Ice: Creams and Pops

Well, I recently learned something new about myself: I can't cook when I'm hot. Or write.

Here in the Seattle area, we have been suffering through record-breaking heat. I'd say a tropical heat wave, but friends, I'm in the Northwest, no where near a tropical anything. What is wrong with the world when Bellevue, WA reaches 107 degrees? Good lord, I have been like a wilted flower. And though I was born in Indiana, I spent 20 years in Tallahassee, FL, also known as a swamp. And I liked it. But here in Bellevue, they don't have the good sense to have central air. Well some folks do, but they are a rare minority. We don't have air conditioning and our apartment reaches 95 degrees my 4pm.

So, I have been making ice pops everyday. Yep, that has been the extent of my "cooking." Ok, that's not entirely true. I did make a batch of ice cream on Monday (the first day of the heat wave), but had to go to the pool for 3 hours afterwards to recover. And Wednesday I sliced up some various melons. Yes, I broke a sweat and spent the rest of the day at the pool. Finally today, I made another batch of ice cream (currently setting-up in the freezer) and plan to swim as soon as this entry is complete. I have never been so miserable or so adverse to cooking.

I suppose one shouldn't start a blog and then stop posting so suddenly. But for the first time ever, I have not wanted to cook a thing. Maybe this is like when my mother went on strike in the 1980's. My sister and I were in high school and my mother just hung-up her apron and said, "I'm not cooking anymore." Sure, she made special birthday meals, but she was working full-time and just didn't have it in her to be a homemaker, too. We ate out a lot. My poor pop, he wanted home-cooking so badly, but my mother just wouldn't do it. And until my father retired my parents continued to eat out for nearly every meal. My mother hated take-out because she didn't even want to clean up afterwards. But when my dad retired he started cooking and now he's a very good cook and even cleans up after himself.

I cannot begin to compare myself with my mother. I didn't raise two kids. I don't even have one. Or a dog. Chris and I live in an apartment and I don't work outside the house. So, I'm not actually on strike, just hot.

However, I did manage to create a few things I'd like to share with you, dear reader. Listed below are the recipes for two ice cream flavors: (blueberry-buttermilk and extra-rich vanilla with Valrhona dark perles craquant) and a delightfully refreshing ice pop (lime pomegranate with fresh mint and fruit).

I probably don't need to tell you that Chris appreciated the icy treats and had this to say about their tastes: "Oh, that's so good." Of course the man is also delirious from the heat. I can only assume they tasted good!

As soon as the temperature lowers I will begin to cook again and post, with much love, my recipes.

Ice Pop Shopping List

Pure pomegranate juice

Fresh squeezed lime juice

Fresh mint

Frozen blueberries

Frozen melon, minced

Preparation

The measurements for this recipe are all to taste and will depend on the size of your popsicle molds. If you don't have popsicle molds you could use an ice tray.

Into a large-sized, liquid measuring cup pour pom juice and lime juice. I like about half and half, but you should use only as much lime juice as you prefer. You can also dissolve some sugar into the mixture if you prefer it to be sweeter than sour.

Mince mint leaves. Again, to taste. I like a lot of flavor and love the texture of the mint, but you may not be as bold. Toss the mint into the juice. You can steep the mint in the juice and remove it, if you prefer a more subtle mint taste. Be sure to bruise the leaves before steeping, to maximize the release of the mint's oil.

Into each popsicle mold drop frozen berries or melon bits (or mix them, if you like). Fill the molds up about half way. Then pour the juice into the molds. Freeze.

Blueberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Shopping List

Pint buttermilk

4 oz creme fraiche

Pint heavy whipping cream

1 pint fresh blueberries

1/2-1 C sugar (to taste)

1 t vanilla

Preparation

Add buttermilk, creams, sugar and vanilla to mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Pour into ice cream maker and use manufacturer's directions. While ice cream is churning, add blueberries. It's that simple!

Extra-rich Vanilla and Valrhona Dark Perles Craquant

Shopping List

1/4 lb of perles craquant (I prefer Valrhona, but any chocolate you like will suffice)

4 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz creme fraiche

Quart half & half

1 T vanilla

1/2 - 1 C sugar (to taste)

In large mixing bowl combine cream cheese and sugar. Whisk until sugar begins to dissolve. Add creme fraiche, vanilla and half & half. Whisk until completely incorporated. Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions. Add the chocolate slowly, as ice cream churns. freeze!

