Site Meter

From the Market — Week 7

Cherries

Well, things certainly have been buzzing around here. Even though I’ve neglected this blog for a while, I want to take a moment to pat myself on the back (gingerly, so I don’t dislocate a shoulder) for getting anything done at all. You see, I’ve been shooting another cookbook! (Not my own!) In my spare time! Which means every weekend! Minus the two vacations we’ve already scheduled! I’m hoping the exclamation points give me a little energy, because it’s a grueling pace, but I’m already so happy with the way things are going that I don’t mind the lack of rest. (OK, that’s not entirely true. My resentfulness does overflow on occasion when Gil’s taking a nap while I’m slaaaaaving away in the kitchen, but it’s what I signed up for, so I just suck it up.)

So in addition to the 2-3 recipes I’m cooking, styling and shooting for the book each day, I try to eke out a little something of my own to share here. This was my most recent stab at something new:

By |July 22, 2011|Cherries, Farmers' Market Feast, Gluten-free, Grilling, jam, Pictures, Vegetarian|0 Comments
Read More

From the Market — Week 5

Because it's cherry season!

Gather ye cherries while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying…

Unlike the apple, which you can’t miss because it won’t leave, the cherry is ephemeral, making its arrival much more eagerly anticipated. I’ve been seeing them piled up on fruit carts around the city for the past month or so, but I can’t bear the thought of random street germs wafting over my fruit, so I managed (just barely) to hold off until I could be sure to get local, juicy, pesticide- and city stank-free versions at the market.

Though cherry season is fleeting, we’re blessed with an abundance during that time, which means I couldn’t decide between varieties, so they all came home with me — Queen Anne, sour cherries, and sweet. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the sour cherries other use them for cherry soup, so I googled and got a great idea from Chowhound: I’m now the proud owner of a jar of bourbon-soaked sour cherries, which will be just […]

By |June 30, 2011|Almond, Cherries, Farmers' Market, Fruit, jam, Pictures, Strawberries|4 Comments
Read More

From the Market: Week 5

gluten-free

Right off the bat, I’ll admit that yes, I cheated a little here. Asparagus hasn’t been seen at the Ringwood Farmers’ Market for the past two weeks, but 1) I had a craving and 2) didn’t it make for a pretty — if slightly pornographic — shot?

Because I operate under the assumption that pretty much everything is better when topped with a fried or poached egg (especially the super-fresh ones we get from Nina), I went with a variation on a shaved asparagus salad from the pages of Food & Wine for Sunday’s lunch:

The ricotta salata I substituted for the Parmesan was creamy and subtle, but I think I’ll try the recipe as written next time for even more of a punch.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - […]

By |June 27, 2010|Asian, asparagus, Beef, Breakfast, Brunch, Eggs, Farmers' Market, Farmers' Market Feast, Greens, Grilling, jam, Leftovers, Pancakes, Pictures, Ricotta, Ringwood, Salad, Tongue, Vegetables, Vegetarian|4 Comments
Read More

Jam on it

090809_jam_top_sm

There are very few things I fear in the kitchen. Complicated recipes or out-of-the-ordinary ingredients are usually cause for excitement, but canning just terrifies the bejeezus out of me. It isn’t a case of saving face, because let’s be honest, I can laugh at my mistakes after So Much Experience making them — incinerated fries, losing my place in a lengthy recipe, putting a Thanksgiving dish under the broiler then walking away … just to name a few. Ahem. But canning mistakes are a whole other thing — one slip-up, and you can really do some damage. And a hearty laugh just won’t cut it when you’re headed to the ER.

Problem is, I can’t help but dream of homemade jams when I see the heaping boxes of locally-grown fruit at the Orchards of Concklin booth every Saturday. (And the vendor adores Ru, so we spend a lot of time there chatting and browsing her selections.) But I reached a nice workaround this weekend. I’ve had a wonderful Martha Stewart recipe for peach-rosemary jam bookmarked for this very occasion, so I […]

By |August 9, 2009|Fruit, Herbs, jam, Pictures|5 Comments
Read More