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Ponzu-Marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

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We are officially in the thick of summer! It is hot, hot, hot and when it’s like this, we try our best to cook everything outside on the grill so that we don’t heat up the house! I’m sure many of you can relate! So, with that in mind, I wanted to make a dish that was easy to make, yet so bold and flavorful that even my husband, who had declared himself “not a fan of shrimp” would become a believer!

Ponzu-marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

Sweet, succulent shrimp is marinated in a bath of cilantro, Thai basil, garlic and Ponzu; grilled over a hot flame, then topped off with a sweet and spicy nectarine chutney! It’s a perfect summer meal–light, flavorful and kicked up with just enough spice to keep things exciting! If you’ve never had Ponzu before, you must give it a try. It is a Japanese condiment that is made from vinegar, lemon juice and sudachi, a Japanese citrus fruit. It has a light citrusy flavor that really compliments the shrimp; plus, the ponzu doesn’t “cook” the shrimp the way that adding fresh lemon or lime juice would. It’s easy to find in the Asian or Ethnic food aisle in the grocery store.

Ponzu-marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

For the marinade, I used about half of a bunch of cilantro that I bought at the grocery store. You don’t even have to remove the stems, just wash it well and toss it into the food processor. I chose Thai basil for its peppery flavor and because it’s growing like crazy and taking over my herb barrel! Sweet basil will work just as well. Because I like things on the spicy side, I used a whole Serrano chili pepper, seeds and membranes included. If you want a milder marinade, discard the seeds and membranes, or simply use half of the pepper. This marinade is also very versatile!  I’ve used it on both chicken and pork with delicious results!  In addition, the chutney makes a wonderful companion to seafood, chicken and pork!  It’s so delicious, you’ll want to eat it by itself!

Ponzu-marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

Grilled Ponzu-Marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 1 pound large, fresh, uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro (stems and all)
  • several sprigs of Thai basil or sweet basil
  • 3 tablespoons Ponzu
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon agave syrup or honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 Serrano chili pepper
  • 1/4 cup canola oil

For the Nectarine Chutney

  • 2 nectarines, slighlty unripe, chopped
  • 1 serrano chili pepper
  • 1/2 cup red onion finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 inch knob of ginger, grated or pressed
  • 1 clove garlic, grated or pressed
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • juice of one fresh lime
  1. Place 2 cloves of garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse until the garlic is minced finely. Add the cilantro, basil and Serrano pepper and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add the oil, agave syrup, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. In a medium bowl, pour the marinade over the shrimp and stir to coat. Allow the shrimp to marinate for no more than 30 minutes. While the shrimp is marinating preheat the grill on high to 450 degrees. Be sure to oil the grill grates with canola oil.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the chopped nectarines, Serrano pepper, onion, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, salt, pepper and lime juice. Over medium low heat, cook until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture comes to a slow simmer, about 10 minutes. I started with one teaspoon of brown sugar. Add a little more sugar if your nectarines aren’t very sweet. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.
  3. Thread the marinated shrimp onto the skewers. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper, then place on the hot grill.  Allow the shrimp to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then flip them and grill the other side for 2 minutes more.  Top the shrimp with a generous spoonful of the chutney.

Ponzu-marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

After many years of using bamboo skewers for grilling, I finally bought some inexpensive metal skewers and I am so happy I did–they are so much easier to work with.  If you do use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling to prevent burning.

Ponzu-marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

Ponzu-marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

Ponzu-marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

This dish was such a hit and it received rave reviews from my “not a shrimp fan” husband!

 

 

 

Honeyed Fig and Feta French Toast

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Last week, figs made an unexpected appearance at the grocery store.  I was pretty sure that last year, the figs didn’t arrive until late August, early September, so I was a little bit dubious about such an early arrival.  But, since figs are one of those, here-and-gone-in-a-minute kinds of fruits, I just had to buy some just in case they were in season and I had my dates wrong!  It turns out that California fig season started a little early this year because of a very warm winter.  Figs have a very short shelf life which I found out first hand when I opened the box two days later and saw that some of them had already begun to mold! So, with a fire lit under me I knew I had to do something with them immediately.  I opened the refrigerator and the ingredients appeared to me like the digital rain of the Matrix! Bread–got it! milk, eggs, fresh blueberries and what have we here…ah, a chunk of feta cheese!

