Peachy Keen

The white peaches at the farmer's market smelled like the best kind of shower gel. I wanted to get naked and roll around in them. Instead, since there was a crowd, I bought some to take home. What I do with my peaches is my business. OK, so what I did with them was make sorbet. Not quite as erotic as gettin' jiggy with 'em, but close...

White Peach-Basil Sorbet

(Makes about 3 cups)

4 white peaches, pitted, sliced and frozen (to keep them from sticking together while freezing lay them out on a cookie sheet.)

Simple syrup infused with basil*

Juice of 1 lime

Combine all in the container of the Vita-Mix. Start on Variable #1, increase to #10. Use tamper if needed to combine ingredients. Run until the motor sounds changes, about 1 minute.

*To make the simple syrup: Combine 12 ounces water with 1/4 cup sugar or sweetner of your choice. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped basil. Cool completely then strain basil out of the syrup. Chill the syrup before using for the sorbet.

Pesto Change-o!

Nothing new about pesto. But it became a classic because it's so darn good. Garlic, basil and cheese? What's not to like? I paired it with the tubular pasta because the shape makes me think of grade school craft projects where we painted them and made necklaces our mom's were obliged to wear. I'm sure other, less fun pastas would also work, but why not use one that makes you smile.

Ageless Pesto

Makes about 4 cups (admittedly way too much). Freeze leftover pesto in ice cube trays for easy use in the future.

11 ounces Parmesan cheese

1 cup raw almonds

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

2 large cloves garlic

1 1/2 - 2 cups olive oil, depending on how thin you want your pesto

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I don't usually advise dealing with ingredients independently before throwing into Thor. But in this case you will be processing quite a few hard foods and it is best to do them separately before combining.

Chop the Parmesan cheese into chunks. Put in container of Vita-Mix. Variable on #1, increase to #10. Grind until uniform and the size of smallish pebbles.

Empty cheese into a bowl.

Place the almonds in the container. Variable on #1, increase to #10. Stop when still fairly coarse. You do not want almond flour.

Return the cheese to the container and add the other ingredients. Variable #1, to #5. Pulse if necessary to dislodge the mixture from the sides. Use tamper to blend thoroughly. The final mixture will be thick and fairly solid. If you prefer a smoother pesto, just add more olive oil.

Green Around the Gills

In my attempt to make a ranch dressing I ended up with a completely different animal. Once I shifted my expectations I quite liked it. This is a very fresh tasting sauce that keeps its color and vibrant flavor because it is not cooked. I drizzled it over smoked salmon, summer ripe tomatoes, boiled new potatoes and some handfuls of baby spinach. You can mix in leftover sauce into sour cream for a crudite dip.

Buttermilk Herb Sauce

Makes about 3 cups

1/2 cup buttermilk

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons grainy mustard

1/2 cup light flavored olive oil

1 large clove garlic

2-3 tablespoons onion marmalade (may substitute well sauteed onions)

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in the container of the Vita-Mix. Start on variable #1, increase speed to 10 and run for 1 minute.

Serve with poached or grilled fish. This is also good with chilled blanched vegetables.