8/31/16 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser
Well, dear readers, when last we met, I was knee deep in
zucchini. And yes, we still have massive amounts of zucchini in Chuck’s garden
patch. Our bellies are full of casseroles and the freezer is full of zucchini
bread. I even discovered a new way
to prepare it as a side dish: I slice and pan-fry it with potatoes and onions!
It is delicious served with applesauce.
Friends and neighbors are now sharing in the zucchini bounty
and I have moved on to peaches. I no longer do the massive amount of canning
that I used to do. This I quit canning apricots and that led to no longer
making jam or jelly. Well, that’s not quite true. I still made strawberry
freezer jam. But that’s so easy it hardly counts.
So far this season I have only canned green beans and
peaches. Still to come are tomatoes, marinara sauce and applesauce. But I
digress. Back to the peaches. My favorite canning peach is Suncrest. They are
semi-cling, have a bright almost tangy taste with a ruby red center that lends
color to the jars in the cupboard.
Josh, our 13-year old grandson begs to differ with my
choice. He and his mom were visiting when we went out to Detering's to pick up
the peaches. Our choices included Arctic Supreme, Suncrest, and Veterans. But
Josh and Betsy loved the New Improved Elbertas. So we bought a small box of
Elbertas for eating and a big box of Suncrests for canning.
I must say that it makes my heart happy just to see all
those jars of peaches lined up in the canning cupboard. They are sunshine in a
jar. This year I also tried slicing, sugaring and freezing a few bags. We shall
see how that works out. And of course, we have had our fair share of peach
cobbler.
Today’s recipes are perfect if you have company and are
craving something a little different to add to your recipe file. If you’re
having friends over for morning coffee try the Raspberry-Peach muffins. The
recipe calls for a sprinkling of Demerara sugar. It’s basically a large grained
light brown sugar. Feel free to make substitutions.
The Peach and Cheese Blintzes would make a great
after-dinner dessert treat. There are three parts to the recipe: crepes,
filling and topping. They are not difficult to make so don’t freak out! If the
guys at the Junction City Scandinavian Festival do it you can too!
So, enjoy summer’s bounty and be sure to eat your fill of
fresh Oregon peaches!
PEACH AND CHEESE BLINTZES
Serves 10-12
Crepe Batter
1 Cup flour
1/4
teaspoon salt
1
Tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
2
Tablespoons margarine, melted (cooled)
1 1/3
cups milk,
1
teaspoon vanilla
Peach and Cheese Filling
8 ounces
cream cheese
4 ounces
cottage cheese
1
tablespoon powdered sugar
Grated
rind of 1/4 orange
Grated
rind of 1/2 lemon
1/2 C
fresh peach slices, diced
3-4
drops lemon flavoring
10 Crepes
(recipe below)
1 cup
peach slices
2
teaspoons cornstarch
2 drops
lemon flavoring
1. Crepes
Mix all ingredients in a blender
until batter is smooth.
Heat small (8 inch) fry pan over
medium heat.
Place 1 teaspoon oil or margarine
in pan and continue heating until hot enough to make a drop of water sizzle
Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the
hot pan.
Tip the pan so the batter spreads
over the bottom of the pan.
When the underside of the crepe is
lightly browned turn it over and lightly brown other side. Remove crepes from
pan and place on paper plate until all are cooked.
2. Peach and Cheese Filling
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix cheeses, sugar, zests, lemon flavoring and diced peaches.
Spread each crepe with about 1 1/2 T. of the cream cheese mixture. Roll up like
a jelly roll. Place blintzes on a cooking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven
for ten minutes.
3. Peach Topping
Topping can be prepared in advance
or while crepes are cooking. In a small saucepan, combine remaining peach
slices, cornstarch and lemon flavoring. Cook over low heat until mixture
thickens. Spoon over the blintzes. Makes 10-12 crepes. Store leftovers in an
airtight container in the refrigerator.
RASPBERRY PEACH
MUFFINS
2 cups all-purpose
flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated
sugar
1/2 cup firmly
packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1
teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table
salt
12 tablespoons (1
1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan
3/4 cup whole or 2%
milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
Zest and juice from
1 lemon
Zest from 1/2 orange
6 ounces raspberries
3/4 cup fresh or
frozen sliced peaches, thawed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Demerara sugar, for
sprinkling (optional)
Preheat
your oven to 400° and set a rack to the middle position. Line the cups of a
standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease them lightly
with butter.
In a
large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugars, baking powder, and
salt. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, sour cream, eggs,
lemon zest, lemon juice, and orange zest.
Pour
the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir, just until combined.
Gently fold in the raspberries and peaches until mixed throughout.
Divide
the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with demerara
sugar, if using. Bake until lightly golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly
before unmolding.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s
Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious,
family oriented and easy to prepare. Contact her at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com
