by Buck on August 5, 2010
As an East Coast resident I thought I knew where the great preaches grew. New Jersey and Georgia were the premier peaches. Other areas were distant seconds to these two great peach areas –I thought.
Colorado has produced a lot of surprises since we moved here a decade ago. One of those surprises is the quality of fruit grown on the western slope with the peaches being especially outstanding. Colorado 
peaches are simply great.
Eaten out of hand they are perfect and they are delicious in a cobbler. If you can, get some Jersey, Georgia or Colorado peaches and try this excellent recipe.
Peach Cobbler
Ingredients:
6 large peaches sliced into thin wedges
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
Biscuit topping
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ stick , cold , unsalted butter cut into small pieces
¼ cup boiling water
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425’
Toss peaches with sugar ,lemon juice and cornstarch
Place in a 2 quart non-stick baking pan
Bake 10 minutes
While baking:
Stir together flour,sugar, baking powder and salt
Blend in butter( fingertips or pastry blender)
When coarsly blended stir in water till just combined
Final assembly:
Remove peaches from oven
Drop spoonfuls of topping over the peaches
Bake in middle of the oven for about 25 minutes till golden
Topping will spread while baking
Served warm your guests will be oooing and aaaing between spoonfuls
A small scoop of Breyer’s vanilla ice cream along side the cobbler wouldn’t hurt.
by Buck on August 2, 2010
From time to time an old favorite slides to the back of the recipe file and somehow is forgotten. That happened to this great pork chop dish that we enjoyed many times years ago. It is still special and with a few changes we have brought it into a more modern format.
Skillet Pork Chops
Ingredients:
4 bone in loin pork chops, about ½ inch thick
2 tbs. flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese( Reggiano preferred)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
2 medium onions, thinly sloced
beef bouillon (1 can)
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. vegetable cooking oil
Preparation:
Trim excess fat from pork chops
Coat chops with flour
In a large skillet heat the oil
Brown chops slowly on both sides in the oil
Add bouillon to the skillet
Combine cheese, salt and pepper
Sprinkle 2 tbs. over the meat
Cover with onions then the potatoes
Sprinkle with lemon juice and remaining cheese
Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes
Midway through the cooking spoon some of the bouillon over the potatoes
Service:
A down home service is straight from the skillet at the table
or for company, arranged on a serving platter surrounded by a generous garnish of parsley
Reviewing our old recipe we recognized some of the reason it was set aside.
In the old days we trimmed the fat and rendered it in the skillet until we had 2 tbs. of drippings. The vegetable oil works well and doesn’t upset our current sensibilities
When we were spending a lot of time in England we found much to enjoy and have carried some of our experience with us for years. Tea in the afternoon is one of the English traditions we have continued to enjoy.. High Tea is a expanded version of afternoon tea accompanied with various cookies, scones, clotted cream, petit fours and finger sandwiches. This event is often called a Cream Tea.
Whatever the name it is an event that encourages conversation along with food that does not require knives and forks as essential accompaniments. The tea is at the heart of attention and several types might be served as points of interest with the food items
There are several varieties of tea that are a good start for sharing along with good friends in the garden or on the deck.
Without getting too complicated in reviewing the hundreds of varieties, a good start in preparing to explore tea is by checking out the three broad categories. The tea leaf used in about all types of tea is the same plant . The difference is mainly in the preparation of the leaves(oxidation).
Black Teas
Black Tea is probably the most brewed tea in America. Lipton tea is a black tea and the largest selling tea in the country It is inexpensive and available everywhere.. For a tea party it probably can be set aside for a black tea with a little more sophistication.
In our house Earl Grey is always present. Flavored with Bergamot the citrus touch adds a pleasant surprise to the combination of Sri Lanka and Indian teas that are in Earl Grey
At your Cream Tea you will not go wrong with either a pot of Darjeerling from India or Lapsang Souchong which is like no other tea. Lapsang is from the Fujian Province in China where it is dried over a fire of pine needles and has a unique smoky flavor
Oolong Tea
Oolong is subjected to less oxidation than the black teas and is personally a favorite. Oolong originally was exclusively a product of the legendary tea producing area of Fujian Province in China. Taiwan started producing the Oolong after importing the plantings from Fujian in China. I enjoy the Taiwan variety and give Fujian my Lapsong business.
Green Tea
The Green Tea varieties have grown in popularity in recent years. The popularity has stemmed in part from growing claims for health benefits derived from drinking the tea. Weight control is one of the claims which will attract attention to almost any product.
There is not a great deal of enthusing in our house for any Green Tea except sometimes iced on a hot day. The Green Tea is the variety that is processed the least with the shortest oxidation.
It probably wouldn’t be a bad move to have a pot of Green Tea handy for your tea party.
Its advocates sometimes have a bit of fervor that is different from a typical tea drinkers sang- froid.
At your party have a few varieties brewing and offer milk, not cream with lemon slices which enhance the Bergamot in the Earl Grey. Tiered Pedestal Serving Dishes are perfect for a Cream Tea. The petit fours, small pastries, scones and finger sandwiches are a colorful addition to the tea variety being offered. If you can find it, always include a Devonshire Clotted cream and strawberry jam for the scones.
Oolong fact: Oolong can be brewed several times and gets better with each brewing. Many think that the third brewing of the leaves is the best. If you have Oolong engage your guests to give their opinion of which brewing is best
Last weekend we hosted our Gourmet group. The hosts provide the main course and the members supply the accompaniments. There is always a surprise among the accompaniments and this time was no exception. Our friend Barbara provided a “Starter” that was an absolute crowd pleaser. It was an unnamed item that intrigued everyone with appearance and taste
Our group consists of fairly sophisticated foodies who usually quickly recognize ingredients. This was not the case with Barbara’s excellent offering. Since this is without a name you have a chance to contribute to the recipe by giving it a name and letting me know what you come up with.
Barbara’s Crowd Pleaser
Ingredients:
Focaccacia
Mayonnaise
Pesto
Sliced turkey (lunch role style)
Dried cranberries
Swiss Gruyere cheese
Preparation:
On a baking tray:
Layer a thin focaccia on the tray
Spread mayonnaise over the bread
Spread pesto over the mayo
Cover with a layer of the turkey
Sprinkle Dried cranberries over the turkey( sparsely)
Cover with the cheese
Put the tray under the broiler for a few minutes
Cut into serving size pieces(1 inch by 2 inches)
Serve out of the oven on the baking tray
I called this a California Crowd pleaser since Barbara came up with this dish while she and Jim were living in California. She really had no name for it. When you try it I am sure you will agree that it is great and certainly deserves a name. Send your suggestions to Buck Cooks. When you do the dish take a picture and send it along. At our party it disappeared before I could get a picture>
