sometimes it’s hard to do justice to a meal in a handful of words, except to say, it was just right. last month, we ate at chez panisse in berkeley, and it was that kind of dinner. the food and the experience linger in your mind for weeks afterward. a dinner that was all about the details–from each carefully considered course to the individually printed menus (one standard, one vegetarian) to the simple table settings to the lowkey waitstaff to the little bit of chocolate at the end of the meal.
for fellow food lovers, here is the menu:
+ smoke black cod salad with cannard farm leaks and creme fraiche
+ bellwether farm ricotta gnocchi with fava beans and peas
+ grilled liberty duck breast with kumquat and cardamom sauce, potato cake, and roasted green asparagus
+ nougat confit glace aux fruits rouges
in short, it was delicious and everything was just right.
:: images from chez panisse menus for april 23, 2009
voila! my latest bushel of veggies from my local community sustained agriculture (CSA) program: the south central farmer’s coop. a rough explanation of a CSA: it supports local agriculture by organizing people to “invest” directly in a farm–and in return for your share, you receive a regular assortment of seasonal, local farm fresh goods.
encouraged by a CSA-loving coworker, i started buying a bi-weekly box from south central. in the past month, i have experimented with more mixed kales, beet greens, and rainbow chard than ever before. i’ve discovered that a box of “greens” has a lot more flavor and personality than i ever expected. and i’ve also learned that when all else fails, everything tastes good sauteed in garlic and olive oil.
if you are in the LA area, check out south central and their many pickup locations around the city. if you are in elsewhere (including new england!), check out local harvest where you can search for a csa’s in your area.
listening to: i don’t know by lisa hannigan (listen)
:: image from lillieinthecity / flickr
Friday, February 27, 2009
i am about to jump in the car and head north to san francisco for a weekend visit with my little brother in his new city home. but first, i couldn’t resist making one more batch of farm-fresh greens. (this week my life has involved an endless puree of greens and garlic.)
a few days ago, i made this pesto with a big bunch of cilantro from last week’s CSA bushel. the pesto was a huge hit with friends at a “homemade happy hour” night. and so i was excited to find another cilantro bunch in this week’s bushel. this pesto has a big fresh zesty taste with an awesome punch of garlic. if you like cilantro, you will love this.
cilantro pesto (an estimated recipe)
+bunch of cilantro
+5 cloves of garlic
+1/2 cup of olive oil
+juice of half lemon
+some parmesan cheese
+salt & pepper
(optional) chopped nuts–pine nuts, walnuts, etc.
rinse the cilantro, and try your best to remove the softer leaves and steams from the hard, lower stems. then mince the garlic. put cilantro, pesto, and all other ingredients into a blender. puree until smooth. eat on pasta, toasted bread, crackers…or eggs!
more soon with reports from the beautiful city of san francisco!
listening to: oh what a world by rufus wainwright (listen)
:: photos from lillieinthecity / flickr
Monday, February 23, 2009
last week i received my first bushel of farm fresh produce through my local CSA program (more on that soon). this first box was a mix of winter root vegetables and a wild assortment of mixed greens–some still unidentified.
in my race to cook the greens before they wilted away, i made a yummy soup that turned out to be creamy, delicious, tangy, and garlicky. it totally hit the spot.
my version of this soup is based on the recipe at mothering. i love pureed soups in the winter, so unlike the original recipe, i put the entire soup through my blender. a messy process, but well worth it!
white bean & kale soup
+ 2 cups kale, washed and chopped
+ 2 large cloves garlic
+ 3 cups cooked cannellini beans
+ 2.5 cups vegetable stock
+ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
+ 4 fresh sage leaves
+ 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
+ olive oil
+ salt & pepper
+ grated cheese
in a soup pot, heat olive oil and briefly saute garlic. add the cooked beans and vegetable stock. heat for a few minutes, and add in tomato paste and sage leaves. add salt and pepper to taste. mix kale into soup and simmer until kale has wilted (10 to 15 minutes).
then, working in small batches, puree the beans and stock in a blender. add lemon juice and enough water to give the soup your desired consistency.
serve topped grated cheese and a piece of crusty, buttered bread. delicioso!
:: image from lillieinthecity / flickr
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
life has felt especially busy lately. but still good. last night, i made a batch of clementine cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting to bring into work today. perfect for a december birthday!
this recipes uses the whole clementine–skin and all. it makes a dense, moist cake with little flecks of orange and a tangy sweet taste. i think the rich chocolate frosting (my addition) turned out to be a perfect topping.
i started using nigella lawson’s clementine cake recipe, but revised it with some suggestions from her web reviews.
except for the whole cupcakes-sticking-to-their-liners issues (how does one avoid that??), these turned out great.
clementine cupcakes
+ 5 clementines (about 1 pound)
+ 6 eggs
+ 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
+ 2 1/3 cups ground almonds (or flour equivalent)
+ 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
+ 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
place clementines in a pot of cold water. bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer for 2 hours. drain the fruit. once it’s cool, cut in half, remove any seeds, and then pulverize the fruit/skins/pith. you can use a food processor for this–or a good knife.
preheat the oven to 375F. butter your pan of choice and line with parchment.
put the fruit pulp in a big bowl, and mix in the sugar and vanilla. add one egg at a time, mixing well. in a small bowl, combine the almond/flour and baking powder. then, fold the dry ingredients into the wet. mix completely, but don’t overstir.
pour the cake mixture in your pan, and pop it in the oven. bake for 40-60 minutes until golden brown. enjoy!
:: photo from lillieinthecity / flickr
My name is Lillie Dignan. I'm a designer and maker, living and working in the Bay Area.
