Classic Peach Cobbler

I feel like this summer has passed by so quickly. It's already the end of August! With the end of summer, you get peaches. Peaches and nectarines are transitioning out, but are still in season. They're going to be well prices and flavorful. I tossed a few peaches with some brown sugar, spices, and topped with with a flaky pie dough. It's a southern classic that praises the end of summer and sings in the new season.

Peach Cobbler (serves 2-4)
3 Peaches
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Clove
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ginger
1 tbsp Corn Starch
pinch Salt
1/2 stick Cold Butter
3 oz Flour
pinch Salt
1 oz Cold Water

1. Peel peaches and cut into a large dice, about 1 inch thick
2. Toss the peaches in brown sugar, spices, salt, and corn starch. Allow to sit.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
4. Cut butter into small dices.
5. Place butter into a mixing bowl with flour and salt. Mix with a paddle attachment until the butter is broken down and flaky. If you don't have a mixer, you can use your fingers to press the butter and rub it together to break up the pieces.
6. Add the water to the flour mixture and allow it to form a loose dough.
7. Wrap the dough and allow to chill for about 30 minutes.
8. Place the peaches into a small cast iron skillet or a casserole dish.
9. Roll out the dough into a disk that covers the skillet.
10. Brush the dough with egg wash (1 egg, a little water, salt) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut a few slits in the top to vent.
11. Bake the cobbler for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.

The warm spices bring fall to your palate with the cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger. It's juxtaposed with bright peaches. The flaky crust is the best pairing for the warm peaches, and it's even better complimented with ice cream.

This is best served warm, just a few minutes out of the oven. I like spooning a generous portion onto a plate with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I would definitely suggest you try this out before summer leaves us for the year!

Welcoming Baby Matthew!

This weekend, I was able to cater a baby shower for one of my friends from church! She's expecting her second- a little baby boy!! I was extremely excited to work with her to make some tea/brunch themed food for everyone who came to welcome baby Matthew!

One of the items on the menu was quiche! I was able to come up with 3 different flavors- caramelized onion, spinach and feta, and ham and cheddar. They were a great compliment to one another, and to the rest of the menu. I've included the recipe for the spinach and feta and ham and cheddar below!

You can get creative with the fillings for the quiche! The crust is a flaky pastry that greatly accompanies the rich egg custard filling. Any filling would go great with this!

Assorted Mini Quiche (makes 24)

Crust:
9 oz All Purpose Flour
1 stick Butter
3 tbsp Shortening
3 oz Cold Water

1. Cut the cold butter into small cubes (1cm x 1cm).
2. Put the pieces into the flour and salt. Make sure each cube is coated.
3. Press the butter to flat pieces. Add the shortening.
4. Rub the butter between your fingers to make flakes. Continue until the butter chunks are about the size of a pea.
5. Create a well in the center of the flour and pour your cold water into it.
6. Bring your flour towards the center of the well a little bit at a time, until it is completely incorporated.
7. Flatten your dough slightly and wrap it in plastic. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, until it is chilled.

Filling:
1 cup Milk
3 Eggs
2 Egg Yolk
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1. Lightly beat your eggs and yolks.
2. Add milk and seasoning.
3. Pour into a container with a pour spout, or a liquid measuring cup. 

Topping:
Spinach
Feta Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Ham

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease two muffin tins.
2. Roll out your crust dough to about a quarter inch thick.
3. Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out rounds.
4. Place the round into the muffin tin.
5. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the tin. If you must re-roll the dough, be sure to chill it for about 15 minutes in between rolls. This is so the dough has a moment to rest and does not shrink.
6. Place spinach and feta cheese into to bottom of 12 crusts. You should tear the spinach to fit well into the crust.
7. Cut cheddar cheese and ham into small pieces, then place into the bottom of the remaining dozen crusts.
8. Pour the filling into the crust, filling almost to the top of each crust. You want to leave a short amount of space, just to prevent overflowing.
9. Bake the tarts for about 25-30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the custard is set.
10. Cool slightly and remove from the tins.

We had a few other great menu items to enjoy, too: scones and peach jam, tea sandwiches (egg salad, cucumber, and tomato), portabello and goat cheese spread with crackers, pumpkin cheesecake, cupcakes, and of course, macarons! We also had a fun blueberry spritzer for the ladies to enjoy. 

