Mangoes That Other Summer fruit

The warm weather brings about large bounties of peaches, watermelons and strawberries.Yet there's another summer fruit that's both versatile in savory and sweet dishes. It's the mango, that ripe orange fruit with the creamy flesh. It's just the perfect fruit for now.

Regular contributor Yewande Komolafe wrote about them in yesterday's New York Wednesday Food section.However unlike other fruits where mangoes are grown influence the flavor and sweetness. There's no homogeneity unlike with berries and stone fruits. Some are sweeter than other while other have a fibrous flesh. The best ones should be so juicy that the juices run down the chin.Ms. Komolafe grew up in the Nigerian capital of Lagos. There mango trees graced the roads with the air being filled with eh evergreen like scent of the branches and the sweet aroma of the fruit.Nigerians eat the  whole fruit, skin and all, In New York it's a bit different. Slice off a bit of each cheek and eat towards the middle.It took Ms Komolafe a while before she took her first bite of a city sold fruit.Shopping for mangoes is like shopping for any other fruit.Focus on feel and color rather than aroma. There should be some give to the flesh like an avocado. Do the sniff test. A ripe mango will have a sweet fruity aroma. Go for these.

Ms. Komolafe gives a plethora of different recipes. There is a salad featuring the other stars of the season - tomatoes. They should be the Heirloom variety for  the ultimate sweetness. Shallots are also added a long with butter lettuce or romaine hearts.Use two ripe sliced mangoes, peeled pitted and cut in half inch slices. The vinaigrette is a simple one.,perfect for summer.It's a neutral oil like grapeseed mixed with apple cider vinegar ,honey and Dijon mustard. For a great side with spicy grilled chicken there is a mango pepper relish.The sweet fruit is pickled with fiery Scotch Bonnets pr birds eye peppers along with green peppers and onions Lime juice gives it zing while rice wine vinegar adds the pickling aspect.Sugar is also added to gel everything together. Use three slightly firm but ripe mangoes for this.Yes there is a lush mango dessert.This is mango shortcakes with a lime coconut cream.The shortcakes  have shredded coconut for added sweetness. The filling is three cubed and peeled just ripe mangoes mixed with lime juice. Salt and epper temper the sweetness. It;s layered with a homemade whipped cream fora truly summery decadence.

Mangoes  are a summer star .Use them in both savory and sweet recipes.They're delicious and sweet , perfect on their own or with other flavors.

A Meal And An Egg Cream

 Phil rosenhal is best known for being one fo the creators of the great comedy "Everybody Loves Raymond." Yet he's also a  foodie, loving every high and low end place. he now has another season of his popular season and a diner all set to open.Then there's the egg creams. Every episode ends with a delicious glass of foam and chocolate.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin contributed the article about him in today's New York Times Food Wednesday section.For Ray ROmano fans, Mr.rosenthal's name is well known.He produced and wrote the show's episodes while his wife Monica Horan played Amy, Ray's sister-in-law on the show.Yet he also had a soft spot for food - all kinds.It's surprising ,considering his background. His parents, both escapees from Nazi Germany (his mother and grandmother spent time in a French concentration camp) stuck to basically bland food. He didn't;t taste garlic until he was an undergrad at nearby. Hoftsra University His father  only care for one dish - scrambled eggs. In fact his question about them -"Are they fluffy?" is on his tombstone. When Mr Rosenthal was an aspiring actor he saved up for months to eat at such gourmet Meccas like the famous La Lutece and The Quilted Giraffe.He then could afford to eat anywhere after he moved to Los Angeles and garnered success with Raymond.