Note: perles craquant (French for crunchy pearls) are tiny, tiny balls of chocolate that look like non-pareils or mini BBs. They are not chips. They keep their shape, even when heated, and have a powdery finish when eaten. I buy them at Wholefoods, but if you can't find them there you would easily find them at a high-end culinary shop.

Strawberry Basil Balsamic Ice Cream

Remember when the sound of an ice cream truck got your heart beating so quickly, you thought you were going to die?!

I do! My ears would prick-up as I heard the truck's music coming from blocks away and I would dance around and hop up and down while I begged for ice cream! Argh, it felt like my dad could not pull a dollar from is his wallet fast enough.

Oh, how I recall running wildly down the street, praying the truck would stop! And then stubbing my bare-footed toes in the knobby grass, tripping over cracks in the sidewalk. I could hear the other kids though the summertime-open windows, utensils falling on china, screen doors creaking open and slamming shut. The quickly growing mob of children, all galloping toward the same white truck. My own breath syncing with the sound of my heartbeat, pulsating in my ears as I tried to avoid the many bees, resting on the carpet of clover flowers that always seemed to decorate every lawn.

Oh, the summer rituals of childhood, when everything was so perfectly seasonal and special, because the windows of opportunity were so limited and our perceptions so naive and precious.

And maybe your family had an ice cream maker, like mine did. When I was really young, we had a hand crank machine. But in later years we upgraded to electric. I remember my dad wrestling with that hand crank machine! Maybe that's when I heard my first curse words, as he and my mother took turns and it took a lifetime to produce anything like ice cream!

Ha! But when my dad finally got his electric ice cream maker, it still took forever and the procedure was incredibly time consuming and involved, with the requirement of dry ice and a bushel of peaches.

And back then there was no such thing as small batches, that ice cream maker had a huge drum of a bucket, so this execution was usually accompanied by a family gathering or neighborhood party. This was a summer-only event that occurred maybe twice, three times a season. I can still taste those fresh peaches my mother carefully blanched and sliced. With all that effort, my mom and dad weren't about to experiment, so we always had the same flavor, perfected after many summers. And oy vey, it took forever! I can recall many summers when the ice cream wasn't served until dark, about the same time the lightening bugs were set to twinkle. I wonder, did I really like melted ice cream, as I claimed (or "ice cream soup", as I called it) or was it that I was distracted by firefly catching, in old Ball jars, to eat my dessert while it still resembled ice cream!

My young nephews will never really know what it feels like to nearly die of excitement, because everything in your life is based on seasons, (which reminds me of the Ray Bradbury short story, All Summer in a Day). Today, you can get fresh watermelon, corn and tomatoes year round. I hate to sound like on old lady, but when I was a girl, I don't think I ever saw a popsicle before June or after August (and Dairy Queen only sold Mr. Misty slushies in the summer!).

I'm not complaining, mind you. I actually feel thankful that my generation will always be able to enjoy those summer memories, including fireflies, riding our bikes without helmets and spitting watermelon seeds (was there such a thing as seedless back then?). And I'm also grateful, beyond measure, that these days I can taste summer all year round because I have, as you are aware, an ice cream maker!

My little Sunbeam ice cream maker was a gift from my Aunt Jackie, who had a very sophisticated palette and adventurous spirit in the kitchen. And I feel certain she would have been extremely excited by my latest batch of decedent creaminess...strawberry basil balsamic.

OMG, it was so good. I'd been reading up on ice cream techniques and read something that caused me to pause: add creme fraiche.

Creme fraiche is, basically, French sour cream. It's so flavorful and rich, thicker than its American counterpart, less sour and with a nutty roundness. I was quick to figure out a way to incorporate this into my own ice cream recipe and it was a welcomed addition.

Chris and I had dinner plans with our new friends, Barb and Scott. So Barb and I decided to finish off the night at their house with ice cream and her own homemade chocolate chip and walnut cookies.

We dined at a rather quaint restaurant in Redmond, WA, called

The Stonehouse, which was swell. We decided to share a few

small plates and entrees and I had planned to photograph them, but we were hungry and chatting up a storm and I forgot! But trust me when I say we had a nice meal and great conversation. We had to actually stop ourselves from finishing the last of the bread...knowing that dessert was waiting back home.