I loved getting the opportunity to serve Helen and her family and some of our friends before the arrival from baby Matthew! We are so excited to welcome him into the world!!! If you want to have a deliciowhso catered event, click the tab above, and be sure to contact me! I'd love to connect and work with you to make your event perfect! :)

Steak, Tomato, and Feta Bruschetta (Adorn Dinner Party)

I recently prepared food for a dinner party for Adorn Media Group. It was a fun experience, and I got to meet some great ladies! The dinner was family style, with drinks, dessert, and lots of food! It was a great time to talk and connect!

One of the more popular dishes was a steak, tomato, and feta bruschetta.  I used a honey glaze on the steak to add sweetness, which contrasted well with the tart feta cheese and tangy tomatoes. The bread was a great addition, but also a perfect vessel to bite into! The balsamic glaze was a perfect topper to finish!

Steak, Tomato, and Feta Bruschetta (makes 24)
1 Baguette
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
24 Grape Tomatoes
8 oz Feta Cheese, Crumbled
1 lb Flat Iron Steak
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 tbsp Honey
Balsamic Glaze or Reduction

1. Slice the baguette into about 1/2 inch slices. Lay them flat on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toast in the oven at 350 until dried out and slightly golden on the edges.
2. Slice grape tomatoes into 4 pieces.
3. Cut steak into manageable pieces, and season on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Preheat the pan. When it's hot, add the steak and cook until done, about 2 minutes on each side. Check by applying pressure (learn how to cook the perfect steak here),
5. After it's done, brush the outside of the steak with the honey, then rest for 10 minutes.
6. Cut the steak into thin slices.
7. Layer the bruschetta with bread, tomatoes, steak, feta, and balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.


The steak bruschetta is a pretty simple way to impress guests at your next dinner party! It's a great hors d'oeuvre, and can be made beforehand. All you have to do is keep all the components separate (and the steak warm) until you're ready to stack and serve!

Here are some more pictures from the event!

Summer Peach and Honeysuckle Cocktail (recipe here)

Pesto Pasta with Golden Tomato [chicken on the left] (Pesto recipe here)

 Portabello and Goat Cheese Spread on Toast with Spinach (recipe here)

 Caprese Salad Skewers

Green Bean Salad with Cranberry and Almonds (recipe here)

 Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe here)

Overall, the event was a great time, and I wish adorn luck as they continue to serve their tastemakers!

Photos taken by Johnny Cheng (www.JohnnyChengPhotography.com)

Summer Peach and Honeysuckle Cocktail

When I was in elementary school, there was a honeysuckle plant right outside the blacktop fence where we used to play for recess. I remember always reaching over and picking the flowers and sucking on the ends. The floral scent with the sweet flavor was always so satisfying. It was always a challenge to find them (since all the other kids liked them, too), but whenever I managed to get one, it was magical! This cocktail perfectly captures those moments, with a balance of sweet, tangy Georgia peaches.

Two classic Georgia flavors come together in this refreshing, delicious, and pretty cocktail that's perfect for a hot summer day! This week has been extremely hot in Georgia... Some days the highs reached the high 90's (which is actually normal for a Georgia summer...) Luckily, we've had some rain over the past couple weeks, so it hasn't been quite as hot. But with the temperatures rising again, this drink is a MUST! Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka is paired with refreshing peach juice for the perfect balance of sweetness!

Peach and Honeysuckle Cocktail (Makes 8)
3 Cups Peach Juice
3 Cups Tonic Water
4 oz Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka
1 Peach, Sliced

1. In a pitcher, mix peach and vodka together.
2. Add the peach slices to either the glasses or the pitcher. The slices float, so either one will work. If you put them in the pitcher, they pour out with the drink.
3. Fill glasses (or mason jars) with ice.
4. Add the tonic water to the pitcher last. This will go flat, so it's best to do it right before serving so the drink stays fizzy.
5. Pour the drink over the ice and serve immediately.

This simple, elegant drink is sure to wow your guests! I served this at a recent event (post coming soon!). It was a huge hit among all of the guests! If you're unable to get honeysuckle vodka, Southern Comfort is a good alternative. It has a fruitiness to it that will complement the peach well! You can also make a non-alcoholic version without the vodka. Adding a little bit of mint or lavender simple syrup (boil 1:1 ratio sugar and water and drop the mint/lavender after you remove from heat) might add a complexity similar to the honeysuckle.

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

As my stay in Georgia comes to a close, I wanted to end with yet another local and seasonal recipe. Georgia peaches are sweet, juicy, and delicious. Though the cupcake "fad" may be slowly fading, there's no reason to move on so quickly! Instead, we should come up with exciting, innovative ways to approach the classic dessert. One way you can do this is by adding a filling, as well as using flavors that deviate from the traditional chocolate and vanilla.

