Past Peak

FRUIT

OVER-RIPE AVOCADOS

Whipped into a spicy topping, a dollop of Avocado Mousse is a delicious topping on stews, cream soups, grilled fish, even open-face grilled cheese sandwiches. Pour Avocado Mousse into a re-sealable plastic bag with a snipped corner, and squeeze out a spiral. Using the tines of your fork, pull gently at the spiral, creating feathery patterns on the surface of your dish.

Level 2
Avocado Mousse Topping
Serves 8-10

1/2 past peak avocado*
1 cup sour cream**
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro (optional)

** For a lower-fat recipe, use 1/2 plain, 2% yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup sour cream

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Prepping tip (for removing avocado pit): Cut the avocado in half, from tip to tip. Using a tea spoon, insert under pit and pop it out.
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With sharp paring knife, cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scrape out pulp with spoon.
Place all ingredients except cilantro into food processor or blender; purée until smooth. Add cilantro and blend into the puree until fully incorporated. Cover and keep at room temperature. Before serving, adjust for spiciness.

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Prepping Tip: (for garlic): The bitter aftertaste from fresh garlic often comes from the mostly green, inner core, “the germ.” Cut the garlic clove in half lengthwise. Using the tip of a sharp knife, pop out “the germ” that looks like a little green shoot.
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Decorating Tip: Place the mixture into a re-sealable plastic bag, squeezing out excess air as you seal it. With scissors, cut off a tiny piece from one of the bottom corners to make an opening. Squeeze out as much as needed.
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Storage Tip: Avocado mousse can be refrigerated for up to one week in a tightly sealed plastic or glass container.
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Level 2
Impressionable Avocado Vichyssoise
Serves 4

3 tablespoons salted butter
½ cup finely chopped celery,
2 cups finely chopped leeks, white and ½ of green stalk (If no leek, substitute 1 onion and 3 scallions, chopped)
½ cup medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic (approx. 2-3 cloves)
4 medium cooked past peak potatoes* (if cooked with peel on, then peel and cube)
½ cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken broth
Pulp of 2 large past peak avocados
1/2 cup half & half
Salt and black pepper to taste
Garnish (optional): fresh cilantro, chives or dill, finely chopped

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Shopping Tip (for potatoes): There’s great variance in the sugar content of different potatoes. Small red and fingerlings are sweeter. For this recipe, we recommend Idaho, Russet or baking potatoes.
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Prepping Tip: If you're using a sprouting potato, completely cut away the sprouts and underlying green flesh before cooking as they can carry the naturally occurring toxin, solanene.
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In a heavy pot, melt butter. Sauté celery, leeks, onion and garlic over medium heat, until wilted, stirring occasionally.
Add potatoes to pot of sautéed vegetables. Add wine and chicken broth, incorporating mixture with a wooden spoon. Bring to a gentle boil for 2 minutes, stir and turn heat down to low for 15 minutes.

Add avocados to soup; cover and simmer for 15 more minutes. Stir in half & half, and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

Refrigerate overnight. To serve same night, transfer to a serving bowl, allowing soup to come to room temperature. Chill in freezer for 1/2 hour. Garnish with cilantro, chives or dill and a dollop of sour cream.

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SOFT, BRUISED PEACHES

A fantastic crisp or cobbler can be made with any bruised or overripe fruit that you find in the fridge or on the counter. If you decide to substitute harder fruits like apples for peaches, cook the crisp for 10-15 minutes longer or until the fruit is soft when pierced with a skewer.

Level 2
(Slightly) Stewed Peach Compote
Serves 4 to 6

1-2 cups of juice, water or both (to cover fruit)
½ cup Triple Sec or Grand Marnier or your favorite liqueur
1-2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. zest from clementines, tangerines or oranges (the white underside, or pith, removed)
3-4 over-ripe peaches, pitted, and sliced
½ cup dried fruit, such as cranberries, pears, apples, apricots, prunes (optional)

Over medium heat, bring liquid to a boil. Add liquor, sugar and zest; lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved.
Add in fresh, and if desired, dried fruit. Stir mixture with wooden spoon, taking care not to break up fruit. Cover pan. Simmer until fruit is tender but not overcooked. Test for doneness with a wooden toothpick or thin skewer.

