It’s a tad late, but better late than never. I wanted to post my berry madness before I got this up. Head over to my Queens Chronicle piece about Food for the 4th. Really, it’s good food all summer long, so it’s still worth a glance. Cheese filled burgers, cucumber coolers and easy fruit ices await you…

Queens Chronicle, Food for the 4th. Published July 3, 2008. 

My fondest memories of holidays were spent at my grandmother’s house, packed with relatives and friends, and tables piled high with Latvian sauerkraut, kielbasa, honey ham, savory meat-filled pancakes and Jell-o. Thinking back, these were probably the best holidays because they meant toys and candy were soon to come my way. I’ll believe in anything imaginary as long as I get my basket of jelly beans!

Easter always involved a production, which is why I loved it so much. My family arrived at my grandmother’s house early in the morning. My grandmother, cooking since 6 AM, would be studding her massive loaves of saffron raisin bread before they went in the oven. A few dozen eggs boiled away in onion peels on the stove and set up on the kitchen table were the “children’s eggs,” store-bought kits for us to dye eggs. (Thinking back, I now realize these eggs were the “throw aways” for us kids to hide, break and maybe find, while my grandmother’s natural eggs were the table’s centerpiece and center of conversation.)

With eggs dyed and breakfast consumed, the adults hid eggs. We used to stay in-house, but the year after the still discussed “disappearing egg” was found rotting behind a book a few months after Easter, all egg activities were moved outside. My brothers and I followed the adults, baskets in hand, destroying the house then digging up the garden, searching for eggs. We were rewarded with an early dinner and a basket of sugar.

But always, through the years, my grandmother’s eggs stuck with me. She dyed eggs a vibrant marbled amber with a handful of onion peels and some vinegar. I worked with this, and a few other colors for an upcoming article. Above are my results.

The onion peel eggs are at top, the lighter marbled egg was wrapped in peels, secured with rubber bands and boiled for 15 minutes. The darker one was boiled loose in the peels for about 25 minutes. Top right, the striped one was wrapped in rubber bands and dyed in beet juice (who knew that beet juice, which turns everything magenta would turn eggs a dull grey-green). The speckled egg next to that was boiled for 15 min in spinach then left overnight to soak. Blueberries are the indigo eggs (1 cup frozen blueberries, 2 cups water, 1 tsp vinegar, boiled 15 min). The one in the middle had star-shaped stickers adhered before dying (just make sure the egg is totally dry before removing stickers or they will run– I lost a dinosaur with running dye!). At left, my favorite surprise, are turmeric dyed eggs. These were left about 15 minutes in 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon turmeric. They are true golden eggs. I dripped blue crayon on the one at left to produce the polka dots.

I thought of mixing blueberries with turmeric to get a vibrant green. I bet it would be fantastic. And I’ve heard red cabbage, boiled 15 minutes with 1 teaspoon vinegar and left overnight produces a fabulous teal. I heard soaking in pomegranate juice produces red, but mine turned out a putrid brown.

Natural egg dyes turn Easter into a fun guessing game and a fabulous science experiment. They are also safer than store-bought dye kits which, though they are “food safe,” processed food dyes are mostly coal tar-based (and many of them are banned in the EU).

So have fun, use your imagination with regular household items, have a wonderful holiday, and enjoy your egg salad! I’ll link to my story once it is out.

In the past few years we have seen a major push in cupcake appreciation. What was once a treat reserved for your school year birthday celebrations has turned into one hot commodity. In New York City you can hardly walk down the street without these memories of school years long past smacking you in the face, asking to be bought. These days, whether you pile them high with frosting or provide a sheer glaze, everyone loves a cupcake.

Is it our individualistic society and the fact that cupcakes are truly one’s private cake? Is it the unique possibilities (that are really so endlessly easy) with each cupcake? Is it because they remind us of our childhood? Or that eating one cupcake seems much more special than eating a slice of cake?

I love cupcakes because I can make a bunch and give them to a number of people with each one thinking the creation was solely for them. They are also easier to grab when you need your sugar fix. And really, they are more fun to eat than any dessert I can think of.

