tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54468022832396623852024-02-18T21:49:19.153-05:00Little Compton MorningsJanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.comBlogger209125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-23247928502290326732016-07-16T11:12:00.001-04:002016-07-16T11:12:34.350-04:00A Fool for Sour Cherries
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifZZueaSISa5q7DEQlWWbrIs0BEo5GlK_LAljsuLaWw-M40fesXyRAAABnz148spoA_zh645NI0_6CcEYTMMsWMgpm9i30Ukk17T6zvl6pGf0JNiYTaplzO0aZ9j9QOzcABVUlFrlghU/s1600/Sour+cherries+bowl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifZZueaSISa5q7DEQlWWbrIs0BEo5GlK_LAljsuLaWw-M40fesXyRAAABnz148spoA_zh645NI0_6CcEYTMMsWMgpm9i30Ukk17T6zvl6pGf0JNiYTaplzO0aZ9j9QOzcABVUlFrlghU/s320/Sour+cherries+bowl.JPG" width="240" /></a>“Tragic,” my fellow-cook <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/08/eat-peach-ladies-luncheon.html">Anne</a>
said.
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Tragic to us is what I did the other day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drove to Little Compton for a visit, going
from one friend to another. On the way, I stopped at the <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2013/07/slowly-sour-cherries.html">Fruit
Lady’s</a>, and to my surprise, she still had <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2011/07/that-sour-cherry-season.html">sour
cherries</a>: living nearly an hour away on the other side of the bay, and
being very busy in June and early July, I have missed them this year. So I was
thrilled to see them.</div>
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There was only one pint, though, which I bought along with
three colors of <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/07/currants-are-current.html">currants</a>,
and asked if there would be more later in the day: they put the fruit out twice
a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Fruit Lady makes no promises,
but after stopping at <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2013/07/back-in-lc-green-and-green-beans.html">Walkers</a>
on the way out for corn (gone—went to <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2011/07/karlas-perfect-peaches.html">Karla</a>
for that and some fresh garlic) and lettuce and <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/06/heavenly-heavy-cream.html">real
cream</a> (success), I stopped at the Fruit Lady’s on the way out and there, on
the stand, were two pints!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waiting for
ME! I snatched them up, together with a cup of <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/07/gather-ye-raspberries-while-ye-may.html">raspberries</a>
(I’d bought the currants and raspberries in the morning), and went to pay.
Fruit Lady husband/farmer, Dick, was there, and though we’d spoken at length in
the morning, we struck up a conversation again. I talked while rummaging around
for more cash and bagging up my purchases, eager to get on the road back
through Newport before the traffic got really bad. I hit the road, happy.</div>
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At home, I unloaded my treasures of lettuce, cream, milk,
corn, garlic, some discounted perennials, currants, raspberries, and….cherries?
Where are the rest of my cherries??</div>
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Left. Lost. A fool. Ergo: Tragic.</div>
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But I did have my one pint. Not enough for a pie, but still.
What to make? A batch of <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/08/sublime-sour-cherry.html">cocktail
cherries</a>? Some little turnovers? <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/07/sour-cherries-and-currants.html">Some
of my favorite jam</a>? I decided—it seemed fitting—on a fool. I had that
wonderful cream, after all, and I could do a semblance of a cherry pie filling
for the fruit. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBRBCPfRrhEkJ_Lxo_j2l-leTobvZF0zM7ZktGnM4d_TKymtXNrQziUYgeU6B0UYS6raYOMwKk1FfYDXlVueSg1BTQFDfb3w_0EzEklQJW8VJfH_KN0GvrQvu-XV_zZK0PGqjGZLwpTo/s1600/Sour+cherry+trifle+sponge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBRBCPfRrhEkJ_Lxo_j2l-leTobvZF0zM7ZktGnM4d_TKymtXNrQziUYgeU6B0UYS6raYOMwKk1FfYDXlVueSg1BTQFDfb3w_0EzEklQJW8VJfH_KN0GvrQvu-XV_zZK0PGqjGZLwpTo/s200/Sour+cherry+trifle+sponge.JPG" width="200" /></a>It was trash day, and while the filling was doing its quick
cooking on the stove, I did my usual survey of the refrigerator and freezer to
see what, if anything, needed to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
there, lying right at the top of the freezer drawer, tightly wrapped, was
something I’d forgotten about: a single layer of <a href="http://ruthreichl.com/2010/02/genuine-spongecake.html/">Mrs. Lincoln’s sponge
cake</a> . So maybe I’m just a trifle of a fool, after all.</div>
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<span style="color: red;">Sour Cherry Fool or Trifle</span></div>
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You can make a close facsimile of a fool with just the
cherries and cream, or turn it into a close relative of a trifle with the added
cake. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fool is usually made with fresh
fruit, and a trifle with custard, but these are close enough. The trifle is
surprisingly light and refreshing—a nice summer dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be good with blueberries treated
similarly.</div>
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2 c sour cherries, pitted</div>
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½ cup sugar</div>
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juice of ¼ lemon</div>
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1/8 tea cardamom</div>
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dash cinnamon</div>
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dash salt</div>
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1 ½ T corn starch</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCG58FiDOKuJH7_HcwDFkkPx6cKBllOUmYkXURMbvPXJT2X9Zj_PsMGZ5xa-TxWYphIOo_KhTT9XuTPYemraQkr6uiNnOF0EwRH4GO8vIEAarofsiU5w89vB-zDVVggVDiU7uXMPvw20/s1600/Sour+cherry+trifle+ingred.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCG58FiDOKuJH7_HcwDFkkPx6cKBllOUmYkXURMbvPXJT2X9Zj_PsMGZ5xa-TxWYphIOo_KhTT9XuTPYemraQkr6uiNnOF0EwRH4GO8vIEAarofsiU5w89vB-zDVVggVDiU7uXMPvw20/s200/Sour+cherry+trifle+ingred.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div>
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1 cup fresh, high-fat heavy cream</div>
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2 T + 2 tea sugar</div>
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½ tea vanilla </div>
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1 thin layer homemade sponge cake, or 1 pkg lady fingers </div>
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¼-1/3 cup white wine</div>
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2 T rhubarb or other fresh red-fruit syrup (optional)</div>
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<u>For the cherries:</u></div>
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Place the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, spices, salt, and
cornstarch into a heavy aluminum 2-qt saucepan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Turn the heat on low, and after the sugar has begun to melt and the
cherries to throw off liquid, turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring
occasionally, until thickened. This will take no more than 5 minutes; do not
overcook. Cool to room temperature.</div>
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<u>For the whipped cream:</u></div>
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Beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it forms
soft (not stiff) peaks.</div>
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<u>To assemble:</u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gGbNA5AJr_h3gi2Fe21yjUePuqOZ_y-50V6FW2oyAewTooLrBBMxxKapWhUsRkLL8wdLQTgWXQa7Fx9NeR0o2kN_AJNZlHtKW4zoYqqGpTxGhB9cyyjh9vxUEdtQBWHUrspr6RY6ntc/s1600/Sour+cherry+trifle+layer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gGbNA5AJr_h3gi2Fe21yjUePuqOZ_y-50V6FW2oyAewTooLrBBMxxKapWhUsRkLL8wdLQTgWXQa7Fx9NeR0o2kN_AJNZlHtKW4zoYqqGpTxGhB9cyyjh9vxUEdtQBWHUrspr6RY6ntc/s200/Sour+cherry+trifle+layer.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div>
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In a pretty bowl, preferably glass, make layers, beginning
and ending with the cherries, as follows:</div>
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1. Tear about a third of the sponge into pieces and fit them
around the dish fairly snugly. Sprinkle with a little of the syrup and the
wine.</div>
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2. Spread a layer of whipped cream to cover (a little less
than 1/3).</div>
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3. Spread about 1/3 of the cherry mixture over the cream, not
quite to the edges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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4. Repeat. You should have a little whipped cream left over
for garnish if desired. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Layers will not
be as visible as in a trifle made with firm custard, but will be nice when
scooped out. Cover and chill for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3-6
hrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-R4x6Fcn59T47ub3eMk7VVurcb3F7_7ieFrmSptBW69lsPaeh7AOwE8RaY_nVNpuRAu31E3D0WtrktNoJH_hhmr0d8ZnKtvwRndubf3aSqs5ygXwH0GgeWWo9MlNXPlagqKNJ8xV7M4/s1600/Sour+Cherry+Trifle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-R4x6Fcn59T47ub3eMk7VVurcb3F7_7ieFrmSptBW69lsPaeh7AOwE8RaY_nVNpuRAu31E3D0WtrktNoJH_hhmr0d8ZnKtvwRndubf3aSqs5ygXwH0GgeWWo9MlNXPlagqKNJ8xV7M4/s320/Sour+Cherry+Trifle.JPG" width="240" /></a>Remove from the refrigerator about 10-15 minutes before
serving (you do know how I object to anything too cold to taste). Serve in
glass or white bowls if you have them, with a little extra whipped cream.
Garnish with a little grated lemon zest, or with a little mint, if desired.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15nzQsX7JsUiKtzpZw54mmbNhgOYlojFg58sewrvYYxkrdDuJ0skapjtIcEVtF-vSdamGPwsH_Y6GZ7d2svws2wV_qLmeOqrQbC5PKrtQnrHO8BZCZhyphenhyphenwYr_kEBFZ2yQQqEaBhu80u58/s1600/trifle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15nzQsX7JsUiKtzpZw54mmbNhgOYlojFg58sewrvYYxkrdDuJ0skapjtIcEVtF-vSdamGPwsH_Y6GZ7d2svws2wV_qLmeOqrQbC5PKrtQnrHO8BZCZhyphenhyphenwYr_kEBFZ2yQQqEaBhu80u58/s320/trifle.JPG" width="240" /></a> </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-19494602156526159192015-12-25T15:05:00.000-05:002015-12-25T15:05:01.655-05:00Brioche for Breakfast: Merry Christmas Morning!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhF7alsUpHuLNsA1VtmD6ex8DrnpC0eDvRAWvJ9TaSBhX5upDj7H82JuVx_4JIBCAmKeF9mrxRcEaOr7jXyI9rvd7kYFxt9SpIa2jYjNAsklsgnLhKNXwFyRTOoQrGy60kpqqcMdMH8MI/s1600/briochebaked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhF7alsUpHuLNsA1VtmD6ex8DrnpC0eDvRAWvJ9TaSBhX5upDj7H82JuVx_4JIBCAmKeF9mrxRcEaOr7jXyI9rvd7kYFxt9SpIa2jYjNAsklsgnLhKNXwFyRTOoQrGy60kpqqcMdMH8MI/s320/briochebaked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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On Christmas morning, I always treat myself to a sweet
yeasted bread. Back in the day, I used to make stollen, which I love, using a
wonderful recipe from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pleasures of
Cooking</i>, the magazine that <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-cuisinarts-two.html">Cuisinart</a>
used to put out in the first years they (the original company run by Carl
Sontheimer) were making food processors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(You remember, the good ones that didn’t crack or burn out).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, when it was just me, I would buy a
really good imported Panettone (although when I was in Philly I bought them for
a few years from <a href="http://www.metropolitanbakery.com/">Metropolitan
Bakery</a> when they were making them) and eat it, slowly, over the course of a
week or so, toasting it as it got stale.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MQUgQWYEO6veFlwJXNIRjlIHboqGv3xTgMs3eMwbetkeOB7dfiFFXSqavjrjxlC7l9fMEDqv2A1aoGlqnqKNaWT9QwYbQOnIL1wh-JA6QMM9wRBQgbf0fbDABIgpyUouxo8riHJck4o/s1600/xmastree15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MQUgQWYEO6veFlwJXNIRjlIHboqGv3xTgMs3eMwbetkeOB7dfiFFXSqavjrjxlC7l9fMEDqv2A1aoGlqnqKNaWT9QwYbQOnIL1wh-JA6QMM9wRBQgbf0fbDABIgpyUouxo8riHJck4o/s200/xmastree15.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7gmg9ajTaDSaW4nzbIqo0CneGyBPWtFxsZDB2TARYuj2VTTiy9kakEgZYaSxx_6bdLWEWgXOhu1N5oAHSAAdYOv0bKL-G9n71DE9_kKaLkn5oIucCzrKQaADGUxzaBk8mdyGFq4jQA8/s1600/briocheroll.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7gmg9ajTaDSaW4nzbIqo0CneGyBPWtFxsZDB2TARYuj2VTTiy9kakEgZYaSxx_6bdLWEWgXOhu1N5oAHSAAdYOv0bKL-G9n71DE9_kKaLkn5oIucCzrKQaADGUxzaBk8mdyGFq4jQA8/s200/briocheroll.JPG" width="200" /></a>This year, still camping out at my son’s house without any
of my own equipment and in the mood for something less sweet, I looked at his
shiny new KitchenAid, sitting forlorn on the counter, and decided to make
brioche. No specialty pan absolutely required (although I do have the big and
little fluted molds in storage), no fruits and nuts needed. </div>
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I have been fortunate to live around a lot of good bakeries
in my wandering days (which is pretty much all of them), but the one I probably
loved the most was the one in Carmel, CA where, at the age of 22, before I had
ever been to Europe and American bakeries were still, well, American, I fell in
love with brioche. (Do you think, for my New Year’s resolution, I should strive
for shorter sentences?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still
absolutely love it, and it is still, surprisingly, not all that easy to find.
So I still consider it to be special.</div>
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Brioche can be made in lots of shapes, and is most often
seen as individual rolls, but I love the look of a big brioche Nanterre. So
that’s what I made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cultured butter, <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2014/07/yours-for-taking-mussels.html">Wayne’s</a>
eggs, flour, yeast—and patience—that’s pretty much it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A simple pleasure for the holiday. Hope you
have a happy one.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-38652403567468484772015-12-13T10:49:00.003-05:002015-12-13T10:49:53.023-05:00Lotsa Butter: Christmas Cookies<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwhvLCc_m-QSvJ_RMMH0BZtTFn1Q4TVt4AQd_kUouJzx2F1dSxa59T_hq1aZ_4FanaPBT8etz1YPpFiulzNS6Ma2Nl6w3d48832LOFsaeJudkzswNtYg3DEwTt0N1y8so8BjsbyVVKHs/s1600/cookieplate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwhvLCc_m-QSvJ_RMMH0BZtTFn1Q4TVt4AQd_kUouJzx2F1dSxa59T_hq1aZ_4FanaPBT8etz1YPpFiulzNS6Ma2Nl6w3d48832LOFsaeJudkzswNtYg3DEwTt0N1y8so8BjsbyVVKHs/s320/cookieplate.JPG" width="240" /></a>Much as I love my lard, <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/01/salt-pork-local-fat-of-choice.html">to
every item there is its fat</a>, and for cookies (with a few Italian exceptions),
that is butter. Gorgeous, fresh, sweet, unsalted butter.</div>
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I love cookies, and for decades have curated a <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/search?q=cookies">collection</a>
of those I consider to be true keepers. I am not a chocolate chip cookie
girl—literally almost never make them except for kids. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not that I don’t appreciate a good, soft,
chewy one made with good chocolate, it’s just that I don’t care, sort of like
not caring about cupcakes or gooey layered bars or. . . OK, I think I just
figured it out: I don’t like things that are too sweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So rich, tender, chewy, crisp-elegant, spicy,
all good. Too sweet, no.</div>
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This year I am rather limited; all my baking stuff--my vast
trove of cookie cutters, sheet pans, rolling pins, decorating tips, pastry bags—are
in storage, as is my little collection of prize recipes. Had to order a rolling
pin (I only have about 10 in storage, so went for something a little different),
and a half-sheet pan (can’t have too many of those, either), and a few cookie
cutters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I borrowed a few recipes, found
one of my old faves online, and had one of my more recent acquisitions in my
computer. </div>
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That is the one I provide below, a Mexican wedding cookie
given to me by a doctoral student when I was at Vanderbilt. She brought them to
a department holiday potluck lunch, and I was lucky enough to eat many of them
and to get the recipe.</div>
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While I do not have the time anymore (or maybe it’s the
energy) to bake hundreds of cookies of a dozen varieties and give them to
friends and neighbors, I still think there is nothing I’d rather have on the
holiday table, or sitting on the edge of the counter, than a plate of cookies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if not a dozen, at least three different
kinds, please.</div>
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<span style="color: #f79646; mso-themecolor: accent6;">Mexican
Wedding Cakes</span></div>
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Though the recipe came to me labeled as “cakes,” which I
retain here, they are not cakey, but tender little butter-nut cookies with some
similarity to almond crescents.</div>
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In Tucson I could use local pecans; buy the very best whole
pecans you can find. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Makes about 3 dozen,
depending on size</i>.</div>
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1 c (4 oz) pecans, coarsely chopped</div>
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1 c (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened</div>
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¼ tea salt</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>½ c 10x
(confectioners) sugar</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>2 tea pure vanilla extract</div>
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2 c a-p flour</div>
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¼ c 10x (confectioners) sugar</div>
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Adjust the oven rack into the upper third of the oven. Preheat
to 350 F.</div>
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Spread the coarsely chopped pecans on a baking sheet and
toast in the oven, stirring occasionally, 5-8 minutes until lightly browned.
