Blueberry Lavender Coconut Ice Cream

I'll admit I forgot to take a picture of the final ice cream for this one, and it doesn't usually stay around very long.

This recipe uses coconut milk instead of cow milk, which means it takes a little longer to freeze, and you have to be careful about what temperature you combine the blueberries with the coconut milk or you will have coconut chunks which detract from the texture.

Ingredients:

• 1 can whole coconut milk 12 ounces
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup honey + 1/4 cup honey
• Either 1 table spoon of lavender sugar, pictured above, or 1/2 tbsp lavendar + 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

Start by combining the blueberries and honey in a small saucepan on medium-high and stir occasionally until the blueberries are soft enough to mash lightly with a fork, usually between 5-10 minutes.   

While the blueberries cook, grind the lavender and sugar together in a mortar and pestle until the lavender becomes a fine dust.  Usually takes about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and lavender sugar.   The tricky part here is to cool the blueberries enough after cooking so you only need about 30 minutes in the ice cream mixer, but not so much they freeze the coconut milk.  Usually I put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes until they cool down and are just above room temperature, but not cold to the touch.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, 1/4 cup honey, and almond extract, stir until combined.  Fold in the blueberries and mix well.  Pour into the ice cream maker and follow the directions for you machine, mine takes about 30 minutes to churn.  Enjoy right away, it will most likely be on the soft side.  If you prefer, have it set in the freezer another 15 minutes after churning.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

This cobbler is a little different, because it doesn't have any grain in it.   I followed the recipe from here http://bigeatstinykitchen.com/2012/07/05/paleo-strawberry-rhubarb-coconut-crisp/ 

Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Coconut Crisp

Filling Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb
• 3 cups quartered strawberries
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot

Topping Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with nonstick spray or oil with coconut oil. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine filling ingredients. Place filling ingredients into 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine almond meal, salt, baking powder, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup. Mix in walnuts and shredded unsweetened coconut. Mixture will look like wet badder.
4. Sprinkle or crumble topping over fruit filling.
5. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
6. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then dig in.

Potato, leeks, and cheese

This is a simple one, with red skinned potatoes from the Philly Foodworks CSA, leeks from the farmers market, and your pick of sharp cheeses.  

Wash and halve the potatoes, about 10 small red potatoes.  Boil in water for about 15 minutes until they are fork-soft, I don't like them too soft.  

While the potatoes are cooking, preheat the over to 350F, cut the two leeks in half, then wash any dirt out from between the leaves.  Chop them about half inch thick.  Cook with salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of butter until they are soft, about 15 minutes over medium-low heat.  Add some thyme or tarragon for a little extra flavor.

Once the potatoes are done, drain them from the water, transfer them to a baking dish big enough to hold them in a single layer.  Smash them with a fork or potato masher, but leave them chunky.  Combine with the leeks and give it a good stir.

Grate 2 cups of cheese over the top of the potato leek mixture, pop in the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted.   I like gruyere and cheddar mixed on this one.

Remove, and serve hot.  Works well with lime-butter roasted squash.

Ingredients:

• 10 - 12 small red potatoes
• 1 or 2 leeks
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp thyme or tarragon (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (use whichever cheese you like)

Beet Ravioli with cashew cream cheese filling and asparagus salad

Beet Ravioli with Cashew Cream Cheese filling and Asparagus Salad

This one turned out a lot better than I thought it would.   You'll need to use a mandolin to get the beets as thin as possible, otherwise they are a bit too tough.  Next time I would reduce the amount of onion powder, or leave it out completely, in the cashew cream cheese to let the cashew taste come through.  Otherwise I think you just get a big mouthful of onion powder.  This one takes a lot of prep time to marinade beets overnight and soak the cashews in water overnight.  Take the time to do it overnight, it turns out much better than if you try to rush it with just a few hours.

1. Cut the beets as thin as you can on a mandolin.  Then combine with the following marinade either overnight or for at least four hours:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• salt & pepper

2. To prepare the cashew cream cheese, soak 2 cups raw cashews in enough water to cover overnight to soften them. When you are ready to make the cream cheese, do this about an hour before you assemble to let the flavors meld together:

• drain the 2 cups cashews and combine with:
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tspn onion powder
• 1 tbsp shallot finely minced
• 1 tbsp diced chives
• 1/2 tspn salt

in a food processor or a high-speed blender and process until smooth.  Don't confuse your home blender with a high-speed blender, they aren't the same device.  Use a food processor because you want the blades to break down the cashews into a smooth cream.  It's going to take maybe five to ten to fifteen minutes to get creamy enough.  If you think it is taking too long, keep going.  The beets are crunchy enough, you want the filling to be smooth.

3. Once the cream has set for a while, fifteen to thirty minutes, place one layer of beets on your plate.  Put a spoonful of cream and then top with another beet.  You're done with this part.

