Local Vegetable Stir Fry
with Organic Chicken & Oyster Sauce    
Serves 6

Nothing is faster or more satisfying than a quick stir fry of local, summertime vegetables! With all the incredible vegetables our local farmers are growing these days, you can enjoy a different creation every time.

Ingredients:
½ C Chicken or vegetable broth
1 Tbl Soy sauce
½ Tb. Oyster sauce
1 Tbl Arrow root
1 oz Water
1 ea Garlic clove, minced
1 tsp Ginger, fresh, minced
¼ C Scallions, minced
2 lb Assorted fresh local vegetables
1 lb Organic or Natural Chicken Breast, thinly sliced
1 Tbl Soy sauce
As Needed Corn Starch
As Needed Vegetable Oil
2 Tbl Chives, minced

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine first five ingredients and whisk well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to stir-fry.

Cut all local vegetables in bite size pieces. For any hardy vegetables (like carrots), blanch in boiling salt water. Remove from boiling water and shock in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain, dry well and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the chicken, simply combine in a large bowl with a tablespoon of soy sauce and toss well. Sprinkle the chicken with enough cornstarch to just coat each piece, then stir in just enough oil to the chicken so all the pieces separate. Cook the coated chicken in boiling water until just cooked through, roughly 1 minute. Drain, shock in ice water to stop the cooking process and drain again. Pat dry and refrigerate until ready to stir fry. This method of cooking the chicken is known as "velveting" and can be applied to other meats as well.

To start the stir fry process, begin by heating a large wok or large non-stick pan over high heat. The pan should be smoking hot. Make sure every component to this dish is lined up within arms reach.

Pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil into the hot pan and immediately add the ginger, garlic and scallions stirring constantly to prevent burning for about 20 seconds or until very fragrant. Add any raw vegetables and toss well. Cook until they turn bright in color and are just beginning to brown. Add the chicken and cook briefly to color. Add the blanched vegetables and cook until lightly browned and heated through. Finally, add the liquid mixture and toss well. Bring to a simmer and cook until glossy and thick. The stir fry is ready to serve once the sauce is thick and all the vegetables are heated through.

To serve:
Fold in the freshly minced chives and serve immediately over jasmine rice, noodle or nothing at all.

Grilled Nectarines
with fresh Blueberries & Blackberry Coulis    
Serves 4

Sweet, ripe nectarines and peaches are excellent on the grill. The heat of the flame brings out a deeper sweetness in the fruit and intensifies their great flavor even more. Perfect finish for any summer BBQ!

Ingredients:
4 ea Nectarines, ripe, pitted & halved
1/2 C Blackberry jam
1/2 C Blueberries
4 tsp Sugar, granulated

Directions:
Over a clean, hot, well oiled grill, place the nectarine halves flesh side down and grill until well marked. Flip and grill skin side down. Move fruit off of direct heat, close lid and roast in the covered grill until tender. Slice each half into each a quarter. Place jam in microwave until turns to a liquid.

To serve:
Place 3 quarters on each serving plate and drizzle with melted jam. Scatter on the blueberries and sprinkle the fruit with sugar.

Chilled Sweet Corn Soup
with Celeriac, Dill & Creme Fraiche    
Serves 6

This cool, smooth and refreshing soup, similar to the classic Potato-leek soup is perfect for a summer picnic. To dress it up, simply add crabmeat.

Ingredients:
1 Tb. Vegetable Oil
3/4 c. Spanish Onion, diced
1 c. Celeriac, diced
1/2 c. Yukon Gold Potato, diced
2 ea. Corn, cut from cobs, scrape well and
save cobs
1 qt. Chicken Stock
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tb. Dill, fresh, chopped
1 Tb. Chives, fresh, slivered
2 Tb. Creme Fraiche
1 Tb. Lemon Juice, fresh

Directions:
In a saucepan large enough to hold all of the ingredients, sweat onions in oil over low heat until translucent and tender. Add corn and sweat 5 more minutes. Add the celeriac and potato and continue to sweat for 10 minutes longer. Cut reserved cobs in quarters and add to pan. Add stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer and cook until all vegetables are tender. Allow to cool slightly. Using a blender, puree until very smooth. (Note: Only fill blender halfway when blending hot liquids.) Chill well.

