Peaches add sweetness to summer meals

(Barbara Silverstein photo)

Shabbat Shalom! This has been a terrific summer for peaches. I have been buying baskets of this delicious fruit at farmers markets and from local fruit and vegetable stores. I’ve also found some really delicious peach recipes – Roasted Peach and Goat Cheese from an online site and a Peach Melba Cheesecake adapted from a recipe I saw in Women’s World Magazine (Aug. 18).

This week is the introduction of an occasional series called ‘Millennial Spotlight’. It’s no secret that millennials are real foodies; they love their food and also love to photograph their food. Look at all the millennials’ food photos on Instagram!

The spotlight this week is on cookbook author, Daniella Silver, 36, originator of the Silver Platter cookbook series. She’ll be launching her third book on Sept. 16 so stay tuned. Silver gave us a recipe for Balsamic-Glazed Strawberry Ribs.

Few millennials have reached Silver’s status in the food world. Many millennials to be profiled here will not necessarily be cooking professionals. Essentially it’s a spotlight on those millennials who love to cook or bake and want to share their recipes.

 

ROASTED PEACHES WITH CHÈVRE

 

4 peaches, halved and pitted

3 tablespoons sliced almonds

8 tablespoons fresh, soft goat cheese (chèvre)

2 teaspoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme

 

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Put the peaches in a baking dish, skin-side down, and cook until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the peaches from the oven and let them cool just slightly, about 5 minutes.

While the peaches are cooking, put the almonds in a small baking dish. Toast them in the oven (at the same time as the peaches), stirring occasionally, until light brown, about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the nuts to make sure they don’t burn.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese into the centre of each peach half. Drizzle each peach with some of the honey and then sprinkle the thyme and toasted almonds over the top.

Serve warm.

Peach cheese cake (Barbara Silverstein photo)

PEACH MELBA CHEESECAKE

 

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 8 oz (500g) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 cup peach jam

2 eggs

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

5 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced thinly

2 cups blueberries

3 tbsp white corn syrup

1 cup sour cream, 14 to 18 per cent

3 to 4 tbsp maple syrup to taste

 

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch spingform pan with a round of parchment paper. Coat the paper with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press down into the bottom of the pan.

Bake 10 minutes and cool.

In a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese, heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar, on medium speed until smooth. Add the peach jam, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until the centre is set, about 55 to 60 minutes. Let it completely cool and chill overnight.

In a pot over high heat, bring 8 cups of water and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar to boil. Reduce the heat to low.

Add the peaches and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and cool.

In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries and corn syrup to give the berries a slight sheen and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and maple syrup. Spread it over the top of the cheese cake in a thin layer.

To assemble, transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate. Place the peach slices in the middle of the cake leaving a three-inch border all around. Fill in the border with the prepared blueberries.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.

READ: VEGETARIAN FARE IS SATISFYING AND FILLING

Daniella Silver

MILLENNIAL SPOTLIGHT

Daniella Silver, author of The Silver Platter: Simple to Spectacular and The Silver Platter: Simple Elegance. Silver, 36, is the mother of four children: three girls and one boy.

“I started creating recipes when I found out two of my children had severe allergies. I was a young mom having to figure out new and creative ideas to prepare foods. I ended up writing many recipes, which then turned into a cookbook.”

“I asked Norene Gilletz to help me get started. She was so kind to me and we built a friendship that will last a lifetime. After a few months of her mentoring me, we decided to collaborate. The cookbooks are my original recipes and her tips and variations. It became a two-dimensional cookbook – unique and special. The cookbooks are available online at amazon.ca

Strawberry Ribs (Daniella Silver photo)

BALSAMIC-GLAZED STRAWBERRY RIBS

 

12 Miami beef ribs

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup strawberry jam

1 tbsp water

1 cup diced fresh strawberries

 

Coat a large roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Arrange the ribs over the onion slices in a single layer in the prepared pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, balsamic vinegar, strawberry jam, and water. Pour the mixture over meat.

Cover the bowl and marinate the meat for 1 hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the ribs covered, 11/2 -2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Baste occasionally.

Transfer the ribs to a serving platter; garnish with fresh strawberries.

Makes 6 servings.