What to do with a bounty of pears?

Sweets are not usually my thing but a few years ago my dear friend Kim made for me this amazingly moist & delicious pear cake based on a recipe from Clotilde Dusoulier, author of Chocolate & Zucchini.  

This year, after many unproductive years, my pear tree suddenly produced a bounty of big beautiful pears so I decided to try my hand at duplicating Kim's cake.  Piece of cake, so to speak.  If you want to go over the top, serve it with Chantilly whipped cream.  

Gâteau de Mamy à la Poire

- 125g (1 stick plus 1 Tbsp) salted butter
- 4 large pears or 6 small ones (substitute apples, apricots, plums...)
- 150g (3/4 C) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 60g (1/2 C) all-purpose flour
- 20g (2 tablespoons) ground almonds
- Half of an envelope (1 1/2 tsp) baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside to cool. Butter a non-stick 8-inch cake pan.

Wash, peel and cut up the pears. Lay the pieces of fruit at the bottom of the pan.

In a food processor or a medium mixing-bowl, blend the sugar with the eggs until the mixture whitens slightly. Add in the flour, almond powder and baking powder, and blend well. Pour in the butter, and blend again. Pour the batter evenly over the fruit, and put into the oven to bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Let the cake settle on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Invert it on a plate (the fruit side will be on top). If any bit of fruit has stuck to the bottom of the pan, simply scrape them and place them back where they belong on the cake. Use a second plate to invert the cake again (the fruit side will then be at the bottom). Let cool and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Obsessed With Zucchini Blossoms!

--Not just because I planted too many zucchini plants, per usual, but also because they are so darn cute stuffed, tossed in a salad or adorning a soup.   I am not alone in this obsession, recipes abound in print and on the web. Check out the links beneath the photos.  

 Squash Blossom Salad

Mexican Squash Blossom Soup

Baked Blossoms Stuffed With Ricotta & Basil

Elizabeth Bard also has a great blog this month about blossoms with a recipe for stuffing the blossoms with a mixture of cheese mint.

Squash Blossoms With Burrata & Tapenade

A new favorite is the one below from The New York Times.  As the writer, Melissa Clark notes, you don’t have to have a garden to enjoy these colorful and delicious blossoms as they are now available in many stores and farmer’s markets. 

Zucchini Blossoms With Burrata and Tapenade

By MELISSA CLARK, New York Times, July 11, 2012  

Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted mixed black olives, coarsely chopped
• 3 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for garnish
• 12 squash blossoms
• 1 piece burrata or buffalo mozzarella
• Coarse sea salt.

Preparation

1.

In a food processor, combine olives, anchovy, garlic, rosemary and lemon zest. Using the pulse button, process until coarsely chopped and well blended. Continue to process, slowly adding 3 tablespoons olive oil.

2.

Cut a lengthwise slit in each blossom. Spoon about 1 tablespoon burrata and 1/2 teaspoon tapenade into each blossom (you may not use all of the cheese or tapenade). Pinch closed. Transfer blossoms to a platter. Drizzle generously with oil and sprinkle with salt.

YIELD

6 servings.  

Bolting cilantro, lilacs, memories & dear friends

Rebecca in Sedona

My cilantro was about to bolt so I hurried to harvest & prepare a cilantro/mint/ginger chutney I first tasted in an Indian restaurant with my college roomie, Rebecca, in Sedona, Arizona 5 years ago.  The recipe below works great with veggies, chicken, lamb and curries.  The aroma of the ginger, garlic, cilantro & mint recalled to mind the delightful day spent with a dear friend climbing rocks and exploring the wonders of Sedona and finally feasting on curry with this yummy chutney.  Sedona is a mystical & magical place as is the land of friendship.

Curious how plants can call to mind the magical times in our lives.  Dear Rebecca sent the email below about lilacs & her grandmother, a remarkable woman.  I met Nanny when she was in her 80s and recovering from an auto accident.  She was more energetic than we two gals in our early 20s and explained that the secret to recovery was bone meal & keeping on-the-go.  What a gal!  

Rebecca’s Lilac Email:

When I was young, the lilacs blossomed the end of May. Nanny's backyard was filled with them, fragrant vases filled our homes

and were lovingly placed by headstones.

Time passed and Mom always reminded me of the Rutland Herald's poignant piece, Lilac Time.