After his TV show ended, he became wrapped up in  food reporting. He hired the late  Anthony Bourdain's production company Zero Point Zero for his own show "Somebody Feed Phil."It first aired on PBS and then moved to Netflix. He had originally pitched another comedy but that didn't take off so he turned his attention to food. He traveled around more and spent more time with food experts., chef Nancy Silverton who now also cooks for his diner Max and Helen's .named for his parents. There was also the late Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold. He adopted  Mr. Gold's philosophy of showing what other people eat , clsoign teh gaps between ethnic groups. Mr. Rosenthal even has cookbooks and a new one "Phil'd favorites  is coming out in November. Being from the New York area every episode ends with an egg cream. This is a sip of heaven for egg cream lovers. His recipe calls for the classic city soda shop syrup Fox's U-UBet and milk mixed with a plain seltzer (although it';s sheer perfection blended with a cherry flavored seltzer).Use three tablespoons of syrup to one half cup of milk and add seltzer to taste. Cut down on the milk for a truly foamy, fizzy drink.

Does the world need another foodie exploring restaurants and countries> Yes, if the foodie in question is Phil ROsenthal. He brings sweetness and dedication along with a love of food and people to a great show.

A Decadent Classic Veganized

One of the most decadent yet homey sandwiches is the grilled cheese .Its's brings back memories of a buttery fried crust and the decadence of cheese  - a good cheese or Gruyere to bring out the flavor. Yet it can be too ric. There is a healthier yet still decadent version - the vegan one.

I've been dying for a grilled cheese for a while. I finally have all the ingredients - the vegan ones. it starts with a good plant based butter to fry the sandwich.

I like using I Can't Believe Its; Not Butter but for a more authentic flavor try Melt. It was just two big tablespoons .

THe bread is a whole wheat panini type from Acme.They have a good selection of freshly baked all natural breads.The cheese - which is all important is Violife mature Cheddar . it's not sharp but actually does have an aged flavor. A thick slick of Hellman's vegan mayo on the cheese adds a richer flavor .

It was just a quick fry for five minutes on each side. The cheese does melt - and actually sticks to the frying pan. The cheese was melty and creamy, I know grilled cheese should be made with uniform slices of white bread, yet a seeded whole wheat gives the sandwich a nutty layer of flavor.

This was a relatively healthier version.It's still good with its' homey yet decadent gooeyness.It hits the spot without being too bad for you.

On Rotation

 it's summer and all home chefs want simple dishes they can count on for ease and flavor. These are made often and are called rotation dishes.Sometimes they're made tow to three times a week . Sometimes they're made more often. what toes them all together? They deliver.

I find that with any vegan chicken dish and salad kits. Together they create a tasty meal that I can whip up in seconds. Tonight it was Daring Plant Chicken, Lemon and Herb falvor

This is an easy saute in olive oil. The seasoning is already there (and I can add extra lemon juice to really tang it up)> The pieces fry up crispy and chewy like regular

chicken. Ten minutes and they nicely brown with crispy , crunchy edges. The lemon and herb is perfect _although I think the next time I'll try the teriyaki with instant rice or Cajun style with a a jollof.

I love a good chicken and salad dinner and I  have been making Fresh express salads for the last few days, Tonight was the Twisted Casesar

These salad kits are must buys during the summer. They have everything from croutons to shredded cheese and other add in like sesame seeds along with dressings. ( I add extra oil and white wine vinegar to thin out the dressing.You can add tomatoes or broccoli florets too. If it;s your main meal, then leftover steak or shredded rotisserie chicken will stretch it.

Skillet plant based chicken and a salad kit is an easy summer night dinner. This is what should be on your rotation. They're easy to make and easy to eat.

An Easy Cannellini Bean Dish

 It's summer and that means two things - easy cooking and easy eating. A hearty bean dip is one of these. Yet this has an Italian spin to it and is a lighter one in way . Cannellini beans, olive oil  basil, and oregano. make it a different kind of dip or hummus. 

This cannellini dip came in my email .It looked like the perfect dosh for a different Fourth of July.

It just too two regular cans of cannellini beans (everything was bought during a Lidl shopping trip) .

