Prom Dinner!

A fun and interesting challenge arose a few weeks ago:  cater a "table for 2" dinner for my nephew and his senior prom date.   Now this is something I have never done before!  It seemed like a cool idea, so immediately I started thinking about the caveats:  food needs to be appealing to teenagers, yet needs to be something they wouldn't have "everyday", setting needs to be memorable, a restaurant "feel", prep needs to be quick (hosting a mother's day brunch the next morning!), and of course, it was a lovely spring day- very important to include what was in season and local!  The dinner would be served on the back deck - lovely and private, surrounded by new leafy greenery.

My list of stuff available in the back yard in early May:  chicken eggs (more on that later), tons of mint, great asparagus, a few different herbs, and oh yeah, a big jar of wild honey from our friend who keeps bees!!  The menu started to come together, once I decided that lamb "lollipops" would make a quick and easy, yet "springy" main course.  I also had a trick up my sleeve...this was the first day of a local  farmer's market, so I could pick up some fresh greens, bread, and a raspberry pie!!  Done.  This would be easy.  EASY, I tell you......

This first course was really quick to make:  note the great sesame semolina baguette from Mediterra Bakehouse....sooo good.  Thanks, Karen, for the awesome honey!!

The hens were cooperative, and delivered the goods.  I decided that the most teenager-friendly salad dressing would be a homemade ranch.  Local buttermilk, a bit of mayo, and a long list of herbs and spices was all it took.

These were really pretty!!  I have never made lamb chops before  --super easy.  Just cut them from the rack into individual bones, then marinate in a garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper bath.  They take minutes on the grill, and won rave reviews from the prom folk.  The fresh-brewed iced tea, steeped with lots of new mint leaves, was a big hit too.

Yes, this was purchased!  From the fine folks at Sand Hill Berries.  This was the Raspberry Cream Pie, which was as good as they said it would be.  I made some softly whipped cream, slightly sweetened, with a touch of vanilla, to top it off.  Sand Hill Berries is a great place to visit, if you are in their neighborhood.  Its a beautiful farm, with a country store, and even a little outdoor cafe.  

So, all in all, it was a success.  My only regret was my after party:  the dishes.  Cooking and serving a dinner for 2 doesn't sound like many dishes, but it was.  Oh, it was.  Each course was plated on new plates, there were serving platters, cooking vessels, and lots of silverware.  The cooks ate in the kitchen,  surreptitiously keeping an eye out for the progression of the meal. 

Some pictures of the prom-goers were taken.  I especially liked the shot where the chickens had filed around the couple's legs, seeming to think they were not at all out of place amongst the tux and the gown-clad humans.  

From all accounts, they had a great night!!

A Long-Awaited Food Tour of France

So, I told you there would be pictures.  Of France's food.  These have been waiting for you.  I like to look at them often and relive the magic of each moment.  Boulangerie's, Patisserie's, Fromagerie's, Le Halles de Lyon, and more.  We traveled from Marseilles in the South of France, up the Rhone River to the Saone, then on to Paris.  We left Paris heading north on the Seine, and ended up on the coast of Normandy.  Each stop, each town, brought new delicious finds.  Viking kept us well-fed, but treats were still around every corner.  It is pretty hard to resist the things of beauty that line the streets and the shop windows as you pass buy:  hot croissants, made to order crepes, pastries, big-as-your-face meringues, candied fruit, and oh, the cheese.  If you love cheese, the place to be is France.  I hope the pictures do it some justice, as each and every thing was spectacularly beautiful and delicious!!  Enjoy.....

A Reason to Come Home

Summer vacation in France is what dreams are made of.  Especially when you spend 2 weeks on a fully staffed river barge, sliding effortlessly from city to city, sampling all of the wonderful things that France has to offer.  But, alas, all good things must come to a fitting end, and this week I am back home in the states.  There will be future posts and pictures of some of the treats of France, but this week is saved for the treat that awaited me at home.

It's tough to leave a Western PA garden in August.  That is when the bounty of your toil comes flooding in.  Last year's odd weather patterns left the tomato yield quite paltry, and most of us are still reeling from those losses.  But this is a different year, and the tomatoes have gone forth and multiplied into large shiny scarlet orbs, hanging heavily from overburdened vines.  It is time for BLT's!!!

