By Estella Tullgren | Photographed by Deb Peterson
As I promised in the last issue, I’m sharing a peach recipe that you are going to love…especially if you like peaches as much as I do. I hope you will try the Peach Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce. This may be that in-between time where you are still getting farmer’s market produce. Fall items may be coming in by the time you hold this Marvelous! As the weather turns cooler, my thoughts always turn to soup making, so I have included one of my favorites.
PEACH BREAD PUDDING WITH AMARETTO SAUCE
Serves 10-12
This is our new favorite summer dessert—thanks to one of my favorite cooks, Susan Norcross. I hope you saved some peaches from this summer’s crop—you are going to love this recipe.
For the pudding:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 cups 1-inch cubes of day-old bread
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup amaretto
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 x 14-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter.
In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, heavy cream, and milk, and let sit for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the bread is soaking, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of softened butter in a large skillet and, when butter begins to bubble, add the peaches and ¼ cup sugar. Cook, stirring until peaches are golden brown around the edges and softened, 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, the remaining ¾ cup sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg and whisk well to combine. Stir the egg mixture into the bread mixture and fold to combine. Add the warm peaches and fold gently. Pour into prepared dish. Drizzle with the melted butter and bake until golden brown, puffed, and slightly firm when pressed in the center—45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before serving.
While the bread pudding is baking, make Amaretto Sauce: in a small, heavy enameled or other nonreactive saucepan over medium low heat, melt butter. In a small bowl, combine cream, sugar, and egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the cream mixture to the melted butter and stir well. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon—about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the amaretto. Transfer sauce to a small heatproof bowl and serve hot or warm over the warm bread pudding.
BELLA’S TORTILLA SOUP
Serves 4-6
My sister, Irene, gave me this recipe many years ago, and it is one of our favorite go-to soups. If you like extra spicy soups, try adding cayenne pepper—but remember a little cayenne goes a long way on spiciness. This is a very quick and easy recipe—some tortilla soup recipes are labor intensive, but this can be ready in 30-40 minutes, and the flavor is great!
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2-4 garlic cloves, minced (about 2-3 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4-ounce can chopped green chilies
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon hot sauce
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup water
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese and chopped cilantro for garnish
Tortilla chips
Directions: In a large saucepan, cook the onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add the chilies, diced tomatoes, broth, lemon pepper, Worcestershire, spices and hot sauce, and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine flour with the water and whisk it into the soup. Bring soup back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, salt, and pepper. Garnish each portion with cheese, cilantro or whatever you prefer.
CRAB CAKES WITH CRABBY SAUCE
Makes 10 2-inch cakes
I like crab cakes when you can actually taste the crab, not just breading. These have a great flavor. The sauce is spicy—cut back on the cayenne if you want less heat.
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and minced
2 scallions, minced (use white and green parts)
1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and minced
Grated zest and juice of one lemon
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 basil leaves, cut into strips
¼ cup canola oil
1-2 tablespoons butter
Directions: Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Place crabmeat in a medium bowl and pick through to remove any shell pieces, taking care to keep the crabmeat in large chunks. Add bell pepper, scallions, jalapeno pepper, lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise, ½ cup Panko, eggs, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, and basil. Stir gently to mix.
Place the remaining 1½ cups Panko on a plate. Scoop the crabmeat with a ¼-cup measure and pat it out to form a cake about 2 inches around and 1½ inches thick. Roll the cake in the breadcrumbs to coat lightly on both sides and shake gently to remove any excess crumbs. Place the crab cakes on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
Heat the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 4-6 crab cakes in the skillet, leaving about ½ inch between them, and cook until crab cakes are golden brown, turning only once—3-5 minutes per side. Place cakes on a platter lined with paper towels to drain, cover loosely with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining cakes. Serve immediately with Crabby Sauce.
Crabby Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Directions: Combine all ingredients. Keep refrigerated until serving crab cakes.
TIP’S PESTO SAUCE
Makes 1 1/2 cups
My friend Tip Ware gave me this recipe ages ago and it is still my favorite pesto sauce. It is so wonderful on fresh summer tomatoes. We use it on grilled chicken and mix it in pasta. I make large batches of it, freeze it in ice cube trays, and then pop the frozen cubes in Ziploc bags. You will love this recipe. Thanks, Tip!
1 cup packed basil leaves
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
5 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Add all ingredients to food processor until finely chopped. Add ½ cup olive oil in a steady stream to the processor. After shutting off processor, I sometimes mix in a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Keep refrigerated.
M! Oct/Nov 2013
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