Fresh Figs

Yep.  Feta cheese.  Now some of you might be thinking that sounds like crazy talk, but stay with me here and I’ll explain my reasoning.  I am not a huge fan of sweets.  You can probably tell this by the relatively small number of desserts on this blog.  So, my first thought when I encounter a sweet ingredient is “how can I balance this?”  Sometimes I choose a spicy ingredient and other times I choose salty.  This time, it would be salt to balance out the overt sweetness of figs, honey and the inevitable maple syrup that would be drizzled over the top.  I knew before I took the first bite, that it was just crazy enough to work and that you would hop on board with me!

Honeyed Fig and Feta French Toast - Salty Sweet Life

The recipe and method for the French Toast is not exotic, although I did not use dairy milk in the base, but almond milk.  I thought about making the French Toast with fancy, artisanal bread, or even homemade bread, but opted instead to use my favorite store-bought bread–“Good Seed Bread” from Dave’s Killer Bread.  I buy this bread from Costco, but I’ve heard that it can also be found at Whole Foods Market.  I love this bread! It makes the best toast and is amazing sandwich bread.  The fun part, however, is the topping.  The figs are quickly browned in a little coconut oil and joined by walnuts, fresh blueberries and a drizzle of honey.  Then the whole thing comes together with a bit of feta cheese sprinkled over the top!  I have a feeling that a nice, blue cheese would be fantastic as well.

Honeyed Fig and Feta French Toast - Salty Sweet Life

Honeyed Fig and Feta French Toast

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup almond milk (or your choice of dairy)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • butter
  • 4 slices of bread
  • 1/2 pound fresh figs cut into quarters
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or more if needed)
  1. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, salt in a casserole dish and set aside.
  2. In a small frying pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. I used only a teaspoon of oil since I was using a well-seasoned cast iron frying pan. Use a little more oil if needed. When the pan is hot, turn the pan to coat the bottom of the pan with the oil. Add the figs and cook undisturbed for about 30 seconds, or until they start turning golden brown. Add the walnuts and stir very gently to coat them in the oil. You want to be as gentle as possible so that the figs keep their shape. Add the blueberries and then drizzle with a teaspoon of honey. Again, stir very gently to coat the figs, walnuts and blueberries in the honey. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
  3. Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, coat with butter. I do this by quickly rubbing the cut side of a stick of butter over the pan. In batches, dip both sides of the bread in the egg mixture, being careful not to let it get too soggy, then place the bread on the hot griddle or frying pan and cook each side until golden brown. Place the finished French toast on a plate and rest them in a warm oven while you continue with the next batch. Because of the size of my griddle, I can only cook two slices of bread at one time.

Serve the French Toast with a few spoonfuls of the fig, walnut and blueberry mixture. Top with a sprinkle of feta cheese and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Honeyed Fig and Feta French Toast - Salty Sweet Life

Honeyed Fig and Feta French Toast - Salty Sweet Life

If you can find fresh figs in your area now, pick some up before they are gone in a flash!  If not, save this recipe for August and September when figs are in peak season again!  Personally, I think the figs that arrive in late summer have better flavor, but these early season figs were made sweeter with that little touch of honey.

My Writing Process – A Blog Tour

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Last week, my friend and fellow blogger, Libby Elder of Lemony Thyme asked me to participate in a Blog Tour.  I didn’t know what a Blog Tour was at the time, but she assured me that it was going to be fun and at the end of the tour, there would be cake!  All I had to do was answer 4 simple questions about my “writing process” and then introduce the world to a few blogs out there that inspire me.  So, since there was a promise of cake and it’s always fun to share about other bloggers whom I admire, I took the bait.  The first thing I thought was, “do I even have a writing process?” I mean, if “writing process” is defined by banging my head on my computer keyboard several times while a plaintive moan issues from my throat, then YES I do have one of those! I just wasn’t sure if that process would be very helpful to anyone else, let alone me.

italianingredients

Shamelessly sharing some food photography because that’s really why you’re here, right?

