Now that it’s the end of June in New York, it finally feels like summer, and with that, comes an excuse to eat ice cream every day (not that I need an excuse). Ice cream is easily my favorite dessert, snack, midnight treat, heck, food, and I probably eat an unhealthy amount, especially at odd hours of the day. At any point in time, you can expect up to 3-5 pints of half eaten ice cream in my freezer—it doesn’t help that my roommate is also an avid ice cream consumer.The other delight of summer is an abundance of fresh fruit, including mango. There’s been a rise in Ataulfo, or Champagne, mango sighting at my local Whole Foods and I decided to combine my love of frozen treats and mango to make a fresh mango sorbet. One of my struggles with ice cream / sorbet is when it gets icy in the freezer, but I learned that if you add some hard liquor (vodka, tequila or rum) to your frozen treat mixture, it prevents icicles from forming. No icicles and a slight buzz—two wins.Prep time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration time: 3-4 hours or overnight
Freezer time: 3-4 hours or overnight
Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups of fresh mango, skinned cut in cubes (3-5 mangoes depending on size)
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 tablespoons vodka (keeps the sorbet from turning icy)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small saucepan, stir the sugar and water over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. Using a blender or food processor, puree the mango with the lime juice and the cooled sugar syrup. Refrigerate until completely cool.
3. Stir in the vodka. Churn the chilled sorbet mixture in your ice cream / sorbet machine per the manufacturer’s instructions (~30 minutes). Transfer to a container and freeze until firm (~3 hours).

When work is extra stressful and monotonous, which it has been lately, I appreciate even more the calming effects baking has on my state of mind. The kind of tough decision I prefer is choosing between peaches or blueberries as the star of my baked goods. In this case, I obviously chose peaches—with summer in full swing and yellow peaches golden ripe, it was a winning decision. I had decided to bake to take my mind off work, and ultimately brought these bars to work to share with the team on Monday. How ironic.

While many recipes using peaches will say to remove the skins first, I think these crumb bars turn out better with the peach skins on. The peach skin adds color and texture and more importantly, is where most of the fiber and vitamins are. If you prefer to peel your peaches before using them, you can submerge them in boiling water for 15 seconds then place in an ice bath—using a paring knife, the skin will slip right off. These bars are best fresh out of the oven—just make sure to let them cool slightly first (yes, it will require a lot of self-restraint).

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Servings: 24 bars

INGREDIENTS

Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into cubes
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Peach filling

• 7 medium fresh peaches, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and grease or line a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. To make the pastry, in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut in the butter (or use your hands to rub it in), and then mix in the egg.
3. Pat half the dough into the bottom of your baking pan and set aside the other half for later.
4. To make the filling, in a medium mixing bowl, mix the peaches with the lemon juice. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix gently into the peaches.
5. Spread the peach filling evenly over the pastry and crumble the remaining dough over the top.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.