See my recent article in the Queens Chronicle, Romantic Recipes, for some cupcake ideas for your sweetheart. Included are three cupcake recipes I adapted from standards. Each recipe is delicious (just ask D who helped wolf them down in no time) and each fulfills a different kind of love.

For a hot, exotic romance, the Dark Chocolate Ancho Chili cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting (pictured at top) is perfect. The dark chocolate cupcake is flavorful and moist and the ancho is an unexpected kick.

For the traditionalist in your life try the Chocolate cupcake with Champagne frosting (pictured middle). The cake is just slightly sweet allowing the champagne to really pop.

At bottom is the cupcake for your Queen (or King) bee. The Lemon-Vanilla cupcake with Honey frosting will set the stinger on love in no time flat.

For the classic recipe for Red Velvet cupcakes see my old post.

Follow this link to the recipes at the Queens Chronicle.

Also, check out my article last year on Aphrodisiacs for the holiday!

What is with me and beets? You ask.
What is this recent obsession with using them in strange applications? You wonder.
An early start on Valentine’s Day?

I wanted pink pasta. No, truthfully I am still looking to use up my beets in interesting ways. I have eaten them plain, braised, pickled, in chocolate cake, and now beets have fallen into gnocchi. I really wanted to utilize that unique coloring that I love into something that would be truly fabulous. I think this takes the cake. How fabulous they are, both taste and visually. Look at them! Lovely magenta dumplings! So bold on a plate, screaming to say, look at me at eat me!

With my new food mill a willing collaborator, I had to give these babies a try.

Step back. Food mill?

I know, it sounds very old fashion, right? Even D was a doubter (and now newly converted). For months I have been looking into purchasing a new potato masher. No joke, months. I take my kitchen purchases very seriously. I have been using an old pastry blender with wires that just don’t stick in place. (Poorly constructed.)

Debating between hand-held mashers, I could not bring myself to make the buy. Not enough uses for a single instrument that can cost a good deal for the style I wanted. Potato ricers are great, but they ultimately feel like giant garlic presses to me (they also do a lousy job pushing celeriac through I recently found out borrowing a friend’s). So after much contemplation I went with a food mill. Good not only for mashing or ricing potatoes, but will bring sauces and soups smooth, make applesauce, and somewhere down the road can make baby food or grandparent food (zing!).

So with my new food mill I pushed potatoes and beets through and out came what D exclaimed as the “Sweeney Todd Special.” Pot pies anyone? I am ecstatic I have this instrument.
Really, the beet in this recipe is so faint it is difficult to detect. Another great way to slip beets to the haters. I also think it’s a great way to get kids interested in vegetables. Forget slipping it into their food, how about letting them make pink pasta, black pasta (with sepia), brown (chocolate), you get it. I had fun, I’m sure a child would have even more. (And how rewarding to make something delicious the whole family can enjoy).

This recipe made a good deal of gnocchi, enough for two portions and plenty to freeze for later. The best part of gnocchi is that once it’s frozen, it just takes an extra minute or so in boiling water to bring to temperature. Easy, delicious and easy on the eyes. Make the beets a day before to cut some time off.

To make regular gnocchi, just remove the beets from the process and reduce the flour amount (or follow this link). Beets have so much moisture that a good amount of flour is needed to counteract the stickiness of the dough Alternatively, I could have used less beet, but I love how this gnocchi radiates (really, sort of radioactive).

