Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Brûléed Nectarines

I basically made this recipe as an excuse to show off my new Weck jars. Aren't they lovely? I use them mostly to store pantry goods like nuts, dried fruit and shredded coconut- the rubber ring and stainless steel clamps for the lid keep everything fresh as a daisy! Plus, they make my cupboards look like an OCD dream. Naturally, I want them in all shapes and sizes.

No, this isn't an infomercial for Weck, I just have a little crush on them is all, and I especially love the clear glass design because they make such a pretty serving vessel for things like this Buttermilk Panna Cotta!

The buttermilk in this panna cotta is everything- it imparts a lighter, tangier twist that just makes it more intriguing- like if yogurt and creme brûlée had a yummy little baby.

Just about any kind of fruit would be marvelous paired with this dessert, but I couldn't resist these delectable nectarines at the market. Brûlée-ing (is that a word?) the tops was a no brainer. The crunchy texture and slightly burnt flavor is the ultimate compliment to the smooth, creamy panna cotta. Plus, as you start eating it you get these little pools of caramel and nectarine juice that will make your tummy do little somersaults (in a good way).

serves 4
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy cream, divided
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 nectarine, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar

*Special Equipment: kitchen torch

Instructions
1. Place cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top. Set aside until gelatin has softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Combine 1/2 cup of heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin has dissolved completely.
3. In a separate bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds. Stir in hot cream mixture. Divide mixture between 4 ramekins and refrigerate overnight or until set.
4. Just before serving, place nectarine slices on a foil lined baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Heat the top of the fruit evenly with the kitchen torch until the sugar has begun to caramelize. Allow sugar to harden and cool, then garnish the top of each panna cotta with brûléed nectarine slices.

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Heirloom Tomato Caprese with Nicoise Olives

Welp, it's officially summer, which means that I can officially start keeping track of how many orders I get from clients for my Caprese Salad. I swear, I make so many of these you wouldn't believe it. I offer loads of other bright, colorful, delicious, wonderful salads, but for some reason come summertime the simple, traditional caprese ends up being the front runner every year.

It's not surprising to see why- tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella are a perfect match. Classic, like The Three Stooges even. Since I have prepared this customary combo over and over again, I've had plenty of opportunities to tinker with the standard recipe, altering this and that along the way to come up with my favorite rendition, which I am tickled to share with you today.

For starters, we are in prime tomato season right now, so why not use the cream of the crop? I love to showcase the different shapes, sizes and colors of heirloom tomatoes in my rustic version. While we're at it, let's toss in some of the gooiest, richest cheese around, shall we? Ah, burrata...you make everything taste better, you creamy devil. 

Next, you could do a simple chiffonade of basil, nothing wrong with that. But I'm having kind of a moment with micro basil right now. It's so delicate and pretty, just scatter the leaves whole and you're halfway to summer salad nirvana. 

Ok, now I know what you're thinking, and you're absolutely right: olives are not traditionally part of a caprese salad. But like I said before, I have made caprese salad so. many. times. Like a thousand, probably. I was getting bored with the purists' interpretation, so can you blame me for going rouge and adding a few tasty little olives into the mix?

Go ahead, I dare you.

Any olives will do, but nicoise are my favorite here- they're flavorful but not overpowering. And I bet once you've tried it you won't want to go back. Now all that's left to do is add a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and your caprese salad upgrade is complete!

serves 4
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes, sliced
6 ounces burrata cheese
1/4 cup nicoise olives, drained
1/4  cup micro basil
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Flaky sea salt

Instructions
1. Divide tomato slices evenly among plates. Dollop burrata cheese over tomatoes and sprinkle olives and micro basil on top.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

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(Spiked) Iced Peach Green Tea

This is the story of a neighborhood party that took forever to pull off, but which resulted in the discovery of my new go-to adult summer beverage, thereby making it well worth the wait. 

John and I had been talking with our neighbors about throwing this special sort of block party for quite some time. Months, actually. But this was not to be just any old shindig. There were rules, you see (probably why it took us so long to get all of our acts together).

 It's what is known as a "Progressive" dinner party, and I hadn't heard anything about this business until our friend and neighbor Robert spelled it out: you get a few neighboring houses together, each one serving 1-2 tapas/family style dishes with a paired beverage, and you progress from one house to the next, eating and drinking all along the merry way.

Um, a roaming party? I'm in.

To keep it interesting and eclectic each house would choose an ethnic cuisine to plan their menu around. The neighborinos chose Cajun and Mexican, respectively; we landed on Japanese. Seeking to diverge from the typical Japanese fare (sushi rolls, tempura, meh), we wound up serving an ahi tartare/tostada creation with avocado puree and a killer mango-jicama salsa. Oh, and there were wasabi mashed potatoes. Nailed it.

But back to the drink, which was truly the star of the show. Something Japanese. Hmmm. We could have gone down the sake road...but that would have been too easy. No, something more whimsical was in order. All I knew was that it had to be served in mason jars with cutesy straws, and John wanted something that we could just whip up in advance and keep in a large pitcher. Practical, that one. We were stumped.

And then, tucked away in the ever growing DVR list of food shows I never have time to watch was the answer, this little gem of a drink concocted by one Mr. Bobby Flay. I don't know what makes this drink particularly Japanese other than the fact that we swapped regular iced tea for green tea, but it had everything we were looking for. Mason jars? Check. Cutesy Straws? Check. Pitcher friendly? Check!

Not to mention the fact that it's a total crowd pleaser.

Who doesn't love a boozy iced tea loaded with fresh summer peach flavor? And wait, what's that? A little champagne topper to boot?

Now you see why I will be sucking these babies down all summer long.

adapted from Bobby Flay
serves 12
Ingredients

8-10 bags peach green tea
6 medium ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped plus 1-2 peaches, sliced, for garnish
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
20 ounces gin (or more if you like a stiff drink)
Bitters, to taste
Champagne or sparkling wine, for serving
Ice, for serving

Instructions
1. Brew tea bags by steeping in 6 cups hot water for up to 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags and chill completely.
2. Puree peaches, lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding solids. Set aside.
3. Make a simple syrup by combining remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
4. Pour chilled tea, peach puree, simple syrup, gin and bitters into a pitcher, stirring to combine. Refrigerate until well chilled.
5. To serve, fill glasses with ice, top with iced tea mixture and top with a float of Champagne. Garnish with peach wedges.

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