No Bake Dessert: Poached Peaches with Rosemary in White Wine with Mascarpone Cream

A gorgeous oven-free, gluten-free, no-bake dessert perfect for those hot summer nights!  This dessert has become a classic in our kitchen and cooking classes throughout stone fruit season. It's light & fresh, and even after a long Italian meal, everyone has room for a little peaches & cream! 

It's not only easy to make, but the ingredients are flexible; use white, rosè or red wine (finish off that bottle of white that's been sitting in the fridge for the last 2 nights...) The same with aromatics - rosemary, thyme, lemon, lavender...whatever you've got on hand. (This is why its so important to have an herb garden!)

Poached Peaches in White Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 firm peaches or nectarines (mature fruit will fall apart)
2-3 spoons of sugar
white or rosè wine
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
zest of ½ lemon (use ANY aromatics you like)
homemade whipped cream or mascarpone cream if you like

With a paring knife cut the fruit in half and remove the stone. If the stone will not come away easily, make a shallow incision around the stone and it will fall away once cooked.

Place the fruit cut side down in a pan or pot that fits the fruit snugly. Add in the aromatics with the sugar and top with wine until halfway up the fruit. Cover with baking paper (parchment) and bring the pan up to a medium simmer for 8-12 minutes total depending on the size of the fruit. Give the peaches a turn on their backs after about 5 minutes and they are done when a knife slips easily into the thickest part of the fruit.

Once the peaches are cooked, remove from the pan and place on a plate to cool. Return the pan to a low flame and reduce the wine until it becomes a syrup. Give it a taste - if its a little tart, add a spoonful of sugar. Be careful not to let this burn. Strain the syrup into a bowl and allow to cool.

To serve: Quarter the peaches and carefully remove the skins. Arrange on the plate and drizzle atop the white wine syrup and a dollop of cream.

Scallopini with White Wine and Capers

photo from Foodie Lawyer

Scallopini with White Wine and Capers

Serves 4

4 slices of veal, chicken, turkey, pork loin or beef cut scallopini style (You choose the protein you prefer. Ask your butcher to slice it for you if you like.)
flour, enough to dredge the meat in
2 T of butter
olive oil
3-4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
2 T white wine
2 T chicken stock
pinch of fresh chopped herbs (whatever you have around: parsley, marjoram, oregano or sage)
spoonful of capers or olives
salt & pepper

Place your slices of meat between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and gently pound until they are thin and even.

Dredge them in flour.

In a frying pan on medium high heat, add a pad of butter with a bit of olive oil. When the pan is good and hot, add in your slices of meat. Saute for a minute or so on each side and season with salt and pepper. NOTE: The cooking time will depend on the type of meat you use - thin slices of veal will cook faster than chicken or turkey.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the pan and place on the side on a warm serving platter.

Reduce the heat of the frying pan to low. Deglaze with white wine. Once most of the white wine is evaporated add in your capers and tomatoes, then raise the heat a bit. Saute the capers and tomatoes for 20-30 seconds.

Add in your chicken stock and reduce for just a moment and then shut off the heat. Check your seasoning. Toss in the herbs and swirl in a pad of butter. Once the butter has melted, check your seasonings one last time and pour over the meat. Serve immediately.

Peposo: Peppered Lamb Stew in Red Wine, Slow Cooked in a Wood Oven

A proper Sunday night stew, rich peppery Peposo. An Italian dish, peposo translates to "peppered" and can be made with any type of tough-cut meat with a bone. In this recipe we use leg of lamb cut into thick steaks but you could also use pork shoulder, beef or venison.  It's really all about low and slow. Jason says "I like to cook this dish the night after pizza night (or when the wood burning oven has been used). I wait until the oven cools down putting the pot in and piling all the ash up and around it. It will softly cook all night long and the next morning it's ready to go!" 

You don't need a wood burning oven to make this dish. Simply put it in a slow oven at about 225 F or 105 C for about 8 hours or so - until the meat falls off the bone.

  Perfect served piled high on a buschetta or over soft polenta or mashed potates on a cold winters night - really stick to your ribs!!

Peposo
Peppered Lamb Stew

2 kilo/4.5 lb leg of lamb, cut into thick steaks with bone-in
20 garlic cloves, peeled
4 heaping tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 bottle of red wine
2 bay leaves
3-4 juniper berries, crushed
drizzle of olive oil

Preheat the oven to 225 F or 105 C  degrees.

In a heavy pot (just big enough to hold all the ingredients), drizzle olive oil and place a layer of the sliced meat at the bottom of the pan. Cover with a few cloves of garlic, sprinkle with pepper & salt and rosemary. Repeat starting with the meat & keep layering until they are all used up & the pot is almost full.