First, let me tell you a little bit about Libby.  Libby is someone I really admire and over this past year, we have bonded over a mutual love of fresh herbs–to this day, I always think of her when I pick lemon thyme from my herb barrel! She’s been blogging for about 2 years–actually exactly 2 years today–Congratulations Libby! And in that time, she has published literally hundreds upon hundreds of recipes.  She writes her blog posts in a way that is easy and elegant and she just does this thing with cheese that will make your eyes roll back in your head! She is truly an artist in the kitchen and I consider her “expert level”.  So, when she assured me that I, the girl with keyboard indentations on her forehead and one year of blogging experience under her belt, would have something useful to share about blog writing, I had no choice but to trust her and surge forward with this post.

eggsandquinoa

1.  What am I working on?

I probably should be working on a post entitled “Learn From My Fail” because that has described my recent shenanigans in the kitchen!  Example:  pizza.  I promised myself that I would blog about pizza again, since over the past year, I’ve learned better techniques for pizza dough.  I got all excited to do this over the weekend and made what would have been the Best Pizza Ever.  And then I burned it beyond recognition! Seriously. Burnt black.  Since it’s officially summer I am working on recipes and techniques for the grill–fish, pork loin, hamburgers and of course, pizza.

2.  How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don’t know if this is different from other blogs, but I really try to blog from a place of honesty.  My food is real–sometimes it’s not pretty, but it always tastes good.  I have unrealistically high standards for the dishes I post here, and that’s the reason that I average about one recipe per week.  So many dishes just don’t make the cut! I also try to give little tips and tricks so that you don’t have an epic fail while preparing something. Let ME fail so that you don’t have to!

3.  Why do I write what I do?

Everyone who blogs about food loves food, that’s a given.  But, I write as a way to create a food legacy where one didn’t exist before. I didn’t come into blogging with a weathered recipe box filled with time-honored techniques and kitchen wisdom.  I have a great foundation of basic cooking techniques that I learned from my mother; but my mother didn’t inherit those lessons from her mother–she was completely self-taught.  She also didn’t write many of those recipes down.  A few months ago, she and I went through her old recipe file that she’s had since I was about 6 years old.  While it was really fun looking through old clippings from Redbook and Reader’s Digest, I realized that only a few were recipes that I remembered from my childhood.  In a way, I guess it was like an analog version of Pinterest–filled with all the recipes she wanted to make, but just didn’t have the time.  So, I write in order to repair a fracture in our family’s culinary history–to finally put in writing those recipes that never made it into the recipe file.  Even though I don’t have children to pass these recipes down to, I just felt the need to at least document the things we love to eat because it’s so important to me.

4.  How does my writing process work?

I write every day for my day job, but it is a very different process.  My work writing is very much about stating the facts and writing them in a concise way that everyone can understand regardless of educational background.  But whereas my work writing depends on stating facts, laws and conclusions, food writing has to convey a mood, a story, a flavor.  This is by no means easy for me and sometimes I struggle to remove my brain from “work mode” and get into food writing mode–hence the head banging.  The first paragraph is always the hardest so a lot of times, I will start in the middle and work my way backwards! Then I go back over what I’ve written and I take out all the superfluous words because if there’s one thing I know about reading on the internet, is that people don’t like to read a lot of words.

I have a really good friend who is a novice cook in every sense of the word. Over the years, I have seen her bork up so many recipes, that when I write a recipe, I am writing it with her in mind.  I try to think of all the ways a recipe can go horribly wrong, whether by misinterpretation or simple lack of technique and I try to make sure that I write a recipe that’s fairly goof proof.

Blogs that Inspire Me

Now, I want to introduce you to a couple of bloggers that really inspire me. The first is Prashanthi Pathak of Yummily Yours.  Prash has only been blogging for a short period of time, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at her blog. She is an expert at Vegetarian and Indian cuisine and she does an amazing job at demystifying a food culture that can seem very complicated.  Prash makes Indian cuisine easy and accessible, but that’s not the only thing she does.  You may have seen her Hasselback Zucchini with Garlic recipe floating around the internet.  I mean, everyone has done Hasselback potatoes, but the fact that she used zucchini is a testament to how creative she is. Her blog can be found at http://yummilyyours.com

Next is Christine Arel of No Gojis No Glory.  Christine writes with an infectious enthusiasm and her recipes are so trustworthy–meaning, when I read them, I know that they will work. I love that her blog focuses on healthy eating, but does not subscribe to a diet “dogma”.  Her recipe for Maple Chicken Sausage with Cinnamon Apples was my first taste of her work and I immediately made that recipe for our Mother’s Day brunch this year.  So delicious!  Her blog can be found at http://www.nogojisnoglory.com.

