Utah Local Love: Maddox Ranch House Peach Pie in Brigham City, Utah

 

Earlier this month I made a trip to Bear Lake. Our main objective was to play at the beach and grab a famous Bear Lake Raspberry Shake. What happened was even better. We made a weekend out of it and stayed overnight in Logan, enjoyed some Aggie ice cream, had a delicious brunch at Herme's Inn, hit up the lake, played corn hole and visited Utah's original steak house, Maddox!

Pineapple-Mango Green Smoothie

Six out of seven mornings I make myself a green smoothie in my Blendtec Blender. I bought it as a gift for myself back in January and can't believe I waited so long. It's one of the best purchases I've made for my kitchen.

Green smoothies fuel my mornings, and really my entire day. I love that I get so many essential nutrients and can feel the immediate boost from the energy. I believe a big part of that comes from the (wait for it) greens (doi) and the chia seeds. Green smoothies have also been a fun way to use the kale, spinach, beet greens and Swiss chard I get from my CSA share. I mix it up each day and try to keep the sugar and fruit components to the minimum and the greens to the max.  Each smoothie is always delicious and today I'm sharing one of my most favorite recipes! My Pineapple-Mango Green Smoothie. I don't have this smoothie every morning since there is so much fruit, but when I do it's a real treat.You'll love it.

Beet Ice Cream - 3 Ingredients {Labor Day Ice Cream Social}

 

We've approached one of my favorite times of year. The end of summer! Yes, it's sad to let go to those days at the pool, warm summer nights and vacation time with the family. For many the true end of summer is Labor Day...which just happens to be my birthday weekend! I always get a day off near my birthday and love that end of summer BBQ on Labor Day weekend.

To help you end summer with a chilly bang, I've teamed up with my friend Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia and some of our favorite bloggers and friends to share some ice cream recipes. If you haven't made ice cream this summer, this roundup of tasty frozen treats and toppings are sure to make you want to make your own.

Utah Local Love: Yuki Artisan Shaved Ice in Provo, Utah (Shaved Ice from Scratch!)

I've been keeping something from you. And for quite some time. Like months. I honestly can't believe I'm waiting to tell you until the end of summer. The secret? I've found the best shaved ice in the world. I'm not kidding. This beats all shaved ice I've had before, even in Hawaii.

Why? Because it's real, folks. REAL!

Yuki Shaved Ice was started by Dan Purdon. A UVU Culinary Grad and former Heirloom Restaurant Group family member . But all that doesn't necessarily matter (okay it totally does) because this man makes killer shaved ice. Yuki means snow in Japanese and a trip to Japan was where he was first inspired to start this business.

 

Dan visits the farmers market each week (menu changes accordingly) and sources produce from local farms to make his syrups. No fake, HFCS, chemical-laden flavors, no sir. Each syrup is made from scratch using real, fresh ingredients. Dan simply makes a syrup with the fruit and adds cane sugar to balance it out and sometimes a bit of salt or citrus juice.

 

Each time I visit I get so inspired. It takes true commitment and care to start such a venture. I’m so happy there is someone with a passion for real food that is willing to carry it out into the world of summer-shaved ice.

 

The shaved ice syrups at Yuki expand to the fields of vegetables. Three of which happen to be on my list of favorites: fresh jalapeno, beet and avocado. Dan even brews his own root beer and concocts the most luscious cream.

If I had to recommend one, okay two, okay three different Yuki bowls I’d get the following:

~ Mojito and Fresh Jalapeno
~ Raspberry, Avocado and Beet (split in thirds, in that order) with cream
~ Root Beer and cream

And honestly all the flavors I’ve tried so far (raspberry, peach, watermelon, strawberry, beet avocado, root beer, jalapeño and cantaloupe) have been delightful.

Take some time this weekend and give Yuki Shaved Ice a try. In fact, make it an evening out of it. Yuki is located in the parking lot of Mountain West Burrito, so grab a burrito then head out for dessert at Yuki! And don’t forget that luscious cream on top!

Yuki Artisan Shaved Ice
yukishavedice.com

Facebook.com/YukiShavedIce

1796 N 950 W in Provo (Mountain West Burrito parking lot)

11:30am-9:30pm

A Birthday Meal for Julia Child + Cherry Clafouti

 

 Happy 100th Birthday, Julia Child!