Transfer to dish or storage container, and chill in refrigerator.

Spoon over ice cream. For an added bonus, garnish with Florida Sunshine Sugar Cookies made with orange zest.

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Level 2
Rustic Peach Crisp
Serves 4-6

1 stick butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup dried oatmeal
6 peeled, sliced soft peaches, bruises excised
1 Tbsp. rum or your favorite liqueur
1 cup fresh raspberries, blueberries or strawberries (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter
Garnish: rum raisin ice cream or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

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Cooking Tip (for peaches): One easy peeling method is to drop whole peaches into a pot of boiling water for approximately 2 minutes. Remove peaches using a soup ladle and lower immediately into a bowl of iced water for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and peel. Skins come away from the pulp practically by themselves. Be sure to catch all the juice by peeling over the bowl!
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Pulse together butter, sugar, flour and dried oatmeal in a food processor fitted with a blade until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Toss cut peaches gently with rum. Add optional berries at this time.

Spoon half the flour mixture into a buttered, square baking pan, followed by a layer of the peach berry mixture, and finish by topping with remaining flour mixture. Dot with butter.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until caramel brown and crispy. Serve at room temperature, and for an added treat, top with rum raisin ice cream or whipped cream.

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Level 2
Impressionable Peach Sorbet-on-a-Stick
Serves 4-6

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
8 cups peeled soft peaches, bruises excised and puréed

Cook sugar and water together stirring until sugar fully dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add peaches and mix well; simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool.
Pour into freezer-ready Popsicle® forms or ice cube trays. Let freeze.

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Serving Suggestions: If Popsicle® forms are unavailable, use ice cube trays. Insert decorative toothpicks into the center of each ice cube when partially frozen for mini popsicles. Or let harden (about 1-2 hours), then remove cubes and pop into your favorite beverage.
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Use the same mixture to make Italian-style peach granita, no ice cream maker required.

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Level 2
Impressionable Peach Granita
Serves 4

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
8 cups peeled soft peaches, bruises excised and puréed
½ tsp. vodka, tequila or rum
Garnish: fresh berries

Serving dish: wine glasses

Cook sugar and water, stirring together until sugar fully dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add peaches and mix well; simmer another 10 minutes. Mix in a half a teaspoon of vodka – enough alcohol to prevent the granita from becoming too hard.
Pour mixture onto cookie sheet in a thin layer, place in freezer and as it begins freezing - about 15-20 minutes later run a fork across the crystallizing mixture to rough it up. Return it to the freezer for another 15-20 minutes and repeat the process once or twice more until it resembles coarse Italian granita.

Spoon gently into storage container with tight-fitting lid and return to freezer until ready to serve. Before serving, allow granite to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly.

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Serving Suggestion: Scoop into wine glasses. Decorate with fresh berries.
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SOFT, BRUISED PEARS

The following two recipes are a great way to rescue the over-ripe pears on your counter and in your fruit drawer. Peel, cut and purée only the bruise-free pieces in a food processor. Try a tablespoon in your recipe; then see if you need more.

Level 1
Puréed Soft Pears blended into Gorgonzola
and White Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing

Level 1
Sliced Soft Pears blended into Hot Oatmeal or Farina

Level 2
Pinky Pear Sundae with Raspberry Sauce
Serves 4-6

2 10 oz. pkgs. frozen, sweetened raspberries
3 peeled, cored, and finely cubed past peak pears
Vanilla ice cream (1 scoop per serving)
Garnish: mint or oregano sprig, orange slice, or edible flower (optional)

Suggested dinnerware: wide martini or margarita glasses, or any elegant shallow saucers

Raspberry Sauce: See mk restaurant’s Raspberry Sauce

Allow frozen raspberries stand at room temperature for 15 minutes until they slip out of container easily. (To speed up the process, float the container in bowl of warm water.)

