Fish and Chips

We substitute club soda for beer in this fish and chips recipe since we don't drink beer. The carbonation is what is important to make the batter nice and fluffy, and the club soda does just fine.

1 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup club soda
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless cod, cut into 1-by-3-inch pieces
lemon wedges, for serving
Tartar Sauce, for serving

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and baking powder. Slowly add club soda and whisk batter until smooth. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place near stove.

Pat fish dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt. In two batches, dip fish into batter (gently shaking off excess) and place in oil. Fry fish, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown and crisp, about 7 minutes per batch.

With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, transfer fish to prepared sheet to drain. Keep warm while cooking second batch. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

Melonade

We bought a honeydew melon that wasn't super sweet, so we decided to turn the rest of it into melonade.  I love the bright green color that it is.  It would be perfect for some goblin green drinks.  I might have to go buy another honeydew and freeze the juice for Halloween. It's pretty viscous as well so Jeremy wants to try floating some of those giant tapioca pearls in it--to make it look more creepy.

We just made up the recipe but here it is if you want to try.


Melonade Recipe:

1/2 large honeydew melon, seeded
3 large lemons
1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Slice honeydew into chunks and place in blender, or use an immersion blender.  Puree until smooth.  Squeeze lemons into the melon juice.  Pour through a strainer to remove fibers and lemon seeds (it takes a little while).  Chill in fridge.   Serve cold.

Orange Sherbet

Owen has been obsessed with an idea lately.  We try to encourage any interest the boys show towards food or cooking and Owen was obsessed with making homemade orange sherbet.  We watched Alton Brown make it on Good Eats and since then Owen asked about it almost daily.

I cannot even describe how delicious it turned out.  It tastes so orange and the flavor is so clear.  As I was eating it I was thinking about how so many people and us included just don't even know what the "real thing" tastes like.  And I wondered if we sat a bunch of people down in a room and fed them the real thing if they wouldn't just instantly be converted to real food because they simply hadn't known what they had been missing?

Unfortunately for some people their taste buds have been assaulted with too much added salt, and too much added sugar, and too many artificial "natural flavorings"  for so long they can overlook real food upon first re-taste.   But I've seen my homemade chocolate pudding rock people's worlds before, and I'm going to bet that this orange sherbet would do the same.

It sure rocked mine.

Orange Sherbet Recipe

7 ounces sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, (2 to 3 pounds oranges)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups very cold whole milk

In the bowl of a food processor combine all of the ingredients except the milk and process until the sugar is dissolved, approximately 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and whisk in the milk. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 1 hour. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may serve now or transfer to a lidded container and place in freezer until firm, approximately 3 hours.

SERVES 8 (1/2 cup serving);

Peach Vanilla Syrup

Peaches were on sale the other day. So I went and bought a ton to bring home and can. . . until I got home and decided that sounded really boring.

I wanted to do something fun and fulfilling.  So I made a batch of delicious fresh peach vanilla syrup for pancakes and waffles, and canned that. 

(It's also delicious on ice cream--just sayin'.)

I decided for the next batch I will use less vanilla than the original recipe.  It just had a definite boozy hint to it--which I'm sure some people love- but we'd rather let more of the peach flavor shine through. 

This can be frozen, or canned in a waterbath if you are familiar with that process.

Peach-Vanilla Syrup



5 cups peach puree (peeled, pitted, and whirred with a blender)
2 cups sugar
2 Tbls lemon juice (this is important for the acidity and color)
1 tsp vanilla

Yield = 3 pints

Over medium heat in a heavy pot, combine the peach puree, sugar, and lemon juice. Heat to boiling then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently for five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.

Pour into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace at the top of each jar. Wipe all the rims with a clean cloth and center the lids. Add the bands and tighten to finger tight

Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Remove the jars and allow to cool undisturbed for 24 hours. Check seal before storing.

Lemon Basil Ice Cream

Basil is one of the fragrant joys of summer time. When I saw this recipe for lemon basil ice cream I was intrigued,and knew I had to find the opportunity to make it.

The ice cream did not disappoint, with clean crisp flavors, and creamy texture. It's a new favorite.

2 c. milk
1 bunch basil
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 lemons (zest only)

Simmer the milk with the basil over low heat until the basil leaves wilt and turn brown. Remove from heat and strain the milk removing the basil. Mix in the sugar while the milk is still warm and then refrigerate this mixture for 2 hours, or until chilled.

Put the milk and cream in the freezer for about 10 minutes so it will be ice cold for freezing. Zest the two lemons and mix with the basil-infused milk and the creamt. Pour the mixture into the bowl of the ice cream maker. Freeze according to your machine's directions.

Mayonnaise Recipe

Homemade Mayonnaise may just be too "out there" for some people. But I really love that feeling of knowing how to do something myself--even if I don't always choose to actually do it myself.

When you make this yourself you can control the type of oil you are using--that's a big bonus.

Homemade mayonnaise would be necessary for making the homemade ranch dressing entirely from scratch. We've also been making a homemade tartar sauce from scratch using mayonnaise--yumm!

This is a Martha recipe and she says:Note: Raw eggs should not be used in food prepared for pregnant women, babies, young children, the elderly, or anyone whose health is compromised.

Alton Brown would say: If you are worried about it just buy pasteurized eggs.

Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

Makes 1 cup

1 large egg, room temperature
Salt
1/4 cup mild-tasting oil
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon


Wrap the outside and bottom of a 1-quart bowl in a damp towel to secure it in place on the work surface. Combine egg and salt with a large balloon whisk, mixing until foamy and pale. (Or do it in a mixer with the whisk attachment.) Whisking constantly, add oils a few drops at a time, and then in a steady stream as the mixture emulsifies. Add lemon juice; blend briefly. Add additional salt and lemon juice to taste. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Cranberry Wassail

This is my mom's recipe for cranberry wassail.  The cranberry wassail is a great drink if you want something different, or are sick of the hot apple cider served all fall, but still want a festive winter drink.

We had a great time last night and were happy our friends made it out despite the blizzarding conditions outside!


Cranberry Wassail

4 Cups Cranberry Juice
4 Cups Water
2 Cups Orange Juice
1 Cup Pineapple Juice
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1 Cup Sugar
3 Cinnamon Sticks

Combine in a large pot and simmer 15 minutes.

Watermelon Basil Lemonade

I've been planning Fourth of July food for weeks. I have binders and piles and stashes of recipes I have clipped from magazines. There's a number of things I've been waiting for the "right occasion" to try.

Be it good or bad for us as a whole, most holiday celebrations in our society center closely around food. Thus the traditional 4th of July barbecue was the occasion I'd been waiting for. I went grocery shopping Monday and bought all the food supplies I needed. Mid-week we were at Target and found some bright red paper lanterns on clearance--perfect for a patriotic celebration. By the end of the week I realized we had a party planned with no guest list. So I made a few invitations to friends not thrown-off by a last minute invitation.


One big hit was the watermelon-basil lemonade. We served it with frozen watermelon chunk "ice cubes".

We sat around for hours. Talking, letting the kids run around and play, and watching Jeremy singe his fingertips entertaining us with fireworks. I haven't had that much fun in a long time.

And Sunday morning as we showed up for church poor little Jonas looked like he'd been through a crazy night of partying, his right eye swollen shut from the effects of an unfortunately positioned mosquito bite.

Ah, summer!

Watermelon-Basil Lemonade

1/4 C Basil Leaves
1/2 -3/4 C Sugar
4-5 Lemons
3 Cups pureed watermelon

Place basil leaves in a heat-proof pitcher. Bruise the leaves with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour in Sugar and add 4 cups boiling water. Juice lemons to make 1 cup of juice, reserve rinds. Add lemon juice along with pureed watermelon and lemon rinds to the pitcher. Chill in the fridge for 3 hours. Strain and serve garnished with fresh watermelon slices.

Lemonade Stand Pie

I made a pie this weekend as a part of the "You Want Pies With That?" challenge. The theme for this month a Taste of Summer pie. I decided that nothing reminds me of those idyllic summer days than a good old fashioned lemonade stand. One that is run by a blond little girl wearing gingham and pigtails. And there is a sprinkler running on the lawn behind her. And some other neighborhood kids are playing with sidewalk chalk and jump ropes nearby. . .

So wrapping all those images into one delicious bite. . . here is my Lemonade Stand Pie


This recipe is adapted from Martha.

Wash a lemon and cut crosswise into thin slices using a mandoline. Remove any seeds and discard. Remove peel and pith of 2 more lemons and discard. Slice lemon flesh crosswise into very thin slices. Remove seeds and discard; add to a bowl with other lemon slices. Add 3 cups sugar and toss well to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let mixture stand overnight, stirring occasionally.


The next day, make a double pie crust recipe of your choice, adding in 2 tablespoons lemon zest.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 piece of crust into a 13-inch round. Fit dough into a 10-inch pie plate, pressing it into the edges; refrigerate 15 minutes.

Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and 7 whole eggs to lemon mixture; stir until well combined. Pour into chilled pie crust.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll remaining piece of crust into a 13-inch round. Slice vents liberally into the crust. Place over filling and crimp edges to seal. Brush top of crust with 1 egg white.

Transfer pie to oven and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue until crust is golden brown and shiny, about 30 minutes.


This pie has a lemony custard-like filling that is very powerfully lemon. It's not sour or tart, but simply lemon. And simply delicious to those that are a fan!

Lemonade Stand Pie

3 lemons
3 cups sugar
1/8 tsp salt
7 eggs
double pie crust

Wash a lemon and cut crosswise into thin slices using a mandoline. Remove any seeds and discard.  Remove peel and pith of 2 more lemons and discard (Reserve 2 tablespoons of zest for crust). Slice lemon flesh crosswise into very thin slices. Remove seeds and discard; add to a bowl with other lemon slices. Add 3 cups sugar and toss well to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let mixture stand overnight, stirring occasionally.

The next day, make a double pie crust recipe of your choice, adding in 2 tablespoons lemon zest.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 piece of crust into a 13-inch round. Fit dough into a 10-inch pie plate, pressing it into the edges; refrigerate 15 minutes.

Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and 7 whole eggs to lemon mixture; stir until well combined. Pour into chilled pie crust.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll remaining piece of crust into a 13-inch round. Slice vents liberally into the crust. Place over filling and crimp edges to seal. Brush top of crust with 1 egg white.

Transfer pie to oven and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue until crust is golden brown and shiny, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!