Yuppie in Training

With a sore throat and a bag full of freshly picked peaches, I had two missions Tuesday night: make a soup and a peach crumble.

I fully succeeded in both, all while making myself and my roomies the happiest little AmeriCorps!

I, logically, started off with the soup. I recipe called for more veggie stock than I had, so I improvised and split the difference with water and champagne. With the combination of the bubbly and the wine that the recipe called for, it came out tasty pretty wine-y, which Richard and I both liked, but putting in the right amount of stock and switching out the Riesling I used for a red or a dryer white are both experiments I plan to try.

I found that the pepper I used season it kind of sank to the bottom, so some spoonfuls for really popping while others weren’t. I don’t know what to do about that, but if you have some pepper secrets, please share!

I would’ve liked to have broiled the bread and cheese right on the soup, but we don’t have good bowls, so I toasted up some baguette with a blend of mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan.

The recipe said that the soup keeps really well, and  the bowl I had for lunch yesterday certainly was delicious.

After dinner, I got started with out peaches. I didn’t want to do a traditional peach cobbler because I wanted a crumble more than a crust. I’m pretty certain I made the right decision because I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews thus far.

I was really afraid that our wonky oven was totally going to ruin it by burning some parts and leaving others uncooked, but it came out as close to perfect as I could hope for.  The edges are all crispy and caramelized, the crumble is light and well-spiced, and the peaches are juicy and delicious!

While I am very proud of my two wonderful creations, I am fairly certain that my favorite part of the night is that I did it all in a little dress with a cocktail in hand.  I was one happy domestic goddess!