Farmer’s Market Recipes: Spring

I like to cook seasonally, and, while I don’t have a garden (hello, super urban environment), I have two things: San Francisco Farmers’ Markets, and my mother’s abundant garden.

That’s lemon basil, basil, baby carrots, peaches, apricots, cherries, and artichokes.  And sweet peas, in the Leaning Tower of Turquoise Vase.

Of course, everything here is fantastic on its own, because it has so much flavor.  If you’re bored with the way Nature produced things, however, I’m your (easily bored) (always looking to find new flavors) girl.  Here are a few ideas.

 

CARROTS

You must try this Ginger-Lime Baby Carrots recipe.  It uses furikake – I have no idea how to pronounce it, having never bought it before, but it’s necessary.  It is $2.39 for a jar at my local Asian supermarket, and worth every penny. The seaweed and sesame seeds impart salt/umami to the dish, and the ginger/lime/cinnamon combination is sweet and spicy.  Paired with the tender baby carrots…well, Adam didn’t get to try any and I’M NOT SORRY.

Note: I did need to use more liquid than the recipe called for, so be prepared.  Also, prepare to strain the sauce if any carrot greens detach during cooking.  They’re stringy and not pleasant to eat.

You could also use the carrots to make this carrot-ginger-miso salad dressing, which tastes great over sauteed “meaty” greens like kale, chard, spinach, and mustard greens.

 

BASIL/LEMON BASIL

Aside from garnishes, what the heck do you do with lemon basil?  (If you’ve never seen or smelled it before, it has small leaves and smells exactly like a cross between lemons and basil.  Creative naming!) I took the easy route and made a lemon-basil-spiked pesto, but if I had bought more, I would have made a lemon-basil sorbet, inspired by the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Cookbook.  Maybe next week.

I used Ina Garten’s recipe, cut down to 1/3 of the original – 4 cups of pesto seemed a tad excessive.  For the basil, I used half regular basil and half lemon basil, and walnuts instead of  pine nuts, because that is what I had on hand.  It turned out beautifully – a mostly-traditional pesto with a sharp lemony kick.

 

APRICOTS/PEACHES

I grew up with an apricot tree, but wasn’t particularly impressed with them as a child.  Mom’s tree will be ripening soon, and since I’ve seen the error of my ways, I’ve been bookmarking apricot recipes to try.  In the meantime, we found some rich, flavorful apricots at the farmer’s market.

Never one to be satisfied with the simple deliciousness of nature, behold my new favorite thing: apricots, drizzled with a little heavy cream (less than a tablespoon), a sprinkling of salt, and garnished with lemon basil.  It’s sweet and savory, creamy, and just a tad herbal.  You could probably do this with any stone fruit, and serve as an appetizer or dessert.

I haven’t tried this yet, but this apricot-whiskey cocktail recipe looks intriguing.

 

CHERRIES (THE SUPERIOR FRUIT)

Last year, I made a cherry ice cream by soaking fresh, super-ripe, pitted cherries in rye whiskey for several hours, pureed half, chopped the rest, and added them to a basic vanilla ice cream recipe.  (Okay, maybe the +1 and I ate a few of those boozy cherries first.  But.)  I also made bourbon-cherry old fashioneds, and this chicken-cherry salad that requires you to fry croutons in chicken fat.  NOTHING IN THIS WORLD IS MORE DECADENT AND DELICIOUS.  Yes, that did require all-caps – try it, you’ll see what I mean.

Do you have anything from the farmer’s market or CSA that you’re not sure how to cook?  Let me know in the comments – chances are I have a few ideas!

Happy hour: chilled asparagus soup and Mt. Tam cheese

Whenever my mom comes to visit, we inevitably have a home-cooked happy hour–code for “Mom has worn me out from shopping all day, so I will distract her with snacks and wine until I have the energy to make dinner.”  This works quite well, and sometimes gets me out of cooking dinner altogether.

This is the ultimate make-ahead “happy hour” selection – a chilled asparagus soup and a hunk of the creamiest and most delicious cheese ever to make its way into my life.  The soup, which comes from Bon Appetit, tastes and feels like it was made with cream, but it’s only asparagus, onions, broth, and spinach–so it’s healthy, too.  (I garnished with a little sour cream, smoked salmon, and dill – three things Mom and I will never turn down.)   This was a huge time-saver–it looks fancy, but I made it a day ahead.  When the time came, it took me all of five minutes to put together and serve.  The soup has enough zest to stand up to a red wine, but I think a tart white or a dry sparkling wine would complement it even better.  Especially with warm spring weather (that existed in San Francisco for all of a week).

