Lobster, pea, and pea leaf salad

It's hot. Stinky-sweaty kid hot, thank God I run at 5:30 a.m. hot. Maybe not Texas in summer hot, but I'm a bona fide Jersey girl who has had enough of this humidity. And who wants to cook when it's like this (OK, me), let alone eat a big heavy meal.

And so for the first time in all our years of marriage and dating, I served my better half a salad for dinner. I kept it a secret til just before serving (fear of mutiny perhaps). And guess what? He loved it. Even went so far as to say it's better than my lobster BLTs. Whaaaa????

My inspiration? My CSA of course. They gave me fresh peas and beautiful lettuce. So I wanted a dish that highlighted the peas. The lobster is lightly dressed and piled on top of a bed of pea leaves and Romaine. Add red onion, bacon, peas and tomatoes and dinner is done. I find pea leaves at my Asian market. But you could swap another tender green lettuce. And if you cannot get fresh peas, just thaw some frozen ones. Easy-peasy.

Lobster, pea, and pea leaf salad

This light lobster and pea salad is perfect for a light supper on a hot summer night.

Ingredients

Dressing

• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tbp. coarse Dijon mustard

Dressing

• Meat from 2 cooked lobsters, each about 1 1/4 pounds
• 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup grape of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tbsp. chopped red onion
• 2 cups pea leaves
• 6 medium Romaine leaves
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Cooking Directions

1. Whisk the dressing ingresients in a small bowl and set aside.
2. If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Toss the pea leaves and Romaine with a little lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange on 2 plates.
4. Toss the lobster meat with a little of the dressing to coat. Add more as needed, but don't overdress!
5. Pile the lobster in the center of the plate then sprinkle the peas, bacon, onion and tomatoes over the top.

Peach and blueberry crostata

What ever happened to the lazy days of summer? This summer feels like it is flying. Fourth of July weekend has come and gone, and it was a good one. On Friday, we surprised our girls with a trip to Sesame Place. My 3-year old's reaction to the news was thanks enough. Saturday found us in NYC, strolling across the Brooklyn Bridge (if one can actually stroll with a 3- and 5-year old in tow...). Sunday, we hung out at home and had friends over for lobsters. Perhaps the most memorable part was two of my mommy friends racing each other through the grass behind my house - their speed was pretty impressive I must say. As the race ended, one tackled the other. I simply love when adults act like kids...

...And so the summer continues.

This rustic peach and blueberry crostata is easy enough to make and uses some of summer's best fruit. There's lemon zest in the dough which makes the flavor even brighter. We actually ate it for breakfast a few days with a dollop of Greek yogurt. It's also amazing with vanilla ice cream. (Blueberries courtesy of my Dreyer Farms CSA share of course...)

Peach and blueberry crostata
Adapted from Eat This Book by Tyler Florence

Make sure to use enough flour so this slides onto the pizza stone or opt for the other method to save the trouble...

Yield: 1 10-inch crostata, 8 servings

Ingredients

Pastry

• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Zest of one lemon, grated with a microplane
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and cold
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 Tbsp. ice water, plus more if needed

Filling

• 5 medium ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. flour

Glaze

• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. of water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. To make the pastry: combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and pour in the ice water; work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. To make the filling: combine the peaches, blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Toss the mixture gently to coat the fruit.
3. Place a pizza stone in a conventional oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the shelf under the pizza stone to catch any drips. If you don't have a pizza stone, simply assemble the crostata on a rimmed baking sheet and bake it on that.
4. Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out into a 14-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a well-floured pizza paddle. (Or your baking sheet.) Spoon the fruit mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around; brush the border with the egg wash. Lift the edge of crust over the filling, leaving the fruit exposed in center. Gently fold and pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake the crostata on the preheated pizza stone for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbly and tender. You can use a pizza paddle to remove it or just leave it on the stone as I did. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Also amazing for breakfast with a dollop of Greek yogurt.