I hope you will take a moment to visit Lemony Thyme, Yummily Yours and No Gojis No Glory as they are wonderful and amazing blogs that deserve every bit of recognition I can throw at them!

So, there you have it!  Now, I will be waiting for that cake I was promised.  Bring it on!

macarons

Happy Father’s Day! Cherry Drop Martini

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Cherry Drop Martini - Salty Sweet Life

Oh, fresh cherries…I am not done with you yet!  I am going to make the most of you while you’re in season, eating these glittering jewels by the bagful; baking them into a pie, smashing them into a cocktail.  Cherry season is too short, so I shall make hay while the sun shines.

This drink is so smooth.  A perfect balance of sweetness and strength.  Just like Dad.  I made this cocktail with both white vermouth and red vermouth and they both resulted in a really fine drink.  The red vermouth brings out the deeper, darker cherry notes and the white vermouth is bright and sweet.  You can’t go wrong with either one.

So, make your Dad (or whoever represents a father in your life) a drink and let him relax today–he deserves it!

Cherry Drop Martini

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 4-5 fresh cherries, pitted
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Lemon Peel
  • Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
  • 2 ounces Hendericks Gin
  • 1/2 ounce vermouth (rosso or bianco, your choice)
  • ice
  1. Muddle the cherries, a 1-2 inch piece of lemon peel and one teaspoon of sugar in the mixing glass of a cocktail shaker.
  2. Add the gin, vermouth and lemon juice and fill the shaker with ice. Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a chilled glass.
  3. Serve with a lemon twist or a cherry if desired.

Cherry Drop Martini - Salty Sweet Life

Cherry Drop Martini - Salty Sweet Life

cherrydrop-4

My First Ever Blog Award: The Liebster Award!

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liebster-award

It’s my Major Award! So Shiny!

I was completely taken aback when I came home from vacation last month to find that I had been nominated for a Liebster Award by my good friend Dana Fashina of I’ve Got Cake.  Now, for those of you who are not familiar with this award, I’ll try my best to explain it.  The Liebster Award is an award that is given to bloggers who have under 1000 followers as a way to promote their blogs and spread a little Blogger Love around the Internet.  Since this is my first ever blog award, you’d think I’d be bouncing off the walls to get started on my acceptance speech!  But, the honest truth was that I procrastinated long and hard on it.  Mostly because I was nervous about sharing 11 random facts about myself!  Now that I’ve written them out, though, they aren’t quite as scary as they first seemed.  I think maybe everyone has an inner weirdo that they are little bit nervous to let out in public…ok, actually maybe not everyone….because, reality shows.  So, while this is not my normal recipe post, I hope you’ll enjoy learning a little bit about me.

So the rules for accepting the Liebster Award are as follows:

  1. LINK back to the person who nominated you;

  2. SHARE 11 facts about yourself;

  3. ANSWER 11 questions set by your nominator;

  4. NOMINATE 5-11 people who you think deserves the Liebster Award

  5. ASK your nominees 11 questions to answer

  6. AFTER YOU PUBLISH your Liebster post, go to your nominees blog and let them know you nominated them.

So, first things first.  I want to thank Dana from I’ve Got Cake for nominating me for this award!  Dana is extremely funny, stylish, and a most adventurous cook!  Plus, she’s like a rocket scientist.  Ok, she’s an electrical engineer, but that may as well be rocket science!

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I’m an oldest and only girl with 3 younger brothers.

2. I spent about a decade as a professional singer and for part of that time, was a Diana Ross Impersonator. I live in Las Vegas…we all do this at one point or another. 🙂

Diana Ross Impersonator

3. In lieu of children, I have two hairless cats–Sophie and Simon.

Sophie and Simon

4. I just learned how to take a selfie this year.  Seriously, I could never figure out the right place to look!

5. I taught myself to eat olives when I turned 18.

6. I share a birthday with Neil Patrick Harris and by proxy that makes me a Very Cool Chick.

7. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, which has absolutely nothing to do with what I do for a living.