The cheese is Mt. Tam, from Cowgirl Creamery, a Bay Area institution.  If you like cheese (and boy, Mom and I do) I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but if you haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat–it’s semi-soft, with an edible rind and soft, velvety innards.  The almost-herbal flavor is so delicate that I prefer to eat it without bread or crackers.  Why complicate a good thing?

Chilled Asparagus Soup

Adapted from Bon Appetit

 I changed the proportions here – less onion and asparagus – added some dill, and didn’t strain the soup.  It turned out beautifully.  Make sure you use low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 8 ounces fresh spinach
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• Smoked salmon, sour cream, and dill springs for garnish

Preparation

Heat 4 tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 8–10 minutes. Add ½-inch asparagus pieces and season with salt and pepper. Cook until asparagus is bright green and tender, 4–5 minutes. Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until asparagus is tender, 8–10 minutes. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Add dill and remove from heat.  Let mixture cool slightly.

Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until very smooth. Stir remaining 2 tbsp. oil into soup; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until cold.

To serve, ladle into bowls or ramekins.  Float a scant tablespoon of sour cream in the middle, then place a small slice of smoked salmon on top of the cream, and finish with a dill sprig.

TA DAAAAAAAA: meat! And strawberry salsa.

It doesn’t matter how often I cook, or how easy it is, at the end of the night, I still want to yell “TA DAAAAAAA!” to my +1 (or other welcome guests’) thunderous applause.

And then they would shower me with diamonds.  And cocktails.  And a pony.

Hasn’t happened yet!  But a girl can dream.

Today in TA DA!, we have a very simple roast and a slightly less simple, sweet and spicy-as-you-want-it-to-be salsa.

A little back story: I am busy emptying out my freezer for ten pounds – yes! I said it! TEN POUNDS – of bacon, among other frozen meat.  Yes.  Let’s just say that I have connections of the meaty and delicious kind (not in a dirty way, you should be ashamed).  ANYWAY.  I had a 2.33 lb round roast in the freezer, so to The Google I went!

I was most intrigued by this technique, which promised a juicy and meltingly tender roast despite the cut being a bit crappy.  With over a thousand reviews and a 4.5 star rating, it seemed like a safe bet – and it was.  Basically, you roast the meat at 500 degrees, seven minutes per pound.  Then you turn the heat off, but leave the roast in the oven for 2.5 more hours.  (If your oven isn’t well insulated, you may want to turn the oven on at 200 degrees for the last half hour.)

We also had leftover strawberries from an ill-advised attempt at Bi-Rite Creamery’s new cookbook recipes (spoiler: the strawberry balsamic recipe tastes like eggs.  Strawberry eggs.  And I even followed the recipe exactly!), which became the inspiration for this salsa.

(Disclaimer: it’s certainly not an authentic Mexican salsa.  First clue: strawberries.  Second?  Sriracha.  That’s probably not kosher, but let’s call it “fusion” and then call it a day.)

It’s good on its own, with bread or chips, but paired with the roast, it added a sweet and spicy kick that went well with the tender meat. Best of all, it was all stuff I already had in my kitchen.  You can swap out the parsley for cilantro, if that herb doesn’t taste soapy to you (but let’s not pretend).

Bastardized (but delicious) salsa.

Bastardized Strawberry Salsa

My creation!  It’s alllllliiiiiiiiiive. (With the freshness of earth’s bounty, I mean.)

Makes approximately one cup, perhaps a little more

• 1/2-3/4 pint stawberries, hulled and diced
• 1/4 c chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro, but ew)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp (more to taste) Sriracha
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Hull and dice strawberries and chop the fresh parsley.

Mix strawberries, vinegar, sriracha, orange zest, lime juice, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl and let rest for a half hour.  The strawberries will release a lot of juice, but don’t be alarmed.  It’s tasty!

Right before serving, taste test to decide if you want to add more of anything.  (If you’re a spice wimp, and this is too spicy, add more strawberries and a pinch of sugar!)

