July 4th Dessert: Peach Pie Recipe (Lattice-Top Pie)

We have been blessed with an abundance of insanely juicy and delicious doughnut peaches this year, and best of all, we got to them before the squirrels did! Like the more traditional apples, peaches  also symbolise America, summer and the 4^th of July and I thought it would be fun to use them in a dessert. As an added bonus, doughnut peaches represent our family really well, as they are also Asian "immigrants" to the land of the free.

I prepared a traditional peach pie, but for a twist, I added a touch of ginger. I also decided to top the pie with a lattice pastry dough. I watched Disney movies over and over again during my childhood and I always dreamed of making a pie as beautiful as the one Snow White made.

What's better with warm pie than ice cream? Since I made a fairly traditional pie, I paired it with a surprisingly rich goat milk ice cream. The sweetness from the peach pie filling and the light tartness of the goat milk are wonderful foils. Stay tuned for the goat milk ice cream recipe!

Black Bean Burger (Homemade Veggie Burger Recipe)

Have you started preparing your 4th of July menu? I always plan ahead, because along with ribs, burgers and hot dogs, I have come up with a vegetarian option as well. As always, there's going to be a platter of grilled vegetables, corn on the cob and fire-roasted sweet potatoes but I still wanted to make a "main course" worthy vegetarian dish that's substantial and filling.

After polling the herbivores in my house, I settled on black bean burgers. They're just seasoned, mashed black beans bound together with lecithin and xanthan gum. You could always use an egg instead if there are no dietary restrictions or allergies to contend with. A couple of minutes on the grill and they're good to go. You could also opt for other legumes such as pinto beans, chickpeas, kidney beans or fava beans.

I'll probably grill the veggie burgers first, then cook the regular meat burgers and let each guest assemble their sandwich with tomato slices, greens and onions. What could be better on Independence Day than a little freedom?

Mango Stilton Cheese Muffins

Making savory muffins is one of the easiest fancy, light accompaniments you could prepare. The batter can even be prepared in advance. This time around, I flavored the muffins with mild stilton cheese, dried mango and fresh ginger.

I prepared a full platter of mini muffins and served them with a salad of mixed greens and another platter of rolled smoked salmon (cold sliced meat would work fine as well), crème fraîche and slices of lemons. The weather is getting warmer, so a light lunch along with sweet treats and fresh cold drinks was really satisfying.

How To Make Pad Thai (Vegetarian Pad Thai Recipe)

We made an enormous pot of phở over the weekend and called everyone who likes this Vietnamese beef soup. I think my eyes were a little bigger than my stomach because I soaked 6 packages of dried rice noodles (bánh phở) and ended up with a ton of leftovers. Even though all the beef broth was gone, I managed not to waste the soaked rice noodles by making Pad Thai noodles. The dish is composed of rice noodles, tofu, limes, fragrant kaffir lime leaves, tamarind, palm sugar, peanuts and cilantro. 

For a meat version, you could add skinless chicken breasts, whole shelled and de-veined shrimp and shredded thin omelette along with the tofu and then finish the dish with fish sauce.

Kumquat Olive Relish Recipe

Mustard and ketchup don't have to be the only condiments on your table. You can make your own that are, dare I say, unique and more flavorful. For example, whenever I serve grilled chicken breasts, tuna or even grilled tofu, I like to enhance the usual bland dish with a flavorful relish. I recently served the relish with Gouda cheese  and crackers. The two pair wonderfully. 

I recently used kumquat marmalade from last winter and mixed it with large, meaty and slightly sweet olives. In addition to imparting a citrus flavor, this olive relish also adds a pleasant texture to the food. Best of all, it can be prepared way in advance.