There are several secret weapons to a knock-out BLT.  The first is Basil Mayonnaise.  Whisking this together is a cinch if you are growing fresh basil beside your tomato patch, and it does make a huge difference on the sandwich.  When selecting bacon, it is important to find a quality supply.  I like the bacon thick and chewy, not too salty.  I find Brittner's Smokehouse here in my hometown does it just right.  Next, bread selection is paramount.  A good crusty Italian bread is always a good choice in a pinch, but better yet, I'm partial to a crusty semolina, or a hearty farm bread, preferrably from Mediterra Bakehouse here in Pittsburgh.  Traditional European bread cooked on bricks with fire, their bread always looks so beautiful, it's hard not to love it at first sight, but its the first bite that will make you a permanent fan.

Lastly, the tomato.  Ah, the sun-ripened, still warm, big as your face, garden tomato.  There is not much better than this.  If you have never tried an heirloom tomato of the striped variety, such as Mr. Stripey, Pineapple, or German striped, you MUST find one.  I am growing 2 types of stripes this year, and they are by far my favorite tomato.  Alternating between bright red and bright yellow, having a large core, thick flesh, next to no seeds or icky green goo, and a hauntingly sweet taste, these are the queens of the BLT.  Stop by for a bite, if you are in the neighborhood.  It was worth coming home for.

A Great Granola

Summer is a great time for granola, don't you think?  With all of the fresh stone fruits and wonderful berries popping up everywhere this time of year, there are few better ways to enjoy these riches  but with a simple yogurt (see last summer's Homemade Yogurt post for a real treat!) and some homemade granola.  This is my perfect summer breakfast and is the standard beginning of my day all summer long, and many fall, winter and spring days as well, though with different sources of fruit.

I have had some great granola in my time, but I have never been quite as happy with what I can find in the supermarket.  It always seems overloaded with the fillers, and under-represented with the tasty morsels of nuts, fruits, etc.  And worst of all, it never seems toasty.  That is the key really, if you think about it.  A good granola should be toasty.  Really toasty.  The store-bought granola that convinced me of this is the one I currently will buy when in a pinch - called "Udi's".  Not cheap, no, but good.  Which is how I got to the place of making it myself.  Was it possible to make an Udi's-stye granola (super toasty), with lots of high quality ingredients, but save some money to boot?  Could it really be that hard?

I tried a few different variations, judging each against the big issues with granola:  the fat content and the sugar content.  I mean, why ruin a good thing by weighing it down with too much bad stuff, and thereby negating that healthy-way-to-start-your-day concept.  So I was excited to find one particular recipe because of it's unapologetic use of olive oil as the fat, and quality maple syrup (the real stuff) as the sweet.  It so happens that these are two of my very favorite things.  I keep a large bottle of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil on the counter, and another in the pantry, at all times.  Next to it sits the large bottle of grade B maple syrup, with it's spare cozying up next to the pantry oil.  I was armed and ready for this recipe.  It was meant for me.

Getting quality oats was important too.  Luckily, a local bulk food store not only has an organic oat product, but has a 7-grain organic mix as well....this is what I opted for.  Next, the coconut.  Ahhh, the coconut...my childhood nemesis.  I never much liked the stuff, it seemed to ruin every decent baked good I found it in.  Dry, cloying, stick to the grooves in your mouth, coconut.  The pinnacle of my coconut hating goes back to the freezerful of coconut lemon cake that my dad stocked us up with as a side perk from a job he was working.  That cake made its way to our dinner table many nights over the course of a year, and almost wiped the sweet-lover right out of me. ( I did say almost.)  It tried, but I overcame.  Today, I love all things lemon.  I can tolerate a little coconut once in a while.  But what I didn't know is how REALLY GOOD coconut can be, if found in the right form.  Here's where unsweetened coconut flakes from Bob's Red Mill comes in.  This stuff if fantastic, especially when super-toasted along with the oats.  In fact, I'd like to say it's my favorite part of this granola, the part I pick out with my fingers when nobody's looking.

Lastly, the nuts and the fruits.  These are the tidbits that are often skimped on in over-the-counter varieties.  With this recipe, you get to choose them.  Mix and match them, try out new variations.  I'd caution you to add the fruit at the end, after the long toast (my first batch the fruit was tooth-bustingly hard).   And by all means, improvise.  But mostly, just enjoy.

