Enjoying Late Summer Squashes With A Cake And A Coconut And Corn Summer Squash Soup

 

Late Summer is always a beautiful time.

Summer produce is still here, with tomatoes peaking in flavors, the last fresh corn husks displayed on stalls, and summer squashes still sweet trailing off while Fall squashes begin to appear. The days are starting to shorten giving the signal of cooler days to come, while the summer heat still lingers. During Labor Day week-end, I finally gave the last summer squashes full honor in the kitchen, bringing home beautiful yellow and green ones.

Having found some fresh white and yellow corn too, I decided to combine them into a soup that would be a perfect match for this late Summer to Fall transition. The soup is vegan and requires very few ingredients but is incredibly aromatic. This is thanks to a little cilantro and one key spice: cardamon. Only a touch makes all the difference.

I also took the opportunity of having green squashes to make a zucchini cake, always a fave. This time I used a recipe from Amanda Paa's recipe: Smitten With Squash. This cake had a beautiful texture and flavors. I omitted the frosting, meaning it could also be eaten for breakfast :). If you are looking for your next sweet thing to bake, then this cake comes highly recommended! And now back to the soup: the recipe is below!

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INGREDIENTS

2 large zephyr squashes, cut into 1 inch half-moons
1 fresh corn husk
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/3 c coconut milk (or more to taste)
1 tbsp cilantro leaves
2 cardamom pods
salt, pepper to taste

STEPS

1. Sautee the onion into a little olive oil. When translucent, add the garlic clove, smashed, and cook for another 30 seconds.
2. Add the squash half-moons and corn, and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add water to the pan until the vegetables are barely covered. Season with salt and pepper, add the cilantro, and let simmer until the vegetables are cooked, about 20’.
4. Remove about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Then, using an immersion blender or a Vitamix (or other brand), puree the soup, and add the cardamom seeds and the coconut milk.
5. Adjust the seasoning if need be. Serve into bowls and drizzle a little coconut milk and/or sprinkle a few cilantro leaves if desired.
6. Enjoy! :)

By the way:

• This soup is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, but can be made with chicken stock if desired. The water can also be replaced by a vegetable stock to add flavor while keeping it vegan/vegetarian friendly.
• There is a great visual primer on Summer Squashes at The Kitchn!

Time For A Blueberry & Verbena Almond Galette

Blueberry Season Is Here!

Each year, seeing the delicious blues arrive at the Farmers Markets and in stores brings a sense of excitement and happiness, a promise of summer joys, and fond memories of wild blueberry picking way back when (well not so way perhaps... :)).

A mesmerizing sea of blueberries at the Union Square Greenmarket

There are obviously a lot of ways to celebrate them and other summer fruits but one that never fails to please and impress is a good galette, or crostata. Galettes are a versatile medium, fairly easy to make, and a little less fussy than tarts since they are freeform. However it is important to get a pliant dough so that they can be shaped well.

The dough is typically a slightly sweetened pate brisee, and it is relatively easy to make with a little care using regularly flours such as wheat based flours or other gluten-containing flours. Obtaining a good pate brisee can be a little trickier with gluten-free flours, with the wrong choice of flours. So I was quite happy to, one day, come up with a combination that worked right away: oat flour, tapioca flour, sweet rice flour and almond flour. The resulting dough was easy to shape, held its form and was beautifully flaky once cooked.

I also took advantage of the abundance of fresh herbs at the market, and in particular lemon verbena, a fave, to add a little fragrance to the galette. The lemon verbena-blueberry combination is one that never gets old, and brings the full flavors of Summer to each bite. Just a few leaves fresh or dried, crushed and mixed with the blueberries before spreading over the dough are enough to accent the galette. And here is the galette, right out of the oven, buttery and fresh at the same time, and a lovely celebration of Summer flavors. Enjoy! :)

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INGREDIENTS

For the dough:
3/4c oat flour
1 c tapioca flour
1/2c sweet rice flour (brown rice works too)
1/2c almond flour
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp cold maple syrup (cold is important!)
a little ice cold water (only if need be - see steps below)
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch baking powder
2 sticks butter, cold (very important!) and cut in small pieces

For the filling:
1 pint blueberries (more or less)
a few crushed lemon verbena leaves
a couple tbsp almond meal
a couple tbsp coconut sugar

For the finish:
1 egg + a little water or milk as you wish
A little more almond meal and coconut sugar

STEPS

1. In a food processor, combine the dry ingredients and the butter until coarse crumbs form.

2. Add the cold maple syrup and keep processing until a ball of dough forms and detaches from the processor bowl. If necessary, add a little ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hr. (Also important, be patient! :))

4. While the dough chills (literally :D), mix the blueberries, sugar, almond meal and lemon verbena.

5. Once rested, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up a little bit so it is easier to roll. Roll it out to a 1/8 inch thick disc, and spread the blueberry mix from the center to about 1.5 inches away from the rim.

6. Fold in the rim of the dough back towards the center. Make a wash by mixing the egg and 2 tbsp water and brush the rim of the galette with the wash. Sprinkle the galette with coconut sugar and almond meal. Add a lemon verbena leaf or two in the center for decoration.

7. Bake at 375degF until the dough is nice and golden (about 30-35' - check depending on your oven).

8. Enjoy! :)

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By the way:

• You can substitute other fruits to the blueberries for this recipe, and play with other nutmeals.
• If you do not have fresh blueberries on hand, not to worry: you can use frozen fruits! Make sure to defrost well and remove juices if necessary.
• This galette is gluten-free and refined sugar free, but will make all eaters happy! :)