Grilled Peach & Haloumi Salad with Arugula

Danny and I enjoyed this salad al fresco for lunch; the fragrance of grilled peaches wafted up from our plates and we clinked our glasses in a toast to summer and the quiet of our leafy backyard.

It was great to travel to Maine last month, but there's no place like home - especially if these salads keep coming and the sun stays out...

This is another easy summer grilling idea from Sobeys! (here was the first)

Well, they suggested the delightful combination of sweet peaches and salty haloumi, I added in the peppery arugula to round out this pretty salad. The result is a delightful trio of favors, brought together by a light, but potent, lemon and olive oil vinaigrette.


It's a super salad, and with Ontario peaches making their way into stores and markets here in Quebec, there's no better time to try this dish.

Grilled Peach & Haloumi Salad with Arugula

• 1 pkg (250g) Le Bedouin Haloumi, drained, patted dry and sliced in 5-6 slices
• 4 Compliments Peaches, washed, pitted & quartered
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Compliments honey
• 1 Tablespoon Compliments fresh thyme
• 100 g organic baby arugula
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat grill while you whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and fresh thyme in a bowl.


2. Toss peach segments in the vinaigrette and place on grill. Grill both peaches and haloumi for about five minutes, rotating them as needed, until they show lovely grill marks and both have softened.

3. Toss arugula with remaining vinaigrette and arrange on four plates or a serving platter.

4. Arrange grilled peaches on bed of arugula and top with haloumi. Serve warm.


*Disclaimer: So, yep, the folks at Sobeys sent me a gift card and I went shopping for ingredients! Everything to make this meal was purchased at my local IGA, including the Complements products.

You can find plenty more inspiration for summer meals on their website.

Poor Girl Gourmet Cookbook Review, Peach Crostata & Giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winners: John, Kim and Ella!

This post could very well be titled My New Favorite Cookbook, but I wanted to lure you in with promises of a summery dessert recipe and a (yes, another!) giveaway.

Hang on, because I'm about to wax lyrical on another cookbook.

This on comes to me from the amazing Amy McCoy of Poor Girl Gourmet, one of my daily reads in the food blogosphere. She's such a cool gal, and I was super excited to be asked to review her brand new cookbook, Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget.

For the record-- I LOVE it!

Before I could even flip through the book, I had to beat back my little sister, who happened to be here when the cookbook arrived and attempted to make away with it

"But. But. It's perfect for me!!" she protested when I removed it from her bag.

Indeed, it's perfect for everyone, because who doesn't want to eat like a gourmet, but still stay within their monthly food allowance?

Amy kick-starts the cookbook with some highly practical pointers on how to save money. Head over to Simple Bites to read 10 Tips to Help You Conserve Some Coin, an article inspired by Poor Girl Gourmet, plus get another fabulous recipe!

With the tagline 'Eating in style on a bare-bones budget', the Poor Girl Gourmet cookbook takes us on a low-budget, high-quality food adventure. Every recipe is gorgeous, gorgeous, and makes you want to jump up and COOK.

Like this one, for example. Oh, and stick with me until the bottom for your chance to win Amy's cookbook!!


Cornmeal Crust Peach Crostata

—Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget
by Amy McCoy/Andrews McMeel Publishing

Cornmeal Crust:

• 2¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup finely ground cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons (½ cup) very cold vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
• ½ to ¾ cup ice-cold water

Peach Filling:

• 6 medium peaches (approximately 2 pounds), halved, pitted, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices
• ¼ cup honey

For Finishing:

• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk (any kind)
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (sold as Sugar in the Raw), for dusting the crust

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt, mixing well to distribute all of these dry ingredients. Add the shortening and butter to the flour mixture, and blend until the fats are incorporated into the flour yet remain the size of peas.

2. Using a fork or pastry blender if not using a food processor, add the ice-cold water a tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together, meaning that no loose flour remains in your bowl. Form the dough into a ball. Place a piece of plastic wrap approximately 9 by 12 inches long on your work surface. Turn the dough out onto the plastic wrap, and flatten it into a thick round. Cover all parts of the dough round with the plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the peaches and honey, allowing the peaches to release their juices, or macerate, for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°F and get out your 10 by 15-inch rimmed baking sheet.

5. On a lightly floured surface, working from the center of the dough round, roll out the dough to a misshapen rectangle approximately 10 by 15 inches. I like to do this on a piece of reusable silicone parchment, which makes the transfer of the dough to the baking sheet infinitely easier, as I also bake the crostata on this piece of parchment. You can do the same by rolling the dough out on regular parchment paper and then sliding the dough and parchment paper onto the baking sheet before filling it with the peaches.