You could do this in a toaster oven.</div>
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Cool thoroughly, then grind in a food processor until very
fine but not quite powdery and certainly not oily.</div>
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In a stand mixer or with a hand-held electric mixer, beat
the softened butter, salt, ½ cup of confectioners sugar, and vanilla until very
fluffy and well combined. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gradually add
and beat the pecans into the butter mixture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While beating, sift the flour into the mixture and continue beating
until evenly incorporated.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Pull off pieces of dough and roll between the palms into
generous 1-inch balls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Space 1 ¼ inches
apart on cookie sheets.</div>
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Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for
12-15 minutes, until faintly tinged with light golden color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Transfer the sheet to a rack and let the cookies
firm up slightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then transfer the cookies
onto the rack to cool thoroughly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Sift the ¼ c confectioners sugar onto a sheet of wax paper. Roll
the cookies in the sugar to evenly coat; if you are planning to freeze the
cookies, freeze unsugared and thaw and sugar before using. Sugared cookies will
keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks; you can freeze the baked cookies for
a month.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-16354987007489122162015-12-06T09:02:00.001-05:002015-12-06T09:02:07.083-05:00Leaf Lard + Stayman Winesaps = Iconic Apple Pie<style>
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Trendsetter that I have always been, my beloved fat of
choice for fruit pies is, at long last, making a comeback. It had gotten to the
point where it was near-impossible to find even the commercial (hydrogenated)
lard, and recipes that once called for lard—Mexican dishes and many
old-fashioned baked goods—had been rewritten to call for Crisco or oil: for shame! But
now, lard, <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/12/fats-chance-if-not-now-when.html">like
butter</a>, is enjoying a resurgence as a natural food. People are actually
making lard again! I have not yet found a local source—I am confident, or at
least hopeful, that there is one—but carefully rendered pure leaf lard is
increasingly available by mail order. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you, sane and dedicated pig farmers.</div>
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Leaf lard is the exceptionally white and pure visceral fat
from around the kidneys of the pig. A few words about lard, and leaf lard in
particular, will, I hope, do its bit to help restore lard to its rightful place
in cooking and baking. Lard was, of course, the most common fat in America
before the development of stable oils, widely available commercial butter, and
(don’t get me started) margarine. It was used just as one would use butter, not
merely for baking or cooking but also to spread on bread (think lardo as served
now as a special item in some Italian restaurants).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But lard’s decline in demand was not simply a
matter of new, improved products replacing the old; its disappearance had as much
to do with smear (no pun intended) campaigns as anything else. </div>
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This was ironic, given lard’s properties and characteristics
versus many oils, butter, and margarine. For example, pure rendered lard has
zero (that’s 0) transfats; it has a much higher percentage of “good” fat
(monounsatured), and lower percent of saturated fat (the “bad”) than butter and
the trendy coconut oil. It yields a flaky, rich pastry that has particular
affinity, in my opinion, for pome and most drupe fruits, poultry and meats (as in
empanadas or meat pies), and most berries. It is excellent for frying chicken
and potatoes, and as a fat in old-fashioned cakes, cookies and breads, from
biscuits and rolls to those containing fruits and nuts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It adds depth without flavor; no, it doesn't taste like pig. And last but not least, lard, as an agricultural
by-product of pigs that can be raised and produced locally, is sustainable and
reflects a minimal-waste philosophy.</div>
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In time for the holiday baking, I had recently ordered my
leaf lard (and some interesting smoked lard that makes very nice roasted
potatoes) from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/FannieAndFlo/">FannieandFlo</a>,
when I spotted some Stayman Winessaps among the many apple varieties at the
store. They were a local offering, unadorned by stickers or shine, priced 20
cents below any other variety. While everyone else grabbed their new-fangled
Galas, I grabbed those. Along with <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/10/gravensteins-et-al-fall-apple-season.html">Gravensteins</a>
and a few other old varieties, the Stayman Winesap is a fine baking apple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With lard and good local apples in hand,
there was only one thing to do: make a pie.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Classic Apple Pie with Lard Crust</span></div>
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You can make a butter and lard crust like <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/07/sour-cherries-and-currants.html">this
one,</a> or, as I did for this pie, an all-lard crust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t put a lot of spices in your pie
(especially clove or allspice); cinnamon, perhaps a touch of nutmeg if you<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>must, is all an apple pie needs.</div>
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<u>Pastry for a double-crust 9” pie</u></div>
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2 ¼ c a-p flour</div>
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2/3 cup cold leaf lard</div>
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1 tea salt</div>
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6 T ice water</div>
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<u>Filling</u></div>
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8 large apples (Cortlands, Macouns, or other crisp and
tart-sweet baking apple can be used)</div>
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scant cup of sugar</div>
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cinnamon to taste </div>
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3 T a-p flour</div>
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pinch salt</div>
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1 T lemon juice</div>
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2 T unsalted butter</div>
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Make your crust in the usual way, by cutting the fat lightly
into the flour and salt, then bringing it together with the cold water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divide and chill, wrapped in plastic or wax
paper. I prefer to make my pastry a day
or more ahead (freeze it if you don’t plan to use it for a few days, then thaw
in the refrigerator.</div>
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While the pastry is chilling, put the sugar, flour,
cinnamon, and a pinch of salt into a a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice your
apples about 1/4” thick, tossing them into the sugar mixture as you go. Add the
lemon juice and toss. Always taste the juices before you fill your pie, adding
additional cinnamon or a speck of salt if needed; you don’t want your pie to be over-spiced, but
you don’t want it bland either.</div>
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Preheat the oven to 375F. </div>
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Roll out and fit the bottom crust into the pie plate; fill
with the apples and pour in the juices. Dot the apples with the butter. Roll
out the top crust and fit it over the apples. Trim the pastry as needed; turn
it under to sit on the rim, and crimp. With a fork or small skewer, poke some
holes into the crust to vent steam. If you have time, refrigerate the filled
pie for 10 or 15 minutes.</div>
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Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 45-60 minutes, or
until it is golden, fragrant, and the juices begin to bubble through the vent
holes. You can use a tiny bamboo skewer inserted into one of the vent holes to check that apples are cooked if you are not sure. Remove the pie and let cool completely before serving.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYgEjX7QBWcUbqqE56mtVbSJY-v_pCps1I5xuEEn9UNZsdSWxxbd_hnHjgu4UXtCbX2lRKDl1uB5snrEOeoXLTaNUAup7UsRdd2x8MciiEBVoL71Pn7wD9yq4Z_17yQTOlbMpj24G1jM/s1600/appiepiece.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYgEjX7QBWcUbqqE56mtVbSJY-v_pCps1I5xuEEn9UNZsdSWxxbd_hnHjgu4UXtCbX2lRKDl1uB5snrEOeoXLTaNUAup7UsRdd2x8MciiEBVoL71Pn7wD9yq4Z_17yQTOlbMpj24G1jM/s320/appiepiece.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-20729206232913675422015-11-26T21:17:00.000-05:002015-12-06T09:07:03.182-05:00Happy Thanksgiving: The Immutability of the Menu<style>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ay2WheyaouBzYueE2n_G_PAKLunkWKe4KIwLlvzAf3Cld-ibDUMIz1w7nGTY6bSqxKRsMDBIcQqeb0KreIV1CGpg911vgNqWth02DiQUyofgkfehb7RlGDz8-ImfNYTQpJQoVIufJ4I/s1600/Turkey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ay2WheyaouBzYueE2n_G_PAKLunkWKe4KIwLlvzAf3Cld-ibDUMIz1w7nGTY6bSqxKRsMDBIcQqeb0KreIV1CGpg911vgNqWth02DiQUyofgkfehb7RlGDz8-ImfNYTQpJQoVIufJ4I/s320/Turkey.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I’ve had a lot of change in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confronted the bad, seized the good, walked
away from indifferent and dull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far from
afraid of change, I am someone who embraces it—maybe even a little too much.</div>
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So it is interesting, even curious, that the Thanksgiving
menu never, ever changes. Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July: all are
reconsidered, reconfigured, revised, reinvented every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Thanksgiving’s only concession in thirty-five
years has been to hold back on the number of dishes when the group is
smaller—as it is this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means,
with some regret, one less vegetable, and one less pie.</div>
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In our house, the most essential dish—after the turkey of
course—is the Pennsylvania Dutch potato filling that has been on our
Thanksgiving table since I was a child. My grandmother made it every year, then
my mother, now me. We sometimes refer to it as stuffing, but it is never put in
the turkey, but rather baked separately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A cross between stuffing and mashed potatoes, properly made it is moist,
rich but fluffy, smooth but textured. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leftovers are prized, hot or cold.</div>
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Given its reliable presence this time of year, I was
surprised to find that I have never provided a recipe for it in a Thanksgiving
post. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most likely because it was
decimated for picture-taking before I even thought of it. Or maybe because
there really isn’t a recipe, in the sense of one written down. It’s something
that is made largely be feel. Even so, that’s an oversight that I hereby
correct. You likely have your own immutable menu, but if not, I do think this
is worth a try if you like mashed potatoes or stuffing. And really, who
doesn’t?</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The Family Potato Filling</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mAdZOsqlykQ2DC9tXCKkYdkGtEDByxnr4EFYcez99mMLL5Vypv7okGTdR-e9K1UQeW4NrvxZJs_432Eq4IKp9V8PfdRwdIBRWxnYubk5ic_q5Jrz9w_NPzV8BfMdDTxumCaS-dWddZw/s1600/bread+saute.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mAdZOsqlykQ2DC9tXCKkYdkGtEDByxnr4EFYcez99mMLL5Vypv7okGTdR-e9K1UQeW4NrvxZJs_432Eq4IKp9V8PfdRwdIBRWxnYubk5ic_q5Jrz9w_NPzV8BfMdDTxumCaS-dWddZw/s200/bread+saute.JPG" width="150" /></a>Other than the potatoes and bread, add the ingredients gradually
(as indicated) to get the taste and texture you want. I always make this up to the
point of baking the day ahead. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serves 12
or more</i>.</div>
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5 lb russet potatoes</div>
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2 lb traditional good-quality white bread, such as
Pepperidge Farm original</div>
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12-16 oz unsalted butter for sautéing bread</div>
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1 cup milk, approx., heated</div>
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1 large onion, medium dice</div>
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4-6 celery stalks, medium dice (be sure to string the celery
first)</div>
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1-2 tea or more fresh dried thyme</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgEey6cx0X32skK7nZqClMBUv_-1UQDOPhjMKWcRzU7cMYAF2M_kF_rgnZfa-b3NS_gN6cttdqfo-SQFl7L4yngF3JJ7ToyuuiYdKD5jLG4hIm0bFJPNxiH75dtJNNZD3tNeXA90XbZk/s1600/potatofillingmix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgEey6cx0X32skK7nZqClMBUv_-1UQDOPhjMKWcRzU7cMYAF2M_kF_rgnZfa-b3NS_gN6cttdqfo-SQFl7L4yngF3JJ7ToyuuiYdKD5jLG4hIm0bFJPNxiH75dtJNNZD3tNeXA90XbZk/s200/potatofillingmix.JPG" width="150" /></a>salt and pepper to taste</div>
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3-4 T additional butter</div>
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Early on the day or the night before you make it, cut the
crusts off the bread and lay out on a sheet pan to dry out a bit, turning
occasionally; bring the crusts out to the birds immediately so you don’t eat
them all dipped in soft butter (who does that??).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cut the bread into cubes, 4x4 and leave
spread out to dry.</div>
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Peel and cut the potatoes into even chunks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bring to a boil in a large pot of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>salted water and cook until tender, or they
slip off an inserted knife.</div>
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While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the bread cubes. If
you have them, use two large frying pans; melt 4 oz butter in each, add the
bread in an even layer (do not crowd the pan), and cook, tossing occasionally
until crisp and golden, adding butter as needed. You will need to do them in
perhaps 4 batches; remove to a bowl as you cook them, sprinkling them lightly
with salt, pepper, and thyme as you go, and set aside.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAHOcD_RoVJXz6SdI-6LHWAdXU4Ap-h3fz2cynee0j13QzCkX4tUeA5_PVDW99WLk7RrF_CaihdL8OQQUbl6go4R-Ew8u474i6TZy4pS6kEvlaMqJ0m2BKYD7ao7VH-NeERN-uuEZmyo/s1600/potfillingready.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAHOcD_RoVJXz6SdI-6LHWAdXU4Ap-h3fz2cynee0j13QzCkX4tUeA5_PVDW99WLk7RrF_CaihdL8OQQUbl6go4R-Ew8u474i6TZy4pS6kEvlaMqJ0m2BKYD7ao7VH-NeERN-uuEZmyo/s200/potfillingready.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div>
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When the potatoes are done, drain them and place in your
biggest bowl; the upside-down lid of a Tupperware cake keeper works well. Mash
the potatoes, adding warm milk (start with ½ cup), salt, and pepper to achieve a
smooth consistency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I prefer to use an
old-fashioned potato masher or a ricer; if you use a mixer, be careful not to
overbeat or they will be tough. There is so much butter in the bread that you
don’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have</i> to add any.</div>
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When the potatoes are smooth and still very warm, fold in
the sautéed bread and about ¾ (to start) of the diced celery and onion, or
about 1 cup each. Taste for texture, distribution of veggies, and seasoning;
mixture will be very firm but should not be super stiff or dry—it should still
feel creamy. Add a little more milk and additional salt, pepper, and thyme as
needed; the thyme should be clearly present but not dominant. </div>
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Butter two baking dishes; if you distribute the filling
among a large (say, a glass lasagna pan or a 3-qt soufflé dish) and a small
(e.g., a 9” baker or 1 ½ qt gratin), you may be lucky enough to have one
untouched for next day, and even defer heating it until you see if it is
needed. Spread the mixture into the pans evenly and dot generously with butter.
Cover with foil and refrigerate.</div>
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Remove from the refrigerator a good 4 or 5 hours ahead to
bring to room temperature. Bake in a 375 F oven—you can put it in after your
remove your turkey if you have a single oven—still covered with foil, for about
30 minutes (a deep dish takes longer to heat than a shallow one, so plan for
that), or until hot in the center (I plunge in a finger to test). Remove the
foil and bake another 10 minutes or so until browned and heaving. Serve in
generous spoonsful with the turkey gravy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2TEXBGx7NMfJY5MFkLrPX5Fk-6u4xqAlsNQV0kmH05GJ6A39rNpfwS5pRneRrK75hsZBjXEjt0D1TuCaJjkDT4nTKTQxLelSjJHjEZmmANwRcnnUNe9Hk0AOU5uzM8RX1dNZQuMwRJc/s1600/Potato+filling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2TEXBGx7NMfJY5MFkLrPX5Fk-6u4xqAlsNQV0kmH05GJ6A39rNpfwS5pRneRrK75hsZBjXEjt0D1TuCaJjkDT4nTKTQxLelSjJHjEZmmANwRcnnUNe9Hk0AOU5uzM8RX1dNZQuMwRJc/s320/Potato+filling.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-22497037613257116732015-11-22T14:37:00.004-05:002015-11-22T14:37:56.384-05:00Transition: Little Compton Poblanos Make A Southwest Classic
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One of the first gifts from Little Compton farmers markets—namely,
<a href="http://youngfamilyfarm.com/">Young Farm</a>—that I received when I
returned from my years in Tucson was <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/10/poblanos-chile-charmer.html">poblano
peppers</a>. As you know, these are a favorite of mine, and the only choice, in
my opinion, for <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2010/05/tween-months-ii-chiles-rellenos.html">chiles
rellenos</a>.. I promptly roasted, peeled, and froze them (although, yes, I did
make one chile relleno for myself), in part so that I might use them in the
future to make something for the person who brought them to me, my friend <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/08/eat-peach-ladies-luncheon.html">Anne</a>.</div>
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Some weeks later, when Anne was coming for dinner, it seemed
that putting them into a Southwest favorite of mine, pork green chile, known
simply as “green chile” in most locales, would be nice. I usually use <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2011/10/hatch-chile-fever.html">Hatch
chiles</a> for green chile, having come to believe that this dish is Hatch
chiles’ true calling—but figured poblanos would be just as nice.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For those who don’t know, green chile is a kind of very
soupy, minimalist stew. It is important, I think, to honor that, and not be
tempted to put in potatoes or other common stew ingredients--even onions are controversial. A good green chile
is an intense, rich, and hot-but-mellow marriage of pork and chile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is its essence, and its glory.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Green chile is versatile. In the Southwest, you will see it
topping all kinds of things, from eggs to tacos and burritos to chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like it in a bowl, pure and on its
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some toritllas or even good white bread
on the side for the heat if needed, sort of like serving chile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not averse to having it over rice, as
long as there is lots of delicious gravy.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Zi6MwvCppOHnlC-9C3m3Skm6JMs7EIHHclLJGvHyMmOA7joirrhmzYgQuBfdc0O8gHNhv8bAKhLgLrXQkZmIwcyaoq-Xjb3JDy2FhnTon2_txruffXWFujJk_KgELyWB2vlxUZEvnMs/s1600/chiles+roasted.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Zi6MwvCppOHnlC-9C3m3Skm6JMs7EIHHclLJGvHyMmOA7joirrhmzYgQuBfdc0O8gHNhv8bAKhLgLrXQkZmIwcyaoq-Xjb3JDy2FhnTon2_txruffXWFujJk_KgELyWB2vlxUZEvnMs/s200/chiles+roasted.JPG" width="200" /></a>The green chile I made with the Little Compton poblanos was
fine. Good, but not great. The poblanos simply do not meld and mellow into the
pork in quite the same way as their thinner-walled, differently flavored Hatch
cousins do. It seems that this is another instance where a substitute really
alters a dish, at least for those who have a basis of comparison. So: poblanos
for chiles rellenos, Hatch for green chile. I think you—and also I, now that I
am back home—will have to mail order Hatches from New Mexico next season if we
want to savor the true taste of a great green chile.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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(Pork) Green Chile</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Start with a few chiles, and add more to taste; chiles vary
in hotness from season to season, and planting area. You will likely use 1-2
cups, chopped. Please use only a pork shoulder/Boston butt, preferably with
bone in (increasingly hard to find) so you can get the depth and complexity of
flavor that characterizes the best examples of this dish. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serves 8.</i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnjW0vG9zFC8okmDNQKzQnMqLfaxRAYgQ2vuLLHFJ2X8N0roiz2U-Q9awiDUZIxp8yOXnCWbO2vOv0Xwtv-c4WdP-zUW_j8Wz6ZLx0OiB41TxovL0I1H73joyRN9jiN20a6Z4zpt_OHE/s1600/chiles+peeled.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnjW0vG9zFC8okmDNQKzQnMqLfaxRAYgQ2vuLLHFJ2X8N0roiz2U-Q9awiDUZIxp8yOXnCWbO2vOv0Xwtv-c4WdP-zUW_j8Wz6ZLx0OiB41TxovL0I1H73joyRN9jiN20a6Z4zpt_OHE/s200/chiles+peeled.JPG" width="150" /></a>4 lb Pork shoulder or Boston Butt, preferably bone-in (which
may weight a bit more). This is often labeled as a half a butt.</div>
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3 T Lard or vegetable oil</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3-8 Hatch (or poblano) chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled, and
chopped</div>
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3-4 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fine</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3-4 large tomatillos (around a pound or a bit more), husked and halved, or 1 16 oz can
prepared tomatillos</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 c light chicken stock or water (if water, add 1 envelope
Goya pork seasoning)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
salt to taste</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cilantro, chopped, for garnish</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trim and cut the pork roast into small cubes, about 1.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a heavy Dutch oven, sear the meat <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(and
the bone if you have it) in the lard or
oil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to medium-low and add the
garlic and
tomatillos; cook a few minutes til softened without browning. Taste your
chiles for heat; if quite hot, add just a few of the well-chopped
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(nearly mushed) chiles and the
broth<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or water; bring to a low boil then
reduce the heat, partly cover, and simmer for an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove the bone. Taste, and add additional
chiles if more heat is desired. Continue to cook another ½-hr to 1 hr until you
have a largely homogeneous <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>but fluid chile-gravy
and very tender pork. Season with salt as needed. Serve in bowls with chopped
cilantro and tortillas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXZnA5HMOcx4BZ5HeUxs-p7ejnEJwrsL5hUYURZRljsEbenhtRuTAJLIwRKKIjZLOnlUxVUqfIviQWZGfb04fISGQfqeVdH6THDTd84wHSZVLKSr2fnsXKwND9SUK8BYT_g2wZA3_giA/s1600/chile+green.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXZnA5HMOcx4BZ5HeUxs-p7ejnEJwrsL5hUYURZRljsEbenhtRuTAJLIwRKKIjZLOnlUxVUqfIviQWZGfb04fISGQfqeVdH6THDTd84wHSZVLKSr2fnsXKwND9SUK8BYT_g2wZA3_giA/s320/chile+green.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-37130286058261491002015-11-15T13:30:00.001-05:002015-11-15T13:31:14.501-05:00Return of the Near-Native: Back in Rhode Island<style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxiG-ixZAa0sJ7hOdSixj8q4z32NafdNmPdcpFl_Lxm60cw70b8D8odnRAybzLf83SSgY9mCrod7guiXpF0qX1IXzoX4FoxG4OnD48nbmDMFTVaU-AkUvezbZiuWiklSOfYtns__lcZA/s1600/apples.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxiG-ixZAa0sJ7hOdSixj8q4z32NafdNmPdcpFl_Lxm60cw70b8D8odnRAybzLf83SSgY9mCrod7guiXpF0qX1IXzoX4FoxG4OnD48nbmDMFTVaU-AkUvezbZiuWiklSOfYtns__lcZA/s400/apples.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
As I’ve had food-related reason to mention over the eight
and half years (!) of this on-again, off-again blog, I was born and <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2009/07/living-on-borrowed-corn.html">spent my childhood in New Jersey,</a> but almost all my adult life in New England, dividing
my time between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where I went to college, had a
second home, and have spent every summer for many decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I consider myself a Rhode Islander. </div>
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<br /></div>
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As you also know, for the past 7 years I have ranged <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2010/05/celebrate-with-strawberries-mothers-day.html">South</a>
and <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/05/three-holidays-cinco-de-mayo-derby-day.html">Southwest</a>, but that long absence (like the long first sentence of this post)
has finally come to an end. My itinerant days are over. I am back in Rhode
Island. For good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bad year I mentioned in my last post got worse—really,
and there is no point in discussing it except to mention that it involved, as a
small but somewhat painful part, disposing of a lot of vintage port from some
of the very best 20<sup>th</sup> century vintage years (alas! the 1963s and 1970s!), and every other ingestible
thing in my kitchen. Considering that I normally am in a position to cook most any
cuisine in the world for a small army at the drop of a hat, that is a lot of
trash. With the cupboard (and the house) bare, the only conclusion I could come
to was that it was time to come home. Forgive what might seem a logical leap,
but to me it made perfect sense.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So I returned to Rhode Island at the end of September to a
spectacular welcome: the most beautiful, balmy, bounteous Fall in memory.
