innocence fool you... they will burn your little fingers off, first chance they get. but, once they cool, they are defenseless.

do you have a sweetheart? if not, bake one.

my favorite part, other than eating, was decorating.

what you will need for decorating:

professional pastry bags OR (what i did).... take saran wrap, put a big gob of frosting in it, and poke a tiny hole in it with a toothpick. squeeze lightly.

(you may choose to poke several holes for larger swirly options, or use a pattern of holes, etc).

now, if you're not tuckered out, eat them. all.

tuna stuffed tomatoes

well, folks, we did it. we made it to the end of our series eating in overdraft. there are now 7 suggestions for really cheap and really easy ways to feed yourself during these dire economic conditions. remember to keep checking back, because the deliciousness will keep on coming, it just may be more impractical and expensive every once and awhile. and desserts! well, anyway, this one is really really easy, and really really practical.

tuna stuffed tomatoes

stuffing tomatoes is the perfect solution for leftover meat or rice, and produce that you aren't sure what to do with. i adapted this from a meatless meals blog (not quite meatless for this meal) because i love tuna and tomatoes, it's light for summer time, and we had an abundance of tomatoes on top of our hutch. the rest was just a sort of guessing game. so, what you will need:

tomatoes

2-3 cans of tuna

1/2 can of white beans

1/4 roughly chopped red onion (till the texture is right)

1/2 avocado

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1-2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper

salt

pepper

(optional: parsley)

first thing's first, take a gently serrated knife and cut a hole where the stem would go in. scoop the guts out with a spoon (and hey, if you're gonna make spaghetti sauce that night or the next day, feel free to save the guts of the tomatoes for the sauce). salt the insides of the tomatoes, turn upside down to drain, and let rest for 30 minutes.

the rest is easy. strain the tuna well. chop the onion, mince the garlic, and slice the avocado. in a bowl or tupperware combine the tuna and onion until you feel it's enough onion (i like a lot) and add the garlic. mix in the crushed red pepper. strain and rinse the beans, and stir them in. gently stir in the avocado.

with a spoon, stuff the tomatoes as full as they can get.

i served mine with bread + olive oil and balsamic. i did love it, but to be honest, my favorite stuffed tomato recipe thus far is this:

stuffed tomatoes with brown rice + feta + etc

thanks for bearing with me, guys.

the eating in overdraft series has thus concluded, take a bow!