Baked Peaches with Pine Nuts

Simplicity is key to most Spanish cooking, and this light dessert is no exception. Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche.

ingredient list

Serves 8

• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 large peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted
• 4 Tbs. butter
• 3/4 cup pine nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together wine and sugar in small bowl. Place peaches cavity-side-up on foil-lined baking sheet; fill each cavity with wine mixture. Bake 1 hour, or until tender.

2. Just before serving, melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until pine nuts are golden brown.

3. To serve: Place 2 peach halves on each plate. Top with 1 1/2 Tbs. pine nuts.

Maple-Roasted Pear Salad

This tangy-sweet salad is a good excuse to explore the gourmet cheese section of your supermarket and try something like Zamorano, a cheese made from aged sheep’s milk in the Castile-León region of Spain.

ingredient list

Serves 8

• Salad
• 2 Tbs. maple syrup
• 1 Tbs. hazelnut, walnut, or olive oil
• 4 small firm Bosc pears, halved
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 8 cups baby arugula
• 3 oz. Parmesan, Pecorino, Zamorano, or other hard cheese
•  
• Beet Dressing
• 3 Tbs. hazelnut, walnut, or olive oil
• 2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced (2 Tbs.)
• 1 1/2 Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. whole-grain mustard
• 8 oz. cooked beets, finely diced (1 cup)

Directions

1. To make Salad: Preheat oven to 400°F, and line baking sheet with foil. Whisk together maple syrup and hazelnut oil in bowl. Brush oil mixture on pears, and place cut-side down on prepared baking sheet. Roast 22 minutes, or until pears are tender and cut sides caramelized. Set aside to cool.
2. Reduce oven heat to 350˚F. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet, and toast 7 minutes, or until browned. Transfer to kitchen towel, and rub off skins with towel. Cool, chop, and set aside.
3. To make Beet Dressing: Whisk together oil, vinegar, shallot, honey, and mustard in bowl. Stir in beets, and season with salt and pepper. Toss arugula with Beet Dressing in bowl. Divide among 8 plates, and top each with pear half. Shave cheese over each salad with vegetable peeler, and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Goat Cheese Spinach Flans with Warm Asparagus Salad

Using a steamer to cook vegetable flans keeps them soft and creamy.

ingredient list

Serves 4

• Flans
• 4 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 5 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 1/3 cup crumbled aged goat cheese
•  
• Salad
• 1 lb. asparagus
• 6 cups baby arugula
• 2 cups torn fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbs. garlic oil

Directions

1. To make Flans: Coat 4 4-oz. ramekins with cooking spray. Arrange 3 tomato slices in bottom of each ramekin.
2. Pulse spinach, peas, and eggs in food processor until smooth. Add milk, salt, and nutmeg; process until combined. Pour half of mixture into prepared ramekins. Sprinkle with goat cheese, then top with remaining egg mixture. Cover with squares of foil coated with cooking spray. Place in bottom basket of steamer.
3. To make Salad: Arrange asparagus in top basket of steamer, and cover. Fill large skillet with 2 inches water, and bring to a boil. Place steamer in skillet, and reduce heat to medium. Steam asparagus 6 minutes; cool until easy to handle. Cook Flans 6 minutes more, then remove from heat.
4. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Toss together arugula, basil, bell pepper, lemon juice, garlic oil, and asparagus. Unmold Flans onto plates and surround with Salad.