8. In 1989 I published a book of poetry with my mother. I wonder who has those two used copies that Amazon is talking about?

9. I am almost always reading something and when I’m not, I feel out-of-sorts.

10. I have had many surgeries; thus I have many scars, but I treasure each and every one of them because they remind me to be grateful and to not take my health for granted.  Modern Medicine Rocks.

11. I spent the better part of a decade in what could be considered by some, a religious cult; after which I became an agnostic.

Now to answer the questions posed to me by my nominator:

1.  What’s a day in your life? Take your time…paint a picture for us.
I rise at about 5:30 a.m.  Ok, scratch that.  I open my eyes at about 5:30 and think to myself, “just 10 more minutes”, then sleep for an additional 25 minutes, waking at 5:55 a.m. with 5 minutes to get out the door and walk for a half hour. After my morning walk, I get ready for work. This entails me standing in the closet saying “I don’t have anything to wear!!” After cobbling together something that looks presentable, I make breakfast if I haven’t made refrigerator oatmeal the night before and head out the door.  When I get to work I make myself a cup of green tea (the first of many during the day) and get started reviewing my case files for the day.  Each day I am scheduled to hear about 12 cases.  I go over the cases for the day and court starts promptly at 9:00 a.m.  After hearing my cases, I retreat to my…chambers…and decide cases that I heard earlier in the week.  After work, I usually stop at the grocery store, then come home and start cooking dinner.  If I’ve made something that’s slated for the blog, I take photos of it and edit them later on after dinner. The rest is normal stuff–bedtime and the like.

2.  If you could only keep what piece of clothing in your closet, what would it be and why?
My thick, cozy “Pottery Barn” bathrobe.  I have had this robe since 2006 and I can’t live without it.  I wear it year round.  In the winter, it keeps me warm.  In the summer, it shields me from my air conditioner, which blows with all the force of a polar vortex.

3.  Do you prefer music or books? Why?
Books, because they have been my best friends since I first learned to read.  I read all the time.

4. What’s something you’d secretly like to wear but haven’t worked the courage up to try it?
I am not very fashion-adventurous.  A few of the ladies I work with wear these awesome, patterned palazzo pants.  They look like really fancy pajama pants and I think they look great in them.  But every time I try on patterned pants, they just seem so busy and I think they make my butt look really big.  BUT, I did recently buy a pair of red pixie pants from Old Navy and I feel very avant garde when I wear them.

5.  What are 3 guilty pleasures of yours?
Potato chips, french fries, hotdogs.

6.  What are 3 bad habits of yours?
I am horrible at packing a lunch, which leads right into my next bad habit: starving and then giving in and eating at McDonald’s. I don’t like it, it’s just convenient and less than 5 minutes from the office. My husband would tell you that I don’t discipline the kitties which causes them to behave badly, but really, I’m just playing the “good cop”.

7.  What post would you re-do if you could? Link to it. 
The Margherita Pizza, because I have learned better pizza dough techniques since I posted this.

8.  When you take pictures for your blog, do you already have a concept in mind or are you kind of winging it?
Both.  I usually have a concept in mind but I find that it’s difficult to translate that to the actual photograph.  I end up changing things on the fly until reality lines up with the conceptualized idea.

9.  What are the ways your drive engagement within your blog?
That’s a good question that I haven’t figured out the answer to yet.  I use all the main social media outlets, but I haven’t quite nailed the magic formula in driving engagement. I will say that Google+ has been a great place to share posts and I get way more engagement there than on Facebook.

10.  What do you find is the optimal posting time?
Another good question that I haven’t quite figured the answer out yet, but I find that Friday and Saturday mornings seem to be a good time.

11.  What message do you want people who read your blog to take away?

In my town, people eat out a lot and I think that’s kind of sad.  I want to inspire people to make great quality meals and drinks at home, where they can better control the ingredients. Plus, I think cooking and eating at home with family and friends is the surest way to world peace.