Put raspberries in a shallow, uncoated skillet or saucepan and cook on high. Bringing to a boil, lower heat to simmer. Continue cooking until reduced by approximately half. Pour mixture through a sieve, cheesecloth, or strainer to separate juice from seeds. Press remaining pulp with the back of a spoon to extract juice.

To complete the dessert:

Place finely cubed pears in a deep bowl, pouring hot, strained raspberry sauce over pears. Toss gently to coat and tint pears with raspberry sauce. Allow mixture cool to room temperature.
For a single serving, center one scoop of ice cream in serving glass or saucer.

Divide tinted pears evenly among serving dishes, pouring raspberry sauce around each ice cream scoop. Garnish with fruit slice, herb sprig, or flower. Serve immediately.

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Cooking Tip: If only unsweetened frozen raspberries are available (typically sold in bags), add 1/3 cup sugar and 1 cup water to sweeten. Stir raspberry mixture over high heat, and continue stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
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RASPBERRIES ON THE VERGE

Level 2
Raspberry Sauce
from Todd Stein of mk restaurant, Chicago

Todd likes to cook up a couple pints of raspberries-on-the-verge with a few tablespoons of granulated sugar and just enough water to cover. He uses a shallow, uncoated skillet or saucepan. Starting off on high heat until the mixture begins to boil, he lowers the heat to a gentle simmer, continuing to cook for about another 10-15 minutes.

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Cookware Tip: Why non-coated pans? Wine, vinegars and the acids in raspberries are caustic enough to erode coated pans. Not only will the pot have to go in the garbage, but your sauce will become tainted with the metallic coating.
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Todd’s preference is to add a few tablespoons of red wine and sometimes even red wine vinegar for a little extra tartness, depending on the mood he’s in! The mixture should be stirred until the sugar is dissolved. When fully cooled, Todd pours the liquid through cheesecloth placed over a bowl or through a fine strainer. After separating the juice from the berry pulp and seeds, he presses the remaining pulp with the back of a spoon, making sure to catch every delicious drop of juice.

For a thicker, more berry-licious sauce, Todd reduces the sauce a bit more by cooking at a gentle simmer. For a consistency designed for pouring over ice cream, he pulses the berries in a food processor until the texture is just right. For a finishing touch, mint makes a great edible garnish, but don’t limit your imagination. Lavender and even basil make wonderful aromatic garnishes.

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STRAWBERRIES ON THE VERGE

You know those so-called strawberries frozen into store-bought strawberry ice cream? Well, you’ll be completely delighted by how fruity, sweet and fresh expendable strawberries taste when mixed into premium vanilla ice cream. They may have lost some of their firmness and won’t stand up to chocolate dipping, but past peak strawberries are bursting with flavor. Try this treatment on for size.

Level 2
Strawberry Ice Cream Mix-In

Starting with premium quality vanilla ice cream, allow it to soften out of the freezer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place washed, past peak strawberries into a bowl, toss with a tablespoon or two of sugar, and mash with a fork.

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Prepping Tip: Did you know strawberries are on the “approved” list for sugar- or carbohydrate-restricted diets because of their low-carbohydrate content? If you’re planning on substituting Aspertane® or other artificial sweeteners for sugar anyway, make sure to cut the berries into small pieces for easier mashing. Artificial sweeteners never work as well as sugar does for “juicing” berries – a process which causes them to release their natural juices and soften up.
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By the time you’re through with mashing, the vanilla ice cream should slide out of the container and right into your mixing bowl. All you need to do now is mash the berries into the ice cream with a large metal spoon, return the mixture to its original container and allow it to firm up in the freezer for about 15 minutes. That’s it!

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Prepping Tip: To keep the ice cream from becoming too soft as you mix in all those juicy berries, pre-chill your mixing bowl and metal spoon. Adding ingredients to a bowl that’s been in the freezer for a while keeps the whole thing chillin’. Remember, you want firm ice cream with mixed in berries, not a smoothie.
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Level 1
Berry Brownie Cake Mix

A cupful of past peak strawberries with a tablespoon or two of sugar can be blended with any brownie cake mix. If it’s a chewier texture you crave, reduce the quantity of required liquid (like milk or water) by a third. Basically, read the package directions and follow the bouncing ball.

With the casualty rate of berries being what they are, everyone needs brilliant, last minute saves on pricey purchases. Not only do these delicious treats taste of freshly picked berries, they also remind you just how much berries really belong with chocolate and cream.

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WRINKLED TOMATOES

If a wrinkled tomato is healthy on the inside - bright red and firm – there’s not only great flavor there, but plenty of anti-oxidant Lypocen waiting in the pulp. Lypocen helps guard against macular degeneration, heart disease … and men, you’ll appreciate this, prostrate cancer. In fact, doctors say that cooking tomatoes in oil increases concentrations of Lycopen almost three-fold, along with nice percentages of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and potassium. Definitely too tasty a pill to squander.

Level 1
Tomato Pesto
from Generoso Bahena of Chilpancingo, Chicago

Generoso prefers mashing soft tomatoes into a pesto. After roasting the tomatoes in a 600 degree oven until almost charcoaled, the skins peel off the fruit easily. He discards the peels and keeping the roasted pulp, Generoso adds ground cloves, salt, marjoram, and thyme to taste. Next, he rolls the pulp mixture into little balls for freezing. When ready for condensed, ready-to-go tomato stock, all he needs to do is remove a few pesto balls from the freezer, re-mash them and add a few cups of chicken stock for an intensely flavored tomato bouillon. His tomato pesto also is a really slick way to jazz up canned beef consommé.

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Cooking Tip: The fastest way to chop up everything together and also gets the various flavors blended is to place all the ingredients in the bowl of a mini-chopper and pulse for a few seconds – something much harder to achieve by hand.
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Level 2
Chewy Tomato Roll Ups
from Michael Lachowitz of Le Francais, Chicago

Michael converts his wrinkly tomatoes into a veggie version of a fruit roll-up. Separating pulp from peels, he places the tomato into a marinade of thyme, garlic, olive oil, and sugar. He covers the container and refrigerating it overnight. The following day, he rubs any excess marinade off the peels and tosses them lightly with salt and olive oil. Arranging them on a cookie sheet, Michael puts them in a cold oven (that is, with the oven “off”) for a day or two. (If using an electric oven, a temperature setting on “warm” works just as well but probably will require less than 24 hours.)

The next day, those wrinkly tomatoes emerge from the oven dehydrated, and intensely flavored. Michael unrolls the peels, brushes them lightly with olive oil and rolls them up again for slicing. He cuts them width-wise to yield tight spirals. “They’re great for dropping into tomato-based sauces or stews,” says Michael. “They give a dish visual interest, but also when you bite into them – it’s wow, what’s this?”

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Level 1
Traditional Fresh Tomato Sauce
from Massimo Solotino of Francesca’s, Chicago

Massimo quarters over-ripe tomatoes, blanches them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then plops them into ice water until cool enough to peel. Next, he scoops out the bulk of the seeds, coarsely chops up the tomatoes, adding pieces of hand-torn fresh basil and chopped onion to the mixture. Everything is puréed in the food processor until “what you’ve got,” says Massimo, “is beautiful, homemade tomato sauce.” For dramatic effect, Massimo likes to pour or spoon a little pool of tomato sauce right under freshly cooked fish with some capers or cured black olives for garnish.