4. To make the asparagus salad, wait until you've plated your beets, because the asparagus will break down after you shave it and you want a little crunch on it.  When you select asparagus for this salad you want the thicker stalks, but if you end up with thin ones maybe you just want to cut them in half or quarters length-wise.   If you have the thicker ones, I suggest holding the asparagus on a cutting board and run a vegetable peeler from the base to the tip to try and get a shaving like in the first picture above.

Place the shaved asparagus in a bowl, combine with either a tbsp of olive oil or avocado oil and some lemon juice and salt and pepper, then serve on top of, or alongside the beet ravioli.

Polenta Pizza

Polenta after broiling

When you make the polenta in this recipe, be sure to use a stock instead of water for a lot of taste.  

It is pictured here on a cutting board, because you have to put the pizza under the broiler to melt the cheese, and I did not want to use a baking sheet.  However, the truffle oil just slides off and will soak into your cutting board, so I suggest using an oiled baking sheet instead of a board.

Truffled mushroom polenta pizza

1 cup polenta
2 cups mushroom stock (or other flavor)
1 cup grated jack cheese
2 cups sliced mushrooms, crimini, shitake or a mix
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sage leaves chopped
1 tsp tarragon
1 tsp chopped rosemary
5 oz taleggio cheese 
1 tsp truffle oil

Cook the polenta as per the directions, for mine I bring the 2 cups stock to a boil, stir in the polenta and cook on low for 30 minutes until creamy.  

While the polenta is cooking, clean and slice the mushrooms.  Add the olive oil to a hot pan, then mince or slice the garlic and add to the oil for about a minute but do not burn the garlic.  Add mushrooms and sage leaves, saute for 3-5 minutes until they are cooked but not limp, you want some bite left in them for this dish.

Add the grated jack cheese, tarragon, and rosemary and fold until melted into the polenta.  

Tomato Pie

Summer means tomatoes, and for us this means tomato pie.  Goes great with a rosemary-olive bread we're getting from our CSA bread share this year.

Tomato Pie
* enough tomatoes to end up as about 4 cups chopped.  This probably means about six medium sized tomatoes, or two of the extra large heirloom pictured here.
* 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
* 1/2 cup mayonaise
* 10-14 fresh basil leaves
* pie crust
* 1 onion
* 2 tbsp butter
* 2 cloves garlic


The timing on this recipe took me a while to figure out.  Here's what I do, but you might like to do things in a different order.


1. Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator to warm up.  Pre-heat the over to 400F.


2. Slice the onion, and start to caramelize in a large pan on medium low heat with the butter.  Stir the onions every five minutes so they cook evenly. 


3. While the oven is warming up, wash the tomatoes, and slice them about 1/2 inch thick.  Take the slices and push out the seeds and squeeze out the liquid in to a bowl.


4. Place the tomato slices into a colander over a bowl to catch the liquid.  The reason to catch the liquid is so you can have a nice tomato cocktail later.


5. Salt the tomato slices, and every five minutes or so, press down on them with your hands to expel the liquid into the bowl.  You want to get the liquid out so that you don't end up with a pie plate full of tomato juice after it bakes.


6. Unroll the pie crust onto a pie plate, and prick it with a fork so that it doesn't rise out of the plate.  Bake 12-18 minutes until it is well browned.  You might be tempted to just par-bake it, but trust me, you want it to be well cooked before you put the tomatoes in, because they have a lot of liquid in them.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-7 minutes.


7. Crush the garlic, or chop finely and add to the onions.  Cook over medium heat for another 1-2 minutes but do not burn the garlic.  Remove onions and garlic from heat and allow to cool.


8. Mix the grated cheese with the mayonaise.  Roughly chop the basil and combine the tomatoes, basil and onions together, then scoop the tomato mixture into the pie crust.  Top the pie crust with the cheese and mayo evenly.  


10. Depending on how browned the edges of the pie crust are, you might want to cover the edges with foil, and bake the pie in the 400F oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and begins to brown.  Remove from oven, allow to cool about 5 minutes then slice and enjoy.

Garlic Scape Anti Vampire Pesto Pasta

Shortly after ramp season ends at the farmer's markets you'll see the garlic scapes arrive.  Fear not, these are most delicious in a raw pesto recipe with pasta.   Today's recipe was done with linguini, but you could use whatever pasta noodle you prefer.

Coarsely chop the garlic scapes before you add them to the food processor.

Throw it all in the processor.

Blend until smooth.

Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta Recipe

• 1/2 lb Linguini Pasta
• 1 bunch garlic scapes (10-20)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Cook the noodles in boiling water until al dente.  While the noodles are cooking, toast the almonds in a small pan over medium heat until just starting to brown.  Add to the food processor.  Coarsely chop the garlic scapes and add to the processor.  Grate 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, or a little less if you prefer, and add to the processor.  Salt and pepper is optional and rarely adds anything to the garlic scapes, but if you feel something's missing, throw it in.

Pulse a few times, then turn on and add the oil until you get the consistency you like.  Add a few spoonfulls to the pasta, toss, and enjoy.