There's a nice NPR reading of the prose here http://www.vpr.net/episode/51252/moats-lilac-time/

                                                                            
Lilac Time

"Now is the brief season of the lilac bush, modest and enduring symbol of the depth and permanence of New England traditions. It has given a name to color, perfume, poems, songs, story. Translated into many languages, its name is upon the lips of millions in many lands. Yet it remains unspoiled by such widespread fame. It is still the sturdy, wholesome dooryard emblem of the New England home.

"With what eager anticipation has it been planted at the threshold of new, bravely begun homes. With what poignant grief has it been left behind for long bitter migrations from whose hardship and loneliness homesick thoughts have turned in anguished longing.

"To what strange and distant homes have its roots been transplanted, there to grow blossoms and, in turn, be abandoned again.

"On this very day in mountain pastures and along deserted roads, over the graves of dead homes bloom the lilac bushes planted by the founders of those pioneer households. Many of those graves would be otherwise indistinguishable, their timbers long since buried, their cellar holes filled in and grassed over.

"Were it not for the steadfast lilac bush, there would be nothing to mark that here once dwelt human souls who shared happiness, sorrow, hope, and despair.

"Who lived there, whither they went, or what their adventures nobody knows. No descendants make annual pilgrimages to remember and decorate these forgotten graves of the homes of ancestors.

"But each year at this season, the lonely, faithful lilac bush blooms again and lavishes its sweetness in memory of the hands that planted it."   

Cilantro & Mint Chutney

Grind the following in a food processor: 2 cups chopped fresh cilantro 

◦ 1 cup chopped mint 

◦ 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped 

◦ 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped 

◦ 1 tablespoon green chilies, chopped 

◦ 2 tablespoons coconut flakes

◦ salt 

◦ 1/4 cup lemon juice 

Asparagus, Fava Bean & Pea Shoot Salad

The last of the asparagus, fava beans & pea shoots combined to make a delicious salad.  Just blanch the asparagus and fava beans, toss with olive oil, sea salt, freshly grated pepper & pecorino cheese & the juice of a lemon.  Finish with some zested lemon and Voila, the perfect meatless Monday dish.

At present, the veggies are taking a back seat to the flowers - iris, roses, foxglove, nasturiums, lilies, catmint and sweet peas are all in bloom.

Asparagus

"You know, when you get your first asparagus, or your first acorn squash, or your first really good tomato of the season, those are the moments that define the cook's year. I get more excited by that than anything else." Mario Batali

Whether merely roasted & drizzled with truffle oil or prepared in a risotto, nothing beats asparagus fresh from your garden.
  

As with planting trees or raspberries, you must be optimistic that you will be gardening in the same spot for many a year because you really shouldn’t harvest asparagus for the first 3 years.  However, it is well worth the wait.  


Five years ago -- at the prompting of my college roomie, Rebecca --  I planted two year old Jersey Knight.  For the last two years I have dined for 6 weeks on delicious asparagus.   UC Davis has a great publication on growing asparagus.  Click on this link.


Enjoy Spring's bounty.

Recipe: Asparagus Risotto 

Adapted from Mario BataliTime: 45 minutes

1 pound asparagus, peeled, trimmed and cut into one-inch-long pieces, tips reserved
4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 medium red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the asparagus stalks and cook until quite soft, at least 5 minutes. Rinse quickly under cold water. Put cooked asparagus in a blender or food processor and add just enough water to allow machine to puree until smooth; set aside.

2. Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, stir, and let liquid bubble away. Add a large pinch of salt. Add warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time stock has just about evaporated, add more.

4. After about 15 minutes, add remaining asparagus pieces and tips, continuing to add stock when necessary. In 5 minutes, begin tasting rice. You want it to be tender but with a bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes total to reach this stage. When it does, stir in 1/2 cup asparagus puree. Remove skillet from heat, add remaining butter and stir briskly. Add Parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. Risotto should be slightly soupy. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

Ode to the Artichoke

The tender-hearted

artichoke

dressed up as a warrior,erect, it built itself

a little dome,

it kept itself

impregnable

beneath

its armoured leaves…

                                Pablo Neruda

I look forward to devouring some tender-hearted artichokes later this year and to ensure an ample supply I am adding another half dozen plants.   Following the lead of gardeners like Rosalind Creasy and Ivette Soler, I am interplanting the new plants with flowers.

Also, found this great article on growing artichokes in California published by the University of California.