Sway with Me

I was exposed to a lot of new dishes, well new to me, while in Ohio with Jim this summer: tater-tot potato salad, pretzels with cool whip salad and beef manhattans. While all of these dishes require further explanation there was one dish that was inspiring. It is a dish I have known my whole life and you have too. Canned peaches with cottage cheese. My sister-in-law ordered it. It was a ‘didyoujustreallyorderthat?’ moment. I cannot tell you the last time I saw that dish, I suspect it was on a conveyor belt in the 1980s.

Sometimes this dish comes on a wilted piece of lettuce and maybe with a maraschino cherry on top. Who came up with this? Why is it comfort food? Is it dessert or is it a salad? I find this dish bizarre but people love it and it certainly endures decades of food fads. So, I’ve reworked it, dare I say modernized it? Hopefully my sister-in-law will try it. Much like the original it isn’t dessert and it isn't truly savory either. I don’t really know what it is besides good.

Peach-Basil-Goat Cheese Galette - Serves 6

Pate Brisee (adapted from the Bouchon cookbook)

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces (2 stick or 16 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter

1/4 cup ice water

1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest

flour

Goat Cheese Filling

4 oz. goat cheese

6 tablespoons whole milk ricotta cheese

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons basil chopped

Peach Topping

2 large firm peaches (skins removed)

1 teaspoon sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon basil chopped
1 egg white beaten (egg wash)

Make the dough a day ahead. Place 1 cup flour in salt in standing mixer with dough hook attachment, turn on low and add the butter in a handful at a time, in about 4 batches, increase to medium speed and when butter is incorporated, stop machine, scrape down sides or dislodge dough from mixing arm, turn on to low again and slowly add in remaining flour, followed by the water, mix until just incorporated. Remove and divide in to two, wrap one disk in plastic wrap and freeze for later use. Return the other half to the mixer and add in the lemon zest, turn on low until incorporated. Shape in to a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Boil a small pot of water. Score an ‘X’ in the bottom of each peach place them in boiling water turn off the heat, put the lid on and let them sit in the hot water for 2 minutes.. Place in an ice bath to cool. Remove the skins from the peaches. Slice the peaches in quarters, slice in to 1/8” slices and place in a bowl, toss with sugar, lemon juice and basil.

Using a mixer combine the goat cheese, ricotta and egg. Fold in the basil.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 10’-12” in diameter, place on parchment on a baking sheet, spread the cheese mixture in the center of the dough staying clear of the outer 1.5”. Arrange peaches on top. Roughly fold over the edges and brush with the egg wash. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Remove from oven let cool on the baking sheet on wire rack. Take care when transferring it to a plate or cutting board, the pastry is very flaky.

Perfect Couple

Pie and ice cream, a grilled cheese and tomato soup, steamed crabs and beer, ice cold milk and an Oreo cookie, some things were meant to be and their marriage truly endures the test of time. Maybe we forget to celebrate the simplicity? Which brings me to this question? When was the last time you had prosciutto and melon? Been awhile? It’s a perfect combination. It is silly to print a recipe for such a thing, it’s ham and cantaloupe. But if you must know, I usually cut ours away from the rind, sprinkle it with a tiny bit of sea salt, drape it with two pieces of prosciutto and then I drizzle it with about a half a teaspoon of the very Italian agave nectar and half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.

I remember my first prosciutto e melone. When I was 8 my Dad was involved with an Italian woman with the mutually exclusive large Italian family. She always hosted the family Christmas Eve dinner and the menu was always the same. We had antipasto, prosciutto and melon prosciutto and melon, French onion soup in copper pots topped with muenster cheese, ravioli, some sort of meat that obviously I was not interested in, a salad, dessert with coffee and anisette and After Eight mints. She was perennially teased about the salad, due to the number of guests she would run the lettuce through the rinse and spin cycles of the washing machine. Maybe the ham and melon seemed exotic, but mainly the appeal is that it is salty AND sweet, no different than the deliciousness that is a chocolate covered pretzel.

In all seriousness, I’m not just going to give you a recipe for prosciutto and melon, I’ve added a couple more items. This salad came from one of those stone soup moments that really many awesome dishes arise from. We had a delicious cantaloupe, the kind that you consume over the sink because you can’t wait to get it on a plate and it just tastes better when the juice runs down your chin. Also, we didn’t have enough ham for full blown prosciutto and melon and we had a heart of romaine that needed to be consumed and some goat cheese floating around in the meat drawer. I’ll admit goat cheese is cheating. Much like bacon or truffle oil, you could put any of them on a cardboard square and have a tasty, eco-friendly canape. But that’s what we had and mid-bite Jim said ‘Ummm, write this down on the list of things I like.’ So I did before I forgot what went in, which is what usually happens.

Prosciutto and Melon Salad with Goat Cheese and Agave Nectar - Serves 2

1 heart of romaine chopped thinly equal to about 2 cups

1 oz. prosciutto - chopped

1.5 oz. goat cheese - crumbled

1/2 cup chopped cantaloupe

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Chop the lettuce and dress with oil, vinegar and agave nectar, toss with remaining ingredients.

Sweet Peaches!

I am going to rip the band-aid off - I don’t like Georgia peaches. That’s exactly what I said and I realize it’s blasphemy and I am willing to take the backlash for saying it. I thought there was something wrong with me. It hit me one day while standing in the peach section at the YDFM trying to figure out if I would be considered less of a sinner if I bought the New Jersey ones, because they aren’t as far away from here as the California ones, but I really wanted the California ones. Perhaps the ones from Alabama ? Nope, they’re almost just as lame. That’s when it just fell out of my mouth - ‘You know, I don’t like Georgia peaches’. Luckily Jim loves me unconditionally and to my surprise he concurred, ‘Me either.’ Phew, it’s not just me.

The Georgia peaches I have had are mealy and mushy. When you bite into them they sort of ooze, the skin doesn’t so much snap back as it acquiesces. Whereas their California cousins are firm, tart, sweet and delicious. The California peach is taught, that peach goes to the gym everyday; the Georgia one is flabby from sitting on the porch all day eating pimento cheese and boiled P-nuts.

I know I am not supposed to support an agrarian culture as far away as California in this locavore crazed day and age. And I’m sure it’s unGeorgia-otic to trash talk our major cash crop. But I’m sorry; until someone can get me a decent Georgia peach I am going to shamefully, when no one is looking, sneak those California peaches in my basket.

‘ Georgia Caprese’ Salad – Serves 4

2 peaches firm but ripe - sliced (I prefer California white peaches)

3 oz. goat cheese - sliced into disks

1 cup Arugula (a handful really)

2 teaspoons +/- balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons +/- extra virgin olive oil

12-16 basil leaves

Place arugula on plates, then stack, in layers, starting with peaches, basil, goat cheese. I usually go for 3 layers of peaches and basil and 2 layers of cheese. Drizzle each salad with 1/4 teaspoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon vinegar.

Notes: I find it’s easiest to cut the goat cheese into circles as opposed a crumbly, sticky messes, by removing it from the package and placing it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, then I use waxed dental floss to ‘slice’ it.