The recipe for the cake portion of the cupcake is adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis. Although I am often opposed to using cake mixes, if you are in a pinch for time, it is possible to make the cake mix less sweet and dense. Adding a creamy dessert cheese, like mascarpone, can create a lighter, fluffier texture and can balance some of the sweetness with the tartness.

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes (Makes 24 Cupcakes)
Mascarpone Cupcakes
8 oz Mascarpone Cheese, Softened
2 Egg Whites
1 box White Cake Mix
1 cup Water
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1. Use a mixer to soften cheese. Gradually add the egg whites until well blended. 
2. Add cake mix, water, and oil.
3. Mix until well incorporated.
4. Scoop into a muffin tin lined with muffin liners. Fill about 3/4 of the way up.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, the cake springs back when poked, and a toothpick or paring knife comes out clean when you poke the cake. (about 17-23 min)
6. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Peach Custard Filling
1 Peach
5 Egg Yolks
3 cups Heavy Cream
3 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
3 tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1. Rinse, peel, and cut the peach to a medium dice.
2. Combine milk, cream, half the sugar, and peaches in a pot and heat until it boils. Turn down the heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, mix together corn starch, yolks, and the remaining sugar.
4. Do not pour sugar into the yolks until you are ready to mix them in. If it is not stirred, the yolk may curdle and you will have bits of yolk in your final product.
5. Pour hot milk slowly into the yolks, whisking constantly.
6. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pot.
7. Stir constantly over low heat until it becomes a thick custard. Allow it to bubble some before turning off the heat. Be careful to not overheat so that there are no chunks of egg in your custard.
8. Pour out the custard into a large bowl. Cover with plastic so that it is touching the surface of the custard. Then, press the custard up the sides of the bowl. Do not let it overflow
9. Allow the custard to cool completely.
10. Whip 1/2 cup of cream to medium-stiff peaks.
11. Once custard is cool, fold in cream.
12. Place custard into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
13. Put the tip of the piping bag into the center of the cupcake and apply pressure until the cupcake bulges slightly.

Honey Buttercream
5 Egg Whites
3/4 cup Sugar
2 stick Butter
1 tbsp Honey
3 Peaches

1. Heat egg whites and sugar over a pot of boiling water until the sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk occasionally. Check if the sugar is dissolved by rubbing the egg whites between your fingers to feel for crystals.
2. Use an electric mixer on high speed to whip the whites until stiff peaks form and the meringue has cooled.
3. Add softened butter gradually to the meringue and whip.
4. Add the honey to the mixture.
5. Continue to whip. The mixture will separate, look like cottage cheese, then come together in a dense dough-like mass, and then become a very soft buttercream.
6. Put the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice.
7. Pipe in a circular motion from the outside of the cupcake to the center. Apply even pressure to avoid any blemishes.
8. Garnish cupcakes with sliced peach wedges.

Enjoy this cupcake with a cold glass of milk as the hot summer comes to a close!

Pecan and Peach Butter Macarons

Macarons are the latest trend in the dessert world. Every bakery around the corner seems to be selling them, although some are better than others. This macaron is a Georgia twist on the French classic. Made with pecans and local Georgia peach butter (similar to a jam), they are the perfect dessert to have after some soul food.

When I eat a macaron, I look for texture and flavor. It should have a crispy outside, but the inside should be moist and cakey. The flavor should be full and nutty. The filling should be strong, but balanced with the shell. It is not easy to make all of this happen in one cookie, but following some simple tips can help you get there! It is very important to allow your macarons to sit overnight in the refrigerator or freezer so that the flavors develop and the texture softens. The macaron will suck up the moisture from the fridge to yield a soft, chewy product instead of a crispy one. The flavors will not only be embedded in the filling, but the shell will also absorb the flavors. Eating a macaron as soon as it's assembled is delicious, but if you let it sit over night, it only gets better! Just set them out so that they warm to room temperature before you eat them!

Pecan and Peach Butter Macarons (makes about 20 macarons)

Shells
50 g Almond Flour
50 g Pecan Pieces
120 g Confectioner's Sugar
50 g Granulated Sugar
70 g Egg White (2 large whites)
Toasted, Crushed Pecan Pieces

