Nectarine Clafouti - Delicious

I love summer, especially the delicious fruit. There is just something so delicious about eating fruits in season, and not the nasty ones you get in the middle of winter. So, I'm fully enjoying the bounty of our supermarkets - especially nectarines. I love dicing one and sprinkling it over greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream, and now thanks to Barefoot Contessa, I love them baked in a custard!

This is the easiest dessert that I've made in a while. It's adapted from Ina's Barefoot in Paris recipe for a pear clafouti. I had about four nectarines that would spoil before I could eat them, so I wanted to use them. It's basically a custard/pancake batter poured over the fruit and then baked. The sweet/tart nectarines and the creamy custard with a little cinnamon are delicious. (Belle, I saw the plum tart tatin and can't wait to try it - but I was too greedy and ate all the plums on hand first :)

Pear Clafouti (adapted with nectarines)

1 TBS unsalted butter, soft
1/3 cup plus 1 TBS granulated sugar
3 extra large eggs at room temperature
6 TBS all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest (I omitted this because these nectarines were pretty tart)
1/4 tsp kosher salt (I used regular table salt)
2 TBS pear brandy (Poire William) (I also omitted this since my nectarines are pretty juicy)
(ADDITION - 2 tsp cinnamon)
4 very ripe nectarines (if using pears - 2-3 firm but ripe Bartlett pears)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10" round baking dish and sprinkle bottom with granulated sugar (I used a 9" square pan with a delicious result - if slightly less pretty :)

2. Beat eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in electric mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy - 3 minutes (mine never got "fluffy" but I beat for 3 minutes and the recipe worked). On low speed, mix in flour, cream, vanilla, cinnamon (if using), lemon zest (if using), salt and pear brandy (if using). Set aside for 10 minutes.

3. (If using pears, peel quarter and slice them). I kept the peel on the nectarines because I like the color, and simply sliced them in little quadrants (it's very hard to cut wedges of nectarine). Arrange the slices in a single layer (neatly if possible) on the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm - about 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. It's very good with vanilla ice cream, and I bet it would be delicious the next day as well with a cup of coffee.

4. A note on seasoning. I like cinnamon, so if you aren't a big fan, maybe reduce it to 1 tsp. I bet this recipe would work really well with plums, or the more traditional cherries. You could also try adding some grated fresh ginger, orange zest, nutmeg - whatever.

Plum Upside-Down Cake

Ok, this was fantastic! And completely easy to make. I made it during nap time, and managed not to mess it up despite a pretty serious interruption from Baby K. I posted a photo of it in my post yesterday. The recipe comes from the August issue of Real Simple. I've just started trying their recipes, and I'm really impressed with the balance of speed, nutrition and taste!

Plum Upside-Down Cake

1/2 cup plus 1 TBS unsalted butter
4 firm, ripe plums, each cut into about 7-8 wedges. I think you could substitute nectarines or peaches, but you might want to add a little lemon juice since they aren't as tart as plums?
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
2/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. (Normally I skip lining pans, but I think you have to here, otherwise the fruit would stick!)

2. Melt 1 TBS butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add the plums and 1/4 cup sugar, tossing until sugar dissolves and plums get all nice and syrupy - about 3-4 minutes. Arrange the plums in a pretty pattern in the bottom of the pan (or, if your baby starts screaming, simply dump the plums and juice into the bottom where they make a pretty, abstract pattern of their own).

3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. In a large bowl or mixer, beat together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and 2/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Mix in the egg and sour cream, then add the vanilla. Gradually add the flour until it is just incorporated. (I think this could get tough if you over mix the flour).

5. Pour the batter over the plums and bake until toothpick/tester inserted in the middle comes out clean - about 50-55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 1 hour, then invert onto serving plate and peel off parchment from the bottom. A couple of plums may stick to the parchment, but I was able to place them on top of the cake.

This is a really pretty jewel colored cake, and really easy to make. I served it with vanilla ice cream when the cake was slightly warm. It's also very good the next day. I bet this would work really well with whipped cream or slightly sweetened mascarpone cheese?

