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I have to say, I’ve been pretty lucky this summer.

1. I’m in California; which right there would be enough for an awesome summer, but there is more awesomeness, so keep reading
2. My summer internship was pretty cool (I’m working at VMware on Mobile Virtualization)
3. Unlike NY and Boston, I haven’t seen rain more than once in weeks and I think I might have blocked out forgotten what humidity is like
4. My house is huge and has a kick-ass kitchen
5. I live with 4 really nice med-students, some of whom have a bottomless stomach

That last point is key.  I’m able to bake up a storm knowing whatever is produced will be gone in less than four days.  Unlike living by myself where I can’t blame anyone else for eating the last cookie (or the entire batch), now I can just say it was one of the roommates. Living in denial is fantastic.

So as a final course to the dinner I made last week, I chose peach cobbler.  An obvious decision given peaches are in season right now and EVERYWHERE.

Now normally, cobblers and other peach related desserts are made with yellow peaches.  They are sweeter and have that traditional peachy goodness.  I decided to make this cobbler with a mix of yellow and white.  I enjoyed it because each bite produced a slightly different flavor.

Although I will be honest, it received mixed reviews.  Some people liked the less sweet peach mix and others wanted more of the familiar peach flavor.  Regardless of which peaches you chose, the crust part is delicious.  I preferred my cobbler warm served with vanilla ice cream.

Peach Cobbler

Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 15 ripe peaches, sliced (about 2.5 quarts)
• Scant 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup cold heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375°.  Mix peaches, cornstarch, dark-brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Pour mixture into an 8.5 x 11.5 inch baking dish
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using whatever means you like (I used my hands) mix in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal
3. Whisk together egg and cream and to dry ingredients; mixing until dough just comes together.  Ok, here Martha says to roll into a log and make disks.  Instead, I tore bits and pieces and scatter them to cover the pan.  I liked the nooks an crannies it produced, as you can see in the pictures above.
4. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.  Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

While running last weekend I came across a family giving away Summer squash.  They had grown so much that they were unable to eat it all and thus, to my benefit, were sharing it with the neighborhood.  After toting the rather large white squash home the remaining 1.5 miles (yes, funny looks ensued), I added it to the pile of farmer’s market finds and thought about what to make.

In the meantime, I decided to prepare my steak halibut-thick-enough-to-be-a-steak and pop that in the oven.  Sometimes I wish fish were cheaper so I could make it more often, but it is a nice treat every now and then.  I created a concoction of dijion and honey mustard for the fish then covered it with panko.  I generally prefer panko to other breadcrumbs because they are less dense and crispier than the traditional kind.

Then back to those squashies.  What to make.  A little help from the interwebs and I decided on zucchini fritters.  Frying your vegetables is a great idea.  The fish was healthy, so a little olive oil won’t kill you, right?  As a side note, make sure your pan heats evenly otherwise you will end up with half-cooked fritters.

Halibut and Horseradish

• 1/4 c dijion mustard
• 2 tbsp horseradish
• 1/3 c panko breadcrumbs
• 2 lbs halibut fillet

1. Pre-heat oven to 375.
2. Mix the mustard and horseradish together and generously spread over the fillet.  Cover the fillet with the panko.
3. Bake until cooked.  I don’t have a time because it really depends on the thickness of your fillet.  The one I purchased was exceptionally thick an took approximately 45 minutes to cook.

Zucchini Fitters

Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
• 10 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Sour cream

1. Grate the squash using the large holes of a box grater, food processor or any other contraption you have.  Add salt, lemon zest, parsley, garlic, and eggs. Mix well to combine. Slowly add flour, stirring so no lumps form.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Place some of the mixture into the pan and flatten it out so it forms a small disc.  They take about 2-3 minutes per side.  Serve with sour cream.
   

I’m not scared of pasta.  I just don’t eat it very often.  Of course right now my Italian grandparents are in heaven thinking, “We still don’t know where she came from.  If she didn’t like zeppole and coffee so much we would have sworn Diane [my mother] adopted her.”

I would eat it when my mom made it growing up, but I rarely crave it now.  Yesterday was one of those rare occasions.  I bought, cooked, devoured and sat in a food comma on the couch for a good period of time.  Delicious.  This dish is great served hot or cold.  Also, it easily provides enough food for multiple meals…so it looks like I will be eating pasta a few more times.

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