Scrumptious Summer Salads, Cool Lemon Souffle, Decadent Peach Upside Down Cake, Glorius Food, Glorius Season!

Summer already. It came so quickly into my favorite season. I can tell you there is nothing in the world like a summer season in the South. Just ask any Southerner. Just ask me and I'll tell you that I love everything that grows in this beautiful green season. Corn, tomatoes, green beans, peas, butter beans, green onions, peaches, anything southern. 

When you see the recipes this time, you'll see that we can use so many of our seasonal vegetables together to make scrumptious dishes like cornbread salad with tomatoes, Panzanella bread salad, and green bean salad with potatoes, fresh herbs and a delicious vinaigrette. If you're having a luncheon and you need an elegant salad, try the long grain, wild rice with roasted asparagus, peas and pecans. Also, don't forget that we are southerners who can't end a meal without dessert. So included is a lemon soufflé that will be so pretty and make you happy just to look at it. And, last but not least, the most looked at dessert on my site, peach upside down cake with butter pecan ice cream and caramel sauce. Talk about decadent.

In the meantime, while you are out there in the sunshine, buying local vegetables and fruits and cooking up a summer storm, I will be spending the season recovering from a broken leg. I am so thankful that it's not worse and I am so grateful to my husband who has taken care of my every need and waited on me hand and foot for a week now. I am also grateful for my friends near and far, and my neighbors who have fed me, provided a wheel chair, and sent me posts on Facebook making me laugh, and giving me the opportunity to have something good to read and beautiful photographs to look at. And, I am thankful for the beautiful cards that I've received.

There are many things that I miss like tending my small garden and taking care of the heirloom tomatoes that are just about ready, but my husband has been delegated to the job, and so far the old boy from New York City is doing a good job. I say that lightly, but he has waited on me hand and foot for a week already. I would not have survived without him. I miss cooking too!

I will be thinking about how lucky you all are to be able to visit the markets, and to cook all that glorious summer food. If you get a chance, please do write me a note and let me know what you are cooking. Enjoy it my friends. Life is short, so eat it up!

Green Bean, New Potato and Tomato Salad with Fresh Greek Oregano
& Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

This first salad is made with green beans and potatoes with my favorite salad dressing of Dijon mustard vinaigrette with fresh herbs to pull some of my favorite flavors together. We usually have an abundance of green beans in summer and I spend nights awake trying to figure out what to do with them. This is a great way to use them. This dish is great for a picnic or a barbecue because you just need to keep it in the cooler until ready to serve, stir it, and pour it onto a platter or into a bowl. It's an easy make-ahead dish.  This is a good summer salad to serve with grilled steak or hamburgers. The peach upside down cake at the end of this blog would be a great dessert to have with the salad.

Green Bean, New Potato, and Tomato Salad with Fresh Greek Oregano & Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

 

 

Preheat oven to 400º F.
 

 Prepare potatoes:

 

1 pound small new potatoes cut into quarters

1 garlic clove, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil (if serving at room temperature you can use olive oil)

On a baking pan lined with foil, place the cut potatoes and chopped garlic. Salt and pepper the potatoes. Pour the oil over the potatoes and garlic, and use your hands to coat the potatoes with the oil. Bake until tender, about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of potatoes.
 

Prepare green beans:

 

1 lb. cut green beans (fresh or frozen-thawed)

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste.
 

In a skillet over medium heat add the oil. When hot, add the green beans. Cook, stirring often, until the green beans have reached the desired tenderness. I like mine very tender. Check for seasoning. Salt brings out the flavor, so salt to taste. When the green beans are done, set aside and make the vinaigrette.

Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

¼ cup white wine vinegar

½ tablespoon whole grain mustard or Country Dijon mustard

½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake until well mixed, or use wire whisk to bring ingredients together in an emulsion.

In a large bowl add the cooked potatoes and green beans. Add 1 teaspoon finely chopped Greek oregano, and 1 or 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thick. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss the vegetables. Even though it may seem like a lot of dressing, add it all because the potatoes will absorb some of it. Check for seasoning. Serve at room temperature. If you refrigerate to serve later, let it warm slightly at room temperature for serving. Serves 4-6.

