Peach Gratins Inspired by Jacques Pepin

Last weekend I purchased a few fresh from the farm Jersey peaches. I really wasn't sure if I would make them into anything or if I would just eat them without any adornments. After witnessing how Jacques Pepin put together a simple dessert on Monday, I was inspired to make something similar at home.

I followed the same process as he did... pulled out my shiny new ramekins (Thanks, Jennifer, for the awesome directions to Sur La Table!). Peeled and chopped the peaches, then added a bit of butter and sugar. I grated just a bit of dark chocolate over that mixture. Then, I found some Lorna Doone cookies in my pantry and crushed those into bits, and sprinkled those over the top with a bit of sugar. I baked at 350 for about 15 minutes.

From Family, Friends and Food

This is definitely something you can throw together with whatever fruit you have on hand. You could use frozen fruit as well, if you are in a pinch and don't have fresh. Taste the fruit first before adding the sugar as you may need more or less. No real measurements or actual "recipe", this is one of those desserts you can do off the top of your head with delightful results.

We enjoyed the Peach Gratins and I think this will be finding its way to the table after dinner often as it is too simple not to make it often while fresh fruit is at it's prime.

More Peach dessert ideas:

Fresh Peach Cake at Shakin & Bakin Recipe Blog

Honey Peach Ice Cream at Whisk: a Food Blog

Peach Tart with Almonds and Maple Syrup at Cafe Fernando

ScharffenBerger & Jacques Pepin - Part 2

If you missed part 1 which talks about the amazing ScharffenBerger Chocolate tasting, you'll want to head over HERE to check it out. If you read that and came back for a bit more of what Jacques Pepin shared with us, then get comfy and read on!

The second half of our lunch was a cooking demonstration by the one and only, Jacques Pepin. Just watching him in person was a bit surreal because I've watched his shows on PBS over the years. He was charming and shared several stories about Julia Child and their long friendship. When shows are filmed for PBS, they are done in "real time" and must be completed within the 26-27 minutes allowed. However, when Julia and Jacques were cooking together, Julia informed them that they would cook and let them know when they were done! One episode took 2 hours to film and had to be edited down to fit the required time.

From Family, Friends and Food

Now, for the lunch menu we had the pleasure of enjoying:

Appetizer: Pate de Faux Gras a Ma Facon - rich and creamy, this was a perfect way to try pate for the first time. Yes, this was the first time I have tried it and it won't be the last!

From Family, Friends and Food

Entree: Tri Tip Roast with Cacao Nib Rub (sorry, no photo for this one!)

The roast had a deep, rich flavor from the Cacao Nib Rub with a kick of spice at the end. Cooked to perfection, it was tender, juicy and you could cut it with a fork.

Dessert Trio: Warm Chocolate Cake with Apricot-Cognac Glaze, Chocolate Raspberry Gratin, and Chocolate Rochers with Hazelnut and Cornflakes

From Family, Friends and Food

The cooking students at FCI prepared the dishes that we were served, but Jacques demonstrated each of the desserts for us. The one that was perhaps the simplest to remember and lends itself to so many variations was the Chocolate Raspberry Gratin. He added a handfull of fresh raspberries to the ramekin, then he added crushed cookies, grated dark and bittersweet chocolate (not too much) and a bit of butter. Then, he baked it at 350 until warm and bubbly. The first bite was sweet and tart at the same time, and like a taste of heaven! Only to be compared to the Warm Chocolate Cake... inside the dense cake was a gooey bit of bittersweet chocolate that made my heart skip a beat! Yes, it was that good!

While we nibbled on our lunch, Jacques began sharing tips for making crepes. He explained that you do not want to pour your batter into the middle of the pan and then swish it around, but rather on the side and then move it around to coat it. You must move quickly to ensure that it is nice and thin.

From Family, Friends and Food

A few lucky people who were sitting closer were served one of the few crepes he made. Oh, how I wish I was sitting closer! They were made simply with a quick spread of butter, then grated chocolate before being rolled up.

One of my favorite tips from him that day was "Stay close to the original ingredient". In other words, keep it simple and don't keep adding seasonings and ingredients to the point where you lose the "star" of the dish. Something that was demonstrated with the Chocolate Raspberry Gratins that he made. Only a few ingredients, but they made the raspberries shine in all their glory.

Thank you for stopping by and reading about the incredible luncheon that was hosted by ScharffenBerger at the French Culinary Institute! I am still on Cloud 9 from coming face-to-face with Jacques Pepin! Thanks, again to Jennifer from In Jennie's Kitchen for offering me the chance to join her for this fabulous day! I'll be diving into the cookbook I received, Chocolate, and will share what I try there as I climb back out from the chocolate fog that I still seem to be in!

