There are few greater pleasures to be had on a late-summer evening in Colorado than grilled vegetables and peach pie. Get yourself to the farmers market.
Grilled Vegetable Salad
From “Colorado Classique: A Collection of Fresh Recipes from the Rockies.” Serves 6.
Ingredients
3/4 cup olive oil, plus extra
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 large red onion, cut into rounds
10 baby beets, stems trimmed, peeled and halved lengthwise
3-4 small zucchini, each cut lengthwise into 4 slices
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 2-inch wide bite-size strips
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 2-inch-wide strips
Salt and pepper to taste
1 French baguette, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick slices
10-12 cups mixed baby greens
5 large tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh marjoram
1 cup mild goat cheese, crumbled
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
3/4 cup kalamata olives
Directions
Preheat grill to medium-high. Whisk olive oil and vinegar in a medium bowl to blend. Place onions, beets, zucchini, eggplant and peppers on a baking sheet. Brush both sides with some of the vinaigrette and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until just cooked through; 10 minutes per side for beets, 6 minutes per side for onions, and 4 minutes per side for zucchini, eggplant and peppers.
Brush baguette slices with extra olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Grill bread 2 minutes on each side, until beginning to brown. Arrange greens on large platter. Overlap tomatoes atop greens. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables atop greens.
Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over tomatoes and grilled vegetables. Sprinkle tomatoes and vegetables with basil, chives and marjoram. Sprinkle tomatoes with goat cheese and sprinkle Romano over all. Garnish with olives. Serve with grilled bread.
Peach Pie
This method of thickening the filling was a happy accident after the baker ran out of time and had to put the peaches in the fridge. Microwaving the cornstarch-liquid works whether or not it sits overnight. From Kristen Browning-Blas, makes 1 9-inch pie.
Ingredients
8-9 medium peaches
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 crusts for 9-inch pie
2 tablespoons butter
Cinnamon-sugar
Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place peaches in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove, rinse with cold water and allow to cool. The skins should slip off easily. Cut peaches into 1/2-inch slices (hold them over a large bowl to catch the juice as you peel and cut them). Place all the slices in the bowl and toss with cornstarch, lemon juice, sugar and spices. Allow to sit about a half-hour, or covered in the fridge overnight.
Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest oven rack. Preheat to 450 degrees.
Place bottom crust in pie plate. Stir peaches and lift slices out of liquid. Fill plate and mound up peaches a little in the middle.
Stir remaining liquid (you will have 1/4- to 1/2-cup), and microwave on high 1 minute, or until thick. Spoon thickened liquid over peaches, dot with butter. Cover with top crust (lattice or full crust) and sprinkle with a little cinnamon-sugar.
Place pie on heated baking sheet and lower oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until top is golden, about 25 minutes. (If it’s getting too brown, cover lightly with foil.) Rotate sheet, reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake until juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes.
