Posted by Lucy Baker, April 22, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Sometimes a few simple ingredients come together to create something spectacular. The individual elements compliment each other so well that, when combined, the results are so delicious they border on magical. Think bacon and eggs; chocolate and strawberries; hot dogs, ketchup, and mustard.
To my mind, few dishes are as effortlessly flawless as a classic caprese salad composed of tart tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil. And while I wouldn't normally mess with perfection, I was intrigued by a recipe in the May issue of Bon Appetit that replaced the tomatoes with slices of fresh mango, and added radicchio to the mix.
A caprese salad with tropical and bitter flavors? I had to try it out for this week's magazine recipe review.
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Posted by Lucy Baker, March 6, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Photograph from gargoylesoftware on Flickr
Forget budding daffodils, lingering twilight, and afternoon rain showers. For me, the surest sign of spring is the return of street corner fruit stands. So I was thrilled last week to see them beginning to pop up around Brooklyn, some beneath umbrellas, others off the back of pick-up trucks, all overflowing with pineapples, papayas, and pints of strawberries.
It was cause for celebration. And celebrations are cause for ice cream.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, January 17, 2008 at 3:30 PM
It’s too bad we’re not all in rural Carhampton right now, or Gloucestershire, or really any Western European village with an apple orchard celebrating Apple-Wassailing Day. Rousing apple trees from sleepy wintertime, in hopes of a bountiful crop later this year, is a sport for many Brits on January 17th each year. As apple cheerleaders, they carry torches and bang on pots and pans to wake-up napping Fijis and Staymans.
At the core (heh) of this, is the hot wassail, a spiced drink that falls somewhere between cider, punch and mulled wine (each village has their own recipe, some with dry sherry or beer). Villagers rally around the biggest apple tree then pour hot wassail all over tree roots and finally break out the shotgun to scare away evil, crop-ruining spirits.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, September 28, 2007 at 3:00 PM
You know how I urged you to bookmark the previous two Cook the Book recipes for winter? This one you're going to want to bookmark for spring. Sure, it's not strawberry time, but we wanted to highlight produce-aisle citizens from across the spectrum this week.
Anyway, this hotcake recipe is from How to Pick a Peach
by Russ Parsons, a book that's all about where the foods in the produce aisle come from, when they're at their best, and how to pick a prime example of whatever it is you're in the market for. The recipe follows after the jump, but first a couple of tips from Parsons.
- How to choose: There are a lot of little indicators of strawberry quality, but the most important is probably the simplest: smell. Great strawberries have a distinctive candied aroma that you can't miss. Beyond that, the berries should be completely red (the exact shade of red will depend on the variety); avoid any with white tips. The green hull should look fresh, not dried out. The berries should be glossy, without any matte spots where the flesh has started to break down. Always look at the underside of the berry basket—that's where crushed berries may be hiding and where spoilage will start. It's not at all uncommon to pick up a basket of berries that are beautiful on top but are as gray and fuzzy as a freshman dorm refrigerator underneath.
- How to store: This is a tough one, because refrigerating damages the flavor of strawberries, but the fruit is so tender that not chilling will lead to rapid spoilage. The best solution is to buy berries from a local farmer and eat them the same day without putting them in the refrigerator. Failing that, transfer the berries to a plastic bag (to prevent excessive drying) lined with a paper towel (to absorb excessive moisture) and refrigerate them.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, September 25, 2007 at 1:30 PM
This week's Cook the Book entry, How to Pick a Peach by Russ Parsons, is all about where the foods in the produce aisle come from, when they're at their best, and how to pick a prime example of whatever it is you're in the market for. Arugula, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salad, one of the recipes that goes along with the chapter on pears follows, but first a couple of pear tips from Parsons.
- Where they're grown: Pear trees need more cold than most other fruit trees, they are susceptible to a wide variety of climatic ills. For this reason, between 90 and 95 percent of the total U.S. crop is grown in California, Washington, and Oregon....
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Posted by Adam Kuban, September 24, 2007 at 1:55 PM
If you read the previous post, you'll know that this week's Cook the Book entry, How to Pick a Peach, by Russ Parsons, is all about where the foods in the produce aisle come from, when they're at their best, and how to pick the best example of whatever it is you're in the market for. Applesauce with Bourbon, Sour Cherries, and Hazelnuts, One of the recipes that go along with the chapter on apples follows, but first a couple tips from Parsons:
- How to choose: All apples should be smooth-skinned and deeply colored. Yellow apples should be golden, and striped apples should have a background color that is nearly golden. Apples should be heavy for their size and firm to the touch.
- How to store: Apples should be kept as close to 32 degrees and with as much humidity as possible. Store them in an open or perforated plastic bag to retain moisture without collecting water. Put the bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
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