Olive Oil Granola With Dried Fruit and Nuts

Adapted from MELISSA CLARK

Originally Published: July 10, 2009

1. 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2. 1 1/2 cups raw nuts, hulled
3. 1 cup raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds, hulled
4. 1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
5. 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
6. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
7. 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or less if using salted nuts or seeds)
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9. 3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I love dried cherries here!)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, olive oil,  salt, and cinnamon. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
2. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add dried fruit, tossing to combine. Serve with yogurt and fruit, if desired.
Yield: About 9 cups.

The Morel of the Story

It is the first week of summer, and here I am teasing you with a picture of spring.  I am a bit late in posting this, and for that I apologize.  These little beauties showed up in my kitchen one day this spring.  I'm going to hazard a guess that is was in late April.  You may notice that I said they "showed" up.  Not that I didn't go looking for them yet again this year.  I've got the rules down, under old apple, elm and poplar, recent burned areas, when the apple trees bloom, when the trillium  blossom.   I even have some fantastic sites in mind, where I just KNOW they will appear.... I check and re-check only to come up empty.  I traipsed on several well-timed forays into the woodlands when I was just sure the path would lead to bountiful morels- yet, my eyes did not light on a single one this year.  That is, until these appeared.

I'm not saying that I have been lucky before this year either.  To be fair, I've only known enough about wild mushrooms to even LOOK for morels in the last 6 or 7 years.  Before that, I could've stepped on an entire field of morels and kept right on moving through.  That's how most things go, I guess.  But now I know when to look, I know what to look for, I just need to get lucky with the right spot.  The best part of finding them has got to be how good these little hard-to-find devils taste.  I did get lucky one year, and found 1 yellow morel.  That's right, ONE.  We took that yellow morel back to the kitchen, fried it up ever so lightly in butter, then spooned it over a crisped piece of toast.  And split it 3 ways.  Spartan yes, but oh so meltingly delicious.

So this year, when a kind benefactor (thank you, thank you!) dropped off this gift, I had an idea laying in wait: Morels in Cream Sauce. My plan involved not just serving it spooned over top of a piece of toast, but to grill a marinated steak and first layer slices over the toast, then crown the whole affair with the morels in cream.  (Is your mouth watering yet?)   After some quick photography, a simple marinade for a sumptuous T-bone steak (equal parts A1 sauce, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, a spritz of hot sauce and a sprinkle of montreal steak seasoning), I got to washing the convoluted caps.  I decided to slice them right down the middle, cleaning out and rinsing as I went.   This is just about when the unexpected company showed up- lucky ducks!

I have to say, in my humble vegetarian-leaning opinion, the sauce was fully capable of standing on its own with the toast, leaving the steak to be somewhat superfluous.  However, the whole thing worked beautifully together, and for the steak lovers in the crowd, you will not be disappointed at all.  

I'm not sure when I will see the likes of another batch like this, but must accept the fact that it will be at least another year.  The short morel season, coupled with my incredible difficulty stumbling on them by chance, and everyone that's in-the-know being maddeningly tight lipped on their top secret hunting spots- all makes them taste that much better.   (Not to mention the price they can fetch at market!)

Thinking ahead, I secreted away one precious cap to dice up and sprinkle in my woods, like fairy dust, on the off chance that it would find a perfect landing spot to go forth and prosper.  Until then, these pictures must do.  Oh, and chanterelle season is just around the corner!

Morels in Cream Sauce (adapted from The Great Morel website)

15-20 morels, well cleaned, and sliced in half

1 shallot, finely diced

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

3/4 cup veal stock (or chicken stock)

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the shallot in the butter and oil over medium until just translucent.  Add the sliced morels and saute till starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add stock and allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes.  Add cream, reduce heat, allowing to simmer until thickened slightly.  Season to taste.  

A planted garden with a happy pie ending

Today was a garden day.  Perhaps THE pinnacle of garden days this spring, as it was the day that the tomatoes were finally planted.  For those of you installing a garden this year, you know all about it....the dirty clothes and shoes, the weary back and arms, the fresh dug dirt smell, and the feeling of utter elation that it is finally in!!  For the rest of you, I know you will be hoping and waiting for our tomatoes to ripen so that you can visit with precision timing this summer.....a well-planned drop-in visit can yield large amounts of fresh veggies if all goes like this picture from the summer of 2008!  Keep those fingers crossed!!

Making the list this year are 10 tomato plants, of five different heirloom varieties. (Brandywine, Mr. Stripey, Amish Paste, Pineapple, Green Zebra).  Three of the varieties were started from seeds that I saved from those beauties 2 years ago!   Sadly, last year's heirloom bounty was a bust in this garden, as the blight struck us hard.  Yes, there were a few to harvest, but nothing to brag about for sure.   We are hoping for greater success this year.

