My Last Hurrah!!

The blog, Orangette, recently wrote on her post about having a last hurrah. She explained that for her it meant saying goodbye in a big bang sort of way. Well now that summer is about to end she wanted to have a last hurrah! with the foods of summer by making buttered corn and tomatoes with tapenade. In my opinion having a last hurrah with summer food would be with fruits, no offense, but they are the foods that remind us of summer. I know that when you go to the grocery there will always be the fruits that you want but something about summer makes them more ripe and juicy, and besides, having summer fruits in the fall would make them less pleasant to eat since it's so cold. Here are some recipies that I have made in the past that bring out the best in summer fruits. Hurry and make them before it's too late to have your last hurrah with these summer fruits.

Top 5 Summer fruits to eat before summer ends:
1. watermelon
2. pineapples
3. peaches
4. berries
5. mangoes

All of these recipies have been tested and altered by me so that it is easy and simple to make but also flavorful. Get cooking!

Watermelon Granita

9 cups of cubed seedless watermelon
1/3 cup of lime juice
1/3 cup mint chopped finely
1/4 cup of sugar

Puree the watermelon in the food processor, strain out solids and discard. Combine the puree with the lime juice, mint and sugar and put in a 9 by 13 inch metal pan. Place in the freezer and scrape with a fork every 20 to 30 minutes for 2 1/2 hours. The end product should look like coarse crystals. Serve in a parfait glass.


Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate

1 1/4 lbs of good white chocolate (coarsely chopped)
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 lbs of frozen mixed berries

Put the white chocolate, heavy cream and vanilla in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Take berries and place them on a pan and spread them out and freeze to prevent from sticking. Divide berries on plates and ladle the hot white chocolate sauce on top.


Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone & Honey

6 large ripe peaches (halved and pits removed)
6 tbsp honey plus more for serving
8 oz marcarpone cheese at room temperature

Preheat grill to medium high ( if you don't have a grill handy an oven works just fine). Place peaches cut side down onto grill and cook lightly until charred for 2-3 minutes. Tranfer to a plate and wrap in foil and continue to cook on grill until soft for another 5 minutes.

Divide peaches on individual plates top with mascarpone cheese. Drizzle with honey. Mmmm yummy.