Are we sick of winter squash yet? Too bad, because thick-skinned roots, tubers and squash are here for the long haul.
Apparently I am fond of butternut squash bakes and crumbles, as evidenced by the Figs in My Belly archives. To that I say, never enough! Continue reading
Oh, what a pinch of salt can do for a dessert. A pinch of salt can enhance the flavor of chocolate, perk up a lemon curd and make a pie crust pop.
What about SMOKED SALT?! I recently acquired a shaker of smoked sea salt, and I think it has great potential in desserts, if used sparingly, mostly with chocolate or nuts (sorry lemon bars and lemon tarts, I do not think smoked sea salt is your friend). Imagine a light sprinkle of smoked sea salt atop an intense chocolate brownie, a milk chocolate pudding or a pecan pie. Woah.
This month’s Recipe ReDux challenge is all about turning up the heat with smoke and spiciness.
“From boldly flavored smoked salts to actual smoking techniques, subtly smoked food is on-trend. The same can be said for spice as we savor heat from harissa, sriracha and smoked paprika. Show us the healthy dish you’re heating up with smoke and/or spiciness.”
I figured that most of the Recipe ReDuxers would be coming up with savory creations, so I decided to keep things sweet and smokey over here. Continue reading
On Tuesday I picked up my first ever Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box of produce from Corbin Hill Farm. Corbin Hill picks the produce based on what is in season, and all of the produce is grown in New York State using sustainable farming methods. There are options to add “extras” to the order, such as dairy, eggs, meat, bread, beans or extra fruit.
In my January box of produce, I received apples, butternut squash, cabbage, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, shallots, sprouts, arugula and an enormous Macomber turnip.
While I like to go to the markets and pick out my own fruits and vegetables, I thought the CSA box would be a nice mini kitchen challenge.
First up: butternut squash. Continue reading
A few notes and noshes from my short stay in Madrid, Spain. We arrived on Christmas day and spent the night with a sweet family that cooked a special, traditional Christmas meal for us. Some of the food was unfamiliar, but we tasted new things and were grateful for the warm welcome into the city. I did not take any pictures that night, but below are some snapshots of the rest of the trip.
A requirement: churros con chocolate (pictured in the middle) + cafe con leche for breakfast
We visited the Reina Sofia and the Prado art museums. This was a pretty installation at the Reina Sofia.
Exploring the parks was another favorite activity. The park near Casa de Campo had a section with some colorful birds. Random yet pretty.
El Mercado de San Antón was a big food highlight. The downstairs section of the market is for picking up gourmet groceries and snacks, and the upstairs section is full of tapas-style fancy food vendors.
We ordered a Continue reading
I returned to New York last night after a 10-day romp around Madrid and Berlin with some friends. A major highlight from the trip was the elaborate breakfasts enjoyed in Berlin.
Since we were staying in the neighborhood of Neukölln, we stuck to breakfast spots from that part of town. By the time we sat down for breakfast it was usually between 12:30 and 2:30pm, so we tended to have just two very large meals a day instead of the typical three.
The breakfasts were leisure in part due to the “relaxed” service at restaurants. While we were never really in a rush to eat, at some places it took a little coaxing and nodding at our server before we even received a menu. But the wait was worth it!
Most of the breakfasts consisted of a plate filled with fruit, cheeses, cured meats, egg, and spreads. An entire basket of warm bread would arrive at the table for us to use as a vehicle for eating all of the goodies on our plates.
The first real German breakfast experience was at a cafe called Ungeheur. I ordered the vegetarian breakfast which consisted of slices and curls of fresh fruit (papaya, persimmon, kiwi, apple, melon, orange, pineapple), cheeses (brie, swiss, mozzarella, sliced), a soft boiled egg, spreads (two types of vegetable cheese spreads, jam, and soft butter butter), and bread (baguette, seeded wheat, white, pumpernickel). The classic breakfast plate, pictured in the back, had the same things but with some cured meats on the plate, too.
Another breakfast spot, Lipopette, displayed the breakfast items on a board. My board had a fresh crepe, soft scrambled eggs, jam, butter, tapenade, salami, cheese, cucumber, arugula and sun-dried tomato salad, and orange. Continue reading
Figsinmybelly 