Rediscovery: April 14

I got to the market at 8:30 this past Saturday. Morning makes all the difference. Between the ability to get the scarce spring offerings and the willingness to chat of farmers who started their day at 3 am—oddly enough, at 3 pm they’re too tired to pass the time of day—it’s rekindled my joy in marketing. The most interesting topic of conversation: a comparison of favorite dive bars of Manhattan.

The Shop

Gorzynski’s
Red Beard mustard
Fava bean greens

Tonje’s
Ricotta
Fresh Mozarella

Beth’s Farm Kitchen
Strawberry Rhubarb jam
Sour Cherry Jelly

Terhune Orchards
Empire apples

Sliced pane bello

Vermont Grade B Maple Syrup

French Toast with Ricotta and marmalade

pane bello
two eggs
milk

ricotta
orange marmalade (home made with morrocan striped oranges, lemon juice and sugar)

Beat the eggs and milk, soak the bread, pan fry. Spread with fresh ricotta and hot marmalade.

FANTASTIC!

Snacking in the Springtime

April 7th's Shop

Saturday was another late day to the market thanks to colds revisited, late nights and general laziness inspired by the return to cold weather. However, I did grab some staples from the regular places (eggs, mixed fingerling potatoes, buttermilk pancake mix) and there was some delightful early spring snacking for Greg and I before he went to a meeting and I went home for a nap...

Heavenly Pastures was back after a winter hiatus and they had a fantastic smoked shepard's cheese (essentially a manchego with a soft smokey flavor) and Breezy Hills Orchards provided not only fall's last press of cider, but some lovely apple turnovers. We sat on a curb in the sun and had a lovely time.

Other news: Lynnhaven Goat Cheese is now at the market on Saturdays as well as Wednesdays. She makes some great herbed chevres--this time we picked up a delicious rosemary garlic. We had a brief chat with the owner, who I know through my plant provider, that really underscored the importance of the market to small operations. We ran into her at a different vendor's stand and asked if she were selling that day. Her response was of course, a confirmation, but then she got a little teary about how excited she was to be able to have a slot at the Saturday market. Paraphrased: I won't have to stay awake every night worrying about losing the farm any more. So folks, buy local if you can.

Spring's a comin'...

It's warming up and my plants are starting to poke their little heads out of the ground. I'm hoping this bodes well for the next market...more temperate farmlands, less temperamental cooks...

Frustrated and Uninspired

Sorry folks, between the freakin' new blogger killing my posts 75% of the time and a rather uninspiring winter market, I haven't posted in a while. HOWEVER, I did have one extreme culinary success earlier this week:

Mushroom Ragu
1/2 lb white mushroom caps, quartered to bite size (the mushroom guy)
1 pint grape tomatoes (the hydroponic Japanese)
2 small onions (J&S Farms)
1 t red pepper flakes (my own blend of Peter and Fish chiles from Silver Heights plants)
6 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
1 T olive oil

I started by browning the onions and garlic in olive oil and then adding the mushrooms to a saucepan over high heat. When the mushrooms were browned, I added the pint of tomatoes, red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper and about half a cup of water so the tomatoes would start to give up their juice. Simmer, stirring occassionally, for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes can be easily crushed with a spoon.

Best when served at room temperature. GREAT on crusty french bread.



has not been terribly inspiring for the past month... Lots of cheese, lots of meat, not

Global Warming?

Saturday was a very disconcerting shop. You see, when it's 71 degrees, but the vendors are only carrying root vegetables and a couple of apples, it's really very odd.

The Shop

eggs Quattros
kale Hawthorne Farms
bosc pears, empire apples Terhune Orchards
3.5 oz sheep camembert 3-Corner Sheep Farm
apple danish the place that mills their own flour
onions, yukon gold potatoes

The shop was all well good and fine with but one comment: the kale must have been made of freakin' gold! It was ridiculous! $6 for 3 tiny heads. It was simple shock that kept me from saying...uh, thanks, but no.

The post-shop breakfast was sublime however: apple danish, the camembert (incredibly smooth and sweet) and bosc pear slices. It was a beautifully balanced beginning to the day.

I know you've been waiting and wondering...

What the heck did she do with a whole duck? Well, my friends, the answer is as follows:

Canard au Miel
1 whole 6 lb duck (Quattros Game Farm)
1/2 cup fall flower honey (Friday apiary)
2 t dried lavender
2 T fresh thyme (roof deck)
1 t cracked peppercorns
1 t salt
1/2 cup dry red wine

Wash, drain and dry the duck. (In this case, the prep also involved a lot of pinfeather removal.) Score the skin in a crosshatch pattern, cutting through to the fat without scoring the meat. Crush salt and peppercorns with 1/2 of lavender and all of thyme with a mortar and pestle. Rub herbs all over the duck, inside and out. Roast on a rack in a roasting pan, uncovered at 350 for 2 hours. (Less if this is a wild/free range bird without a lot of fat.)

Remove from oven, remove duck and rack, and drain drippings from the roaster. Let drippings settle. Drain off fat (reserving a 5 tablespoons) and pour remaining juice back into roasting pan with two tablespoons of fat and 1/2 cup of wine. Return bird to pan and rub skin with honey. Roast an additional 20 minutes at 400 until skin is golden brown and thermometer in thigh reads 180. Remove duck and place on platter to rest. Put roaster on stove top, add remaining lavender to juices and simmer until reduced to a sauce that coats the back of a spoon.

Carve duck and serve with sauce as well as roasted baby root veggies. (recipe follows)

Roasted Baby Root Vegetables
1 bunch baby carrots
1 bunch baby turnips
6-10 fingerling potatoes

Toss the washed and trimmed veggies with 3 T of duck fat, salt and pepper. Roast in oven in a seperate pan for at least 1 hour. (This may involve sneaking some of the rendered fat out of the roaster before the duck has cooked a full 2 hours if you want everything to finish at the same time.)

This made for a crazy-impressive Christmas dinner, even if it was only for the two of us.

Holiday Grandeur

The Shop
apple cider
pane bello sliced bread
fingerling potoes
baby carrots
baby turnips
eggs
1 whole duck

First Recipe

French Toast with Maple Cider Syrup
4 slices of pane bello
2 eggs
milk
1 tsp vanilla
maple syrup
apple cider

Whisk eggs, milk and vanilla in a shallow dish. Soak bread in custard until saturated. Heat a pat of butter and a tsp of vegetable oil* in a large frying pan. When hot, place bread in pan and cook over medium low heat until firm and golden brown.

At the same time, put equal parts maple syrup and apple cider in a small saucepan and simmer/boil until mixture reduces to the syrup's original consistency.

Plate the french toast and drizzle with the cidered-syrup.

The pane bello bread is a rustic white which, when pre-sliced, tends to dry out quickly, yielding a perfect texture/absorbency for making french toast. I keep additional slices in the freezer for whenever I have a brunch emergency.

*Using oil and butter together will enable you to get the flavor of butter while the oil raises the burn temperature so your french toast won't scorch.