My Nominees:

Christina @ A Soulful Twist  – I “met” Christina through Google+ and it was her fried chicken and waffles that drew me right in.  Her photography is really amazing and I always want to eat the food right off the screen! I love her healthy spin on Southern classics! She’s had a broken camera of late and I miss her blog posts so much!  How she juggles 4 children, a household and blogging is something I’ll never understand.

Josie @ The Roed to Good Cooking – Josie just started her blog a couple of months ago as a way to deal with the grief of the sudden the loss of her dear husband, Jerry.    She is Queen of the Smoker and I always look forward to seeing what she’s making.

Melanie @ Bon Appet’eat – Just one look at Melanie’s drool-worthy photos and you be a fan!

Chef Brenda @ Live Beautifull – I met Brenda last month at a photography workshop and I just loved her philosophy about food.  She is all about living a full life; being healthy without deprivation.

Sonia and Candice @ Everybody Loves Pretty – these ladies are prolific!  They post a recipe every single day and everything looks so pretty–just like their name says!

Alyssa @ My Sequinned Life – Alyssa was the very first person to follow my blog and she is just as sweet as the beautiful desserts she makes on her blog. I love her fresh, exuberant writing style.  She makes you feel like you’re right at home with her in the kitchen!

Kerry and Ryan @ The American Cocktail – This mother and son blogging duo inspire me so much! I love the story that they tell with each cocktail that they make.  Inspiring and informative!

If I’ve nominated you for this award and you have more than 1000 followers, please forgive me!  Sometimes it’s hard to get accurate readership numbers!

Now for my questions to my nominees:

  1. What do you eat when you’re alone?
  2. What are your top 3 blogging pet peeves?
  3. People always say that blogging takes “hard work and dedication”.  Define what that means to you.
  4. What do you feel is the most difficult part of blogging–the writing or the photography?
  5. What was the last thing you read that really blew your socks off?
  6. What is your favorite movie and why?
  7. If you had to eat one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  8. Sweet or savory?
  9. If you had unlimited time to learn a skill, what would it be?
  10. When you were in high school, which group or clique were you in?
  11. Describe your blogging process.

For my nominees, please leave a link to your award acceptance in the comments section so that I can see your answers!

Well, that’s it!  Again, thank you Dana for your nomination!  I think this is officially the longest post I’ve ever written!

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Cherry Crisp from “Bountiful”

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I really want to tell you about this Chocolate Cherry Crisp that I made from White on Rice Couple’s cookbook, Bountiful.  I want to tell you about these gorgeous cherries and about how excited I am that cherries are back in season and are inexpensive enough that you won’t have to take out a home equity line of credit just to buy a bag! I want to tell you how absolutely luscious this crumble is–how the sweet, tender cherries and rich dark chocolate smoosh together perfectly under that crumbly topping.  But before I do any of that, I want to tell you that I am having the hardest time writing these days.  I’m not sure what’s causing my words to jam up inside of me like a spoonful of cold peanut butter, but they are.  I mean, I just used the word “smoosh” in a sentence and I’m 100% sure that’s not a real word, but it’s going to have to stay that way, because the other word I’m thinking of just vanished into thin air.  Have you ever experienced this?

So with that, I’ll have to ask you for a pass on trying to describe this dish in a perfectly descriptive and fooderly manner, because it’s Just Not Going To Happen.  Not today at least.  So, without further ado:  You should make this crumble because cherries. And chocolate.   It is yum.

Cherry Chocolate Crisp from "Bountiful"

The most difficult part about this dessert is pitting the cherries. I don’t own a cherry-pitter and I don’t plan on owning one because it violates my rule of not buying kitchen tools that only serve a single-purpose. But I did learn a fun little trick from Food & Wine’s Mad Genius Tips on how to pit cherries using chopsticks and a wine bottle! It worked! In fact, it worked really well, but it still takes a bit of time and patience and I admit, I was pretty slow at first.  I made very few changes to the original recipe.  I used a touch less chocolate than what was called for and I added almonds to the topping because I just love almonds and cherries together.  I also used my food processor to make the topping, but it can easily be done by hand as well.  The food processor simply shaves off a bit of time.

