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

azia said what? 

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)

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.  

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.

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

(printable recipe)

i'm linking up to

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

(printable recipe)

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

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.