Beet Gnocchi
Serving Size= 8-10 portions
Special equipment: box grater, potato ricer or food mill
2 large (I used 8 small) russet potatoes
2-3 beets
2-3 cups flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste

1) Snip greens from beets and boil until soft, 30-45 minutes. Remove skin under cold running water, set aside. Boil whole potatoes, skin on, until soft (do not puncture initially with fork). Work carefully and quickly with two towels to slip potato skin off (you want to rice the potatoes while still warm).
2) Working in batches, place potatoes and beets through the ricer and spread gratings over a cookie sheet to dry out as you work.
3) Create a mound with the potato and beet shavings. Add the flour, salt and pepper to the center and create a moat, cracking the eggs inside. Work and knead the dough together, adding more flour as necessary, until dough is no longer sticking to fingers. (As D said, until it looks like a giant pancreas, see photo left).
4) Working in batches on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into snakes a little thicker than the width of your thumb. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Finish shaping on a lightly floured cutting board and imprint with a fork (this helps hold the sauce and cook more evenly). Assemble, slightly apart, on a cookie sheet and freeze if saving some for later use (this keeps the gnocchi from forming one giant gnocchi). Transfer to freezer bag once frozen through.
To Cook: Boil salted water. Add gnocchi and cook 3-4 minutes, until gnocchi float to top, remove with slotted spoon.
Note: Use your gnocchi just like regular pasta, though in my opinion, stay away from tomato based sauces as this will just be a large bowl of reds. Light olive oil and Parmesan, cream sauces or pesto, work very nicely with these. More in the days to come.

Want more soup recipes? Check out my most recent article in The Queens Chronicle, Brave the Winter Cold with Soup.

This is a soup for people who think they cannot make soup. It is also the soup for people who think they do not like cauliflower. This time of year, with its super dose of vitamin C, cauliflower is something you want to be eating to keep healthy.

The cauliflower base is so simple and the add-ons are endless. In this soup, I paired the base with a slightly unusual combination of beets and a sprinkle of nutmeg. The result is a surprisingly savory combination that looks fabulously festive. Together, it makes a great meal with some crusty bread, or a beautifully simple holiday starter. The best part is that it is so easy to put together, feeding yourself something healthy becomes one less thing to worry about.

Cauliflower Soup
Serving Size= 4-6 persons. Active time= 10 minutes. Inactive time=50 minutes (with beet)
2 medium-sized beets (optional)
1 head cauliflower
1/4 cup cream
2 teaspoons nutmeg
salt/ pepper to taste
parsley for garnish

1) Wash beets under cold water and slice greens off, leaving 1 inch attached to beet bulb (reserve beet greens for another use). Place whole beets in boiling salted water for 30-40 minutes, until a fork pierces beets easily. Under cold water, push the skin off the beet, if it is ready, it will fall off easily. Set aside.
2) In a medium-sized sauce pot, bring 4 cups fresh salted water to a boil. Wash cauliflower and slice off florets in 2-3 inch pieces. Cut any white stems into 2-3 inch pieces. Add cauliflower and stems to boiling water. Boil 4 minutes, until cauliflower is soft.
3) Use a slotted spoon to transfer cauliflower to a blender, filling the blender 3/4 full (you may have to blend in two rounds). Slowly add cauliflower cooking water to the blender, bringing it to half the level of the cauliflower. Add cream and nutmeg, blend until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4) Transfer to serving bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of nutmeg. Slice beet if using and sprinkle over top along with chopped parsley.

Instead of the way too simple, uber elegant dish I made with the leftover rice, I leave you this:

L-l-l-l-latkes golden brown
L-l-l-l-latkes eat ‘em down
Fry them in oil, wrap them in foil…

It’s the song I learned in school that made me hate them. I was unable to eat them for years. Fry in oil and wrap in foil?! That just sounds like it would end as a humid soggy mess, not a crisp and delicious treat it is supposed to be.

So on this, the last night of Hanukkah, I leave you with latkes, golden brown, crisp and delicious. No fancy tricks, like a salsa topping, or cumin spiced. No mango chutney or made with celariac instead of potatoes. Plain, traditional, never boring, very delicious, potato pancakes. My favorite way to eat latkes is as a base for poached eggs. Today, it’s a simple and easy snack.

Latkes
Active time= 15 minutes
1 pound russet potatoes
2 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons flour

1) Rub and wash potatoes clean. Use a food processor with a grater setting to shred the potatoes. Remove potatoes and spread them on a paper towel, set another on top and press to absorb as much water as possible.
2) Scramble eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add garlic powder and flour, mix until combined.
3) Heat oil, enough to come 1 inch up the sides of a pan over high heat. Oil will be ready for frying once a wooden spoon, inserted upside down bubbles.
4) Add potatoes to egg and flour mixture. Stir to combine. Form small handfuls into flat pancakes and fry, 5-7 minutes each side, until golden. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or applesauce.

