Savor British Columbia's Okanagan
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour
NOTES: Mary-Lou Evans makes this easy, homey dessert for her family, including son Bob Evans and daughter Barb Schwabe and her husband, Russ. The family runs the No. 1 Fruit Stand together.
MAKES: 6 to 8 servings
3 pounds ripe peaches
About 2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
About 2/3 cup milk
About 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whipping cream or ice cream
1. Peel and pit peaches and slice into 1/2-inch-thick wedges, dropping slices into a shallow 2 1/2- to 3-quart oval or other baking dish. Gently mix in 1/3 cup sugar; taste, and add a little more sugar if desired.
2. In a bowl, beat butter and remaining 1/3 cup sugar until well blended. Stir in 1/3 cup milk.
3. In another bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture with another 1/3 cup milk and stir to combine. Batter should be stiff and sticky; if too dry, add a little more milk; if runny, add flour. Stir in vanilla.
4. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls evenly over prepared fruit (some fruit will show through).
5. Bake in a 350° oven until top is browned and fruit is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature: scoop into bowls and drizzle cream over each serving if desired.
Per serving: 246 cal., 14% (35 cal.) from fat; 4 g protein; 3.9 g fat (2.2 g sat.); 50 g carbo (2.7 g fiber); 294 mg sodium; 11 mg chol.
Okanagan Green Salad with Fruit and Chèvre
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 30 minutes
NOTES: Andrea McFadden, owner of Okanagan Lavender Herb Farm (4380 Takla Rd., Kelowna; www.okanaganlavender.com), developed this recipe with her herbes de Provence (a French dried herb blend). Over time, she says, she started adding more fresh produce, making the salad a great light lunch or dinner dish. If you cannot find herbes de Provence, substitute 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried lavender blossoms, and dried marjoram. Use only lavender grown without pesticides.
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence (see notes)
1 log (about 6 oz.) fresh chèvre (goat cheese)
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh raw corn kernels (from 1 ear corn)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
8 ounces mixed baby salad greens (about 8 cups)
1 nectarine, rinsed, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/3 cup raspberries, rinsed
1/3 cup blueberries, rinsed
Blossoms from 5 stems fresh lavender (see notes), rinsed
1. On a small rimmed plate, mix bread crumbs and 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence. Coat chèvre log with 2 tablespoons olive oil, then gently roll the log in bread-crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 400° regular or convection oven until bread crumbs are golden, 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, spread pine nuts in a small baking pan; toast in same oven until light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool.
3. Combine corn kernels with 1 cup water in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan over high heat; bring to a simmer and cook just until corn kernels are heated through, about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
4. In a large bowl, whisk remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence until smoothly blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add salad greens, corn kernels, nectarine, raspberries, blueberries, and half the pine nuts and mix gently to coat. Divide among salad plates. Cut chèvre into 1/2-inch slices or chunks. Top salads evenly with chèvre, remaining pine nuts, and lavender blossoms.
Per serving: 337 cal., 77% (261 cal.) from fat; 9.7 g protein; 29 g fat (7.4 g sat.); 14 g carbo (2.4 g fiber); 171 mg sodium; 13 mg chol.
