Tag: Southern Summer

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THE LAST OF THE SUMMER DAYS

 

Vanilla Infused Canned Peaches | for the love of the south

There are times for This and times for That, and right now is the time for puttin’ up the last of the summer jewels before they fade away for another year. Dusty purple figs melt into copper pots and glisten like rich, amber-hued honey. Emerald okra pods plunge into pools of seasoned vinegar. Golden peach wedges flecked with vanilla seeds suspend in their own syrup.  Blackberries soak in tubs of water, ready to line the deep freeze. Each jar holds a memory; a beloved frozen moment I hold onto long after the season tells me I should.

Peaches | for the love of the south

For me, these jars trigger memories of those who perfected the art of preserving and the time spent on their cedar-lined screened porches, swaying on the squeaky, white swing where I watched wrinkled hands mechanically plow through pounds and pounds of perfectly ripe summer produce all the while prattling on about This and That. A string of chipped navy and white enamel pots, silver ladles, sterilized quilted glass jars littered the porch floor. The same battery of characters appeared and disappeared as quickly as Cinderella’s ball gown. A cloud perfumed with peaches and sugar pours out of the kitchen and onto the porch. The cloud smells like a warm summer day, which is the exact aroma that’s lingering in my kitchen as I write.

Canning Peaches | for the love of the south

So, all That to say, This is the time for preserving before it’s forgotten and gone, before it’s just a memory of peach juice trickling down my chin. And with it, the last of the summer days.

Canned Peaches | for the love of the south

 

Vanilla Infused Canned Peaches

Makes 8, 8oz. jars

Note: To sterilize the jars, bands and lids: Stand the jars upright on a rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each jar. Place rings and seals upside down on another rimmed baking sheet, again, making sure to leave space between each seal and ring. Place the baking sheets in a cold oven. As you are prepping the peaches, preheat the oven to 225oF. Once the oven is preheated, set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven off and keep the jars warm in the oven until you are ready to fill them with the peaches.

4 pounds ripe peaches, washed and fuzz rubbed off with a clean tea towel

2 whole vanilla beans

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1½ cups cold water

¾ cup granulated sugar

2½ cups recently boiled water

Ice, for ice bath

 

Slice both vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Then slice in half crosswise.

Score the bottom of each peach with an “X.”

Fill a large stock pot with water ¾ the way up the sides. Bring to a boil. Let the scored peaches sit in the boiling water for 1 minute. Keep the pot on a low heat to process cans for later.

Toss the peaches in a large bowl filled with ice and cold water.

Half the peaches, remove pits and slice halves into wedges. Gently peel the skin off the peaches using a sharp paring knife. Toss peach wedges into a large bowl with lemon juice and 1½ cups cold water.

Pour recently boiled water into a large measuring cup. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar completely dissolves. Drain the peaches of the lemon water and pour in the simple syrup. Let the peach wedges sit in the warm syrup for 5 minutes.

While the peaches are sitting in the warm syrup, bring the stock pot back to a boil and take the sterilized jars and lids out of the warm oven.

Carefully place 1 sliver of vanilla bean in each jar without touching the sides of the sterilized jars. Spoon the peaches into sterilized jars. Top each jar off with the syrup, leaving ¼” of head space. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean tea towel. Screw the lids onto the jars and carefully place the jars in the boiling water with a pair of tongs. Process the jars for 20 minutes in boiling water. Remove the jars from the water. You should hear popping sounds as the jars seal. Allow the jars to cool for a few hours on the countertop. Test each jar’s seal by pressing the middle of each lid. If there is no give, the jars are ready to be stashed away in the pantry. If the middle of the lid pops back when pressed, the jar did not seal properly. Stash any improperly sealed jars in the fridge. Use canned peaches year-round in pies, served with a dutch baby, on top of vanilla ice cream, with yogurt for breakfast or just by themselves eaten at midnight over the kitchen sink!

Canning Jars | for the love of the south

 

 

Categories
Dessert

MELTING SUMMER DAYS

Summer Ice Cream | for the love of the south

Every summer, my family spent a few days at a friend’s vacation house on the Gulf of Mexico. To me, they were the most lavish people we knew. It didn’t matter that there were crab traps and wheel barrels lining the stairway to the house, that the kitchen had outdated, chipped linoleum floors and there was no air conditioning. Honestly, it was one step away from camping, but as a child, I didn’t notice. It was a summer home.