Cherry Chocolate Crisp from "Bountiful"

Chocolate Cherry Crisp

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: moderately easy
  • Print

Adapted from Bountiful, by Diane Cu and Todd Porter

For the topping:

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

For the filling:

  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, pitted and halved, plus an extra handful of cherries for garnish
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a medium sized baking dish (about 2 quart size) and set aside.
  2. First make the topping. In the base of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, add the almonds and pulse until chopped.  Add the flour and the cubed butter and the sugar and pulse just a few times until the butter is cut into the flour in pieces the size of peas.  Add the oats and pulse twice to combine.  Remove the mixture from the food processor and place it into a medium sized bowl.  With your fingers, press the mixture together until clumps form.  Place the topping in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling. If you are not using a food processor, simply chop the almonds by hand (if using).  In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour with the butter and the sugar and with your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until you get pea-sized crumbs.  Add the oats and almonds and squeeze the mixture together until soft clumps form.
  3. Reserve a few cherries to use as a garnish, then in a mixing bowl, place the pitted cherries, sugar, chocolate chips and flour and gently toss to combine.  Pour the cherry filling into the buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the topping and the reserved cherries.  There was enough topping that I had some left over to use for future berry crumbles. These kinds of toppings freeze very well.
  4. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.

cherrychocolatecrisp-5

Cherry Chocolate Crisp from "Bountiful"

Oh and yes, I said “fooderly”.  I can’t promise that won’t happen again…

I had the amazing opportunity to attend a food photography and food styling workshop with Diane Cu and Todd Porter last month and I cannot say enough great things about them.  They are so full of knowledge and they are so generous with that knowledge!  Last weekend, they taught a 3 day online workshop through Creative Live that was just spectacular.  If you are interested in learning more about food styling and food photography, the class is available for purchase and download.  I’m not being paid by the company to tell you about it, but I just want to pass along the information because it was an incredible class and Diane and Todd are amazing instructors!

 

 

 

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz

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It’s hot out here!  Ok, it’s not hot enough for me to complain about it yet, but it’s still pretty toasty with temperatures hovering in the triple digits.  I’ll reserve my complaints for when it’s around 110 degrees in the shade; but for now, I’ll just relax and have something refreshing, like this Lavender Thyme Lemonade Fizz. It’s bright and crisp and refreshing, like lemonade always is, but made special with fresh thyme and lavender from the garden! This very grown-up lemonade is a lovely sipper that’s not too strong and perfect for weekends spent in the hot summer sun!

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz - Salty Sweet Life

Remember a few weeks ago when we made Lavender-Vanilla Infused Vodka? Well, you’re going to need it for this recipe, so run and go get it now!  I’ll wait…

The Infusion Project - Salty Sweet Life

Lavender-Vanilla Bean Infused Vodka

Ok, now that you have it in hand, you’ll need about a half of a cup of lavender infused vodka for this recipe. If you like a stronger drink, add additional plain vodka–lavender is a very assertive flavor so a little goes a long way. Along with the floral notes of the vodka, the lemonade fizz takes a sophisticated, herbaceous turn with the addition of thyme-infused simple syrup. We discovered that a last minute addition of cocktail bitters perfectly balanced the sweetness of the drink, while the sparkling water just makes it dance on your tongue! Totally refreshing!

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz - Salty Sweet Life

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • a few sprigs of thyme
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
  • 1/2 cup lavender infused vodka*
  • 1 25.3 ounce bottle sparkling water, such as San Pellegrino or Perrier
  • 6-10 dashes of Angostura or Peychaud’s Bitters (optional)
  • lavender sprigs
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Heat over medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the thyme sprigs. Cover and allow the mixture to steep for 30 minutes.
  2. In a 32 ounce pitcher, add the lemon juice, up to one up of the simple syrup (taste it for sweetness), vodka and sparkling water. Add the bitters if using and stir gently to combine. Fill the pitcher with lots of ice and serve immediately over more ice and garnish with more thyme and lavender sprigs.

*Note: Now, if by chance you haven’t the opportunity to make your lavender-vanilla infusion yet, all is not lost.  You can easily mix up a batch tonight and your infusion will be ready to use in just a few days or if you want to make this drink immediately, you can simply add a few sprigs of lavender along with the thyme to the simple syrup and use up to one cup of plain vodka. You can also leave out the vodka altogether if you prefer to drink it “virgin”.

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz - Salty Sweet Life

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz - Salty Sweet Life

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz - Salty Sweet Life