'Ai revoir' Summer

‘Au revoir’ Summer

            Goodbye and even farewell are words with such a feel of finality about summer, that it is more pleasant to use the French equivalent, which at least implies a repeat encounter. As the days get shorter, in the words of Anderson-Weill September Song “the days dwindle down..”, it is tempting to slip in nostalgia about summer.

Thinking about daily menus the nostalgia is likely even to extend to musing about the feeling of relaxed summer meals and bright colors and fresh tastes of the season. Labor Day came late this year, so there is really no need to give up all those tastes of summer yet, especially since the weather this year seems to be ‘topsy-turvey’ with Maine summer temperatures in September.

Fortunately the garden does not quit until frost, so there are still cucumbers, tomatoes and naturally zucchini. With the mild weather, the traditional salad-soup gazpacho is a refreshing addition to any meal. We alternate between the traditional ‘red gazpacho’ and the somewhat milder form of ‘white gazpacho’ at our house.

                        White gazpacho with almonds

Peel and roughly cut in pieces 1 medium zucchini and 2 medium cucumbers. It is unnecessary to peel thin skinned cucumbers. Heat 2 cups of chicken broth to boiling, cook zucchini for 2 minutes, then add the cucumbers and cook for an additional 2 minutes adding 1 minced garlic clove. Cool slightly and in batches blend with 1 additional cup chicken broth and 3 cups yoghurt. Adjust seasonings to taste with: 2-3 Tblsp. white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tomatoes that have been peeled (immerse in boiling water for 30 seconds for easy peeling), chopped and drained of juice: ½ cup thinly sliced scallions, ½ cup finely cubed cucumber, ¾ cup blanched slivered almonds, ½ cup (loosely packed) chopped parsley. Garnish with croutons and chopped parsley.

Stone fruits like peaches and plums seem to gather the late summer sunshine at their best.  Unfortunately my peach tree had gone on its biannual vacation this year and while I was surprised to discover a single peach last week, my joy was short lived. Our resident chipmunk took it as his right to harvest our one peach. Fortunately farmers markets and stores have more reliable sources of peaches, so a peach crumble was still possible for a recent gathering.

                        Peach and pecan crumble

Prepare crumble by combining in a food processor ¾ cup flour, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup pecans. Pulse until nuts are finely chopped, add 6 Tblsp. butter in chunks and pulse until butter still shows small lumps. In a large bowl combine ¼ cup orange juice, 1 Tblsp. lemon juice and grated peel of a lemon. Blanch 6-7 large peaches for 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water, peel, pit and slice each in 8 slices, dropping them in the citrus juice to coat and prevent discoloration. Pour all in a 8x13 baking dish, Top with ¾ cup brown sugar; 2 Tblsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 Tblsp. white sugar, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp. ground ginger; ¾ cup pecan halves. Toss all ingredients together to distribute evenly in the baking dish. Press the crumble with your fingers to make coarse lumps and top the fruit with it evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature with dollops of whipped cream.

The coming crisp fall air and the sight of colorful baskets of apples from local orchards will soon chase away summer nostalgia, but in the meantime summer flavors are here for us to savor a bit longer.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)