Sweet Corn Muffins

Here in Manhattan, the Union Square Greenmarket has blessed its customers this summer with the sweetest, most tender corn imaginable.

Fresh corn is always plentiful and delicious in the summer months.  A perfect ear of corn instantly takes me back to the summer dinners I enjoyed with my family.

The kernels are so incredibly juicy and sweet.  Corn has been at the base of many of my summer salads this season - quickly grilled or lightly sauteed with an equally delicious tomato.

But this year's crop has been the most succulent I can recall.  In fact, Mike has taken to eating the kernels straight from a freshly husked ear of corn.

"This...corn...is...amazing!" he exclaims, barley audible between each mouthful.

Watermelon-Lime Vodka Granite

During the summer months, I rarely desire a heavy dessert at the end of any meal.  Instead, a perfectly ripe piece of fruit or a refreshing sorbet seem to be just perfect.

So I guess it goes without saying that I also do not desire to spend a large amount of time in my kitchen creating a dessert during these months.

My kitchen is the size of most walk-in closets and does not benefit from air conditioning.  So creating intricate, delicate or otherwise fussy desserts in the summmer is not exactly an option.

Enter granite - a quick, simple and fuss-free process yields an icy, refreshing end to any meal.

Using watermelon juice, with a touch of lime juice and a splash of vodka, I was able to create a perfectly summer flavor combination, in less than 5 minutes preparation time.

Lemon Verbena Water Ice

The summer days are dwindling away, although the hot, humid summer air seems to be holding on for dear life.

At night, when the setting of the sun offers a few hours of relief from the heat, a lightly sweetened, fragrant dessert offers the perfect conclusion of the day.

A simple water ice always reminds me of my younger summer days, which I enjoyed between catching lightening bugs with my little sister.

Since neighborhood ice cream trucks, as well as lightening bugs, are noticeably absent here in Manhattan, the creation of such water ices are left completely in my hands.

Lemon verbena, an herb whose leaves are scented with the fresh, clean scent of lemon, is a welcome addition to flavor the syrup before it is frozen.

Homemade Cracker Jacks

Last night, Mike and I met for a date.  A date on which we would remain enemies until the very end of the night.  A date on which we exchanged glares instead of loving glances, snappy comments instead of loving words.

But that is to be expected between a couple comprised of a die-hard Yankees fan and die-hard Red Sox fan.

The problem of the evening, however, is that the game was in New York, not in my beloved, cozy Fenway Park.  As you might suspect, Yankees fans are not big on Red Sox fans crashing their stadium.

Not even tall, blonde females.

Chocolate Mousse

During the hazy days of summer, when my motivation is somewhat crippled between long, hot shifts in the kitchen and the unyielding heat, I tend towards creating very simplistic desserts in my own kitchen.

This is not a foreign feeling to me, the desire for my desserts to be quick, but incredibly tasty.  After moving to Manhattan, I lived in an apartment for over a year with absolutely no oven.  As much as I detested that period, looking back, it forced me to try tons of recipes that did not require the usage of any oven: candies, custards and frozen treats.

This recipe for chocolate mousse is one of my favorite discoveries of that period.  Since my first creation of this mousse, I have tweaked the recipe, ever so slightly, to include the usage of Maker's Mark, my favorite bourbon.  With just the slightest undertones of vanilla, the bourbon provides an incredible lushness to this dessert.

Serve with freshly whipped, slightly sweetened cream and let the swooning begin.