P.S. Amy, thanks for your comment. If you are still allowing new blog readers, I'd love an invitation. My email is proseccoandpeaches at gmail dot com Thanks!

Summertime and the blogger is lazy

So, it's been almost a month - but what a month. We've celebrated an anniversary, gone to the beach, and taken a very brief and wonderful trip to La Jolla. I'm back! I need to update lots of recipes that I've been trying, as well as post the birth announcements and the baptismal gown...but here's my start. I hope you are all having a FANTASTIC summer!

The Best Marinade In The World (I am not joking about this)

I found this recipe in a Glamour magazine (don't laugh). It is hands down one of the easiest and most delicious ways to spice up chicken breasts, and if you marinate a flank steak, I guarantee you'll have a main course fancy enough for company!

Marinade Ingredients

4 cloves minced garlic
1 TBS minced ginger - if I don't have a ginger root - I throw in a little powdered ginger
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. sugar
2 TBS freshly squeezed lime juice (I tend to use a little more - about two whole limes squeezed)
1 TBS roasted sesame oil (I substitute regular olive oil if I'm out)
4 grinds fresh pepper
(Lately I've been adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little extra heat too)

1 flank steak (approximately 1 lb to serve four)

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and then add steak/chicken. If you're using a steak, I'd opt to marinate overnight for maximum flavor and then grill to your liking (we tend to go medium rare). If you're using chicken, I like to use the breasts with the skin and the ribs for grilling, and you can make this marinade the day you're going to cook.

I've served this so many different times and everyone always loves it. I like it with a big green salad with goat cheese, pecans and cranberries with vinagrette (aka my "pregnancy salad") and with mashed potatoes in the winter or rice in the summer. It's really delicious with a pinot noir or a syrah - but it is also good with rose/pink champagne.

New Mama Favorites

Hi there! It's finally summer here in LA - and I'm recovering from some sort of weird 24 hour fever. I thought being sick and pregnant was bad, but being sick with a newborn wins hands down. Baby K is in her swing, and I'm posting and on the mend.

I finally made it to see "The Hangover" this weekend and it was hilarious! We were able to sneak out thanks to some kind babysitters for a matinee.

Baby K is getting so big and so alert - she's turning into a real little person now.

I used to love getting facials every few months, but I'm thinking I don't have time to do that anymore :). Here's my solution. Bliss Steep Clean mask is perfect. It is gentle enough so that you aren't red and raw after using, but gets deep enough to really get the glow and make you feel like you've had a pretty serious cleaning. With all the dirt in the air now that it's hot, I think a more thorough cleaning is in order and this fits the bill!

The Joe's socialite jean - my answer to skinny. I don't do skinny jeans (I have really big feet and I think they emphasize my size 10's :). These are pretty much straight - and so comfy and flattering. I'm thrilled that they fit me again! They are also fantastically soft and stretchy!

Japanese Weekend - so soft, so comfy, and so easy to nurse in. This top I have in blue, and it's perfect. I use a nursing apron too (I'm a huge prude), but these tops make it really easy for first time moms to discretely feed babies and then get dressed again.

Ahem - PSA about skin cancer and the sun. My obstetrician recommended going to the dermatologist after Baby K was born, because pregnancy can trigger changes in your skin which may be precancerous. (You should go to the dermatologist every year for a skin cancer evaluation anyway - Icing loves you and doesn't want you to get melanoma:). Here's what I'm wearing on my face and arms this summer. It's fantastic. So light, oil free and doesn't drip in your eyes even on a long walk. Please be sun safe and careful out there!

So now, it's almost time for the 4th of July. I'm thinking that Baby K and I may just need to go up to Malibu during this week for a little adventure at the beach before it gets too crowded. What are you all up to?

8 weeks

OMG - Baby K is now 12 pounds and almost out of the newborn size diapers. Where did my itty bitty baby go? She's so cute now, but I miss the brand new baby just a bit :).

