Panzanella (bread salad)

I loved this salad!  I added leftover balsamic chicken to make it a main dish!

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 small French bread or boule,
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced (saute for a quick minute)
• 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• Handful of black olives

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar)
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 350 and toast the bread until light brown.  Rub with garlic and cut into 1 inch cubes.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Bruschetta

This was a great recipe to use up some garden tomatoes and homemade sourdough bread!

• 1 (12 to 16-inch) sourdough baguette
• 2 garlic cloves, halved plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups diced Roma tomatoes
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the baguette in half lengthwise, place on a sheet tray and bake in the oven until lightly brown. Rub with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 ounces of the olive oil and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Return to oven to melt cheese.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, vinegar, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Remove baguette from oven and top with the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Moolicious Ice cream

Will and I were in desperate need of some creamy goodness!   This hit the spot!  I changed up the measurements a little:   1 pint half and half and 1 cup whipping cream.

• 1 cup fine sugar, sifted
• 4 egg yolks,
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and egg yolks together. Beat the mixture until it is a thick yellow paste and set it aside.

Bring the half-and-half and milk to a simmer in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Slowly beat the hot half-and-half and milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. This mixture should be hot, but not boiling. If it gets too hot or you add the egg and sugar too fast you will have scrambled eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes as you constantly stir to make a custard-like consistency. Strain the mixture into a large bowl to chill overnight in a refrigerator.

The next day, stir in heavy cream and vanilla before adding it to your ice cream machine. Follow the ice cream machine's directions to freeze ice cream.

Ice cream is actually best right from the ice cream maker, when it is about 10 to 15 degrees F. If you can serve the ice cream right after it is made, it will have a soft and creamy texture like no other. You can adjust the above recipe by adding fruits, or even sweetened chocolate, to taste. When adding fruits to ice cream, blend them slightly with a food processor and sprinkle with sugar to enhance flavor. Let the fruit rest overnight with the original egg and cream mixture. Add the fruit in place of the vanilla