The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Concord Grapes

Last week I made it down to the Greenmarket for some concord grapes.  These beauties are in season right now, and I love them soooo much.  They are the types of grapes you see in old Baroque paintings.  They are a beautiful purply-blue color with a thin bloom that rubs off.  You don't find them in a lot of grocery stores, because they have large seeds.  They don't bother me too much though, because I love their flavor and jelly-ish texture.  I had fun buying a basket, sitting in the park, and spitting the seeds.  They looked quite picturesque in their wooden baskets with bees buzzing around them at the Stone Arch Farm's booth.  You should definitely stop by your farmers market and give them a try.

Stewed Rhubarb and Berries

I meant to post about my stewed rhubarb and berries last week, but time got away from me.  If you have a hodgepodge of summer fruit, and you want to make something that can elevate a dessert or even breakfast, try this simple stewed fruit recipe, adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution, by Jamie Oliver.  You can use any berries or any summer fruit you like, just add or subtract the amount of sugar depending on how ripe and sweet your fruit already is.

Ingredients for Stewed Rhubarb and Berries:

-3 large stalks of rhubarb

-1 pint of strawberries, hulled

-1 pint of blueberries

-5 tablespoons of sugar

-1 teaspoon of cinnamon

-2 tablespoons of water

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan, and cook on medium high heat, with a lid covering.  

Once fruit has softened, remove lid, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until the juices reduce and you have a fairly thick compote.  The fruit will have melded together and created a lovely dark plum color.

Place your stewed fruit on yogurt, in your oatmeal, on a scone, or in ice cream, the list goes on.  This compote will keep for a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For my frozen yogurt recipe, click here.

For a homemade vanilla ice recipe, click here.

And click here for a lemon curd recipe I made last year, or click here for this Sesame Pea Shoot Salad from the year before.

Rhubarb Crumble Pie

I made this Rhubarb Crumble Pie Sunday morning (I made the dough the day before), and it has been a treat this whole week.  There are a couple steps - pie dough, crumble topping, and filling, but truly it is a simple pie.  Not the most eye-appealing pie in my opinion, but still delicious - sweet, tart, gooey with a bit of bite from the crumble.

DIY Valentine's Day Fruit Stickers

All photos from Twig & Thistle.

I thought this was a clever way to say, "I like you," not to mention a healthier alternative to chocolate ;)  Click here for the free pdf from Twig & Thistle.  Seriously, so cute!

How To Cut A Pomegranate

I remember the first time I tried to remove all the seeds from a pomegranate.  My clean white shirt was spotted with dark red specs all over it.  Today, I actually know how to cut a pomegranate without all the mess, and it is just in three steps.  When purchasing a pomegranate, look for glossy skin, make sure it does not look withered.  Pick the pomegranate up, it should feel full and heavy, that is sign of a juicy pomegranate.

First, quarter the pomegranate.

Second, take a large bowl of water and submerge each quarter in the water.  Use your fingers to separate the arils from pulp.  This a bit time consuming, but well worth it.  Repeat with the remaining three quarters.

Thirdly, pour your water and seed mixture through a sieve, and pick out any bad looking seeds, or pulp you missed.

Now you are ready to enjoy as is, or pop into a recipe.  Nature's candy - yum yum :)


Check out this Aztec Hot Chocolate Ice Cream I made last year.  It is to die for.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Pomegranate

Did you know that it is National Pomegranate Month?  Well it is!  Pomegranates are one of my favorite fruits.  I have been fascinated by them since my seventh grade English teacher brought some to class to celebrate the end of our Greek studies unit.  Their leathery pink skin hides the sweet and tart jewel-like clusters inside called arils.  Once you take the time to break open the pomegranate and separate all the seeds, I let them chill in the refrigerator for a bit and just eat a huge bowl of them, like I did today.  I just love how each juicy seed pops in your mouth.  They were definitely the best thing I had in my mouth.

Stay tuned for tips on how to separate out the pomegranate seeds without making a complete mess.