Solar Powered - I live in a walking neighborhood, and can do most of my errands on foot, so I have the Bugaboo Chameleon. It is pretty easy to fold up for the car, but I think if I did most stuff driving, I'd want something a little smaller and easier to fold. I also wouldn't need the big sturdy wheels. Since I like taking walks for exercise - this is worth it, but I'm not sure it would be if I didn't walk a lot - we go out for a long walk almost every day!

Happy Wednesday - I'll add a picture to this post later today!

A Tame Birth Story

I know some of you reading are expecting (hi there solar powered:) so I wanted to share my very tame and PG birth story. (This really is tame - so if you want to read about wild home births, dramatic surgery or near death experiences, this isn't for you!) I had so many people scare me silly about pretty much everything, and in the end - it was all fine! (Better than fine, because I got Baby K, who is napping downstairs).

Baby K was late. At my 40 week appointment, my doctor recommended an induction at 40 weeks and 6 days - as there is a very slight risk of complications if you wait for 42 weeks to induce w/o medical reasons. (Since Baby K and I were both very healthy, there was no need for a medically indicated induction - which is always a good idea if your doctor advises it).

I was so nervous, because I'd heard all sorts of horror stories about inductions ending in c sections, or very long and painful labors. I was also terrified that my epidural might not work, because I have very mild scoliosis - and that can make it harder to get the medication equally dispersed on both sides. But, I trusted my doctor, and was convinced that it was in the best interest of me and of Baby K to get her out.

So, we checked into the hospital in the wee hours of the morning (2:00 a.m.) and were shown to our lovely suite with a panoramic view of the Hollywood Hills. The hospital thought I was a second time mom, so they didn't think I would be in the room for too long - and wrong they were. I was placed on a pitocin drip about an hour later, and had some contractions - a little uncomfortable, but nothing really painful.

The epidural process went really well. The team came to my room about 15 minutes after the pitocin drip. My husband stayed with me, and the doctor explained everything that was happening. He numbed me with a tiny needle - and I didn't even feel the epidural needle going in. He also reassured me that most people with mild scoliosis have no problems with the epidural, and mine certainly worked.

So, we settled in and took a little nap. When I woke up in the morning at around 7:30, my doctor checked on my progress, and I was already 6 centimeters along. She thought breaking my water would be a good thing to do at that point, and so she did. Again, I didn't feel a thing. They had actually taken me off the pitocin, because I was now in labor on my own. Clearly, Baby K just needed a little coaxing coming out.

At around 10:00 in the morning, my lovely nurse noticed that Baby K didn't like contractions when I was lying on my back or my left side. So, I had to wear the oxygen mask and lie on my right side. Annoying, but not horribly uncomfortable. And that's how we spent most of the day. By about 7:30 at night, I was at 10 centimeters. I had one of the epidurals that allows you to hit a button for more medication, and I was so comfy that I didn't really need to give myself any more!

Pushing was hard work, but again, I was pretty comfy, so I could listen to my doctor's instructions and follow them. I could feel when I had to push, but I could also stop when she told me to. Since Baby K was a little bigger than anticipated (they thought she was about 7-8 pounds), it took about 1.5 hours to push my little 9 pound munchkin out. I did it, and thanks to my marvelous doctor - I had very minimal tearing/other stuff that I'm squeamish about. So, at 10:00 p.m., Baby and I were cleaned up and wheeled to recovery. (I did send her to the nursery for both nights of my hospital stay - she came back for feedings, but I am glad that I did, because I needed the rest). I also sent my husband home the second night because he was so tired! Those little chairs are not comfy at all.

Honestly, I had more pain in my right hip from lying on it the entire day than from delivery. So, I just wanted to share one positive and happy baby story. I was going for walks around the neighborhood a couple of days after I got home from the hospital, and was pretty much back to moderate exercise (walking 3.5 miles at a slow pace) by two weeks out. If you're having a baby, I wish you the best of luck and a very easy delivery!