Peach or Nectarine Granita

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

The fruits taste less sweet after they're frozen, so the sweeter they are from the beginning, the better.  Making a frozen dessert doesn't get any easier than this.  Serve  with vanilla ice cream or frozen soy milk, and it'll be like a creamsicle.  Otherwise, it's great surrounded by berries, perhaps sweetened by a drizzle of honey.  Allow a few hours to a day for proper freezing.

Ingredients:
6 ripe nectarines or peaches
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
1) Slice the fruit in half and twist to remove the pits.  Cut into chunks and cook with 1 cup of the water in a medium, non-reactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes

2) Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar.  Let cool to room temperature.  When cool, puree the mixture in a blender with the remaining 1/3 cup of water, until smooth.  I don't recommend using a food processor for this, as the liquid can leak (at least in mine!).

3) Freeze according to the instructions for the Mojito Granita.

Stove Top Brussels Sprouts

This is adapted from Jennifer Segal's recipe in Once Upon A Chef Cookbook -
  Butter-Braised Brussels Sprouts with Shallots

I was trying to use up scallions, red peppers and celery from my fridge, so I threw those in as well, and they took up the dressing well.  I needed to add more salt, pepper and vinegar, but that may well be because of the extra ingredients.  Here's the original:

Ingredients: 
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed but left whole
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I always use vegetable broth)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar (or white balsamic)

extras -
2 stalks of celery, cut down the middle then sliced
1 small red pepper, but into chunks

Directions:
1) In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat.  Add the shallots and sprouts and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are starting to brown and the sprouts are bright green, about 5 minutes.

2) Stir in the broth, salt, pepper and sugar; cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and continue simmering for 7-10 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the sprouts are tender and the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup.

3) Stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp butter and the vinegar.  Taste an adjust the seasoning if necessary.

These can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, then reheated gently in the microwave or stovetop.