Summer Stone Fruit and Peach Sorbet

I was going to write about bread and how to make a sourdough starter this week. Then my bread was a miserable failure. What should have been a fluffy loaf turned emerged from the oven a heavy brick of crusty dough. Gross. I am pretty sure that my failed loaf could be directly attributed to weak yeast. Through shear laziness, I had neglected to feed my started for a few weeks, and when I removed it from the fridge it smelled like it was near death. I was ready to dump the inedible loaf in the garbage, but A wanted to suffer through a few slices. I am completely unwilling to waste calories on sub-par baked goods.

It was really hot this weekend. Normally I love baking bread, but the hot humid weather made my kitchen a nightmare. Seriously, it is not pleasant to work in a small room that contains a box pre-heated to 500 degrees. My failed loaf was just salt on the wound of an unpleasant cooking experience. The only answer to my  harmed ego (I consider myself to be a skilled amateur bread-baker) and the heat in my kitchen was peach sorbet. Yes, I know, this makes two frozen dessert postings in a row. Hopefully I can diversify some in the coming weeks.

Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits. It is sort of disgusting, but I can eat up to four in a sitting if I have them on hand. Imagine my excitement upon finding ripe peaches for less than $2 a pound at my grocery store. Stone fruit season had started. I bought almost four pounds - enough to make a batch of sorbet and have something leftover for snacking later. 

So you know how last week I said that ice cream was easy? Well... sorbet is even easier. All you need is your favorite fruit, fresh and ripe, and some simple syrup. Sorbet is a staple in our household during the summer, as everything from berries to melon is cheap and plentiful. It is also refreshing in the heat and healthy, other than the added sugar. I suppose that you could omit the sugar if you are on a low carb diet, but it really does enhance the natural flavors of the fruit base. Freezing fruit dulls its flavor - the sugar in the simple syrup helps counteract this effect. 

Recipe after the jump!

Goats cheese and peaches? Who knew?

Constant travel makes it difficult to find time both to bake and to keep a blog updated. It makes it doubly difficult to keep a blog about baking updated!

This past weekend my husband and I took a trip to Healdsburg, California, in the Russian River Valley for the wedding of close friends. If you have not been to the Russian River Valley before, I highly recommend planning a trip. We have travelled to a number of wine regions across the globe, from Napa to Franschoek, and felt that our experience in the Russian River Valley surpassed all. In addition to the delicious food and outstanding wine you expect from such a place, this region also boasts close proximity to the beach, as well as a number of outdoor activities from hiking in the Redwoods to bicycling around the country-side. We also found the wineries and eateries much more laid back than Napa and thought that the wine was better (as evidenced by the fact that we left with a case and a half!) Though hotter than the Bay Area, the fresh air and bright sunlight combined with ample shade from both trees and cafe umbrellas produce a relaxing atmosphere - the perfect antidote to city fatigue.

I think the highlight of the weekend (aside from watching close friends say their vows) was picnicking in the town square. On our way back from the beach, we kept stopping at farm stands on the side of the road, lured in by promises of fresh stone fruit and heirloom tomatoes. Tamara the Tomato Lady sold us 2lbs of tomatoes at 99cents a pound! What a bargain! We also purchased beautiful, ripe peaches and cherries from a man who swore that Raymond Burr's vineyard was the place to go in the area.

Once back in Healdsburg, we stopped by the grocery store to pick up fresh cheese, a baguette, some olive oil, hummus and dry sausage, and then took our goodies over to the fountain in the main square for a veritable feast. Sweaty from hiking with tomato juice dripping down our chins, it was one of the best meals I have had in a long time.

Though no baking was done, I did stumble across one of the most amazing flavor combinations I have ever tasted. Perhaps this has been out there for awhile, but have you ever tasted farm fresh peaches smothered in soft goats cheese? I feel like it should be incorporated into a tart in the near future!