Peach Sorbet with Frangelico

See you guys, I told you I loved peaches. They were on sale this weekend so I picked up few too many pounds (as is my custom) with the intention of cooking up some ginger-peach butter, but then it got too hot and I couldn't muster the courage to stand in front of the stove stirring hot jam for a few hours. So sorbet it was! This refreshing sorbet has been my go-to dinner party dessert all summer, and as long as I've remembered to freeze the canister of my ice cream machine it is so easy to put together. I love using a little nip of booze in my sorbets and have somehow amassed a drawer full of little bottles (thanks mom!). This time I chose Frangelico which is a hazelnut liqueur but I imagine it would be mighty tasty with Amaretto, Chambord, Kirsch, or Bourbon.

Peach and Frangelico Sorbet
Adapted From David Lebovitz's, The Perfect Scoop
2lbs ripe peaches
2/3c water
3/4c sugar
1t lemon juice
2T Frangelico or other liqueur (optional, but tasty)

1. Pit and chop the peaches, but don't bother peeling them. Cook them with the water in a medium saucepan until they are soft and cooked all the way through.
2. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the sugar. Cool the mixture to room temperature then blend thoroughly in a blender or food processor, I used my immersion blender for this step. If there are any large bits of peel remaining, fish them out. Stir in the lemon juice and liqueur and chill thoroughly.
3. Freeze the chilled mixture in your ice cream machine, following manufacturer's instructions. Store in the freezer in an airtight container.

Notes:
- Try a scoop of this sorbet topped with champagne or prosecco for an amazing, Bellini inspired dessert.
- I've also made this with white peaches and they make the loveliest pink sorbet, as pictured here.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Last time I visited the u-pick farm I had blueberries on the brain. All I wanted was to walk out of there with a few quarts tucked under my arm to take back to the city and preserve, but the universe had other plans. The blueberries were totally picked over, not a ripe berry in sight. As I tried to hide my dissapointment from my pals by picking all of the zucchini blossoms I could see, I heard someone yell my name from the rows marked tomatoes. No way, I thought, it was still too early for tomatoes, but as I walked down the row I saw the plants become more and more heavy with little yellow cherry tomatoes. I grabbed one and popped it in my mouth. Sweet, sweet summer. I immediately, excitedly started picking the little yellow beauties then stopped and took a big inhale of the vegetal and earthy plants. I put down my basket, put my hands to my face and breathed in the smell of summer. I got lost, thinking of picking tomatoes with my mom from the plants in the front yard, bringing them inside still warm from the sun. I thought of slicing and dressing them with vinegar and salt and pepper, eating them with our fingers then slurping up the juices from the bottom of the bowl or tucking them into sandwiches on toasty wheat bread with mayo. Before I knew it, I had about 2 quarts of tomatoes and my friends were ready to leave so I tucked them under my arm and headed back to the city. I enjoyed them all week in salads like my mom used to make and in pasta with lots of olive oil and basil. I made a batch of salsa and ate them straight from the basket. Then, so I could keep some around a little longer, I took the last pint and roasted them to slumpy perfection.

This is more of a technique than a real recipe, almost silly to even write it down, but here it is. This method produces the tastiest, wrinkliest little tomatoes that are great tossed into a pasta or salad or on a cheese plate with some crusty bread.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

any variety of small tomatoes sliced in half or larger tomatoes cut into thick slices
olive oil
sea salt
pepper
woody herbs like thyme or rosemary (optional)
garlic cloves with skin on (optional)

Heat your oven to 250º

Arrange the tomato halves, cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can also sprinkle some chopped herbs or toss some garlic cloves on the sheet. Roast the tomatoes for 2-2 1/2 hours or until they are wrinkly at the edges.

Store in a jar, covered with olive oil. Use within about a week.

Apricot Jam with Saffron and Rose

You know how some people hide money in their mattresses, I'm pretty sure my Dad does that with saffron. There is a running joke in my family that he has a secret bounty worth millions stashed away. He won't tell anyone where it is or how much he has, but whenever we are running low he always seems to have more. I know it is a big time luxury to have a seemingly endless supply of the world's most expensive spice so I try to only use my stash on special occasions and this jam is totally worth it. I usually gravitate towards simple jams, just fruit, sugar, lemon juice and maybe a bit of Pomona's if I am making jelly, but I am trying to step up my jamming this season so I pulled out the big guns. Saffron and rose are a common paring in Middle Eastern desserts so to honor my Pops and his generous, spicy spirit I put them together with some rosy cheeked apricots and made some fancy jam.

Apricot Jam with Saffron and Rose
Inspired by The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
yield, roughly 2 pints jam

2lbs apricots (weight after removing the pits)
14oz sugar ( I used vanilla sugar, but it's not necessary)
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of saffron threads
1/4t-1t rose water, depending on your taste

1. Dump the pitted apricots and sugar into your canning pot and mash with a potato masher or fork, or your clean hands if you feel like it. Don't worry about making the pieces uniform in size, just mash them well.

2. In a small mortar and pestle combine the saffron threads with a pinch of sugar and grind. The abrasive quality of the sugar will help to break up the saffron. Set this to the side and get jamming.

3. Over medium high heat, bring the apricots and sugar to a boil. The jam will cook very quickly, so stir constantly with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching the bottom. If any foam appears on the surface of your jam just skim it off, I didn't have to do this.

4. After about 10 minutes, check the jam for doneness. It should be thick and will spatter like hot lava, so watch your hands!

5. When done, take the pan off of the heat and stir in the saffron sugar mixture, rose water and lemon juice. Pour into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 min.

Hot tip from Food in Jars: just pull the apricots in half with your fingers to remove the pits. Easy!!
Be careful with the rose water, it is VERY strong. No one wants jam that tastes like perfume.

I entered this jam in the Can You Can It? contest over at Garden of Eating, you guys should enter something too!