ScharffenBerger & Jacques Pepin - Part 1

On Saturday, we were on our way down to South Jersey to see some friends and hang at their pool. We got hung up in traffic for awhile, so I passed the time by checking in on Twitter from my phone. Oh how I LOVE that I can do that from my phone! I saw a tweet from @JenniferPerillo (check out her blog: In Jennie's Kitchen) who I've chatted with quite a lot. This tweet was of great interest to me though. She had a "sweet treat" that involved ScharffenBerger chocolate and Jacques Pepin for another food blogger. I immediately wrote back to her and asked for details! It was a lunch event at the French Culinary Institute on Monday! Did you hear my scream of excitement from where you were that day? Needless to say, with a bit of rearranging, I managed to confirm that I could join her and Anna from Very Small Anna for the event!

First, let me start by telling you how incredible it is to meet blogging friends face-to-face! It was such fun to spend the afternoon with Jennifer and Anna nibbling chocolate and admiring Jacques Pepin do his magic in the kitchen.

When we arrived, we were greeted by this amazing display of ScharffenBerger chocolate.

From Family, Friends and Food

The event was part of the promotion for the upcoming movie, Julie & Julia. If you've been in a cave the last few months and haven't heard about it, it's based on Julie Powell's Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen (based on her blog) where she spent a year cooking from Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking. The movie is a combination of Julie's story and Julia's own book about her life,My Life in France. It opens on August 7th so get ready for every food blogger to be in line for it!

Julia Child adored food, as we all know. What some of us didn't know was that there was only one American made chocolate that she found to be of the highest quality and worthy of her praise, ScharffenBerger. Which was the main reason for our luncheon, the chocolate tasting.

We were guided through the tasting by none other than John Scharffenberger himself. He was quite charming and entertaining as he described the process they go through to select the cacao beans from all over the world. They take great pride in only using the best and most flavorful beans they can find. Below is the tasting we were treated to:

From Family, Friends and Food

We began on the far left with the most intense of the chocolates. It was an 82% cacao dark chocolate. If you allow it to melt on your tongue, you will enjoy the different levels of taste that are there. Next, was a less intense bittersweet chocolate that boasts 70% cacao. Second from the right was the semi-sweet, 62% cacao, familiar and creamy chocolate. Finally, on the far right was the milk chocolate that was richer and had a deeper flavor than any milk chocolate I've tasted before.

Once we completed our chocolate tasting, we were treated a cooking demonstration by none other than Jacques Pepin!

From Family, Friends and Food

Since there is so much to share, I will be writing a separate post with details on what we were treated to for lunch and the desserts he made. He also shared with us some tidbits about Julia and their friendship over the years. So, be sure to stop on by tomorrow evening for a bit more on ScharffenBerger & Jacques Pepin!

Caprese Cups (tomato, mozzarella & basil cups)

I am always looking for new ideas for side dishes and when I came across the recipe for Caprese Cups in Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes and Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle I just had to try it.

With the Jersey tomatoes ready to for picking I bought several at the farmer's market last weekend. I used some for the first batch of Gazpacho of the season. I couldn't resist using them as cups to hold some of my favorite ingredients.

From Family, Friends and Food

These little tomato cups are delicious. They are filled with diced fresh mozzarella, diced tomato, aged balsamic vinegar (I used my vinegar from O & Co.) and extra virgin olive oil. The little bit of crushed red pepper added just a slight kick to the overall flavor. Not too much, but enough to enhance the other flavors. These cups would be fabulous served as an appetizer to guests.

More great recipes using the season's best tomatoes:

Eating Out Loud: Caprese Salad with Olives

Stacey Snacks: Pearl Couscous with Roasted Tomatoes

Love & Olive Oil: Soft Tacos with Chicken and Tomato-Corn Salsa

For the Love of Cooking: Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Cup of Caprese
Source: Big Green Cookbook

Ingredients
4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
8 oz. fresh organic or locally produced buffalo mozzarella, cubed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions
Slice ½ inch of the tops off the tomatoes. Dice the tomato tops and set aside.

Cut around the inside perimeter and scoop out the inside of each tomato to create cups. (Reserve scooped tomato portion for another purpose.) Pat dry the inside of the cups with a clean kitchen towel or an unbleached paper towel.

In a bowl, stir the mozzarella, diced tomato tops, oil, vinegar, salt and crushed red pepper. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Mound the mozzarella-tomato mixture into each tomato cup. Top with basil and serve.

Eggland's Best Eggs: Croissant Egg Muffins

A few weeks ago, I was invited to an event touting the benefits of Eggland's Best Eggs. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend due to a scheduling conflict. However, Larissa was nice enough to send me coupons so I could sample the eggs at home. Thanks, Larissa!

Now, if you are unfamiliar with Eggland's Best Eggs you should know that they are healthier than "traditional" eggs. They have 25% less saturated fat than other eggs, and are only 70 calories as compared to 75 per ordinary egg. When you are watching calories and fat grams these are important things to consider.

You can find them in the refrigerated section with all of the other eggs. While they may cost slightly more, you can generally find coupons in the Sunday paper or on-line with a little bit of searching.

Now I needed to come up with something interesting to make with the eggs. I thought about doing hard-boiled eggs since that can be a quick breakfast full of protein. Then, I read a post Jenny at Picky Palate did recently - Broccoli, Sausage and Egg Pull-Aparts. I was inspired to try something similar this week.

I used a can of croissants rather than biscuits and frozen chopped spinach - figured these two ingredients would appeal to my crazy boys.

From Family, Friends and Food

When they saw me starting dinner, they both pulled over chairs so that they could help. This really is so simple they could do most of it themselves. I had them whisk the eggs together, then added the spinach for more whisking. I think they enjoyed pressing the croissants into the muffin pan the most though.

They baked up really nicely, and even just one was quite filling on it's own. I loved the sweetness of the croissant paired with the savory spinach and egg filling. Both of My Boys declared dinner a "thumb's up" and have requested that we have this again. I just love when something so simple turns out so delicious!

While we enjoyed our Croissant Egg Muffins for dinner, you could serve them for breakfast or brunch. Check out these other ideas:

Sass & Veracity: Tomato Herb Tarts

For the Love of Cooking: Coffee Cake Muffins

Mom's Cooking Club: Blueberry Muffins

Croissant Egg Muffins
Source: PatsyK (inspired by Jenny at Picky Palate)

Ingredients
2 cans croissants (8 in each)
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 (10 oz.) package of frozen, chopped spinach (defrosted)
1 teaspoon Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning (you can sub: a combination of salt, garlic powder and chives)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of shredded chedder & monterey jack cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Whisk together eggs through seasoning. Set aside.

Press one croissant into each muffin cup, creating a "cup" to hold the egg mixture. Pour egg mixture into each muffin cup to about 1/2 full. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve warm.

Pan Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

I've read about fingerling potatoes for quite sometime between my cooking magazines and food blogs. Just never ran into them at my local grocery store. I have found them at Costco, but unfortunately I just don't need a huge container of them!

So, as luck would have it I picked up about a 1 pound package on Sunday. They are small but more tubular in shape than the russets that I usually buy.

From Family, Friends and Food

I prepared them simply, by first cutting them into strips about 1/4 inch thick. After heating up about 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet, I added about 1/2 cup of finely diced onion to the skillet. After the onion was softened up, I added the potatoes. Then, I added a teaspoon of Penzey's Shallot Salt and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. I cooked them on medium heat and only flipped them around every once in awhile to encourage the browning.

They came out slightly crispy and with the insides soft and buttery. They were a hit all around my dinner table so I will be making them more often. Simple, but oh-so-yummy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies Without the Butter!

I recently received a bottle of Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions to sample. Now, if you know me or have been reading my blog for any length of time you know I'm not exactly fond of coconut. But, when I received this product I knew exactly what I'd be making with it - Picky Palate's Bye Bye Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

From Family, Friends and Food

I read Jenny's post on these cookies well over a year ago, but something about them just stuck in my head. I was very intrigued by the use of coconut oil and whether the flavor would be too prominent. As I mixed up the batter and then was baking them, the coconut scent was wafting through my kitchen. I did get a bit worried as I wasn't sure that we'd enjoy these cookies.

From Family, Friends and Food

They baked up beautifully, and did not fall "flat" as so many of the chocolate chip cookies I've made have done. They had nice crisp edges, and the center stayed nice and soft. Really the perfect cookie in my book. As for the taste? Well, I couldn't detect any coconut flavor at all! My Boys BOTH loved them, and never would have known about the coconut if I hadn't told them (after they tried them!). My Husband was the only one who really didn't care for them, but I bet if he hadn't seen me putting the ingredients together he wouldn't have known either.

Now, I'm going to be searching for more ideas on ways I can use coconut oil. Have any of you used it? If so, I'd love to hear about it! Share recipes, please!

Sausage and Pasta

After my day in the city, I wasn't very inspired when it came to making dinner. So, I started poking around my kitchen to see what I could find. Suddenly, I remembered the bottle of Greek Seasoning My Sis-in-Law brought me from Penzeys!

With my Greek Seasoning waiting for it's place in dinner I pulled out some turkey sausage from the freezer and got some water boiling. I wanted a one-dish type of meal that would fill the bellies and maybe even create some lunch-worthy leftovers.

From Family, Friends and Food

Dinner was on the table within about 30 minutes or so, Rachael Ray would be proud! When I opened the bottle of Greek Seasoning, I was struck by the heady aroma that hit me. The combination of oregano, garlic and lemon is a favorite of mine, and this seasoning blend will find many uses in my kitchen.

