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Light, fresh summer recipes

BY Nan Yablong, Recipe Developer

Fort Wayne, Indiana (August 3, 2009) — Veggies, like tomatoes and cucumbers, and citrus fruits, like lemons, are at their peak in summer, and they star in our delicious, refreshing dishes that are just as good for you as they are tasty. So take advantage of what the season has to offer. Stop by your local farmer’s market for the freshest picks. (Find a farmer’s market near you at localharvest.org.)

About our featured chef: Nan Yablong has embraced the Vera Bradley Foundation as her special cause because she lost her mother to cancer 22 years ago. She has enthusiastically served on almost every committee in her eleven years as a Classic volunteer. As a graduate of LaRivage French Cooking School in Dartmouth, MA, with a passion for both cooking and baking, she was the perfect choice to help us develop healthy and delicious cancer-fighting recipes.

Stuffed Cucumber (Serves 4)

¼ cup red onion, chopped fine
2 Tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoon seasoned salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large cucumber

1. In bowl of food processor put onion, parsley and thyme leaves and pulse.Add cream cheese and seasonings, pulse until well blended.
2. Place mixture in quart-size sealing plastic bag.
3. Prepare cucumber by cutting ends off and coring out the center with a long thin knife or coring tool.
4. Cut end from baggie and pipe mixture into the center of the cucumber, hold one of the cut off ends to keep from mixture coming out the opposite end.
5. Refrigerate to set filling for at least a few hours.
6. Slice into ¼" rounds. Serve with crackers or flat bread.

Roasted Tomatoes with Shallots and Fresh Herbs (Serves 4)

4 medium garden fresh tomatoes, cut in half
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Olive oil cooking spray
¼ cup minced shallot
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Core and seed tomato halves. Sprinkle cut sides with kosher salt. Place tomato halves cut side down on paper towels. Let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Place tomatoes cut side up in a 13" x 9" roasting pan coated with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients, drizzle with olive oil.
4. Bake in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until tomatoes soften.

Heirloom Tomato and Cheese Country Tart (Serves 4)

1 prepared round pastry crust
1 ½ cup Gruyere cheese, grated
¾ cup Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese, grated
¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
6 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
3 heirloom tomatoes, different varieties sliced into ¼"-thick slices

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Lay crust flat on a large sheet pan.
3. In bowl, mix cheeses together with 4 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil.
4. Spread cheese mixture over crust, leaving about an 1 ½" of space around edges to turn up.
5. Place tomatoes on top of cheeses overlapping and covering cheeses. Sprinkle with remaining basil.
6. Turn edges up around the filling, pinching edges to form around tart filling.
7. Bake 23 to 25 minutes, crust should be golden brown, cheese will be melted and bubbly around tomato slices.
8. Let rest about five minutes to set and then cut into four wedges.

Lemon Sponge Pie (Serves 8)

1 Pie Crust for 9"-10"-pie plate (such as Pillsbury Pie Crust)
2 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1 lemon, juiced and rind grated
1 cup whole milk
2 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Prepare pie shell in 9"-10"-pie dish.
2. In large bowl of stand electric mixer, beat egg yolks until creamy. Add sugar, salt and flour. Beat until smooth.
3. Add lemon juice and grated rind. Beat again.
4. Add milk and beat until light yellow.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
6. Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture then pour into unbaked 10"-pie shell.
7. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Turn down oven to 300° and bake until set, about 30 more minutes.
8. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Look for fall recipes starring in-season sweet dishes!