Watermelon Agua Fresca to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

I discovered agua frescas during a recent trip to San Francisco. I was standing on line at Mijita in the Ferry Building, looking over the menu, when I spied three massive drink dispensers filled with delicious looking fruit drinks in strawberry, melon, and watermelon flavors. I chose watermelon and it was served non-fussily in a large plastic tumbler. The watermelon agua fresca was fruity without being cloyingly sweet, the perfect complement to my pork soft tacos.

Cinco de Mayo tends to be an excuse to indulge in way too many margaritas, something I've definitely been guilty of doing in years past. But this year, why not take your version of this healthy and refreshing fruit drink? We made Watermelon Agua Frescas last night and fought over the last drop in the pitcher. Watermelons in the supermarket are incredibly cheap right now: $3.50 at Trader Joe's and $5.50 at the Jewel for a large seedless watermelon. It makes whipping up a pitcher of agua fresca cheaper than pouring a glass of Tropicana.

We enjoyed our agua fresca with grilled lamb chops and Mexican style roasted corn. My mouth is still all tingly and happy from all those zingy fresh tastes!

Watermelon Agua Fresca
Ingredients
Half of a regular (not baby) watermelon
juice of 2 lemons
2 cups of water
1/3 cup of sugar

1. Cut the watermelon into large chunks. Don't worry about seeds.
2. Put the watermelon in a blender. Pour the water in the blender. Pulse to liquify.
3. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Pulse a few more times to mix.
4. Strain into a pitcher. Use the strainer with the tightest mesh you have, you will have a lot of pulp and you want to remove it all, leaving only the fresh juice.
5. Put some ice in your pitcher and serve immediately.

Roasted Pears with Prosciutto and Burrrata: a Rustic App That Packs a Punch

I've tried to meditate many times, but I can't seem to quiet my mind. Still, if I were to take up meditation, my mantra would be "Aaahhh Burrata."

Whenever I walk into Whole Foods, or any specialty food store for that matter, I head straight for the cheese aisle. While I love cheese in any form, especially the smelly, oozy kind, there's one cheese in particular that I'm on the hunt for: burrata. I only find it on occasion, and when it's there, I pounce, reshaping my weekly menu around its creamy curds.

If you've never tried this gift from the gods, let me describe it for you. Burrata is an incredibly delicious fresh cheese consisting of an outer pouch of mozzarella and an inner filling of a combination of mozzarella curds and cream. It can be made from either buffalo or cow's milk, but is richer with buffalo milk. The result is rich and decadent, like popping a little cloud of dairy heaven in your mouth. Burrata actually means butter in Italian. It was created in Puglia in Italy in the 1920s but is now becoming more widely available in the US.

In the summer, when the tomatoes are sweet and fragrant, I don't get fancy. There's nothing better than rough slices of burrata on fresh farmers' market tomatoes. But even in winter, when the tomatoes taste worse than cardboard, I still pounce if I find burrata in the store. And that's when things get interesting.

Last week, I cobbled together a homely looking appetizer that was so good I licked the plate. I roasted some pear slices with honey and balsamic then topped them with a sliver of prosciutto and a dab of burrata. Each messy bite was creamy, sweet, and salty at the same time, heaven in my mouth. Now I just need to refine it so it's not too messy to serve to guests.

Roasted Pears with Prosciutto and Burrata
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes (to roast the pears)
Ingredients:
2 Pears (the harder kind such as D'Anjou)
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of honey
3 slice of prosciutto
1 lump of burrata

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Peel and slice the pears into 1 inch slices. Toss with the balsamic vinegar and honey.
3. Roast for 20 minutes in the oven until lightly crisp. 
4. Once the pears have cooled slightly, top with a sliver of prosciutto and burrata. Serve with napkins!

Clementine Meringue Brulee: a Diet Dessert You'll Crave

Are you watching your weight this January? Cutting out sweets to get a good start on your new year's weight loss resolutions? Going without dessert is usually the first thing I do when I'm trying to shed a few pounds, but every night after dinner, my sweet tooth gives me some powerful sugar craving.

I crafted a dessert the other night that's perfect for this "I'm trying to be good" time of the year. My Clementine Meringue Brulee is easy to make and only has a little bit of sugar in it. I'm no nutritionist, but I can certify without the shadow of a doubt that it's much better for you than giving in to your sweet tooth and sneaking a bag of brownie bites in a weak-willed binge moment. Every bite contains the promise of summer.

