It's What's on the Inside

I've only time for a quickie this morning, fine friends, but it's a good bit of love to share.  You may recall that I mentioned something about electric watermelon radishes in my last post.  These are a new-to-me discovery, thanks to our CSA delivery.  When I opened our box, here's what I pulled out:

A rather unassuming veg, no?  I actually thought it was a turnip, until I saw the list of goodies.  Hm.  So, it turns out, our mothers were right.  (Don't tell them that, though.)  It's most definitely what's on the inside that counts.  Check this baby out: 

You see why I call them electric.  These gorgeous radishes are nothing short of psychedelic.  Well, okay, they're a bit short of that, seeing as they don't cause hallucinations.  But you get my drift.  Food should always be pleasing to the eye, and fun to eat, and in my mind (at least if I'm doing the cooking), simple and straightforward.  What could be simpler than slicing some radishes, sprinkling them with a little coarse sea salt, and serving them with a bowl of melted butter, a la francais?

The taste of these wonderful treats is crisp, clean, and well, rather like a radish.  But, and perhaps this is because I'm eating with my eyes as much as my mouth, I could swear they taste just a wee bit sweeter, and more delicate, than your everyday variety.  And if my eyes are tricking my mouth, who am I to complain?

If you can get your hands on some, they will not disappoint.

Happy Halloween!

Out of the Box, Take 9

We just had our very last CSA delivery for the season, and it was bittersweet.  Bitter, obviously, because it's the last.  Sigh.  I am so going to miss those beautiful, organic vegetables arriving weekly, like a long-lost friend.  And sweet, because there were some delicious foods in there.  I consider myself fairly vegetable savvy, or at least I did, until lately, when I was pleasantly surprised to discover the gorgeous wealth of the fall harvest.  Who said the only colorful, exciting veg comes in summer?  No way, my friends, we've been eating well.  From electric watermelon radishes (I'll have those for you soon!), to rainbow chard (which, yes, my kiddos are get slightly tired of, but not me!), to colorful squashes and potatoes, leeks and broccolini...oh my.  Good stuff.

So last night, for the first time, I had Delicata Squash, and I must sheepishly admit, I wasn't sure exactly what to do with it.  That's what the internet is for, though, right?  So, I looked it up, and discovered that while it's a winter squash, it possesses a more tender skin, that doesn't need to be peeled.  Nice, less work?  Count me in.

When roasted, Delicata Squash tastes somewhat like Butternut, but perhaps even a bit sweeter.  The skin gets a nice crunch to the edges, while the flesh caramelizes with its roasting time in the oven. Scrumptious.

I had some escarole, also from our box, which had nice, sturdy leaves, and, once the ribs were stripped, a pleasingly subtle bitterness.  Reminiscent of radicchio, but less bitter.  (The ribs were a little aggressive, so I tossed them.)  Along with some feta in the fridge, toasted hazelnuts, and a quick balsamic-honey vinaigrette...dinner was on!

Here you go:

Autumn Salad of Roasted Delicata Squash, Escarole, Feta, and Hazelnuts
serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a side

Ingredients
1 or 2 Delicata Squash, about 1 or 1 1/2 lbs total
escarole, or other robust salad green
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted in a dry pan, then coarsely chopped
1/4 cup feta, broken into bite-size chunks

Balsamic-Honey Vinaigrette
2 tsp grainy dijon mustard
2 Tbs good balsamic vinager
1 Tbs honey
4-6 Tbs good olive oil, to taste (I prefer my dressing on the tart side, so use less oil)
1 clove garlic, minced
generous pinch Maldon sea salt, or kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 deg F.

To prep the squash, first slice off the ends, then slice in half, lengthwise.  Using a spoon, scoop the seeds from the squash, then slice into 1/2 inch crescents.

Toss with 2 tsp olive oil, and coarse sea salt and pepper, then arrange on a baking sheet, and roast for 35 to 45 minutes, turning every 10 to 15 minutes.  If the squash are browning too quickly, turn the heat down to 350.  Likewise, if they are not caramelizing, turn it up to 400.

