What's Cooking (Take Three!)

[Jenise]

Sounds like a wonderful curry, Paul. And the kaffir lime leaves will 'make it'. I swear I'd eat dog food if it were cooked with kaffir lime leaves.

Lunch today: striped German, green zebra, black prince. Only a couple weeks left in the season here, the stands are already out of Brandywines and starting to fill up with plum tomatoes for sauce-making:

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[Jenise]

Mmmmmm...tomato salad. Am making a goat cheese tomato tart tomorrow, if everything goes as planned.

[Jenise]

Neighbors brought me four whole Dungeness crab last night from their last haul of the season. Today I might make crab scampi and turn the rest into crab cakes. Not sure yet. Am also considering a Charles Phan recipe for a cold crab salad involving sesame oil and glass noodles that we might find especially attractive tomorrow, when it's supposed to get up to 79 again.

Jenise, if you like kaffir lime leaves you'll adore the zest from the limes themselves. Kaffir lime zest is one of the traditional ingredients in most Thai curry pastes, although most published recipes substitute the more readily available leaves. Importfood.com carries fresh kaffir limes in season. I've had mixed results trying to freeze them.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Jenise, if you like kaffir lime leaves you'll adore the zest from the limes themselves. Kaffir lime zest is one of the traditional ingredients in most Thai curry pastes, although most published recipes substitute the more readily available leaves. Importfood.com carries fresh kaffir limes in season. I've had mixed results trying to freeze them.

-Paul W.

I planted a kaffir lime tree in Huntington Beach and managed to harvest one lime before we made the move north, so I definitely know what you're talking about. And yeah on freezing--I always freezer what I don't use. They're never as good as fresh, like so many things, but better than none at all.

Fortunately kaffir lime leaves freeze very well. I've always wondered what kaffir lime juice would be like. Unfortunately kaffir limes have very little pulp--each lime would only yield a few drops of juice. On the other hand, kaffir limes might respond well to the technique used to make Moroccan preserved lemons. I'll have to try that someday, with a mixture of Meyer lemons (for the juice) and kaffir limes.

Has anyone tried the Moroccan preserved lemon technique on conventional limes, or key limes?

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I haven't. A problem I imagine is that the rind on limes is generally so thin--what makes lemons a success isn't the pulp, it's the rind.

Tonight it is tri tip tacos. Left over tri tip heated with pickled hot sweet peppers. Corn tortillas crisped up in a dry pan, put in meat and fold. Served with a green salad, of tomatoes, green onion, radish, avocado which goes into the taco. Shredded cheddar and jack cheese on top and a drizzle of my favorite taco sauce and dinner is served.

[Jenise]

I want your tacos.

Regarding Moroccan-style preserved limes, rind is no problem with kaffir limes--they're almost all rind. But they have zero juice. A mix of kaffir limes for the juice and that wonderful aromatic quality plus ordinary limes or key limes for the juice might do the trick. Sweetness might be an issue. I use Meyer lemons for Moroccan preserved lemons because of their sweetness. Preserved limes might wind up being too tart.

-Paul W.

Apropos of nothing... I've been getting excellent late-season peaches at my greenmarket. Big, fuzzy, creamy-ripe, freestone. I've been surprised how nice these are. (And I'll admit that I will gild the lily... slice and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar.)

A quick chat with one of the workers suggests that there's only a week or two left in heirloom toms and corn. Presumably, that will signal the end of the stone fruit, too. I've already started looking at plum tomatoes and fingerling potatoes....

[Jenise]

Similar time-line here, Jeff. Overnight temps are dipping into the 40's; the plants know what to do. But we have had a lovely, if late, corn season. Everything's behind due to the cold early summer months and we're now reaping that benefit.

Last night I made a Malaysian beef and lemon grass curry. This is our fourth meal out of a single chuck roast, and there's even one more to go. They have been: a classic pot roast, beef/potato/jalapeno tacos, beef/potato/jalapeno breakfast frittata, last night's curry, and to come: spicy beef stew wherein the leftovers of the curry get extended into something beefier and will contain potatoes, Japanese turnips, and celery. All in all, ten servings from one $34 piece of meat, pretty great!

Apropos of nothing... I've been getting excellent late-season peaches at my greenmarket. Big, fuzzy, creamy-ripe, freestone. I've been surprised how nice these are. (And I'll admit that I will gild the lily... slice and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar.)

A quick chat with one of the workers suggests that there's only a week or two left in heirloom toms and corn. Presumably, that will signal the end of the stone fruit, too. I've already started looking at plum tomatoes and fingerling potatoes....

The corn seems to be petering out at the Manhattan greenmarkets and my purveyors had better peaches a few weeks ago. Must be all those fine-grained microclimates

But I agree, always up for enjoying peaches while available. Cinnamon sugar sounds good. I sometimes go for honey when I want more richness.

