Ah the power of marketing. Over at Balsam Farms, snuggled up next to the deliciously sweet flying saucer-shaped donut peaches were these little lookalikes, tagged TangO peaches. The only discernible difference was the golden skin of the TangOs, which actually made them a mite less appealing than the flushed pink and orange fuzzed donut peaches. What's the difference … [Read more...]
Strawberry Longcake
Stawberry Longcake? Nothing simpler. Think of it as shortcake on steroids. Start with a double batch of the shortcake recipe on the Bisquick box. Spread it into a long log on a baking sheet. Use a spatula to make it as even as possible. Smooth out spikes in the dough. Sprinkle the top with course or raw sugar. In the Bisquick box recipe the cakes are baked for … [Read more...]
Beach Plum Jelly – Reduced Sugar Recipe
It's been a banner year for wild beach plums. We returned to Maidstone Beach up in Springs where the pickin' was easy, more so than ever. In this case foraging seems too austere a word to call harvesting nature's wild bounty. The bushes were laden with plump plums. Clear sky, gentle breeze, boats on the bay, perfect. We gathered twice the amount of beach plums in half the time … [Read more...]
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
The wonderful tasting, wonderfully named chimichurri sauce is another fabulous Argentinean import, right up there with dulce de leche and provoletta. A fantastic topper for hot-off-the-grill steaks, chimichurri's charm lies in the freshness of an array of summer herbs spiked with vinegar and lemon juice. The basic idea is simple enough. Armed with the concept and the core … [Read more...]
BLACKBERRY GRAPEFRUIT JAM
Spectacularly Delicious. Not the blog -- I'm talking about this Blackberry Grapefruit Jam. From out of the blue this recipe takes its place in the highest tier of favorite jam combos. Its winning characteristics: A juicy, ripe fruit flavor with the berries and grapefruit working in harmony. Both are tamed somewhat, with half of the blackberry mash getting sieved for seeds … [Read more...]
RED CURRANT JELLY
How often have you seen red currant jelly specified in a recipe? I've seen red currant jelly called for literally countless times over the years, most often (but not only) as a glaze for fruit tarts. For these my go-to red currant jelly stand-ins are my beach plum and pomegranate jellies, which have been better than adequate, thank you. And yet... Wouldn't it be nice to … [Read more...]
JOSTABERRY JAM
What's a Jostaberry? I didn't know either. The Balsam Farms guy said it was like a gooseberry, which was information enough for me to make this sweet-tart Jostaberry Jam recipe. My extensive research (the first Wiki page that popped up) revealed the Jostaberry is another modern miracle of German genetic sciences. - The Jostaberry is a hybrid of black currant, American … [Read more...]
SOFT SHELL CRABS: HOW TO CLEAN, HOW TO COOK
There are any number of reasons one should know how to clean and cook soft shell crabs -- here are my top three: 1. Freshness is essential and they must be cooked right after cleaning. 2. Cleaning soft shell crabs falls into the collection of skills every good cook should possess along with opening oysters, boning fish, boiling lobsters, starting fires. 4. It's a great … [Read more...]
LOBSTER PAELLA
1 1/2 lb. lobster 1 lb. mussels 1/2 large fennel bulb 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into slender strips olive oil 1 large shallot, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 c. Paella rice 1 c. wine 5 c. lobster stock 4 c. chicken broth 1/8 t. saffron 1/4 t. chopped tarragon 1 t. paprika 1 bay leaf s&p butter, carrot flowers , and sprigs of watercress or tarragon for … [Read more...]
Best Way to Peel Asparagus: The Elusive Two-Bladed Peeling Tongs
The very best asparagus peeler of all time is, alas, not readily available here in the United States of America. And we call this the greatest country on earth. Ha! The beauty of this German-made number is the opposing peeling blades facing each other on the inside of a pair of tongs. Hold the asparagus stem near to top end, gently clamp down on the stalk with the tongs and … [Read more...]