Grilled Elk Zucchini Boats

In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Barbara Kingsolver describes zucchini season as an invasion of the Italian dirigible. Stores are filled with a horde of these foot long zeppelins; home gardens are overflowing with even larger blimps. It is always a challenge to use every zucchini.  When my parents first introduced me to this invasion, our home-grown zucchini were all at least a couple feet long.  After 20 years, they've finally figured it out, harvest the zucchini young and repelling this armada is much less daunting.  Now we harvest them when they are only about 12 inches.  Even so, the number of zucchini five plants produce is outlandish.  From July through August, every dinner includes zucchini, yet, I've never gotten tired of it.

My favorite way to prepare zucchini is simple: slice it in grillable sized pieces, coat with olive oil and grill until tender.  

This summer, Erin reintroduced me to stuffed zucchini and it was amazing.  Here's her recipe:

Stuffing

1lbs elk, preferably Montana wild game, possibly inherited from a delinquent ex roommate

1/2 C onion (diced)

1/2 C bread crumbs

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

2 Tbsp fresh basil

1/2 C diced brown italian mushrooms

1 egg

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper
1/2 C pine nuts (toasted)
1/2 C feta cheese

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce
1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers
1 can diced red tomatoes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped basil
(Optional: spice up the sauce with red pepper flakes or Siracha)

3-4 12" Zucchini, also preferably inherited or home grown.

Prepare the zucchini boats by slicing each zucchini in half lengthwise and hollowing out each half. A melon baller works great and also makes it possible to saute the melon balls with salt and pepper for a tasty app!  Leave 1/8" to 1/4" of flesh. Set aside. To make the stuffing, place the elk burger in a large bowl.  Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Stuff each zucchini half with an equal amount of elk burger.  Grill/bake each boat until the zucchini is tender and the meat is cooked all the way through.

To make the sauce:
Blend all ingredients on high until saucy.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Sauce may be made a day ahead and keeps for about a week.  Stuffed zucchini boats also freeze well and offer a tasty winter reminder of warm summer days long gone.

Baseball Birthday Bash

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;
Dean is turning two -- Scott and Annie hit one out!

Baseball Birthday Cake

Erin found this recipe on Epicurious and decided it should be tailored to meet the needs of a baseball themed 2-year-old's birthday party!  Erin hit a home run and decided to make a baseball cake with a red, white, and blue layers.

For red velvet cake layers:

• 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising (sift before measuring) 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa (such as Hershey's; not Dutch process or extra-dark cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (1-ounce) bottle (2 tablespoons) red food coloring
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1/4 cup water

For white & blue cake layer:

• 2 2/3 cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising (sift before measuring)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon grated lemon zest (best done with Microplane zester or grater)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For cream cheese frosting:

• 2 1/2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese (20 ounces total), softened
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Make red velvet cake layers:

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with some additional flour, knocking out excess.

Resift cake flour together with cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using stand mixer) at medium-high speed until combined well, then add oil and beat until very pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and sour cream mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until batter is smooth.

Divide batter between pans (about 3 cups in each) and smooth tops. Rap pans on counter a couple of times to expel any air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pans, 25 to 30 minutes. Keep oven on.

Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pans. Invert layers onto racks and peel off wax paper. Cool layers completely.

Make white cake layer while red velvet layers cool:
Butter two 9-inch round cake pan, then line bottom with wax paper. Butter paper and dust pan with some additional flour, knocking out excess.

Resift cake flour together with baking soda and salt into a bowl. Whisk egg whites in another bowl with sour cream mixture until combined.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using stand mixer) at medium-high speed until combined well, then add oil and beat until very pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in zest and vanilla extract.

Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and sour cream mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is smooth. Transfer batter to pan and spread evenly. Rap pan on counter a couple of times to expel any air bubbles.

Bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from side of pan, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan. Invert layer onto rack and peel off wax paper. Cool layer completely.

Make the Frosting:

Beat together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixture until creamy and s

mooth. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt.

Sift confectioners' sugar into a bowl and add to cream cheese mixture. Mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth. Separate about a 1/2 C of the frosting.

Frost cake:

Brush loose crumbs from cake layers with a pastry brush.

Put a red velvet layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate or stand. Spread 1 cup of frosting over layer. Cover with white layer, bottom side up, and spread with another cup of frosting. Top with second red velvet layer

, bottom side up.

