Saturday, June 30, 2012

foodie pen pals

so
this is embarrassing
i usually have my camera poised
ready to snap a photo
of 
any food that meanders
in my line of vision
i have a look
that hubster knows
which indicates
don't touch
until i get a shot of it
we pause
like others do for prayer
for
photos

so
how it came to be
that
i opened my foodie pen pal package
loosing all sense of
decorum
dug in to the fudge
before taking a picture
is 
beyond
me
but it happened
i am embarrassed
mea culpa

however
i did
stop myself mid-way
resisting urges
to tear into the rest of the goodies
until i got this shot
i felt a little bad
for the darling gal who shopped for me
because
what do you get the girl
who says
oh
i like everything
it i almost as bad
as
i like nothing
but
look at the bounty

all things i love
(jam, tea, confections, crunchies)
a big huggy thank you to
azia
from
for the thoughtful prize!

thinking you might want to be a foodie pen pal?
you should
it is fun
check it out here
(you do not have to be a blogger to participate)

Friday, June 29, 2012

boozy kumquat marmalade

it is 
a thousand degrees
in my kitchen
so warm
i keep the lights off
somehow believing
darkness=cool
not. really. working

yesterday
hubster and i
did a drive by pick off
you see
the day before
we were at my brother's new home
and i noticed
a line of
kumquat trees
my brother
didn't know what they were
so i figured
he wouldn't mind
if i took 
a handful or 10

yesterday
while he was at work
we helped ourselves

today
i didn't feel much like
hovering over the hob
stirring 
&
canning

which led to
a small batch

3 jars of jam
one for us
one for him
and
one for pouring over vanilla ice cream
no canning required

with a sweet as honey peel
and
puckering sour flesh
kumquats make a perfect marmalade
add a splash of booze
and 
it becomes an adult only
morning treat
boozy kumquat marmalade
3 cups finely slice kumquats (pits removed)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 generous shot tequila
pinch of kosher salt

place all ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl and let steep for about an hour.  dump into a heavy-bottom pot and cook over medium heat. let simmer until it becomes jammy..about 20 minutes. stir occasionally and watch it closely. you do not want it to become like sticky candy.  pour into sterilized jam jars and allow to come to room temperature.  store in the refrigerator.  

Friday, June 22, 2012

super crispy roasted potatoes

i realize
this favorite
isn't
homegrown
harvested
highbrow
organic
or 
local

i'm
not even sure
i can say
something as clever
as
canned at the peak of freshness

but

when you are craving
crispy crunchy roasted
potatoes
without time
to
par boil
pre
roast
these are just the trick

crispy crunchy roasted potatoes

canned whole potatoes--drained
olive oil
salt
pepper

preheat the oven to 450F. dry the potatoes thoroughly. using a fork, score each potato with nice deep ridges.  the potato may fall apart in your hands...no problem.  toss the potatoes into a oven safe casserole dish.  take the fork and gently smash the potatoes...not to pulverize, but to open them up a bit, but so that they still remain in one piece.  

the idea here is to create as many scraggly surfaces as possilbe...that is what gives you the crunchy bits.  drizzle olive oil over the top...be generous, but don't let them swim in it.  use enough oil so that each potato has a light coating.  mix them up with your hands to ensure proper coverage.  generously sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and kosher or sea salt.  roast, uncovered for 45min to 1 hour.  check on them periodically and scrape from the bottom to prevent sticking (maybe a couple of times during the hour).

*these potatoes have been canned in water, so they will retain moisture for quite a long time.  even when the outsides are good and crispy, you will still get a creamy interior.  

**these are also really yummy with some herbs tossed in...rosemary is classic, but i love thyme with few sprinklings of lemon zest.

Monday, June 18, 2012

cherry marzipan ice cream

recently
in an early morning whim
i dragged hubster
to a far-off orchard
to pick
 a bushel of cherries

as we stood in the shade of a  tree
him reaching to higher branches
me 
for the low hanging fruit

cherry stained and gleeful
i half whispered
"isn't this just so much fun"
to
which hubster responded
as he bent a branch to my reach
"no
this is torture
but i am happy
you are enjoying it"


this ice cream
is
a love letter
filled with 
sweetness of ripe fruit
rich-depth of ground almonds
&
 deep warmth of a stiff drink
from me
to him


i must tell you this is not a difficult recipe, but it is complicated
taking many steps and some time
but
if you are an ice cream person
with 
a special occasion on the horizon
you should make this
it is seriously good
 
 cherry marzipan ice cream

i'm linking up to
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Thursday, June 14, 2012

cherry frangipani tart

we went cherry pickin' this week
and the whole time
all i could think about 
was
my corporate days
when i said things like
"don't cherry pick the good deals"
&
"let's start with the low hanging fruit"
thinking 
everyone would understand the analogy
 not fully realizing until in the orchard
how
much more relevant
the statement is
when you are
 actually
cherry picking, the low hanging fruit
especially
when you are
only
5
feet
tall

i love
frangipani
which is an almond paste
custard of sorts

cherries
&
almond
are a delicious combination 
cherry frangipani tart
1 pie crust for 10" tart pan
8 oz almond paste
1.5 oz sugar
3.5 oz butter (softened, but still slightly firm)
3/4 oz all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 extra-large eggs ( room temperature)
3 cups pitted sweet cherries (fresh or frozen)

line a 10" tart pan with crust.  refrigerate while you make the filling.  preheat oven to 350F.  using a mixer with paddle attachment, beat the almond paste and sugar.  gradually add in the butter in large pieces until fully incorporated.  add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.  stop the mixer and scrape down the sides as you go.  after all eggs are incorported, beat for 30 seconds on high speed.  add vanilla.  stir in the flour and salt until just incorporated.  pour into the tart shell.  working from the outside in, place cherries in the almond custard in concentric circles, close together, but not touching.  place tart on baking tin and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes.  the frangipani will rise and brown, but should not souffle.  it is done when just firm to the touch and the crust is slightly golden.


i'm linking up to
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

fiori fritti {squash blossoms}


ever since i was a child
summer meant
long days in the pool
big family gatherings
and
fiori fritti
squash blossoms
picked 
before the dew dried
gently washed
stemmed
stuffed
battered
and
fried
i picked my first flowers of the season
this weekend
filled them with
fresh chevre, basil & parmesan
 dipped them in really cold batter
and simply fried in olive oil

delicious

for the batter
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1/4 cup sparkling water
2-3 ice cubes
more salt for sprinkling on the fried goodies when they come out of the oil

whisk together the flour, egg, salt, pepper and sparkling water.  add the ice cubes and place in the fridge while you heat the oil and prepare the flowers. the trick for a crispy batter is to have it very cold.

place about 6" of vegetable oil in a sturdy pot---careful to leave another 3-4" from the top of the oil to the top of the pan for safety.

dip the stuffed flowers in the batter and let the excess run off.  fry in the hot oil until begins to brown and is quite crispy.

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