6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL August 26, 2015
Cook's Corner
The Grove Café and Lounge
1/3 POUND
Single
Burger*
A passion for peaches
BY BETTY KAISER
For the Sentinel
“An apple is an excellent thing — un-
til you have tried a peach.”
— George du Maurier
3.50
*Hamburger or Cheeseburger Basket
Dressing Ingredients
4 tablespoons walnut oil (or whatever
you have on hand)
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon honey
M
y husband loves to garden. In re-
turn, we are rewarded with copi-
ous amounts of blueberries, blackberries,
raspberries, rhubarb, cukes, tomatoes,
zucchini and more! Apples and pears do
well in his orchard, but stone fruit trees do
not. So, he fi nally gave up trying to grow
peaches and nectarines— two of my fa-
vorite summer fruits. Boo-hoo.
The sweet, juicy taste of fresh peaches
just can’t be beat, and the golden, tart
fl esh of nectarines runs a close second. I
do a lot of canning to capture their sun-
shine. It brightens up dreary winter meals,
but fresh is best. And I’m always looking
for ways to eat them without heating or
cooking them and ruining their aroma and
texture.
Fresh-sliced peaches always take me
back to my childhood. As a youngster,
I remember mother would scramble up
eggs for us three kids while I toasted and
buttered the bread for our breakfast. Then,
our summertime special treat would be
lightly sugared sliced peaches drenched in
rich cream. Wonderful!
Meals were so simple in those days.
Today, everything has a complicated rec-
ipe. It’s no wonder that people think they
don’t have time to cook. But sliced fruit
of any kind is simple, and so are today’s
peachy recipes. Their ingredient list may
look a little daunting, but trust me; you
probably already have everything in your
cupboard.
It you buy ripe Sun Crest or Red Haven
peaches, they practically peel themselves.
If not, a quick 30 seconds in boiling wa-
ter and the skins will pop right off. And if
the peaches are semi-cling, you can slice
them right around the pit. The fruit should
be slightly fi rm so that it doesn’t turn to
mush with your fi rst cut. Easy-peasy.
Today’s recipes are variations from sev-
eral sources. Recipe number one would
make a wonderful breakfast or brunch
dish. I mean, who else would serve a
French toast with fresh peach/nectarine
compote? The French toast recipe calls
for fi ve eggs in the batter. It seemed like
a lot of eggs for only 1/2 cup of milk. I
suggest that you add more milk.
Recipe number two is for a green salad
to be used as a luncheon or dinner side
dish. I often add fruit to a boring green
salad—everything from naval orange
slices to dried cranberries. If you chose to
serve this salad for lunch, I would pair it
with some cottage cheese (protein) and a
slice of zucchini bread to create balance
and texture.
Our fi nal recipe is for a humble peach
and blueberry crumble. Served warm and
topped with ice cream, it is a summer tra-
dition. And if you have lots of peaches, I
suggest that you make several batches of
fi lling, pour them into an 8X8-inch Pyrex
baking pan, cover tightly, label and freeze!
$
t
Jus
PEACH SALAD with
WALNUT
VINAIGRETTE
This winter you can top it with your choice
of crust, bake and enjoy a taste of summer.
Enjoy!
FRENCH TOAST
with PEACH/
NECTARINE
COMPOTE
COMPOTE
2 cups sliced peaches
2 cups sliced nectarines
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Batter for 8 1/2-inch-thick slices egg (or
French) bread slices
5 large eggs
1/2-1 cup milk (do not use low-fat or
nonfat)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Butter
Optional: Maple syrup
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place baking
sheet in oven. Combine peaches and
nectarines, brown sugar, 1/4 cup water,
cinnamon and nutmeg in heavy medium
saucepan. Cook compote over medium
heat until liquid is reduced to medium-
thick syrup, stirring occasionally, about
15 minutes.
Whisk eggs, milk and vanilla in large
glass baking dish until well blended.
Arrange bread slices in egg mixture. Let
stand until egg mixture is absorbed, turn-
ing once, about 1 minute.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large non-
stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add 4
bread slices to skillet. Cook until golden
brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer
to baking sheet in oven to keep warm.
Repeat with additional tablespoons butter
and 4 bread slices. Serve with fruit com-
pote and maple syrup.
Valid one day only, THURSDAY, August 27, 2015;
Must present printed coupon when ordering; One coupon per person per day; Dine in only please.
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Salad Ingredients
Leaves of red butter lettuce
3-4 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1 tablespoon minced red onion
2 tablespoons slivered walnuts, toasted
(Note: candied walnuts are great!)
Directions
1. Whisk all ingredients together vinegar
until emulsifi ed. Set the dressing aside.
2. Arrange the butter lettuce on a chilled
serving plate. Arrange the peach slices on
the lettuce. Sprinkle with onions and wal-
nuts. Spoon the dressing over the salad
just before serving. Serves 4.
SAGINAW VINEYARD
LIVE MUSIC EVERY FRIDAY
NO COVER CHARGE 6-9pm
Fri, August 28 ............The Hank Shreve Band - rock and blues
Fri, September 4 ......................................Fiddlin’ Sue - suegrass
Fri, September 11 ..The Huckleberrys - country and bluegrass
Fri, September 18 ....................................the Joanne Broh Trio -
blues, jazz, and Motown
Open daily 11 am for
complimentary tasting.
PEACH BLUEBERRY
CRUMBLE
942-1364 • www.saginawvineyard.com
4 cups peaches, peeled, sliced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups blueberries
3 tablespoons fl our
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
IT’S HERE
You’re invited to some Junkin fun!
Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup fl our (whole wheat is good)
1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick butter, softened but not melted
Nuts: Your choice chopped walnuts or
sliced almonds
Rusty & Primitive Treasures Flea Market
Primitive, vintage, repurposed, garden & more
Friday, August 28th 4-8pm
Friday night early buying $5.00
Live Music by Th e How Long Jug Band
Saginaw Vineyard • BBQ Dinner Available
Saturday, August 29th 10-6pm
SHADY OAKS NURSERY
77380 Hwy 99 S. Cottage Grove, OR
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In an 8-inch square (1 1/2-quart) bak-
ing dish, combine peaches and lemon
juice; toss gently. Stir in blueberries, 3 T
fl our, sugar and almond exract; toss with
peaches.
Looking Glass
Community
Services
In a small bowl, combine all topping in-
gredients except butter with fork or pastry
blender; cut in butter until crumbly. Add
nuts and sprinkle over fruit.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden
brown and bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice
cream or thawed frozen whipped topping.
Serves 6.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated
to sharing a variety of recipes that are de-
licious, family oriented and easy to pre-
pare. Contact her at 942-1317 or email
bchatty@bettykaiser.com
BACKPACK GIVEAWAY
School is almost here! Need supplies? We can help!
August 28th 3-7pm at Cottage Grove Community Center
We will be hosting a backpack giveaway for youth ages 11-17.
Come by, learn about our program, and pick up a backpack
with school supplies to prepare for the upcoming year!
Call us or visit our Cottage Grove offi ce to learn more!
541.767.3823 or 541.221.4367 (offi ce cell)
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