Once the squash goes in the oven, throw all your vinaigrette ingredients into a mason or jam jar, shake vigorously, and leave to let the flavors meld while the magic happens in the oven.

Arrange the escarole leaves on a platter, top with warm Delicata squash, feta chunks, hazelnuts, and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Lovely.  We had our salad alongside some of Molly's Bouchons au Thon, from Orangette.

Happy Autumn Eats to you!

Out of the Box, Take 8

Before you roll your eyes at the fact that I'm about to deliver another tomato recipe...let me tease you with this one:  there's vodka involved.  And it's not a beverage.  Piqued your interest, have I?

I had a nice stash of cherry tomatoes from our CSA box, and a brunch coming up, what to do?  Ah...the mind instantly heads to Monica's for inspiration, which is where I first tasted these Cheeky Tomatoes.  Monica, the hipster queen of all that is edible, or drinkable.  So, of course she would discover this recipe, which unites two very enjoyable activities:  Eating and Drinking.  How can you possibly go wrong?

Originally, the recipe comes from Gourmet, but Monica found it on epicurious (how I love that site!).  I shortened the moniker to Cheeky Tomatoes, but it's actually:  Vodka-Spiked Cherry Tomatoes with Pepper Salt.  Try saying that with a mouthful of vodka soaked tomatoes.  Not easy.

These are perfect, perfect, perfect for brunch.  May I suggest accompanying these with Bloody Mary's?  And, may I also suggest, once you've polished off those Cheeky Tomatoes, throwing the marinade into a batch of Bloody Mary's?  Oh, yum.  That'll do the trick.

Here you go:

Vodka-Spiked Cherry Tomatoes with Pepper Salt or Cheeky Tomatoes - adapted from Gourmet

Ingredients
3 pints firm, small cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup vodka
3 Tbs white-wine vinegar*
1 Tbs superfine sugar**
1 tsp grated lemon zest
3 Tbs kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbs freshly ground black pepper

*Monica had made me, as a lovely birthday gift, some tarragon-infused vinegar, which is what I used.  Scrumptious.*
**If you don't have superfine sugar, also called caster sugar, give your regular granulated sugar a quick whiz in the food processor.**

Whisk the vodka, vinegar, sugar, and lemon zest together in a medium-sized bowl.  In a very small bowl, something ramekin-sized, mix the salt and pepper.  This will be served alongside the tomatoes, to dip into.

Okay, so the original recipe asks that you blanch and peel all those tiny tomatoes.  Balls on that.  Monica didn't do it, and neither did I.  Plus, I think the staying power of your tomatoes will be significantly longer if you don't peel them.  Up to you, though.  What Monica did, was to pierce each tomato a few times, with a toothpick, so that they still soak up the marinade, yet hold their shape.  (And you're doing a lot less fiddly work.)  I, however, found myself lacking in the toothpick department (I know, shocking, right?), so I was forced to improvise:

Pretty ingenious, if I do say so myself.  And somewhat apropos.  At least in my head.  Anyway...

Give each tomato a few piercings, and toss them into the marinade.  Allow to hang out for at least half an hour before serving.  If you've simply pierced them, as I did, they'll be good to go for a solid few hours.  If you've peeled them, you're probably looking at an hour or hour and a half.  And who wants to put that kind of pressure on guests?

 

Serve them up, in all their gorgeous, cheeky glory, with the Pepper Salt set on the side, for dipping into.  Edible Bloody Mary's.  (Don't forget to use that marinade in a last batch of Mary's, now!)

Oh, yeah...might want to not have these in reach of the little ones.  :)

Have a great day!

