Monday, July 18, 2011

recipe: sweet balsamic & sage grilled peaches

sweet balsamic grilled white peaches
As usual, I tossed this together without really checking the proportions so all measurements are approximate.

In addition to the recipe ingredients below, you will also need:
-ripe but not overly soft white peaches (the quantities below will make enough for about 6 peaches)
-3 or 4 chopped sage leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish
-1 tbsp lemon zest

balsamic glaze:
-1 cup balsamic vinegar
-3 or 4 tbsp agave nectar
-1 tbsp vanilla
-1/4 cup water

Whisk everything together, tasting to check if it's too sweet or thin (add more agave if you want it thicker, add more water & balsamic if it's too sweet). Re-whisk it before using.

crème fraîche:
-1/2 cup tofu sour cream
-2 tbsp soy creamer
-1-2 tbsp soy cream cheese
-1 tbsp agave nectar
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/2 tsp arrowroot powder

Whisk the creamer, lemon juice, and arrowroot powder together, then add everything else. If it's too runny, add a bit more cream cheese. If it's too thick, add a bit more creamer. Refrigerate the mixture at least half an hour, and re-whisk it before using.
peaches on the grill
Slice all the peaches in half lengthwise and remove the stone. Generously brush the glaze over all sides and place them face-down on a hot grill. Grill them about 10 minutes, until they are warm throughout and relatively soft. After taking them off the grill, brush them again with glaze and put about a tablespoon of the crème fraîche in each hole from the stone. Sprinkle with lemon zest and chopped sage and add the garnish leaf.
These can be served as a dessert, but I think they would also be good as a side for a spicy or smoky protein dish.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

#24: barbecue - July 2011

BBQ cookoff was held on the 12th of June at Nina's beautiful house in Mt. Pleasant. We had two grills set up so that it wouldn't take all night to cook everything, and sat at the big wooden table on the deck. It was clear and warm until after 10, when it started raining lightly, but we had all finished serving by then. There were a number of attendants who were not competing, so the booze was plentiful: two giant bottles of red wine plus a case of beer and a giant bottle of champagne! Nina and Mart made several bowls of delicious sangria and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. If only all cookoffs could be held outside.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Amanda: "psychedelic cattails" bannock wrapped around spiced mango, served with roasted red pepper sauce
spiced mango wrapped in bannock
Malloreigh: "char siu me" sticky rice and char siu seitan cooked in banana leaves, served with chive buds
char siu seitan & sticky rice
Laryssa: "summer fruit skewers" seitan, onion, garlic & nectarine in bbq sauce, rolled in cornflake crumbs
summer fruit skewers
Tim: "jerking seitan's cookoff" seitan jerky smoked with hickory and red wine
seitan jerky
Jen: "honeyed sage advice" agave-balsamic glazed white peaches with crème fraîche, lemon, and sage
sweet balsamic grilled white peaches
Jeff D: "Boston butt podunk" pulled pork-style sandwiches made with jackfruit, sauerkraut, root beer, onion, and pepper
pulled pork style jackfruit sandwiches
Yaara: "skewed reality" beer & chipotle-marinated skewers of tofu, tempeh, and shiitake mushrooms in a maple bbq sauce
beer & chipotle marinated skewers
Nina: "the Eurasian singe" peri-peri tofu and sesame mango salsa on a ginger-garlic crostini, topped with tahini sauce
sesame mango salsa & peri-peri tofu

Also in attendance were Mart, Jeff Z, Sarah, Tim's friend Eliot, Adriana, Luc, Dan, and a couple of other friends who weren't there the whole time and thus did not participate in the voting.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jeff
presentation: Malloreigh/Jen
creativity: Jeff
best use of theme: Laryssa/Yaara
overall favourite: Jen/Jeff

overall winner: Jeff

best name: (unscored category) Tim

sticks of bannock
Amanda's entry on the grill.
peaches on the grill
Jen's entry on the grill.
beer & sangria
Sangria. What a beautiful evening.