But I agree, always up for enjoying peaches while available. Cinnamon sugar sounds good. I sometimes go for honey when I want more richness.

Ooh, thanks for the reminder! I now have two honeys in the cabinet so I should do a compare.

I'm also eyeing some honey ice cream recipes. The trick, apparently, is how to warm the honey enough to make it stir-in but not so much as to alter the flavor. David Lebovitz suggests putting the hot goo in a bowl-on-ice to get it to the right temp faster, mix in the honey, then stir/chill/churn. But I kinda wish he'd given a suitable temperature for making honey runny rather than the process-oriented solution.

I'm also eyeing some honey ice cream recipes. The trick, apparently, is how to warm the honey enough to make it stir-in but not so much as to alter the flavor. David Lebovitz suggests putting the hot goo in a bowl-on-ice to get it to the right temp faster, mix in the honey, then stir/chill/churn. But I kinda wish he'd given a suitable temperature for making honey runny rather than the process-oriented solution.

Interesting technical challenge. Probably explains why I can't remember having had a good honey ice cream. But relating to your previous post, cinnamon ice cream is one of my favorite flavors, when done well.

But relating to your previous post, cinnamon ice cream is one of my favorite flavors, when done well.

I heartily recommend this one: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=21113

I am eating lunch right now while making an order. Lunch is a beautiful bunch of asparagus, charred on the grill pan with pecan oil, along with a few cherry tomatoes. Sprinkled with parm regi and a good balsamic. So delicious.

[Jenise]

Pecan oil! That's interesting; have never seen a pecan oil. I'm crazy about authentic nut oils, I always have walnut and roasted peanut on hand.

Right now I'm simmering hunks of ham and a pork tenderloin with onions, cloves, parsley, bay leaves, garlic, wine etc--this is the starting point for the classic Burgundian terrine Jambon Persille. I'll be taking it to a wine tasting tomorrow, same theme. The house smells so GOOD!

Jenise, I buy all my nut oils from here: https://latourangelle.com/collections/nut-oils

Many well-stocked grocers carry them, but not all the varieties. So I buy from the company and store the oils in the fridge. They keep well for years. You just need to remember to plan ahead a bit cause some coagulate more than others and need a little time to liquefy. All delicious, and they smell just like the nut and taste like the nut as well. I have a friend who did not want to spend the money to buy this brand so she borrowed some walnut oil from me, and then paid me back with a store bought brand. It had zero odor or taste of the walnut. I have a bunch of them, even Pistachio, and Hazelnut.

Last nights dinner was bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, well seasoned with garlic salt, paprika, Italian seasoning herbs, and pepper. Browned well in butter, then set aside. Thin sliced Lisbon lemon slices, seasoned with the same, browned for 30 seconds on each side. I cooked Farro, using chicken stock, added sautéed garlic, fresh rosemary, well drained sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata, olives, and baby spinach. Everything was under cooked. Chicken is snuggled into the Farro in a good size pan, tight lid on top and finished in the oven. The lemon slices are placed on top of the chicken and Farro. Garnish with fresh rosemary on top. Very pretty dish. Served with Tomato, salad, with sourdough croutons (lightly browned in oil, and garlic salt) Kalamata olives, fresh marjoram, and fresh basil. A simple cabernet vinegar vinaigrette, with garlic and evoo.
Recipe and photo for the chicken are here for more info. https://thecafesucrefarine.com/skillet- ... and-farro/
Poster used chicken breasts, so my cooking method was a bit different for the thighs. They came out just as pretty as her picture.

[Jenise]

Karen, I do own that brand in the walnut, and have bought hazelnut in the past but I've been out of it for a long time and haven't seen it to replace. Didn't realize I could buy company-direct. I just placed an order!

Your chicken and farro dish sounds great. I just sent the recipe to my brother who adores farro but probably has never made a skillet dish with it.

That chicken & farro dish sounds yummy.

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For my first stew of the season I made a dilled blanquette de veau: veal, carrots, fennel, and three kinds of mushroom (hen of the woods, chicken of the woods, and cremini), seasoned with nutmeg and juniper and lots of dill and cream, and served over simple buttered fingerlings. Incredibly yummy.

For some strange reason I have been craving a wedge of head lettuce, surrounded by cherry tomatoes, topped off with a Maytag Blue Cheese, Tarragon Champagne vinegar vinaigrette, Maldon salt flakes and white pepper. I rarely buy head lettuce as I prefer dark red lettuce varieties. So today is the day....it will be lunch!

Tonight: trout almondine, boosted with a couple of oranges (zest of 2 and juice of 1 in the sauce, fish baked on top of slices of 1 and juice of 1).