sometimes inspiration will carry me to the kitchen to bake something, but when i open the cupboards the ingredients are dismal. i wanted to make granola bars but as i eyed the most discouraging amount of oats i had ever encountered, i thought it might not happen. just then i spied small amounts of different seeds and nuts all over the cupboard, so instead of sulking away empty-handed, i got a little creative.
i toasted them all up in a dry frying pan, tossed them with some kosher salt, vanilla and agave, then baked them into bars. and, of course, finished them off with a drizzle of semi-sweet chocolate. the result is a toasty, crackly, just-sweet-enough bar that flakes and pops as you chew it. the hint of salt compliments the treat’s sweetness and toasty crunch really well. it reminded me slightly of the taste of fresh popped popcorn, but tucked into a hardy and healthy snack.
mixed stone fruit salsa
we are at the very peak of stone fruit season. apricots have been around for a while, peaches are just now getting good and cherries are the sweetest they can be right this very second! for these few weeks of the year we can see nectarines, pluots, and apriums next to white, yellow and doughnut peaches, alongside baskets of red and rainier cherries. so i gather them up while i can!
i often think of baking them into tarts, pies or cakes, but i must admit i feel guilty cooking such beautiful, fresh fruit. i’m usually tempted just to eat it as is – raw and unaltered – to preserve its subtle sweetness and soft juicy texture. but i wanted to find a recipe that accented these qualities while making the fruit more portable and even more palatable.
since the ripening of stone fruit makes me think of summer, and they have a similar texture to tomatoes, i decided to turn the fruit into a salsa i could enjoy all summer long as harvests yield different varieties. instead of fresh cilantro i used big fresh basil leaves, which are so sweet smelling i melt whenever in the vicinity. these compliment the sweetness of the fruit quite nicely, and the presence of all the other classic ingredients – garlic, onion, and a little salt, oil and citrus juice – leaves no question that this is still a true salsa.
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