Today we celebrate a legend, a national icon, a lover of good food, a great teacher and an inspiring woman. I didn't become familiar with Julia Child until my adulthood but ever since, I have channeled the French Chef for inspiration, words of wisdom and fantastic recipes. I've even dressed as her for Halloween.

To celebrate her birthday, my husband and I enjoyed an intimate dinner of recipes, exclusively from her classic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Main Dish: Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme (Casserole-roasted Chicken with Bacon, Onions and Potatoes)
Side: Tomates Provencal (Baked tomatoes with herbs and bread crumbs)
Dessert: Cherry Clafouti (Cherry Flan) - A simple peasant dessert. A pancake batter poured over fruit in a fireproof dish, then baked int he oven . It looks like a tart and is eaten warm.

 

The meal was beautiful and true to Julia's style. Though I don't think I'll be preparing my next roasted chicken according to her directions where you boil bacon, onions and potatoes separately and then proceed to sautee them in butter and add to a roast... I will be making her Tomates Provencal and Cherry Clafouti over and over again!

My absolute favorite Julia Child recipe is Scrambled Omelette (L'Omelette Brouillee). It's a fantastic method for making an omelet, and even better when you add fresh garden herbs. Each time I make it I chant to myself, "Be fearless, no fear...be fearless!"

It sounds so simple to have that as my favorite recipe, but I think it illustrates just how wonderful a teacher Julia Child is and was. I've learned so many proper cooking techniques and the most simple recipes become masterpieces because of her.

I'm also happy to tell you that I was included in local newspaper article about Julia Child's 100th birthday and how a few local bloggers are celebrating this special day. Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia and Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen featured which means I'm in absolute great company! Give the article a read. It's a quick, fun read and shows just how influential Julia was to us in both her personal and culinary lives.

 

Now back to that Cherry Clafouti! This dessert recipes is a keeper and so simple to make. I actually made the batter (it's basically pancake batter) in my Blendtec blender. The most time consuming part of the recipe was pitting the cherry. That's easy, folks! You can serve the dish warm with a dusting of powdered sugar. 

It was definitely like a flan, but also a bit more like bread pudding and perfectly sweet with carmely edges and bursts of cherry in every bite. I love that it's almost more fruit than anything. Perfect for summer. I can't wait to make all the other variations. Apple is next.

Julia Child's Cherry Clafouti

serves 6-8 from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

3 cups cherries, pitted

1/3 cup sugar

powdered sugar(for serving)

Directions:

In a blender blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. Remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.

The German Chocolate Cake Mote

 

July and August are big birthday months in my family. And as I mentioned in this birthday cheesecake post last week that making loved one's cakes is one of my favorite gifts to give. A while back was my mother-in-law's birthday and she, like my own mother, is a lover of the German Chocoalte Cake!

I knew I had a winning cake recipe with the Baked NYC German Chocolate Cake. But one thing I swear I always hear from German Chocolate Cake fans is that they can never get enough of that coconutty-pecan filling. 

  

So on this last cake I decided to not only double but TRIPLE the German Chocolate Cake filling. Each layer was filled with cups of the filling and I still had some leftover. So what did I do? I created a mote of filling around the cake, ensuring each slice would have more than enough with their serving.

 

A bit excessive? Yes. A bit unruley? Yes. A bit fun? Absolutely. I tell you what, there were no complaints here...well except from me when I was carrying the cake. It weighed in at probably 10-15 pounds. Yeesh.

Buy the Baked: New Frontiers in Baking Cookbook. So many of my favorite recipes are in that cookbook.

Other birthday celebration cake posts you may like:
My First Jelly Roll Cake
Fun Birthday Cupcake Gift Idea with Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes
A Birthday Cheesecake with Frosting + Fresh Raspberry Sauce
Giant First Birthday Cupcake with Wilton Cupcake Pan
Barbie Birthday Cake
A Happy Birthday Cake with Extra Long Candles
German Chocolate Cake

Peach Salsa with Basil and Hot Banana Peppers

Utah peaches don't arrive until August and summer doesn't feel the same without them. But the wait is well worth that first juicy bite. Their golden orange flesh is a welcomed sight at any table. Today I'm sharing my recipe for Peach Salsa with Basil and Hot Banana Peppers. What I love most about this recipe, besides its obvious great flavor, is that every fresh ingredient was grown within miles of my own kitchen.

