Summertime Squash

As it starts to get warmer outside I can't wait for all the grilling. Not that I stop grilling outside in the winter. But the fresher zucchini and squash are in the summer but you can make this anytime.

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini

2 small yellow squash

1 small red bell pepper

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon butter

Yellow bell pepper rings and green onion brushes, optional for garnish

Step-by-step:

Scrub zucchini and yellow squash; pat dry with paper towels and cut off ends. Cut zucchini and yellow squash diagonally into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices. Cut red bell pepper lengthwise in half. Remove stem and seeds. Rinse, dry and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick strips. Finely chop garlic.

Combine cornstarch and salt in small cup. Stir in vegetable broth until mixture is smooth; set aside.

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 1 minute or until hot. Drizzle vegetable oil into skillet. Add butter; swirl to coat bottom and heat 30 seconds. Add zucchini and yellow squash; cook and stir 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in red bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Stir reserved broth mixture until smooth and add to skillet. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Garnish, if desired.

Berry Berry Parfaits

Even though right now you can't always get the fresh berries this is great with frozen ones.

Ingredients:

1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups frozen sliced strawberries, thawed

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 cup sour cream

6 sprigs fresh mint, optional for garnish

Step-by-Step:

1. Drain raspberries, reserving syrup. Combine the reserved syrup with enough water to measure 1 cup.
2. Combine granulated sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and mix well. Stir in raspberry syrup mixture and sliced strawberries.
3. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring continually, until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in raspberries and lemon juice. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Reserve 6 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce.
5. Spoon one-third of remaining raspberry sauce into bottom of 6 parfait or sundae glasses. Top each with a scoop of ice cream. Add a second layer of raspberry sauce and top with the sour cream. Spoon remaining raspberry sauce over sour cream and top with a second scoop of ice cream.
6. Drizzle parfaits with reserved raspberry sauce. Garnish with mint, if desired

Apple Pie

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 to 4 Tbs. ice water

For the filling:

• 2 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch
    thick
• 2 lb. Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
  
• 2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 egg white, beaten with 1 tsp. water
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar

Step-by-step:

To make the dough, in a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and granulated sugar together until combined, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add 3 Tbs. of the ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 tsp. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half of the dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fold the dough in half and then into quarters and transfer it to a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish. Unfold and gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the edges flush with the rim of the dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a large sheet of lightly floured parchment paper, roll out the remaining dough disk into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Using leaf pie cutters, make rows of cutouts in the dough, spacing them 1/2 inch apart and leaving a 1-inch border along the edges, to create a lattice appearance. Reserve the cutouts for decorating. Reroll the dough scraps to make more cutouts. Refrigerate the lattice top and cutouts for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a large Dutch oven, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cornstarch. Set over medium heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid has thickened and become glossy, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven, place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 400°F.

Let the pie shell, lattice top and leaf cutouts stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Transfer the apple filling to the pie shell, scatter the butter pieces on top, and gently invert the lattice top over the pie. Trim the edges flush with the rim of the dish and press the top and bottom crusts together to seal. Brush the underside of the leaf cutouts with egg wash and gently press them onto the edges of the piecrust, overlapping the leaves slightly. Decorate as desired with the remaining leaves. Brush the entire top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Place the pie dish on the preheated baking sheet. Bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour, covering the edges with aluminum foil if they become too dark. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. Serves 8.

Jerk-Seasoned Chicken and Pepper Sauté

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips

2 teaspoons Caribbean jerk seasoning

1 (1 lb.) pkg. frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry

1/3 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Step-by-step

1. Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and jerk seasoning; cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
2. Add bell pepper and onion stir-fry; cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine orange juice and cornstarch; blend until smooth. Add to mixture in skillet; cook and stir until bubbly and thickened.

4 (1-cup) servings

Menu Suggestion

This stir fry goes well with hot cooked rice.

Grilled Peach Melba

Sauce
1 package (12 oz) Unsweetened quick frozen raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons raspberry flavored liqueur
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Peaches
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Step-By-Step

1. For sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine the berries, sugar, and water. Cook over medium-low heat until a sauce forms, 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve over a bowl and strain, pressing on the sloids. Return to a clean pan and simmer over low heat. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the raspberry liqueur and cornstarch. Slowly whisk into the simmering sauce. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
3. Prepare a fire in a charcoal or gas grill.
4. For the peaches, in a large bowl, combine the oil and lemon juice. Add the peaches and toss to coat. Spear the slices on one or more pairs of metal skewers, passing a skewer through one end of slice. Grill the peaches until seared and heated through, 6-8 minutes turning them once midway.
5. To serve, place a scoop of ice cream in each of 4 bowls. Slide the peaches off the skewers over the ice cream. Drizzle the raspberries sauce on top.