Seriously, the hydrangeas are still blooming, and “the last rose of summer”
turned out to more aptly be the last rose of Fall—it was last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ocean is available <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every day</i>. It is good to be back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEV6O-Ijl0-VgGPkIJquVNoWivbzDw098sLeslX0JfUUOfog5JZboKdBb6o7CA1UD5DQE0SUQB7BnOcR4rz-Upcfa1jDoAzubjdbtxj6jeXe_gMDPnYkifiKoo5-8-N0zx0vXLNd-g1Q/s1600/clubsandwich.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEV6O-Ijl0-VgGPkIJquVNoWivbzDw098sLeslX0JfUUOfog5JZboKdBb6o7CA1UD5DQE0SUQB7BnOcR4rz-Upcfa1jDoAzubjdbtxj6jeXe_gMDPnYkifiKoo5-8-N0zx0vXLNd-g1Q/s200/clubsandwich.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR3wjRU41K61HZ_B_rlAdPZePSRk21bbXVk1LPTjM-d1Z2fl9IindY2rdGEiDglrfEHLbu-Cvsa7PxcHHASORyE6AHy951yJxHd7cvtfvuvq8gG8omWwij7ZAJftKy4O6PLVy-VKqk1s/s1600/apple+pandowdy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR3wjRU41K61HZ_B_rlAdPZePSRk21bbXVk1LPTjM-d1Z2fl9IindY2rdGEiDglrfEHLbu-Cvsa7PxcHHASORyE6AHy951yJxHd7cvtfvuvq8gG8omWwij7ZAJftKy4O6PLVy-VKqk1s/s200/apple+pandowdy.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOEzERXyL3An5kkWXYVlO4nl5nadc88jPO1NxSSLOGldyYDzB_wGGOF2ygZeDcnaXXDDz_U-sZHNB5IKlzqYpIQ68b89gQq5cm_38xKYk9zNrGBo4UTcof9JGQEVlFLzAmQBK5qTtyv0/s1600/pumpkinpiesliced.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOEzERXyL3An5kkWXYVlO4nl5nadc88jPO1NxSSLOGldyYDzB_wGGOF2ygZeDcnaXXDDz_U-sZHNB5IKlzqYpIQ68b89gQq5cm_38xKYk9zNrGBo4UTcof9JGQEVlFLzAmQBK5qTtyv0/s320/pumpkinpiesliced.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAXeCmatHsnPgqhdgKwmFIeim4AMIYyfegLu_dJbjAZKwxgQIPpIKlSNrysY_9iyYYMLvN8f3IKy8rqCwd7208vJAR-QS9I9vGBpW9xCUEeR_C6ajFaK7VSQmPYtqEayc9pZbSh9tAEY/s1600/applepie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAXeCmatHsnPgqhdgKwmFIeim4AMIYyfegLu_dJbjAZKwxgQIPpIKlSNrysY_9iyYYMLvN8f3IKy8rqCwd7208vJAR-QS9I9vGBpW9xCUEeR_C6ajFaK7VSQmPYtqEayc9pZbSh9tAEY/s200/applepie.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
I can’t say for sure whether having returned means I will
also return to writing the blog on the consistent basis of the years before I
left (2007-2008), when I hear tell it was actually pretty good. We’ll see. For now, here are a few pics of things I’ve
made since coming home (and a pic of the kind of fresh roast turkey and ham club that childhood memories are made of). It’s been the year of the giant mutant apple, as big as
grapefruits or melons. Something about the dry, sunny summer, it seems. So lots
of apple desserts, like this pie and pandowdy. And pumpkin pie, of course. Like
coming home, it was time.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-72893538842769442052015-06-28T16:04:00.000-04:002015-06-28T16:04:15.646-04:00Back in LC: Buttermilk III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZyRDhBzHTbo3OYJ3JnGlrR18rSDYKEiIQpCNCKU-GlKaicaIbwIjvJfofCQ3e9RHUJrYsmnkd38P-4zpKdzyt3a9NJNtBECX1nvh8mSUzPVYUEa7FlilyJ8gtPgv_f4pKioEIb0ub8o/s1600/Scones+milk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZyRDhBzHTbo3OYJ3JnGlrR18rSDYKEiIQpCNCKU-GlKaicaIbwIjvJfofCQ3e9RHUJrYsmnkd38P-4zpKdzyt3a9NJNtBECX1nvh8mSUzPVYUEa7FlilyJ8gtPgv_f4pKioEIb0ub8o/s320/Scones+milk.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Actually, I’ve been back in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rhode Island</i> for just over a month now, but just got down to LC,
where thoughts turn to baking and guilt about my on-life-support blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few friends from here have mentioned it,
subtly (as in, “I haven’t seen the blog in a while”) or not so subtly (“Are you
going to do the blog now that you’re here?”). So here I am, sending this out to
my few but fierce believers, after a month lolling about like a slug.</div>
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Which I totally needed after a horrific academic year, and
six-months-and-counting of recovering from the dreaded (as in, do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> get this injury) trimalleolar
fracture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bones healed perfectly (“like
a 20-year-old!!” surgeon crowed). Yeah, but all that other stuff—you know, the
stuff that actually lets you walk—ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves—a massive
contractured, painful, scar-tissued mess. A metal plate with nine screws and a
4” bolt are the least of it.</div>
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But I can now stand and limp around crutch-free for short
distances well enough to bake. And I must say that I do have some personal pent-up
demand to break out the rolling pins and pie plates, after more than five
months of being pretty much incapacitated. </div>
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By now you know that, with few exceptions, everything I do on
this blog is down-right, unapologetically old fashioned, homey, and New England
(or Pennsylvania German) to the core. This morning for Sunday breakfast I
reached way back to make these plain scones “baked” on a griddle, the way
scones were meant to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You do need to
tend to them, but it is all as simple as can be, and since they mix up in two
secs, the whole process is done in 20 minutes. <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/05/buttermilk.html">Buttermilk</a>,
as always, makes them tender and a bit <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/09/pie-buttermilk-blackberries-birthday.html">tangy</a>.</div>
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<span style="color: #984806; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">Stove-top Scones</span></div>
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These will have a nice contrast of textures between the
insides and outsides. Go for something golden, a little on the darker side,
like an English muffin. These are not sweet; I compensate by eating them with
butter and jam. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Makes 12</i>.</div>
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2 ½ c a-p flour</div>
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1 T sugar</div>
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2 ½ tea baking powder</div>
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½ tea baking soda</div>
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1 tea salt</div>
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1/8 tea ginger (optional)</div>
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4 T unsalted butter</div>
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1 cup buttermilk (shake before measuring)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqd6Dov7y9kEDNbg7vsDbrygPJsra_nfaQNpFdm_ciBT66YpQpwYyYzOAk5BfiyXIigxXnytU1GL4VYFRp87kktkoFHbYpXxjNdublxc70YsfI__XAqAjI2sQr4rXNwjGJUiqqqKzoKo/s1600/Scones+baking.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqd6Dov7y9kEDNbg7vsDbrygPJsra_nfaQNpFdm_ciBT66YpQpwYyYzOAk5BfiyXIigxXnytU1GL4VYFRp87kktkoFHbYpXxjNdublxc70YsfI__XAqAjI2sQr4rXNwjGJUiqqqKzoKo/s200/Scones+baking.JPG" width="200" /></a>1 large egg</div>
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Put a seasoned griddle, preferably cast iron, on the stove
over low heat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRJMhostw7kil9oUcbjHajh6TvZviUDwJAFjZvWXCbFoPWkkHcsBZaABAGy74rH4sniVG3KyK0eMHLCzEsTCb9ow6BfhASlB8fupAxnEXe3uBoFwgOlXZZvZmklE2QbNPF2J-8YVYWAo/s1600/Scones+cooked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRJMhostw7kil9oUcbjHajh6TvZviUDwJAFjZvWXCbFoPWkkHcsBZaABAGy74rH4sniVG3KyK0eMHLCzEsTCb9ow6BfhASlB8fupAxnEXe3uBoFwgOlXZZvZmklE2QbNPF2J-8YVYWAo/s200/Scones+cooked.JPG" width="200" /></a>Mix flour, sugar, b.p, b.s, salt, and ginger in a medium
blowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and cut it into the dry ingredients
with your fingers until crumbly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYj5WBU9PBZwP2-y_WDmCcKdGKYMRvN7FkxEAqb5JZDYFg9HX3VvAPrKNEV2UAZPn8QNnoqYr1jR8FJANLuMIcQ_nm6wv_UCaAsnufvWmuRYqNRwVhijGBIN9vwzzqUd4_J-8Nr4LTqE/s1600/Scones+on+edge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYj5WBU9PBZwP2-y_WDmCcKdGKYMRvN7FkxEAqb5JZDYFg9HX3VvAPrKNEV2UAZPn8QNnoqYr1jR8FJANLuMIcQ_nm6wv_UCaAsnufvWmuRYqNRwVhijGBIN9vwzzqUd4_J-8Nr4LTqE/s200/Scones+on+edge.JPG" width="200" /></a>Whisk the egg into the buttermilk and stir into the flour
mixture with a fork until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly
floured board and divide it into three pieces. Form each piece, kneading
lightly, into a small circle, about 6” diameter but no less than ½” thick. With
a sharp, floured knife, cut each circle in quarters.</div>
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Place the wedges on the griddle; they should be dry from the
flour on the counter, and you do not need to grease the griddle unless you want
to. Cook them for about 3 minutes, then turn the heat up to medium and continue
cooking them for another 3-5 minutes, or until they have risen and the bottoms
are the shade of golden you prefer. Turn them over with a spatula and cook
until the other side is golden, 6 minutes or so. With your hands or a pair of
tongs, turn the scones to one edge and cook for about a minute; repeat with the
other edges until scones are cooked all around.</div>
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Serve hot with butter and jam or marmalade. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjblGpP-TkOueyf3Hi0YwU8FZC54b3gHsFfquDbRbAC6w3mKbCBgMJFPy_ggMV2Mlto41KUlamup_penIIY-EKFw8N0MBSNtOxSWqt0TYTPpXn-kWv22vnaXzN6R3EXEI2ZAE45OlX7Y/s1600/Scones+with+jam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjblGpP-TkOueyf3Hi0YwU8FZC54b3gHsFfquDbRbAC6w3mKbCBgMJFPy_ggMV2Mlto41KUlamup_penIIY-EKFw8N0MBSNtOxSWqt0TYTPpXn-kWv22vnaXzN6R3EXEI2ZAE45OlX7Y/s320/Scones+with+jam.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-2109383713049033972014-08-23T23:07:00.001-04:002014-08-23T23:11:43.154-04:00Locovore: Loco for Local<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu7BOd-MvQD7LzNc0KrTyPSNmNyR7heTtpdzeiim5fbo7iBtCv-JffwmGG2nyZ0sPdRTVZXj3xAwmv6Cmu376ZA-FwPNzoY3M7O9c0Z7lUVybPYcX2c3ol8_OTWfXm_F9fqRMveBfxzo/s1600/corn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu7BOd-MvQD7LzNc0KrTyPSNmNyR7heTtpdzeiim5fbo7iBtCv-JffwmGG2nyZ0sPdRTVZXj3xAwmv6Cmu376ZA-FwPNzoY3M7O9c0Z7lUVybPYcX2c3ol8_OTWfXm_F9fqRMveBfxzo/s1600/corn.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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No, not a typo. I recently had friends over for the last
largish meal I made before leaving Rhode Island to return to my desert home for
the academic year, and realized that, without even trying, every single thing
we ate was locally produced. On an <i>island</i>
(Conanicut, otherwise known as Jamestown).
Don’t you just love that? </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was hot in the morning, and the forecast was for
thunderstorms. My friends don’t care for the heat. And my cottage is little
and, of course, doesn’t have air conditioning. So I decided to make a dinner
that I could cook before the rain and serve at room temperature. What a great
excuse: that’s actually one of my favorite ways to eat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My friend Wayne (source of the <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2014/07/yours-for-taking-mussels.html">mussels</a>)
had called me up and offered me some fresh-caught Bluefin tuna “head steaks”; I
learned that this was the meat right behind the head that was cut off in
preparing a giant tuna to be sold. My friends may not like the heat, but I knew
they liked tuna, so of course I said yes.
Wayne swung off the bridge to drop me the fish on his way out to another
fish-spotting gig.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWH7P3r_1YdFVwBQr8v8EZpbD9Y5KlSc7KPCwbu9uxmwQ9ejnrAQYykbLVUp_qeCMn9NBSjpxm0K3PTVoX0K-nTqZ2Uf_NjGJtRcCSCN1Ed7mbWxUaEecswsiFo9yTMvm0OXi83INL1_4/s1600/beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWH7P3r_1YdFVwBQr8v8EZpbD9Y5KlSc7KPCwbu9uxmwQ9ejnrAQYykbLVUp_qeCMn9NBSjpxm0K3PTVoX0K-nTqZ2Uf_NjGJtRcCSCN1Ed7mbWxUaEecswsiFo9yTMvm0OXi83INL1_4/s1600/beans.JPG" height="149" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a>Now, Jamestown has a surprising amount of meat and poultry
for such a tiny place: <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/10/grass-fed-beef-sustainable-and.html">grassfed
beef</a>, pasteured pork, chicken, and lamb.
And your usual lot of summer vegetables, plus the early gift of <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/08/freshly-dug-new-potatoes-pommes.html">fresh-dug
potatoes</a>. Surprisingly, tomatoes were early this year. Surprising because
of the brutal winter—did that do something to speed them up?—and just because.
