Fourth of July Recipes
Mid-summer Farmer’s Market foods for Northern Utah: cherries (both sweet and tart), green beans, apricots (toward the end of July), berries, lettuces and chard, beets, mint, garlic, fennel, end of the new potatoes, herbs, small tender beets, last of the sugar snap peas, radishes, and rhubarb.
Red, White, and Blueberry Watermelon Salad
5 cups cubed grilled watermelon
3 cups washed and drained blueberries
2 cups fresh mozzarella balls
1/8 cup of fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lime
Balsamic reduction/glaze
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Grill large thick slices of watermelon at high heat. Approximately 30-45 seconds on each side. Chill briefly and cube. In a large bowl add the watermelon, blueberries, and mozzarella balls. Loosely chop the basil and spread over salad. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squeeze lime over the salad
To make the Balsamic reduction/glaze:
Place balsamic vinegar into small saucepan onto low heat, add sugar to mixture and stir constantly until mixture starts to thicken
Remove from the heat and add the salt and pepper stir to incorporate. Let Cool. Drizzle over salad.
Refrigerate untill ready to serve.
*Note: Many stores carry balsamic glaze already prepared…
Best Baked Beans
4-5 slices bacon, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 small can diced green chilies
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
¼ to ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cans great northern beans drained and rinsed
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 (22 ounce) can of your favorite baked beans
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 cup brown soda--Dr. Pepper, root beer or cola all work
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons ketchup
Additional 2 slices bacon, browned and crumbled for topping
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Heat a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (We prefer the Dutch oven.) Add in the diced bacon and cook until rendered, but still soft. Drain off most of the bacon grease, but keep in about tablespoon. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the pan and continue cooking until the bacon is crisp and the vegetables are soft.
Add the beans, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, soda, vinegar, molasses, mustard, tomato paste, etc. Stir to combine.
Place the pan or Dutch oven in the oven and bake uncovered for 1 hour. The sauce will thicken and reduce during the cooking process.
NOTE: If you have a smoker…use it for these baked beans…It takes approximately 3 hours to smoke baked beans with your smoker running steady at 250-275°F. They are great this way…just be careful if using mesquite pellets or wood chips…it may be too strong of a mesquite smoke flavor…we prefer a combination of cherry wood with hickory.
Apricot Banana Sorbet
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Dash salt
1 small ripe banana, mashed
3 tablespoons fresh lemon zest about 3 lemons
½ cup fresh lemon juice 2-3 lemons
2 pounds apricots washed and pitted
Mint leaves-washed
In a medium saucepan whisk together water and sugar, apricots, and bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest, and allow to cool completely. Add lemon juice, and chill for at least two hours or until well chilled. (Can also prepare a day ahead of time, and keep refrigerated.)
In a blender, combine apricots/lemon, add the banana, and blend until smooth. Immediately pour into ice cream maker, and freeze according to directions. When finished, transfer to airtight freezer container, and freeze several hours. Serve topped with chopped mint leaves.