We've got a few other things growing as well:  asparagus, rhubarb, raspberries, 2 new blueberry bushes, an herb garden, zucchini, pattypan, cantaloupe, winter squash, cucumber, lima bean, green bean, beet, carrot, 4 kinds of peppers, tomatillo, 2 kinds of eggplant, radish, green onion, swiss chard, arugula, red and green lettuces.  Whew.  I am exhausted just making the list.  It HAS been a long day.

Which leads me to the pie part.  After the long, laborious, hot and sunny day in the garden, we got visitors!!!  Four to be exact.  All of our parents showed up, taking advantage of the lovely weather to take a little drive.  Arriving just in time to see us drag our tired shovels out of the garden, the quick decision was made to catch dinner in town.   A wise decision, as no food was materializing from this house.  Off to Goodfella's we went.

After a very fulfilling meal, a single person ventured to order dessert.  But when Nutella Pie was announced as an option, all of our ears perked up.  Still, only one slice was ordered, but upon it's arrival, forks were raised all around and that single slice was quickly laid to rest.  Happily licking our forks we mused, "I wonder how you make a Nutella Pie?".   Once home, a quick google search happily answered that query, and you are the benefactors of this story.  Do make this pie soon.  I plan to.  Does it sound seriously easy or what?   Invite a few friends over (like me!) if you do, and they too will share in the joy that is Nutella Pie!

Nutella Pie (adapted from http://flavorsofabruzzo.com/2009/02/05/whipped-nutella-pie-for-world-nutella-day/)


1 pre-baked pie crust of  your choice


1 8oz.  package of cream cheese
1 cup Nutella
1 cup heavy cream - whipped


chocolate sauce or chocolate shavings for the top


Directions:  Combine cream cheese and nutella in a mixer, mix until well combined and creamy.  Fold in whipped heavy cream until just combined.  Spread into prepared pie shell.  Chill for at least 1 hour.  Serve with grated chocolate or drizzled with chocolate sauce.  

A Thousand Splendid Asparagus

This time last year a blog was born.  It was a time of celebration for my asparagus patch, which was dutifully sprouting the first spears of the spring, beautiful tips tightly closed and purple-tinged.  One year later the asparagus rises again.  And again and again if luck has it.  This blog too, has remained steadfast.  Though a bit more time may elapse between posts, it lives on.  Thank you for tuning in from time to time, and thank you for sharing your thoughts about it.  Your input - whether in person, or posting to the blog - inspires me.  Keep it up!!


As asparagus season rolls out in Western PA and farmer's markets begin to open up (May 8th for some of my favorites), hopefully you can get your hands on some freshly grown local spears.  Or maybe you'd rather drop by here and pick a few.  Either way, you may feel as I do that its time to try out some new recipes alongside your old favorites.  Because the production around here is fast and furious (and short-lived), I'm looking for ways to keep from getting bored.  Last year's big hit was the Cream of Asparagus Soup.  If you've not yet tried it out, make it your goal this spring.


Tonight was not the night for it though.  Tired from a long work week, not wanting to go to the trouble of making a pretty simple soup, I was looking for a quick fix.   Admittedly, I made the mistake this week of over-roasting a set of stalks. Though I do love oven-roasted asparagus, these were made limp, and dreadfully  stringy by my over-calculation of cooking time.  Not wanting to repeat that textural error, I went for the slightly cooked plan, and it was a winner.  In fact, I would go as far as to say this minimal cooking time was just perfect, resulting in just barely tender spears that yielded ever-so-slightly when bitten.  Even better was the flavor combination, a punch of lemon that only fresh grated rind can produce, combined with the salty/briny, earthy complexity of a well-aged parmesan cheese.


Cheers to you on this momentous occasion.  Keep reading, and I'll do my best to send more interesting things your way.


Lemon Parmesan Asparagus


1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed, remaining cut into 2-3" lengths
Olive oil  
Salt 
Pepper
Finely grated lemon peel from 1 fresh lemon
Freshly grated parmesan cheese


Directions:  Set pan of water to boil.  Add lengths of asparagus to boiling water.  Time for 2 minutes at full boil.  Remove spears and run quickly under cold water to stop cooking process.  Place drained asparagus on serving plate.  Dress lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Grate fresh lemon rind over spears, then fresh parmesan.