So we rushed it along and I am hoping everyone else agrees...this ice cream was the best part of the meal. I promise you I am not making this up, Barb and Scott said it was amazing! Amazing. And Chris even said it was his new favorite. Scott described the mouth feel as a combination of ice cream and fruit ice (most recipes call for about a cup of berries, but I added a whole pint). He also said the sweet strawberry flavor was the initial taste, but as he swallowed he could feel the pungent "choke" of the vinegar. Barb added that it was a perfect balance, not too sweet. And that all of the flavors were noticeable on different areas of the palette. I'd have to say, you could smell and taste the perfume of basil, which utterly complimented the berries and balsamic.

I marveled at how two changes made a big impact. One, the addition of the creme fraiche, which added a creaminess that was full and slightly sour. And two, I added a splash of wine, which I read would help keep the ice cream from freezing into a block and it did. There was no detectable taste, but the ice cream was much softer in texture. With all the batches this summer, we'd been having to let the ice cream sit on the counter for about five minutes before serving. This batch was very different and easily scooped on demand!

Barb's cookies were crunchy, chunky, chocolaty and you could taste the walnut flavor. I loved them and ate two in the car on the way home (she was generous enough to send home a few).

As we were getting out of the car, Chris remarked, "That ice cream was really incredible."

Wow, when he speaks, he speaks volumes. Love.

Shopping list

2 C whipping cream

2 C half & half

1/2 C creme fraiche

8 basil leaves

4-5 T balsamic vinegar (best quality you have)

1/2 C sugar, plus 1 t

1 1/2 pints strawberries

Preparation

In a food processor, puree 1 pint of strawberries with the sugar. In a deep bowl, whip the 3 creams to combine and then add the berry puree. Add 2 T of vinegar and start tasting. Most recipes will call for 2-3 T, but I really wanted the balsamic to be present, so I added 5 T. Use your discretion!

Chop the basil and sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar over it. Now really mince it, the sugar will help break down the leaves and release the oils. Pour the cream mixture into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions.

While the cream churns, add the basil. It will take 30-40 minutes to set up. During that time roughly chop the last of the berries and add them to the ice cream as it comes together.

Freeze in an air-tight container for at least 1 hour before serving. If you can save back a few strawberries and basil leaves, they'd be quite lovely as garnish!

Enjoy.

Steamed Lemon Shrimp with Potatoes and Nasturtium Flower Salad

I love popcorn and I will readily forgive someone who is inept in its preparation. I like it that much. And I make my own rather delightful renditions that include popped in a wok with peanut oil and coarse salt and an air popped variety topped with butter, salt and nutritional yeast.

I'll eat a bag from a convenience store (a favorite road trip snack with a cold V-8 juice), air popped with Molly McButter or microwavable. I'll eagerly wait in line at street fairs and festivals for real Kettle Korn and having spent my teenage and college years working at movie theaters, I can't resist movie theatre popcorn, preferably with a dose of the evil oil/butter (I know it's disgusting, that's why I called it evil). And when I was a girl, my mom would pop corn to take to the drive-in movies! And a trip to Woolworth's wasn't complete without a bag of their caramel corn. I can still conjure up that smell. But oh Lordy be, on the most special occasions we got Jiffy Pop Popcorn!

The only occasions that come to mind: when The Wizard of Oz came on TV (which was only once a year, back then) or we had a non-family-member babysitter (which was maybe twice a year, cue Dar Williams' The Babysitter's Here)! Oh the joy of watching that bag grow, even if it was burnt, the magic of busting it open to find such a treat! I loved it!

I tell you this because I was at a loss for dinner tonight. I worked on my patio flowers, cleaned house, went to the bakery to grab a baguette and went by the garden. I didn't get done until well past 5 pm. After a shower and a huge glass of water, I was pooped. I didn't feel like going out (no way was I getting dressed) and there's no good delivery around here. If I was single, you can be damn sure I would have had popcorn for supper. But I couldn't look myself in the mirror tomorrow if I served Chris a plate of popcorn, all Charlie-Brown-Thanksgiving style.

So, I opened the freezer and rooted around until I found a bag of frozen, uncooked, wild shrimp. Humph, I was still less thank enthusiastic.

