It came about by accident. I am still recovering from having all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, so I am not eating much of anything that requires, or that would even be friends with, butter as of late. But Little Miss decided she would pull the heavy cream out of the fridge. The carton I was saving to make flan with. (Because flan is soft and squishy and I haven’t yet got the guts to eat something I have to chew.) So we selected a clean mason jar, a few pebbles, and set to work shaking. And shaking. And shaking.

There are another few steps to make your butter taste a bit better. But the shaking was the funnest step.

And the result…yummy. YUMMY! It was sweet, soft, creamy, fresh, and heavenly. I don’t know how I am going to go back to store-bought butter. I need to get me a cow. Oh, wait, didn’t I just write about raising animals and not liken’ it? Maybe I’ll find someone who lives near me that wants to share their cow.

But who knew, that you could make butter so easily? Not I! And, to boot, I figured out that the milk that separates from the butter fat is buttermilk. And that is why buttermilk is always low-fat. Oh, the things you learn in an ordinary day, by accident.

For formal butter-making instructions go here. (Thanks Soule Mama!)

I’ve had this little family of black plums sitting on my wooden butcher block for the past week. I know they are getting ripe because their skins are ever so slightly wrinkled, and the fruit flies are starting to come around. It is the season again to enjoy the juicy sweetness of all stone-fruits. It is the season I loved as a child and continue to adore now.

Typically, I am not a huge fan of black plums. The super tart skin just makes my molar teeth ache. (Yes, even as I type these words my mouth hurts!) So, I peel them, and then usually lose the entire bowl to Mini Mister who turns into a fruit bat during the summer months. This time, the fruit was so ripe that peeling would have just juiced the entire lot. So I decided to make up my own baked plum recipe of sorts. Gluten-free of course. The same oat-sorghum-flour granola topping would work on baked nectarines, or peaches as well. Add a dash of vanilla extract to baked nectarines and perhaps a drop of almond extract to complement the peaches.

If you have fruit hanging out with no where to go…give this summer-time recipe a try. It is a supreme partner to vanilla ice-cream!

Baked Black Plum Crumble

• 8 black plums – the riper the better, wash, halve, and remove the stone
• 1C rolled oats (I used gluten-free oats, though some with Celiac disease are unable to tolerate oats)
• 1/4C sorghum flour
• 4 T butter, melted, divided
• 1/4C raw, unfiltered honey
• 2 T roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/4C chopped raw walnuts
• 1/4t ground cinnamon
• 1/4t ground nutmeg
• 1/4t salt

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Butter shallow baking dish, large enough to hold plums in a single layer with 2 teaspoons of melted butter.
2. Set plum halves in a single layer in buttered baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl mix to combine all other ingredients, including remaining melted butter.
4. Use fingers to crumble oat mixture over plum halves, covering all fruit surfaces.
5. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until oat topping is brown and fruit juices are bubbling.
6. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Place portions in small bowls with a mini-scoop of vanilla ice cream, and serve immediately.
7. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serves 8.

And I am linking to Amy’s blog Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, this Slightly Indulgent Tuesday. Head on over her way to take a peek at some other delicious summer culinary creations!

(Sung to the tune of the “Mulberry Bush” because that is what was in my head.)

This is the way we grill the meat, grill the meat, grill the meat, this is the way we grill the meat …to eat a yummy dinner

This is how we wrap the meat, wrap the meat, wrap the meat, wrap the meat, this is how we wrap the meat…to eat a yummy dinner

This is how we eat the meat eat the meat, eat the meat, eat the meat, eat the meat, this is how we eat the meat…to eat a yummy dinner!

Summer is such a wonderful time to eat. The colors, the textures, and best of all, the supreme freshness are simply luscious. It is awesome to me that Mother Nature knows that on those hot humid sunny days, to prepares for us the coolest tomatoes and cucumbers to wet our mouths and sooth our souls.

One of my favorite bloggers Gluten Free Girl is hosting the celebration of that delicious summer awesomeness. She is calling it Summer Fest 2010. For this week’s Herbs, Beans & Greens theme, I chose to try this new green kale dish.

This Indian Spiced Chickpea and Kale dish takes you far East. Notes of curry, cumin, and cardamom lift up your nose with a bit of aromatherapy. Brilliant green, yellow, and vibrant reds delight the summer eye. Pair this remarkably quick side dish with roast lamb, homemade bread, or a simple pork chop.