6. Place the honeyed peaches and their accumulated juices in the middle of the misshapen dough rectangle, spreading the peaches around so that there is a 2-inch peach-free border of dough. Working from the long sides first, fold that 2-inch dough border back over the peaches, then fold the short sides’ 2-inch dough border over the peaches, tucking the corners up and over the dough to be sure all peaches at the edges are sealed in and leaving a center of exposed peaches, like a window of golden summer fruit.

7. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk and milk, and then brush the egg wash over the crust. Sprinkle the crust with the turbinado sugar, then bake until the crust is golden brown and the peaches are bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving it forth.

Estimated cost for four: $3.17.

Hungry yet?

GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway is now closed.

Congratulations to our winner

John, Kim and Ella!

John, Kim and Ella said:

"My favorite is to buy local and in season! I've been trying to do this for the past year, and have loved it!
Thanks for the great post, can't wait to get the cookbook and make the tart! "

John, please contact me with your address and you will be receiving your cookbook shortly!

Thank you to ALL who entered!
* * *

OK, Amy McCoy is generously offering you a chance to WIN the Poor Girl Gourmet cookbook. I strongly suggest you do not miss this chance to get your hands on this book.

Here's what you need to do to enter this Giveaway:

1. Read 10 Ways to Conserve Some Coin over at Simple Bites.

2. Jump back here and leave a comment on this post.

3. In your comment, tell me ONE of Amy's money-saving tips you will implement into your lives, OR one thing you already do.

4. Optional: For an extra entry, you can TWEET this giveaway. Leave a second comment, letting me know you have tweeted. Thanks!

That's it! This giveaway is open until midnight on Friday, June 18.

Winner will be selected by random.org and announced sometime on Saturday, June 19.

Good luck!!

Amy, thank you so much for the opportunity to get to know you a bit better and for your inspiring cookbook. You better believe that the next time I am coming through RI, I am stopping in for a cup of tea and your very own honey.

Tasting Summer in Bittman's Bake

Being the lazy pie maker that I am, I really wanted to love Mark Bittman's Stone Fruit Patchwork Bake; however it just wasn't all that it was talked up to be. He can call it what he likes, but it was only reminiscent of pie and I found myself wishing I had turned those gorgeous cherries and peaches into a cobbler with a fluffy cake-like topping.

We still had no problem eating our way through it, however, as the combination of peaches and cherries was irresistible. Seriously summer baked in a dish!


I did like the rustic side of this 'pie' and it was a great dessert to make with little helpers, I will say that. You don't have to worry about stray fingers poking a hole in your pie crust, if fact they can help lay the lattice pieces on top, like so.


Heh, maybe I need to give it a second chance, or maybe next time I'll try Emily's classic Stone Fruit Pie. Anyway, this lazy version of pie is easy, pretty quick, and may be just the thing to help you use up those fast-ripening peaches hanging around.


Stone Fruit Patchwork Bake
recipe by Mark Bittman

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces, more for dish
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 pounds peaches, seeded and sliced (about 5 large)
1 cup cherries, stones in or pitted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Heat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9-by-13-inch or similar-size baking dish; set aside. ( I halved the recipe and made a 8 inch round. It was a little sparse, though.)

For pastry:
In a food processor, combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, the salt and 1 tablespoon sugar; pulse once or twice. Add butter and turn on machine; process until butter and flour are blended and mixture looks like coarse cornmeal, about 15 to 20 seconds. Slowly add 1/4 cup ice water through feed tube and process until just combined. Form dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (You can refrigerate dough for up to a couple of days, or freeze it, tightly wrapped, for up to a couple of weeks.)

For filling:
Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss fruit with remaining flour, 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice; place in baking dish.

Assembly:
Put dough on a floured board or countertop and sprinkle with more flour. Roll dough into a 12-inch round, adding flour and rotating and turning dough as needed. Cut dough into 3-inch-wide strips, then cut again crosswise into 4-inch-long pieces. Scatter pieces over fruit in an overlapping patchwork pattern.

4. Brush top of dough lightly with water and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Transfer to oven and bake until top is golden brown and juices bubble, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool; serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Strawberry-Peach Cobbler and a Father's Day Gift

Apparently, after a recent cross-Canada poll, it was stated that the majority of dads want a flat screen TV for Father's Day. I hope that's not what Danny wanted because I got him something a little different...