The holidays are fast approaching. Hanukkah is just around the corner (sundown, December 4th) and Christmas will come and go faster than we all think. If you’re not celebrating those holidays, a small token for the New Year or holiday party might be a nice gesture– Or maybe just a thank you for neighbors watching your pets.

While I am more partial to giving (and receiving) homemade gifts, there are many people that just don’t have the time. Here are some foodie-minded items that will bring out a smile this gift-giving season.

Homemade
*Cookies and other sweets are always delicious. Try peppermint rocky road cookies, peppermint bark, apple spice cake, cardamom streusel cake, a mixed cookie selection, chocolate fudge cookies or cranberry macadamia white chocolate chip cookies. Just buy an old holiday themed cookie tin (ebay?) and gift away.
*Spice rubs. A small jar will fit your favorite homemade spice combination for others who love to cook.
*Drink Mix. Are you a deft mixologist? How about mixing up a base concoction of your famous brew with a direction tag like “just add rum for holiday cheer!”
*Jams and other preserves. Did you go ape with the bounty of fruits and veggies this summer? Why not gift some preserves to your friends? Nothing says love like some summertime tomatoes, pickles, green beans or fig jam. Why not pack along your favorite recipe using the product?

Books
From food-lit to wine bible there are many great foodie offerings in the literary world sure to please any foodie.
*The more politically conscious on your list will love The Whole Soy Story, by Kaayla T. Daniel, Food Politics, by Marion Nestle or Seeds of Deception, by Jeffrey M. Smith.
*Can’t make it to Paris this holiday? Gift the markets instead with Emile Zola’s, The Fat and the Thin
*To help the oenophile along, try The Oxford Companion to Wine, by Jancis Robinson (Editor). Or, for the budding wine enthusiast Educating Peter, by Lettie Teague (review) is a great start. Even more basic and a little lighter is Hip Tastes, by Courtney Cochran.
*As for cookbooks, any chef or aspiring chef would love to add The Cook’s Book, with over 7 fabulous contributing chefs to their collection (review).

Other
If you cannot make something for the holidays, ensure others are properly paid for the effort they exert to bring you your goods. There are many Fair Trade websites that now sell great home gifts from bamboo bowls to recycled glass plates. If Fair Trade is too much to ask, at least ensure you’re keeping the Earth alive by buying sustainable products.
*The Local Harvest store will help you to buy local or help you support organic farmers whether buying oranges or sheep pelts.
*World of Good has Fair Trade and Earth-friendly furnishings, clothing, books and jewelry. Their hand-woven rattan to the core baskets would make a great fruit bowl and their placemats would accent any table well.
*Viva Terra offers home furnishings, gourmet chocolates and clothing that is Earth-friendly and sleek. I especially like their slate cheese board and organic tea set in a fabulous box.
*Green Home is a one-stop shop for bath and cleaning products, art supplies, clothing and more. Their stainless steel lunch carrier is great to carry hot and cold lunches and their bamboo utensil set is a lightweight alternative for picnics.

My mother forwarded me a query from a friend of hers a few days ago. The dilemma: Bring a whole (non-pureed) sweet potato dish to the Thanksgiving party. What should she bring?

What is interesting enough to amaze, savory enough to sustain, and addictive enough to ensure it is your dish that is licked clean, with guests (and host) begging for your secret recipe?

Were fries considered whole enough? Fries, baked or deep fried are always a delicious treat and fabulous alternative to the standard sweet potato puree. One of my favorite unusual flavored sweet potato dishes is baked cumin sweet potato fries with a lime dipping sauce. They are an addictive finger friendly food.

