August 2010 Taste
Local Chef Works Her Magic
The following recipes appear here, courtesy of Helen Hanes Welsh, chef and co-owner of The Cracked Egg Cooking School in Michigan City. Helen grew up in the south, but has made her home in The Beach Coast for nearly 20 years. She is an accomplished chef, having studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. In addition to The Cracked Egg, Helen was the owner of The Stocked Pot in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a successful cooking school, catering business, and retail boutique. Learn more at www.crackedeggcooking.com.
Frozen Peach Daiquiris
(8 6-ounce drinks)
This is an old-fashioned summertime drink that will definitely cool you off! You find these cans of mix next to the frozen cans of orange juice concentrate.
10 oz. Frozen Bacardi
Margarita Mixers
1 can light rum
3 cans ice
3 fresh peaches,
skinned, pitted and cubed
¼ c. sugar (or to taste)
Lime slices for garnish
Sugared edge
Combine Bacardi Mix, rum, ice, peaches, and sugar in an electric blender. Puree until smooth. Rub a little lime juice around the edges of the glasses and dip into a shallow bowl of sugar. Garnish with lime slices and serve immediately.
Blue Ribbon Peach
Praline Pie
This peach pie will be your “turn to” favorite this summer! It is bursting with fresh fruit flavor and is, surprisingly, so very easy to make. The tapioca thickens this juicy pie while it bakes.
5 c. peeled, sliced ripe peaches (about 5 medium)
½ c. sugar
3½ tbsp.
quick cooking tapioca
Dash
nutmeg
½ c. flour
¼ c.
packed brown sugar
½ c. pecan
pieces
4 tbsp.
cold butter, in pieces
1 9-inch,
unbaked deep-dish pie shell.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, combine 5 cups peeled, sliced peaches, cup sugar, quick-cooking tapioca and nutmeg. Toss together and let stand for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix flour, brown sugar and pecan pieces. Using your fingertips or a fork, cut in 4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle 1/3 of praline mixture over bottom of unbaked deep-dish pie shell; cover with peach mixture. Sprinkle remaining praline mixture over peaches.
Place pie on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake until peaches are tender and topping is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Serve warm or cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Grilled Peaches and Pork
(4 servings)
Pairing peaches with marinated and grilled pork is the ultimate summer supper. Balsamic vinegar and brown sugar bring out the sweetness of the peaches. While grilling, the fruit caramelizes the sugar.
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops
Marinade:
1/4 c.
balsamic vinegar, divided
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large peaches, peeled,
halved, and pitted
Cooking spray
1 tbsp. brown sugar
6 cups Spring Mix lettuces
Place each piece of pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each piece to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Combine all but 1 tbsp. of marinade in a zip lock bag. Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Add 1 tbsp. brown sugar to the remaining tbsp. of marinade and set aside (this will be used for brushing on the peaches while they are being grilled).
Preheat grill to medium heat. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until pork is done. Set aside. Brush sugared marinade on the peach halves and place peaches, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 3 minutes or until soft and slightly browned. Turn and cook another minute or until heated through. Cut each peach half into 4 slices. Slice pieces of pork into 1-inch-thick strips.
Drizzle Spring Mix lettuces with any reserved juice mixture, tossing to coat and divide evenly among 4 plates. Top with grilled pork strips and peach slices.