Out of the Box, Take 7

I'm on a preserving mission over here, people.  It appears that something has taken hold of me, some ancestral spirit, driving me on..."Feed Your Family!" shouts my inner Laura Ingalls.  And I must say, once I began to get the hang of things, I've found that I'm really enjoying myself.  While it's undeniably easier to simply purchase tinned tomatoes, or sauce, or salsa, from the store, there's a huge burst of satisfaction that comes from knowing I made this.  For my people.  And it's kind of fun.  Plus, I get the best of both worlds:  Grounding myself in some solid traditions from the past (while wearing a pretty apron)...and rocking the modern conveniences we're so fortunate to have (dishwasher humming away, while I sing along to my current favorite Pandora station).  Good times, my fine friends.

So, today, it's not a tomato recipe I have for you (readers sigh in relief), but a tomatillo recipe.  A Roasted Tomatillo Salsa recipe, to be precise.  We've had an abundance of lovely, small tomatillos from our CSA box, these past several weeks, and heaps of cilantro, and I must say, I was having a struggle keeping up.  (In a good, no-suffering-involved-sort of way.)  Then, when I read that you can freeze salsa, the proverbial light bulb shone brightly, and away I went.

I loosely followed a Bon Appetit recipe that I found on Epicurious, adjusting the amounts to suit what I had going on.  You can do the same, salsa is something that is very easy to get right.  Especially when you roast it.  Ah...absolutely heavenly.  The tomatillos, once blended in the food processor, attain a nearly creamy consistency.  This salsa is perfect on shrimp or fish tacos, grilled veggies, and may I suggest going for it on your enchiladas?  Oh, yes.  It's pretty much a food to sigh over.  (I find I do that sighing-over-food thing rather often.)

Here you go:

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa - adapted from the Bon Appetit recipe, on Epicurious
- makes about 2 1/2 pints

2 to 2 1/2 lbs tomatillos
1 medium onion, halved, then cut into thirds
1 - 2 jalapenos, depending on your heat tolerance
6 cloves garlic, skins left on, but lightly bashed with knife, just enough to break the paper
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
olive oil
kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

In a large baking dish, place tomatillos (left whole), onion, garlic cloves, and jalapenos (also left whole).  Drizzle with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. 

Roast until very soft.  The recipe I had recommended a 375 deg oven for large tomatillos, roasting for an hour.  I had small tomatillos, so I banged the heat up to 400, and they were lovely and soft in about 35 minutes.  Just check them from time to time.  Short of forgetting them completely, you really cannot mess this up.

Once roasting has finished, slice the stem end off the jalapeno(s), and slice in half, and throw into the food processor.  Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins into the food processor bowl, and add the tomatillos and onions.  (You may need to do this in 2 batches, depending on the size of your processor/batch of salsa.)  Pulse for a bit, until roughly chopped, then add the cilantro, and pulse until the salsa is nearly, but not quite, puréed.  A little texture is a good thing.  Check, and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

I wouldn't recommend canning this recipe, because of the risks of botulism.  You can read a bit about that here, on Food in Jars.  Since I read that salsa freezes well (cross fingers), I'm giving it a go, and froze 1 1/2 pints.  I also learned that mason jars can be stuck in the freezer...did you know this?!  I had no idea.  So much nicer than using plastic, right?  But I was still a little scared, so I froze one plastic container, and one pint jar.  And I left quite a bit of room for expansion.  I'll let you know what happens.

So, that's today's Adventure in Preserving.  Stay tuned.  By the way, I bought another 20 pound box of tomatoes yesterday.

Sheepish Grin.

That's my Inner Laura for you.  Getting up to all sorts of crazy business.

Out of the Box, Take 6

The evenings, once a week, when our CSA box arrives, are kind of thrilling for me.  Simple pleasures are where it's at, people.  And good, fresh food...well, that's my bag.  Despite the lovely, and helpful, fact that the farm sends out an email early in the day, telling us what's in the box, I usually wait, all aglow as if it's Christmas morning, until the Mister brings it up the steps.  Veggie-Santa.  Peek inside at all the gorgeous, vibrant colors, and the wheels start to turn:  "What's for dinner tonight?"

