We had lovely guests, who work with Scott, over for dinner last night.  I enjoy putting on a dinner for new friends. Here’s what I made:

Pumpkin Apple Soup (simple soup of onions, pumpkins, apples and chicken broth pureed.) It’s creamy and delicious without the cream! I made this the day before and just heated it up before the guests arrived.

Basically use a 2-4 pound pumpkin and one onion and one apple per pound of pumpkin (I used a four pound pumpkin and used 4 onions and 4 apples).  Cut the pumpkin in half and get the stuff out of the center– then cut it in wedges and peel the pumpkin. Chop the remaining flesh into small chunks.  Chop the onions and saute them in a half stick of butter.  Then add the pumpkin chunks and your peeled and cored apples.  Add Chicken Broth (I used one and a half of the tetra pack versions) until it covers the pumpkin and apples plus a bit more.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. Turn off and let cool a bit and then blend (I had to do it in batches) until pureed.  Reheat, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.

Mixed Green Salad with oranges, pomegranate seeds and goat cheese (I subbed mixed baby greens for the arugula in the recipe and added a bit of Dijon mustard to the dressing). I served this on a platter while i finished the ravioli.  It was pretty– I wish i had taken a picture!

Mushroom Tortellini (from Eastern Market–that place is amazing!) with a browned butter sauce of shallots and mushrooms and Parmesan.  This is an eyeballed-rough recipe: 1/2 stick of butter heated until just begining to brown, add 1 finely chopped shallot and sliced mushrooms.  When mushrooms seem well sauteed, add juice from 1/2 lemon and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Spoon butter-mushroom sauce over tortellini and top with generous covering of freshly grated Parmesan.

And to end it– the never fail Bittersweet Molten Lava Cakes.   I served them with honey vanilla Haagen-Dazs, but the dulce de leche and vanilla swiss almond are also great. We ate these on the roof admiring the view of DC.

At the local farmers’ market, I found this absolutely beautiful eggplant.  Luckily, I found an equally elegant recipe for it from Mario Batali at the Food Network. This recipe eliminates the frying and makes it easier and healthier.  (Sorry I did not take any pictures of the actual eggplant or the finished recipe– make it and you’ll see!)

Eggplant Parmigiana

• Extra-virgin olive oil for oiling the baking sheet
• 2 large eggplant, about 2 pounds
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups sauce– I used a marinara (I’d probably add more next time)
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted under broiler

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Using some extra-virgin olive oil, oil a baking sheet.

Slice each eggplant into 6 pieces about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Lightly season each disk with salt and pepper and place on the oiled sheet. Bake the eggplant at 450 degrees F until the slices begin turning deep brown on top, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the eggplants from the oven. Remove the slices from the baking sheet and place them on a plate to cool.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In an 8 by 12-inch brownie pan, place the 4 largest eggplant slice evenly spaced apart. Over each slice, spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and sprinkle with a teaspoon of basil. Place one slice of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon grated Parmigiano. Place the smaller slices of eggplant over each of the disks and repeat with tomato sauce, basil, and the 2 cheeses. Repeat the layering again until all the ingredients are used.

Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over the top of the eggplant dish, and bake uncovered until the cheese is melts and the tops turn light brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

We had a delicious rhubarb crisp our last night in London at an upscale pub in Chelsea. And I was determined to recreate it.  The recreation succeeded– although next time I’ll serve it with a thicker custard rather than the custard sauce.

Try it!

Rhubarb Crisp

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.

In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch (I omitted this), and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.
Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes.

Vanilla Custard Sauce

2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring milk and sugar to a simmer in a saucepan without stirring. Whisk yolks in a bowl until blended, then gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return to saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens enough to coat back of a wooden spoon and registers 170°F. on an instant-read thermometer.

Immediately pour sauce through a fine sieve into a metal bowl and place bowl in a large bowl of ice and cold water. Stir in vanilla and whisk custard occasionally until cool, then cover surface with a piece of wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.

Chill until cold.

Happy July everyone. There’s nothing like homegrown tomatoes and stone fruit to get my creative cooking juices going. So, long after I promised Scott that I’d start this series, here’s the first one!

I LOVE Stone Fruit season– the peaches make the humidity and allergies of DC summers worth it! I bought a large bucket of peaches, with plans for cobbler, but my mind drifted to peach muffins. (Luckily there are enough peaches for both!

Peach Bread and Muffins (inspired by a recipe, but modified)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 large and 1  small Peaches peeled, pitted, and chopped. (To peel the peaches, I put them in boiling water ’til the skin felt loose, the way my grandma taught me when I helped her with canning– worked like a charm!)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease one bread pan and line 8 muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture just until moist. Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake muffins 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Reduce temperature to 350 and Leave Bread in for 35 more minutes. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

There’s a lovely farm stand just out of DC in Maryland on Jones Mill Road that I noticed once on our way back from the temple a few weeks ago. Today, I went looking for it and we found some delicious produce.

It was so inspiring, I actually created a menu for the week! Here you go…

Marinated turbot (a white fish from TJ’s freezer section), tomato basil, mozzarella salad with salt and a drizzle of reduced balsamic, and farm stand corn.

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Tomatoes –(I have all the ingredients from an earlier plan to make pizza and left over sausages from the 4th).

Nicoise Salad — Inspired by the new potatoes and green beans at the farm stand and the local lettuce at the Harris Teeter next door. (I’m going to use high quality canned tuna– I bought one in olive oil and one in water, to taste test).

Chinese Chicken Salad-- From Sunset, but introduced to me by Domestic Goddess, Steph!

Stir Fry of tofu, green beans, yellow squash, with rice.