Summer is winding down and I’m savoring the last of the season’s flavors as the amount of summer squash, tomatoes, and stone fruit dwindles down slowly on market stands and garden soil. After lugging home two arms full of zucchini from a friend’s garden on a balmy Monday night, this whole wheat almond zucchini bread was born. It’s made virtuous by honey and whole wheat and almonds and of course a generous amount of grated zucchini, meaning a slice for breakfast with your morning coffee would be right on all accounts. Don’t be fooled; its virtue makes no sacrifice in flavor.

Whole Wheat Almond Zucchini Bread

makes one 9x5” loaf or two small 5 1/2x3” loaves

• Approximately 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini, drained thoroughly of water

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1/3 cup olive oil (coconut oil can be substituted)

• 1/2 cup honey

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup almond milk

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

• sliced almonds, for topping (optional

Preheat oven to 350. Grease the baking pan(s) to prevent sticking and set aside.

Whisk together the olive oil, honey, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the almond milk, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, vanilla, and almond extract (optional) and whisk until combined. With a spatula or spoon, fold in the grated zucchini, whole wheat flour and almond flour and stir until well mixed. Pour into the greased baking pan(s) and top with sliced almonds.

Bake for about 55 minutes or so if using smaller pans, about 1 hour or longer if using one 9x5” pan. Test the bread for doneness with a toothpick; if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Allow to cool and serve.

My favorite kind of pizza is the non-traditional sort. Though pepperoni and mozzarella and tomato sauce are a crowd-pleaser, I prefer the experimental and unexpected. This pizza already gets a kickstart on flavor with its slightly tart and wholly delicious sourdough crust, a perfect foundation for juicy figs, salty prosciutto and herbaceous rosemary. The base is cheese and sauce in one, a combination of goat cheese, ricotta and parmesan with a splash of olive oil.

Fig and Prosciutto Sourdough Pizza with Rosemary, Goat Cheese and Ricotta

• Sourdough pizza dough

• 5 or 6 ripe figs, sliced in half

• 3 oz prosciutto

• 3 sprigs of rosemary, stems removed and leaves reserved

• 1/2 cup soft goat cheese

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (optional)

• Pepper, to taste (salt is reserved here as prosciutto tends to lend enough saltiness; you may add some to taste if needed)

• Cornmeal, for dusting the dough

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small mixing bowl combine the goat cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan, and olive oil.

Gently stretch the pizza dough until it’s large and thin enough for your liking, dusting the bottom and edges with cornmeal before placing it on a pizza pan or sheet pan. Smear the cheese mixture over the dough. Top with the figs, prosciutto, and rosemary. Sprinkle with pepper and herbes de Provence and drizzle the pizza with a bit of olive oil before popping it into the oven. Bake the pizza for approximately 25 minutes, or until the edges are browned.

For many, a thought of pizza brings flavors of tomato, mozzarella, and perhaps pepperoni or a bit of basil to mind. Though that sort is undoubtedly classic, I tend to gravitate towards much less traditional flavors when assembling pizza in my own kitchen. This recipe is a juxtaposition of sweet and tangy from the fig and the vinegar, caramelized and creamy from the shallots and cheese, and earthy and tart from the chopped greens and lemon-vinegar dressing. This combination creates layers of differing flavor that’s both a bit unexpected and wholly delicious.

Some of my very favorite people are sensitive to gluten, causing me to explore gluten-free ways of feeding those around me. This crust is a delicious way to enjoy pizza if you or those you love find themselves with a food sensitivity or allergy. It’s very quick with little prep time required and the flavor is so enjoyable that I simply can’t decide which of my recipes I like better, sourdough or gluten-free. If you’re not in need of a gluten-free option, try these toppings on my sourdough pizza crust recipe.

Gluten Free Pizza with Savory Fig Sauce, Goat Cheese, Shallots, Corn, and Vinegar Dressed Greens

For the pizza dough:

• 3 cups gluten free flour, King Arthur gluten free flour blend preferred

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 packet active dry yeast mixed with 1/4 cup warm water

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• Lukewarm water, starting with 1 cup

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons fig jam

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Generous pinch of salt and grated black pepper

For toppings:

• 3 shallots, sliced

• 1/4 cup corn, fresh or frozen

• 8 oz soft goat cheese

• A few handfuls of spinach and arugula, roughly chopped

• A handful of snap peas, thinly sliced

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Olive oil

• Balsamic vinegar

• Paprika, salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, allow the packet of yeast mixed with warm water to sit until bubbling, a few minutes. Whisk in the sugar and olive oil, then the salt and baking powder. Finally, fold in the gluten free flour. Add 1 cup of lukewarm water and knead with your hands, adding more water until the dough just comes together. Roll the dough into a ball then flatten into a disc shape.

Oil a pizza pan or baking sheet then place the disc of dough onto the pan. With your hands, press the dough outwards then switch to a rolling pin if you’d like, pressing and rolling the dough on the pan until it’s quite thin.

Bake the pizza crust with no toppings for about 20 minutes or until it’s dry to the touch; this ensures you won’t end up with soggy pizza.

Whisk in a small bowl the sauce ingredients. In a medium bowl, toss the sliced shallots and corn with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of paprika, salt, and pepper. After the pizza is done baking without toppings, spread the sauce over the pizza and top with dollops of goat cheese, the shallots and corn. Return to the oven for 30 minutes.

In a medium sized bowl, toss the arugula, spinach, and snap peas with a drizzle of vinegar and the lemon zest. Top the pizza with the greens after baking and serve.

These blueberry and herbes de Provence scones graced my family table on Easter this year as our holiday Brunch treat. Flecked with thyme, basil, savory, fennel, and lavender flowers, a small spoonful of this French mix of herbs originated from the stunningly beautiful region of Provence gives a subtle sort of uniqueness to an otherwise blissfully familiar blueberry scone. The plump berries are folded between layers of buttery dough, bursting sweet purple juice during baking and forming a rustic pool of jam around each scone. Unlike other scone recipes that are overly sweet and too dry to be had without coffee to wash each bite down, this one produces pastries with a soft texture and restrained, modest sweetness. You can easily prepare them in advance; after cutting the dough into triangular pieces, chill them overnight to bake the next morning or store in the freezer for up to a month if you’re needing a stash of ready-made pastry.

Blueberry and Herbes de Provence Scones

makes 8 scones

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen

• Approximately 8 oz fresh blueberries

• 1/2 cup half and half

• 1/2 cup full fat sour cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon herbes de provence

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon sugar, for topping the scones

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grate the frozen butter with a box grater and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the half and half, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and herbes de provence. Toss in the grated frozen butter and mix until all the butter pieces are coated with flour, then pour in the liquid ingredients. Gently fold with a spoon or spatula until combined.

On a floured surface, knead the dough with your hands until it’s just come together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a square approximately 12 inches on all sides. Fold the dough into thirds to create a long rectangle, then fold again to create a square. Roll the square of dough out again into approximately 12 inches by 12 inches. Sprinkle the fresh blueberries on top, pressing them into the dough, and roll the dough up over the berries to create a log. Press with your hands or rolling pin to flatten the log into a rectangle, then cut the dough into triangles - first cut the dough into four squares, then diagonally to create equal sized triangles.

If you’re making the scones ahead of time, you may stop here and refrigerate them for the next morning or freeze them for later use. When doing so, you can put the scones straight from the fridge or freezer into the oven; baking time may need to be adjusted.

To bake the scones, line a baking sheet with parchment and place the scones in an even distance from one another. Brush with the melted butter, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for approximately 18 minutes or until just browned; do not over bake.