We didn't grow a garden, not even an herb one, this year. Instead we're reaping the fruits of my in-law's beautiful garden and home orchard. One of their peach trees ripened a bit earlier than normal so I happily picked a bowl of those sweet, soft peaches.

I also snagged onions and a variety of peppers from their garden, including that fun and squiggly-shaped hot banana. I'd never tried hot banana peppers before and I'm here to tell you...they can be hot!

 

Salsa isn't salsa without a bit of tomato and luckily I had some sweet ones from La Nay Ferme, along with some super aromatic basil. To round it all out I splashed a bit Slider Ridge Honey Wine Vinegar on it all and sprinkles some Real Salt to enhance the natural flavors. 

Give my peach salsa a try. Its sweet, ultra fresh flavors are the sure sign of summer and you'll love the heat that comes at the end of each bite.

Peach Salsa with Basil and Hot Banana Peppers

by Becky of Project Domestication

Ingredients:

4 md. yellow peaches, large dice

1/2 sm. white onion, diced

2 roma tomatoes, diced

5 basil leaves, chiffonade

1 TB hot banana peppers, small dice

Slider Ridge Honey Wine Vinegar (a splash or to taste)

Redmond Real Salt (a few sprinkles or to taste)

Directions:

Wash and cut all produce and combine large bowl. Splash with honey wine vinegar and sprinkle with Real Salt. Serve with chips, chicken, fish or other foods to your liking.

Other peach recipes you may like:

Peach Salsa on Two Peas and Their Pod

Honey Peach Ice Cream on Project Domestication

Grilled Peach Salad on The Vintage Mixer

Honey-Balsamic Peach Sorbet on Cafe Johnsonia

Peach Crumb Bars with Hazelnut Streusal on Cookin' Canuck

A Birthday Cheesecake with Frosting + Fresh Raspberry Sauce

Some of the best gifts we can give are pieces of ourselves. That's why when a loved one's birthday comes up, I am eager to bake them a special birthday cake. Baking has been a big part of my life these last 5 years and it's a labor of love that I enjoy and a way to tell them I care.

In this instance, I told my little sister, I'd make anything. Her chosen cake? Birthday Cheesecake!  I'm cool with requests like that, especially when my favorite cheesecake recipe comes from the baking cookbook I already knew I was giving her for her 24th birthday.

 

Here's a sweet birthday card that I picked up from the CakeSpy shop when I was in Seattle earlier this summer. Add some brown wrapping paper and my favorite red and white baker's twine and you've got yourself an adorably wrapped present.

Well, almost. Even though this Tall and Creamy Cheesecake was a show-stopper by itself, I wanted to make it more birthday-ish. So I decided to make cream cheese frosting and a fresh raspberry sauce to dress it up. I used one of my favorite Wilton tips and decorated away then completed the job with fresh raspberries as a garnish.

If you're looking to dress up a cheesecake for a special birthday boy or girl, give my cream cheese cheesecake frosting a try, along with the very fresh and tangy raspberry sauce. And don't fret, even a plain-cheesecake purist like me loves a little frosting and sauce.

 

Birthday Cheesecake Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 stick (1/4 c.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 TB pure vanilla extract

1 TB vanilla bean paste

3 c. powdered sugar

Directions:

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined and smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time and mix until completely incorporated.

*You'll have plenty extra, save for cookies, graham crackers or from the spoon.

Fresh Raspberry Sauce

slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Raspberry Coulis

Ingredients:

2 c. fresh raspberries

2 1/2 TB sugar 

splash of fresh lemon juice (to taste)

Directions:

Combine berries and sugar in blender and blender until sugar has dissolved and mixture is pureed. Pour mixture into sieve and stir with small spoon to strain berries. Serve or refrigerate until ready.

  

Other posts you may like:

Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake on Project Domestication

Late Summer Raspberry Jam Recipe on CakeSpy
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake on Taste and Tell

Cheesecake Brownies on Project Domestication

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Bites on Barbara Bakes

Strawberry-Basil Limeade & A La Nay Ferme Farm Dinner

A month or so ago, I had one of the most memorable dining experiences. Which restaurant you ask? Well, it was actually at a farm. La Nay Ferme to be exact. I mention La Nay Ferme, a lot on the blog. I'm a very happy paying CSA member of the farm. To have naturally grown, organic produce grown miles from my home is invaluable.

