Happy Father's Day to Some Dads

 First, a toast to the father of my children, Charlie! He has done a wonderful job over the years of being the kind of Dad that everyone wishes for.

Then, a toast to Aaron, husband of our daughter and Dad of Raine, seen here with him at Bodega Head, plus of sons River and Landon. He has been a bedrock dad to Raine and a role model of what a Dad should be like.

Even though I should be scanning the older photos in my care so that I have resources for photos of years gone by, that hasn't happened enough, so there aren't many to choose from for my Dad and maternal Granddad, but here are one of each of them. My paternal grandfather died before I really knew him and I don't have any of him handy, either, but all of these men are loved even though they are gone.

This photo is of my Dad, Max, hugging one of my sisters, maybe even on Father's Day.

This one is of my maternal grand father Jim Mangan, smiling at K. They made quite a pair.

Wishing all Dads a most Happy Father's Day!

Fresh Peas

A friend who has a large veggie garden every year gave me a tour of it today and when we were done she and her husband gave us a bag of freshly picked green peas. She had been out of town for a week and returned a couple of days ago to a garden just brimming with peas ready to pick.

These were beautiful peas, tightly packed into their pods, and oh so sweet. I shelled about two cups worth to steam for our dinner and will probably do the same for tomorrow's dinner because peas, like fresh corn, tend to quickly go from sweet to starchy. Don't want to waste them!

Do you, dear reader, have a source for really fresh produce, perhaps your own garden? 

No recipe, really, for these peas. Once shelled I steamed them just long enough to heat them through, then applied about a teaspoon butter...that's it.  The photo below is of the shelled, uncooked peas.

Enjoying the Berries of Early June

I wish that I could say that I'm super concerned about using seasonal ingredients in my meals, but in truth I purchase raspberries and blueberries in winter knowing that someone has most likely shipped them from the southern hemisphere. The same is true of broccoli...I eat it year round when it's really a fall or winter veg.

That said, I do enjoy celebrating the arrival of local produce. Our local strawberry farm began selling their fruit in May, much later than usual due to the extended chilly spring and late rains. We just bought some on Thursday and then I discovered yesterday that the olallieberries  that grow down by the road are ripe...at about their usual time. We had a heat spell for a few days (high 90s) earlier in the week and that really pushed the ripening. This morning it was foggy and cool, so I filled up three pint baskets with gorgeous, huge, ripe olallieberries in short order. There were even a few that were over ripe already.

The best thing to do with ripe, seasonal berries like these are to enjoy them just as they are...well, after a quick wash to get rid of any dust or bugs...to enjoy their juiciness, tang and sweetness. I also like them on my morning cereal or with plain yogurt. 

Today we were invited by our neighbors across the street to come for dinner tonight. They lead very busy lives so we find that spur of the moment plans work best. I offered to bring a dessert with the berries. The great thing was that I had already planned to make scones to go with the berries and then planned to add a dollop of freshly whipped cream. So much nicer to have others to share it with!

These scones go together fairly quickly with about a 20 minute prep time and another 20 minutes for the baking. I used soy creamer instead of the heavy cream since I was saving the cream for whipping. I put the cut up butter in the freezer for a few minutes while I made the egg-creamer-almond extract mixture and the dry ingredient mixture. I baked them on pizza pans that I had lined with parchment paper. It wasn't in the recipe, but I also sprinkled some sparkling sugar over the tops of the scones since they were headed for dessert, but that's optional.

Do try these this summer while all the berries and stone fruits are plentiful and ripe and juicy. You'll be glad you did.

To make these shortcakes you put a scone on a plate, scoop about 1/3 cup berries on top, then add a large dollop whipped cream and serve. You will need:

1 pint whipping cream, chilled and whipped to soft peaks...with a teaspoon sugar added as you whip.
2 pints fresh berries - rinse and drain - if strawberries, hull, then slice - use all one kind or mix them
1/2 recipe Almond Cream Scones (save the other half for having with tea or freeze)

Almond Cream Scones
Cream Scones enriched with both almond flour and almond extract
a variation of two recipes in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: from my home to yours
"Perfect for every scone-able occasion"

1 large egg
2/3 cup cold heavy cream or Silk soy creamer
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 cup almond flour
(or grind 1 cup blanched almonds and the following sugar in a food processor until finely ground)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Stir the egg, cream and almond extract together. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, cake flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between...and that is just right.

Pour the egg and cream over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, comes together. Don't overdo it. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times. If not sticky, add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream or soy creamer.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about 5 inches in diameter, cut it into 6 wedges and place it on the baking sheet. (at this point, the scones can b e frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don't defrost before baking - just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake the scones for 20 -22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firm. Keep an eye on them the last 5 minutes or so so they don't overbake.

Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for them to cool to room temperature.