Grocery store bins are still overflowing with fresh sweet corn, its silky hair littering the tile floors like pine needles, so you might as well get as much as you can, while you can. The New York Times has a good story on stretching late summer corn, with an especially awesome-looking recipe for corn, basil and tomato chowder. This thick soup packs in the trifecta of summer flavors, made hearty with potatoes and a dollop of crème fraîche. And, best of all, soup's great for freezing, which means you can thaw a container-full any time during the winter for a burst of early September's golden goodness.Late Summer recipe: Corn, Tomato and Basil Chowder
Grocery store bins are still overflowing with fresh sweet corn, its silky hair littering the tile floors like pine needles, so you might as well get as much as you can, while you can. The New York Times has a good story on stretching late summer corn, with an especially awesome-looking recipe for corn, basil and tomato chowder. This thick soup packs in the trifecta of summer flavors, made hearty with potatoes and a dollop of crème fraîche. And, best of all, soup's great for freezing, which means you can thaw a container-full any time during the winter for a burst of early September's golden goodness.Wild Edibles: Red & White Clover
Red & White Clover are both edible raw in salads, as cooked greens, and more. The young and tender shoots and greens can be tasty, but older ones can get tough. Just stick to ones that look fresh and haven't gone grass-like and you should be fine. The flower heads are nutritious and full of protein but they should either be soaked in salty water for a few hours or briefly boiled or cooked before eating; so that they are easier to digest. Eating them raw is usually not as good an experience. I like them stir fried or sauteed until well done, or lightly battered and made into fritters or tempura. I find that the saltiness of the tempura dipping sauce works well with them. If the blossoms seem past their prime, or even going to seed, all the better. Because then you can dry them and grind them into a protein rich and nutritious flour. Just don't try to cook and eat them unless they are soft and fresh, or they will be quite unappetizing.
I was personally introduced to them when I was studying wilderness survival, and one day we had to prepare and eat them every way we could. It wasn't a high point of the week long course, but not the low point either.
One time when I was leading a three week trip in the wilderness and it was near the end of the course. Most of the food was gone and we had been living off the land for a few days. Most of spices were gone, as well as the staples, but we still had a liter bottle of soy sauce and of cooking oil, that had been hidden at the bottom of a food pack; and a few pounds of biscuit mix. I sent half the students off to pick berries. Raspberries, Blackberries, and June Berries; all of which were growing near our camping spot that night. The rest I split up and asked to go into the meadow and pick the biggest, fattest, best looking red clover blossoms they could find; as well as any wild onions. That night for dinner we had Red Clover fritters, some with wild onions, some plain; dipped in a sweetened and spiced soy sauce. For desert were fruit biscuits. Everyone ate until they were full, a hearty appetite the best sauce of all.
Backyard Tea: Raspberry and Blackberry Leaves
While many people enjoy noshing on fresh blackberries and raspberries that the pick along roadsides and on the edges of abandoned fields, not many know how good an herbal tea the leaves are. Mildly astringent, they are quite refreshing. A teaspoon of honey makes it more so.
Besides an interesting tisane, it has medicinal benefits. According to the Peterson Guide to Medicinal Plants, years ago it was commonly used for stomach pains, diarrhea and dysentery, to strengthen pregnant women, as an aid in childbirth, for menstrual problems, and as a wash for sores and infections. Talk about a cure-all.
Chocolate mousse is a perfect summer dessert
I am always amazed at how the simplest things are usually the best. Take chocolate mousse for example: it's a very simple mixture of whipped cream, whipped egg yolks, and melted chocolate and yet it's a classic dessert loved all over the world. Chocolate mousse would make an easy and delicious summer dessert any night of the week. Adding fresh berries makes this an even more summery dish. Classically, chocolate mousse does not include any cream. For a traditional version, there's actually a bit of work involved, but there are plenty of recipes out there that turn out a light and creamy dessert with very little effort like this one. You can even find egg-free versions.
