I hope everyone is doing well, as we wind up another fun summer season. It's hard to believe that summer is just about over....  seems like not long ago we were winding our way up the coast of California thru Carmel on the way to San Fran with the daughter, Caitlin. The real sign that summer is coming to an end - the start of school was today. God did I hate the thought of returning to school as a kid!!!
 So, with the thought of summer ending, I thought we could talk about working with some of the summer’s best stuff. Fresh corn on the cob, tomatoes, and ripe juicy peaches are some of the things I will miss most as summer ends.

SUMMER CORN SOUP WITH CRISP PROSCUITTO

4 Ea  very thin slices of prosciutto
4 ea  large ears of fresh corn
4 Tbsp butter
1 ea  medium onion (about 1-1/2 cup) chopped
Kosher salt
2 C chicken broths
1-1/2 C  peeled, diced red potatoes (2-3 medium)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Position an oven rack 4 inches below the broiler, and heat the broiler on high. Broil the prosciutto until it begins to curl, 1-2 minutes. Flip and broil until appears dry-crisp and begins to curl again. Let cool and rough chop or crumble and put aside.
Slice the kernels off the cobs for a total of 3 Cups. Reserve the cobs....you thought we throw those suckers away, didn't you!!!  In a medium Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot cook the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and slightly golden (5-7 minutes.) Season generously with Kosher salt...we talked about this before, ditch the Morton's and use Kosher in everything you use salt for - it's better, trust me. Add 4 cups water and the broth. 1-1/2 cups of corn kernels, the cobs and 2 Tsp salt. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 12-15 minutes.) Remove from the heat and discard the cobs......We use the cobs to intensely flavor the broth and give it an extra boost. We are working with a fairly simple recipe with few ingredients so we want every bit of flavor we can get!!! Working in batches, and VERY CAREFULLY!! puree the soup in batches in your blender......A note to anyone who has not pureed a hot soup or other boiling liquid - this is like napalm!!!!  Do not fill the blender much more than about 40% or so. A hot liquid, when pureed, expands rapidly in the blender and can explode out the top of the blender. Unless you have the uncontrollable need to remodel your kitchen, be careful until you have done this a few times. It will take probably 3 batches to complete this process. Transfer each batch to a bowl and then done dump the soup back into the Dutch oven.
Add the remaining corn kernels to the soup and bring to a boil over medium high heat. simmer 3-5 minutes, until the kernels are heated thru. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with the crumbled prosciutto and chopped basil.

END OF THE SUMMER TOMATO.........SORBET!!!

 Surprised you with this one, eh??? Truthfully, it took me a minute to wrap my arms around this one....and pure tomato essence may not be for everyone, but extracting the heart and soul of a fruit and transforming it into something familiar, yet surprising, is a real treat!!  If you want it more vegetal, add less sugar......If you want it less intense, add more water....A splash of vodka would be interesting; you betcha!!! This would make a great amuse or starter to get your juices flowing.
 
2 pounds of the freshest, ripest off the vine tomatoes you can find. Cored and roughly chopped
3-5 Tbsp  of superfine sugar.
2 Tsp   sherry vinegar (go buy some, it's great to have around to make salad dressings with. look back a couple of postings or so for ideas!!)
1 Tsp  fruity olive oil
Salt ....to taste.
 Macerate the chopped tomatoes in the sugar (Start with 3 TBSP), 1 tsp of sherry vinegar and the olive oil for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Longer is better. Puree in the blender until smooth and strain....You should have about 2 cups of puree. Taste, and add a pinch of salt if you like to brighten the flavors. Adjust the sugar and vinegar, keeping in mind that flavors will dull a bit when frozen. Chill until very cold.  Freeze in an ice cream machine until it comes together and you achieve the desired flavor concentration. Should take about 7-8 minutes. If you like, serve in a hollowed out tomato with a sprinkle of sea salt.

RISOTTO WITH CORN, SPICY SAUSAGE AND WILTED ARUGULA

Back to corn again, this would be a great time to experiment with some homemade sausage of some kind. If you have not attempted this, stay tuned I am going to talk about making different sausages from scratch in the next week or so. For now a good quality sausage from your local grocer will do just fine.
 

• 6 C.  Chicken broth
• 3 ea Large ears of fresh corn. Shucked and halved crosswise
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 ea.  Minced garlic cloves
• 3 C. trimmed arugula
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste.
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 ea.  medium leek (white and light green part only) about 3/4 cup.
• 1/2 pound   hot Italian pork sausage...casing removed and broken into chunks ...raw
• 2 C. Arborio or carnaroli rice
• 1/2 C. pinot grigio or other dry white wine
• 1/2 C. freshly grated Pecorino Romano, more for serving.
• 2 Tbsp   flat leaf parsley; chopped (optional)

 Heat the chicken broth over medium high heat until very hot...Add the corn and cook until the kernels are just heated thru, about 3 minutes. Transfer the corn to a cutting board, and keep the broth to just a simmer. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off of 4 of the halves. Grate the kernels from the remaining 2 halves using the large holes of a box grater. Discard the cobs. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the arugula and heat until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer the arugula to a cutting board and chop coarsely. Wipe the pan clean.Melt the butter in the cleaned pan  over medium heat. Add the leek and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage, and breaking apart with a fork or spoon, cook until it crumbles and is no longer pink (2-3 minutes.) Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated with fat and the edges become translucent (1-2 minutes.) Stir in the wine and stir until absorbed (3 seconds) then add in the grated corn. This will make a creamy foundation for your risotto.
Ladle enough hot broth into the pan to barely cover the rice, about 1-1/2 cups. Bring to a boil and adjust the heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed (2-3 minutes.) Continue to add broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring occasionally, and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next. After about 20 minutes the rice should be cooked, but still firm (taste to make sure.) At this point add the whole kernels, Chopped arugula and another 1/2 cup broth. Continue to simmer and stir until the corn is warmed thru and the rice is just tender to the tooth, an additional 1-3 minutes. Stir in another splash of broth is the risotto seems too thick. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheese. Adjust the seasoning one last time, pass extra cheese for topping, and top with parsley if using… This seems like a lot of work... it's really not, but when you start with the rice part of the recipe you have to be able to give the dish 100% attention. My suggestion is to pace yourself and drink the rest of the wine while you are cooking....what the hell, it's only Pinot Grigio... or as Jim Wharton would say, "Bubble gum wine"!!
 

GRILLED PEACHES WITH MASCARPON AND HONEY

This is super easy, and a great final course to a summer or early fall meal. You can use the remaining coals left from your BBQ dinner if you like
6 ea  large ripe peaches, halved and pits removed.
6 Tbsp honey, plus more for serving. For best results try some of the great honey that is from the farmers markets... the stuff in the little squeeze bears just doesn't do it for me.
8 ounces mascarpone cheese at room temperature. (If you have not used this before, you gotta try it...it is an Italian version of cream cheese..nice and tangy!!)
Make sure the grill is at about medium high heat. Put the peaches cut side down on the grill and cook until lightly charred, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the peaches (cut side up) to a grill proof baking dish and drizzle evenly with the 6 tablespoons of honey. Place the dish on the grill, cover and cook until the peaches are soft; about another 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and divide the peaches among the 6 dessert plates. Divide the mascarpone cheese evenly between the peaches..drizzle with additional honey, serve immediately.
That is it for now, see you in a week or so.....
Cheers