End of Summer Grilled Pizza

We made this pizza in the heat of mid July on a night when the sun didn't set until nearly 9:00; we took our time putting together the pizzas while everyone gathered in the kitchen sipping beer and sneaking pieces of cheese and slices of tomatoes as we chopped away. This pizza came out of a surplus of eggplant and zucchini that Erica had received at the farmer's market and is a great way to use up the last of those summer veggies that are lingering around as we transition over to sweet potatoes, squashes and winter greens.

We chopped fresh herbs and let them marinate in olive oil while we prepared the veggies. We simply sliced and sauteed the eggplant on the stove for a few minutes on each side to cook them.  To assemble the pizza we rolled out the pizza dough and placed it on the grill, spread the herb and oil mixture on, layered zucchini, eggplant and tomato slices, covered with slices of cheddar and then closed the grill to allow everything to heat and meld together.

Grilled pizzas are the epitome of summer and are versatile in the way that you can put whatever you would like on them. So perhaps make one last grilled pizza this season before the grills get put away and enjoy the warmth of the grill on an autumn night.

Grilled Pizza with Summer Veggies
this is a super versatile recipe and you can feel free to put whatever mix of toppings and cheese you'd like

One small zucchini sliced in 1/4 inch discs
A few handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 small eggplants, quartered
olive oil
herbs of choice
cheddar cheese, sliced
pizza dough

Allow your pizza dough to rise before using.  Slice up your vegetables.  Chop your herbs and cover with olive oil, enough to spread over pizza crust.  In a frying pan on the stove, saute your eggplant in olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper for a few minutes on each side until they start to soften.  Heat up the grill and place pizza dough right on the edge with a bit overhanging to allow for flipping.  Let dough cook for a few minutes on one side. Once it starts to crisp up flip the pizza dough.  Spread oil and herb mixture, layer on veggies and place cheese on top. Close grill and let pizza cook another few minutes until cheese is melted and dough is cooked all the way through. 

Apricot Basil Tart

We've been on a bit of a hiatus due to typical summer things including vacations and being in the throes of prime fruit season. We recently found ourselves in Cape Cod for a long weekend with friends. One evening as we stood back from the picnic table where everyone was happily slurping up steamed clams we began to discuss our next recipe while sipping gin and tonics. Erica mentioned that apricots were in season and suggested we make something with them. 

Living in New England means that you won’t often see apricots at your local farmer’s market.  They aren’t the most common stone fruit grown here, and they definitely aren’t the most winter hardy.  With that being said, if you see some at a farmer’s market, buy them! Don’t wait a week, because they may be gone. In part, apricots are so special around here because there is such a limited window in which to get them. One of the most wonderful things about where we live is that, due to the changing seasons, you are forced to appreciate certain things like moderate temperatures and fresh produce!

So, a few days after Cape Cod we convened in Erica's kitchen. She procured a small bag of apricots that she had hidden from her family so that we could use them. She sliced one in half and after tasting it we immediately knew that we wouldn't need to do much to make something delicious. We decided to keep it simple and make a tart, garnishing the apricots with nothing more than an herby sugar, in this case basil. The tart came together fast and is not overly sweet, the basil sugar balancing out the slightly tart apricots just perfectly. We highly recommend seeking out apricots, but any stone fruit would be equally as good. We made two tarts, the second one we added raspberries to since we didn't have quite enough apricots and that was also a delicious combination. So feel free to play around with what you have available!

Apricot Basil Tart

1 pint ripe apricots, halved

1 handful basil leaves

⅓ cup sugar

I sheet of frozen puff pastry

Let puff pastry thaw for about an hour. Preheat oven to 425.  In the meantime, rinse basil and pat dry. Add basil and sugar together in a food processor and pulse until well combined.  Lay puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper and arrange apricot halves.  Sprinkle the basil-sugar over the fruit and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

Having grown up on a fruit orchard, my family and I have what I think is a unique perspective on both strawberries and rhubarb. Strawberries are thought of as sweet, juicy little treats that linger here in Connecticut for only about two weeks; on the farm we usually say that is two weeks too short for anyone eating them, and two weeks too long for anyone picking them. Ask anyone who has picked strawberries as a summer job, and not just for pleasure, it is a backbreaking endeavor. No matter how many berries you eat, it doesn’t seem to make the deal any sweeter.  

In the heat of a late June afternoon, bending over to pick yet another tiny red berry, you can grow to dislike strawberries, hate even. Luckily, we have finally given our own strawberry operation a rest, and we are able to enjoy strawberry season by leisurely picking strawberries at our own pace and on our own accord at some of our neighboring farms. Strawberries have never tasted so sweet!

Rhubarb is a spring staple around here.  We usually just cut it up and make compote or sauce from it, which we then proceed to add to anything and everything.  It is great in yogurt, on ice cream, on toast, and even on its own. Over the years I have gotten the impression that the general public does not view rhubarb as such a pivotal part of their diet. We freeze pounds and pounds of it, so that there isn’t one winter month that goes by that we have to go without. If you do take a liking to rhubarb, I would recommend devoting a small corner of your garden to it; it is a wonderful plant that will dutifully return year after year.

The combination of these two spring beauties is wonderful due to their widely contrasting flavors.  The tart rhubarb pairs wonderfully with the sweetness of the strawberries. So while strawberry ice cream might be good, strawberry rhubarb might just be better.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

Ice Cream Base:

2 cups milk

4 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 tbsp. (1.5 oz) cream cheese, softened

Rhubarb Compote:

1 pound rhubarb (chopped into ¼ inch pieces)

1 pint strawberries (sliced)

1 vanilla bean

¾ cup sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

To make the ice cream base add ¼ cup milk to the cornstarch and mix so that no chunks remain. Add all remaining ingredients except for the cream cheese to a medium saucepan and heat over medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, add the cornstarch slurry and continue to boil for another minute.  Place cream cheese in a large heatproof bowl, and add about a ½ cup of the boiling milk/cream mixture over it.  With a wire whisk incorporate the cream cheese into the hot mixture until completely creamy, and then add the remaining hot mixture. Cover your ice cream base with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. In the meantime, add all the ingredients for the compote to a sauce pan and bring to a boil, once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is completely broken down.  Cool compote in the refrigerator and once cool add to the ice cream base.  Once the base and compote have been incorporated add to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Enjoy!