I usually have to return to school before the really nice tomatoes are in—and
these are field tomatoes we’re talking here, beautiful in early August.The meat
and produce are from <a href="http://www.windmistfarm.com/">Windmist Farm</a>,and
<a href="http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farm.php?farm=31">Hodgkiss Farm</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIjY4qagZ9M0tOGmYu6FkDCxG2fr9N9o2np3LkBt1pJiMUZv4vKICOvz4YL8J633AEUrLd0PGdURmp9qQJVuhp6e9fKtqfDdXnNmD1l_tsga3NZJGPpDD8_wXHHWCHOJpOqapitGbWxg/s1600/tuna+tartare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIjY4qagZ9M0tOGmYu6FkDCxG2fr9N9o2np3LkBt1pJiMUZv4vKICOvz4YL8J633AEUrLd0PGdURmp9qQJVuhp6e9fKtqfDdXnNmD1l_tsga3NZJGPpDD8_wXHHWCHOJpOqapitGbWxg/s1600/tuna+tartare.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>So here is the menu, with some pictures of ingredients. While I made a very satisfying visit yesterday to
our own impressive farmer’s market here in Tucson, I have to say, to paraphrase
Dorothy, there’s no place like New England.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWH7P3r_1YdFVwBQr8v8EZpbD9Y5KlSc7KPCwbu9uxmwQ9ejnrAQYykbLVUp_qeCMn9NBSjpxm0K3PTVoX0K-nTqZ2Uf_NjGJtRcCSCN1Ed7mbWxUaEecswsiFo9yTMvm0OXi83INL1_4/s1600/beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMZwGdYjsmrXka8vGj5zB1rH1rApIyXPceCliEa6_6_xDeaVhaeDuMKFDtKRrr699TQe0VzRPJBiajNUoRoreU-7EjUeVBj14lQMNZKVyAHukCsJxhciKAqOAjOUyiKqNCzONtp26J-s/s1600/peaches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMZwGdYjsmrXka8vGj5zB1rH1rApIyXPceCliEa6_6_xDeaVhaeDuMKFDtKRrr699TQe0VzRPJBiajNUoRoreU-7EjUeVBj14lQMNZKVyAHukCsJxhciKAqOAjOUyiKqNCzONtp26J-s/s1600/peaches.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #00b0f0;">A Jamestown Dinner<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<u>Dinner for Friends on a Muggy Day Threatening
Thunderstorms<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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Tuna Tartare on potato chips</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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Figs with goat cheese sweetened with honey and fresh thyme<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloivrE1ZaJXds9YdjbJKsf8Bgf93OlWgJnJ7TuzFaCN3rd_CO0hrOGxzWyW89SoqOrxbudy24IhYNbon4URXeeUgJAASVJuUxzH9FmwbWqTSUwSvnb5m_bXrYEBZILXWYS7N5oqla1xY/s1600/Blueberries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloivrE1ZaJXds9YdjbJKsf8Bgf93OlWgJnJ7TuzFaCN3rd_CO0hrOGxzWyW89SoqOrxbudy24IhYNbon4URXeeUgJAASVJuUxzH9FmwbWqTSUwSvnb5m_bXrYEBZILXWYS7N5oqla1xY/s1600/Blueberries.JPG" height="198" width="200" /></a>Everything-grilled salad of chicken, beef, onions, peppers, yellow
and zucchini squash, and corn (see <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/06/chicken-salad-summers-little-black.html">this
post</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Green beans marinated with olive oil and fresh oregano<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tomato and mozzarella (from Narragansett Creamery) salad </div>
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Ciabatta from <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2014/07/local-in-rhode-island-italian-rules.html">Venda Ravioli</a></div>
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Organic Blueberries and Peaches with Maple Sour Cream</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LGaJvUu_-66esgv5vjpdQ696TdLgxN7ls8KKL88KejgdDdkaFuXOvlpCCmI3zSKsNf3wtRa0TE5RLcbPZQnLXaw102nY5CfgdBt9d2S2W6Uja3nU6eYN9y_Aueq-OFI49Nw27-xndko/s1600/platter+chick+salad+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LGaJvUu_-66esgv5vjpdQ696TdLgxN7ls8KKL88KejgdDdkaFuXOvlpCCmI3zSKsNf3wtRa0TE5RLcbPZQnLXaw102nY5CfgdBt9d2S2W6Uja3nU6eYN9y_Aueq-OFI49Nw27-xndko/s1600/platter+chick+salad+2.JPG" height="265" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-UoiHX2iE8Co%2FU_lTWX8-9uI%2FAAAAAAAADNI%2Fp3f8Jd5XN0s%2Fs1600%2Fbeans.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWH7P3r_1YdFVwBQr8v8EZpbD9Y5KlSc7KPCwbu9uxmwQ9ejnrAQYykbLVUp_qeCMn9NBSjpxm0K3PTVoX0K-nTqZ2Uf_NjGJtRcCSCN1Ed7mbWxUaEecswsiFo9yTMvm0OXi83INL1_4/s1600/beans.JPG" --><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-72257514380071603392014-08-12T19:40:00.000-04:002014-08-12T19:40:36.111-04:00Strawberries: The Real Thing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA-hfnpRNiCxtY4rbXFomEP0KwJ1GbumcdJMEtgpUM88mWZrcljeQHaBuJ-8qRd36c7AjJ6VmXYwbld5VtLAWMKtD0mA8DaDxUXyXHdTiZIY7VlIg3Fq1sL2416DYm-nR8VHPkzjtMVo/s1600/strawb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA-hfnpRNiCxtY4rbXFomEP0KwJ1GbumcdJMEtgpUM88mWZrcljeQHaBuJ-8qRd36c7AjJ6VmXYwbld5VtLAWMKtD0mA8DaDxUXyXHdTiZIY7VlIg3Fq1sL2416DYm-nR8VHPkzjtMVo/s1600/strawb1.jpg" height="320" width="303" /></a><br />
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Well, this is a little out of summer sequence, because this
is the first local product I bought when I arrived here in June, and this jam
is the first thing I made. How could I forget that precious item that that I eat
only in their native habitat in season—strawberries (not counting tomatoes, of
course)—particularly when they are scarce to nonexistent in Tucson, unless it
is the strawberries brought in from <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/06/desert-strawberries.html">Yuma</a>?
Which doesn’t happen much.</div>
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The strawberries were amazing this year: a gift after a
cruel winter. It is a ritual for me to make a <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/07/commemorating-revolution-radical.html">small
batch</a> of jam with the first ones I get, and this summer was no different. I
always makes something a little different—although strawberry-vanilla is a
perennial favorite—and since I had just planted a little container herb garden,
I decided to take advantage of the fact that I had a nice lot of <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/06/mint.html">true
peppermint</a> on hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I suppose that my strawberry jams are really more like
preserves. I leave smaller berries whole, and only cut larger ones in half. And
of course, I like my jams cooked just long enough so that they have jelled but
are still fluid. This takes a lot of practice—I am anti-commercial-pectin, as
you may know—but is well worth the effort for a perfect, versatile product.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Strawberry-</span><span style="color: #00b050;">Mint</span><span style="color: red;"> Jam<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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I just throw the mint in whole and fish it out after the jam
is done. Use as much or as little as you like. <i>Makes a little over a pint.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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1 pint ripe local strawberries<br />
1 ¾ cups sugar</div>
Pinch salt<o:p></o:p><br />
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3 or 4 nice big sprigs of peppermint, left whole<o:p></o:p></div>
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Juice of half a lemon, and the rind<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JnIfIuDis0fgd6qm92qA7eTgvFUn3oY-tVxWTzDTzcVFTwlU9c2ATUfs7kg6X1KJ-J0uO2j3dH1yfiw7qD3e-1SchkhXz54AduQPQsftaomYZW9bCWqtRwuX-ajK6qIF8H6mqFxgKHE/s1600/strawbpot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JnIfIuDis0fgd6qm92qA7eTgvFUn3oY-tVxWTzDTzcVFTwlU9c2ATUfs7kg6X1KJ-J0uO2j3dH1yfiw7qD3e-1SchkhXz54AduQPQsftaomYZW9bCWqtRwuX-ajK6qIF8H6mqFxgKHE/s1600/strawbpot.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a>Wipe strawberries with a paper towel, hull, and cut the
large ones in half. Put everything into a minimum 2-qt saucepan and bring to a
boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the
heat somewhat, but keeping it at a low boil, and cook, skimming, until it is as
you like it, testing by your preferred methods or temperature (about 220F at
sea level). Ladle into jars, and freeze
one for a treat during the cold winter months.<br />
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<span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-57193063872169704132014-07-18T14:14:00.003-04:002014-07-18T14:19:31.248-04:00Apple Cider Vinegar: What Grandma, and Hippocrates, Knew<br />
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<br />
I am never without cider vinegar. Because if I run out, I
immediately need it again before I can even get to the store (word to the wise:
Buy at least a half-gallon; it lasts). Cider
vinegar is that versatile, and that, in my opinion, nonsubstitutable. If that
is a word. You may sometimes see distilled
white vinegar suggested as an alternative, but no, too sharp. Apple cider vinegar is sweeter and more
mellow—I’d go for my white balsamic, to which I am equally devoted, before
that, at least for dressings and maybe some chutneys. But really, just have it
on hand. It’s dirt cheap and always produces just the right subtle result.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course we cook and preserve with it. But it has been a
kitchen and apothecary staple for many other purposes since ancient times—as a
refreshing and healthful tonic (making a come-back today, bottled like water
and sold, like water, at high prices to the susceptible); an excellent cleaning
product and stain remover; a cool skin astringent; a rinse for squeaky clean
hair; a pesticide; a disinfectant; a de-scaler; a weight-loss aid--and Colonial
bakers understood that a little bit worked a tender magic on pie crust and
bread, and that it was just as at home in a homey dessert as in a jar of
pickles, as this unusual—and unusually good--<a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/search?q=roly-poly">roly-poly</a>
attests. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #984806;">Vinegar Roly-Poly With Corn<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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You can’t get more old-fashioned than my version of this old
idea: truly, something my Pennsylvania German grandmother would have made, even
with what turned out to be a somewhat inspired use, if I do say so myself, of <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/08/august-corn-phase-i-corn-off-cob.html">Coll’s
corn</a>. I do sometimes think Grandma’s spirit lives on in me. <i>Serves 8.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>For the syrup<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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¾ cider vinegar<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 ½ c water<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tea cinnamon<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>For the dough<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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2 c sifted a-p flour<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 T bp<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 tea salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/3 cup (5 T) lard or, if you must, Crisco<o:p></o:p></div>
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¾ whole milk<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>For the filling <o:p></o:p></u></div>
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1 ear fresh corn<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 T butter, divided<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevwBKeagkat4K4rYsn5In-4LZS9NDDDkJgsUCxhBsB-U3XX-1_EmxzirW_0sIugGQGKOlGh5IPiThkAWBJ5mXUBNzgvxQjNyNvxQyZ8sqQHcUYJeC7lPGgKO-Lrkw0iJIpZv4Hr_7qkM/s1600/corn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevwBKeagkat4K4rYsn5In-4LZS9NDDDkJgsUCxhBsB-U3XX-1_EmxzirW_0sIugGQGKOlGh5IPiThkAWBJ5mXUBNzgvxQjNyNvxQyZ8sqQHcUYJeC7lPGgKO-Lrkw0iJIpZv4Hr_7qkM/s1600/corn.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a>¼ c sugar plus a little more<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tea cinnamon<o:p></o:p></div>
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Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9” round pan or
pie plate and set aside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Combine the vinegar, water, 1 c of sugar, and 2 tea cinnamon
in small pan over low heat til sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to medium, and
reduce by half or so to a light syrup, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While making the syrup, shuck the corn and cut the kernels
off; do not scrape the ear yet, but set it and the corn aside. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA17GMZLE4rjUin7qoVT5TwsskevlGpomCj4WcgXVkOFH9y-2rzA4DYKDpBfr1EdXOeP9jN2wJXxM1e_n-RFpA-oEi1MkDlGINmiNG-mb5X1FOXVUf9CagZzpdUEMWbRwvRWBaCdQLSLw/s1600/dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA17GMZLE4rjUin7qoVT5TwsskevlGpomCj4WcgXVkOFH9y-2rzA4DYKDpBfr1EdXOeP9jN2wJXxM1e_n-RFpA-oEi1MkDlGINmiNG-mb5X1FOXVUf9CagZzpdUEMWbRwvRWBaCdQLSLw/s1600/dough.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a>In a medium bowl, mix the flour, bp, and salt. Cut in the lard
or shortening. Scrape the milk from the reserved ear into the mixture, add the
whole mile, and stir to make a soft dough. Lightly flour the counter or a board
and roll the dough into a rectangle ¼” thick, about 9 x 10. Sprinkle the
remaining ¼ sugar and 2 tea cinnamon over the reserved corn kernels. Sprinkle a
bit of extra sugar over the dough, then distribute sugar-spiced corn over it. Dot with 2 T butter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjgCik3JNygcphbYel77P_0W8waOB3-F9xTqSK_bDIUWCBqoBbY3Cjw1ir3mFqOREhmG3Kr3vOrbSnMESmrvKsmGxnvsqA2IlBq7o2xN3Iq3G-hVzZaoZI0YEUannDc0JohGU75VXsec/s1600/ready+for+oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjgCik3JNygcphbYel77P_0W8waOB3-F9xTqSK_bDIUWCBqoBbY3Cjw1ir3mFqOREhmG3Kr3vOrbSnMESmrvKsmGxnvsqA2IlBq7o2xN3Iq3G-hVzZaoZI0YEUannDc0JohGU75VXsec/s1600/ready+for+oven.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a>Roll the dough gently from the longer side and cut the dough
crosswise 1” thick, first trimming each end by about ½”. Place the slices cut
side up, close together, in the pan. Dot with the remaining butter. Pour over
all the hot vinegar mixture. I recommend
placing on a nonstick sheet pan or enameled broiler pan. Bake 30-40 min
at 375, until lightly golden and dry to the touch, with no apparent liquid: a
sauce will have formed on the bottom of the pinwheels. Let sit for just a minute, then serve very warm,
with some pan sauce and then some heavy cream spooned over, as a dessert or breakfast treat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Note:</i> Don’t be
tempted to cut back too much on the 4 tea of cinnamon. It’s a lot, but not too
much; it transforms quite a bit in the syrup. If you cut it down, cut a
teaspoon from the sugar mixture that goes inside the dough.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-15057443126680862762014-07-10T20:28:00.000-04:002014-07-10T20:28:35.971-04:00Yours for the Taking: Mussels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Gathering shellfish in New England—clams of all sizes,
mussels, scallops, oysters—is as close as you can get to a free lunch,
especially when someone else does the gathering and gives you the benefit of
their labor. I received such a gift the other day. My friend Wayne—a <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48913256/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/whales-sharks-fish-spotter-sees-it-all-high-over-water/#.U7cEXvk7uSp">fish
spotter</a> and <a href="http://oceanaerials.com/">aerial fish photographer</a>—called
to ask if I’d like one of the three fish buckets’ full of mussels he had picked
up after getting off a pilot boat early one morning in Snug Harbor to find them
lying there at low tide, ready to scoop up. Big ones, too. Did I want some? Of
course I did: wild shellfish is increasingly hard to get. A bucket was way too much, but I did fill two
bowls to the brim and headed home, thinking what to make. </div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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That was relatively easy.
While French in origin, the mussel soup Billi Bi shares our New England
sensibility of simple elegance, and our fondness for mixing shellfish with
dairy—especially cream. It has long
been at home here, although I must say I don’t see it on menus as much as I
used to. Mussels make a good chowder,
good salads, and of course the simplest preparation of all, Moules Marinière—but
Billi Bi seemed the right thing to do with this large windfall.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The soup is quick to make once the mussels are cleaned, but
cleaning does take a little time. They must be debearded, scrubbed, and checked
to ensure that they are alive. Here is the method:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>To clean and store mussels<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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Use your mussels as soon as possible. If you must store them
for a few hours before cooking, put them into a bowl, cover with a damp towel, and
store in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
You can scrub them, but do not debeard until you are ready to cook
them. When ready to use:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Put the mussels in the sink and rinse with water; do not let
them sit in water, however. Sort through the mussels and discard any that are
not alive. Mussels should be shut tight. If the shell is open, tap the mussel
on the counter firmly near the mid-point; if it is alive, it will close up. A
mussel whose shell flaps open and closed when you press it between your thumb
and forefinger is dead.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Debeard the mussel. Hold the mussel, hinge down or toward
you, in one hand; with a paper towel in the other hand, grasp the fibrous byssus,
or “beard,” and pull toward the hinge firmly to remove. Do <i>not</i> pull up. Discard the beard. Debeard mussels as close to when
you plan to cook them as possible<o:p></o:p></div>
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Scrub the mussels all over; I like to use one of those <a href="http://www.webstaurantstore.com/stainless-steel-standard-weight-scouring-pad/999434.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CjkKEQjwodmdBRDm_ZLhorWm68UBEiQAKhO3_e61TDsCpRR_7E062HiaedmGnBP2eU7vkAGKhrOrCjHw_wcB">stainless
scouring pads</a>. Remove any small
barnacles with the inside blade of a pair of scissors or the back of a paring
knife.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKOzzs0M9CkqCVeC7rw0ZjkdGt3cjQlMmdWKdOJSEH8POPyY7glnk3JfS-6BSWgmNQ3cu54mysdJFOgTxLWe2ZB1vD0Cl0N7GVn9CALY3kP9zBwABVHi0E3MrsIti2qk08WJ1kMUgcuE/s1600/cooked+mussels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKOzzs0M9CkqCVeC7rw0ZjkdGt3cjQlMmdWKdOJSEH8POPyY7glnk3JfS-6BSWgmNQ3cu54mysdJFOgTxLWe2ZB1vD0Cl0N7GVn9CALY3kP9zBwABVHi0E3MrsIti2qk08WJ1kMUgcuE/s1600/cooked+mussels.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
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<u>Storing cooked mussels<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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Mussels can be removed from their shells and stored in the
refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a couple of months, ready to
be used in salads or pasta dishes. Store in an airtight container with a little
broth from the cooking or vinaigrette. </div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Billi Bi<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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You will see that the first step to making this soup is
similar to making Moules Marinière. If you want to make this several hours
ahead to serve hot, leave out some of the cream and the egg yolk, and then
finish it just before serving. Billi Bi can also be served cold; make it a few
hours ahead and chill.<i> Serves 8</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 cups dry white wine<o:p></o:p></div>
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2-3 shallot cloves, peeled and sliced<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 large ribs celery, slit in half and roughly chopped<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 T unsalted butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 sprigs parsley<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 sprigs thyme (or 1 tea dried)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pinch of cayenne pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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Freshly ground pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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4-5 lb medium-large mussels, preferably wild<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 cups heavy cream<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 egg yolks, lightly beaten<o:p></o:p></div>
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Put the wine and all the vegetables, herbs, and seasonings
in a 6-qt dutch oven or small stockpot. Put the mussels on top. Cover and bring
to a boil; then reduce and, with the lid slightly ajar, simmer for about 10
minutes; the mussels should be open but still look moist. Strain through a fine
strainer or cheesecloth into a large bowl or directly into a 3-4 qt
saucepan. Taste for salt; wild mussels
in particular can be salty, but you can add a little salt at this point if you
think it needs it. Set the broth aside. Remove the mussels from their shells
and reserve for garnishing the soup. You could remove just some of them, and
serve the rest in their shell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When ready to finish the soup, bring the reserved broth to a
boil. Over medium heat, add the heavy cream and let it come to a gentle boil,
whisking. Ladle a cup or so of the soup into the egg yolks, whisking as you go.
Slide the pan off the burner and whisk the egg yolk liason briskly back into
the soup. Taste for seasoning. Keep it warm, but do not allow to boil again. It
should be a lovely creamy yellow-white color.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To serve, ladle into small cups or rim soups. Garnish with
two or three mussels (they will sink into the soup) and a sprinkling of very
finely chopped parsley.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Don’t like mussels or have someone who doesn’t? Not to
worry. This delicate cream soup is something almost everyone loves—just leave
out the mussel garnish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-74520234528068213822014-07-04T14:22:00.000-04:002014-07-04T14:22:08.707-04:00Radicalism Revisited: Small Batch Pepper Relish<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN8ZWhF1O63BuXgbrLFbNLh8zFwEL9OBRSQK3sJsmkyFwph2SPVtpcWRMu6gLRiO0RV5kP1gG_Hr8G2d9FUun7b31oN3sQyRnb6Ej5I3m3vNCmw0ksg_QNsz596Oo3oEGVhYsHkqo3Bk/s1600/Relish+jar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN8ZWhF1O63BuXgbrLFbNLh8zFwEL9OBRSQK3sJsmkyFwph2SPVtpcWRMu6gLRiO0RV5kP1gG_Hr8G2d9FUun7b31oN3sQyRnb6Ej5I3m3vNCmw0ksg_QNsz596Oo3oEGVhYsHkqo3Bk/s1600/Relish+jar.jpg" height="200" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is Independence Day, that most American of holidays, and
an unwavering tie with Thanksgiving for my favorite holiday. This is not
jingoism, this pairing of holidays so associated with the U.S. of A. Rather, it’s
about two wonderful days with absolutely no religious association. These days
are all about the food and, not incidentally, the perseverance of individuals
determined to have what is increasingly disappearing from even the birthplace
of it all—personal freedom and self-determination. We need that now more than
ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So on this 4<sup>th</sup>, let’s remember that change is
good. Things were never meant to be the same, and time does not rewind. This, of course, goes for our rules of
preserving, about as outdated as can be. So I refer you to one of my oldest
posts, written on the 4<sup>th</sup> back in 2007, on <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/07/commemorating-revolution-radical.html">radical
preserving</a>. Need a pepper relish for
today’s iconic and essential hotdogs?