Add parsley or cilantro about 5 minutes before you present your guests with this dish – this dish that will make them applaud.  Or else.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home: cookbook review

Buckeye Ice Cream: Honey, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Flecks

I recently went to Ohio to visit my best friend, and as soon as my flight was booked, she had plans for us to go to Jeni’s, a local ice cream joint featuring unusual flavors on par with Humphry Slocombe and Bi-Rite in San Francisco.  For years, she has told me about Jeni’s and her favorite flavors: sweet basil, olive oil, gooey butter cake, lime cardamom (the list goes on).

Long story short: the ice cream more than met my expectations.  More importantly to me, the owner and creator, Jeni Britton Bauer, wrote a cookbook that helps home cooks achieve over 100 of her recipes in a basic ice cream maker.  She used the same Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker that I own.   The Amazon reviews are glowing: it seems that everyone who orders this book is happy with it.

As soon as I got home, I ordered the cookbook ($14 on Amazon) and rolled up my sleeves.   (It’s so hard to have to make ice cream, I know, but we all have our crosses to bear.  Equally terrible: having to eat it.)

A couple things set this cookbook apart from regular ice cream recipes:

1. The ingredients.  Jeni’s uses interesting flavors for ice cream, maybe ones unadventurous eaters would shun.  Basil ice cream is probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely mine.  Other interesting ingredient combinations: beet and marscapone, sweet potato and marshmallow, cucumber, honeydew, and cayenne, and lavender and berry.

Some ingredients are also a little harder/more expensive to find: butter flavoring, food-grade lavender essential oil, dried hibiscus.  However, those are outliers: most of the recipes require easy-to-find elements, but Ms. Bauer encourages the reader to use the finest and freshest possible version for the best results.  This makes for ice cream that’s more expensive than something store-bought, but at least you know exactly what you’re putting into your stomach.

2. The method.  To achieve ice cream that is soft and firm at the same time, most of the recipes use a mixture of corn syrup, corn starch, and cream cheese.  Her method requires three bowls (one can be a small ramekin, and one is used for an ice bath), and often requires bringing ingredients to a boil once or twice*.  It may seem a little fussier than your average ice cream custard, but produces beautiful results.  Once you’ve done it once, it requires very little extra thought or effort the next time.

So far, I have made four ice creams from this book: a sour beer/nectarine sorbet, a goat-cheese/roasted cherry ice cream (which tastes like rich cheesecake), Bangkok Peanut (coconut milk, peanut butter, and cayenne), and the above-pictured Buckeye (honey, peanut butter, and chocolate flecks).  Each came out beautifully on the first try–the only downside is the mess, but cooks more careful than I shouldn’t have a problem.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking to upgrade your home ice cream experience and love unusual flavors.  Bonus: pints of this ice cream make for excellent gifts.

Here are recipes from the book that I found around the web: Savannah Buttermint, Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk, and seven more, all in one place.

* Make sure to use a pot with high sides, unless you like sticky messes all over your stove.

Odds and ends, southern cooking style

When Bon Appetit calls this the “perfect fried chicken,” they just are not kidding.  Make it – make it now.   Do not neglect the rosemary honey; it’s perfect on the chicken and on fresh buttermilk biscuits.  Your family, friends, and/or significant other may have this reaction, and it will be well-warranted.

Of course, you’ll need a salad to accompany that, and the “wilted greens salad” in the same issue fits the bill.  You brine the greens by rubbing them with salt, and if you’re me, you fry up a little prosciutto, thinly slice an apple, and drizzle everything with olive oil, lemon juice, and buttermilk.

No Southern meal is complete without collard greens and buttermilk biscuits, either.  And if you’re really feeling fancy, try these Cherry Thyme Champagne Cocktails with the meal.  They are delicious, and this is coming from someone who usually prefers her champagne undiluted.

Now, go eat!

February Kitchen Play: salmon and tart cherries, together at last

You may have already read about my love affair with cherries here (and if you haven’t, you should – there’s a cocktail recipe involved).   Yesterday, as part of the Kitchen Play Progressive Party, sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute, I decided to put my spin on the Honey-Tart Cherry Glazed Salmon with Rustic Cherry Salsa – or in my case, with a tart cherry relish.

I have stared at the word “relish” for too long, these past couple of days.  It’s starting to look and sound weird.  But it sure tastes good.

Anyway.