See that cute black fellow on the right?
In a few weeks he's going to be delivered to our place in brown paper packages tied up with string, namely as organic, free-range Angus beef! Yep, I got my hubby a cow for Father's Day--all the barbecue he could ever want. How's that for manly?

It's been in the works for a while to split this locally raised yearling with some friends of ours; their cousin raises them on a gorgeous farm that has been in the family for generations in (very) rural Quebec. We drove out on the weekend to meet the farmer, select our calf and see where it was raised.
Gee, I wish I had this view. It was quite picturesque!


The cows were practically knee-deep in buttercups and clover. I haven't seen Food, Inc yet, but I'm pretty sure that few beef cows have it as good as these ones.

Our little ones snacked on all the carrots intended for the cows and enjoyed the outing immensely; however, Mateo didn't like it when they 'mooed'. Cows can be pretty intimidating up close, especially the bull that stared us down.


We attempted the whole "...this is where hamburger comes from" talk with Noah, but abandoned it pretty fast. He's extremely sensitive (he wept over the shorn tomato plants that were eaten by unknown creatures in our garden) and is much too young to be troubling his little head over such matters.

Zipping along Quebec's rural roads, I kept my eyes peeled for a sign announcing 'Fraises du Quebec'. It wasn't long before we found a fruit stand and treated ourselves to a basket of the season's freshest fruit. We devoured most of them on the spot, but I managed to save a few for later. I stretched them with some fresh peaches I had sitting around and made a few of my favorite simple summer desserts. Perfect for bringing to a pot-luck!


I'm anticipating picking my own strawberries soon and the endless possibilities that await! For now, I'm perfectly content with my cobbler--and have 125 lbs of beef to look forward to in a few weeks.

Happy Summer!


Strawberry-Peach Cobbler
(adapted from Everyday Baking)

For The Filling:
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound peaches, halved, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and cut again in half crosswise
1/2 lb strawberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1. Make the filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Wash and prepare fruit; you should have about 4 cups of strawberries and peaches. Add fruit to cornstarch mixture and add lemon juice; toss to combine. Divide filling evenly among four 8-ounce custard cups (or one 2-quart baking dish); transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Make the topping and bake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir just until a dough forms. Drop dough onto peaches, using about 1/3 cup dough for each custard cup. Sprinkle dough with remaining teaspoon sugar. Bake until fruit is bubbling and biscuit topping is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes; serve warm.

Rise and Shine

I'm not a person who obsesses over weight. I hate diets and diet talk, am not up to date on the latest weight-loss novelties, and most health-related jargon goes in one ear and out the other. My sister insists it's because I don't have to worry about my weight, but I insist right back that's not true. Even if I hadn't inherited my mother's metabolism--she's about 105 soaking wet--I would still eat whatever I wanted. Anyone who knows me can attest to my 'cherry on top' approach to eating. Yes, I want whipping cream on my Cafe Mocha, butter and cream cheese on my bagel, and bacon with everything.

However, as gluttonous as that sounds, I do watch what I eat, but not in a calorie-counting way. I'm not indifferent to the importance of a balanced diet. I could name you off ten 'power foods' in a flash (blueberries, avocado, pomegranate, tomatoes, kale...) I almost never eat fast food, stay far away from overly-processed foods and eat balanced meals prepared from scratch.

Still, I always get The Question. Sometimes it's asked in an accusing way, sometimes wistful, sometimes puzzled, but there it is:

"Why don't you weigh like two hundred pounds?"

People know how many sweets I consume, that I am a former chef and, yep, my world pretty much revolves around food, and they assume I should weight at least 50 lbs more than I do. How do you answer that? I never know. Sometimes I even feel apologetic, especially if the question is tinged with accusation.
"I'm sorry?"
Maybe I will say that sometime.

You know, I realize that weight is a huge (sorry, terrible pun, but I use that word for everything) issue for many people, and I don't mean to make light of it (someone stop me already!). It's just no fun to always have people telling you how unfair it is that you are not fat.

Now, I don't want to offend anyone and so I will stop while I am ahead and tell you what got me going on all of this in the first place.


This month's Saveur is entirely devoted to breakfast! Awesome.
Thumbing through it I was skeptical at first, a write up about the southern U.S. chain Waffle House? An article on McDonald's Egg McMuffin? But I picked up a copy anyway, huge breakfast lover that I am, and was glad I did, for it transported me for a breakfast tour around the world that was most enjoyable, and supplied me with so many breakfast recipes that I wished it was Saturday every day so I could try them out.

