Hello World! I’m back. I know some of you have been wondering- where in the world did Endive and Indulge go? It’s been forever since she’s posted. And who the heck is Home Cooked for ME?? Well the short answer is I am ME. After much deliberation and deep conversations with M, we decided to get this thing back online. To answer your second question, the re-branding is to bring new life to not only the blog but to my enjoyment of actually writing the blog. You can read more about my inspiration here. I am not making promises of how often I will post ( you can sign up for email updates with new posts in the sidebar) or what my content will be. But I can tell you that it is going to be food that makes me and M happy. I am not out to get readers or likes, but to cook wholesome delicious food for ME. Read on to continue with the regularly scheduled programming.
Being Okanagan (OK) born and now my parent’s home, I feel as though my love of summertime fruits is in my blood. Driving through from Vancouver each month, we are always excited to see and smell what is now ripe and ready for eating. From the cherries to the apricots, to crisp apples. For me I cannot wait for August, because that means peaches and nectarines. I am a nectarine girl myself, as the skin is softer and I find the juice to be slightly sweeter. Growing up we often went peach picking. With our metal buckets, we trudged down the rows grasping for the biggest one we could find. Of course taking a few nibbles along the way, you know for quality assurance purposes. Once M got in the picture, we indoctrinated him to the OK way of life. He quickly realized what the hype was all about and suffice to say he’s been hooked ever since.
On our many drives through the beautiful BC landscape, we have now found our favourite fruit stand. Don’t get me wrong, we still try and participate in U-PICK, but there are those times where you want 20 pounds of fruit right there waiting for you in a box. The best is that these are freshly picked and still very reasonably priced. Every trip we load up with another big box of the latest in season fruit. Our latest trip through Keremeos we brought back the best nectarines and peaches, thoughtfully suggested by one of the stand owners as these varietals provide the most sweetness for the money. Now that is a deal I can get behind.
Suffice to say our summers are spent enjoying these stone fruits in their natural forms for weeks on end. However eventually after having my 3rd nectarine for the day, with still 30 more quickly ripening I often try and find new ways to incorporate the fruit into my meals. It kind of turns into the Forest Gump of fruit; apricot jam, apricot salsa, apricot on chicken, apricot oatmeal, apricot cake…
As it is summer, I like to combine one of my all time favourite fruits with my favourite time of day: HAPPY HOUR.
Close your eyes (ok maybe not yet- you need to keep reading) and imagine a perfectly warm summer’s day. You’ve spent the morning and early afternoon busily running errands or hiking a mountain and you are ready to just relax; or you’ve been binge watching your favourite Netflix show (no judgments, we’ve all been there) and now realize you should probably take advantage of the beautiful weather. Happy Hour it is!
Happy Hour is a glorious late afternoon time where it is socially acceptable to have a glass of wine and a delicious snack and just enjoy the moment. There is no where else to be but on that patio, with a plate full of food and rose in hand. Creating an appetizer doesn’t have to be challenging, but the perfect one combines flavours and textures into one or two scrumptious bites. That is what is so great about finger foods. You don’t need this huge elaborate dish with 100 elements on the plate. It is about keeping things simple and tasty.
Take this nectarine crostini for instance. The bread is the foundation, providing a solid base and crunch from grilling. The goat cheese with lemon and rosemary pairs to create a salty acidic herby tone with the nectarine and honey providing some freshness and a sweet final note. All this on one slice of baguette. Not to mention it pairs beautifully with an Okanagan Riesling. After your first one, you will want to go back for a second, third..
Nectarine Crostini
Quick and tasty appetizer perfect for happy hour on the patio
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup goat cheese
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp lemon zest
- 1 nectarine
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- baguette
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
Directions
- Step 1 Combine goat cheese, rosemary and lemon zest in a bowl. Use a fork to whip and combine.
- Step 2 Slice nectarine into 20 thin slices. If possible create a cut all the way around the nectarine from top to bottom, twist to pull the two halves apart and take out the pit. (This makes creating slices easier, if you have small nectarines feel free to use more than one)
- Step 3 Cut 10 slices of the baguette on a diagonal and Brush both sides of the slices with grapeseed oil
- Step 4 Heat BBQ and once hot, add the baguette slices- flipping after about 3 minutes or until charred.
- Step 5 Take the bread off the grill. Once slightly cooled, smear the goat cheese onto each toast and top with 2 slices of nectarine per toast.
- Step 6 Using a spoon lightly drizzle honey over the crostini to finish them off and enjoy!
And they were scrumptious!