Another Massimo suggestion: drizzle a little of the sauce over warm goat cheese on a baguette that’s been brushed with olive oil and toasted.

Makes you think twice about retiring past peak tomatoes, doesn’t it?

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VEGETABLES

TIRED HERBS

Level 1
Herb-Infused Broth
from William Eudy of Shaw’s Crab House, Chicago

William likes making herb-infused broths for steaming fish. When end of the season garden parsley, tarragon, dill or thyme lose their springiness, flopping over in their garden containers, William steeps the herbs - stems and all - in a sauté pan filled with enough water to cover the fish he plans to cook, plus lemon juice to taste, and a cup of dry white wine. He lets the broth gently bubble and boil, until his kitchen is pure aromatherapy.

Next, William pan steams the fish in this herbal bath until the center flakes apart easily with a fork.

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Pan-steaming: Filling the bottom of the pan with the broth, bring to a boil. Put the lid on, switch off the heat and let the fish continue cooking (depending on the thickness, between 7-10 minutes). Pan-steaming chops your cooking time in half while preserving all the flavor, shape and texture of your fish, as well as many of its vitamin and minerals.
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If all you have energy for is a one-dish, one pot meal, poach fish in lightly boiling herbal water, until it flakes (time depends on thickness). Remove the fish from the heat to avoid that over-cooked, rubbery fish texture that screams “overcooked.” Add freshly cut up baby potatoes and a swirl of heavy cream. When the potatoes are done, return the fish to the pot, just long enough to be sure it’s heated through again. Serve in bowls, topped with garlic croutons or a side of crusty French bread, and you’ve got a quick, simple meal that’s heavenly, rustic but elegant.

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SLIPPERY MUSHROOMS

Level 1
Dried Mushrooms

The Overnight Remedy for slippery, past peak button or white mushrooms is to air-dry them on paper towels overnight. In the morning, twist the stems off and peel the caps. Discard the stems. With a single cut, slice the caps in two. Spread out on paper towels for a few days until thoroughly dried. This yields dried, porcini-like mushrooms with an aroma and texture to match. Take a whiff; they smell woodsier than fresh mushrooms because they’re denser without the moisture. These dried morsels can last up to 3 months in an airtight container, and no, they won’t kill anyone. If anything, they do step up production of your white blood cells for an immunity boost.

Level 1

The Thirty Minute Oven Bake is another treatment for slippery mushrooms. As before, peel the caps and place them on a cookie sheet for a sauna treatment in a 350-degree oven for approximately 30 minutes. Check periodically for doneness as all ovens differ.

When thoroughly dried, break mushrooms into pieces. They can be stored in an airtight container for later use.

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Cooking Tips: Stir into risotto when adding your first batch of liquid. Add to stews, roasts and soups. Cut into smaller pieces and mix into the stuffing for roast chicken or turkey.
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TIRED SALAD GREENS

Is your crisper overflowing with lettuce in need of a trimming? Be a hairdresser to your greens. Cut off the wilted or soggy leaves and trim rusty spines before anyone sees what’s bound for the bowl. Tired lettuce – a sad sight, can still be a base for a spicy green sauce with an Asian spin.

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Presentation Tip: For a sophisticated look, pour 3 or 4 tablespoons of this bright green sauce in the center of the plate, placing your entrée on top, such as curried chicken or lemon halibut.
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Level 2
Fatigued Romaine Dragon Sauce
Yields approximately 4 cups

1 15 oz. can coconut milk
1 bunch tired romaine or leaf lettuce (approximately 2 cups)
4 cups tired spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. butter
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp. minced ginger
1 sliced scallion

Open can of coconut milk, set in small bowl and put in the freezer for a half hour.
Clean lettuce and spinach, removing soggy or discolored leaves. Tear remaining leaves into small pieces by hand. In a saucepan, heat up butter. Sauté leaves with garlic, ginger and green onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Remove can from freezer, skimming 2 Tbsp. of thick cream off the top. Whisk cream into pan over low heat. (Remaining coconut cream can be stored in a sealed container for up to 2 months in the freezer.)