The traditional recipe involves making a pate a bombe, which is created when you add a cooked sugar syrup to egg yolks while they're mixing, and a basic merengue, and adding them to melted chocolate. That amount of work for a good chocolate mousse is avoidable with the recipes provided above. You'll be out of the kitchen in no time, with brownie points to spare!
Concord grape granita
Quickly: when I say the word "wine," what do you think of? California, Virginia, or New York? Spain, Chile, or Australia? Chateaux or vineyards? Silver trays of champagne circling through a wedding reception? Winos swilling rotgut? Seventies swingers dipping bread cubes into fondue while pronouncing the Mateus "amusing?" Drunken college kids doing box-wine funnels? Or do you think of dessert? All summer, my yearly seizure of frozen dessert making has been in full swing. You know the drill: as a season dawns, you feel besieged by the love of seasonal ingredients and compelled to express the love in your kitchen. In fall it's pumpkins and in spring it's the first vegetables (vegetable marrows, if you're a Christie fan). And, for me, in summer, it's ice cream. And sorbet. And lemon ices. And milkshakes (cabinets, if you're a Rhode Islander).
And ice cream sandwiches with a bit of that brown wafer still adhered to sticky wrapping paper. And digging through the arctic wonderland of the ice cream case to get to the shy banana popsicle that always hides among the more sociable grape and orange. And the homemade version you found in the freezer in ice cube trays with toothpicks standing at attention. And dashing into a convenience store off the interstate for a cherry slush. And walking through the county fair, trying to eat your snow cone before it melts and a sluice of sugary water runs out of the hole in the bottom of the conical paper cup and down your arm, screaming "buffet" to the mosquitoes who were killing time waiting for you to come along.
Backyard Tea: Sweet Goldenrod Leaves
From the loading dock/back door of my brewery/distillery I look out past the parking lot to a sea of green, yellow, and purple as well. I love the color combination of bright golden yellow and green. This time of year that usually means Sweet Goldenrod.
Sweet Goldenrod leaves make a great herbal tea, also called a tisane. The leaves, when fresh picked have a delicate anise-like aroma, mixed with a bright green herbal hints as well. the leaves can be brewed into tea, whether fresh leaves, or dried. The fresh leaves make a delicate tea with more of the anise-like flavor, but I prefer the leaves dried. When slow-dried they have a light anise and bright green/gold flavor. If you dry them in a low oven with the door ajar, watching them carefully so they don't scorch, you get a more pronounced, warm , golden, deep, anise and hay complexity; with a touch of agreeable bitterness. A bare hint of sugar or honey round it out and make for an exceptional tisane.
Besides tasting great, Sweet Goldenrod tea has some medicinal benefits. According to Peterson Field Guide of Medicinal Plants, it has been used as a digestive stimulant, for stomach cramps, coughs, colds, and more. As with all wild edibles and medicinals, one should only try a small sample for the first time. You never know if you may have an allergy or reaction of some type and Sweet Goldenrod may cause minor allergies to some people. If after trying a small sample you feel fine, you can try larger amounts.
Making Sweet Goldenrod Leaf Tea
Gallery: Backyard Tea: Sweet Goldenrod Leaves
Taking in a bit of Maine with Blueberry pie à la mode
While in Maine, I had enough blueberry pies to blow me up and turn me violet like the character Violet Beauregarde in the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I've been told that Maine has over 60,000 acres of wild blueberries this time of the year. So, what better way to take in the agriculture of Maine than to savor a bite or two of blueberry pie.
I had one blueberry pie, in particular, that stood apart from all the rest. It was at Jordan's, a diner-like institution, in Bar Harbor, Maine. It was served with a large scoop of deliciously sweet and creamy vanilla ice cream. The crust at the top of the pie was slightly flaky. The bottom tasted like a soft chewy cookie. Ah, the tiny blueberries bursting with flavor in the inside!
Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker
Last summer, a reader took the opportunity to excoriate me for my perceived show-offery when a sorbet recipe I posted mentioned the use of an ice cream maker. Well, for one, a goodly percentage of ice cream, sherbet and sorbet recipes conclude with the mandate to "freeze according to ice cream maker's directions" and for another, it was a goshdarned wedding gift!
Perhaps some small accord could be struck, or perhaps even kicked with the use of the UCO Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker. Ice and rock salt are added to one chamber and edible ingredients to another. The whole unit is then hand-tightened together and the merrymaking/ice cream churning commences. The ball can be tossed, shaken, passed and generally frolicked about with, then opened and stirred, resealed and agitated again until the mixture reaches a pleasing consistency, and co-churners have worn out all "Have a ball!" related puns.
Still, should the $16.50 expenditure (via Amazon) still seem a tad schmancy, I included a coffee can agitation method in a post on Soul-Saving Sweet Tea Sherbet a while back.
UCO's Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker
Fun fruit beer facts
It's been 16 days since I suggested we declare August "Fruit Beer Month" and it finally looks like the print press is catching up with me. I recently saw on the wire that "Light, refreshing fruit-based beers are way hot for summer." Duh! That's what I've been trying to tell you.
But in her article, Lauren Chapin points out some interesting facts:
1) "In 2007, fruit beer sales grew a stunning 37 percent, making it the fastest-growing segment of the beer industry, according to Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association." This figure is in comparison to a 16% growth in craft beers sales overall for '07 (as also determined by the Brewers Association). Thus, it comes as no surprise why '08 has felt like the summer of fruit beers. If you don't like 'em, don't blame me, blame capitalism!
Find two more interesting aspects after the jump...
Unagi Noburi: A soda with the cool, refreshing taste of...eel?
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A few years back, my pal Tom introduced me to the delicious, sweet taste of "Kaba-yaki," broiled eel served with a sweet sauce. As I'm always game to try new things, I scarfed down the piece that he offered me. As soon as I tasted it, I forgot about the fact that the meat came from a slithering, snakelike creature and began to focus on the flavor. It was tender, moist, and perfectly delicious. I was hooked. Although time, geography, and economics have kept me from regularly partaking of the delicious Kaba-yaki, I can certainly understand why it is Japan's official summer food. I can even understand, to a certain extent, why Japan Tobacco, Inc. recently came out with "Unagi Noburi," or "Surging Eel," an eel-based carbonated beverage. Made from (among other things) the head and bones of eels, the soda contains several of the vitamins that are contained in the fish. The company is marketing it as a sort of energy drink, designed to extend its drinkers' stamina.
According to reports, the drink tastes more or less like Kaba-yaki. While the idea of a broiled, barbecue-y eel drink initially nauseates me a little, I have to admit that I wasn't all that hot on eel itself when I first heard about it. Given how the Kaba-yaki turned out, I may have to give the soda a try!
Slashfood Ate (8): Easy summer dinners
There's been a lot of talk about summer cooking on the interwebs recently. It's the end of the season and the available produce is ridiculously abundant. However, who wants to spend too much time in a hot kitchen when the outdoor mercury is also near to bursting out of the top of the thermostat?If you're one of the many people who prefer easier cooking in the summer, here's a round up of recipes for you.
1. Try some crispy tilapia with pico de gallo sauce.
2. These kefta and zucchini kebabs will make you want to light the grill.
3. Here's a super easy steakhouse style dinner that's on the table pretty quickly.
4. Maybe not as seasonal, this Bucatini ai fagioli still looks simple and delicious.
5. Eggplant mini pizzas are seasonal, easy and tasty.
6. A Pinot Noir and cherry soup could make a perfect summer starter.
7. How can you get a better summer dessert than grilled peaches?
8. A simple, seasonal ratatouille is an ultimate summer meal.
The New York Times Dining & Wine section in 60 seconds: Mocktails, tomato jam, raspberry figs
Eric Asimov discusses the new breed of lighter, subtler Napa Valley Cabernets.
