Capital!

What you see above is a bar of gold.  Or so was the impression a French pâtissier (pastry chef) named Lasne wished to convey when, in the late 1800s, he had baking trays specially made to resemble the shape and size of a bullion ingot.  After all, Lasne’s shop wasn’t far from the Paris Stock…

Again with the Peaches?

Of course. It’s late summer, after all, and the stonefruit is gloriously in season. Time for the produce, which is fantastic most of the time, to attain perfection. Sweet and tangy, juicy and lush, peaches are precisely why we spend the rest of the year dreaming about August. This week, peaches make up a vibrant…

Just Peachy, and You?

Is it possible even to be in anything other than a great mood when peaches are enjoying their moment? Bursting forth from every basket, table and shelf, from every roadside stand and farmers’ market, the globes are filled with fifteen times their weight (or thereabouts) of juicy, sweet, tangy, summery nectar. Seems to be the…

Yearn, No Churn

Up there’s the ice cream maker, a pricey investment now collecting dust on a shelf somewhere in the years between its uses.  Even when the machine’s pulled into service, making good ice cream is so much work.  The constant trips to and from the freezer.  All that churning, too.  There’s no other way to enjoy…

Fire Up the Grill

Ever wish a steak salad came in convenient hand-held form, or wondered what peaches would taste like straight from the grill?  No.  Yes?  Well then, this post is just for you, as today brings a couple preparations perfect for outdoor entertaining, particularly for summer patio parties! Start with just-seared steak, finished to a slightly-rare medium,…

Just Peachy

Peaches are so bright and vibrant, they’re summer’s perfect ambassadors.  In turn, they give any food they accompany a spirited excellence.  Well, in today’s offering, Brandied Peach Pork Chops, the brandy has a little to do with the “spirited” part, but peaches are what makes the pork sing. The recipe appears in the late, great…

Until Next Year, Old Friend

As summer switches hemispheres for a while, we enjoy its parting magnificence, in golden, juicy, sweet peaches.  This is the last chance we’ll have for nine months, six days – or thereabouts – until summer is ours again.  What better way to crown its glory and to partake of its warmth than with Peach Coffee…

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, Melba!

Though the complaint came about years before the author did, it still applies today.  Raspberries and peaches combine so perfectly, the beguiling mixture generates envy among the other desserts, who secretly wish they could be as coveted and as popular.  Major sibling rivalry. As though that weren’t enough, Melba is even more stunningly perfect when…

Summer’s Glory, Part II

A couple weeks ago, the spotlight was on tomatoes; now it’s peaches’ turn to blush.  Of course, they should be used to the attention by now.  Loaded with luscious sweetness, peaches are late summer’s star, the season’s parting gift.  What a souvenir, too, creating memories that will sustain us until summer returns next year. Of…