Make it now, eat it later. Only what you need. Only what you want.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And speaking of the value of change for the future. It is
pouring here in New England today, as a weakening Hurricane Arthur approaches.
Everyone has moved their celebrations to tomorrow: the weekend is supposed to
be beautiful. And we will celebrate our independence to celebrate when and how we
want. With hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad—and this relish. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">A Little Red Pepper Relish <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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One pepper, one onion, one hour. A singularly radical relish. Here, too, is a <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/09/sweet-peppers-red-and-ripe.html">variation</a>
from several years ago. <i>Makes ½ pt</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 medium red pepper, cleaned and diced<br />
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and diced</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ c apple cider vinegar<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/3-scant ½ cup sugar<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 T maple syrup<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 tea coarse sea salt or kosher salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Optional:</i> For hot
relish, add a small chopped fresh chile such as a serrano to the
vegetables, or a ¼ teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes to the sugar/vinegar
mixture.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaGKrjle0mAv1NiHnZ67D0J4hLgbnysSEAvii_5ruy_ZZYT332Tb9eXJJDdGXYwetR_uBl2sQ0ZvPRD2joerap0IwjnFptlbvyw6ix7Sqz9bhfAYTQWAW8_niC-Uyyd4KmnESx7erYGU/s1600/relish+strainer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaGKrjle0mAv1NiHnZ67D0J4hLgbnysSEAvii_5ruy_ZZYT332Tb9eXJJDdGXYwetR_uBl2sQ0ZvPRD2joerap0IwjnFptlbvyw6ix7Sqz9bhfAYTQWAW8_niC-Uyyd4KmnESx7erYGU/s1600/relish+strainer.jpg" height="169" width="200" /></a></div>
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Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil in a 3-qt and drop in
the vegetables. Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Drain and repeat.
Let the veggies drain for at least a half-hour.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Combine the sugar, vinegar, salt, and maple syrup in the pot
and bring to a slow boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add the drained
vegetables, and cook at a medium bubble for 15-20 minutes, stirring
occasionally, until a wooden spoon dragged through the center leaves a clear
path for a few seconds. Ladle into a clean 8-oz jar. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bNnj4NBt13YJ-gtVQwlkCUk4xF9wkNOKvPt_IijGVZwzeA7qC3VqjN3ywinUyPEkEmC5j2ej4fqFRbHXkhsSZrNOEV0MRjtKTG3vb3jBZ4AaR7PPIahFGsBrvlipoDXuqlKIoSA6XSc/s1600/Relish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bNnj4NBt13YJ-gtVQwlkCUk4xF9wkNOKvPt_IijGVZwzeA7qC3VqjN3ywinUyPEkEmC5j2ej4fqFRbHXkhsSZrNOEV0MRjtKTG3vb3jBZ4AaR7PPIahFGsBrvlipoDXuqlKIoSA6XSc/s1600/Relish.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-37271619726602498662014-07-01T21:33:00.000-04:002014-07-01T21:33:49.160-04:00Local in Rhode Island: Italian Rules<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZMOge_U9e1rtJb26ebaXyaXHuj61OINOZ7omzcYE0zWrDyAu0iko1x1xs9uJt44UKMnlhGBNJRNwEWWMm-ACqdAGMSrjorojxBKbTtC_da-6LkzVTc4kIfhbaVk4d9-mnTnsz9XAgV4/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZMOge_U9e1rtJb26ebaXyaXHuj61OINOZ7omzcYE0zWrDyAu0iko1x1xs9uJt44UKMnlhGBNJRNwEWWMm-ACqdAGMSrjorojxBKbTtC_da-6LkzVTc4kIfhbaVk4d9-mnTnsz9XAgV4/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>I am back in Rhode Island, and some things never change.
This past week, our twice-mayor (6 terms in bundles of three)—and
twice-convicted/once jailed-- talk show host, and pasta sauce entrepreneur Buddy
Cianci announced he will run for another mayoral term. The legislature voted
calamari the official state appetizer. Note the themes: food, corruption,
Italian.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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So for my son’s birthday I made a typical Rhode Island
Italian meal. I was going to do the squid, but forgot to get it on my shopping
trip, so for appetizers we had some Italian cheeses, some perfect melon and
imported San Daniele prosciutto di Parma, and some wild shrimp with an
orange-mustard-tarragon sauce. And <a href="http://www.campari.com/int/en/cocktails/list/americano/">Americanos</a> for drinks. For the main course, for
a special dinner in Rhode Island Italian world you want to start with some
giant veal chops from <a href="https://www.vendaravioli.com/">Venda Ravioli</a>
(Costantino’s). I cooked them on the grill and served them with a little
roasted garlic and sage butter, accompanied by grilled veggies (red peppers,
zucchini, yellow crookneck, and radicchio) with reduced balsamic and thyme, and
a very Rhode Island <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/03/great-jonnycake-debate-part-i-thick.html">jonnycake</a>
<a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/search?q=jonnycake">polenta</a>.
A nice Fossacolle Rosso de Montalcino. Had to <i>buy</i> dessert (horrors) because the
cooking equipment I’d ordered to make a cake was inadvertently shipped to
Arizona. But it was good. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So I just said that some things never change, but, you know,
some do. I am not in Little Compton this summer. I’m on Conanicut
Island—Jamestown—in the middle of Narragansett Bay between Newport and the
mainland, or as we say here, between West and East Bay. As master of the
neither here nor there, the generally at sea, I am perhaps unsurprisingly right
at home. It is, after all, almost as old a Rhode Island settlement as Little
Compton, and still Newport County. A short sail away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Rhode Island
Jonnycake Pan-fried Polenta</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I used Kenyon’s meal for this; you can use any of our <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/07/rhode-island-cornmeal-competition-and.html">RI
stoneground white flint cornmeals</a>. You can, of course, serve the cooked
polenta soft, with butter and parm, or tomato sauce and/or some sausage and
mushrooms. <i>Serves 4</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIT_no00SV3VgO0R4nnLHh-V6hAP0WPo3K8TMACcCY2b1qJZTbNDmoRUWb-xlo72CShGTAejaNxbxb5vZdRKnLxH6DdnabuEZ-KZ5VAIx8_EY77FljJ_-LqMGUUVAwBBcVH9JO7UzJfg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIT_no00SV3VgO0R4nnLHh-V6hAP0WPo3K8TMACcCY2b1qJZTbNDmoRUWb-xlo72CShGTAejaNxbxb5vZdRKnLxH6DdnabuEZ-KZ5VAIx8_EY77FljJ_-LqMGUUVAwBBcVH9JO7UzJfg/s1600/photo.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>1 cup RI johnnycake cornmeal<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 cups water, approx.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 T butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tea salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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Freshly ground pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In a 3-qt saucepan (nonstick is useful if you have one),
whisk about 1 ½ cups water into the cornmeal, then whisk in the additional 2 ½
c water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring fairly
continuously. It will begin to thicken rather quickly. Be careful not to
splatter yourself as it reaches a boil. Stir in the salt, butter, and pepper. Reduce
the heat and let it simmer/heave for about 45 minutes; it will have the
consistency of mashed potatoes, and pull from the bottom of the pan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you plan to pan-fry it, pour the polenta into an
ungreased glass pie plate or 8” square pan. Let stand for about ten minutes,
then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm—a few hours, or
overnight. Cut into wedges, squares, or diamonds, dredge lightly in seasoned flour,
and fry in a little olive oil or butter or olive oil until nicely golden. Serve
immediately. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIgFkvsIAfGJ0nU1V-FGj2BM5tBsXcbvZ_r6723iDXp9_V9f5wBCyGDK7vb5ryxcr5GvkgFUN33A3I3F5gav3MXMizHEwQ823kuJy6Xt-DuF8A_W6Qd8dmoBeqbQoggVjkPEX5pmvsQM/s1600/Veal+chops+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIgFkvsIAfGJ0nU1V-FGj2BM5tBsXcbvZ_r6723iDXp9_V9f5wBCyGDK7vb5ryxcr5GvkgFUN33A3I3F5gav3MXMizHEwQ823kuJy6Xt-DuF8A_W6Qd8dmoBeqbQoggVjkPEX5pmvsQM/s1600/Veal+chops+2.JPG" height="265" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-48972548333577869652014-05-18T15:41:00.000-04:002014-05-18T15:41:43.174-04:00Artichokes: Grilling the Globe<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lpZ9YEj0atQQPl4iJtSCw7p9nnuULG7-i3fKOVNHCuKOo-VbG5WCPFbzSlp33YxbrUyHxGl_eutqSxykOrRIkDD92xVUJojJz7ZtXMRC0oPm6eidoXmG12wTD5Dm3LAM5U2lPJEFOwo/s1600/Grilled+artichoke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lpZ9YEj0atQQPl4iJtSCw7p9nnuULG7-i3fKOVNHCuKOo-VbG5WCPFbzSlp33YxbrUyHxGl_eutqSxykOrRIkDD92xVUJojJz7ZtXMRC0oPm6eidoXmG12wTD5Dm3LAM5U2lPJEFOwo/s1600/Grilled+artichoke.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>The opposite of the <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2010/09/baby-artichokesand-fava-beans.html">baby
artichoke</a> is the giant globe. Years ago when I lived California, artichokes
were a plentiful and relatively cheap staple, and were common on the restaurant
menus and friends’ tables. I lived not too far from Castroville, the “artichoke
capital of the world,” and would go to the <a href="http://www.artichoke-festival.org/recipes.html">annual fair</a> and eat
them, large and small, every which way. I took them rather for granted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since then—and it has been a very long time—I have largely
bought artichokes when they looked particularly good, and were at a
particularly good price, in the market. This was not all that often. When I
lived in <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2011/06/leaving-left-nashvegas-pushing-further.html">Nashville</a>,
I discovered a grilled artichoke at <a href="http://bricktops.com/menus-nashville.php">Bricktop’s</a> that became one
of my mainstays in that otherwise food-bereft and regressive Deep South town. Bricktop’s
is a chain, which tells you something about the food scene in Nashville at the
time, but it was a good, reliable place, and it and its grilled artichoke
became something of a comfort to me during my years there. I would often stop
in after teaching late—until 7:30 p.m.—on a Thursday night, the end of my
teaching week, and order a grilled artichoke and a glass of red wine. That
grilled artichoke, served with melted butter <i>and</i> remoulade (they have since switched to aioli, apparently), remains
for me the gold standard of grilled artichokes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cPk9Frf37N0t6XgTuyaa-QSBrsjV6OKaN7CPXLT3FP4_mVQ7PA94deN_wCoo52cpNdkemUa6lsILAG0qC-5ZlLRQxfIR13odvF2_uvDiZIpAEF-jvjsgJoUDQg7eFiNk7KQIa3MeAKM/s1600/Gila+Monster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cPk9Frf37N0t6XgTuyaa-QSBrsjV6OKaN7CPXLT3FP4_mVQ7PA94deN_wCoo52cpNdkemUa6lsILAG0qC-5ZlLRQxfIR13odvF2_uvDiZIpAEF-jvjsgJoUDQg7eFiNk7KQIa3MeAKM/s1600/Gila+Monster1.jpg" height="137" width="200" /></a>So of course, I try to make mine taste just the same. While
I don’t have their superhot restaurant grill, I can come pretty close. Here is
how to do it, using globe artichokes purchased for $1.00 each at my local
supermarket. They are a sign or spring. Like the gila monster, who comes out around the same time of year, and has similarly vicious tendencies in its natural state</div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Grilled Artichokes with
American Remoulade</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I like to have an artichoke all to myself, and make a meal
out of it. If following with a steak, half an artichoke per person will do. And
you can dip it into anything creamy mayonnaise-based sauce that suits your
fancy: aioli, lemon mayo, ranch dressing, or this Americanized version (minus capers and cornichons) of
remoulade. Just be sure you make it fresh. <o:p></o:p></div>
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1 artichoke per person </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdR7R1ccqtkRH8rb2yOtkFOyl1Tpgec_yNTTuP_HCyfx6aih53udtiYVZ9RmugcEwhfGBJcvXhDsihcENtNbcZYhOis8r6hlYmbwxQc3TLBdGBsg1djF5xxhom6Z_B6hOabynLaXnZnE/s1600/Trimmed+artichoke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdR7R1ccqtkRH8rb2yOtkFOyl1Tpgec_yNTTuP_HCyfx6aih53udtiYVZ9RmugcEwhfGBJcvXhDsihcENtNbcZYhOis8r6hlYmbwxQc3TLBdGBsg1djF5xxhom6Z_B6hOabynLaXnZnE/s1600/Trimmed+artichoke.JPG" height="163" width="200" /></a></div>
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Lemon juice<o:p></o:p></div>
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Flour<o:p></o:p></div>
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Olive oil<o:p></o:p></div>
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Salt and pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>American Remoulade<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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1 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 1/2 T mixed tarragon, parsley, chervil, chive; the
tarragon and parsley are essential</div>
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1 T Dijon mustard or more to taste<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u0mdUaZIRbKqfL1iGTGjLO8IiBuClrIEXmCbPjyaMnL7Y6oTbVN4_s39ibpEg9M3J4lqqTohpBwqQMAulKS-4KZXKBfLSk-sHZWvoJL8DJZ2Efto_BTDFFppCrH4Oq8NFuli0SDdoTo/s1600/Artichokes+split.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u0mdUaZIRbKqfL1iGTGjLO8IiBuClrIEXmCbPjyaMnL7Y6oTbVN4_s39ibpEg9M3J4lqqTohpBwqQMAulKS-4KZXKBfLSk-sHZWvoJL8DJZ2Efto_BTDFFppCrH4Oq8NFuli0SDdoTo/s1600/Artichokes+split.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>1 anchovy filet, mashed, or 1 small garlic clove, crushed<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 tea minced shallot</div>
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Drop or two Tabasco sauce<o:p></o:p></div>
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1-2 tea lemon juice to thin<o:p></o:p></div>
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Salt and pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lemon wedges<o:p></o:p></div>
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Melted butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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Trim the stems of large artichokes to about ½” and remove
any loose lower leaves. Using a sharp knife, square off the top of the
artichoke, cutting across the top spines, and then, using sharp kitchen shears,
cut off the tops of the other leaves, removing all spines. Put a few inches of water in a 3-4 qt saucepan
with a lid, add a little lemon juice and a sprinkling of flour, and place in
the artichokes, stems down, so the artichokes are touching and remain upright.
