Creamed Corn (sans cream!)

Corn is so, so good right now, and I saw this recipe for cream-free creamed corn and had to try it. It basically just concentrates the amazing, sweet flavor of good summer corn. It's amazing! Before I added the salt, it was so sweet if my eyes were closed I could have sworn it was apple sauce. This is easy and becomes a less messy way to eat corn (as opposed to on the cob) and I can't wait to make it again!

(Average an ear per person)
Ingredients:
4 ears of corn
2 tbsp butter
1-2 scallions or 1 small shallot, diced (optional)
salt and pepper (very important)

Directions:
Grate the corn into a bowl using a box grater. Be sure to get all the juice you can out of the cobs. (I cut them in half first to make it easier.) Heat up the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallion/onion/shallot if you're using it and saute until soft but not brown. Add the corn and stir, cooking until thickened (about 5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Plum Torte (aka best summer dessert)

My mom has always made plum torte at the end of the summer when the little sugar plums come out. (She said the New York Times used to run the recipe every summer but stopped several years ago.) It's bittersweet because I'm so excited for it, but it also means summer is coming to an end. I made one this weekend after finding the little plums at the farm stand. It's just the best - the batter is sweet and fluffy, the top is crusted with cinnamon sugar, and the plus are juicy and tart. It's also pretty simple. If you can find these plums, make this torte and watch it disappear. I love it with a little vanilla ice cream, or in the morning for breakfast!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

Tomato, Chard, and Goat Cheese Tart

I was drooling over this recipe on the Times and couldn't wait to try it with my tomatoes. Due to time restraints and some fresh swiss chard I had, I switched it up a little by adding sauteed swiss chard and onion and doing it in a frozen pie crust I had in my freezer. While I'm sure it tastes better with the olive oil pastry, this was pretty delicious. Served it with a salad full of more tomatoes. It was great and light, and I love the combination of savory tarts and salads in the summer.

Ingredients:
1 large bunch swiss chard, chopped, stems and leaves separated
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
olive oil
frozen pie crust

Healthy Bruschetta

I was planning on making this tomato tart for Jamie last night, but wanted to use even more of our tomatoes as a little hors d'oeuvres. We've been making a lot of pico de gayo, so I wanted something similar but maybe more Mediterranean. I love tomato bruschetta, but didn't want the bread since we were going to have the tart. Solution? Endive! It was so tasty and fresh, and much healthier - though I do love those crunchy crostini, too... Definitely worth a try for a lighter hors d'oeuvres or snack. (And you can always swap in the crostini if you miss it!)

Ingredients:

2-3 large, ripe tomatoes (or a mix of 2 bigger tomatoes and a few colorful cherry tomatoes), seeded and diced

1 garlic clove, passed through a garlic press

1 large handful of basil leaves, chopped

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

black pepper to taste

endive

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients (except endive) in a bowl and let it sit for at least an hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tear the leaves of the endive individually and fill each with a scoop of the tomato mixture. Done! (If you're serving at a party, maybe put some lentils or something on the plate to hold them up - they can tip a little.)

Clam, bacon, corn, and tomato summer stew

Saw this recipe on Food52 and couldn't resist - it has all the best summer ingredients. It's super tasty, pretty quick, and a crowd pleaser. Make sure to take it off the heat right when all the clams are open so they stay tender and amazing. I added some onion and some zucchini because I had it and why not. Great summer dinner! Don't be put off by "stew" - it's not like its usual thick, hearty, wintery cousin.

Serves 4-6 as a main
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb bacon, sliced into lardons
1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
6 ears corn, shucked and cut from the cob
salt and pepper to taste
1 red onion, diced
1/2 lb tomatoes, cut in half
half of one lemon
3 tbsp bourbon
20 clams, scrubbed well (you don't want to eat the grit)
3 small zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces
bread for serving
basil leaves, ripped up

Directions:
Heat up the oil in a large pot. Add the bacon and stir until the fat starts to render, then add onions. Stir until fat renders and bacon is crunchy, and onion is soft.

Mini Cakes

My friend Jenna got me this adorable mini cake pan and I knew it would be a great project for the weekend. I brought it out to Long Island and my mom, my sister Lilly, my nieces, and I had a great time decorating them. Lilly said she might borrow it for my niece Grace's next birthday party. Could also be a cute activity for a wedding shower!  (Mine is in the foreground, then Lil's, then Grace's, then my mom's. Daisy sat down to decorate and took a big bite out of the top of her cake and followed it with a big spoonful of blue icing.)

Tomato Sandwich

Tom Robbins wrote a story saying how if he was on death row and he could request anything he wanted for his last meal, it would be a tomato sandwich.* (Man after my own heart.) One with white wonder bread, mayonnaise, and the best summer tomatoes. When you get it right, a tomato sandwich is unbelievably good. The tomatoes are the star and the tomato juice mixes with the mayo and oozes into the bread and it's amazing. Luckily, today, I had a whole bunch of ripe, colorful, bursting-with-flavor tomatoes (from the garden, of course), some good white bread, and some quickly whipped up basil mayo. Yum! This might have to be my lunch from now until my tomato plants die.

Quick Basil Mayo:
Ingredients:
A small handful basil leaves, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp mayo
pinch of salt

Directions:
Mix it all together, add more salt if necessary.

*Tom Robbins is one of my favorite authors and this was from "Wild Ducks Flying Backward."

Prosciutto-Wrapped Peaches with Basil

It's summer and it's hot - apps that involve no cooking really appeal to me. This recipe from Epicurious looked so fresh and summery. I tried it out this week and it was great! Jamie loved them, and they couldn't have been easier. Kind of a fun switch from prosciutto with melon. The vinegar, sugar, cumin mixture adds a nice, subtle zing and the salty prosciutto and sweet peach go well together - and basil makes it all taste fresh and summery.

I think it would also probably be great thrown on the grill for a minute with some pecorino, but for now this is great and involves no cooking.

For 2 (1/2 peach per person, so just get more if you have more people!)
Ingredients:
1 yellow peach, core removed and cut into 8 pieces
4 pieces of prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
8 basil leaves
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
big pinch cumin

Directions:
Mix the vinegar, sugar, and cumin and toss the peach slices with it in a bowl. Let them sit about 10 minutes. Wrap each peach slice with a strip of prosciutto, put a piece of basil on top, and secure with a toothpick. Done!

week 20

My tomato forest is incredible. I've been eating tomatoes non-stop and it's just the best. Look at that beautiful salad.

What I have learned: don't plant lemon tomatoes. They look cool, but they taste like nothing and aren't very meaty. Do plant Japanese Black Trifele - delicious, rich, sweet, and tart.