From Family, Friends and Food

Sausage & Pasta
Source: PatsyK

Ingredients
1/2 pound of penne pasta
about 1 pound of sweet turkey sausage
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of Greek Seasoning (or any seasoning blend you like)

Directions
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Grill the sausage links for about 10 minutes. It's ok if they are not fully cooked because they will continue to cook with the tomatoes. After removing them from the grill, slice into 1/2 inch slices.

In a large saute pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausage and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes, then add the tomatoes and Greek seasoning. Allow to simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.

Add pasta to the sausage mixture and stir to completely coat the pasta.

Friendship and Lunch at Lou's Cafe

Many of us have friends who go back quite a few years. But, how many of you can say that you actually keep in contact via email or some other way after (guess the number) years? I have a group of friends that we all email and chat together regularly. I've known a couple of them since elementary school, and the others are from high school. What's truly amazing is that even though our lives have take significantly different turns, when we get together it's like no time has passed.

My friend, Christy, was in NYC on a vacation and I was able to get a day off of work so I could spend the day with her! I haven't seen her in probably 2 years, but getting together is like we have seen each other every day. Something about friends who have known you during your crazy youth and really growing up together that makes it so easy to slip back into your close friendship. I enjoy when I get to spend 1-on-1 time with my girlfriends, they seem to love me no matter what and the same goes for me.

We spent part of the day at MoMA (Modern Museum of Art) and if you haven't been there, YOU MUST GO! Their collection is incredible, and make sure to grab the free audio program. Not all of the pieces are described, but the majority are on the program and it really explains more about them. We found it really interesting and made the art come to life.

After the museum, we had a list of possible restaurants for lunch courtesy of some of my friends in NJ and my Twitter friends. I'm keeping this list for ideas next time we are in the city for the day. We ended up stopping for lunch at a little place just up the street from the museum, Lou's Cafe. The menu boasts sandwiches, salads and a variety of appetizers for lunch. The prices were reasonable (for NYC) at about $9-$10.50 for the dishes we ordered.

From Family, Friends and Food

I had the Pesto Pasta Salad, which was much larger than I expected it to be! The pesto tasted nice and fresh and I enjoyed the crunch from the pine nuts that were added. The sun-dried tomatoes were what sold me on this dish, and they added that bit of sweetness which complimented the pesto. Christy ordered a Southwest Black Bean Salad that had a fresh, light dressing. We tried to figure out all of the flavors, and decided it must be a combination of lemon, olive oil, chopped parsley... and a bit of something we couldn't put quite figure out. I may have to play around to recreate it because it was so light and flavorful that it would be perfect on the many summer salads we tend to eat. We were joined by another friend of Christy's and she ordered one of their cold sandwiches which was filled with fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato slices and lettuce. She said the sandwich was delicious but so big she couldn't finish it!

Overall, we were happy with our choice for lunch today. We were able to eat outside and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine while we caught up in person with everything going on in our lives. I was sad to see the day end, but after a trip down to Macy's in Herald Square (and their massive shoe department!), I had to head back to New Jersey.

Raspberry Swirl Loaf

This time of year when I'm visiting the farmer's market I love seeing the wonderful fresh berries that are available. With all of the fantastic raspberries we've been getting, My Oldest is happy as a clam! I send some in his lunch every day and not one speck is left when he gets home.

When I was choosing recipes to make for this week, I came across a recipe from Cooking Light's 5 Star Recipes that had a gorgeous photo jumping out at me. The Sour Cream-Raspberry Swirl Loaf looked like the kind of bread I would enjoy making and eating. Of course, I'm trying to work with some ingredients I already have on hand so I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream. I had already used up my lemons this week, so I used some orange rind instead. I left out the walnuts, because I just don't care for nuts in quickbreads. Ideally, I would have loved to use homemade raspberry jam, but since I can't keep them in the house I pulled out my stand-by - Trader Joe's Organic Raspberry Jam. Not sure how they do it, but it is sweet and full of fresh raspberry flavor. If you haven't tried it, you should! You'll be licking the spoon so that not one bit gets wasted.

From Family, Friends and Food

We really enjoyed this quickbread. It's more cake-like in texture and the raspberry swirl adds a touch of sweetness through the middle. Kind of like a nice surprise when you get a bite of it. My Oldest requested a couple of slices to go in his snack at camp.

I made mine into mini loaves (6 inch pans) and got 2 loaves out of this recipe. It took about 35 minutes to bake up completely at 350 degrees. The recipe states that this bread will freeze nicely for about 2 months.

From Family, Friends and Food

You could also substitute another fruit jam in this recipe with equally delicious results.

Have a great day!