I knew right from the start that I probably wasn’t going to make the original salsa, because raw onions do a number on my digestive system.  I liked Sarah’s idea of contrasting the sweet salmon with something sour, sweet, and spicy, though.  I knew what I was going to do with the cherries before I started, but I had no idea what to call it.  It wasn’t really a compote or a chutney.   It wasn’t merely a “sauce.”  After staring at my recipe bookmarks for awhile, I finally realized that what I had in mind could be classified as a relish, and having assuaged my compulsive need to be correct, it was time to cook.

Spicy Tart Cherry Relish

• 1/4 c cherry juice
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup tart cherries, chopped (I used a jarred variety; if yours are more sour than sweet, add more honey)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 pinches salt
• 3-4 healthy shakes of cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
• orange zest

Combine all ingredients except orange zest in small heavy pot.  Over medium heat, bring the ingredients to a boil.  Turn the heat down and simmer until the cherries have collapsed and the liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 15 minutes.  Add orange zest to taste.  Allow to cool.

Honey/Tart Cherry Glazed Salmon

• 1/4 c cherry juice
• 1/4 c honey
• 1 pound of salmon, divided into 4 pieces

Preheat oven to 350 and place salmon on foil-lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, combine and microwave the cherry juice and honey in a large glass measuring cup for about 4 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.  Brush half of the glaze over the salmon, cook at 350 for 15 minutes (more, if necessary – mine took about 20) until salmon is opaque.  Brush the remaining glaze over the salmon, and serve alongside the spicy cherry relish.

February Kitchen Play: tart and sweet and boozy all over

Why is this picture tilted? Because this is how you'll look at the world after a couple of these drinks.

I love cherries, and cherry-flavored anything (except cough drops).  If you describe a dish, an ingredient, or a drink as being tart and sweet, sign me up.  It is my favorite flavor profile, and I can probably blame that on having a Queen Anne cherry tree in my backyard when I was growing up.  Once I figured out how to eat around the pits, cherry season was the best season.  Except for related gastrointestinal distress, but I digress. (Side note: The Ice Cream Bar, located in the Cole Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, makes an amazing sour cherry ice cream and sour cherry soda.)

When I saw Kitchen Play was hosting a cherry-themed Progressive Party this month, I might have been a tiny bit excited.  The Cherry Marketing Institute is sponsoring, and their site is full of information about the health benefits of cherries.  Who knew that they were quite so good for you?  Really, this just means I’m drinking to my health!

(I might have also been excited to see that part of the giveaway includes an Anthropologie apron.  Be still, my heart.)

All six dishes, of course, prominently feature tart cherries.   I am starting with my adaptation of the Tart Cherrytini from uTry.it, which brings together two of my favorite things: cherry juice and fancy (strong!) cocktails.  Recipe after the jump.

Sorry, Bambi, but I kind of hated your movie anyway.

Awww, aren't you cute? Bet you would be delicious and tender on a plate.

Dinner du jour (or if we’re honest, dinner of a week ago): venison.

One of the benefits of having uncles and cousins who hunt (besides having nice uncles and cousins) is that when they kill a deer or elk, they have it made into steaks, sausage, and ground meat, and share it with my dad’s family.

This is something I think is very cool – being an unabashed carnivore, I’m also all about using as much of an animal as is humanly possible.   In fact, I still remember one vivid history lesson discussing how Native Americans used bison stomachs as cooking pots.  My mother and I were grossed out then, but now, all I can think is that it would impart some seriously delicious flavor to whatever one was making.  I mean, crispy pork belly is to die for, so why not something more game-y?

Sorry.  That’s probably not interesting to anyone but me.

A few weeks ago, Dad called me and asked me if I wanted some venison steak.  A few years ago, I wouldn’t have known what to do with it, but this year I said “heck yeah,” and immediately began searching for venison preparation techniques.  After awhile, I settled on venison with a blueberry compote, based upon this recipe.

Bambi, deconstructed. SORRY. I can't help myself.

Recipe and cooking technique after the jump!

Gift guide for the cooking nerd

Sometimes I watch Mad Men and wince when the advertising execs assume that women will want kitchen tools or things to make dinner parties easier – not just because of the obvious misogyny, but because in my case, it is so true.  A cute apron?  Sturdy, colorful kitchen utensils?  Razor-sharp knives?  Voodoo doll toothpick holder?  New serving platters?  Do they sparkle?  COUNT ME IN.

