Cherry Tomato Fennel Tart With Balsamic Crust
We have more cherry tomatoes than we know what to do with this year. I usually prefer to eat them like candy, right off the vine, but with all the rain we had in July, the tomatoes are a bit more watery than usual. So, I’ve taken to roasting them instead – a delicious consolation prize. This tart was inspired by the recipe at La Tartine Gourmande. Instead of tartlets, I used a single 9” tart pan and increased the baking time to 40 minutes.
Salad of Roasted Beets, Walnuts and Mascarpone
Our garden beets are finally ready. Despite the heat, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to roast a few – they’re so sweet this way. This salad has layer upon layer of flavors and textures – spicy greens, creamy mascarpone, sweet but tangy balsamic.
Salad of Roasted Beets, Walnuts and Mascarpone
Adapted from Skye Gyngell’s My Favorite Ingredients.
Ingredients
6 small beets, red and golden, about 2” in diameter
mixed salad greens (I used arugula, wood sorrel, and baby chard.)
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
2 generous tablespoons mascarpone
lemon wedge
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 T walnut oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Wrap beets in foil and roast for 30 minutes. When cool to touch, peel the beets and slice roughly.
- Wash and dry salad greens and divide between two plates.
- Arrange beets on top of the greens.
- Squeeze the lemon over top of each plate.
- Spoon the mascarpone on top.
- Scatter the walnuts over the salad and drizzle with the aged balsamic and walnut oil.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Makes 2 starter course salads.
Pickled Plums
These were made with local ’Methley’ plums, a Japanese variety. I hope they taste as beautiful as they look in the jars – the deep red flesh of the plums floating in the pink pickling juice. Alas, we have to wait a week before we find out. As my obsession with preserving continues, my patience improves.
Pickled Plums
Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s How To Be a Domestic Goddess.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 star anise
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 T coriander seeds
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 T orange peel preserves
1 1/2 pounds plums, halved and pitted
2 pint jars or equivalent
Preparation
- Simmer all ingredients except for the plums for 15 minutes.
- Pack plum halves into sterilized jars, allowing two inches of head space at the top of each jar.
- Pour pickling liquid over the plums covering them and allowing a 1/2 inch of head space. Evenly distribute the spices between the two jars.
- Tap the jars to make certain there are no air bubbles.
- Seal the jars and store in a cool, dark place for at least week. Refrigerate after opening.
Blueberry Bran Muffins
These muffins are so moist and just slightly sweet. The millet adds a nice texture, but the real stars here are the Michigan blueberries.
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Ingredients
1 cup oat bran
1 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup millet, toasted (optional)
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
12 cup jumbo muffin pan
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Whisk together dry ingredients. Add blueberries and toss to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.
- Gently fold wet mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients, taking care to not over mix.
- Spoon the batter into prepared jumbo muffin pans, evenly distributing it among the twelve cups. A spring-action disher works well with minimal spillage.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
These are delicious fresh from the oven, but the paper muffin wrappers are easier to peel off after the muffins have cooled.
Spicy Pickled Green Beans
A friend introduced me to pickled green beans a few years ago, and it was love at first bean. Still, I didn’t consider making my own until this week when I rescued five pounds of beans from an over flowing farmstand for $0.99 a pound. For the price of a single jar from Tillen Farms, I made four pints. Try them with a chunk of Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese.
Spicy Pickled Green Beans
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups champagne vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 cloves garlic, peeled
4 dried red chilis
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 T black peppercorns
3/4 pound green beans, blanched for 2 minutes
2 pint jars, canning lids and rings
Preparation
- Simmer liquids with spices and garlic for 10 minutes.
- Put beans and chilis into sterile jars.
- Pour liquid into jars, distributing the spices and garlic evenly between the two jars.
- Seal. Process in a gently simmering water bath for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove hot jars. Loosen the rings and re-tighten.
- Store the beans in a cool, dark place for a few weeks so the flavors can develop.
Makes 2 pints.
Cherry Bounce
A friend brought me a couple quarts of fresh sour cherries from Michigan. She even pitted them for me! My first thought was pie, until I came across this recipe (courtesy of the Beekmans) for a Cherry Bounce, a yummy sounding libation that dates back to the 18th century. A long-time fan of the Manhattan (bourbon, straight up please), I already knew that cherries plus bourbon equals luscious. Alas, there is a downside – “Do not open until Christmas.”
Summer Berry Yogurt Parfaits
These fruity parfaits are a great start to a summer day. Use what’s fresh. Use what you have.
- Start with creamy Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, or vanilla yogurt
- Add granola for texture and crunch.
- Sweeten with honey, lemon curd, or preserves.
- Toss in the freshest berries you can find.
Mulberry Jam
For three weeks each summer the north east corner of our back yard is covered in mushy, rotting mulberries that drop from our neighbor’s tree. Worse still is the gritty, indigo mulberry bird poo that splops onto every chair and table in the yard. As Eckhart Tolle is fond of saying, that which you resist, persists. So this year, further inspired by the renowned forager Euell Gibbons, I decided to stop resisting and make some jam. It took me ten years to do something useful with the berries, but only a few moments to regret it – the jam was delicious!
Mulberry Jam
Ingredients
4 cups mulberries, hulled and rinsed
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Juice and zest of one lemon
Preparation
- Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer gently for 40 minutes.
- Add lemon zest and continue simmering until it thickens, about 5-10 minutes.
- Preserve in sterilized jars according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Makes 2 1/2 cups.
Smarter Mulberry Jam
A few things inspired me to try a short cut with my second batch: My husband didn’t care for the chunkiness of the berries; hulling the berries took me almost an hour; and my hands and cuticles are still stained from the first batch. This time I left the stems on and pureed them in the food processor. The equally delicious second batch had a pleasingly smooth texture with nary a stem in sight.
Bob Vivant 