Bring to a boil, covered, then reduce the heat and steam until you can pierce
through the center straight to the bottom with a sharp knife, about 15-20
minutes. Do not overcook.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Remove, allow to cool, then cut in half vertically. With a
spoon, remove and discard the fuzzy choke. Combine all the remoulade
ingredients to taste and set aside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brush the artichokes with olive oil seasoned with salt and
pepper. Grill face-down on a hot grill
for 5 minutes; turn to grill for another
3-5 minutes, until nicely charred. Serve with lemon wedges, the sauce, and some
melted butter or more olive oil mixed with salt and pepper for dipping.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pa3HzHPxzz9xSTOAxEXaCpy5os_0NNhdlr6erUc_YyWshYCzeevAp4PkWgzvdNNVu7YogcT5AAzM7umnJqlnhzSaXv2MPsMBjmjMsUDhHm_5_xDTDGWiPEEInh2tFLbj2C0bsWPqasY/s1600/Artichokes+served.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pa3HzHPxzz9xSTOAxEXaCpy5os_0NNhdlr6erUc_YyWshYCzeevAp4PkWgzvdNNVu7YogcT5AAzM7umnJqlnhzSaXv2MPsMBjmjMsUDhHm_5_xDTDGWiPEEInh2tFLbj2C0bsWPqasY/s1600/Artichokes+served.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-54107857521558790212014-03-16T15:49:00.000-04:002014-03-16T15:49:25.709-04:00More Bread: Poolish Makes Perfect<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ROTtTHYog7_Ztdy5stf-WElGVc4npZDzJeDV5DXBFu7hiJHq_MDvDRqk0qnA1ftpRvQMyCXN09DOWyNUvs8eBwoF0ThUxxijm-NNqe5qxJ1nOaO5NiSeW2IqDcIHzA6mTlIDsboV9t4/s1600/Harvest+baked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ROTtTHYog7_Ztdy5stf-WElGVc4npZDzJeDV5DXBFu7hiJHq_MDvDRqk0qnA1ftpRvQMyCXN09DOWyNUvs8eBwoF0ThUxxijm-NNqe5qxJ1nOaO5NiSeW2IqDcIHzA6mTlIDsboV9t4/s1600/Harvest+baked.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Continuing with the Forkish book, I tried another bread, on
a day with no expectation of <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2014/03/cant-buy-me-bread_5.html">power outage at baking time</a>. This one was what he
calls his "Harvest Bread with Poolish." The recipe calls for 10% whole wheat, for which I substituted organic
pumpernickel, and 5% wheat germ and 2% wheat bran; I used all wheat germ, or 7%. I seem to like more hydration, or maybe I was a little sloppy when adding water, so increased
that too—probably to 80%. This dough is about 50% poolish. Interesting.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBS8M_N1omR8kPiM6fMK39SP73gEzr7oGWAbUjzk_o12wh-5u-guhVMtBSJpHTOTweRwpDanodTJwMAUBYgngRERABpM7If4MRGtO7pcZchFPkiBhMAsjSc4lbXckpRn5eRdMvPgO700/s1600/Poolish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBS8M_N1omR8kPiM6fMK39SP73gEzr7oGWAbUjzk_o12wh-5u-guhVMtBSJpHTOTweRwpDanodTJwMAUBYgngRERABpM7If4MRGtO7pcZchFPkiBhMAsjSc4lbXckpRn5eRdMvPgO700/s1600/Poolish.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poolish after 13 hrs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The bread is just as Forkish describes: buttery and aromatic. It is soft, flavorful, with a moist open crumb and a nice crisp crust. In addition to being very good, this bread suits my
lifestyle, at least on weekends. You mix the poolish at 6:00 pm, leave it on
the counter overnight, mix the dough at 7:00 a.m. next morning, and bake around
10 a.m. A couple of folds early in bulk fermentation. A total breeze. Much more convenient, and
better taste and texture, than the Saturday Bread. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In fact, I am a little worried about just how easy and
convenient. Bread like this is just about the best thing to have for breakfast,
toasted or not, with butter, and jam or not. And just about the best thing to
have for lunch, with a good cheddar or gruyere. And just about the best thing to have for dinner,
with a salad or some sautéed mushrooms and wine. Or both. Pretty soon you’ve
eaten half a loaf in a day. Half of a two-pound loaf, that is. Yikes!</div>
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<o:p></o:p>Thank goodness I have friends who like bread. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQb9hA2lcNX20Qd1CJZvebol5k2rdnpQhNFnlqN_wZOXvmhuWZoxn1ipvUfdCyIw9OaQAoI0-b9C3Din2XzBqiB67I_FD1i0mWmV2IpQ9uvGktmjyEpImuOyj6qKsx5CS7Dmz-6Jqex8/s1600/Harvest+sliced2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQb9hA2lcNX20Qd1CJZvebol5k2rdnpQhNFnlqN_wZOXvmhuWZoxn1ipvUfdCyIw9OaQAoI0-b9C3Din2XzBqiB67I_FD1i0mWmV2IpQ9uvGktmjyEpImuOyj6qKsx5CS7Dmz-6Jqex8/s1600/Harvest+sliced2.JPG" height="147" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuri1RhBMFU7DbAhodzo7l9zSECo6Z4Y60R3woAjdwTqUh3Gj6BPaG7biJsoCz4-haowQTm8T43p05nbdt7zTQ19b2UgbZVbAfiJnqn_RbWMJWGuUkiXUozAXemyRcJzV5jXSPCtT0GcI/s1600/Harvest+sliced.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuri1RhBMFU7DbAhodzo7l9zSECo6Z4Y60R3woAjdwTqUh3Gj6BPaG7biJsoCz4-haowQTm8T43p05nbdt7zTQ19b2UgbZVbAfiJnqn_RbWMJWGuUkiXUozAXemyRcJzV5jXSPCtT0GcI/s1600/Harvest+sliced.JPG" height="123" width="200" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-5023711886727389382014-03-05T21:13:00.002-05:002014-03-05T21:14:05.448-05:00Can’t Buy Me Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m92yTkW5Rlhhvzn_nVCQBd2kvktuFLqrs5yK0JmX4MgmyP4WF2x4n7SdkT5xSGP5uDOPp0WvhsxXS7v5yagr8XwooiZzdqZv4CsYiCWt39zpgzx2UeAHEABHtFl6Va-2aiSKh5MrQ-Q/s1600/Forkish+bread%252C+rainbows%252C+cauliflower+salad+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m92yTkW5Rlhhvzn_nVCQBd2kvktuFLqrs5yK0JmX4MgmyP4WF2x4n7SdkT5xSGP5uDOPp0WvhsxXS7v5yagr8XwooiZzdqZv4CsYiCWt39zpgzx2UeAHEABHtFl6Va-2aiSKh5MrQ-Q/s1600/Forkish+bread%252C+rainbows%252C+cauliflower+salad+002.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrWj_dYU4V8x4SYbfLRh-yDbMWHr6lANMnYwkFxkBHauefS7CIrp-CfOUmDGHA1oyCERqcsk5shJInduF2E4TdNGnX_j2ZJo3Jn-GNY7VJU996AjXXlRnmjmkeRZMm2X6s8WWfCYGL6M/s1600/Forkish+bread%252C+rainbows%252C+cauliflower+salad+003.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></div>
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Last Fall the local French bakery, run by a young French
couple, closed shop and, with it, their stand at the farmer’s market where I
bought my bread, and moved onto the more appreciative climes of LA. That left
what I consider to be the only worthy bread baker, but his business model doesn’t
suit me: you have to remember, on Friday morning, to go online by 7:00 and wait
for him to post the bread offerings for ordering and then pick-up the next day—at
another prescribed time, 11:00 a.m.—at a different, less convenient local
farmer’s market. If you are a little late, what you want may be sold out. Then of
course you might forget to pick it up, if you, like me, get up early and are
already well into your day by 11. Pity those who like to sleep late, too! They
would have to set their alarm to order bread.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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So while I have done this a few times, and it may all seem
so quaint and local at first blush, I quickly tired of it. There was a tendency
to feel like you had to order bread while you could, resulting in your buying
too much—or settling for a bread you don’t really want if others were already
taken. And of course, even when you set your phone alarm, missing either the
ordering or the pickup for one reason or another. To say nothing of the somewhat
soup-Nazi quality of the baker, complete with long—yup—bread lines for pickup. Not
for me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I absolutely adore bread, carbohydrates be damned, and from
time to time over the course of the last 40 years or so, have made my own bread
on a regular or semi-regular basis. Bread books take up a full shelf in my very
large cookbook collection, and I can’t resist a new one (or a new old one if I
come across something forgotten but interesting), and recently added the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394068651&sr=1-1&keywords=flour+water+salt+yeast">Forkish</a>
book after reading a lot of praise. I have several artisan books, so there’s
not a lot new here, more of a synthesis, and I don’t know if it will become a
favorite—won’t know ‘til I try the levains. But trying the first simple bread
gave me a story to tell, so here it is.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eAhuM2xw_TkQKpi2FMuagLLWQtsXpZ3DOblN6OWSDo3yeLgm4IXEd_FCNVVFxpyWmxhRwsCAQ0huLg-vtXL3BKXJP2OSO4kvRvXmZmS3CnvMSTj4w0pMka0TPNiCYf3ak1usbU4VO0E/s1600/Forkish+bread%252C+rainbows%252C+cauliflower+salad+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eAhuM2xw_TkQKpi2FMuagLLWQtsXpZ3DOblN6OWSDo3yeLgm4IXEd_FCNVVFxpyWmxhRwsCAQ0huLg-vtXL3BKXJP2OSO4kvRvXmZmS3CnvMSTj4w0pMka0TPNiCYf3ak1usbU4VO0E/s1600/Forkish+bread%252C+rainbows%252C+cauliflower+salad+005.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Finding myself with a free day—amazingly, having finished
project grading early—I thought, why not stay <o:p></o:p></div>
home and bake bread? The whole
thing is so simple that I had a lovely, relaxing day, reading and puttering
between stages. I used a local Arizona heritage grain flour from <a href="http://www.haydenflourmills.com/flours-grains">Hayden Mills</a>, mixed with a little first clear flour and dark rye, and adjusted the hydration to 80%. This was going to be good! <br />
<br />
When the dough was perfectly proofed, I was just about to put
it in the oven when: the electricity went out. Which means, of course, my oven
did too.<br />
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I waited a few minutes—maybe this was just a blip?—but no. I
looked out—everything, the entire city, was in the dark; we had been having a
wild storm all day, the first rain in months. I put the proofed dough in the
refrigerator. The oven went cold. Forty-five minutes later, the electricity
came on, and I pre-heated the oven again.
By the time it was ready, my dough had spent about over an hour in the
fridge, and it had suffered by becoming a little overproofed despite the cold.
I knew what that meant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="display: none; mso-hide: all;">aving</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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They say every cloud has a sliver lining. Here is a golden
one, complete with rainbow, snapped from my patio while waiting for the lights to come back
on. And here is the bread. Worth another try.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGPQefQ5LUgTGOl70fdVIHrpRLOnzpCF1gNGOyWG0x6vi8gRJe5AYwcWTEz8lMKj1SpbmJdV68Vw7u6oa5CdckieqFzq3qyFd23IQCXIE9Hj-x1MTctVAJRa8uvEgwB8ixhgtbc47Ze8/s1600/Rainbow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGPQefQ5LUgTGOl70fdVIHrpRLOnzpCF1gNGOyWG0x6vi8gRJe5AYwcWTEz8lMKj1SpbmJdV68Vw7u6oa5CdckieqFzq3qyFd23IQCXIE9Hj-x1MTctVAJRa8uvEgwB8ixhgtbc47Ze8/s1600/Rainbow1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUNBkKPLqV_IKWuSLie01cb06cUeoeodPi_NKSpDaPnfNOmrSgLuyVHgZ0bRszAhoqW3p8s9dgzEYjloJXAYDHLdps1Hljs80a8LCUiSTDL0w_F293CxNI2Eda3dOhc565if5BX1Fd1s/s1600/Forkish+bread+baked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUNBkKPLqV_IKWuSLie01cb06cUeoeodPi_NKSpDaPnfNOmrSgLuyVHgZ0bRszAhoqW3p8s9dgzEYjloJXAYDHLdps1Hljs80a8LCUiSTDL0w_F293CxNI2Eda3dOhc565if5BX1Fd1s/s1600/Forkish+bread+baked.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz4SBEoZzMEMVk1CUt3xsjG0p8Vs8Tgfm5kNI4pyOWLzJHacIFPofRwpLiYuXPPqHznbyPWQoS5-ns88bI0Ysdzwv_K_PdpGcXc7csSbtKMz2Rb1qF2Nfhrvw6ccLwq_qiwGno23xQns/s1600/Forkish+sliced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz4SBEoZzMEMVk1CUt3xsjG0p8Vs8Tgfm5kNI4pyOWLzJHacIFPofRwpLiYuXPPqHznbyPWQoS5-ns88bI0Ysdzwv_K_PdpGcXc7csSbtKMz2Rb1qF2Nfhrvw6ccLwq_qiwGno23xQns/s1600/Forkish+sliced.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-5650962784678595432014-01-01T10:50:00.000-05:002014-01-01T10:50:30.454-05:00The Last Supper: In Memoriam<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS_8xF9N1pegTuOr5cDNK5Qw0F0kTizx8cMTcYuNTQEN46yQ4IC8lMQ72OCj4dSLGC6ptX8AaX1lnZTVGmQCNcbtFc7I70gh7lxIX7p0wn4kogVW2yOC0oYqFIGyBs-A7n5QK4aqv6ik/s1600/pasta+ingred.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS_8xF9N1pegTuOr5cDNK5Qw0F0kTizx8cMTcYuNTQEN46yQ4IC8lMQ72OCj4dSLGC6ptX8AaX1lnZTVGmQCNcbtFc7I70gh7lxIX7p0wn4kogVW2yOC0oYqFIGyBs-A7n5QK4aqv6ik/s320/pasta+ingred.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The last meal of the year should be special in some way, and
I always make myself something of which I am particularly fond, like a good
veal chop or an old-fashioned <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-yearthe-popping-of-champagne.html">London
broil</a>; something symbolic, like <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2009/01/lentils-for-luck-happy-new-year.html">lentils</a>;
or something I don’t often have time to do, like a <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/12/lobster-and-new-year-last-hurrah.html">classic
lobster bisque with a New England twist.</a>
Whatever it is, it is something comforting. This year, as all you true foodies
know, was a year of lost luminaries in the food world, and two in particular, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/dining/Marcella-Hazan-dies-changed-the-way-americans-cook-italian-food.html">Marcella
Hazan</a> and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/04/dining/judy-rodgers-chef-of-refined-simplicity-dies-at-57.html">Judy
Rogers</a>, were old kitchen friends of mine. What to make in memoriam for the
year and these women whose food has comforted me and millions over many
years? I will save Judy Rogers’s roast chicken
with bread salad for another tribute meal, soon. Marcella and I go way back,
and it is one simple dish—spaghetti with smothered onions—that I have made and
loved scores of times, that seems the perfect punctuation for the year, and the
perfect emblem of the genius of Italian cooking.<br />
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After the news of Mrs. Hazen’s death, when everyone was
talking about their favorite dishes, I realized that I had really learned to
make Italian food from her books, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0394405102/ref=tmm_hrd_collectible_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=collectible&sr=&qid=">The
Classic Italian Cookbook</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Italian-Cooking-Marcella-Hazan/dp/0394498550/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_cp_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=04CAJ6AWDXSK23HJMRPD">More
Classic Italian Cooking</a></i>. This actually came to me as somewhat of a
shock, because I had literally internalized so many of the recipes that I scarcely
open the books anymore, which I bought when they were first published by Knopf:
1976 and 1978, respectively—I was still
in my 20s! I had completely forgotten, for example, that I learned to make
pizza, which I made every single Friday night for more than 20 years, and still
do often, from her second book. I still make my dough, and my sauce, the same
way. I could list dozens of dishes that are just as second-nature, and just as
frequently made.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Marcella Hazan once said, “"I am never bored by a good
old dish and I wouldn't shrink from making something that I first made fifty
years ago and my mother, perhaps, fifty years before then.” I couldn’t agree more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Happy 2014. Eat well, and stay healthy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Spaghetti col Sugo di
Cipolle<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">(Spaghetti with Smothered Onions)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I have made only one minor change to this perfect recipe, indicated
below. It contains lard, which you all know I adore; you can substitute butter
or use all olive oil if you must. But do try the lard in Mrs. Hazan’s honor. <i>Serves 4-6 as a first course</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGFFEOg48yY9beaGq1ZhfMYDka8vP31i7QCBmq8h1jYZbSAKtJSKFii0OWsIDUQLxPJH7FjceYkJlyxbZpXb5oqXNtUUBTE9cVqGFoO07eYBB_Eh318oVBmPKkwY7pXCAqpWCGerXxWA/s1600/pasta+New+Years+2013+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGFFEOg48yY9beaGq1ZhfMYDka8vP31i7QCBmq8h1jYZbSAKtJSKFii0OWsIDUQLxPJH7FjceYkJlyxbZpXb5oqXNtUUBTE9cVqGFoO07eYBB_Eh318oVBmPKkwY7pXCAqpWCGerXxWA/s200/pasta+New+Years+2013+003.JPG" width="200" /></a>1 ½ T lard<o:p></o:p></div>
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5 T extra virgin olive oil<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 ½ lb sweet onions, liced very thin<o:p></o:p></div>
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Salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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Freshly ground pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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Freshly grated nutmeg (my addition; optional)<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ cup dry white wine<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 T chopped fresh parsley<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan<o:p></o:p></div>
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Heat the oil and lard in a large sauté pan; add the onions,
cover, and cool over very low heat for 45 min or more, til soft. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and
cook until golden brown, scraping with a wooden spoon occasionally. Sprinkle
liberally with salt and pepper, and a whisper of nutmeg. Add the wine, raise
the heat, and stir until the wine has boiled away and you have a golden,
creamy-looking mass. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cook the spaghetti until firm—about 10-12 minutes. Reheat
the sauce gently. Drain the pasta and add to the sauté pan; raise the heat and
toss for a minute. Serve with the grated cheese, tossing lightly. You can also
have a little garlic bread, really a bruschetta, the way Mrs. Hazen directs:
toast the bread lightly; rub with a smashed clove of fresh garlic; and drizzle
fairly generously with olive oil so it softens nicely. Mangia!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GIOBpow6uPMY_te-TxdxSsYnUrBBb_M7R2eJCWwJNsDtRdVGn6zyPya9czvzIt3wGrDREyjEBW4CoMNA80cQa0Fg39gjJYcy18_S0Ou9KFkcu984Mae7lM9a1SeOMa0VEs55JzHVGJk/s1600/pasta+New+Years+2013+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GIOBpow6uPMY_te-TxdxSsYnUrBBb_M7R2eJCWwJNsDtRdVGn6zyPya9czvzIt3wGrDREyjEBW4CoMNA80cQa0Fg39gjJYcy18_S0Ou9KFkcu984Mae7lM9a1SeOMa0VEs55JzHVGJk/s320/pasta+New+Years+2013+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-47462469086040816142013-12-27T20:41:00.001-05:002013-12-27T20:48:36.884-05:00Catching Up On Christmas<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bg1hzOzfI_FrltvUZORDD8aLTTY_fPeIdNSEviS9OgEPAqaVKYlHrQSFfwNHU3MU12_sfSTr-4yrRrCXSBxa8kMdDXo61P81rt2YTEdJLTOzSR7BRDwOttmPmx2gz7t99bX4Y1_Hqho/s1600/Choc+cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bg1hzOzfI_FrltvUZORDD8aLTTY_fPeIdNSEviS9OgEPAqaVKYlHrQSFfwNHU3MU12_sfSTr-4yrRrCXSBxa8kMdDXo61P81rt2YTEdJLTOzSR7BRDwOttmPmx2gz7t99bX4Y1_Hqho/s320/Choc+cake.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sometimes the holidays sneak up on you—or rather, you are
able to disregard their advancing pace—while you are getting your work done. I
have gotten good at that—simply not thinking about Christmas until, well, I
can: until all the grades are in, and I’ve given myself a day to recover. This
seems to be a little later every year, as judged by the dwindling number of
types of cookie I manage to make. This year, only two. Will there be, in some
not too distant future, a cookieless Christmas? Or will I retire, and once
again be able to bestow (to the worthy, of course, and assuming I still had the
energy) tins bursting with an assortment of my critically collected, carefully
curated favorites?</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw18XPJz_AaaEY1DlpGUDrGf0P_ZWtbVkFtE6mFPqXrPtupAtytW-vSKrSbK2pqPrEnZBTeiW37GZj_bU81rDSkYpuLIXonEOdvCO0PUM0km8I9LQQvrROhA_Gk9ODnjZpdNFhmBwQtdA/s1600/Christmas+2013,+042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw18XPJz_AaaEY1DlpGUDrGf0P_ZWtbVkFtE6mFPqXrPtupAtytW-vSKrSbK2pqPrEnZBTeiW37GZj_bU81rDSkYpuLIXonEOdvCO0PUM0km8I9LQQvrROhA_Gk9ODnjZpdNFhmBwQtdA/s200/Christmas+2013,+042.JPG" width="200" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
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Time will tell what cookies lay in my—and your--Christmas
future. But for 2013, Christmas was simple all around. No <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/12/chestnuts-roasting-merry-christmas.html">fancy
dinner like last year</a> or so many others. In fact, Christmas Eve this year
was almost like a weeknight supper—homey, comforting, easy-peasy, special only
in that it was a little rich for nowadays. You all know this old-fashioned meal
very well: a glazed ham (with a sauce made with <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/08/sublime-sour-cherry.html">preserved
Little Compton sour cherries</a>); scalloped potatoes; roasted cauliflower with
hazelnut buttered bread crumbs; a Christmasy red and green salad. A deep fried
appetizer, cheddar cheese puffs, for a little festivity, with champagne. My
favorite chocolate cake for dessert, which we did not eat until last night, as
it turned out. All in all, a pretty good dinner for a Christmas Eve that
arrived early, or to which I arrived late. </div>
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<o:p></o:p>I hope you had a happy holiday, whenever yours began, and that you had time to make at least one cookie.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sswtZBRgJ81GQrddkNmo6ZOvXTuGtD0OdYxUjsrlDIshdwR0nPQy3gV3W00d7FOSRwJH6DsObToKd1bdoVjtG-aWMMf9CRSpW11agKJMDZWk40uuMRwBWNqmY4CqQal6QN-BC3JAM9M/s1600/cheese+puffs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sswtZBRgJ81GQrddkNmo6ZOvXTuGtD0OdYxUjsrlDIshdwR0nPQy3gV3W00d7FOSRwJH6DsObToKd1bdoVjtG-aWMMf9CRSpW11agKJMDZWk40uuMRwBWNqmY4CqQal6QN-BC3JAM9M/s200/cheese+puffs.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_cYqPnaS4589GDqbfMOChNWOSG6-pJr4Y8scbSKSnOcFBb5xJG1_srsrGM3RPdX7BwJrMJEIWDOL9wmKf4wNOQryvEI_Zt_erT20mBcw0f-tjR46L6aZ6T8nTWeLVqIjueal0wH_5Lg/s1600/ham.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_cYqPnaS4589GDqbfMOChNWOSG6-pJr4Y8scbSKSnOcFBb5xJG1_srsrGM3RPdX7BwJrMJEIWDOL9wmKf4wNOQryvEI_Zt_erT20mBcw0f-tjR46L6aZ6T8nTWeLVqIjueal0wH_5Lg/s200/ham.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwXGufiSjSxGQIxhBaaF1ZcZFF_lZGGevH6rDEgnsJOeXYR5L0pH5N2pNOm4ep5tHx8_Vl9oXqBVPdkkomcFBYJV8t-llTC3pq9Ftm6rYYxdhufwzOfPL3h-oFiocziaeGgKnizi5bPQ/s1600/platter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwXGufiSjSxGQIxhBaaF1ZcZFF_lZGGevH6rDEgnsJOeXYR5L0pH5N2pNOm4ep5tHx8_Vl9oXqBVPdkkomcFBYJV8t-llTC3pq9Ftm6rYYxdhufwzOfPL3h-oFiocziaeGgKnizi5bPQ/s200/platter.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJscqPhKabBsJ1LriyJEdEI2yYQbsyIzYQ21ST_Sx9vROM7-EHKkWHHNM9227JA26S6efChozD4mGNXUkpIYso-OlaLw2hEZZKee-63qToh06YcbV_t8DjLWtQqzJFDqWbKqj1RpOXk_g/s1600/choc+cake+cut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJscqPhKabBsJ1LriyJEdEI2yYQbsyIzYQ21ST_Sx9vROM7-EHKkWHHNM9227JA26S6efChozD4mGNXUkpIYso-OlaLw2hEZZKee-63qToh06YcbV_t8DjLWtQqzJFDqWbKqj1RpOXk_g/s200/choc+cake+cut.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Scalloped Potatoes</span></b></div>
<br />
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Something creamy for Christmas is always in order; something
that can be assembled ahead is doubly so. Here is how I make scalloped potatoes,
learned by watching my grandmother. Do not expect measurements(and none needed)!