Every now and again La Nay Ferme hosts a dinner event featuring a local chef at the farm. I was lucky to attend the dinner featuring Chef Taylor Mason of Pizzeria 712. Pizzeria 712 and any Heirloom Restaurant Group establishment is a frequent stop of mine. (Remember this post?)

 

Dinner was farm fresh to say the least. The chef picked all the produce the day before and each dish clearly showed that. We began with classic P712 appetizers of flat bread, spreads and olives. We also sipped on the most flavorful strawberry limeade with basil. I lost count of how many times my drink was refilled.

Salads were next: farro with sweet peas and cucumbers, summer squash ribbon salad with feta and kale pesto, fresh greens with a viniagrette, potatoes and green beans. The main course was slow cooked chicken with tomatoes (can't remember the name but the chicken was what chicken should taste like) and a dessert of corn cake with sweet corn puree and fresh blackberries. 

The food wasn't the only thing memorable. That evening was rather sprinkly so the small dinning group ended up eating shoulder to shoulder under tents above the basil rows of the garden. It was marvelous. It forced us to stand, bump shoulders and get to know others in the community. I loved it. Though, I may have been more quite than usual because I was genuinely enjoying and savoring each and every bite. A bit lost in the food you'd say.

We went home smiling and happy. It was one of the best dinner dates we've had. Days passed but I couldn't get that Strawberry-Basil Limeade beverage off my mind. How did they make it? I had no clue. I knew it had limes, La Nay Ferme strawberries and basil.

 

I'm happy to tell you I now know the answer. Chef Taylor and P712 have kindly offered the recipe and I'm sharing it with you today! Thank you so much. Each time I make this recipe I'll recall our special evening at the farm with Chef Taylor's wonderful offerings.

 

The recipe is simple, the ingredient list is few and focusing on the flavors. You begin by making a strawberry puree. Then combine it with water, freshly squeezed lime juice, sugar and basil. Pour over ice and you are set. Summer just got better. This Strawberry-Basil Limeade is tart, sweet, fresh and then there's this hint of something....that something is basil. That's what puts this limeade over the top.

Give this recipe a try soon, I promise you'll love it. While you're at it go eat a beautiful meal at Pizzeria 712 and look into becoming La Nay Ferme CSA member.

Strawberry Basil Limeade
by Chef Taylor Mason of Pizzeria 712, published with permission

Ingredients:
2-4 Tbsp fresh strawberry puree (recipe below)
1 Cup fresh squeezed lime juice
3/4-1cup sugar (to taste)
3 cups water
Zest of 2 limes
Basil leaves (a small bunch, maybe four leaves)

Directions:

Muddle basil leaves in bottom of pitcher, add ice. Add all ingredients and stir.

For strawberry puree: Combine 1 pint strawberries, 4 Tbsp sugar, juice of 1 lime and cook until all fruit has cooked down. Puree with blender.

Becky's Notes: I absolutely went wrong with my interpretation of muddle. Clearly, I'm not a mixoligist. I did a rough chiffonade on the basil and put it at the bottom of the cup. I swear I knew I was doing something wrong, I knew it looked different, but I just proceeded. In the end I learned something new and I'll always remember what the word muddle means.

So make sure you muddle, you mash, and get all the flavor out of that basil! Watch this video to see what muddling is and how to do it. (It's more detailed than you need to know but interesting.) With that said, I felt like the basil really shined in the batch I photographed.

Second note: the batch photographed seems much darker than the one at the dinner. I added about 3 1/2 TB of the strawberry puree. And it hadn't been on ice long. However, the flavor was just as I remembered.

Triple note: The strawberry puree is insanely good. Eat it by the spoonful. Make another batch or pour over ice cream or anything in site. :)

Other posts you may like:
Farm Salad with Spiced Goat Cheese Croutons on The Vintage Mixer

Pizzeria 712 & La Nay Ferme Dinner on SLCeats.com

Farm-to-Table Dinner on La Nay Ferme Blog

Heirloom Group at La Nay Ferme on SLCFoodie.com

La Nay Ferme Farm Dinner on Heirloom Restaurant Group Blog