Southwestern Salad

As I was waiting for the two baking projects to cool, I whipped up a salad I've made a few times that was inspired by another E.B. At my request, Stephen took photos of my dinner. As a tip, I often use kitchen shears for chopping herbs to save time, especially in a salad which, by its casual nature, can handle a few extra stems.

Serves 8

1 head of Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 pint (2 cups) grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup frozen or drained canned corn (thawed if frozen)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese
Jalapeno Ranch Dressing, which can be blended with classic ranch if you find it too spicy (my usual brand is Litehouse)

Additional options: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, tortilla chips, grilled chicken breast, shrimp, steak

Peach Brown Betty

This was the second dish I prepared for Stephen to photograph. It was taken from the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers cookbook. I found it the best Betty recipe I've made yet, with a lovely balance of flavors and saucier than my previous Betty recipe post. My only modification was to add one cup of blueberries. A grateful group of friends helped me eat it with vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream.

Serves 6-8

4 cups sliced peaches
4 tbsp butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk or cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 loaf, or about 8 ounces, crusty bread, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (slightly stale Italian, French, cinnamon or challah are good choices)
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a two-quart baking dish (e.g. 11x7 pan). In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add peaches and cook, stirring, until peaches are hot and beginning to give off juice. Remove from heat.

Beat egg in a large bowl, and then mix in milk, vanilla, cinnamon and half of the brown sugar. Add the bread cubes and mix well. Stir in peaches with their juice and melted butter. Gently fold in blueberries. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

Orange Raisin Scones

This recipe is not my own, but taken from the soon-to-be published Gourmet Today, edited by Ruth Reichl. I only tasted a morsel of the finished product, but they baked up beautifully despite my rushing about like a crazy woman. My friend, avid photographer and rocket scientist, Stephen wanted to take pictures of food for an online photo contest. I'm more than delighted with his work. Gorgeous!

Makes 8 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and chilled
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

Pulse together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor.* Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-sized) lumps. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in raisins.

Stir together milk, yolk, zest, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until a dough starts to form.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until it just comes together. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet and pat into a 7 1/2-inch round. Brush top of dough with egg white and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut round into 8 wedges (do not separate scones).

Bake scones until undersides are browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes, then pull wedges apart.

*I do not own a food processor but find the classic method of mixing dry ingredients, then cutting in the butter with a pastry blender (or two knives) works like a charm.