Once cold, whisk in Creme Fraiche, lemon juice, herbs and seasonings. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

To serve:
Ladle the cold soup into chilled cups and garnish with extra Creme Fraiche, radish julienne and chives, if desired.

Blueberry Buckle
   
Serves 6

Blueberry buckle is an easy, old-fashioned recipe that can be enjoyed either as a dessert or as a sweet bread for tea service or Sunday brunch. Similar to coffee cake, the crunchy streusel gives way to gooey blueberries and finally moist, rich cake. Enjoy as is warm out of the oven or pair with good old vanilla or peach ice cream for a real treat.

Ingredients:
1 stick Butter, unsalted, divided
1 c. Sugar, granulated, divided
1 ea. Egg, large
2-1/3 c. Cake flour, divided
2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 c. Milk
2 c. Blueberries
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Directions:
Using an electric mixer, cream together a half of a stick of butter and 3/4 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, combine 2 cups of flour with the salt and baking powder. Finally, whisk the eggs and milk together.

Starting with the flour, add the flour and milk mixes alternately to the creamed butter, a quarter at a time, until both are incorporated. Scrape and mix as needed after each addition. Toss the blueberries with enough flour to coat and carefully fold into the cake mix. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10" cake pan.

In a food processor, mix together the remaining flour, sugar and cinnamon and add the rest of the butter. Pulse the mixture until pea size crumbs form. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter and bake in a preheated 375F degree oven, for roughly one hour, or until fully risen. A toothpick will come out clean when inserted into the thickest part. Cool slightly, loosen the edges with a knife and un-mold.

To serve:
Cut and serve warm or cool to room temperature. Wrap and freeze for future use, if desired.

Cherry and Goat Cheese Crostini
   
Serves 6

If you are planning on throwing a summer get together during cherry season, try out these simple hors doeuvres. Slices of sugar sweet cherries are served atop mild goat cheese
and crispy crostini, coming together in a simple yet sophisticated crunch. Dark red or Rainier cherries will do.

Ingredients:
12 ea. French Baguette
5 oz. Goat Cheese, mild and creamy
1 C. Cherries, ripe, quartered
1 Tbl. Chives, tips

Directions:
Take a french baguette and slice into rounds. Toss with olive oil and salt and toast until golden. Once cooled, spread an even layer of goat cheese over each crostini. Top each crostini with a few pieces of the cherries and sprinkle with chives.

To serve:
Display in organized manner on simple platter.

Simple Kiwi Tartlet
   
Serves 4

This simple recipe can be used to highlight any fresh, seasonal fruit and is fast and easy to prepare too!

Ingredients:
8 ea. Kiwi, golden, thinly sliced
1 ea. Puff pastry sheet
1 ea. Egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp. milk
2 Tb. Sugar
1 ea. Vanilla Pudding, packaged
1 c. Whipped Cream, lightly sweetened
4 ea. Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:
Cut four 4" rounds from the puff pastry and then bake them off the tartlet shells. First, bruche the pastry rounds with the egg mixture. Using a fork or docker, punch many holes through the pastry rounds. These holes will allow air to escape and will prevent the pastry from rising too much.

Sprinkle the rounds with sugar and bake in a 325F degree oven until golden and crisp for 20-30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Prepare pudding accoridng to directions on the box, except using 3/4 of the liquid. Spread an even amount of pudding over the top of each cooled round. Arrange the slices of kiwi in concentric circles, over the entire rounds to completely cover up the pudding.

To serve:
To serve, place the tartlets on individual serving plates, add a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with mint.