The Clementine Meringue Brulee is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, easy enough to surprise your husband after a bad day, and delicious enough to please the kids. It needs so little sugar because of the flavor and sweetness of the main ingredient: clementines. Those little orange cuties have gotten so cheap in recent year that it's easy to dismiss these sweet little fruits as a kiddie snack.

After you make this dessert, you'll look at clementines in a whole new light.

Clementine Meringue Brulee
Makes 1 dozen  desserts
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Ingredients:
12- 14 Clementines
1/3 cup of sugar (optional or use less if desired)
3 egg whites
1/4 cup of sugar (no this is not a typo, I wanted to make it clear the sugar needed for the meringues vs the sorbet)

1. Juice the clementines, either by hand with a fork or with a citrus juicer if you have one. If you don't have a juicer, you'll need more clementines (14 to 16).
2. Add sugar to clementine juice. Pour in ice cream maker. Run machine for 30 minutes until juice is frozen yet soft. Alternatively, if you don't have an ice cream maker, put juice in freezer and mix with a fork every 5 minutes.
3. Remove sorbet from ice cream maker and put in freezer-safe container. Place in freezer until ready to serve.
4. Crack egg whites into a large bowl. Using hand held mixer, beat until soft peaks form, adding sugar halfway through.
5. Once egg whites are beaten and you are ready to eat dessert, ladle sorbet into pretty cups. Scoop a few tablespoons of soft meringue on top. If desired, use a kitchen blow torch to caramelize a little of the meringue. If you don't have one, you could try putting all the meringue in a baking dish in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit and watching it closely until it is just toasted on top.
6. Serve immediately.

Peach Tarte Tatin is a Great Way to Celebrate Farmer's Market Bounty

One of the first things I heard about Oak Park was that it has a fabled farmer's market. I kid you not, the word fabled was used by different, completely unconnected people. It was also described as a time-honored tradition, wonderful, and delightful. I was also advised to get there early for the cinnamon donuts. When Saturday morning rolled around, I hustled my husband and kids into the car so we could finally check out the Oak Park Farmer's Market.

The market didn't disappoint. There were over 30 vendors, offering ripe Michigan fruit and a wide variety of vegetables: yellow butter beans, spring green string beans, broccoli, and adorable baby carrots still covered with dirt.  One corner was anchored by a truck heaped with three different types of swollen sweet melons, your choice for $5. Juliette was smitten by this table of berries presented so beautifully. She refused to walk any further until she had a basket of raspberries and blueberries to shove into her mouth.

I splurged on some blushing peaches that smelled sweet like summer. After I bit into one and let the juice run down my chin, I used the others to make another tarte tatin, just like my tomato one, another cheating one with frozen pastry pie dough, now addicted to this easy summer dessert. The caramel topping melded with the tender peaches. It was the perfect way to celebrate this first bounty from our new farmer's market.  

Shortcut Peach Tarte Tatin
Ingredients:
5 Ripe Peaches
3 tablespoons of salted butter
3/4 cups of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough
optional: vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche to serve

1. Cut each peach into inch wide slices, leaving the skin on, removing the pit. Don't worry about being even. This is meant to be a rustic, casual dessert.
2. Spread the butter evenly on the bottom of an oven-proof skillet. This will take a little elbow grease to keep rubbing the butter in concentric circles until you have a thick pommade coating the pan. 
3. Sprinkle the sugar on top.
4. Layer the peaches over the butter and sugar. Don't worry about overlapping, having more peaches is better than not enough.
5. Place skillet over medium heat. Cook, occasionally shifting the peaches gently to prevent burning. When the butter and sugar have turned into a bubbling, light amber caramel, take the pan off the heat.
6. Immediately add the vanilla extract by drizzling it on top of the peaches.
7. Lay your puff pastry sheet down. Cut off the corners to make it a very rough circle. Don't worry too much about geometry or presentation. I guarantee your pie will be gorgeous.
8. Lay the puff pastry over the caramelized peaches, tucking in the dough. Make 3 or 4 slits in the dough. 
9. Place pie in oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is golden brown. Watch closely to make sure the caramel doesn't burn, turning the peaches into cement. 
10. As soon as the pie is done, invert it onto a serving dish. Use silicone mitts to prevent yourself from burning but don't wait or you will be scooping your pie out with a jack hammer.
11. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche.