Everything is Just Peachy when Thomas Keller and Bobby Flay Join the Picnic!

Now that the sun has finally decided to make an appearance, sending May Grey, June Gloom and Summer Bummer (when the condition extends into July) on their dreary way, Coronado Island is just Peachy! Fuzzy, ripe, juicy peaches have rolled into the Farmers' Markets and stores, just in time for our Concert in the Park culinary group to tackle Challenge Peaches this past Sunday.

After coming across Keller's Marcona Almond Butter recipe in my Ad Hoc at Home, and incorporating it into Food & Wine's Fettuccine with Spicy Almond Pesto for the Daring Cooks' July Challenge, I noticed Keller's beautiful photograph of Endive and Arugula Salad, with Peaches and Marcona Almonds. It had "summer" written all over it, and I was anxious to showcase some of my coveted Marcona almonds and fresh peaches for Challenge Peaches!  My styling isn't at the level of Ad Hoc's food stylist, but I just love the colors and flavors in this salad...

The only time-consuming part of this salad is making the peach puree.  You'll question if it's worth the effort, when the vinaigrette only requires two tablespoons. Put those thoughts to rest, because you will have no problem using the remaining puree.  Keep reading and you'll see!

Endive and Arugula Salad, with Peaches and Marcona Almonds

Slightly adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

Serves 6

3 heads white Belgian endive

3 heads red Belgian endive** 

2 tablespoons Peach puree (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds (about 5) medium-size ripe freestone peaches

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 1/2 oz. arugula (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup salted, roasted Marcona almonds

**I couldn't find red endive, so I used 2 heads Treviso Radicchio. I made the salad again the next night, and used baby green and red romaine, green endive, and arugula. I think any combination of red and green lettuce would be wonderful.

Keller explains how to cut and clean Belgian endive. Trim about 1/2 inch from the bottom and the outer leaves will fall away. Continue trimming a little at a time, in the same fashion, until all the leaves neatly release themselves. Put the leaves in a bowl of cold water to crisp and refresh for about 5 minutes, drain, and whirl in a salad spinner.

In a medium bowl, stir together the two tablespoons of peach puree, shallot, parsley, and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Set aside.

Cut the peaches in half and discard the pits. Place each peach half cut-side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Finely dice the smaller, less attractive slices to make 1/4 cup and add those diced pieces to the dressing. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Toss the endive with half the dressing to lightly coat. Season with salt and pepper and toss in the chives. Toss the arugula and peaches with a little of the dressing.

Arrange the salad on a serving platter, layering the endive with the peaches and arugula. Sprinkle the almonds over the top and drizzle the salad with a little more vinaigrette.

Peach Puree

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 pounds ripe peaches

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Peel the peaches with a pairing knife. Halve, pit and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Puree in a blender until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh basket strainer.

Combine peach puree, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large saucepan. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and bring the puree to a simmer over medium heat. Keep at a simmer, skimming the foam that forms on the top, until the puree reaches 215-220 degrees F. Remove from heat, pour into a canning jar or other storage container, cover and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for up to a month.

For my next dish, I was inspired by Williams-Sonoma's Jalapeno-Peach Pork Tenderloins (thanks, mom, for finding the recipe!). I did not want to use WS's bottled Jalapeno-Peach Barbecue Sauce, although I'm sure it's quite tasty. We are a cooking group, and homemade sauces are expected! I've always wanted to try Bobby Flay's Mesa Barbecue Sauce recipe, and figured I could enhance it for our theme with some of that extra Peach Puree. Yes, I do have moments of brilliance from time to time.

Mesa Barbecue Sauce (enhanced with Peach Puree)
Slightly adapted from Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill: With More Than 125 Bold New Recipes

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
8 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons dark molasses
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
1 tablespoon paprika
[1 cup peach puree] optional

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.   Pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mesa Chile-Peach Sauce

I marinated the pork tenderloin in some of the Mesa Barbecue Sauce for about an hour.  I grilled the tenderloin over medium-high heat, covered, until the internal temperature reached 145 degrees F, approximately 15-20 minutes, turning intermittently and basting with additional sauce.  I allowed the tenderloins to rest about 10 minutes before slicing.

For dessert, I whipped up some Mini Pavlovas, topped with John's homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and more of that fabulous Peach Puree spooned over the top!

Now that I've taken up way too much time and space talking about my peachy dishes, let us now drool over the rest of our peach-inspired picnic!

As usual, the adult beverages were plentiful, with John's White Peach Sangria, Jim and Carmen's Peach Margaritas, Jack and Sandra's Peach Tea, and an old Dutch recipe from Sandra's great grandmother, called Advocaat.

Alec & Nina shared Artisan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, made with Ciabbata bread from Bread & Cie, Spring Hill jack cheese, double-cream brie, and Grilled Peaches with Caramel Rum Sauce.

Nina said she brushed the slices of ciabbata with the rum sauce, placed a slice of jack on one side, a slice of brie on the other, and a slice of grilled peach in between. She placed the sandwiches on a pan, that had been brushed lightly with canola oil, and baked the sandwiches in 300 degree oven for 5 minutes on each side.  She sprinkled the sandwiches with salt and served them on a bed of wild rocket and shaved jicama, which had been lightly tossed with seasoned rice vinegar and olive oil.

Our lovely Sandra cooked up a storm with her Roast Pork Loin and Peach Conserve, with roasted asparagus and potatoes.  Nice peaches!

Carmen presented a refreshing Peach Gazpacho with Crab Salad, inspired by Chef Jason Franey's recipe.

And here we have Carmen's Peaches and Cream Cake, inspired by this Nova Scotia Blueberry Cream Cake

No photo, unfortunately, but we enjoyed meeting Lavio and Barbara, and sampling Barbara's Grilled Peaches with Ricotta, ginger and almonds.

Our week, and evening, was made extra-special with a visit from my Aunt Gwen, who traveled all the way from the island of Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands!  Me, Mom & Gwen...

When Thomas Keller autographed my copy of Ad Hoc at Home at his book signing event a few months ago, he wrote, "It's all about family."  It was very special reconnecting with part of my family...

***

The Exotic Cuisine of Thailand, featuring Grilled Duck with Red Curry Sauce

Our Coronado Concert in the Park Culinary Challenges continued last evening with The Exotic Cuisine of Thailand. Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly-prepared dishes with strong aromatic components, and is known for its balance of the five fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter.  A Thai family meal normally consists of rice, paired with several dishes designed to form a harmonious contrast of ingredients and ways of preparation. The dishes are all served at the same time.

I’ve said this before, but I find it amazing how our group always prepares such a harmonious offering of drinks, appetizers, main courses, and desserts. We've talked about trying to coordinate dishes and courses, but it's more fun being surprised as the dishes are unveiled on the picnic table.

Last night, our Thai spread featured a glorious balance of cocktails, wine, Spicy Roasted Coconut Cashews, Grilled Duck and Red Curry, Pineapple Fried Rice with Prawns, Thai Fish Cakes with Cucumber Salad, Waterfall Beef, Pork Satay, and Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Sauce.

Alec & Nina started us off with a giant My Thai cocktail, made with light and dark rums, Disaronno Amaretto, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, and pineapple and orange juices.  We sipped our cocktails and nibbled on John's spicy Roasted Coconut Cashew Nuts.

We had two grills going, one for my duck breasts and the other for Jim and Carmen's Pork Satay. I've been salivating at duck recipes for quite some time, and used this opportunity for Grilled Duck with Red Curry Sauce.  I served the sliced duck on grilled Sweet Potato Rafts, a presentation inspired by a photograph in Big Small Plates (my Grilled Duck with Red Curry recipe appears at the end of this post).

A few slices of grilled sweet potato...

Followed by a few slices of grilled duck,  and a spoonful of red curry over the top...

Plating and photographing in the park has its challenges, but we often have curious visitors standing on the sidelines...

Olivia stepped in as Jim's sous chef and helped grill the pork satay...

Kai presented two dishes, Thai Fish Cakes with a Cucumber Salad, and Waterfall Beef.  One of my inspirational bloggers, Jen at Use Real Butter, just posted a beautiful Thai Cucumber Salad recipe, here.

Mom, tempted by Elissa's Chocolate Marble Cheesecake with Coconut, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime, ultimately opted for Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken and Prawns, a signature dish of Thailand.  With inspiration from Almost Bourdain's recipe and presentation in a beautiful pineapple boat, Mom made her own version with the addition of red bell peppers, green onions, and cashews.

For dessert, Carmen served Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Dipping Sauce.

Alec & Nina's Sonoma, and Kai & Hill's Olivia - our precious and charming girly-girls...

Olivia may be growing up a bit too fast, but she's learning to appreciate fine food and wine at a young age...now promoted from Jim's sous chef to our after-dinner wine connoisseur ;-)

A handsome sailor, from the Navy Southwest Band, belted out America the Beautiful....

We closed down Spreckels Park, and enjoyed every last drop of daylight...and Dean's wine!

John and I devoured the leftover Duck with Red Curry for dinner tonight. We added some roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, onions, red bell peppers, and peas, and served it over rice. On the spice scale, this is a 7/10. You can reduce the curry paste to 2 tablespoons if you're a bit timid. We like it hot, baby!

Grilled Duck with Red Curry Sauce
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. rice wine or dry sherry
2 tsp. light soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
1 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 tsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 tsp. salt, plus salt, to taste
6 duck breast halves, each 4 to 6 oz.
2 cans (each 13 1/2 fl. oz.) unsweetened coconut milk
2 to 3 Tbs. Thai red curry paste
1 to 2 Tbs. Thai fish sauce
1 Tbs. palm sugar or dark brown sugar
8 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves
4 red chilies, seeded and sliced
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1/2 cup fresh Thai basil or sweet basil leaves, plus leaves for garnish
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large glass bowl, combine the garlic, granulated sugar, rice wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, ginger, five-spice powder and 1/2 tsp. salt. Using a fork, prick the duck skin at 1-inch intervals. Add the duck to the bowl and turn to coat evenly, rubbing the marinade on both sides of the breast halves. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Meanwhile, open the cans of coconut milk without shaking them. Spoon the thick layer of cream on top into a bowl. In a wok over medium-high heat, combine 1/2 cup of the cream and the red curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the cream is aromatic and beads of oil float on top, about 3 minutes. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar, lime leaves, chilies and the remaining coconut cream and milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pineapple and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Remove from the heat and keep warm while grilling the duck.

Prepare charcoal or gas grill.  When medium-hot, remove the duck from the marinade, discarding the marinade, and place directly on the grill rack, skin side down. Grill until the fat is rendered from the skin and the skin is crisp, about 8 minutes. Turn and grill until the duck is fully cooked and, when pressed, feels firm to the touch on the other side, 3 to 5 minutes (internal temperature of 165 degrees F).  Cut the duck across the grain into slices 1/4 inch thick.

To serve, arrange one sliced duck breast half on each plate. Spoon the curry sauce over the top and garnish with the basil leaves.

***

Smooth and Creamy Pâté in Minutes

The Daring Cooks' Challenge for June was Pâté. Our hostesses thought it would be perfect for a summer picnic in the park, because it's light, incredibly versatile, and has the potential to be beautifully presented.  I couldn't agree more, since we're all about summer concerts and picnics in the park this time of year!

In keeping for our theme for out second Concert in the Park Culinary Challenge, Home on the Range, and knowing John and I would be just returning from our trip to Idaho and Triple Creek Ranch in Montana, I found a recipe for Ranch House Pâté with Cognac, originally featured in Saveur #26. A ballerina named Carmeleta Maracci offered this recipe to Alan Hooker, founder of the Ranch House Restaurant in southern California's Ojai Valley. "There are those," Hooker once observed, "who will consider the addition of cream cheese a sacrilege, but it smooths the pâté so beautifully that we disregard the purists."

The Ranch House serves its Pâté, which resembles a big scoop of mocha ice cream, with Ranch House Rye bread, cucumber chips, caper berries, and spanish olives.  I chose to serve it as presented in Thomas Keller's Bouchon, as an assiette de charcutier, with a tasting of dry-cured sausages.  Knight Salumi Company, in San Diego, sells rustic Sopressata and Tuscan salami at our Little Italy Farmers' Market.

John and I recently attended Thomas Keller's book signing of his latest cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home, which now completes our Keller collection of cookbooks! This collection should keep me challenged for the rest of my life!

Home on the Range Pâté

Adapted from Ranch House Pate

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, chopped
1 black truffle (optional), shaved
3⁄4 lb. chicken livers
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
4 ounces cream cheese
2 Tablespoons Armagnac or Cognac

1.  Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, if using truffle, finely chop all but 4 shavings (reserve these for garnish) and set aside.

2.  Add chicken livers and cook, covered, over medium heat until just cooked through, 5–7 minutes.

3.  Remove pan from heat and stir in salt, mustard, nutmeg, and cloves. Transfer to a food processor and purée until smooth. Continue to process, blending in remaining 4 Tablespoons butter, cream cheese, and Armagnac.  Mix in chopped truffle (if using), then transfer to small bowls or well-oiled molds, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 24 hours.

4.  Serve a generous portion of pâté on a bed of greens with bread, olives, and caper berries, if desired, and garnish with reserved truffle shavings.

The Daring Cooks' blog checking line...

Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.

I'm sorry, Evelyn and Valerie, but I wasn't able to squeeze in the time to bake homemade bread. It's really hard for me to justify baking bread when we have Bread & Cie deliver to Coronado's Tartine every morning. We enjoyed an early morning walk witih the Newfs down to the Ferry Landing and stopped by Tartine for a fresh baguette on the way home.

The recipe I used is really a breeze to put together and is so creamy and smooth with the cream cheese.  Laced with Armagnac or cognac, bits of black truffle, and presented on a platter with dry-cured sausages, olives, and cornichons, it makes a beautiful presentation for a cocktail party or, as in our case, gourmet picnic in the park!

Please visit The Daring Kitchen recipe archives for the complete recipes provided for this month's challenge. You can also visit the Daring Cooks' Blogroll to visit other Daring Cooks' blogs.

***

Home on the Range and Off to the Ranch

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam

And the deer and the antelope play

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day

For my birthday, John is whisking me off to Montana's Bitterroot Valley, for a return rendezvous at Triple Creek Ranch. We are looking forward to horseback riding, fly fishing, nature photography, luxury accommodations and gourmet ranch cuisine. Last time, we dined at the Chef's Table with Executive Chef Jacob Leatherman, who also welcomed us into the kitchen to observe and photograph preparation of a special wine dinner. Another culinary highlight was when guests were invited to Craig Barrett's private cabin for a cocktail party and viewing of his magnificent art collection. Craig, retired Chairman and CEO of Intel, bought the Ranch as a birthday present for his wife.

Last night, our Coronado Concert in the Park culinary theme was Home on the Range, featuring a combination of gourmet chuck wagon and ranch-style fare.

  Everyone dressed for the occasion...

We started the evening with Ranch House Pâté, Bouchon-style, as an assiette de charcutier.  I'll be doing a separate post on this pâté when we return.

Of course, the men were properly welcomed to the picnic with a shot of Buffalo Trace, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Hillari rode into the park with a basket of Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins

perfect with a bowl of Kai's Venison Chili

Corn was well-presented, with John's Amarillo Grilled Corn on the Cob 

John made a special sauce for the corn, which I will also share later...

Men of the Corn (from left to right) Kai, Jim, Brent, John and Alec 

and Alec and Nina's Macque Croux and Roasted Butternut Squash duo

Brent, the skilled hunter in our group, shot the venison for Kai's Venison Chili, the antelope for Kai's Antelope Meatballs...

the elk for the most amazing Elk Tenderloin stuffed with Feta Cheese....

AND, did I mention the Wild Boar Sliders?!

Jim grilled Pljeskavica - thin, large, juicy Serbian hamburgers made with beef, lamb and pork.  Jim and Carmen came over the night before to grind beef cheek and pork for the burgers with our grinder

For dessert, Mom shared Tyler Florence's Bourbon Peach Cobbler with bourbon-spiked whipped cream

and I finally had the opportunity to try my hand at Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie.  It's definitely gooey and drool-worthy.  You can find the recipe, published in the Los Angeles Times, here.

Birthday roses...

Thank you for another splendid evening at the park...See ya around the Ranch!