Cornbread Salad



Just so you will know how much I enjoy this salad here is my cornbread salad prayer, 'Oh Lord have mercy and help me please not to embarrass myself because I am about to become a glutton". You need to say the prayer before you start eating. This salad has the best of summer in a bowl of goodness, and then you put some southern vegetables like peas, butterbeans or corn on the side to eat with it and you've got heaven in a  bowl. The sun just comes pouring down on you, even if it's raining.

Cornbread Salad

1 cooked skillet (6-8 inches) of cornbread made with Buttermilk Cornbread Mix from your favorite recipe, but don’t use sugar, please.

5 green onions including the green tender stems, thinly sliced

¾ cup diced green pepper

½ cup chopped bread and butter pickles

1 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

Mayonnaise to moisten well

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook cornbread according to package directions. Crumble the bread into a large bowl. Add green onions, bell pepper, pickles, and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add enough mayonnaise to moisten well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Add crumbled bacon, or anything else you would like to this salad to make it your own. If you would like to you can cut the bread into small cubes and toast it.
If you want cornbread crust to be crisp there are ways to help it out a little. Put the fat in the pan on the stovetop and let the fat get hot. Add a few sprinkles of cornmeal and then pour the batter on top. Now, put the cornbread in the oven and bake as usual. This method will give you a crisper crust. When you take the cornbread out of the oven, turn it over immediately. This will help keep the crisp crust from steaming and becoming soggy.

 

 

Panzanella

 

It's time to use those big, juicy heirloom tomatoes mixed with a hearty rustic bread to make a bowl of Panzanella. Who doesn't love bread and tomatoes together? What happens when these tomatoes get together with the bread? Easy, the tomatoes give up their juices to the bread and viola, you have magic. Hmmm, maybe I should name this salad, Fifty Shades of Tomato.

 

I like to use the rustic breads that I find in the specialty area of the grocery stores or  farmers markets to make this hearty salad. If you need a menu to accompany this delicious salad, I've found that grilled chicken could not be more perfect. You get the best of all worlds when you pair foods with flavors that work well together. I sometimes add fresh baby arugula to this salad and it's a delicious surprise. This salad has a variety of garden vegetables and includes fresh basil which I have an abundance of right now.

 

Panzanella

 

½ loaf (about 6-8 ounces) of a rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes and lightly toasted

½ cup diced red onion

½ cucumber, seeded, sliced thin

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half, or 1 cup chopped garden tomato

¼ cup thinly sliced basil, or to taste

In a large bowl, add the bread, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, and basil. Mix the vinaigrette (recipe below) and add to the salad. Let stand for an hour or so before serving so that flavors can blend.

 

Vinaigrette

 

4 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil*

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

In a small jar mix the oil with the vinegar, and add salt and pepper, and shake to blend.

 

*Use a good olive oil if you plan to serve the dressed salad within an hour of preparing it, but. if you plan to refrigerate the salad before serving, the olive oil will congeal and you will need to wait for it to “melt” before serving the salad.
 

 

Long Grain, Wild Rice, Roasted Asparagus & Peas Salad with Pecans

 



I really enjoy eating rice cooked and served any way you can think of, but this is my favorite way to eat it in the summer. Mixed with vegetables and pecans, this long grain and wild rice makes a delicious and beautiful presentation. It's wonderful served at a bridal luncheon in a crystal bowl. You can serve it with a platter of tomato wedges with feta cheese and chiffonade of mint,  a beautifully carved spiral ham, tiny yeast rolls, a bowl of whole strawberries that have been sprinkled with amaretto and dusted with sugar. You'll love this easy and elegant buffet.

 

 

Long Grain, Wild Rice with Roasted Asparagus, Peas & Pecans

 

1 pound asparagus, trimmed of woody stems

1 (6 ounce) box quick cooking, long grain and wild rice

½ cup petite peas, cooked or uncooked, your preference

¾ cup diced celery

¾ cup sliced (on diagonal) green onions, including tender green stems

¼ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup toasted chopped pecans

¾ teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425º. Line a baking tray with foil. Place the trimmed asparagus on the baking tray. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over the asparagus and using your hands, coat the asparagus. Salt to taste. Bake for about 15 minutes or until asparagus is tender. When cooked, remove from the oven and cut into 1 inch pieces on the diagonal. 

