Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Manchego with Fig conserves
For my mom's birthday this year, I brought home some treats that one can't get in the homeland. The case of note, a lovely wedge of manchego with dalmatian fig spread. Great combo, lovely flavor.
I took out a plate to some of her friends...LOVED the cheese. Until I said it was spanish and made from sheeps milk--at which point, I swear one guy spit out the bite he had in his mouth.
What the heck is wrong with people?!!!
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I took out a plate to some of her friends...LOVED the cheese. Until I said it was spanish and made from sheeps milk--at which point, I swear one guy spit out the bite he had in his mouth.
What the heck is wrong with people?!!!
Monday, April 12, 2004
Asparagus, Spinach, Lavender...it must be Spring.
Ahhh yes, Easter weekend and the trip to Goog's for the five-hour mangia, so there's lots of interesting food to talk about.
It was an odd event this year for while most of us agreed that a brunch was a good idea, the middle generation decided it was going to be lunch and to hell with the rest of us. Thus, at noon the first antipasti were arrayed. With this came the lesson that you've gotta get real prosciutto di parma if you're doing it for appetizers, 'cause compared to the real thing on Goog's table the domestic we normally buy is crap. This was followed by bagels with whitefish and matzo brei around 1:30. Finally at 3, the ham hit the table along with sweet potatoes and the most incredible spring pasta dish I've ever tasted: angel hair pasta, tossed in a 1:1 ratio with cooked spinach and seasoned with carmelized onions, garlic and pine nuts. It sounds so very simple--yet it was utterly amazing. And typical of special dishes cooked by octogenarians, as she was giving me the recipe the secrets kept coming forth. "You cook your spinach with the garlic, salt and water and then toss it with your cooked angel hair. Then add your pine nuts and black pepper. It's that simple....Of course, I use stock, not water in my spinach, and simmer it slowly until it's all absorbed." There were several other secrets to the dish--I'll document them if I'm ever able to duplicate it.
My contributions to the meal were Wisconsin Danish Kringle from O&H Bakery in Racine (mail ordered for your convenience) quite tasty, buttery, sweet, but not overwhelming. Braised asparagus tips with a prosciutto/olive oil dressing: quite tender and delicious. My final entry was a roasted root vegetable (potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, carrots) egg custard pie baked in a cake pan so it could be cut into bite-size squares and eaten as an appetizer. Oddly enough, the veggie pie is the only thing the 7 year-old at the table would eat.
All in all, the Easter table was quite a treat, but the piece de resistance of the weekend was at the Union Square Farmer's Market on Saturday. Beth's Farm Kitchen was giving out samples of a new jam: Lavender. I know, I know, it sounds really weird, but it was this incredible slightly sweet yet herbal flavor, and is a gorgeous pale yellow color with tiny pinkish-purple buds. I can't wait until they start producing it in bulk for sale. I wouldn't use it in PBJ, but as a marinade for chicken or fish or in tea sandwiches it will be absolutely unbelievable.
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It was an odd event this year for while most of us agreed that a brunch was a good idea, the middle generation decided it was going to be lunch and to hell with the rest of us. Thus, at noon the first antipasti were arrayed. With this came the lesson that you've gotta get real prosciutto di parma if you're doing it for appetizers, 'cause compared to the real thing on Goog's table the domestic we normally buy is crap. This was followed by bagels with whitefish and matzo brei around 1:30. Finally at 3, the ham hit the table along with sweet potatoes and the most incredible spring pasta dish I've ever tasted: angel hair pasta, tossed in a 1:1 ratio with cooked spinach and seasoned with carmelized onions, garlic and pine nuts. It sounds so very simple--yet it was utterly amazing. And typical of special dishes cooked by octogenarians, as she was giving me the recipe the secrets kept coming forth. "You cook your spinach with the garlic, salt and water and then toss it with your cooked angel hair. Then add your pine nuts and black pepper. It's that simple....Of course, I use stock, not water in my spinach, and simmer it slowly until it's all absorbed." There were several other secrets to the dish--I'll document them if I'm ever able to duplicate it.
