This week's so packed to the brim with festivals nationwide, you couldn't avoid one if you tried. There are food and wine classics all across the East Coast, and here in the West, we're planning on dropping by the
chocolate festival in our neck of the woods. If we've left anything out, please chime in below.
When I saw this recipe for pancetta-wrapped peaches in the July issue of
Food and Wine magazine, I knew I had to make it. The recipe takes four simple ingredients — peaches, pancetta, basil, and balsamic vinegar — and turns them into one incredibly delicious, perfectly balanced dish. The peaches are sweet and juicy, the pancetta is crisp and salty, and the basil is fresh and fragrant.
Although chicken and fish are common salad ingredients, the other white meat, pork, is not the first protein that comes to mind when making a dinner salad. Cook outside the box with this scrumptious salad.
Thin slices of roasted pork are placed on a bed of greens.
This week, we've changed things up: We've decided to give you more advance notice about each weekend's food festivals, so that you have more time to plan on attending. From gulf shrimp to beef to peaches to mushrooms, there's many a local favorite to celebrate.
Here's a roundup of exciting events going on around the country:
I'm not the only one obsessed with
Popsicles; so is
Krystia Castella, the author of the recently released
Pops. Icy Treats for Everyone. The book is full of frozen delights, but I was completely intrigued by her recipe for rice pudding Popsicles.
This week's nachos were inspired by a
recipe I found in the current issue of
Everyday With Rachael Ray. In the magazine, she uses
peaches as a savory ingredient in a spicy-sweet salsa that tops a steak quesadilla. Instead of making the quesadilla, I made nachos.
Peaches are my favorite stone fruit. I love everything about them: their floral aroma, fuzzy skin, and juicy flesh. To take full advantage of the fact that right now is the apex of their season, I stopped by San Jose's
J&P Orchards — quite possibly the last fruit orchard in Silicon Valley.
During the Summer's peach season, I love to enjoy bellinis. Similar to a mimosa, a bellini is Prosecco diluted with fresh white-peach puree. When made with perfectly ripe peaches, this glamorous cocktail is slightly sweet and delicately bubbly.
The other day I was at the farmers market when I noticed a sad sign saying, "last day for
blueberries." I immediately purchased a pint with the intention of using them in a delectable drink. While the original recipe, from
H. Joseph Ehrmann of San Francisco's
Elixir, calls for kumquats, I couldn't find them, so I substituted fresh peaches.