Boojiboo retro aprons on Etsy, $28.75 + shipping

For the cook who loves vintage clothing and doesn’t particularly love a mess, I highly recommend any apron from Boojiboo.  I own two myself, and can vouch for their quality, sturdiness, fit, and overall cuteness.  Plus, it’s cool to support independent sellers.  Browsing her Etsy site is dangerous: she already has some adorable retro holiday patterned aprons up.  Must…not…buy… must not host another holiday event…

STAB. Stab stabbity stab stab stab! $11.84 on Amazon.com

For the host or hostess with barely suppressed anger issues (not me, of course) or who just likes passive-aggressively poking at others, why not the Fred voodoo doll toothpick holder?  At $11.84 (and sometimes lower) on Amazon, it’s a great “small gift” or stocking stuffer that is sure to get a chuckle out of visitors.  (I own one and people constantly comment on it.)  Fred has tons of similar silly kitchen gadgets – check them out here.

Joseph Joseph heat-resistant kitchen utensils, $26.47 on Amazon

My old kitchen utensils were biting the dust, one by one – small wonder after heavy use for over four years.  While browsing Amazon one night, I came upon these heat-resistant (up to 480 degrees) utensils that are not only colorful and bright, but are weighted at the handle so the “active” portion of the utensil stays off the counter.  Having used them for several months now, they live up to my expectations and then some.  And did I mention they’re pretty colors?

If you want to get them with a carousel to hold them, that’ll cost you extra.

Shun 8" Chef's Knife, $139.95 on Amazon

And now, back to the pointy things.  For anyone who has never had a really good knife before, put this on your wishlist now.  Sure, the price initially makes me throw up a little in my mouth, but it pays off in the kitchen.  My +1 got the Santoku and paring knives a year or two ago, and, well, let’s just say they sweeten the relationship deal.  Also, were we ever to break up, he would have to pry them from my cold, dead hands, and even then, I would hope rigor mortis would set in.  Point being: a good knife is an absolute necessity, so if the cook in your life doesn’t have one, consider this.

Vintage Barbie Learns To Cook reproduction, various prices on Google Shopping and Amazon

Is your cooking fan also a Barbie fan?  (Really?  Is it me?)  Try finding the 2007 reproduction of the vintage Barbie Learns to Cook doll. It comes in an adorable display box, and if you want the brunette “platinum” edition, that will cost you extra.  About three times as much extra.

Holiday Cocktails card deck, $11.86 on Amazon (and sometimes can be found cheaper elsewhere)

Finally, because no holiday is complete without a little extra cheer, your friends (or you) might enjoy this recipe card deck (paired with a good bottle of booze, if you’re feeling fancy).  It has a lot of standard cocktails, but some have wintry twists.  There are also non-alcoholic drinks, suggestions for garnishes, and a detailed explanation of what basic ingredients and liquors one should generally have on hand.  I find the latter feature particularly useful, and it’s a nice, compact size with great photos.

For more good suggestions, check out Smitten Kitchen’s Gift Guide.  Hers is practical where mine delights in its ridiculousness.

What has been your favorite kitchen/cooking/entertaining gift?

Kitchen Play: Fruit, cheese, carbs, done.

I spend far more time thinking about having dinner parties than actually having them.  Something always comes up, be it finances or timing or some unexpected life event.   But inevitably, I will make something good, and think: this!  This would be perfect if I was entertaining guests.

Then I eat whatever it is and forget about it.  Until the next time I make something good.

The only time I approve of flakiness is when it's a pastry.

Today, it’s my spin on a new Kitchen Play (this month, sponsored by the National Apple Association) entry: apple & herbed goat cheese tartlets, based on Fake Ginger’s apple and blue cheese tart.  It’s the same idea as the tomato galette, or the fig and goat cheese galette with balsamic and honey: fruit, cheese, carbs.  Although with this one, I could picture including a slice of crisped prosciutto (mmm, tasty pig parts), too.  Or lemon zest.

Whatever you choose, these tartlettes (or galette-lettes?  Er) are simple to pull together if you’ve already made the dough, and they’re made in a standard-sized muffin tin.  Half a batch of Julia Child’s cornmeal-enhanced galette dough makes six tarts.  Once baked, they end up being the perfect size for appetizers, and if you serve them straight from the oven, the crust is particularly flaky and the cheese is particularly gooey, as freshly-baked things tend to be.

They pair well with these green beans (made with a green heirloom tomato and swapping garlic for shallots, which received rave reviews from my vegetable-neutral +1).  Recipe after the jump.