Indian Spiced Chickpeas and Kale

• 1/4 teaspoon of each: ground cumin, ground coriander, curry powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground cardamom, red pepper flakes (can be omitted), ground black pepper, sea salt
• 1T olive oil
• 2C green kale chopped roughly
• 1T garlic, minced
• 1C chickpeas, cooked (if canned, rinse and drain well)
• 1/3C chicken broth
• 1/2C fresh tomato chopped

1. Mix together all the spices and set aside.
2. Heat a 10″ skillet (with a cover) over medium high heat. Add oil and then chopped kale. Saute until dark green, about 2 minutes.
3. Add chopped garlic and saute for 1 minute.
4. Add chickpeas and spice mixture and saute for 1 minute.
5. Add chicken broth,  and cover to cook for 1 minute.
6. Uncover, plate, sprinkle with more red pepper for added flavor, and chopped tomato for color and serve.

Serves 4 side dish portions

Head on over and join in the Summer Fest 2010 celebration and read what others are creating in their kitchens in honor of  summertime.

Goodness this is scrumptious! From Gluten Free Girl. I substituted sorghum flour for oat flour, since I didn’t feel like grinding 1/4C of gluten free oats in my coffee grinder. It came out fabulously. Lifts right out of the pan and into the mouth.

Oh, I’d never tried quinoa flour. Going into the oven all I could smell was quinoa, a sort of grain-y, nutt-y note. Although quinoa is a flavor I like, I wasn’t sure it was the gingerbread flavor I remembered. But the warm gingerbread, in my mouth, I forgot all about my prior hesitations. I had to stop myself from reaching for more.

I had been waiting a while to try this recipe, gathering all the flours slowly. The recipe requires a 5 different flours and guar gum, a lot of measuring, and a traditional batter-making method. (Creaming, adding liquids, and then flours…) But the effort and time is absolutely worth it.

Eggplant is abundant at our farmer’s market. Fat globe, long slender Japanese and petite tear drops in white, and purples adorn the tables. Eggplant is actually a fruit as it contains many edible seeds within its yellow flesh. Native to Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka this fruit is used in culinary creations all over the world. Eggplant parmigiana is fried in Italy, baba ghanoush is roasted and mashed with sesame tahini, garlic, and lemon in the middle east, and eggplant is stewed in the French culinary classic ratatouille.

Eggplant can taste a bit bitter. If you aren’t making a dish that softens the flavor, slice the eggplant into 1/2″ slices length-wise. Salt the flesh on both sides and let rest 15 – 20 minutes. Rinse gently under cold water.

Eggplant also sucks up a lot of cooking oil. When sauteing, grilling, and broiling measure the oil required into a small dish and use a silicone pastry brush to apply it to the cut flesh prior to cooking.

My Chinese chicken and eggplant recipe tastes almost like PF Chang’s ground chicken and eggplant dish.  The ginger and garlic give this dish authenticity and depth. I can’t remember where I got this recipe. I think it is a mix of a few recipes out there. This one works best with globe eggplant you typically find at the grocery. And this recipe is modified to be sugar-free.

Chinese Chicken and Eggplant

Ingredients

• 1lb ground chicken
• 3t safflower oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2T ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/2 large eggplant (diced 1/2″, approximately 2C)
• 2 1/2T soy sauce
• 1T oyster sauce*
• 1T rice wine vinegar
• 1 1/2T agave nectar
• 1T black bean paste* (optional for a smoky flavor note, available at most Asian grocery stores)
• black pepper to taste

How To:

1. Place 2t of oil in preheated 10″ fry pan with a lid. Add ground chicken and use a wooden spoon to separate chunks as they brown. Remove chicken from fry pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard extra oil and liquid in fry pan.

2. Place 1t of oil in pan and add onion, garlic and ginger. Saute until onions are translucent.

3. Add browned chicken, eggplant cubes and all the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, agave, black bean paste (optional), and black pepper to taste. Stir to coat all ingredients and cover. Cook covered until eggplant is soft and cooked through, stirring occasionally, approximately 8 minutes.

4. Serve with rice. Makes 4 servings.

*NOTE: this recipe is not strictly gluten-free, as most prepared black bean pastes and oyster sauces may contain wheat. Read labels carefully and know which ingredients could be suspect.