While the asparagus is cooking, start the rice and cook according to package directions. 

 

In a large bowl, add the asparagus, rice, peas, celery, onions, green pepper, pecans and curry powder. Mix the red wine vinegar, and oil with a wire whisk or fork until emulsified, and add to the rice, vegetable mixture. Mix well. Check for seasoning and add if needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Cold Lemon Soufflé

 

In 1992, when I went to La Varenne at The Greenbrier for cooking classes the pastry chef was Eric Crane. One of the many desserts that he taught us to make was lime soufflé. I prefer lemon to lime so I when I make this soufflé I substitute Meyer lemon for the lime. This is one of my favorite summer desserts. It's light, it's elegant, it's sweet. What more could you ask for? 

 



Cold Lemon Soufflé

 

  3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

 

1/2 ounce gelatin (1 tablespoon gelatin)

 

1 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

3 tablespoons lemon zest

 

1 cup heavy cream

 

6 egg whites

 

1/2 cup sugar

Heat lime juice and gelatin together in a double boiler over simmering water. In a bowl, beat the yolks, sugar and lime zest over simmering water and continue beating until mixture is creamy and thick. Add the heated gelatin and lemon mixture to the yolk mixture. Allow to cool.

Whip the cream, then fold into the cooled lemon mixture. Whip the egg whites and sugar to make meringue and fold the meringue into the lemon mixture. Prepare a soufflé dish, or serving dish large enough to hold the soufflé. You may also use 8 small soufflé cups with collars and pour into cups. Decorate with sweetened whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Peach Upside Down Cake

I wrote this recipe over a year ago from one that I modified until unrecognizable from my grandmother's ancient Auburn Cookbook. This recipe is always the most popular recipe that I post other than coconut cake.

I love the peaches this time of year. On the day that I made this, I also made a big Sunday dinner of barbecued chicken, speckled butter beans, potato salad, sliced tomatoes, cornbread, chow-chow, and now peach cake. But hey, you know me. I can't just settle for cake, so I served it with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream and home-made caramel sauce.

Peach Upside Down Cake

 

Read the recipe all the way through before starting. You will want to make the batter before making the topping which is what you will set the peaches on in the hot pan.

 

Peaches:

4-5 small very ripe peaches

1 teaspoon lemon juice

 

Prepare the peaches by peeling them, and then cutting into small slices. Put 1 teaspoon lemon juice over the peaches, and stir. (Save any peach juice from the bowl and add it to the cake batter after the peaches have been added to the hot sugar mixture).  

Batter:

 

1 1/4 cups self-rising flour 

 

1/2 cup sugar

 

1/8 teaspoon salt

 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

 

1 egg

 

3 tablespoons butter, melted

 

1 cup buttermilk

 

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

 

Any peach juice left over from bowl after placing peaches in cake pan 

In a medium size bowl add the above ingredients. Mix well using a wire whisk. Set aside the batter while you put the peaches in the cake pan over the melted butter and brown sugar mixture. Recipe below. Add any leftover peach juice from the bowl to the batter at this time, and mix the batter again.
Spoon the batter over the peaches and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes (start checking at 20 minutes) or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and wait 5 minutes before inverting onto a heat proof serving plate. Serves 6.

 

Topping:

3 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup brown sugar 

Peach slices arranged on melted butter and brown sugar

On top of the stove over medium low heat melt the butter and sugar in a 9-inch round metal cake pan. Spread the butter-sugar mixture out evenly with a spoon if needed. Add the drained sliced peaches while the cake pan is still on the stove top. Remove from heat. Add batter.

Finished inverted cake

Serving: Put a small piece of cake on a dessert plate. Add a scoop of butter pecan or praline ice cream to the top. Ladle caramel sauce on top of the ice cream. You can purchase the sauce, or make your own. I made the sauce in the photo.

Caramel Sauce: Put one half cup white sugar into a heavy skillet and set over medium high until the sugar has turned a medium brown and is bubbling. Add 1 cup of heavy cream and cooked until smooth and thick. This mixture will turn into a glob as soon as you add the cream to the hot sugar, but it will smooth out. Be very careful because there is nothing hotter than cooked sugar. Store any leftover caramel in the refrigerator. Microwave the sauce to make it more spoonable after refrigerating.