Applebee's moves beyond the riblet in an effort to save itself from Bennigan's fate.
The Hamptons get real Mexican-style tacos. Yay?
The Minimalist makes tomato jam.
Recipes for icy summer mocktails. And not just virgin daiquiris - think homemade tonic with lavender, chamomile, fresh herbs and lime juice.
Meet the raspberry fig.
When you can't curb your foodie excitement
Forget AA, and all of the other addiction services out there. Forget chastity belts. There's a million different techniques for battling the different manifestations of addiction and inclination, but I've seen none that work for foodie excitement.Do you have it? I'm talking about getting overwhelmed and buy-crazy over tasty food. It's best to keep me out of a gourmet store, and I go totally nuts when faced with a swarm of cheap, nice-looking produce.
To the right, you can see the latest addition to my apartment -- a basil bouquet. Originally, it was supposed to be just enough to make some salads and some tasty pesto. Soon though, it became so much more. I ended up buying more than I needed, and then I got one more huge clump with my weekly organic delivery. Like always, I'm struggling to use it all up before it goes painfully limp.
That being said, it would be hard for me to refuse more if I walked by a nice bunch at a good price... How do you curb your excited, foodie whims?
Slashfood Ate (8): Varieties of captivating tomatoes to discover
This time of the year, I love going to the farmer's markets to try the many succulent and colorful tomatoes. Depending on the season, we can enjoy these fruity delectables into mid-fall. Like so many fruits and vegetables, there are plenty of varieties of tomatoes to try. Below are 8 with some history. - Heirloom - Within this category there are approximately 400 different varieties. Aesthetically, they look striking with their unusual coloring and size. I would not use them to cook with. They're preferable eaten on their own with fresh basil, mozzarella, and vinaigrette.
- Big Rainbow - These large beefsteak tomatoes can weigh over two pounds. They've been growing in the U.S. since the early 1900s. They start off yellow, and as they ripen they resemble a green pinkish-red rainbow. They're perfect for sandwiches and cooking.
- Brandywine - This is another beefsteak tomato. The Amish community has been growing them since the late 19th century. They're softer than Big Rainbow tomatoes and they're bursting with both sweetness and acidity.
- Cherokee Purple - These small sized salad tomatoes are perfect for cutting in quarters. They were first grown by the Cherokee tribe as far back as the 1800s. If you have a sweet tooth, these are for you! They're probably the sweetest large tomatoes at the market.
- Djena Lee's Golden Girl - Tomato breeder Djena Lee created this deep yellow variety in the 1920s. They're known for their intense taste and sugar-acid balance. Cut them for your summer salad.
- Green grape - This yellow-green cherry tomato has a relatively short history. It was created in the 1980s by being bred between four different heirloom tomatoes. They look like muscat grapes and are great for snacking.
- Currant red - These tart cherry tomatoes are the smallest ones available.
- Yellow Pear - This gorgeous yellow pear shaped small fruity tomato is great for snacking with grey sea salt mixed in with greens.
Feast Your Eyes: Roma tomato halves, lined up for drying
I have always wished to be one of those people who takes full advantage of the summer growing season. I dream of being someone with rows of dilly beans. I long to be the kind of cook who thinks ahead and freezes 100 cobs worth of corn kernels for the months ahead. I have made several batches of jam this season, and I now have four pounds of blackberries tucked away in my freezer but currently that's the extend of my "preserving."
However, having seen this picture of the roma tomatoes that Sarah is drying in order to have some for the months to come, I'm thinking that it might just a simple enough project for me to take on. The idea of having sweet, dried tomatoes into the fall is a very appealing one. Thanks Sarah, for adding this image to the Slashfood Flickr pool!
What (if any) steps are you taking to can/freeze/dry/store the summer's bounty?
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