Click here to read about last year's visit to Afton Apple Orchard in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Plum Crisp

I have received plenty of ripe plums from my CSA these last couple weeks, and I am planning to get some more tomorrow.  Besides just plain eating them,  I have made a couple of plum crisps.  For my first crisp, I was fairly disappointed in the crispness of the crisp.  But after reading this great post from The Bitten Word on mix-and-match crumbles, I finally got a pretty good combination.  This crisp is easy and you can bake it in ramekins or a casserole dish.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Plum Crisp, adapted from The Bitten Word's advice, makes 8 ramekins:
-3/4 cups almond slivers
-1/2 cup rolled oats, not instant
-1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
-Pinch of salt
-7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small cubes, plus more for buttering dishes/dish
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for plum mixture
-2 pounds plums. pits removed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1/3 cup granulated sugar, up to a 1/2 cup more if your plums are tart

To begin, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter ramekins or casserole dish.  
Whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add almonds and the butter.  Use your hands to work in the butter until every thing is evenly moistened, and set aside.

Remove plum pits and cut plums into 1-inch pieces.  Toss with granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and cinnamon.

Fill the ramekins or dish with plum mixture and then squeeze handfuls of crumble on top.  It is important to squeeze the crumble together, because if it is loose, then the crumble sometimes falls into the fruit mixture while baking.  Place ramekins on a lined baking sheet (in case of any overflowing bubbling juices), and bake for about 40 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the juices are bubbling.  Let sit for at least ten minutes before serving.  It is good with a bit of vanilla ice cream or just on its own.  Enjoy!

Click here to read my review on Starbucks VIA from last year.

Dixie's Punch

Here is a very festive punch, which my grandma Dixie always made during the holidays. It is very simple and delicious. I made it for my coworkers last Friday and it was a hit. But beware, it can be dangerous depending on how much you drink ;)

Here are the ingredients which servers about 10-20 people (depending on how much they drink):

-1 can frozen orange juice, thawed

-1 can frozen lemonade, thawed

-1 can frozen limeade, thawed

-1 large bottle apricot nectar

-3 two-liter bottles of ginger ale - or more if you like

-Vodka, optional (As much as you can handle as my grandma would say)

-Fresh sliced fruit for garnish (I used oranges, lemons, and cranberries)

Pour everything together and stir until mixed well. Throw in fruit as a garnish. Enjoy!

Afton Apple Orchard

A few weeks ago, I flew to Minneapolis to visit my best friend Lisa. Lisa and I are best friends for a lot of reasons - we just get each other, but Lisa and I also have a passion for food. So the weekend was filled with food related things: pulled-pork tacos at a Canadian Tuxedo party, delicious heuvos racheros and corn bread made by Lisa, Arby's curly fries - yum, homemade apple pie, and dinner at Cafe Twenty-Eight.

Minneapolis is a breath of fresh air (literally and figuratively) compared to NYC. After staying with Lisa and her boyfriend Jesse's house, it left me wondering is New York City really that great? Yes and no. Lisa and Jesse have a garden which includes: tomatoes, green beans, squash, herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, dill), cucumbers, brussel sprouts, asparagus, rhubarb, beets, carrots, garlic and watermelon. Simply amazing! They even were growing raspberries until a ground hog ate them. And although I can go to the Green Market, it just isn't the same as growing the vegetables yourself.

On Saturday, Lisa and Jesse took me to the Afton Apple Orchard. I have only gone apple picking once before so I was pretty excited. After a long but lovely ride out to the country, we arrived. The great thing about Afton Apple Orchard is that they have a booth where you can sample every apple and then go out to the orchard and pick the ones you like best. Deciding which apple was superior became a contentious debate between all of us. We all love Honeycrisp, but that wasn't available for picking. Three against one decided that the Honey Gold was the best. I was the odd man out and this is why: the Honey Gold apple had floral notes like that of a pear, and if I wanted a pear I would have just bought one, I want an apple to taste like an apple. My personal favorite was the Regent, but we ended up getting the Honey Gold and a bunch of Haralsons for baking. Click here to see Afton's description of each apple. Here are some pictures of our visit:

Sampling booth.Apple Orchard.

Haralson Apples. Photo taken by Lisa M. Kreidler.
Sneaky apple eating - Very Illegal. Photo taken by Lisa M. Kreidler.The cutest donkey ever!Apple donut dessert.
Apple pie making. Photo taken by A.W.D.

If you live in Minneapolis I definitely recommend stopping by the Afton Apple Orchard, they also have raspberry, blueberries, cherries, peaches, and pumpkins to pick when each are in season. If you don't live in Minneapolis, find an orchard near you - it is a wonderful activity on a dreamy fall day.

