First of the Season Apple Cardamom Galette

As I said, baking in the summer is not preferred, but on those cooler days, a good thing, and when it comes to galettes, on whatever day, a thrill.

I'm sure I'll go for plenty of the summer stone fruit versions before the season is out, but at my local market, where a stand with perfect cherries, apricots, plums, et cetera usually is full, I found what they called 'transparent apples'. It is a pale apple best used for cooking due to its tart bite, originally from nineteenth century Poland.

(I had already chopped up a couple apples before I thought to take a picture)...Transparent Apples. Caya 2012.

I tried a few bites as I chopped them up for the galette filling; they were quite sharp and zingy, rather good. I loved the idea of a savory, hardly sweet fruit galette heralding the later autumn apples.

So, I went highly minimal, gladly. Just some honey, a little cinnamon, a little more cardamom, and that was it! The beauty of this version is to celebrate the pale summer tang of the feature ingredient.

Classic galette crust was quickly mixed and rolled out in a flury of flour as the morning quickened, and shortly I was dabbing on egg and putting them in to bake!
What, half an hour later, they were out and cooling.

(Full recipe available upon request):

Cooling in the morning light. Caya 2012.

Enjoy as they are; absolutely no need for a dairy topping or an extra douse of sweetener! Caya 2012.

They turn out flaky and golden without, warm and soft within, wanting nothing but a fork.

Gorgonzola Feature III - Kalamata, Tomatoe & Artichoke Pastry with Cool Cucumber Parsley Salad

In the drowsy yet conscious state before sleep, I fancied up the idea to use the last of my gorgonzola on a pastry while the refreshingly rainy weather was on us.

Using the oven is not preferred in the summer, particularly when it is a frequently 95 degree summer, but the occasion arises for it, here and there. So, going with an Italian theme of late, I made this:

(Full recipe available upon request)

Using a little parmesan, thinly cut red onion, ripe tomato, roman-style marinated artichoke, kalamata olives quartered lengthwise, two free range eggs beaten in with fresh parsley, a little sea salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and gorgonzola, I layered it all for the pastry before baking it for about 15 minutes at say, 370 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile I chopped up three beautiful cucumbers from a local farm and dressed it with more parsley and a light balsamic, safflower oil, sea salt combination.

Layering on...Caya 2012.

With cheeses now. Caya 2012.

Fresh from the oven and cooling. Caya 2012.

Cut into generous squares and served with cooling cucumber parsley salad. Caya 2012.

Gorgonzola Feature II - Warm Summer Orzo

I had a bunch of orzo pasta left lying around in my cupboard, and I decided it wanted some to-do.

Going with my recent Gorgonzola celebration, I came up with this:
(Full recipe available upon request)

I dressed my orzo pasta with bite sized asparagus sauteed until tender with garlic and shallots in olive oil, chopped in fresh grape tomatoes, halved, added sea salt and plenty of ground black pepper, a large handful of fresh basil, half of a lemon - for the juice - and a small dusting of parmesan with a reserved crumbling of gorgonzola.

Lemon and basil provide a zesty lightness to the strength of the cheeses and the garlic, and the tomato and the asparagus keep the dish thick with summer garden life.

 

Gorgonzola Feature I - Grilled Tomato and Turkey with Gorgonzola

I've mentioned before how my favorite cheese just may be gorgonzola - from a little town in Italy of the same name - and while I don't get the stuff all the time, I take quite a liking to it with each fresh experimentation. This last batch yielded some scrumptious concoctions.

It is hardly a 'recipe' per say. Summer dishes rarely are, you'd think, given the freshness and the immediacy of warm-weather preparation.

Hearty rustic bread, turkey ham from the market, ripe, runny red tomatoes, and the big cheese - Gorgonzola, hand-crumbled, naturally. (That is part of the fun, getting the fingers all tickled with white crumbs to be licked off).

Grill in the cast iron skillet with a little unsalted butter and pair with a heaving bowl of vivid summer greens of whatever variety, and you have yourself a true feast.