A standard baked sweet potato would be equally delicious (though not too inspiring). Although, if one is able to find the uber sweet purple sweet potatoes, which are grayish-white on the outside and deep purple inside– they would make a totally surprising puree or fry. One can often find them in Asian markets, or more high end grocery stores. They are definitely worth a try and will bring amazing color and conversation to the table.

What I suggested was in the sauce. Baked, fried, whole or sticks you will win your table over with sauces. A trio (or more) of sauces for guests to sample will set the stage for experimentation. Whether treated as a dipping sauce for fries, drizzled over top, or dolloped into the center of baked potatoes, guests will love mixing, matching and finding their favorite (possibly more unusual) accompaniments to a standard Thanksgiving table staple.

Here are some of my suggestions, though the possibilities are endless. Just let your mind wander:

Molasses Butter Sauce. Use light or dark muscavado sugar (you can get it at Whole Foods or other specialty/ gourmet stores). 1/2 cup butter (at room temp), 3 tablespoons muscavado sugar, 1 tsp orange zest, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt (1 tsp cayenne, optional). Whip the ingredients together, refrigerate then put a dollop inside each sweet potato to serve. For fries, melt and drizzle over top.

Balsamic Reduction is good for whole baked or fries to drizzle over top. Just reduce balsamic vinegar for 2-3 hours over medium heat until it’s a thick syrup. You can do the same thing with an inexpensive port wine. The sauce should reduce by about 3/4. (Good over steak too.)

Maple Syrup Sauce is excellent. Mix sour cream, maple syrup, allspice, cinnamon (and lemon zest, optional) until it tastes good. The result should be slightly thick, similar in consistency to ketchup. Drizzle over top, dollop in a baked, or use as a dip with fries.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce (probably best for whole potatoes). Cook 1 bag fresh cranberries w/ juice of 1 orange plus 2 tablespoons orange zest and 1 tsp fresh grated ginger, 1 tsp salt. Boil down so cranberries break apart. Add some sugar if too bitter. This would be good scooped in.

Maple Molasses Pecan Sauce. Warm pecans w/ 2 Tbl muscavado sugar and 3 Tbl butter on medium heat. Let butter and sugar melt, (making caramel) to coat the pecans. Mix 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 Tbl maple syrup and 1 Tbl muscavado sugar. Fold in pecan-caramel (can even leave slightly streaked). Add dollop to potatoes or dip.

Warm Goat Cheese Sage Sauce. Melt 3 Tbl butter w/ 1/3 cup goat cheese, 1 Tbl maple syrup, salt to taste. Once melted, fold in 2-3 Tbl fresh chopped sage and 3 Tbl crushed walnuts (optional). Can serve warm, drizzled over potatoes or place in a ramekin and allow to solidify on fridge and add a dollop once cooled. You can make a similar sauce w/ blue cheese/ gorgonzola doing the same thing, minus sage, w/ pepper and nutmeg.

A few more I have thought of since providing the recipes…

Cardamom Sour Cream Sauce. Mix 1 tablespoon fresh ground cardamom seeds (crack shells of green cardamom pods to extract seeds) with 2 cups sour cream or creme fraiche, 1/4 cup honey and 1 teaspoon salt. 1/4 cup candied orange zest (optional). (Orange zest: thinly mince peel or zest an orange. Boil for 1 minute, drain then boil for 5 minutes in 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water, drain.)

Blueberry Pomegranate Goat Cheese. Boil 2 cups blueberries in 1 cup pomegranate juice (or 1 cup Riesling and 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses) until slightly thickened, 30-45 minutes. Reduce heat, add 5-8 tablespoons goat cheese (depending on desired thickness of finished sauce). Stir until goat cheese melts and remove from heat. Place in ramekins and chill to set or serve warm.

Citrus Sour Cream Sauce. Mix 1 cup sour cream with juice of 1 lemon plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 teaspoons orange zest, 1 teaspoon salt.

When I was younger, I eagerly hacked up pumpkins for Halloween. If I took knife to flesh too early and the dear thing rotted, I would whittle away again. Those pumpkins would remain on our front porch until they deflated into sad puddles of mush (or the raccoons ate them).

Lately, I cannot bring myself to carve pumpkins. Shortly after I began this blog I found the most perfect of pumpkins. Enormous and ideally symmetrical, it sat on our dining room table for months. I could not bare to throw it out. Finally, no joke, in June, I decided it was no longer seasonal to host the pumpkin.

This year, I am proud to say I sliced and diced that little orange globe sooner than I thought I would be able to.

I eyed my little pumpkin, barely larger than a softball for a few weeks contemplating its end. I knew this little guy would only last a few servings. Whatever I made, it had to be good. Because the chill has finally hit the air, I had a craving for soup.

It is no secret I love soup. I like to make it in big batches and store it in single serving containers for a cold day. Soup, yes, that was easy, what flavors will marry pumpkin in a unique and delicious taste? Coconut!

I know, it’s sort of a bizarre jump to make. I was thinking roasted pumpkin and toasted rhymes and well, what is best toasted? Coconut. Naturally. It is also easier to make this jump knowing a can of coconut milk has been sitting idle in the cabinets.

The coconut in this soup is subtle, yet adds that certain unknown that baffles eaters. Just what is it? And why is there cilantro in this soup?! It would make the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving party and best of all it is super easy to make– and fast.

Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Serving size= 6. Active time= 10 minutes. Cook time= 15 minutes.
1 medium cooking pumpkin (other winter squash would work too: acorn, butternut)
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1-15oz can coconut milk
salt/ pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish

1) Ready a food processor with a grater attachment. Slice the pumpkin into 1/4s, remove ends. Remove pulp, set aside to toast for a garnish. Use a vegetable peeler to remove skin and grate in food processor. Grate onion and garlic.
2) Heat butter or olive oil in a sauce pot over medium high heat. Once warm, add pumpkin, onion and garlic. Saute 5-7 minutes, until onions sweat and pumpkin darkens in color, stir occasionally. Add curry powder (if using) and salt.*
3) Add chicken or vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Using a blender, immersion or standing, puree the soup until a smooth, even texture is reached.
4) Salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds as garnish.
*Note: While onions, garlic and pumpkin are warming, rinse and dry pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle w/ salt and shredded coconut (optional). Toast on medium-high two times in a toaster oven, until slightly browned.

D and I recently had some friends over for an intimate feast. We prepared many items we had never attempted before, something I often shy away from when we have guests– there is nothing worse than messing up something you have never attempted before. But cooking, like any passion, is all about trial and error and you’ll never get better without an attempt. All in all, the 5 hours spread ended deliciously well, mishaps included.

All vegetables, and most fruits, were brought to us by our local Community Supported Agriculture program. Each week I am thankful that we have invested in our farm and I proudly brag about “my farmers” who brought me my organic vegetables– just picked yesterday!

This weekend we celebrated the spring bounty.

The evening began calmly as pictured above. I started prepping items 1 week in advance: spanakopita (spinach from “my farm” with local sheep feta), rhubarb syrup (rhubarb from last week’s CSA drop boiled down with water and sugar) and a rhubarb tart (crust prepared and frozen and rhubarb chopped and frozen). The rest was finalized and started the night before arrival…

We welcomed guests C and M with choice of champagne or a strawberry rhubarb “martini.” I like to call drinks served in martini glasses and made with vodka “martinis,” as do most bars and restaurants. I suppose because it makes the drink sound more sophisticated. D is angered by this and claims it is a merely a mixed cocktail if it has no vermouth. Our Strawberry Rhubarb “Martinis” contained rhubarb syrup, vodka, mashed fresh strawberries and were topped with champagne. We also eventually threw some mint in there.

Next was the spanakopita. I received pounds of spinach, amongst other greens last week. S

o much I feared we could not eat it, but didn’t want it going to waste. I could not bare to simply freeze the spinach so bought some filo and feta, steamed and chopped the spinach, added nutmeg, crumbled feta, wrapped in filo and froze. Laborious to wrap individually, yes (a spanakopita pie would have been easier), but well worth it.

An assemble-one’s-own course followed next. I like the idea of the guest doing some work, it allows them to understand flavor combinations you use a little more and how they work together. If they don’t cook, it also makes them feel like they are creating something. You can see the beginnings of this course spread out above: Buttered and toasted crostinis, fig spread, goat cheese and topped with prosciutto.

The fig spread is a treasured find of mine and D’s. We uncovered it in the Middle Eastern section of one of our local markets– the one I can easily spend hours walking down the aisles because they have floor to ceiling goodies from all over the world. This spread hails from Lebanon and has three simple flavors: fig, sesame, anise. It is a fantastic addition to sandwiches, crostinis

and is really a power secret ingredient. It would be simple to make, but at$2 for an 8oz container with such a pure ingredient mixture, why bother? The prosciutto was from a local Italian deli.

We entered the main of our meal. The moment D said C and M would be over for dinner I proclaimed rabbit would be the headliner. I held fast through D’s skeptism. My thought: no matter what produce we would receive from our CSA, rabbit would be a perfect compliment. D still thought it was slightly disturbing to serve “rabbit salad,” so we broke the salad into more of a side.

We wanted the rabbit sweet to compliment the warming weather– a more savory base is fitting for fall and winter. I found a marinade based in orange juice, honey and cayenne which seemed perfect for this. I wanted to incorporate nectarines into the dish and thought to make a nectarine mousse. Unfortunately, as witnessed in the picture above, the mousse never set properly (recipe now in the works). It ended more a thick sauce that we poured over the rabbit and topped it all with crumbled bacon. The salad, red bib lettuce, sugar snap peas and radish were provided by our CSA.

Gluttony followed.

My newest acquisition is an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid. I’ve been itching for an ice cream maker for a few years now and with a few Am Ex gift certificates in hand, it was a real steal. I went all out and made two treats for this meal. The first was a lemon-lime-ginger sorbet. This was a great sweet-tart intermission though I would add a little more ginger next time.

This was followed by D’s conquest: foie gras.

Let’s just put out that I know both sides of the foie gras debate before we get all the comments coming in. I think Gastronomica Magazine has a great article about it in their Winter 2007 issue. Let’s just say I can rarely afford it so rarely eat it. (But it is delicious.)

At this point my local butcher thinks I am crazy. Each day I go in I discuss and request more from them: free range veal, grass-fed beef, truffle butter, truffles, and this weekend, I asked if they would put rabbits and foie gras aside for me. They know me by site now and if I ask for a simple steak they ask if something is the matter– just steak?

We couldn’t afford the entire “foie” so we split if with one of the butchers who was happy to take home the other half. I asked for his discount, but he denied. Note to self: get in with butchers until discount is granted. D took care of the prep, slicing it in thirds, de-veining, salt, pepper nutmeg, layer, port, cognac, repeat. For whatever reason our most trusted cookbook failed us for the first time when it failed to mention that the foie must sit for a few good hours post-cooking to re-set– many recipes suggest 1-3 days. While we knew some sitting would be necessary, the foie was a little loose when served, still delicious (and is a great topping on salad for a luxurious dinner another night).

Lemon-lime-ginger sorbet repeat and then the finale.

I found a rhubarb streusel tart recipe on epicurious that I knew would be perfect. Not only did we receive rhubarb from our CSA the previous week, D is a big fan of anything with streusel in the name. How can you not love butter and brown sugar? Instead of mixing almonds into the streusel as called for I used the handy new ice cream maker and created my own almond ice cream.

This I believed was my true triumph. Something D couldn’t imagine tasting good– “almond ice cream just does not sound good,” yet he keeps coming back for more and requesting me to churn out new flavors– dare I attempt arugula custard? Not just yet… a cognac creation is next.

MENU:
Rhubarb Spritzer
Spanakopita
Fig-Goat Cheese-Procuitto Crostini
Roast Rabbit w/ Spring Greens & Nectarine Mousse
Lemon-Lime-Ginger Sorbet
Foie Gras
Lemon-Lime-Ginger Sorbet
Rhubarb Streusel Tart w/ Almond Ice Cream