Barm Brack and Honey Butter

This is barm brack, an Irish dried fruit loaf that resembles Panettone when it's baked in a nice deep casserole. SB and I call it poor man's panettone. It doesn't have all the eggs and citron fruit, but it does have currants, and golden raisins, and dried cranberries (my idea).  It is infinitely better than Irish soda bread - it's a yeast bread, after all and not a quick bread.

Orzo Salad and Roasted Chicken Breasts in Garlic and Lemon

Oh, man! I love high summer ... it seems that the garden is giving up all sorts of good stuff. It's time for new broccoli and last night's dinner consisted of a warm orzo salad made with broccoli florets, pignoli, slivers of avocado, bits of shallots, and a dressing made with broccoli pesto, a touch of sour cream and lemon zest. A salad like this just cries out for a nicely roasted piece of chicken or grilled salmon or bluefish ... we opted for roasted peppery chicken breasts that were laying in a dozen pieces of roasted garlic cloves and big fat slices of lemon - luscious! Just imagine our plates rounded out with fat, juicy slices of tomatoes and cold, crispy cucumber spears ... Oh, man! I love high summer ... but you already knew that! Right?

Pisto Castellano ...

 Pistou, Pisto Castellano, Pisto con Gambas ... by any other name is ratatouille. Ratatouille with stuff added gets a 'Pisto con ....' handle. In any language , you can't get more seasonal! Pisto and ratatouille are really the same dish ... one French and the other Spanish ... I daresay the tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, peppers and onions know nothing of political borders or languages. They grow and ripen under the same hot summer sun and when they offer themselves up ... it all comes together to make the ultimate seasonal vegetable dish. Different regions of cooks add few different touches and herbs; the dish morphs to meet the needs of the different hungry bellies!

As the layers of tomatoes ripen on the back porch, I take my pick and head to the herb garden for fresh parsley. Within an hour, there is a soft satisfying dish of traditional Pisto Castellano - plain and simple ratatouille sitting on the dinner table for our Meatless Monday fare.

Sprinkled with a bit of cheese and served with some black olive and rosemary bread and a wedge of goat cheese pressed in Herbs de Provence, it makes for a wonderful seasonal supper. If ever there was a directive to crack a bottle of red wine, this is the time for that directive. Open a full-bodied red, plate some olive oil and herbs, black olives, have on hand a big loaf of crusty artisan bread, and enjoy some Pisto/Ratatouille!

Nigella's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake with Embellishment

You've gotta love a dessert that can come together in stages over the coarse of a couple days, especially when the days are as hot and sticky as the last few have been. In Saturday's post, I told you about picking over black currants and making a sweet currant sauce. It was all very slap dash ... a lemon infused simple syrup with black currants added and cooked down to a thick sauce. Twenty minutes at the stove in 90 degree heat was enough for me! I strained the sauce, reserved the sweetened berries and popped the containers in the fridge.

Dog Days and Tapas ...

It was so hot yesterday. These are the dog days of summer. The late summer sun bakes everything and the gardens go blowsy and the grass is parched in places. The Corgis rush out the back door full of energy and drag themselves back after a brief run around with their tongues hanging low. They flop ... and pant ... and drop off to sleep.  They inspire me to do much the same. I get things done in spurts and then flop and pant ... talk about people resembling their pets!

Bake Your Own Bread - Vienna Bread and Ramblings

Here's where I ended up, but first ...

A Sweet Adventure ... Making Coconut Cream Pie

I am considered the Queen of Pies by friends and family, as I am fearless when it comes to pie crusts. I love the process of making pie dough. The real fun for me, though, comes when I find a new pie filling that makes me sit up and smack my lips. This past month, Martha Stewart Living magazine published a cold coconut cream pie recipe that had me drooling. So yesterday, I made pie filling and a sweet crust that got baked and set aside to cool.

Cauliflower and Barley Salad with Toasted Almonds

The continuing parade of vegetables is marching out of the kitchen and onto the dining room table! I've been at the Farmer's Market for two weeks straight and have come away with some great produce that SB is not growing in his 'bit of Earth'.

This week, it was a gorgeous head of cauliflower, some of the first I've seen around. I dug up another of the newest recipes from my latest cookbook, power foods - 150 delicious recipes .... This pearl barley with cauliflower and toasted almonds is very reminiscent of a risotto. The barley is slowly simmered to a nice 'bite'. Then, Parmesan cheese is added to the last bit of moisture and makes for a creamy finish. Cauliflower and toasted almond chunks are added and the dish is finished with a spritz of lemon juice and some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley.