High Summer

Leaving the Mid-Atlantic and the Garden of Eatin'

Bellefonte artist Holly Fritchman created this botanical print in 2014 for the Bellefonte Art Museums' Food Glorious Food exhibit.

Goodbye, sweet corn! Goodbye, ripe, luscious tomatoes! I’m back out west now.  Those vegetables are available here in Colorado, but not with the ease of access found in Pennsylvania.  And not with the same flavor.

There’s a Whole Foods here in Longmont, filled with beautiful-looking foods from all over the country and the world. But nothing is more urgent and satisfying than eating local foods in season. They taste better and make you eat more vegetables, which is always good.

Corn on the cob, cleaned up and trimmed, and ready to go into the microwave two ears at a time, for two minutes of cooking time, a turnover, and then another two minutes. Allow to rest for a few minutes until it has cooled enough to handle, shuck and brush on the sauce. Roll each ear in Cotija cheese and cilantro and chew down those tasty kernels.

I remember when I came home from traveling out west on Grandma duty during the summer of 2017. I found John making corn on the cob in the microwave. Okay—I made fun of him for that and called it “bachelor corn.” But I eat my words now because it is a brilliant way to make corn on the cob without heating up the kitchen. And it's a great way to do it for a crowd.

Everyone can shuck the corn after it is cooked and slather it with a schmear of half mayo and half yogurt with garlic, lime, and chile powder added. Then, they can roll it in Cotija dry Mexican cheese with cilantro. This is a cheater version of Elote, the Mexican grilled corn treat, with barely any effort.

Heirloom tomatoes in brilliant colors need very little adornment.

Tomatoes right off the vine are even easier to consume in large quantities. Think tomato sandwich, with mayonnaise if you are from the eastern part of PA or Miracle Whip if you are from the western side. It’s the old Philly vs Pittsburgh debate in the food court. What’s the difference?

The simpler the preparation, the better for ripe tomatoes. Here are two versions of bruschetta, a BLT, and the classic tomato sandwich.

Classic mayonnaise consists of egg yolk and oil seasoned with mustard, salt, and pepper. Back in the old catering days, when my friend Nathalie prepared a batch of chicken salad, her first step was to get out a whisk and whip up a batch of mayonnaise. She would never consider using an already prepared version. It would be akin to us making ketchup from scratch for our French Fries.  Who does that? Miracle Whip is a cooked salad dressing that is starch stabilized and starts with a white sauce with seasonings added and sugar, or, commercially, corn syrup. It is lighter in texture, sweeter in flavor, and lower in calories and cholesterol. Which is better? Whichever one you grew up on.

Having grown up in Philadelphia, John and I lean toward mayo, maybe because we were brainwashed by the jingle for Mrs. Schlorer’s, a Philadelphia brand. (Click this link and listen if you have one minute.)

Hellman’s mayonnaise is branded Best Foods here in the West, but it is the same recipe. Miracle Whip has many proponents for its lighter, sweeter taste.

Classic Mayonnaise

One egg yolk

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dry mustard or one teaspoon Dijon

1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice

One cup of oil, grapeseed, sunflower, soy, canola, avocado, or olive

One tablespoon boiling water

Place the first four ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together. Slowly whisk in the oil, starting with one drop, then two, and then a slow trickle until all of the oil is incorporated. Add the water and whisk until smooth.

An Easy Blender Mayonnaise

One egg

One teaspoon of dry mustard

One teaspoon salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

1¼ cup oil, divided

Three tablespoons of lemon juice

Put the egg, mustard, salt, cayenne, and ¼ cup of the oil into the container of a blender.  Cover and blend on high until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.  With the blender running, remove the center insert on the cover and very slowly add ½ cup of vegetable oil.  Next, add the lemon juice and blend thoroughly.  Finally, slowly drizzle in the remaining ½ cup of vegetable oil and blend until the mixture is thick. 

Homemade Cooked Salad Dressing

 1/3 cup AP flour

¾ cup water

One egg, beaten

Two tablespoons red wine vinegar

Two teaspoons sugar

Two teaspoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon paprika

½ cup oil

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, use a wire whisk to blend flour and water into a smooth paste. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. After cooling slightly, add egg, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt, dry mustard, and paprika. Blend with a wire whisk. Gradually beat in oil using an electric hand mixer (not a blender).

Salad Cream is a Heinz product made for the British market. It’s pricey at the Wegman’s grocery store in State College.

To complicate matters, I recently became acquainted with another type of salad dressing in England.  Salad Cream is thinner, golden, and has more flavor. When I first tasted it at Liz and Tom Pratt’s table, I immediately thought it would be a good cole slaw dressing. While not widely distributed in the US markets, the condiment was spotted at the Wegmans in State College.

A tree laden with peaches and Bucky's (aka John Koritko's) farm in Gateburg.

After taking me to the airport in State College on Tuesday, John visited Bucky at his farm in Gatesburg and sent photos that made me weep. Peaches galore!  They gathered them and feasted like hungry pirates. We do have Palisades peaches here in Colorado, and I will track them down at the Longmont farmers market on Saturday and report back.

A peach of a peach.

Happy Summer eating! Wherever you are.