Spread a thin layer of frosting around sides and over top of cake. (This is called crumb-coating. It tamps down any loose crumbs to keep them out of the top layer of frosting and fills in any crevices. This is particularly important with red velvet cake layers.) Chill or briefly freeze cake just until frosting is firm.

Spread sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Chill or briefly freeze cake just until frosting is firm.  If you are running low on frosting, take some from the 1/2 C you set aside, however, leave some for decorating.

Add red food coloring to the frosting you set aside.  Add enough so the frosting turns red, like th

e stripes on a baseball.  Mix well.  If you have a pastry bag, then add the red frosting to the bag and decorate the top and sides of the cake to look like a baseball.  If you don't have a pastry bag, you can use a ziplock bag.  To do this, add the frosting to a ziplock bag, and cut off the corner.  Squeeze the frosting through the corner of the bag to draw the baseball lines.

Cracker Jacks

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

1-12oz can of Spanish Peanuts
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (or 2 or 3) large cookie sheet, greased

 In an air popper, pop the kernels according to your machine’s manual. My machine only allows you to pop 1/3 cups at a time, so make sure you follow your machine’s capacity instructions. You should have almost 4 quarts of popped popcorn using 1/2 cup of kernels. Dump the popcorn and the Spanish peanuts in a clean tall paper grocery bag. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a medium sauce pan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter,and salt over medium heat and allow to gently boil for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Carefully and immediately pour caramel sauce into the paper grocery bag and stir the sauce, popcorn, and nuts with a wooden spoon until the sauce is evenly distributed. Take the popcorn mixture and evenly scatter it between both greased cookie sheets. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring the popcorn every 15 minutes. Allow to cool and break up the pieces (if desired). Store in zip lock bags or airtight containers. Enjoy! *

Harriet's Naughty Pavlova

This week we headed to the Flathead Valley to say good bye to two of our wonderful friends, Geno and Amanda.  We were excited for our week in the northwest even before we realized-cherry season!  I first attempted berry pavlova upon receipt of  my mother's summer care package of fresh Oregon berries.  Rob, having contemplated my ingredients, now had the perfect debut for his own approach.  Geno's super hip mom, Harriet, hosted us to scrumptious elk enchiladas and other crisp garden fare.  To say the least, we were happy to have brought an "A" game dessert and even more delighted to see Harriet nearly lick the plate clean of chocolate ganache.  Because I regretfully missed the photo opp, we decided to commemorate Harriet's joy here.

Harriet's Naughty Pavlova

Rob's pavlova challenge resulted in an equally delicious and much more decadent dessert.  Which one was better?  Well, I am proud to say we declined this opportunity to indulge the competitive aspect of our personalities and agreed that they were both delicious, each with their own touch.

Erin's Not-So-Naughty-Pavlova
from: http://www.epicurious.com

Erin's Not-So-Naughty Pavlova is pretty much the same as the recipe provided here, except with macerated fresh Oregon berries (blueberries, raspberries, marionberries and cherries) on every layer and no chocolate.  Erin also opted for three thicker layers of meringue which offered a more mallow-like texture and less crunch.

Recipe for Harriet's Naughty Pavlova

For meringue:

• 1 cup superfine granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (3 Tbsp flour, not as good)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 6 egg whites (from large eggs) at room temperature

For berries:

• 2 Pounds fresh, Flathead, cherries

For cream:

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 1/3 cup chilled sour cream

For ganache:
1/2 cup whipping cream
6.8 oz sweetened dark chocolate, chopped.

1 tsp vanilla


You will need four 9x9 square pans or four 9" round pans. Cover the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. 


Before making the meringues, make the ganache because it will need to cool. In a double boiler, heat the cream until it begins to simmer.  Add the chocolate and remove from heat. Add the vanilla and whisk until smooth. Cool until pourable, but not hot. You can also cool it longer and use it more like icing/frosting and spread it with a knife.


Pulse superfine sugar, brown sugar, and cornstarch (flour) in a food processor until well combined, set aside.  Stir together vanilla and vinegar in a small bowl, set aside.

Preheat oven to 275°F. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to medium-high and add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more. Add vinegar mixture, then beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Spoon meringue into pans (about 2 1/2 cups per pan) and smooth tops. 


Bake meringues for about 1 hour until the tops are firm, but the center is still soft.  Cool in oven, with door propped open, for 1 hour. The top may crack while the meringue is cooling.  If the top does not begin to crisp within 45 minutes, turn the temperature up to 300 and check every 10 minutes until the top is crisp, but not cracking. Note: each oven is unique, check the doneness of your meringue at 25 minutes and keep an eye on it until the meringue has a crispy top and is still mallowy inside. . 


