eat make read

It never ceases to amaze me how much fresh, glorious basil you can get at the market. I picked up this awesome bunch and it was about 5 times as much and about a dollar less than the packages you can get at the supermarket. And the smell, oh it’s so awesome. I decided to make pesto with this bunch, which is usually what I do with every bunch of basil I pick up. It’s such an easy thing to whip up, and if you have lots you can just toss it in the freezer.

All you do is pick all the leaves from the stem, savoring the scent that floats through the air, and toss them in the bowl of a food processor. Next you just add some pine nuts, a little parmesan, a clove or two of garlic and turn that puppy on. As the blades are chopping everything up, drizzle olive oil into the mixture so it gets nice a moist and sticks together well. In just a few minutes you have yourself a versatile topping for a variety of dishes. I opted to toss mine with some pasta and sausage, but it would be also be tasty on chicken. It’s a great way to use up fresh basil for a refreshing summer dish.

Pesto

1 bunch of basil leaves (3-4 cups, loosely filled)
1/4 toasted pine nuts
1/4 parmesan
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil

1
Tear basil leaves off stem and place in bowl of food processor.
2
Add nuts, cheese and garlic to the bowl.
3
With olive oil in hand, start blending and pouring olive oil into the mixture while it’s whirling around.
4
Mix until it’s finely chopped and holds together well, about 1 minute.

I’m on an ice cream kick and man, we hit it big the other day when we stopped by Blue Marble for some ice cream. I’m not sure why we never stopped by, but I’m sure I’ll find excuses to do so now after trying my first scoop. I sampled mint chocolate chip and “stick of butter pecan” and I opted for the latter because it was so rich and buttery, just like the name implies. It was definitely the best butter pecan ice cream I’ve had and now I can’t wait to try all the other flavors.

If you’re in the neighborhood, don’t skip Blue Marble.

Mmmm, there’s nothing better on a hot day than ice cream. It gets even better when you add some fresh fruit, which is exactly what I did last weekend when temperatures hit the mid 90’s. I’d bought the most amazing raspberries I’ve ever had… seriously, they melted in your mouth and I totally regret not getting more. I also picked up some blueberries and nectarines, so I decided to whip up my own take on this delicious sounding recipe for nectarine, blackberry and pecan sundaes.

I took about half a pint of both raspberries and blueberries and pureed them in the food processor. I ran that mixture through a fine sieve to create a lovely berry syrup. Next I cut up 4 nectarines into thin slices and soaked them in 2 Tablespoons of sugar because they were a little on the sour side. Once everything had set for the appropriate time, I got out my ice cream and started to assemble. First the syrup, then the nectarines topped by toasted pecans and a few scoops of ice cream. I did one more layer of the fruit and nuts and I must say it might be the prettiest sundae I’ve ever seen. It just kind of looked like summer, with all it’s bright colors. Oh, and the flavor… so awesomely delicious! The syrup and nectarines gave a nice sweet and sour flavor while the nuts gave the sundae a really great texture and richness. And the ice cream, well that just held it all together and cooled it off. Yumm, it’s the perfect summer sundae.

Summer Sundae
adapted from nectarine, blackberry and pecan sundaes

1/2 pint fresh rasperries
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar
4 pitted nectarines, sliced
1/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1 to 2 pints vanilla ice cream

1
Puree berries in processor. Transfer puree to sieve set over bowl and strain, pressing with rubber spatula to extract as much pulp and juice as possible.
2
Place nectarines in medium bowl. Sweeten to taste, tossing with sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Let stand 15 minutes.
3
Spoon some sauce into bottom of 4 sundae dishes. Top with 2 tablespoons nectarines, some pecans, 2 scoops ice cream, more berry sauce, and more nectarines. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.

I hope you had a great weekend. It was disgustingly hot in New York this weekend, so we tried to spend as much time as we could in air conditioning. We did manage to make it out to the market though and it was pretty dreamy. Everything is in abundance and it’s hard to resist most of it.I made some blueberry pancakes a while ago that kind of rocked my world. We had guests staying with us, and since I’d just purchased some blueberries, I thought it would be a perfect time to try them out again. I quietly started making them and soon the apartment filled with a delightful scent and people started waking. Once I’d finished making the last one, we all sat down and devoured the goodness. My secret is to add a little honey, vanilla and cinnamon to the batter so they come out with a lovely, just slightly sweet flavor. Pair that with the fresh juicy blueberries and it’s a match made in heaven. They were just the thing to start out the day with.