Inspired by the issue, I decided to show you what I have for breakfast every morning. Perhaps THIS healthy start to my day has helped to keep my weight down, perhaps not.


Nope, not sugary cold cereal, not buttery Danishes, and no greasy fry-up, but oatmeal porridge is my standard breakfast five days a week. It's not always with roasted peaches and cinnamon sugar, as pictured, but with a variety of seasonal toppings. My dining room table perpetually has a tray with plenty more add-ons for the hot cereal: wheat germ, coconut, honey, craisins, granola and whatever else suits my fancy.
The weekends are for the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and the Raspberry Chocolate Muffins, but during the week the babies and I wake up together over stone-cut oats.

Seriously though, I grew up eating hot cereal and vowed to keep it up so that my children would also. My husband was raised on cold cereal and our pantry is stocked to meet his needs, however this is about to change. Noah is plenty old enough to realize Daddy's Honey Nut Cheerios are more fun than his oatmeal. On the rare occasion he is up before Danny has to leave for work, one can usually find him sleepily trying to climb up on his dad's lap for of bite of 'cheewios'.

Ah, this is fascinating, stuff isn't it?

OK, so if anyone is still reading, tell me, what do you eat for breakfast?

Peach Tart Tatin

Just a quick post today as we are all a-flutter getting ready for Noah's third birthday! There is still a homemade pinata to paint, balloons to blow up, a dozen lemons to squeeze for his favorite drink (lemonade) and most importantly, a cake to decorate. I'm sure I'll be up far into the night icing it-I don't want to start it until he is fast asleep!!
At some point amidst all the busyness, I'm sure I will be shedding a tear or two over the fact that my baby, my firstborn, is growing up. Sniff!

We went for a walk yesterday, a few of Autumn's early fallen leaves crunching under our feet, bundled up in warm sweaters, talking the whole way. At the stop sign he declared:

"A-R-R-E-T. That spells 'Stop'." and I had to laugh. Only in Quebec can things be this confusing for a child.

I had to post this peach tart tatin because it was one of my favorite desserts last month. There's still plenty of gorgeous stone fruits available; it's certainly not too late to make this for yourself. You really need a dessert to dig into as you get comfy on the sofa in the evening and welcome all your favorite TV shows back, right? (Top Chef: where ARE you?)


OK, so I don't have a recipe for this, as I literally just melted some butter, added a sprinkling of brown sugar and the peach halves to the pan. I then dusted the peaches in cinnamon and topped the whole thing with a round of chilled puff pastry. Into the oven it went until the pastry was golden brown.
If you've made an apple tart tatin, you can make this! If not, you might want leave this useless post and check out a real recipe for tart tatin.

That's it!

Going Crazy for Peach Cobbler

How frustrating is it to be hungry and surfing food blogs? It's like asking for trouble.

You don't even have to be that hungry, you can be just peckish, and then start feeling sorry for yourself as you read about all the good stuff that is unavailable, SO unavailable, to you.
It's cruel, really.

So what are your options should you find yourself with a rumbling stomach and drooling onto your keyboard? Here are two that come to mind.

A) Get out before you are so blinded by hunger you will raid the pantry and eat anything you come across (usually chocolate, marshmallows, dried fruit and more chocolate). Switch sites immediately and start surfing your favorite online retail store for bikinis. That will get your mind off of food and onto exercise faster than anything else.
OR
B) Hit 'print', head to the kitchen, tie on an apron, and attempt to recreate what had you salivating moments earlier.

Let's assume the latter is what most of us do.

Now for a reality check (don't you hate those?).
Here's the deal, although you may be a cook, perhaps even a professional chef, that doesn't always mean you can jump up and turn out exactly what you have seen on a blog.
If only it were that easy, but often you are separated by more than just preheating the oven and stirring ingredients together.
Here are a few roadblocks you may encounter. These are purely from my own experience, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

1) Product Availability: Who has a stash of blueberry lager in the back of the fridge to make these Brewberry Brownies? Another creation from Sugar Plum, these unique brownies look like the perfect dessert to be whipped up on a weeknight and eaten straight from the pan while -what else?--surfing blogs, but how am I to get my hands on a beer called "Wild Blue"? (Warning: This problem is encountered more frequently if you tend to read blogs from another country where they have many products that are new to us. It works both ways, though, as I have had people ask me what crab apples or rhubarb taste like.)

2) Time Constraints: (this is my current biggest problem) Do you have enough non-interrupted free time to execute the dish correctly? OK, fine then, maybe you do, but then you read the recipe and there is the frustratingly inevitable step in the recipe that says to rest/marinade/chill the dish overnight. Arg! You need to eat it NOW!