And it's not difficult, especially as we are in the peak of summer's bounty right now.  How much fun is it to prepare food in the summer?!  I can't even stand it, seriously, kids.  Each meal is a veritable rainbow, each bite almost too beautiful to pop in my mouth.

But I do.  Of course.

Last night's meal was so simple, so fresh and delicious, and so very quick to make.  I did a little twist on succotash, with what I had from the box, and a few bits in my fridge.  Generally, succotash is a dish of corn and sweet bell peppers, or corn and fresh shelling beans.  It must, must, must be cooked in butter.  And that's wholly justifiable, seeing as the rest of the dish is so very good for you.

I do hope you enjoy!

Green Bean and Sweet Corn Succotash
-serves 4 as a main, or 6 - 8 as a side

Ingredients
1 pound green beans, trimmed and blanched (for 1 or 2 minutes only)
2 - 3 ears sweet corn, kernels sliced off
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium or 1/2 a large red bell pepper, chopped*
2 small sweet yellow peppers, chopped*
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp minced fresh sage
fresh parsley, for garnish
3 - 4 Tbs unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Note*  You can use any variety of sweet peppers, this is just what I had available.

Add 2 Tbs butter to a large saute pan, or cast iron pan, and let it melt over medium low heat.  Add the onions, and gently cook them until translucent, about 6 - 8 minutes.  Turn the heat to medium, add the garlic, sage, corn kernels, and peppers, season generously with salt and pepper, and saute another five minutes.  Add the green beans, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  If your pan begins to look dry, add a few Tbs of water.  (You can use the blanching water from the green beans for this.)  You are not browning any vegetables, just mingling their flavors, releasing the starch from the corn, and brightening everything up.  If your pan gets too hot and starts to brown the veg, turn it down a bit.

Add the remaining butter to the vegetables in the pan, then turn the veg out into a large bowl.  Add the halved tomatoes, and the parsley, and check for seasoning.

That's it!  How simply delicious could dinner get?

The Mister and I ate this as a main course, with some bread alongside.  And it was, to bastardize the immortal words of Sylvester the Cat:  most definitely not "thufferin' thuccotash."

Ah, well.  Couldn't really offer up a succotash recipe without referring to him, could I?  Apologies.

Have a great day!

Out of the Box, Take 4

Our weekly CSA box has now entered the realm of serious summer veg.  The vining vegetables.  Oh yes.  Summer squash, tomatoes, cucumbers...and my nemesis:  eggplant.

I want to be able to state emphatically:  "I've never met a vegetable I didn't like."  But it's simply not true.  The egglant and I have never seen eye to eye.  It voluptuously lounges there like the favorite concubine in the sultan's harem; richly colored, temptingly curvy.  "Look at me, I'm gorgeous, how can you not adore me?"  it pouts.  To which I prudishly reply:  "Oh yes, I know about you.  Beautiful on the outside...but inside? That greedy interior, soaking up more than your fair share of oil and flavor, and that inexplicable taste...Begone, vile temptress!" 

Okay, it's getting weird here.  Not sure how I just adopted the role of a disapproving missionary...the imagination sometimes gets a little out of control.

Anyway.  Two beautiful eggplants came in our box this week, and not being one to waste food; likewise, usually being one to accept a challenge...I confronted my nemesis.  And made:

Baba Ghanoush.  It goes with the harem analogy though, right?  (That must be where my mind was going...)  Not so pretty once the skin is removed, but this is, so far, the only way I enjoy eggplant.  Slightly smoky, from roasting in the oven, a little savoriness from tahini, creamy with the addition of yogurt, and a bit of tart from lemon juice.  Delightful, actually.

And since one cannot live on baba ghanoush alone...I made a little middle eastern spread last night.  We had some cheese, olives and flatbread to accompany.  And a marvelous...and I mean marvelous, grilled zucchini salad.  Or rather, grilled Ronde de Nice summer squash salad.  Even the girl, who loathes zucchini, enjoyed it.

You might say it was an evening of confronting our fears.  Facing down our demons.  In the form of pretty vegetables.

