Friends Market – Annual Display! Orleans MA
A lot on my mind today……. (did i have too much caffeine this morning??????)
Ok, so the 4th of July was a couple of weeks ago — I am a day late and ……. but, I just had to post this picture – an image I look forward to every July. I know it’s kind of corny, but, well, so I guess i am a sucker for corny nostalgia. Guilty. And, my 2 week old bone-to-pick is, Hello????? New York Times????, the 4th of July was on a Wednesday – food day – and, the mention of the holiday in the dining section was found in only a couple of asides – I had to actually search for them. Huh? Isn’t this a missed opportunity? I guess it is just too folksy or something? I don’t know, I was looking for a feature on great Summer holiday food. I guess I am too pedestrian. They celebrate the 4th in the Hamptons, too, don’t they? The Hampton’s Food and Wine Festival was a week later – oh well. Some things I just don’t get. Ok, that’s out of my system. Anyway, in my mind they redeemed themselves today solely by publishing that picture from Popbar of the frozen bonbons – chocolate coated hazelnut, strawberry and vanilla – is that torture or what?????? (It’s the littlest things that get me.)
I sometimes wonder what an aerial view of the Cape, Nantucket and the Hamptons would look like in peak season – seriously, how many cars and people can you cram into the tiniest spit of land at one time?????? ( I guess the recession is somewhat refreshing to all but the proprietors who make 80% of their revenue in 20% of the year.) This would look like an ant colony on steroids! In any event, there is lots of food fodder in those spots!
In spite of the two week delay, here are just a few ideas I thought about to model the Red, White and Blue theme, blue being a much maligned, but no less envigorating color in the food world:
Caprese Salad – Red and White, try with some blueberries – I love blueberries with balsamic!
Fresh Berries with Mascarpone – Red, White and Blue
Ina Garten’s Flag Cake -www.foodnetwork.com/…/ina-garten/flag-cake…/in…
Mixed-Berry Pie – Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries – just substitute a mix in the Blueberry-Peach recipe
No reason not to continue the celebration right through the month of July – best days of the Summer – long days of sunlight and lots of bbq-ing!!!!!! Really, I think the bbq season is at its height right thru the end of harvest season – a compelling reason to go to California in September and October!!!!!! (note to self – look for bargain flights).
And, speaking of blueberries, in today’s NYT Dining section, Melissa Clark presents a recipe for Agrodolce Blueberries. Ah, the Italian word for sweet and sour. (I admit, I am obsessed with Italian food words.) I say you can pretty much use this concept with most fruits. Try substituting blackberries, mixed berries, or any stone fruits right now.
This, in addition to the Mango-Tamarind Chutney from David Tanis, are great ways to add a wow factor your otherwise bland entrees — any piece of chicken, pork or fish would be exciting with these. I have to say though, the David Tanis pictures make me think more of Nectarines or, yes, Peaches instead of mango right now, I know you are not surprised.
I was catching up on my stack of unread magazines and came across the editor’s letter in Town and Country entitled, yes, Kitchen Confidential. In it Jay Fielden talks about his twice-yearly trips from Florence to Milan (where do I please sign up to do that?). The first sentence is “Why is it that western Europe’s small towns get restaurants with Michelin stars while ours get McDonald’s? Well, now there’s the 64 million $$$ question! (Maybe that is the number one reason I am obsessed with Europe.) This is probably not totally fair with the emergence of very talented chefs (I guess Blackberry Farm would be a prime example, being out-of-the-way) in the farm to table movement and the exponential growth in artisinal producers in some markets, but I guess there are just too many examples to refute his claim. He references Blue Hill and the Bedford Post as examples of hope, but, Westchester isn’t exactly a fair example of America’s small towns, is it?) Anyway, he’s reminiscing about the food in small towns in Emilia-Romagna and brings up Pears Cardinal with Zabaglione. Ok, I love recipes with pears so I go off searching for recipes. Basically, this is a poached pear with an accompanying fruit sauce (i.e. raspberry) – a common concept in both Italy and France, as are so many things. Something to experiment with in a million ways. This is where the world’s best balsamic vinegars are produced – that alone is a reason for me to be there!!!
Ok, so last night I experimented with making a sugar-free marinade for my pork tenderloin. Sugar, white or brown and honey are common additions to barbecue marinades but I wanted to see what I could come up with sans these. This came out well without the sugars and tenderized the meat beyond anything else I have ever used. I am a huge fan of Hoboken Eddie’s Merlie’s Magic – if you haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it. It is delicious. Anyway, I was trying to see how close I could come without the sugars element. I will tweek this a little, but it was very good. Anyone not averse to using sugars – add a tblsp or two of honey. Last night I made this without the orange, but will try it next time since I realized the Merlie’s Magic has a lot of orange going on.
PEACH AND PINEAPPLE MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN
2 whole peaches, peeled and cut into slices
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
3-4 1″ wide, 3″ long, strips orange peel, or to taste
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1” fresh ginger, peeled and cut into coins
1 small shallot, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, with seeds and ribs
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaping tblsp fresh thyme leaves
Place peaches and pineapple in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken down. Add remaining ingredients and pulse again to desired consistency – don’t over process – it is better to have some texture left.
You can fool around with any of these ingredients to get the flavors you like. Enjoy!
You can make a chutney with this same recipe – just leave the fruits in small dice.
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Last thought: 2nd bone to pick: to the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s Newspaper(?), I love Mario Batali and his recipes (today, Charred Green Beans with Genovese Pesto), but can’t they find a high profile chef from NJ to write this column? Seriously, is there really no one? (I may not have the real scoop, but where is Craig Shelton anyway?)
and,
Question of the day – does anyone voluntarily go into NYC when it is going to be 96F?
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Summer – Day 28:
This is precisely why they are called Morning Glories!!!!!!!
Headline: Heat Wave washes out Hydrangeas early!!!!!!! – Christin, call the abuse hotline!!!!! (I guess I did have too much caffeine)
Have a lovely day!