3) Just Plain Lack-of-Skill: Ouch. Never fun to admit, but we know our limits, right? We need a few hundred hours of pastry experience under our belts before we can attempt some of this stuff.

For example, recently I was puckering and salivating over Aran's Delice D'Ete. Everything about it was calling out to me: the tartness of the raspberries, the Bavarian cream with its vanilla seeds, and the stylish way the dessert came together. I could imagine my fork cutting effortlessly through its flawless layering, but deep down I knew: this dessert was about as attainable to me as an Olympic medal. (Not just because I am Canadian, either!) I barely had enough time to read through and visualize the recipe, never mind grab a pen and make a shopping list. Little use that would be anyway, as Oprah probably gets more cooking time in her kitchen than I do. OK, so she probably doesn't lift a spoon, but you get my drift.



However, my spirits lifted, perhaps even soared when I saw this cobbler! Matt's gorgeous photo got my attention and his ode to the humble cobbler struck a chord. Here was something I could throw together during the rare occasion of a synchronized nap of my babies, using ingredients that were fast ripening on my counter top. Heck, I thought, if my stars were aligned right, I could probably make a cobbler, bake it and eat half of it before anyone woke up. Perfect!

And that's what I did. More than once.

In fact, if I counted correctly, I believe I made five peach cobblers in 48 hours, but who is counting anyway?

Let's see. Well, I started with two--and not little sissy individual ramekins like the one in the photo either, but big, deep dish pyrex cobblers. One I consumed hot out of the oven that afternoon with some help from Danny (this is the recommended way to eat them). The other one I brought to a potluck with friends that evening. The next day I made another one for us (much bigger this time) and two more in aluminum, take-out containers to deliver to friends who just had babies. After that I was out of peaches or I probably would have kept going.


The little ramekins are pretty cute, I guess, good for a photo, but you will never be satisfied with a small portion of this perfect summer-in-a-dish.
How simple is the cobbler? It's easier than a pie. I always get a mental block with pie dough; it's so much work to roll out sometimes. No spices or flavorings mask the flavor of the peaches, letting them be the star of the show. The biscuit batter is almost as light as a cake and has a delightful contrast of textures between the fluffy underside and the crusty top.
Enjoy the cobbler warm, with a mound of whipped cream.

Peach Cobbler (original recipe from Everyday Baking)

For The Filling:
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds peaches, halved, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and cut again in half crosswise (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1. Make the filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add peaches and lemon juice; toss to combine. Divide filling evenly among four 8-ounce custard cups (or one 2-quart baking dish); transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Make the topping and bake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir just until a dough forms. Drop dough onto peaches, using about 1/3 cup dough for each custard cup. Sprinkle dough with remaining teaspoon sugar. Bake until fruit is bubbling and biscuit topping is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes; serve warm.

Summer Peach Galette or A Country Party

Under the High Chair Travels: Northern British Columbia

As my three week return visit to my British Columbia hometown drew to a close, things were heating up for a party we were throwing in honor of my parents 35^th wedding anniversary. We’ve never done anything like this for them and so we wanted to make it special, poignant, personal and beautiful. Fortunately, between my three siblings and I (and let's not forget our amazing partners) we have the combined skill sets to create a memorable evening, so all we needed to do was put them to good use!

To my delight, the morning of the party dawned with sunshine and I was up almost as soon as those early rays. Before the first pot of French press coffee had even been drunk, I had turned out a few fruit tarts from the oven, a cherry and a peach, and the place was already starting to smell wonderful. I sat down with a muffin and listened to the grandchildren, ages 4, 2, almost 2 and 1, practice their special song for Nana and Grampa. With all the kazoos, maracas, drums and shakers it was a little hard to hear the words, but I was confident the guests of honor would be touched.

While others spent the morning cutting grass, trimming trees, hanging outdoor lights, scrubbing little hands and faces and a hundred other jobs, I was looking over a bountiful selection of home grown veggies, fresh berries and newly-caught fish and humming and hawing over the menu.