Prepare the cream by whipping the sour cream and cream until soft peaks form. Pit the cherries and halve each cherry.


After the meringues have cooled remove them from the pans by running a knife along the edges and inverting the pan.  Be careful, as the meringues will likely crack.  To prepare the pavlova, layer meringue, cream and cherries.  Only put cream and cherries (save 1/4 of the cherries) on the first three layers.  Place the last meringue upside down, to ensure a smooth top.  On the top layer pour the ganache in the middle until it drips down the sides and pile cherry halves on top.  Slice and serve.

Trout Amandine with Garlic Ginger Suffed Mushrooms

Trout Amandine

1 12 oz Trout - preferably freshly caught using a dry fly in Montana
1 Orange
1/2 cup almonds (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp Butter
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 12" zucchini

Marinate the trout in 1/4 cup of the almonds, the juice from half the orange, the flesh from the half orange, salt, pepper, 1 clove garlic and olive oil for two hours.  Stuff the solids from the marinade inside the trout.  Grill the trout over high/medium high heat until cooked. Basting with the liquids from the marinade. Slice the zucchini in half, hamburger style, then cut each half in half hot dog style.  You should now have 4 pieces of zucchini.  Cut each piece into thirds, lengthwise, and coat with olive oil.  Grill the zucchini until tender.

While the trout is grilling, which should only take 10-15 minutes, brown the remaining 1/4 cup chopped almonds in the butter.  Add the juice from the remaining half orange, along with the other clove of minced garlic and salt and pepper.  Simmer until the liquid has reduced by 1/4.

To serve, place the fish in the center of a platter, with zucchini strips on the dorsal and ventral sides of the fish. Coat the fish with the almond mixture. Enjoy

Stuffed Mushrooms
At this point, I don't remember any portions.  Here's what I do remember you need

Cremini Mushrooms
Zuchinni
Oranges
Garlic
Ginger
Salt
Pepper

Peach Gazpacho in a Zucchini Bowl

3 Large Tomatoes, chopped

3 Peaches, pitted and Chopped
3 Ice Cubes
1/4 C chopped shallots
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp tarragon vinegar
2 Tsp tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Serrano Chile
1/2 Yellow Onion (Chopped)
1/4 walnuts chopped
Fresh Chives (for garnish)
1 4" diameter spherical zucchini

For the gazpacho: Puree two tomatoes, two peaches, ice cubes, shallots, olive oil, 2 Tbsp tarragon vinegar, 1 tsp tarragon, salt and pepper in a food processor until liquified. If it is too thick, add 1/4 C of water. Strain the puree to remove any solids. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


For the salsa: Roast the red pepper and serrano chile until the skin separates from the flesh.  Remove the skins.  Chop the bell pepper.  Dice the serrano chile. Mix the serrano chile, bell pepper, one tomato, one peach, 1 Tbsp tarragon vinegar and yellow onion.


Toast the walnuts in one tsp olive oil and 1 tsp tarragon.


Hollow out the zucchini leaving at least 1/4" of flesh.  Fill the Zucchini with the puree, top with the salsa, toasted walnuts, and chives.


Based on the recipe from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peach-and-Tomato-Gazpacho-232601#ixzz1V9t5br003

Spiced Wine Poached Pears with Black Currant Reduction

1 bottle red wine
1/2 Tbsp Nutmeg
1 Whole Clove
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice
4 pears
1/4 cup black currant juice (or 1 cup fresh black currants and 1/2 C water)
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
5 oz mascarpone
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Fresh Berries & Mint (garnish)                                                                         

Halve and pit the pears, leaving the stems. Bring the wine, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon to simmering and add the pear halves. Simmer the pear halves until they are tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid.  Chill the pears in the poaching liquid for 24 hours. Less time is fine, but at least a few hours is best.

Add the black currant juice to the reserved poaching liquid and bring to a simmer.  Reduce to 1/2 cup.  If you don't have black currant juice, you can make it.  In a small, 1 qt, pot, crush the black currants.  Add 1/2 water and simmer, until there is 1/2 C of liquid.  Strain out the seeds.

In a separate bowl, whip the mascarpone, honey and vanilla with a fork.

When ready to serve, slice the pears from the base to the stem, but not all the way through.  Add a spoonful of the mascarpone mixture and a small handful of berries. Garnish with mint and the black currant reduction.