<i>Serves 2-3.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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2 large russet potatoes (I urge this variety on you.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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2-3 thin slices from a large onion, chopped<o:p></o:p></div>
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Flour <o:p></o:p></div>
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Unsalted butter <o:p></o:p></div>
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Salt, freshly ground pepper, freshly grated nutmeg<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 ½ cups light cream or half-and-half<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Butter a 1-qt gratin dish. Preheat the oven to 300 F.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Peel the potatoes and slice them very thin, about 1/16.”
Place a layer of potatoes neatly into the dish; sprinkle with a little of the chopped onion; <o:p></o:p></div>
strew lightly with a little
flour from your hand; dot with a little butter; sprinkle lightly with salt and
pepper and—sparingly—nutmeg. Repeat, filling the dish to within about ½” of the
top. You will use about 1-2 T each of
butter and flour in all, but don’t measure, just use your judgment and keep a
light touch with the flour.<br />
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Barely scald the cream and pour it over the layered
potatoes; press the potatoes down lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. Bake
about 1 ½ hrs (the cream will bubble up) until golden. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9bsXnc4BSAh-jht4Hqid6p36_o-tNYFsN5cDbBDqSax4LYPkbqRaL2Nahpy-FctAIA8gzbYHfpR2zlKzwM7SAcTrKWm1H-ULsQ7yeW27Z-5wXx79Uot5ctPShTxZ9uEApDwvqy46c_U/s1600/Christmas+2013,+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9bsXnc4BSAh-jht4Hqid6p36_o-tNYFsN5cDbBDqSax4LYPkbqRaL2Nahpy-FctAIA8gzbYHfpR2zlKzwM7SAcTrKWm1H-ULsQ7yeW27Z-5wXx79Uot5ctPShTxZ9uEApDwvqy46c_U/s320/Christmas+2013,+048.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sw0xbL-35QDkfFFkRxyLXFwLbh7qGcXoOUPIbsp2e6hqXLDLuglS7rNf4j_KD_scp6gXdI0Bv8vFnqGl3vmFF-yMF8tLNLjhtYliQFOxtoQfLRRt4WtIBSbdSko3ecH4qcQxWYHKg20/s1600/scalloped+potatoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sw0xbL-35QDkfFFkRxyLXFwLbh7qGcXoOUPIbsp2e6hqXLDLuglS7rNf4j_KD_scp6gXdI0Bv8vFnqGl3vmFF-yMF8tLNLjhtYliQFOxtoQfLRRt4WtIBSbdSko3ecH4qcQxWYHKg20/s320/scalloped+potatoes.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-43838128900546651452013-11-13T20:42:00.000-05:002013-11-13T20:42:50.996-05:00National Indian Pudding Day <br /><div class="MsoNormal">
Lest it pass you by, I come briefly out of blog hiatus to give
a shout out to Indian Pudding. I knew it
had its own day, being from the land of its provenance, but I suspect that you
were shamefully unaware. So now you know. Today is National Indian Pudding Day,
and if you have never had it, do try. It is one of the many items that uses our
wonderful <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/05/ri-white-cap-flint-cornmeal-jonnycakes.html">jonnycake cornmeal</a>, and there is <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/09/indian-meal.html">a
recipe right here</a> on this very blog—omg, posted five years ago—that you can
use. If you're not sure <i>which </i>cornmeal to choose, I refer you to<a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/07/rhode-island-cornmeal-competition-and.html"> this completely scientific comparison</a>.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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There is even a <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/11/13/244983031/its-national-indian-pudding-day-heres-why-you-should-celebrate">story
on NPR</a> about it. It says that interest in New England cooking is on the
upswing. As usual, I seem to have been ahead of my time (always have problems
with timing); guess I should get back to this….but when??<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<img alt="[Indian meal baked[2].jpg]" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/janeerobbins/SNcUEn7ncpI/AAAAAAAABN0/XyGM-eENCnQ/s1600/Indian+meal+baked%5B2%5D.jpg" /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-32640941428639808702013-07-25T20:35:00.000-04:002013-08-07T11:42:28.352-04:00C3: Corn to the Third Power<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76YnTv3_xEYrlt0nT_fT2XcvkpZlDd4ydRN7g8363_RknlwgaPi2uaL7_s8tcWneXQLoqN8fZ8ut-jDU1Zwcsbbcslzb7wLzmc41kYp8q9FjME5FkQl0101Hvl3Xr3XOLNViauT7zOg4/s1600/LC+berries,+cherries,+beans,+corn,+radish,+etc+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76YnTv3_xEYrlt0nT_fT2XcvkpZlDd4ydRN7g8363_RknlwgaPi2uaL7_s8tcWneXQLoqN8fZ8ut-jDU1Zwcsbbcslzb7wLzmc41kYp8q9FjME5FkQl0101Hvl3Xr3XOLNViauT7zOg4/s320/LC+berries,+cherries,+beans,+corn,+radish,+etc+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I’m a eating a hot meal for the first time in almost two
weeks—at least, the first time cooked in my own cottage kitchen, which has been
an oven in and of itself. It’s gone from
HHH—the abbreviation every New Englander knows, Hazy, Hot, and Humid—to TDCWFJ—that’s
my own abbreviation for too damned cold and wet for July. Of course, it’s only
one day, and I do not expect—are you listening, weather gods?—it to last. But I
am already wishing for the heat back. Except for the fact that I was able to
turn the <i>real </i>oven on today.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I would like to report that I was baking a cherry pie with,
finally, the <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2010/07/pickin-time-i-sour-cherries.html">Montmorencies</a>. But I totally missed them. For the first time in…well,
forever! It was that perfect storm of
not being here on the ONE day when they were picked. But I don’t think I really
missed much. The fruit lady said they were <i>fermented.</i>
Cherry wine, anyone? They had never seen
it before. Waited and waited to pick
them because they were not ready, and then when they were…they were already
gone. A strange year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But the blueberries are in. And you can be sure there is a
pie in our future. But for today, in the
cold, when I have on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt for god’s sake, and just
pulled out a pair of <i>socks</i>, I kid
you not (note that I have them with me:
it’s New England, after all), I turned to the comfort of corn.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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While I’m still waiting for my favorite varieties,
Temptation and Lancelot, to appear, the corn is good, and this was a variety I
have never seen at Walker’s or really anywhere before, Illini. I bought a few
ears, and was planning to cut it off the cob (which I did) and sauté it (which
I didn’t), but ended up going out with a friend and having—gasp—a bowl of cut
corn more than an hour old. That’s tantamount to sin in Yankee religion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So I decided to make some cornbread. Even though I am,
thanks to the wonderful Rachel of the equally wonderful and evocative <a href="http://lawntea.blogspot.com/">Lawn Tea</a> blog, an
honorary G.R.I.T.S. member (and let us never forget that I did serve three
years hard time in Nashville), I rarely make cornbread. I don’t like the dry, crumbly sort, the kind that you can slather to death with
butter and still choke on on the way down. I imagine it’s really good for
stuffing a bird, able to suck up all those juices without totally falling
apart. But then, I don’t stuff my birds—we do <i>dressing</i>, baked on the <i>side</i>. And I don’t like the sweet sort, the yellow,
sugary stuff that is the staple of middling restaurants. I don’t like the
over-stuffed sort, much as I don’t like pizza with tons of toppings, or ice cream
with, god forbid, candy and cookies and nuts and swirls and…please stop! Hold the chiles, the cheese, the bacon: don’t
you know that cornbread, like pizza and ice cream, should be <i>pure</i>?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am no corn bread maven. But a lot of corn, in its various
forms, makes for a good corn bread. Hence the name. Since I don’t like it dry, I make it moist.
And since I don’t like it sweet, I make it…just sweet enough to balance the
acid edge. It can be eaten plain,
without butter (enough fat in it). It stands on its own for breakfast. And
that, for me, is the ultimate test.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>C</b><b><sup><span style="color: #00b050; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3</span></sup></b></span><b><span style="color: #00b050; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"> Cornbread</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br />
This
will sit nicely on the counter for a few days with little damage. What more
could you want? As with all moist foods, the microwave at low temp does a nice
job of reheating, but it scarcely needs it.
The yellow cornflour gives a yellow color when you use white cornmeal; white cornflour can
also be used. <i>Serves 12 generously.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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2 c a-p flour<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ c stoneground yellow cornflour (I use <a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/">Bob’s Red Mill</a>, or a noname white version from the supermarkets here)<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 c stoneground white or yellow cornmeal (I use <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/07/rhode-island-cornmeal-competition-and.html">RI jonnycakemeal</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tea baking powder<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 tea baking soda<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 tea salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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3 T brown sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 T pure <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/03/maple-syrup-thrill-of-thaw.html">maple syrup</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 large brown eggs<o:p></o:p></div>
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¾ best sour cream<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup whole milk<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cut kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn (about 1 cup)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Additional maple syrup for brushing top (optional)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTlXgm6NbIEpc3PlbNk4KCEnTKguXTH_YP1e1byPqWyLg8JXFnLrJxQXF2Qr_d04q7k0iHto5knNxr_mPmVsd7OAEU7ddB30skU-QDFAPCuedZHJPwaW6XMuRUFBtxt7DlE-UCgpW2TA/s1600/cornbread+batter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTlXgm6NbIEpc3PlbNk4KCEnTKguXTH_YP1e1byPqWyLg8JXFnLrJxQXF2Qr_d04q7k0iHto5knNxr_mPmVsd7OAEU7ddB30skU-QDFAPCuedZHJPwaW6XMuRUFBtxt7DlE-UCgpW2TA/s200/cornbread+batter.JPG" width="200" /></a>Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 13x9” baking pan, preferably
a nice one for serving, and set aside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mix the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, soda, and salt
together in a large bowl. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the melted butter,
cooled a little, with the sugar and syrup. Whisk in the eggs, then the sour
cream, then the milk. Fold into the dry ingredients just until the flour
disappears, as for a biscuit. Fold in the corn kernels, which you have cut off
and scraped a little from their cobs (freezing the cobs for corn stock), until
just distributed. Scoop into the prepared pan, and spread around with the back
of a wooden spoon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven (mine in LC
is HOT!), until lightly browned all over, a little more so on the edges, which
may just begin to pull away. The top should spring back to the touch, and you
can always stick a skewer in to make sure it is cooked through. Remove to a rack to cool, and brush lightly
with maple syrup if you wish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4KsObj_Rxp3TABH_OQO5UG2MLrYupsl0iGcDudXohPWkt16YvgRD05ERwwfC3BUUiRoTZSnbS4wsrgzuwsBGPn5WQBl6BTLRRLX_JX0HTclg7ngy0wra-PP6cvvecB5wa7YYo1aYgUc/s1600/cornbread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4KsObj_Rxp3TABH_OQO5UG2MLrYupsl0iGcDudXohPWkt16YvgRD05ERwwfC3BUUiRoTZSnbS4wsrgzuwsBGPn5WQBl6BTLRRLX_JX0HTclg7ngy0wra-PP6cvvecB5wa7YYo1aYgUc/s320/cornbread.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-17167278555617630382013-07-19T11:01:00.002-04:002013-07-19T11:01:44.150-04:00Miraculous Mint: Always in Style<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNgkL8Q05bnPY48ZAOFS3iYXZ0PHW8zLZFhtnyBnNRnoE4XD3HYePaCAx4fK8dajosbO5Ono-9xghUaZzRjiiweTAG8-ydZQhzaOXprZ6lUF0vvrdVM38fYn24e_oQhiK9lj9jqOttus/s1600/Mint+jello,+Russian+ckbook+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNgkL8Q05bnPY48ZAOFS3iYXZ0PHW8zLZFhtnyBnNRnoE4XD3HYePaCAx4fK8dajosbO5Ono-9xghUaZzRjiiweTAG8-ydZQhzaOXprZ6lUF0vvrdVM38fYn24e_oQhiK9lj9jqOttus/s320/Mint+jello,+Russian+ckbook+009.JPG" width="240" /></a>It is hard to believe that, not so long ago, just about
every recipe called for dried herbs. It was unheard of to see fresh versions of
even the most commonly used herbs—basil, oregano, sage, thyme—in the stores.
“Exotics” like tarragon were unheard of <i>period</i>
until the late 70s or, in many locales, the 80s.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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But mint, fresh and fragrant, was somehow always there. In the lemonade and the iced tea. Fresh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I am guessing that this rare example of herbal freshness is
because mint was practically a weed: it was just <i>there</i>. It grew everywhere, and “took over”: most people pretty much
considered it a pest, and would dig it out save for a tiny bit for, you know,
the lemonade. I could not understand
this. I loved its looks, its feel between the fingers, its scent of course, the
amazing fact that you could just pick and chew on the leaves, and they were
minty great. I <i>loved</i> the way it took
over.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In a paradoxical reversal, mint is actually now hard to
find. Yup, it’s been dug up. If you do
see it in the store—rarely—it is a sad flattened little bunch stifled and browning in a
plastic tray. Why is it that we can now have big bunches of cilantro, basil,
Italian parsley, and bushy gatherings of rosemary on a regular basis, but not
mint? I am guessing that it is something
that doesn’t really take to greenhouse cultivation. It wants to be wild—run
rampant. Most farming doesn't work like that these days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So if you want it, you need to have your own taking over the
backyard, or live by a local farmer. Sometimes
you see it in international markets. But I know you know what I mean when I say
that making tabbouleh or anything else that calls for a good load of mint can
be a challenge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Coll grows it, and is generous with it, as he is with his
other bunches of herbs (many herb prices in stores are, in a word, ridiculous).