I opened the fridge and under a bag of onions I found some fingerling potatoes.

Oops, they had been in there about a month, but were perfectly firm. I had lettuce, tomatoes, cukes and a bunch of nasturtium blossoms. It took me a minute, but I knew what to do.

I keep a well stocked kitchen. I always have the basics available in my refrigerator, freezer and pantry. I can proudly say I have a good selection of oils, vinegars, nuts, citrus, cheese, onions and sauces, rices, cous-cous, panko, corn meal, salts, peppers, pasta, canned tomatoes, beans, fish (including tunas, oysters and anchovies) and yes, popcorn. I figure I can make something tasty even if I don't have fresh vegetables or meat!

So, I drew up my plans: steamed lemon shrimp on the grill with the potatoes, onions and what was left of the peppers and cherry tomatoes.

Of course we'd have a salad, but with the nasturtium blossoms. I knew Chris had big plans to finish off the blackberry ice cream, so I didn't need to sweat about dessert. Done. Even in a pinch, I could feed me and my love with a fine meal. Bring on the Apocalypse!

Here's an interesting and life-saving lesson from culinary school: you can quickly thaw frozen food items in a bath of ice water, changing and re-icing every 30 minutes. Yep. Not hot water, like our mothers told us. I'm no scientist, so I asked my husband (who is) why this works so well. Bless his heart, he tried to tell me. But this is all I managed to comprehend: something about hot water freezing faster than cold... more heat escaping from the hot water through vaporization. Cold water being warmer than the frozen items...or something like that, maybe. What I do know is this: even if hot water thawed the food faster, it also allows microbes to grow and potentially harm (kill) you. So don't do that.

I needed to thaw my shrimp on the fly, so into a bowl of ice water they went (and I put that into the fridge). Chris was going to walk in the door in less than an hour, so I was working fast. I washed all the veg and started slicing away. I wanted this to cook fast, so the smaller the pieces the faster the cooking time, the more uniform the pieces the more even the cooking time. Though the potatoes were tiny, maybe one inch in diameter, I cut them in half and cut everything else to match. I threw in about 6 cloves of garlic, in their skins. When you roast garlic it's sweet and creamy and I planned on spreading this on the bread.

After I lit the grill, I tore off four long sheets of foil and crossed them to make a vessel. The idea is to layer all the ingredients so the heartiest is nearest the heat. The potatoes went on the bottom, then the onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes.

The shrimp went on top and some of them were still icy, but no bother, I knew the melting water would help cook the potatoes, so it was definitely ok. I doused the ingredients with lots of lemon oil, olive oil, salt, fresh rosemary and the juice and zest of two lemons. For good measure and because I can never leave well-enough alone...a few healthy chunks of butter. I sealed the packet up and wouldn't you know...it looked exactly like jiffy popcorn. I had to smile, knowing something good would come out of that balloon of foil!

I started the grill on high, but turned off one burner and placed the pouch directly over one flame. When you do this kind of grilling, it's important to watch for, well fire. The heat is intense and the direct flame contact will most certainly burn through the foil (which is why I reinforced my packet with four sheets).

By the time I came back inside, Chris was home and hungry. I sliced the baguette, brushed on olive oil, butter and Parmesan cheese. I put the salad together with curly lettuce, red onion, shallots, tomatoes and I used olive oil and the best balsamic I had on hand. Took me less than five minutes! Just before serving I had big plans to toss in the cheese and all of the blossoms.

As soon as the salad was done I checked the shrimp. I opened the foil and the aroma was remarkable. The intoxicating smell of shrimp, garlic and lemon

was so strong and inviting, I nearly passed out. Seriously, I was practically clapping my hands together. Plus, the magic of busting it open to find such a treat! I loved it! I was reminded that good things come in small packages, even at dinner.

The shrimp were ready to come out. So I placed them on a platter and waited another 20 or so minutes for the potatoes to finish.

By the time the potatoes were fork tender they'd released enough starch to mix with the reserve fats and juices and form a rich, dense sauce. While I spooned out the goodies I put the bread over the fire.

Chris poured the wine (the remainder of last night's chilled pinot noir) and we sat down to this heady, easy and quick meal. It was so juicy and messy...and you guessed it, Chris said it was, "Good." I had to agree.

Shopping List

1 lb uncooked shrimp, in shell (frozen or "fresh")

Handful fingerling potatoes, each cut in half

1 small yellow onion, med dice

1 yellow pepper, seeded, ribbed, med dice

1 C mixed cherry tomatoes

6 cloves of garlic, in skins

1/2 shallot, minced

4 basil leaves

2 stems fresh rosemary

2 T lemon oil

4 T olive oil

2 lemons, zested and juiced

4 T butter

1/2 baguette

1 T Parmesan Cheese

2 C curly lettuces

1 Persian cucumber, chopped

1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly

Nasturtium blossoms

1/4 C goat cheese, crumbled

S/P, to taste

Preparation

Toss potatoes in a bowl of olive oil and salt. Cross four sheets of foil and layer the ingredients in this order: potatoes, onion, peppers, garlic and tomatoes.

Drizzle the lemon and olive oil over the veg and use a generous amount of salt and pepper. Toss in the shrimp, lemon zest and juice the lemons over the top. Lastly, add the butter and lay 1 stem of the rosemary and the basil across the top. Close foil into a packet by bringing up the sides and sealing tightly. It should have a jiffy popcorn look to it! So make sure there is enough foil to create a tent for the steam to form. Do watch this closely.

You need a high heat to get the potatoes done quickly, but you can easily a) over cook the shrimp (even if it was still frozen when you put it on the grill) and b) burn through the foil and lose all the juices (which will burn the potatoes and produce a dry, gross mess).

Even though every grill is different, I recommend you check the shrimp within the first 5 minutes. As soon as it pinks-up (a technical cooking term, I assure you) it is ready to come off the heat. Everything continues to cook when you remove it from the heat. So if you wait even a few seconds too long, it's too late. And as far as food is concerned, I can hardly think of anything as pitiful as over-cooked shrimp.

Unlike bad popcorn, simply not worth eating.

You can't really overcook the potatoes, so you can relax for a moment and cool off with a glass of ice water (or vodka). But you still have to watch the grill, even from afar, to avert a fire. I suggest turning the packet, which will help. Closing the grill will speed cooking time, but doesn't let you off the hook, you still have to keep an eye on it. While you remove the rest of your dinner from the grill, place the bread on the flames. As you can see, it can burn, too, if you're not careful.

Toss your veg into a bowl with the rest of the rosemary (just pick it off the stem) and shallots. Dress it before you add the cheese and blossoms, so they don't get pulverized by tossing.

The creamy goat cheese will pair nicely with the peppery nasturtium. If you can't find nasturtium, use rocket (arugula) instead of lettuce, to assure you get a good balance.

In less than 35 minutes you will be eating and I hope enjoying yourself!

Thai Beef Stuffed Zucchini, Garden Salad with Peanuts and Cardamom and Blackberry Ice Cream

My mother comes from humble beginnings. Not that her family didn't have money (sometimethey had a lot) and nice things (sometimes they had many), just that they had a business you couldn't always count on. Her father, my dear granddad, was what you'd call a "roughneck." He was a tall, big man with a booming voice. And he could throw a punch and could be kinda scary, if he was drinking. His family was in the tavern business and when he came of age, the bar became his.

His name was John Black and the bar, Blackie's, was his domain (though his mother worked right along side him, until she was too old to bartend!). Now the difference between a bar and a tavern, according my family, is that taverns sold food as well as drink. Kind of an American version of the pub. The Black's had been in the food and drink service industry for decades. In fact, my granddad's mother, Mary Ellen, ran a chili parlor, prior to opening Blackie's. (and was in vaudeville, too!). But along with draft beers, hard liquor and food, Blackie's menu included illegal gambling. And lots of it.

So my mom grew up seeing lots of drunks, lots of sad people, lots of overly happy people, lots of local muckity-mucks, lots of dangerous looking people and a few prostitutes (not working out of the tavern, just enjoying their neighborhood bar). When my mother and her sisters came to Blackie's for a visit, they'd sneak upstairs to the game room. My mother once found a blackjack and brass knuckles sitting on the pool table. When she asked my grandmother what they were, she was tersely told, "None of your business."

My grandpa wasn't home much, when he wasn't at the tavern he could be found at Andy's, next door. That was the barbershop, cum gambling parlor. On Sundays they'd pile the barber chairs in the window and spend all day playing cards out of view. But my gramps never got in trouble, because all the local politicians and policemen drank and gambled there, too.