We spent long summer days carefully treading the shallow, murky Gulf floor, making sure we didn’t cut our feet on the backs of rigid oyster shells. We spent hours crouching in the water, grinning from ear to ear as we surfaced beautiful oysters. We tossed them in a galvanized bucket, and once the pail was filled to the brim we brought it over to a picnic table that was perfectly perched at the end on the dock. I watched as one of the older boys took a small, sharp knife and slowly pried the shell open, jiggled the oyster free and handed it to me. The oyster slid to the back of my throat like a sweet yet salty egg yolk.

Backyard Mint Ice Cream | for the love of the south

Roped to the dock were a dozen or so crab traps. We gently lifted the traps and carried any unfortunate captives to the kitchen, being careful not to trip on any flotsam and jetsam on the way up the stairs. The women prepared the seafood and all the trimmings while the men gathered the propane tanks and large silver pots outside. In no time the salty, summer air was bursting with Cajun spices, and we sat down to a great boil.

Dark Cherry + Amaretto Ice Cream | for the love of the south

As the sun began to set, the scent of spices became a faint memory, and we began scooping out servings of thick, creamy, black-speckled homemade vanilla ice cream. We sat on top of the wooden picnic table at the end of the dock, kicking our legs, watching our reflection on the water. I placed my hand on the table, tracing the initials I had carved into the weathered wood, making sure I treasured this moment as my childhood summer days started melting away and fading faster than ice cream in the hand of a child on a hot summer’s day.

Blackberry + Local Honey Ice Cream | for the love of the south

I had such a wonderful time creating One Summer Ice Cream Five Ways for Relish including Vanilla Bean, Backyard Mint, Blackberry + Local Honey, Dark Cherry + Amaretto, Georgia Peach + Basil!  Hope you enjoy!

Recipe: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Makes 1 ½ Quarts

2 cups of whole milk

2 cups of granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 vanilla bean pod, deseeded

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves and tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Take off the heat, and add the salt and vanilla seeds along with the vanilla pod to the milk and sugar mixture. Allow to steep and cool for at least 10 minutes. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and discard the vanilla bean pod. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

Transfer the base to an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and let ice cream set completely for at least 2 more hours.

 

Recipe: Georgia Peach + Basil Ice Cream

Makes 1 ½ Quarts

2 cups of whole milk

2 cups of granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 vanilla bean pod, deseeded

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

½ cup peaches, chopped into small cubes

½ cup of hand-torn basil

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves and tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Take off the heat, and add the salt and vanilla seeds along with the vanilla pod to the milk and sugar mixture. Allow to steep and cool for at least 10 minutes. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and discard the vanilla bean pod. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

Using an ice cream maker, add the chilled ice cream base to the machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the mixture has thickened, add the chopped peaches and basil. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Blackberry + Local Honey Ice Cream

Makes 1 ½ Quarts

2 cups of whole milk

2 cups of granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 vanilla bean pod, deseeded

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

½ cup blackberries, quartered

1 tablespoon of local honey

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves and tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Take off the heat, and add the salt and vanilla seeds along with the vanilla pod to the milk and sugar mixture. Allow to steep and cool for at least 10 minutes. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and discard the vanilla bean pod. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

Using an ice cream maker, add the chilled ice cream base to the machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the mixture has thickened, add the blackberries and drizzle in the honey. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Dark Cherry + Amaretto Ice Cream

Makes 1 ½ Quarts

2 cups of whole milk

2 cups of granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 vanilla bean pod, deseeded

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

½ cup dark cherries, pitted and quartered

1 teaspoon of amaretto extract

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves and tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Take off the heat, and add the salt and vanilla seeds along with the vanilla pod to the milk and sugar mixture. Allow to steep and cool for at least 10 minutes. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and discard the vanilla bean pod. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

Using an ice cream maker, add the chilled ice cream base to the machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the mixture has thickened, add the cherries and amaretto. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Backyard Mint Ice Cream

Makes 1 ½ Quarts

2 cups of whole milk

2 cups of granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 vanilla bean pod, deseeded

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

½ cup of hand-torn mint

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves and tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Take off the heat, and add the salt and vanilla seeds along with the vanilla pod to the milk and sugar mixture. Allow to steep and cool for at least 10 minutes. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and discard the vanilla bean pod. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

Using an ice cream maker, add the chilled ice cream base to the machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the mixture has thickened, add the fresh mint. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!