The beetles have, apparently, been at it these past days, so when I arrived at the stand there was none out for sale. I really wanted some, so one of the farm stand
girls kindly went out and cut me some, picking through and harvesting the best
un-eaten stems. I got enough, and paid a dollar for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Thinking about the ahead-of-its time abundance and present-time
scarcity of mint quite naturally brought on a little food nostalgia. This salad is a reminder of the virtues of an
untidy summer lawn, shot through with marauding mint. Was there ever a more
effortless and neglected gift to the suburban table?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #00b050;">Jellied Mint, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The mint “jello” is superb: try it. It would also make, on
its own, a wonderful palate cleanser between courses or a light summer dessert
with some ripe berries and cream. <i>Serves 3-4</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<u><span style="color: #00b050;">The jelly<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1AeXFJAedQJFo_jj-vwk0RFx9yOlB48IzKtVqZZFDzch7yE7ybqn16tWfLy37OVs30n1klGlLMuP6ZifA3h7Ohr3W4u-ibD9B_q9w7vtJse0K70OMAMJBJulJdWPvHVYL_G5b191UOs/s1600/mint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1AeXFJAedQJFo_jj-vwk0RFx9yOlB48IzKtVqZZFDzch7yE7ybqn16tWfLy37OVs30n1klGlLMuP6ZifA3h7Ohr3W4u-ibD9B_q9w7vtJse0K70OMAMJBJulJdWPvHVYL_G5b191UOs/s200/mint.jpg" width="200" /></a>1 big bunch of freshly picked mint, enough to for 1 cup
loosely packed chopped mint; reserve some nice leaves
for garnish<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 packages plain gelatin (and a little cold water to soften
it)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 cups boiling water<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 T sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ T <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/03/maple-syrup-thrill-of-thaw.html">maple syrup</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tea freshly squeezed lemon juice<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tea salt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup mild vinegar (cider, white, or white wine)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup white wine (or use a ½ cup vinegar) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a 1-qt saucepan, put the gelatin and add just enough cold
water to soften it; let it sit about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stem the mint, stack
the leaves, and roughly slice/chop it. You will need about 1 cup, loosely
packed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Add the boiling water, sugar, maple syrup, salt, lemon
juice, vinegar, and wine (if using) to the pan; keep it warm over medium-low
heat. Add the fresh mint, stir, and let it sit on the heat for 20 minutes or so,
stirring and tasting it occasionally. Add a little more sugar if needed. It
will taste a little acid at the beginning, but will mellow as it steeps.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Strain the mixture into a big measuring cup and discard the
leaves. Rinse a 9” or 10” pie plate with cold water. Pour the liquid into the pie plate and
refrigerate until set. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="color: #00b050;">Dressing<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Use any sweetish dressing you like. I used:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 T finely minced sweet onion<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ c olive oil (would have used vegetable oil, but had none)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 T cider vinegar<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 tea <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/03/maple-syrup-thrill-of-thaw.html">maple syrup</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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¼ tea salt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/8 tea black pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 ½ T thick <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/07/dairy-disappearing-delights.html">local heavy cream</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLiP__u7mG97yXKfkQZpwHHI-yejQmLqYmTN9x8vUjncP6hc66GKjFfiO5UQQsklmhTjRCdeOlnTEtJXuCLDTdpGVv4CLl3Bl3YvZ5T3ppyi5FNkxbmNOiIVEsf7M4aBtVrb5kK7eWm4/s1600/Mint+jello,+Russian+ckbook+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLiP__u7mG97yXKfkQZpwHHI-yejQmLqYmTN9x8vUjncP6hc66GKjFfiO5UQQsklmhTjRCdeOlnTEtJXuCLDTdpGVv4CLl3Bl3YvZ5T3ppyi5FNkxbmNOiIVEsf7M4aBtVrb5kK7eWm4/s200/Mint+jello,+Russian+ckbook+017.JPG" width="200" /></a>Whisk all together until thick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u><span style="color: #00b050;">To assemble the salad<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
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The mint jello<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 medium nice local tomato<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 medium cucumber<o:p></o:p></div>
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The dressing<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mint leaves<o:p></o:p></div>
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Core and seed the tomato and the cucumber and chop them into
large dice. Turn the jelly out onto a board and dice it; if you have trouble
turning it out, cut the jelly into squares with a sharp knife in the pan, and
remove them with a spoon. Arrange the jello and vegetables on a plate. Nap with
a little whipped cream dressing and garnish with mint before serving; if you
can, set the salad in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfR1YhCPNMhe6VZiV8VrOvMg-3XC6iPmuzmn71vJWbRNniie75Ri0Rk1td16kKpRn2z5szNV9BTihFD6cUheyWohRLTsX9jWvsmRCAdOYqAAHtCrbpkxTsOm5-LW_jNjwbM6UyU_NhXM/s1600/mint+salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfR1YhCPNMhe6VZiV8VrOvMg-3XC6iPmuzmn71vJWbRNniie75Ri0Rk1td16kKpRn2z5szNV9BTihFD6cUheyWohRLTsX9jWvsmRCAdOYqAAHtCrbpkxTsOm5-LW_jNjwbM6UyU_NhXM/s200/mint+salad.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM9kd0PjcwM_vC1QkPsIYfqhP6my2IJcP3GtFaeo0m0HOtWDqyuv8tmXjolddoMnDRxqJxAA9bvuKNFdmWohFK86UcgZL5guhO35BUXk8y-fB4i0XtUBRt_kksBa-r_GMsqwJgND9eY8/s1600/Mint+jello,+Russian+ckbook+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM9kd0PjcwM_vC1QkPsIYfqhP6my2IJcP3GtFaeo0m0HOtWDqyuv8tmXjolddoMnDRxqJxAA9bvuKNFdmWohFK86UcgZL5guhO35BUXk8y-fB4i0XtUBRt_kksBa-r_GMsqwJgND9eY8/s320/Mint+jello,+Russian+ckbook+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-54071132782986762492013-07-12T08:03:00.001-04:002013-07-12T08:12:10.274-04:00Slowly, Sour Cherries<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92S10jXPyzW3W271MkuBojWnIfPV-zV1eJVq1kvP1g7LMYMssh6ryqc3errqsGaK3aU1VbHwb0WRUK0VvlBk7gAVvUVsUH2nTCUKVq4FV3p0oeW5SMBXRa_XqskqmtKWVyV4_TgO0jGg/s1600/Cherries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92S10jXPyzW3W271MkuBojWnIfPV-zV1eJVq1kvP1g7LMYMssh6ryqc3errqsGaK3aU1VbHwb0WRUK0VvlBk7gAVvUVsUH2nTCUKVq4FV3p0oeW5SMBXRa_XqskqmtKWVyV4_TgO0jGg/s320/Cherries.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Everything, not just the corn, is a little behind this year.
In some ways, that’s been good. The lettuce, always sensational early summer
but usually starting to lose its cool-weather cool by early July, is having an
amazing run. We’re talking perfect heads of Boston lettuce 15” in diameter. Now
that’s what I call salad days.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many of the berries are not faring so well. The fruit lady
is having a bad season so far. She lost <i>all</i>
her blackberry plants—total death—in the winter storms. One of the spring
storms—the wind, mostly—flattened her raspberries and the crop has been sparse
(although when she’s managed to pick some, they’ve been good). She is hopeful
about the blueberries: they are not ready yet, but she tastes them as they grow
and she thinks they are going to be good. The <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/search?q=sour+cherries">Montmorency</a>
cherries are not ready either—those prized and fleeting gems I wait for each
year, sometimes <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2010/07/pickin-time-i-sour-cherries.html">picking
my own</a> at the fruit lady’s farm so as not to miss them—but some of the
newer varieties, like the Balatons, are coming in. While I consider them on a
par with, say, skim milk compared to whole, they will do in a pinch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I got some cherries from Young Farm last week because I
was charged with bringing dessert to a friend’s house for dinner, and I wanted
to bring a pie. When I started making it, I could see they were a little
under-ripe, and they tasted a little “pale”—the best way to describe a cherry
that has had too much rain and isn’t, well, a Montmorency. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So the pie looks well enough, right? Well, as I said to my
friends when I carried it in and everyone started exclaiming, “is that a sour
cherry pie?!” : don’t get too excited. I
knew it wasn’t going to be great, as in, well, Montmorency great. So I made the crust extra-good (by that, I
mean I did a high butter/lard to flour ratio). And I made a back-up dessert. I
had some blueberries from New Jersey—and I can tell you, New Jersey blueberries
are a very good substitute when local ones are not in—and had bought some
currants from the fruit lady, which were nice. I made a little blueberry and
currant<a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/07/blueberries-native-treat.html"> crisp</a>, and brought some of the great <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/07/dairy-disappearing-delights.html">local
heavy cream</a> for that, and some of <a href="http://graysicecream.com/">Gray’s</a>
vanilla ice cream for the pie. Cream is a cook's cure-all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwljANVveKHMN3IkoMRfSGdARx3E_5PM2nAGYflohp4U9GEavxIOImeOfO5ofq-Y7YGB0_ooVsa7tG1-KaaMymu-h_bFc1AK_AU_1hISpMgGd5b7ZpRdyQ1WHfGqdRm3rOAE3Gy0EK_Y/s1600/bluberries+and+currants.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwljANVveKHMN3IkoMRfSGdARx3E_5PM2nAGYflohp4U9GEavxIOImeOfO5ofq-Y7YGB0_ooVsa7tG1-KaaMymu-h_bFc1AK_AU_1hISpMgGd5b7ZpRdyQ1WHfGqdRm3rOAE3Gy0EK_Y/s200/bluberries+and+currants.JPG" width="200" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
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Both were fine, and as expected. I await the call from the
fruit lady’s husband, telling me the Montmorencies from their 80+ year old tree
are in. And then, we’ll have my idea of a
pie.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Sour Cherry Pie</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The recipe is <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/07/sour-cherries-and-currants.html">here</a>,
in a 2007 post. If your cherries are not perfectly ripe, you can do what I did:
up your fat to flour ratio; add a little more lemon and a little <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2008/03/maple-syrup-thrill-of-thaw.html">maple
syrup</a> (compensating for the added liquid with a bit more cornstarch); add
some spice, such as cardamom, which I generally prefer not to put in cherry pie
when cherries are great because I like it pure. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPi2UqeURHjcMkqzrpmUvMrNAfq6e05KrJqqkpL5eGw0kxMV4xX_movveHkn0qG8idqfF0KCxy2R8l055PJS0uBhhQPDGiaUv6fOYSgTEepYtgAURx9JAqGnVOozpLKGWhFx-TYjM7t8/s1600/cherry+pie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPi2UqeURHjcMkqzrpmUvMrNAfq6e05KrJqqkpL5eGw0kxMV4xX_movveHkn0qG8idqfF0KCxy2R8l055PJS0uBhhQPDGiaUv6fOYSgTEepYtgAURx9JAqGnVOozpLKGWhFx-TYjM7t8/s320/cherry+pie.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqp0MsqpwaQmcakhR5d04XtkepfqFWRnFyMeBAuSHeNYCG0iqsGtHR9oa7399-Y-de9HpvnZjmkqGOd7J23rGWdQxL2Txn81NSZebYsD9GMeVQ3BMFJ-r_sC8Xfh6Ux2fEobsilxzeeAo/s1600/LC+berries,+cherries,+beans,+corn,+radish,+etc+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqp0MsqpwaQmcakhR5d04XtkepfqFWRnFyMeBAuSHeNYCG0iqsGtHR9oa7399-Y-de9HpvnZjmkqGOd7J23rGWdQxL2Txn81NSZebYsD9GMeVQ3BMFJ-r_sC8Xfh6Ux2fEobsilxzeeAo/s320/LC+berries,+cherries,+beans,+corn,+radish,+etc+036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-19012601489962020702013-07-07T11:47:00.001-04:002013-07-07T11:47:26.866-04:00Back in LC: Green, and Green Beans<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hnJo_kDYMjbWZPB7S_OTXyMqSCF6maS20vX-sBpbuK3YEB_6wNEbnRw2OuEdZRrHNTA7tC8hWd5mEiT_6xWnw34tf-FDhNUJ42Ome8P-k-0QwDLmEAdaYiSIMp-1oDIDfyo8dWJ2mBA/s1600/corn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hnJo_kDYMjbWZPB7S_OTXyMqSCF6maS20vX-sBpbuK3YEB_6wNEbnRw2OuEdZRrHNTA7tC8hWd5mEiT_6xWnw34tf-FDhNUJ42Ome8P-k-0QwDLmEAdaYiSIMp-1oDIDfyo8dWJ2mBA/s200/corn.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7ILjcttM41TgngYVwAGh6Bym2tvDGJZIKc0pPrjrsVagZPl-px-g3hOTxFxuTLkXfALCs3IYf5-wWJKBSg6bLpkWCDOLa5zc91ENDvLODIk8cAxVKu5fSrWychh9t5gDnce1a6VGplE/s1600/green+beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7ILjcttM41TgngYVwAGh6Bym2tvDGJZIKc0pPrjrsVagZPl-px-g3hOTxFxuTLkXfALCs3IYf5-wWJKBSg6bLpkWCDOLa5zc91ENDvLODIk8cAxVKu5fSrWychh9t5gDnce1a6VGplE/s200/green+beans.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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I arrived in Little Compton late Wednesday, after a series
of travel setbacks, but in time for the Fourth. I brought the sun and the
warmth and blue skies with me from Arizona, as I promised I would. Everyone is
grateful, and I was happy to oblige. Who
knew I had such power.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
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The fact that everyone was begging for sun and warmth,
however, tells you what it has been like here. In a word, raining. And in another word, cool. In addition to being a total drag after a
brutal winter and miserable spring, it has been quite difficult for the
farmers. I can only imagine the stress
as we approached the fourth, and they had no corn: it’s like having to tell a
bunch of kids on Christmas that there will be no presents. At least, that’s how
it is here. We’ve been known to eat corn as a main course.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farm.php?farm=6#stands">Coll Walker</a> had
no corn (we looked for the corn flag, a sign of victory if there ever was one,
in vain—the second time in history that there was, yikes, <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2009/07/living-on-borrowed-corn.html">no
corn on the 4th</a>), but he did have beautiful slim beans, bushy basil, and truly
giant lettuces (there’s always <i>someone</i>
who thrives on the chilly weather). <a href="http://www.youngfamilyfarm.com/">Young
Farm</a>, however, managed to pick a small amount of corn, and I snagged a few
ears. I can be a creature of habit on holidays, but decided to forgo the potato
salad in honor of these determined vegetables. Corn and beans are starchy
sisters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_xzAm2Ov897Zp-2mUPfD-82zOuXil0j6GuhvdOSFpXJdBOYQsiMlz7xBrvSYHBEXhhqTybxj_CgS5Ff525dtyvXNt6U5By-K6vvKZRrBE4VjiwOnnljiymZgBwGfu4Y8KgCJTjNkIXM/s1600/sliced+tomato.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_xzAm2Ov897Zp-2mUPfD-82zOuXil0j6GuhvdOSFpXJdBOYQsiMlz7xBrvSYHBEXhhqTybxj_CgS5Ff525dtyvXNt6U5By-K6vvKZRrBE4VjiwOnnljiymZgBwGfu4Y8KgCJTjNkIXM/s200/sliced+tomato.JPG" width="200" /></a>And I made a home version of the <a href="http://www.newportcreamery.com/index.asp">Newport Creamery</a> burger—a relatively
thin burger, grilled, and immediately placed between two buttered pieces of
lightly toasted white bread, with tomato (also Coll’s) and lettuce, mayo and
ketchup, and a generous amount of salt and paper. The toast absorbs some of the
burger juices, and it is all very tasty; toast should be very light (lighter than in the photo) so the bread won't break on cutting. Times have changed—Newport Creamery used to make
all their burgers this way—but thankfully, still have one on the menu. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Everything here in Rhode Island is so green, in stark contrast to the desert I just left. The air smells of grass and the sea, and the humidity (100% a few days ago!) was a welcome wave over my parched skin when I first landed. But I am settling back in, I guess: it's getting a little too humid even for me. Off to the beach!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #00b050;">Summer Veggies with Sour Cream<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Long before recycling, waste not, want not New Englanders
put sour dairy products to good use. We love our <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/05/tween-months.html">sour
milk</a> and <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2012/07/sour-cherry-season.html">sour
cream</a>, and of course, our <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/search?q=buttermilk">buttermilk</a>.
All contribute to tender and tangy baking products. But sour cream, like plain <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/06/snap-peas-sweet-and-sexy.html">heavy
cream</a>, does amazing quick duty as a sauce—for noodles and meats, and also
for vegetables. This is a very New England side dish. Adjust according to
whatever quantities you have on hand. <i>Serves
2</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuynmtXbPAf-Qq66uc8oktI4Olfq5HFgvBq3qAk_W5BJCNHNhston-uMyEZzKmYnFihhCVn1J1gIZpBk4YkCJ30HXEmjAaXJwlKbUV3OMqlzicQvzgaPyI0p_opvSZC4OwIb1byrBABo/s1600/corn+cut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuynmtXbPAf-Qq66uc8oktI4Olfq5HFgvBq3qAk_W5BJCNHNhston-uMyEZzKmYnFihhCVn1J1gIZpBk4YkCJ30HXEmjAaXJwlKbUV3OMqlzicQvzgaPyI0p_opvSZC4OwIb1byrBABo/s200/corn+cut.JPG" width="200" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ lb fresh new green beans<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 ears fresh-picked corn, shucked<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 T unsalted butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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2-3 T sour cream<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 large scallion, white and green parts, sliced<o:p></o:p></div>
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2-3 big leaves fresh basil, chiffonade<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Break the stem ends from the beans and cut the <a href="http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/2007/08/august-corn-phase-i-corn-off-cob.html">corn
off the cob</a> with a sharp knife. Bring a pot of water to the boil; drop in
the beans and a little salt, and cook for about 3 minutes; add the corn and
cook for another minute. Drain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the beans and corn,
tossing to coat and heat through. Add the scallions and toss for a minute or so
over low heat—don’t brown anything. Add the sour cream, salt, and pepper, and stir
for another minute or so. Add the basil, toss once more, and taste for
seasoning. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. If you make it a little
ahead, add up to another T of sour cream when reheating. You could add some
chopped tomato if you wish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-zK8fjmSgH5luOrPnzgB1-Yjm2ghPk4pnjHWtNdlPTkAP4DNSJpxzgGb_WPuKcbBDuiCOzSaSg9oFMw548IIG0o-KXyPdeghtFQD-rQxVfd_82GpY-ZCErYi7_ENe-Q4sCqfP4C5bn8/s1600/burger+sandwich.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-zK8fjmSgH5luOrPnzgB1-Yjm2ghPk4pnjHWtNdlPTkAP4DNSJpxzgGb_WPuKcbBDuiCOzSaSg9oFMw548IIG0o-KXyPdeghtFQD-rQxVfd_82GpY-ZCErYi7_ENe-Q4sCqfP4C5bn8/s320/burger+sandwich.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446802283239662385.post-5300025681209134832013-06-07T21:25:00.000-04:002013-06-07T21:25:51.214-04:00 Happy Doughnut Day! Celebrate with Tomatoes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xHu-MxloK4sEEKUWmiCZSgmCPkVlCso09IruamkvB_fqp5608nGdNwnyvpkTakZGeY2jyY5ECKyu2zcxc13shtRfOMKKFwH5rQZYPRuCOrPe5fGggaLqgrwWCEvrXqBut6SvxzKzWpE/s1600/Tomatoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xHu-MxloK4sEEKUWmiCZSgmCPkVlCso09IruamkvB_fqp5608nGdNwnyvpkTakZGeY2jyY5ECKyu2zcxc13shtRfOMKKFwH5rQZYPRuCOrPe5fGggaLqgrwWCEvrXqBut6SvxzKzWpE/s320/Tomatoes.JPG" width="320" /></a>OK, tomatoes have absolutely nothing to do with doughnuts—although
I <i>could </i>imagine a tomato-infused cake doughnut,
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sugar. . . . I just couldn’t let this important day go by
without mention, despite the fact that the most carb-loaded thing I am eating
is a couple of sweet vegetables. I did
have two doughnuts from a local doughnut shop this week on my way to Phoenix—one
must get them when one can—so it is not as if I am being virtuous or anything.
And I <i>will</i> make doughnuts for the
blog this summer. But for doughnut day
today: tomatoes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is hot—nearly 5:00 p.m. and still 107F—and I am tired,
tired, tired. This combination means, in
no uncertain terms, no cooking.
Fortunately, I have some rather nice heirloom tomatoes from our rather
nice Farmers Market. I also had a few local carrots. So I made this little
sweet salad. It seemed to want an
old-fashioned dressing, and just a breath of
it, so I stuck with corn oil, cider vinegar, salt (no pepper), and one
of my favorite ingredients, ground caraway seed. With everything fresh and local,
including the onion, it makes for a tasty light supper accompanied by another
hot-weather essential, Campari and orange with a splash of soda. Followed by a
doughnut, if you are lucky enough to have one on hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">THT (too hot and
tired) Tomato Salad</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This isn’t really a recipe so much as a list of things to
toss together. <i>Serves 1, generously.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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2 medium carrots, finely shredded<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 ripe heirloom tomato of your choice (this is a German
Stripe), roughly sliced vertically<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 very thin slice onion, halved<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 T corn oil<o:p></o:p></div>
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1-1 ½ tea cider vinegar <o:p></o:p></div>
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Salt to taste<o:p></o:p></div>
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Big pinch—maybe ½ tea—ground caraway seed<o:p></o:p></div>
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Set the tomato aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients and
let stand 15 minutes or so, then toss in the tomato and correct for seasoning. Resist
the temptation to add a green herb, you’ll spoil it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com/atom.xml</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11068348526232036423noreply@blogger.com0