Finally it was decided upon: simple, fresh, and full of flavor:

Canapes

Fresh Garden Crudite with Chive Dip
Parmesan Straws
Green Pea and Curry Samosas
Sautéed Shrimp New Mexican style with Tequila, Lime and Cilantro
Crostini with Wilted Spinach and Asiago

Buffet

Bacon-Wrapped Maple Sage Pork Loin
Queen Charlotte Islands Halibut with Wasabi Cream
Roasted Chicken with Ethiopian Berberé Spices
Potato & Rosemary Strudel
Roasted Baby Beets and Carrots
Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon Butter
Wild Rice Pilaf with Pecans & Dried Cranberries
Fresh Mixed Greens with a Roasted Tomato & Balsamic Vinaigrette
Rosemary Baguettes

Dessert Table

2 Rustic Summer Galettes: Summer Peach and Okanagan Cherry
Vanilla Bean Panacotta with Strawberries
Dark Chocolate & Wild Strawberry Cupcakes
Citrus & Cointreau Cheesecake
Gingersnaps
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Great, now with the menu decided upon and the prep well underway, there was only one thing I was worried about: Noah. The poor little fellow had received three simultaneous black fly bites around his left eye the evening before while we were dining al fresco. To our dismay, his eye had swollen nearly shut during the night and by lunch time on party day, half of his face was looking an angry purple color and hot to the touch. Not good.

We administered an antihistamine, but by 4 PM, an hour before guests are to arrive, and with my oven full of roasting birds and pork loins, yet my son's condition worsening, we made the decision to take him to emergency.

Now if anyone knows me, they know I do not enjoy giving up control of my kitchen at any time, and it's especially difficult when there are 26 guests coming and I’ve got the gist of the menu in my head. However, my baby’s health is unquestionably my number one priority, so I handed my apron over to my sister, Haidi, and off we went.

While Danny distracted Noah in the waiting room, I was outside the hospital on a cell phone trying to get my other minor emergency under control. I didn't care if I was getting some funny looks, if I could still be at the helm from a distance, so be it!
I barked orders at her like a drill sergeant:

“Take the chicken out of the oven and cover it with foil.
Baste the pork loin with the maple syrup mixture. Do NOT forget to bring the strudel up from the basement so it can temper! Remember, the cheese straws HAVE to bake at 450F or they won’t crisp nicely"
"Oh and take the halibut out of the fridge so it can come to room temp. And if people start arriving, send a batch of samosas as appys BEFORE you send shrimp, because once people see seafood, they won’t eat anything else, OK?"

"Are you doing OK??”

I knew she would be fine and when we returned an hour and a half later (with antibiotics) we drove up on a picturesque, perfectly executed little country party...


Guests milled about near the blue delphinium beds and sipped summer drinks selected from an outdoor bar. They seemed to be contented as they munched on canapés, including some crispy Parmesan cheese straws offered my adorable niece, Lyra. Jazz tunes floated out the French doors, and onto the deck, where the children played together-their clothes clean for now. The sun was just starting to slant behind the gigantic Hudson Bay Mountain and there was no rain in sight!

Hay bales and snowcapped mountains make for an idyllic setting as Lyra offers treats.

In the kitchen, things were moving along nicely. I grabbed an apron and kicked it into fourth gear with the goal of having the buffet served in half an hour. No sweat!

The evening was a great success, unfortunately I was too busy rushing around trying to keep a buffet hot for 26 guests, and I forgot to shoot any photos of it, but it was lovely and people were appreciative.

Dessert was popular with the children...

To my surprise (and despite being stalked by nephew Marley) the cupcakes lingered on the dessert table, while the peach galette with whipped cream disappeared quickly and people were looking for another. Sorry folks, but below I have included the recipe for your baking pleasure.


After dinner, the children sang for their grandparents and it brought tears to a few eyes.

We toasted my parents and their inspiration to us all and gathered for one big photo before the babies went to bed. Danny, Noah and I were to fly out the next morning, so it was a bittersweet moment, but one I won't soon forget, nevertheless.

A Rustic Peach Galette

½ lb Puff Pastry
7 ripe peaches
¼ cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg, beaten

Roll out puff pastry in to about a 14 inch round. Refrigerate until chilled.

Half peaches and slice in to ½ inch wide wedges. In a heavy sauce pan on medium heat, melt butter and add sugar. Let sugar dissolve and bubble for a minute or so, then add peaches and stir to coat with butter mixture. Cook gently for a few minutes until the peaches soften slightly and release some juice.

Combine cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon juice together and add to peach mixture. Stir gently as the cornstarch thickens and coats the peaches. Simmer for a few minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 375F
Remove puff from fridge and arrange peach filling in the middle, leaving a good 2 inches around the edge. Fold up sides of puff party into the peaches, overlapping slightly until peaches are enclosed within a circle of puff. Brush pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until pastry is golden, about 25 minutes.