The Food Maven Diary
[Archives]

[Previous Entry] [Diary Home] [Next Entry]

08/08/2001 Archived Entry: "Hot Flash Backs"

I usually am not bothered by the heat. I’m not about to plan a trip to Miami in July, but I can stand warm weather. Lately, however, the heat has been close to unbearable. The last thing I want to do is to be chained to my stove in 100+ degree weather. Still, I cook. I cook uncooked food, and some days, with the air-conditioning on, I even turn the oven on to take advantage of certain summer bounty.

Following are recipes that can be found on this web-site from season’s past. All are dishes I can’t get through a summer without eating, which means I have to cook them, even if it means a little perspiration. I do what our forefathers (more likely our foremothers) did before air-conditioning. I cook in the cool of the morning food that can be eaten in the heat of the day.

For a great appetizer to be served with a cool drink to guests, try the Salmon Carpaccio or Ceviche. Take your pick on the name. It’s a Mediterranean-style seasoned version of gravlax or ceviche – meaning its cured raw fish that is easy to make and perfect for the summer.

Or try a cold soup like the Summer Beet Borscht, which resembles the clear, ruby beet borscht you can buy in jars and that you drink (or sip) cold.

If you are in the mood for pasta but can’t stand the idea of babysitting sauce for hours, try the refreshing Penne with Warmed Raw Tomato Sauce. The whole dish should take you less than 20 minutes. It’s simple. It's nothing.

For a peachy breakfast, mid-afternoon snack, or dessert try the
Peach Crostata, which I years ago renamed “Beach Crostata” since I used to make it so much at the beach. Or for a very simple snack, try Peach Toasts created by my ex-intern Allie D’Augustine.

For the last of this season’s local blueberries, there’s Blueberry Buckle, a great, classic New England coffee cake.