1 onion, diced
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cinnamon stick
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan with a lid and bring to a simmer
Cook for 45 minutes, until tender, remove from heat, and cool.
Serve cold, or at room temperature.
12 plums, pitted and halved
4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
pinch cinnamon
pinch cloves
Combine all ingredients in a medium pot, bring to a simmer, and cover.
Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour, until very soft.
Puree and strain.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed
This vegetable relish is a favourite of ours to serve as the beginning of a summer meal. If I’m cooking on the barbecue, I will grill the vegetables instead of roasting them. I usually slice some fresh baguette, and guests can spoon the relish on as a very informal bruschetta, but it can also be used as a condiment or sauce for grilled chicken or fish. Select ripe cocktail sized tomatoes (no more than a 2 inch diameter) from a thick walled variety such as Cascades.
6 small tomatoes (about 1 lb)
1 sweet onion
2 yellow peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
2 tbsp basil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 300 F
Halve tomatoes and arrange cut side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Peel and slice onion into 1/4 inch thick slices, and arrange on the same baking sheet
Quarter peppers, remove seeds, and arrange on baking sheet as well
Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper
Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until vegetables are tender and slightly browned. (Turn peppers and onions halfway through baking)
Remove tray from oven and allow to cool to room temperature
Chop all vegetables into a 1/4 inch dice and mix together with basil and balsamic vinegar
Adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve at room temperature
Nothing can be easier or more delicious than the ripest summer tomatoes pureed with basil and olive oil. The resulting liquid, once strained to remove seeds and skin is the cleanest, purest tomato sauce you will ever taste, and should be tossed with freshly made gnocchi or pasta. You can also chill it and serve it as a cold soup.
2 lb extremely ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
Dice tomatoes, chop basil, drizzle with olive oil and salt, place everything in a large bowl, and allow to sit at room temperature for an hour.
Puree and strain, using a not too fine strainer (you want to remove the seeds, but retain the pulp for a nice thick texture.)
Adjust seasoning if necessary.
That’s it, nothing else to do!
Inspired by the sight of apples littering the ground beneath the tree, this seemed like a natural extension. The story goes that the ice cream cone was invented at the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair when an ice cream vendor ran out of bowls and served the rest of his ice cream in waffles folded into cones from the next vendor, who’s stand wasn’t quite so busy. The waffles are also delicious for breakfast, sans ice cream and caramel, (unless you’re having one of those days, in which case anything goes!)
Applesauce
It’s important for applesauce to use soft fleshed apples, as they will break down very easily and give you a nice silky sauce. I don’t bother putting it into the blender or food processor, I just whisk it while hot and break up the apple into a coarse puree. I think a bit of texture is nice. Macintosh work well for this, or if you’re like me and have an old tree in the yard it’s a great way to use up the wind fallen fruit.
2 lb apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water
Peel and dice apples and place in a pot with a tight fitting lid.
Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and water
Cover, and bring up to a simmer over medium low heat
Reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are tender
Whisk together to puree (summer apples with soft texture will puree very easily)
Allow to cool to room temperature
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Waffles
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
3 eggs separated
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup oil
Place flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and mix well
Place egg yolks, milk, and oil into another bowl and whisk together
Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just well combined
Whip egg whites until stiff and fold into batter
Cover batter and place in refrigerator until needed
Preheat waffle iron and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions
Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups whipping cream
Scald cream and keep warm
Combine the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan
Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until sugar turns a golden colour.
Remove from heat, and add the scalded cream, a little at a time, being careful as it has a tendency to boil up
Whisk together and bring back to a boil, strain, and cool to room temperature
To assemble the sundaes
Take a freshly made waffle, cover it with a decent sized dollop of applesauce (1/4 cup) and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Drizzle with caramel sauce and serve while still warm
Go back for seconds