Pour wine over the top and add bay leaves & juniper. Top off with a touch of water if necessary to cover everything.

Slowly bring to just to boil, cover tightly with lid & place in the preheated oven for about 8 hours or until tender & falling apart. [If you want to cook the stew faster, raise the temp to about 300 degrees and cook for 4-6 hours. However it will be richer the slower you cook it. ]

Once the stew is done, skim off fat from the surface & remove the bones, the bay leaves & rosemary twigs.  The meat should be super soft & juicy with a rich & powerful flavor. Taste & season if it needs it. Breakup the pieces of meat. Serve a ladleful of stew on toasted bruschetta & a drizzle of olive oil or serve with polenta or mashed potatoes.

Poached Pears in Wine

A beautiful simple dessert absolutely perfect for a dinner party incorporating the flavors of fall. Use any red or rose you like or that bottle of wine that's been collecting dust in the back of your cupboard (you know the one) - it will work great in this classic dish! A gorgeous oven-free dessert. In the summer, we will use beautiful stone fruit instead of the pears. 

Cooking the wine and herbs down slowly will create a beautiful rich flavorful syrup.

Poached Pears in Red Wine

Serves 4
4 pears, peeled and left whole
1/4 cup sugar
1 bottle of wine - red or rose' - whichever you prefer or have in your cupboard
herbs you like: we use sprig of rosemary, sprig of thyme and lemon zest or you can use cinnamon, clove and nutmeg

Place pears in a pot that fits snugly. Add sugar and herbs to the pot with pears. Cover the pears 3/4 with wine.

Place the pot on the stove with the lid on and bring up to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let simmer for 10-18 minutes depending on the size of your pears. You'll know when they are done when a knife slips easily in (just like when boiling potatoes).

Once cooked through remove the pears from the liquid & place in the fridge. Return the pot to the stove and reduce the wine, on a simmer for about 10-15 minutes until it forms a syrup. Be careful not to burn it by reducing too much.

About a minute or two before before the wine syrup is ready give it a taste checking to make sure its not too tart. You may need a little more sugar depending on the sweetness of the wine.

To serve, strain a ladle full of the syrup through a fine mesh strainer directly onto each plate. Top with your pear - either serve whole or sliced in half. Finish with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or mascarpone cream.

Braised Fennel with White Wine

Photo: Simply Recipes

Fennel is a versatile vegetable that is often looked over for being too tough. Braising is a great way to soften this hearty root vegetable known to aid in digestion. The acidity & fruitiness of the wine compliments the aniseed flavored fennel and with a good drizzle of olive oil it finishes this dish perfectly.  Serve with meat!

Braised Fennel with White Wine
finocchio al vino bianco

1 large fennel cut into wedges (keeping the center core intact)
2 cloves of garlic
few glugs of olive oil
pepper flakes to taste
glass of white wine
salt & pepper
aromatics optional: lemon zest, orange zest, fennel seeds, herbs, chilies ... you get the point, anything you like.


In a pan on low heat, add a few glugs of olive oil and sweat garlic until lightly golden, then discard the garlic. Raise the heat add the fennel and sautee 1-2 minutes on each side to get color.
Season with salt & chili flakes to taste.
Add in aromatics of your choice. (Don't over do it - a sprig of rosemary, a twist/zest or two of lemon or just a couple juniper berries, we still want the flavor of the fennel to come through.)
Reduce heat to low. Add in wine & cover.
Braise on low heat until tender, about  20-25 minutes.
It may be necessary to add in a bit of water if it gets too dry.
Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil atop.

Poached Pears

A beautiful simple dessert absolutely perfect for a dinner party. Use that bottle of wine that's been collecting dust in the back of your cupboard (you know the one) - it will work great in this classic dish!

Poached Pears

4 pears (peeled, halved & cored)
1 bottle of wine (which ever kind you like)
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
aromatics - vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, thyme, orange, juniper, etc. - use what you like & be creative!
fresh whip cream or ice cream

Place wine, aromatics, 1/2 cup of sugar & pears into a pot. Bring up to a simmer for 10-20 minutes depending on size of the pears.

When a fork slips into pears easily remove from heat & allow to cool in liquid.
Once tepid - place the pears in to the fridge, leaving the juices in the pan.

Continue cooking the liquid until reduced by half and forms a syrup. Taste the syrup - if its tart add a bit more sugar.

Allow the syrup to cool once desired consistency is achieved. Strain out aromatics.

Server syrup drizzled over pears with a scoop of gelato or whip cream!