Don't worry about minimal ingredients, the intensity of flavors with cheese, ripe tomato, and meat leaves no room for wanting. Caya, 2012.

Quick Korma Curry with Cod, Basmati, and Summer Squash

I am not yet at the level of making my own indian curry from scratch, although I am familiar with some methods and have observed how easy they are. I will very much like to try it out myself at some point here, but for now, I like to support 'Seeds of Change' from my local grocery store's organic section, and use their various simmer sauces:

http://www.seedsofchangefoods.com/our_foods/

 The link above is for Seeds of Change food products - like their simmer sauces - and recipes, but at the following link you'll find their information and more. Founded in 1989 to protect organic produce as well as preserve endangered heirloom varieties, they also supply to school gardens to help future generations!  http://www.seedsofchangefoods.com/default.aspx

The Korma is a mild and creamy coconut curry, and whether cod is a sound Indian cuisine fish or no, I dressed it simply in sea salt and black pepper for the meal. Hey, I'm Irish, I like cod.

To go with the curry and fish, I wanted something straight forward and seasonal, so mounds of yellow onion, garlic, yellow summer squash and zucchini were coarsely chopped and cooked up with some of the curry spices - coriander, cardamom, etc.

The basmati was added with fresh coriander to garnish. 

You bet a mounded plate is the result, here. Caya 2012.

An Option for Avocado

I used to dislike avocados as a child, largely because my only awareness of how they could be used was for guacamole, and friends of the family never made guacamole well.
It was through my working for a local Wilderness Skills School that I was reintroduced to the fruit's simplicity.

The flavor of an avocado is so wonderfully bland, in a verdant, creamy way, that you can use it with such playful versatility. Even munching buttery spoonfuls of it straight with a zing of lime juice is delicious.

I was a convert to the avocado as an imperative sandwich component about six years ago. I now frequently find new ways to incorperate the stuff on different summer fixes, with meat, cheese, just a bunch of vegetables, or any combination thereof.

This sandwich seems too simple, perhaps too boring, but the flavors and textures involved make up for any lack.

I get a favorite bread - salted Basque - from the bakery down town, which has a rustic savory quality that I think goes well with this sandwich, but use what you like. I also use Safflower Mayonaise:

It is smooth, warm, with a beautiful earthy flavor, and a texture exactly like proper mayonnaise. Lovely stuff.

So, I spread the mayonnaise on the bread, I add turkey, turkey ham, or whatever from the local market, I cut and spoon out thick slabs of avocado to arrange over the meat, and I add a sprinkling of sea salt as well as a necessary several pinches of cayenne pepper! The result is an earthy undertone with salty meat and rich green avocado heated with just enough of spice. Yum.

Half an avocado for the one sandwich, I should think. Caya 2012.

Cantaloupe & Watermelon Cubes with Orange Ginger Yogurt

In the high heat of summer I tend towards something fresh, cool, and plant-based in the morning. Trying to tackle a heavy eggs and bacon, pancakes, or oatmeal style start doesn't go down too well - in my experience - let alone the warmth conjured through the process of cooking it all up.

Here's a simple yet filling bowl that is meditative to prepare, and it opens onto a wide range of variations.

Cantaloupe and Watermelon Cubes drenched in Orange Ginger Yogurt

I'm not boasting any special yogurt making skill here. I used 'Siggi's Icelandic style skyr', the orange ginger flavor, which uses candied ginger.

http://www.skyr.com/

Here you'll find a lovely exploration of Siggi and his work, via the professional Elina at her cooking blog 'Healthy & Sane' at: http://blog.healthyandsane.com/2010/08/an-ode-to-yogurt-siggis-yogurt-giveaway/.

The rest is too easy...but quite satisfying.
Oh, but don't bother with packaged, pre-cut fruit. Honestly, the tiny bit of work in cutting your own provides a kind of therapeutic start, immeasurable freshness, and creative freeway. It's fun.

Ripe and runny. Caya 2012.