Blueberry Pancakes
makes 8 big pancakes
1 1/2 cup flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint blueberries

1
In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2
In a separate medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, butter, honey and vanilla.
3
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined.
4
Heat a skillet on the stovetop and add 1/4-1/3 cup batter. Sprinkle a handful of blueberries over batter and let pancake cook. Once the sides begin to bubble, flip and cook the other side. Repeat until all the batter is used.5Top with a little butter and maple syrup and enjoy!

This week’s happy hour is honor of my lovely grandma CB, who celebrated her 91st birthday yesterday. She’s one of my favorite people in the world and one of her favorite things is Jim Beam. Every evening she pours herself a glass of Mr. Beam on the rocks, so that’s what I’ve decided to do this week.
I have to say, it’s not my favorite drink. In fact my face contorts with each sip, but I figure maybe it’s an acquired taste. Perhaps I need to take baby steps by mixing it with a little something.

Cheers! To a great weekend and a great grandma.

It’s no secret that I love cheese. When our friend suggested we take a cheese class at Murray’s we jumped at the chance. So last week Aaron and I spent a few hours after work learning about different cheese in a class called Cheese 101. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I mean, I knew it was going to be good because it’s Murray’s, but you never know what the instructor will be like or whether the selection of cheeses would up your alley.
We were blown away. Our instructor, Taylor Cocalis, was super nice and funny and knew her stuff when it came to cheese. We were given 7 different cheeses, ranging in milk type (animal), age and place of origin. There was also a generous serving of tasty snacks and wine to accompany the tasting. We went through each cheese, learning about who made it and how to talk about it’s characteristics. By the time the class was over, I was stuffed full of amazing cheeses and a little more knowledgeable about each of them. The only thing is, it left me wanting to take another class…

A while ago we went to a restaurant and tried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta cheese and I haven’t been able to get it off my mind. So when I spotted the edible flowers tent at the greenmarket last weekend and made a beeline for it.

I found a recipe on epicurious for fried zucchini blossoms that included beer and it seemed like a match made in heaven. I put my own little spin on it by stuffing them with a mixture of ricotta and pesto. Once they were all stuffed, I dipped them in the flour and beer mixture and then fried them up. A quick sprinkle of salt and they were ready for a taste. They were basically awesome. I mean how can you go wrong with something that’s stuffed with cheesy goodness, then fried? I really liked the addition of pesto because it added an additional level of taste that jazzed them up. These would definitely be a great appetizer to serve at a get together.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

squash blossoms
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beer or club soda
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 Tablespoon pesto
oil

1
In a small bowl combine ricotta and pesto.
2
Assemble blossoms so they’re all separated. Carefully make a small tear or cut between the petals down to the green part. This allows you to more easily stuff the blossom. Add a tablespoon of the cheese mixture and close the tear back up by gently squeezing together.
3
Whisk flour and beer together to make a batter.
4
Carefully dip the blossoms in the batter to thinly coat.
5
Fry a few at a time in a pan filled with 1/2 inch of oil, about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and generously sprinkle with salt.

For some reason I’d never tried a plum until this weekend. Weird, I know, but I had some preconception that I just wouldn’t like them. Then I spotted these lovely yellow and red ones and the Union Square Greenmarket and couldn’t resist. Good move.

I tried one when I got home and it was pretty good. But then I asked a friend what I should do with the rest of them and she suggested I make a cobbler. So off I went to make my first plum cobbler, and let me tell you this was a great way to start. I found this recipe for Plum Cobbler with Cinnamon Biscuits and it kind of rocked my world. The plums were a little tart, so the soft, cinnamon biscuits provided a great contrast to the juicy plums.

Whether you’ve tried plums or not, now’s the time to use them up with this gem of a recipe.

A little Monday inspiration. There was a great article in the Times Magazine yesterday about women who farm. Give it a look and learn something new.