I used a good three tablespoons of olive oil to create a smoothness. 

it was then adding dashes of oregano and garlic powder along with salt and freshly ground pepper. These can be adjusted to taste. I like a garlicky .slightly peppery flavor so I add more garlic powder and pepper./Basil can be added as well for a fresh ,green taste too but go easy with it.

I used my trusty immersion blender but I used it sparingly. Too much blending and it becomes soupy. Too little and you still have bean chunks. It should look like a slightly knobby paste. The dark green is the  fresh basil I added.

What went with this? I bought a fresh loaf (It was steaming hot in the store!!!) of Lidly' rosemary walnut bread. 

This was a great supper for the Fourth. A big hunk of delicious bread drizzled with olive oil and then dipped 

in the bean dip. You can also use pits chips along with potato chips and Italian bread.

Cannellini bean dip is one of those easy summer recipes.It's easy to make.It's easy to eat. Make a bowl of it for a summer time treat.

A Questionable Fourth

 Many people are not happy with this particular holiday.Some futures are not solid, especially with SNAP benefits being cut. Luckily the American people for the most part have the American spirit. We will help those in need. We can;t stand to see children go hungry. We will do our best to feed all those who are hurt by those budget cuts.

Almost two hundred and fifty years ago we fought for our  freedom and the pursuit of happiness. We need to do this again  by helping each other. It will be tough but we need to do it

Fight we must and fight we will. Then we can celebrate with foods we love and that represents America.

New York Croissants Guide

 Manhattan and its' sister boroughs will be the hot spot of many a vacationer this summer. Yes people come for the city's thin crust, tomato and mozzarella rich pizza yet there's another treat to consider. The city makes a good croissant and variations of it. The question is where to go for bite of flaky ,buttery goodness.

New contributor and food critic Mahira River gave the most comprehensive guide to finding this French class in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. A croissant crawl is a worthy side trip to any Manhattan visitor. There are so many bakeries that produce good ones.The best bakeries are int he trendiest neighborhoods like SoHo and Chelsea. Visit the alf Bakery in the Chelsea Market. The baker Amadou Ly creates a twice baked croissant that's more like a cookie. He adds bittersweet chocolate and almonds for a crunchy bite.Check out another Chelsea classic Le Bergamot, known for their luscious cakes also has a melt in your  mouth croissant that breaks off in feathery shards  when bitten. Chelsea also has Tall Poppy that has a mouthwatering cruffin -a croissant and muffins hybrid,It also has a thick dab of chive cream cheese in the middle for a a different kind of lunch.No Ho (North of Houston street) has trendy restaurants and shops but it also has Lafayette Grand Cagfe & Bakery . The pastry chef there creates a croissant with a flavor between toasted bread and tangy butter.It i beautiful to look at too.It is deeply bronzed with a layering that looks like grained wood.

The boroughs have all sorts of neat eateries and shops. These are worth visiting as well as their bakeries creating croissants. park Slope is as trendy as New York City  neighborhoods go. stop in and see Miolin. Chef Claudio Miolin has elevated the chocolate croissant by adding cocoa to the dough and filling the middle with silky dollops of Nutella. Brooklyn Heights, long know for excellent eateries and luxury brownstones has L"Appartement 4 F. Owners Gautier and Ashley Coiffard even created a croissant cereal made up of tiny crescents. Yet their fan base is all for their regular sized ones, with their sweetly buttery and a tad salty flavor. Astoria may be known for souvlaki and gyros but surprisingly  there are some good bakeries to find melt in your mouth croissants. Bench Flour Bakers gives just plain croissants - nothing filled with almond or croissant. These are just perfect with coffee.There is also someday Bakery which features the black tahini croissant.It's stuffed with a nutty tahini frangipane and twice baked with a cap of black sesame brittle. someday's also has savory croissants that would make for a perfect lunch. There's also Gowanus Runner & Stone that bake their croissants with New York State grown and milled flours ,

Visit New York for the croissants.There's a wide variety of them to choose from. enjoy a a buttery bite with an iced coffee for the ultimate city experience.