The topic for this month is fruits and melons. We’re talking about blueberries, watermelon, blackberries, peaches, and cantaloupe.
Here are some recipes for an appetizer, main meal, and dessert that you might like.
Let’s start with the appetizer.
Watermelon Pico de Gallo
1 ½ tsp. lime zest, from about 1 lime
¼ c. fresh lime juice, from about 3 limes
1 tbsp. sugar, or use honey
Freshly ground pepper
3 c. seeded and finely chopped watermelon
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 mango, peeled and diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (optional: use cilantro)
½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. chili powder
Tortilla or pita chips for serving
Optional: fresh basil, mint, or cilantro
Stir together the lime zest, lime juice, sugar (or honey); lightly salt and pepper. Add the watermelon, cucumber, mango, jalapeno, onion and basil (or cilantro) and toss gently.
Chill the salsa until ready to serve.
Add the garlic salt and chili powder just before serving. Serve with pita chips or corn chips, or serve on top of steak, chicken, pork, or fish.
Now for the main meal.
Grilled Chicken with Blackberry Sweet and Sour Sauce
4 chicken breasts
1 tbsp. cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. blackberry jam
2 tbsp. cognac
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt
6 oz. fresh blackberries
1 tsp. fresh mint, minced
Preheat grill to high heat. Brush each side of chicken breasts with the cooking oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill 3 minutes on each side, then turn the heat to medium-low and cover to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until cooked through.
In a saucepan or skillet over medium high heat, add all ingredients and stir to combine. Smash half of the berries with a fork to release the juices. Let the mixture cook down for approximately 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over grilled chicken and serve immediately.
Now for a sweet dessert.
Peach Blueberry Crisp
5 peaches peeled and sliced/chunked
1 c. fresh blueberries washed and dried
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
Crisp Topping
6 tbsp. salted butter melted
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Heat oven to 350°. Prepare an 8×8-inch baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
Add peaches, blueberries, granulated sugar, and cornstarch into a mixing bowl. Use a spoon and stir it all together until the fruit is coated evenly in the sugar/cornstarch. Dump into the prepared baking dish.
In a small mixing bowl combine all the crisp topping ingredients and stir together until moist, large crumbles form. Sprinkle the crisp evenly over top the fruit.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Crisp topping will be browned and fruit filling should be bubbly up on the sides. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving the crisp warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.
https://togetherasfamily.com/peach-blueberry-crisp
Peach Bellini Cupcakes
Cupcakes
6 lg. egg whites
10 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
3/4 c. champagne or prosecco or other sparkling white wine
2/3 c. fresh peaches 1/4″ dice or diced canned peaches
Champagne pastry cream
1/2 c. heavy cream divided
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
5 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 c. champagne or prosecco
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Peach buttercream
1 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
6 c. confectioners’ sugar
Milk or cream to thin
1/2 tsp. peach flavoring oil or 2 tbsp. peach schnapps
Neon yellow soft gel food color
Neon orange soft gel food color
Red soft gel food color
2 tbsp. white nonpareils
16-18 small fresh mint leaves optional
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with 18 paper liners. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks; set aside.
In another bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture alternately with the champagne. Stir in the chopped peaches.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter until incorporated. Then, fold in the remaining egg whites.
Spoon the batter into the prepared cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Champagne pastry cream
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and the cornstarch. Whisk in the whole egg and egg yolks. Set aside.
Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar, and champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from the heat. Pour 1/3 of the hot champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Let cool to room temperature. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a skin. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Peach buttercream
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and confectioners’ sugar. Add milk or cream a little at a time until the mixture is light, fluffy, and of piping consistency. Add the peach flavor and beat again until incorporated. Add 1-2 drops each of the neon yellow and neon orange food color to the buttercream. Beat until well incorporated, scraping down the bowl when necessary. Add more of each color to intensify the hue, if desired. The end result should be a vivid orangey-peach color. I used about 4 drops of each color. Add the food color a little at a time so you don’t overdo it.
Fit a disposable piping bag with a large French pastry tip. Squirt a little of the red food color in a condiment cup. Dip a kitchen-dedicated soft bristle brush into the red food color and paint a thick line of red food color inside the decorator tip and all the way up the length of the bag. Repeat this step directly across from the first painted line (you could use the piping bag seams for a guide, if your bag has two seams directly across from each other).
On a scrap of parchment or paper towel, squeeze a little of the frosting out of the bag until the red color starts to show. Set aside.
Assembly
Core the cupcakes by cutting out a small divot in the centers with a paring knife; save the pieces. Transfer the pastry cream to a disposable piping bag and snip off 1/2 inch hole in the end. Fill each cupcake with about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the pastry cream. (You can also spoon in the pastry cream.) Trim the cut-out cake pieces flat to create “lids” and place them onto the filled divots.
Pipe a swirl of frosting onto a cupcake and immediately sprinkle a pinch of the white nonpareils on top. Repeat this process with each cupcake until all of the cupcakes are frosted and sprinkled. Just before serving, add a fresh mint leaf to each cupcake.
https://www.sprinklebakes.com/2023/05/peach-bellini-cupcakes.html
Homemade Cantaloupe Sorbet
Makes about 4 cups
4 cups cantaloupe (peeled, seeded and diced)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
To prepare the cantaloupe sorbet, mix the water with the sugar in a saucepan and place it over low heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Let the syrup cool completely. To speed up, you can immerse the saucepan in very cold water. Put it in the fridge for about an hour.
Peel the melon and remove all the seeds. Cut the pulp and put it in a mixer or blender. Blend for a couple of minutes, until a homogeneous puree is obtained. Make sure it is well blended, otherwise the pieces of fruit left whole will freeze forming unpleasant lumps.
Put it in the refrigerator to cool well, at least half an hour, then add the syrup. Mix thoroughly and pour the mixture into a low, wide bowl.
Cover it with cling plastic film and put it in the freezer. After half an hour, remove the tray from the freezer and mix thoroughly with a spoon. The cantaloupe sorbet will still be very runny. Put it back in the freezer and repeat the mixing operation another 5-6 times, half an hour apart from each other. Gradually the melon sorbet will start to freeze and you will have to break the ice crystals well using a spoon or a fork.
In the end you will have to obtain a soft and creamy mixture. When you have obtained this consistency, let it rest in the freezer for about two hours.https://blog.giallozafferano.com/tastycorner/recipe-homemade-cantaloupe-sorbet/
