Margaritaville...........Not!

As you can see from my pics on South Mountain last week, the green season in the Valley of the Sun is over except for a few feeble brushes of color from the ocotillo and saguaro cacti. My outdoor adventures are going to have to move north shortly as we are now facing triple digit temps this week.

So.........a cool dessert to help fight off the heat. Strawberry Margarita Shortcake. No, it doesn't have any tequila in it for two reasons. One, I don't drink anymore and two, just the smell of tequila makes me heave due to an unfortunate incident involving a margarita, a fried calamari sandwich and a drive up Waimea Canyon with a driver who had no freakin' clue how to drive curves. But, that's another story.

Here's the recipe............

Strawberry Margarita Shortcake


Shortcake
2 cups of flour
1 T. baking powder
¼ cup of sugar
½ t. salt
½ t. baking soda
½ cup of buttermilk
½ cup of cream
6 T. of cold butter
Zest of 1 orange


Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and soda in a mixing bowl. Cut in ½ of the butter with a pastry blender and then using your hands rub the butter into the flour mixture until it’s the texture of fine meal. Add the remaining butter and cut in with the pastry blender but leave it in larger pea size pieces. Toss in the orange zest and add the liquid. Blend just until everything is moist. You want the dough to be of a consistency that will drop from a spoon onto the baking sheet, so depending on the humidity you might have to add a little more cream. Drop onto a buttered baking sheet and sprinkle the top of the shortcakes with turbinado sugar. Bake for 8-12 minutes until golden brown on top and bottom.


Strawberry Topping

2 pints of strawberries sliced
Juice of one lime
Sugar to taste
Pinch of salt

Mix the sliced strawberries with the lime juice, sugar and salt and let macerate for at least 30 minutes.

Slice the shortcake in half and spoon the strawberries on the bottom half. Top with crème fraiche sweetened with some sugar.

Welcome to Furnace.....I mean Phoenix.

We are rapidly approaching that dreaded time of the year in the Valley of the Sun........that's right - Summer! When temperatures are in triple digits and eventually the temperature of your pool is closer to bathwater than a swimming pool.

I am frantically trying to cram in as much time outdoors before it becomes unbearable and I spend my days dreaming of the cabin at Bear Lake where my Dad spends the summer.

I left Saturday morning for South Mountain and caught this photo as the sun was coming up. I took my Dobie Roxi with me and we hiked for about 2 hours before heading home to get ready for a Cinco De Mayo dinner with friends.

This is the aftermath of our hike......we needed a little R & R before we started cleaning and cooking.

I didn't want to do traditional Mexican fare but I did stick to homemade salsas with chips to start. I then did an iceberg and avocado salad with cilantro vinaigrette, the main course was Picadillo Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Pecan Crema Sauce, Black Beans with Queso Fresco, and a sweet corn bread. Dessert was Strawberry Margarita Shortcake. I will be posting all these recipes over the next couple of weeks but for now here are my recipes for Salsa Roja and Salsa Verde........

Salsa Verde

16 tomatillos
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
3 jalapeños
Olive oil
1 bunch cilantro
4 limes
Honey
Kosher salt

Take the husks off the tomatillos and rinse with warm water to remove the sticky sap. Dry and cut in half. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a disposable 9x13 pan. Toss the tomatillos, onions and garlic with the olive oil and season with some salt and pepper. Put the tray on the grill and the jalapeños next to it. Close the lid and roast the vegetables, turning the jalapeños after 5 minutes. When the peppers are black and blistered on all sides remove them and seal them in a plastic bag and set aside. Stir the vegetables after 10 minutes and roast for a total of 20 minutes. Remove from the grill and cool to room temperature.
Working in batches, blend the roasted vegetable in your food processor and then place in a large bowl. Peel 2 jalapeños and remove the seeds. Place in the food processor with the leaves of the cilantro, the honey and the juice from the limes. Process and mix with the other vegetables. Adjust the seasoning of the salsa with the salt and honey as needed. Adjust the hotness of the salsa by adding the other jalapeño if desired.

Salsa Roja

1 15oz can dices tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
½ medium onion
1 jalapeño chili – remove seeds to decrease heat
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup rough chopped cilantro

Put all ingredients in food processor. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sugar as needed.