1. Pulse almond flour, confectioner's sugar, and pecans in food processor until very finely ground. Be careful not to grind too long, because it will release all of the oils, ruining your final product.
2. Sift the powder with a medium-mesh sieve.
3. Place the particles that are too large to fit through the sieve back into the food processor, pulse, and sift again. Throw out the excess pieces.
4. In a grease-free bowl, place your egg whites and sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes to begin to dissolve.
5. Use grease-free beaters on high speed to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.
6. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until the batter moves slowly, like lava. If you run your spatula through it, it should fall together after 5-7 seconds.
7. Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (3/8 inch). 
8. Pipe rounds that are about an inch apart onto a nonstick baking mat (silpat) that is placed onto a cookie sheet. 
9. Do this by holding the bag straight up about half an inch above the silpat, applying pressure to the bag until about 1 inch in diameter, stopping pressure, and then removing by moving hand in a very small circular motion to release the tip from the macaron shell. Make sure there is enough space to spread.
10. Rap your cookie sheet/sheet pan on the table a few times to make sure there are no bumps on the macaron shells. 
11. Before they dry, sprinkle some crushed pecan pieces on one side of the shell. 
12. Let rest until dry to the touch (about 30-45 minutes, longer on rainy days).
13. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. If you have a convection oven, use convection.
14. Bake macaron shells on the second shelf of the oven for 14-17 minutes, until they do not wiggle when nudged.
15. Remove from oven and allow shells to cool completely before removing from the silpat.

Peach Butter Buttercream Filling
1 Egg White
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Peach Butter/Peach Jam

1. Fill a pot with some water and begin to boil.
2. Place the egg white and sugar into a medium sized, heat proof, grease-free bowl. Place over the boiling water.
3. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved (110 degrees F). Check by rubbing the mixture between your fingers to feel for sugar granules.
4. Mix on high speed to make a meringue.
5. When cool to the touch, add softened butter and mix until it comes together.
6. It will break apart and look like scrambled eggs. Continue to mix until it becomes a soft paste.
7. Add the peach jam to the buttercream and mix until completely incorporated.  The buttercream may not be completely smooth, but it will work fine for a filling for a macaron.

Assembly
1. Pair the shells by size. You should have about 20 pairs of shells.
2. Put the buttercream into a piping bag with the same tip that you used to pipe the macarons.
3. Pipe the buttercream so that it is covering about 3/4 of the surface of the bottom of the shell.
4. Put the pairs together to create a "sandwich". 
5. Place in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to develop.
6. Let the macarons come to room temperature before you serve them.

The recipe for the shells is a recipe adapted from Artful Food, a blog made by a couple friends of mine! Annie and Connie are extremely talented! They bake to help fund raise for many different non profits and clubs at their school. Their macarons are absolutely beautiful, and I definitely recommend using their recipe for macaron shells.

If you would like to save your macarons for later, place into an airtight container and freeze. Bring the macarons to room temperature before you serve them. I love to make macarons, so you can definitely expect more flavors on this blog! Comment with any suggestions!

Southern Peach Tea Granita

Georgia summers are hot, humid, and sometimes unforgiving. During a hot, summer day all I want is something cold and refreshing. A peach tea granita does just the trick! It's made with southern style sweet tea and fresh, local peaches. This is a simple, elegant, and refreshing dessert that would be a hit at any party! But eat it before it melts!

I love to include tea in my cooking, especially because it's not seen very often in desserts. It adds a slight bitterness that brings perfect harmony to a sweet treat! Here in the South, sweet tea is a staple, to say the least. I wanted to introduce this blog with something local, natural, and "me"- and this frozen dessert seemed to do just the trick!

Here's how to recreate this frozen treat at home: 4 Servings

Granita:
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tea Bags 
1 Fresh Peach
1 cups Cold Water
Strainer
Freeze-Safe Container
Fork

1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. Add peach slices to the hot liquid. Reserve a few slices to finely dice and put into the granita.
3. Steep your tea in the liquid for 10 minutes.
4. Strain into the freeze-safe container and add the cold water. Add diced peach pieces and stir.
5. Freeze. Run your fork a few times through the mixture every 20 minutes until completely frozen and icy. This will prevent the mixture from becoming a solid block to maintain a light texture.
6. When frozen, spoon into a cold glass and serve with peach chips or peach slices.

Peach Chips:
1 Peach
Confectioner's Sugar 

1. Thinly slice peaches to about 1/8 inch.
2. Place peaches onto a sheet pan with a silicone baking mat.
3. Use a strainer to dust powdered sugar over the top of the peach slices
4. Bake at 200 degrees F until dry. Check if they are done by removing one from the pan and letting it cool. Try to break it (or just taste it). If it is crispy, it is done.
5. Remove from pan and shape as desired. If they are difficult to shape, put it back into the oven and let it warm up. If you do not want to shape them, just remove once cool. You may need a spatula if it sticks to the pan.

For a sweet-and-savory twist, pair with some hot-skillet corn bread and peach butter! Enjoy! :)