Pear-Caramel Ice Cream

I got David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop a couple weeks ago and had to try one of ice cream recipes. The book is divided into sections by ice creams, sorbets and sherberts, granitas, and sauces and toppings, etc. The recipes are laid out concisely and there are beautiful photos throughout the book which beckons the reader to make another recipe. I have been getting a ton of Bosc pears from my CSA so I decided to make the Pear-Caramel ice cream. To be honest, Bosc pears are not my favorite, I prefer Barlett or d'Anjous pears for eating. Bosc pears have a firmer flesh than other pears, making them perfect for baking or poaching. For more information on Bosc pears, click here. So my main goal was to get rid of these pears, but still make something I would enjoy. Overall, I enjoyed the ice cream, but next time I would go with David's suggestion to use Comice or Bartlett pears. I think the Bosc pears' flavor couldn't hold up to the caramel, so if you make this yourself use the pears suggested for a stronger pear flavor.

Ingredients for David Lebovitz's Pear-Caramel Ice Cream taken from The Perfect Scoop:
-3 medium sized pears, peeled and cored (Bartlett or Comice pears recommended)
-3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
-2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
-A few drops freshly squeezed lemon juice (didn't have lemon on hand, so I didn't worry about it)

To begin, dice the pears into 1/4 inch pieces.
Spread the sugar in a large, nonreactive, heavy-bottom saucepan (mine was stainless steel). Cook sugar over medium heat and be sure to watch it carefully. When it begins to liquefy and darken at the edges, use a heat proof spatula to very gently stir the sugar, encouraging the other sugar to liquefy in the center.
Have your pear pieces ready, and once the sugar becomes a deep amber, stir the pear pieces in. Don't be afraid if some of the sugar hardens over the pears, they will eventually melt. Continue to cook the pears for about 10 minutes or until the pieces are cooked through.
Remove pear mixture from heat and add 1/2 cup cream, then mix in the remaining cream along with the salt and a few drops of lemon juice.
Let cool to room temperature and then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Note: I actually chilled mine completely before pureeing the mixture. Then press the mixture through a mesh strainer with a rubber spatula to move any tough pear fibers.
Then chill the mixture thoroughly and then pour into the ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions. For a firmer ice cream, place in the freezer for at least two hours.
This ice cream is good on its own, but is also nice paired with some caramelized pears on the side. Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

First off, sorry for the long hiatus. I have been traveling through Kansas for my friend's wedding as well as been very busy with work. While I was in Kansas, I made sure to stay a couple nights in Lawrence so I could get my favorite treats. I had to make stops at:

-Wheatfields for my favorite hash browns, cinnamon rolls, as well as their kalamata olive loaves and chocolate chocolate cookies.
-La Parrilla for their rice bowls and margaritas
-Free State Brewing Company for their fish and chips and of course beer!

I just wish I could have made it to Rudy's and Papa Kenos...I guess I will have to make another trip.

I also stayed in this adorable bed and breakfast called Glick Mansion, and Chris the innkeeper made a blueberry blanket for breakfast one morning.

So before I left I made blueberry muffins in my dark kitchen (my flourescent light bulbs are burning out - so I apologize for the dark images). I got the recipe from Martha Stewart and they ended up coming out fine, but they were definitely lacking something. I am sharing the recipe with you today, but next time I make it I will add a couple teaspoons of grated lemon zest or even make a streusel crumble to go on top.

Here are the ingredients for Martha Stewart's Blueberry Muffins (makes 12 muffins):
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tin
-3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
-1 large egg
-2 large egg yolks
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1 cup milk
-1 3/4 cups blueberries

Some adaptations for next time:
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest for the batter for a little zip or make a streusel topping. For directions on how to make streusel click here. It is from the same recipe I made for Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars.

For the blueberry muffins, begin by buttering the muffin tins and preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl beat cream the butter and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg, egg yolks, and vanilla to the mixture.
Reduce speed to low and alternate mixing by adding parts of the flour mixture and parts of the milk. I ended alternating about 6 times, starting and ending with the flour mixture until everything was combined.
Gently fold in blueberries by hand.
Divide the batter among the buttered tins and sprinkle generously with sugar. I ended up using natural sugar cane because the crystals are larger.
Bake until golden for about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Enjoy these muffins at breakfast or even freeze them in a ziplock bag and take them out whenever you need them.