My grandmother, Mabel, was an excellent cook, though she hated doing it.

She was often the resident chef at Blackie's. She could whip up stew, chili and steak and lobster (their specialty) to satisfy the sober, as well as the drunk. My father still says her beef and noodles were the best he ever ate. My grandmother's other job at the tavern? Running numbers, even though she thought gambling was wrong. By the time my grandma came home, she had no interest in cooking, or anything else. So the girls often scavenged at the tavern and ate a lot of junk at home.

Basically, my mother and her sisters fended for themselves and not just with food. I loved my grandparents, but unfortunately they were alcoholics and not very present in their young daughters' lives.

When my mother had her children, she was determined to be present. In fact, she was sort of intent on becoming Donna Reed. She made everything! And baked, canned, cleaned and sewed. I had to beg, plead and cry to get frozen food or pudding snack-packs. She wanted to make it all, but we wanted what we saw on TV. We had a comfortable, decorated home and a huge garden in the back yard. I remember a very idyllic childhood. And what brings me to this blog entry is this...my mother's determination to provide fresh, homemade foods for the family she loved. And that garden was the cornerstone.

When I lived in Florida, I never had a yard with sufficient sunlight for vegetable gardening. I grew flowers, so many beautiful flowers and herbs, too. And now, years later, I am finally living up to my mother's glorious achievement. As you know, I have a huge garden. My momma's quite pleased! And Chris and I eat something from the garden every day. More than one something, too. Lots of somethings...as the garden has begun to produce a bounty.

Today I was at the P-Patch, tending to my garden. I was fastening tomato stems to their cages, tying beans to their bamboo arches and trying to get the trailing vines of the cucumbers in some orderly fashion. I hoed, fed and watered. The garden was busy with fellow travelers and Sara stopped by to admire my hard work. And then her eyes got wide and she pointed to my zucchini and said, "Um, did you see that you have a really big zucchini under there?" Under where? I thought. The zucchini plants have gotten so huge, the leaves are massive and I guess something could be hiding under there.... I ducked under a leaf and OMG...I saw IT. A zucchini of grotesque proportions. Offensive in its size and vulgar in its vitality.

I sort of shrieked and immediately broke it off its stem. Patty had to take a picture. Marsha had to laugh...obnoxious, gigantic vegetables usually don't taste very good. I should have left it to become colossal and I could have entered it in some crazy contest. But I picked it. So now we had to eat it.

I thought zucchini bread would be perfect, but it's too hot to bake in my kitchen right now. I didn't want to freeze IT, it would become too watery. So I decided to stuff IT and stuff it good. The clown-shoe sized vegetable could have easily fed a dinner party, but it was just me and Chris. Pity, but I know what Chris is having for lunch tomorrow! Because the zucchini itself could be a meal, I planned a simple summer supper: stuffed zucchini with Thai flavored beef and a garden salad with peanuts and sesame dressing. For dessert...the blackberry ice cream in the freezer.

I had all the ingredients except the meat, so I ran to the store. I wanted pork, but there was no ground pork (what?!), so I bought beef. I also chatted up the wine expert on hand about a Rosé. I have long thought of Rosés as a lesser wine. Even after Andrea Immer's Complete Wine Course in culinary school. But recently I saw Andrea on a cooking program and she finally changed my mind. Or maybe it's because it's been too warm to drink a heavy red or a wine that's not chilled. Either way, I wanted a Rosé. But I wanted a cheap one and there wasn't a bottle to be found in my price range.

So the Trader Joe's employee talked me into a particular pinot noir called Blue Fin. He said he'd had it at a tasting where they chilled it and it was delightful. "Sold." I said as I headed for the register and high-tailed it home to start stuffing.

First thing I did was have a little fun with my motar and pestle. I wanted to grind some dried spices for the meat and the salad to give a depth of flavor. I included coriander seeds,chilies, garlic, cinnamon, thyme, ginger, oregano and big fat chunks of sea salt.

I decided to go with a very flavorful meat stuffing, since I was certain the zucchini would have almost no real flavor. First I cut IT in half and then scooped out the center of each side. I left the zucchini "boat" fairly thick so that the weight of the meat wouldn't break it.

Then I mixed the beef with the zucchini innards, fish sauce, sesame oil, lime zest and juice, peppers (bell and jalapeño), onion, garlic, herbs, ginger, peanuts and the spices. I minced the veg and mixed everything together.

This was a very wet concoction and I knew the zucchini would leach a lot of water, so I mixed panko (Japanese bread crumbs, for the uninitiated) to help soak up the liquid. I took the boats in hand; salted the inside, oiled the outside and stuffed them with the meat. I lined them up on a sheet of foil and off to the grill they went.

I chopped some of whatever I had in the veg bin and mixed it with some lettuces. I drizzled olive and sesame oils over the salad, did my Moosewood thing with lime juice. I have a need to serve thematic meals (I finally gave up matching my shoes and hand bags, but it took therapy), so I finished the salad off with peanuts.

When Chris came to the table and saw the two enormous zucchini halves he said, "I can't eat all of that!" And he's a big eater. But I reassured him that I would take no offence at his leaving 1/2 of his dinner on the plate. The zucchini itself was fine. It wasn't very flavorful, as I surmised. But it was a good match for a very spicy and flavor-filled stuffing. The salad was delicate, but rich with sesame flavor.

Chris said the zucchini was "great" and the salad was "excellent". I pressed him for more, asking if he'd be disappointed with this meal if he'd ordered it in a restaurant. My man of few words replied, "Not at all."

But he did cock his head while pouring the red wine from a chilled bottle, but I told him the Trader Joe's story and we toasted our good fortune. Our plates runneth over with "great" stuffed zucchinis (pun intended) and our chilled pinot noir was outstanding.

As the sun set, we retired to watch a movie. We don't have cable or watch much TV, so dessert is usually eaten while watching a DVD or reading. This evening I had WORDPLAY, the documentary on Will Shortz and NYTs crossword nuts (like me). So we shared a big bowl of the cardamom and blackberry ice cream. I thought it was sooooo good. It did have a very chai-like taste and the blueberries were at once sweet and tart. Chris said it was "good." I pushed for more information and he sheepishly said, "I liked it, but my favorite so far is the fig with almonds." Well, now I know the ice cream benchmark.

Shopping List

2/3 lb ground beef, pork, turkey or lamb

1 gigantic zucchini, or 4 regular sized zucchini

3 T fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

2 t freshly grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, minced

1/4 C baby peppers bell peppers, minced

1/2-1/4 t (to taste) each, crushed: coriander seeds, chilies, cinnamon, thyme, ginger, garlic oregano

1/4 C toasted peanuts, chopped

1/4-1/2 C panko bread crumbs

2 C mixed lettuce

1 C mixed chopped veg (your preference)

Sesame oil

lime juice

S/P, to taste

Preparation

Light the grill on high and leave it to heat. Cut the zucchini in half and scoop out the inside. Minced the zucchini and toss it into a large mixing bowl. Add the ground meat and the next eight ingredients. Drizzle sesame oil over the meat and using your hands (I wear gloves) combine the mixture completely. It will be very wet, so add bread crumbs until it can hold a shape (like a ball). Remember the zucchini will leach a lot of water, so you don't want the meat swimming. Be sure to add a bit more panko after you can form a ball. Oil the outside of the zucchini and rub salt into the hollow. Pack the meat in (it will shrink and the squash will expand, so keep that in mind).

Place the zucchini on a sheet of foil, turn down the grill and place the zucchini halves on the grate. Close the grill top and let it cook for 10 mins and check the zucchini bottoms. You want them to have color, but not be falling apart. When they look good, move the zucchinis up to the top grate. Close the grill top and let the boats cook for about 15 more mins. Obviously, keep an eye on them. You want the meat cooked through, but not dried out. Also, you want to make sure the zucchinis don't over cook and fall apart. Just check for doneness, like you would a hamburger. You will see the water bubbling up inside the boats, using your tongs, tip the zucchini slightly to drain.

Do the Moosewood trick on your greens. Start with adding all the veg to your lettuce, drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with the dried spice mix (to taste) and toss. Squeeze the lime juice directly onto the salad and give it one last toss.

When the stuffed zucchinis are done, you're ready to eat. You may want to anchor the zukes by plating them on a leaf of cabbage or kale. Pile on the salad, pour your wine and Enjoy! And don't forget a big bowl of ice cream for dessert.