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Level 2
Fatigued Romaine Lemon-Dill Sauce
Yields approximately 4 cups

1 head tired iceberg lettuce
4 cups tired spinach leaves
4 Tbsp. chopped dill
2 Tbsp. butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove any dark green or water-logged leaves. Cut off spines and discard. Slice remaining greens into small pieces.
In a saucepan, heat butter; add scallions and sauté until translucent. Increase heat to medium high and add all greens. Stir gently until wilted.

Reduce heat. Add lemon juice to greens and stir for another 2 minutes. Cook greens until thoroughly soft.

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Cooking Tip: Adding the lemon juice helps prevent spinach or lettuce “strings” that can remain even after puréeing.
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Remove pan from heat and pour mixture into food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until satisfied with sauce texture. Adjust seasoning. For a more tart sauce, add extra lemon juice. For a less viscous sauce, a spoon or two of extra broth will thin it out.

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Level 2
Mediterranean Style Romaine Sauce
Yields approximately 1 cup

1 head tired romaine, sliced horizontally in 1-2” rounds
1 tbs. olive oil or bacon drippings
1-2 cloves, finely minced garlic
¼ cup crumbled feta or gorgonzola cheese
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice romaine horizontally to make 1-2” rounds, discarding ends and spines.
Heat olive oil or bacon drippings in a large shallow skillet. Sauté garlic until soft – about 3 minutes, on medium high. Add in romaine pieces and continue sautéing until wilted.

Sprinkle with lemon juice or zest and toss to coat.

Place on a platter and sprinkle with crumbled cheese, either feta or gorgonzola. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Serving Tip: Cooked greens make a nice “bed” upon which to lay a poached salmon fillet or sautéed chicken breast.
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BREADSTUFFS

DAYS OLD BREAD

When fresh bread gets too dry or chewy to serve up as a sandwich, there are some great options open to week-old bread.

If it’s of the Italian or French persuasion - that is, crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside, y our bread has great crouton potential, or breadcrumb potential.

Level 1
Garlic-Thyme Croutons

In a small microwave-proof bowl, beat together 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. ground thyme and 1 or 2 crushed cloves of garlic with a fork. Microwave at high for 30 seconds until garlic is cooked through.
Cut days old French or Italian bread in half lengthwise. Brush cut sides of bread with this garlic-herb-oil mixture, place on baking sheet and bake at 300°F until nicely browned. Allow to cool, then cut into cubes. Use instead of bacon bits in a vinaigrette dressing or to add a crunchy texture to cream soup.

Level 1
Basil Breadcrumbs
Yields approximately 2-3 cups

1 dried out French baguette or loaf Italian bread
1 tsp. finely crumbled dried herbs (such as basil or oregano)

Cut bread in half lengthwise. Toast entire length of bread on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes at 300°F until slightly brown and thoroughly dried. Break up into smaller chunks and process in a food processor (with blade attachment) until finely ground. In a bowl, pour in 1 cup bread crumbs, herbs and mix with a fork.
Use as breading for 2 baked chicken breasts or sprinkle on any tomato-based pasta with an equivalent amount of Parmesan cheese.

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Shelf Life Tip: Unused bread crumbs can be kept up to a month in a zippered plastic bag or airtight container, or up to 6 months in the freezer.
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DAYS OLD PITA

Level 1
Pita Triangles

Freshness in a pita is over-rated because the way to bring out the true nutty flavor of days-old pita is to get it warm and crusty in the oven. Cut the tortillas into wedges and bake them in the oven at 250 degrees on a cookie sheet until nice and crispy. If your Mexican inventory looks better than your Mediterranean one, try toasting several days old flour tortillas. They also make great scoopers for dip.

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