My contributions to the meal were Wisconsin Danish Kringle from O&H Bakery in Racine (mail ordered for your convenience) quite tasty, buttery, sweet, but not overwhelming. Braised asparagus tips with a prosciutto/olive oil dressing: quite tender and delicious. My final entry was a roasted root vegetable (potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, carrots) egg custard pie baked in a cake pan so it could be cut into bite-size squares and eaten as an appetizer. Oddly enough, the veggie pie is the only thing the 7 year-old at the table would eat.
All in all, the Easter table was quite a treat, but the piece de resistance of the weekend was at the Union Square Farmer's Market on Saturday. Beth's Farm Kitchen was giving out samples of a new jam: Lavender. I know, I know, it sounds really weird, but it was this incredible slightly sweet yet herbal flavor, and is a gorgeous pale yellow color with tiny pinkish-purple buds. I can't wait until they start producing it in bulk for sale. I wouldn't use it in PBJ, but as a marinade for chicken or fish or in tea sandwiches it will be absolutely unbelievable.
Friday, April 02, 2004
Start with a Sweet
I was at the Union Square Farmers Market this noon and went to the Friday honey people. I believe they're out of Van Etten, NY. They do something I've never seen before at a market stand: they classify their honey by the flowers that were in bloom at the time of collection. The honey all comes from the same hives, it's just what they drain off at different times of the year.
The difference from type to type is ASTOUNDING. I've tasted quite a few of their varieties and following is the rundown on several:
Linden is a pale, pale yellow that's very light and tastes a little of mint. It works well in Morroccan spiced dishes.
Bamboo (from bamboo flowers) is the other end of the spectrum: dark, dark brown, very rich, almost earthy and not terribly sweet. This one's great as the base for honey-grain breads and I must say is an all around favorite for me.
I'm disappointed to say that last year's "Raspberry Rose" has given way to this year's "Raspberry". Evidently it was too rainy for the rose gardens of Van Etten and its environs last summer. Not that the raspberry isn't good--it has a very fruity tang to it, but last year's honey tasted like the back porch of my father's house smelled in autumn. Thick with roses and fruit from the trees.
The "Climatis", which evidently replaced the roses in force this summer, is fine, but lacking in depth. The primary flavor is sweet with nothing noticeable behind it.
Today's purchase was the generic "Fall flower" variety. The color is a medium golden (as in the standard grocery store honey bear) but it tastes as if there's about a stick of melted butter mixed in. It's almost unreal. I can't wait to try it on rolls on Sunday morning.
If you're in Manhattan some Friday--I'd really recommend going to Union Square to check these out for yourself.
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The difference from type to type is ASTOUNDING. I've tasted quite a few of their varieties and following is the rundown on several:
Linden is a pale, pale yellow that's very light and tastes a little of mint. It works well in Morroccan spiced dishes.
Bamboo (from bamboo flowers) is the other end of the spectrum: dark, dark brown, very rich, almost earthy and not terribly sweet. This one's great as the base for honey-grain breads and I must say is an all around favorite for me.
I'm disappointed to say that last year's "Raspberry Rose" has given way to this year's "Raspberry". Evidently it was too rainy for the rose gardens of Van Etten and its environs last summer. Not that the raspberry isn't good--it has a very fruity tang to it, but last year's honey tasted like the back porch of my father's house smelled in autumn. Thick with roses and fruit from the trees.
The "Climatis", which evidently replaced the roses in force this summer, is fine, but lacking in depth. The primary flavor is sweet with nothing noticeable behind it.
Today's purchase was the generic "Fall flower" variety. The color is a medium golden (as in the standard grocery store honey bear) but it tastes as if there's about a stick of melted butter mixed in. It's almost unreal. I can't wait to try it on rolls on Sunday morning.
If you're in Manhattan some Friday--I'd really recommend going to Union Square to check these out for yourself.