I wonder who won?  The veg...or the girls?  Both perhaps.

Baba Ghanoush - adapted from Street Food
- makes, um, a fair bit...About 2 cups, depending on the size of your eggplant

Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, or 3 small to medium-ish
4 large, fresh garlic cloves, or 2 to 3 regular garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs tahini
pinch of cayenne
juice of one lemon
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs Greek-style, plain yogurt
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the eggplants on a preheated grill, or under a hot broiler, and roast for 10 - 12 minutes, until the skin is blistered and charred on all sides.  Keep turning the eggplant with tongs, every few minutes, while they're roasting.  Remove from heat and place in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let cool.  The resulting steam will loosen the charred skin, and further cook the eggplant.  When cool, remove the skin, and cut the eggplant into chunks.

Place garlic, eggplant, tahini, cayenne, and salt and pepper in a food processor, and process until smooth.  Add the lemon juice, then, with the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream.  When it is all combined, stir in the yogurt.

Check the seasoning, and adjust if necessary.  Serve with heaps of flatbread.

 

Salatet Kousa - Zucchini Salad - adapted from Street Food
 - serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
About 2 1/4 lb small zucchini, or ronde de nice summer squash *
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for grilling
2 large, fresh garlic cloves, or 1 large regular garlic clove, minced
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 Tbs lemon juice
small bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves only, coarsely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

*Note*  You want a fairly dry squash here, or else it will go soggy.  If your squash is particulary seedy, simply remove the middle, seedy section before grilling.

Slice the summer squash into 1/4 inch thick rounds and toss with a small amount of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place on preheated barbecue, over medium high heat, and grill until slightly charred lines appear, then flip, and repeat, about 3 or so minutes per side.  You should still have some firm texture to the squash, don't let it soften over too low a heat.

If using the ronde de nice, or other large squash, cut into attractive, bite-size pieces after grilling.  I cut mine into sixths, like you would a pizza.

Mix the garlic, lemon juice, spices, and then whisk in the olive oil.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, then add the warm, grilled squash to the dressing, toss to combine, and let it sit at room temperature for an hour, to allow the flavors to mingle and develop.

Serve as part of a mezze selection, or with grilled meat or fish.

Out of the Box, Take 3

Never have I, in all my eating/cooking/lusting after food years, thought of turnips as electric.  But listen, kids...turns out...they can be.

This week's treasure trove from our CSA box, a la Helsing Junction Farm, contained some gorgeous Tokyo Cross turnips.  As well as a few bulbs of my latest food addiction (one of many):  green garlic.  *Insert massive sigh of utter contentment here.*

As an extra special perk from Helsing Farm, these lovely folks arm their shareholders with recipes, appropriate to that week's produce.  How cool is that?  And helpful.  While browsing through the latest suggestions for their beautiful food, this caught my eye:  A Rich Root and Cheese Soup for a Cold July Day.  May as well make the best of the bad weather with some good food, right?

Indeed.

Without further ado, I share my adaptation of Helsing Junction Recipes' adaptation of Nigel Slater's Tender...um...recipe.  Right...lost myself for a minute there, how are you all doing?  Still with me?  Good, carrying on, then.

The vibrant hue of this soup will restore your faith in brighter days to come, I tell you.

Electric Turnip Soup - adapted from Helsing Junction Recipes, etc.
 - aka - A Rich Root and Cheese Soup for a Cold July Day
 - serves 4, generously


4 Tbs unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 or so pounds Tokyo Cross turnips, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 bulb of fennel, chopped, fronds removed and set aside for garnish
4  to 5 cloves green garlic, or 3 cloves regular garlic, minced
2 Tbs flour
pinch dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
2 Tbs grainy dijon mustard
4 oz gruyere or extra sharp cheddar, grated

Over medium low heat, melt 4 Tbs butter, and saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, chopped fennel, and turnips, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Add red pepper flakes, turmeric, and flour, and cook for 3 minutes.  Add stock, partially cover pot, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until all vegetables are fork tender.

Add half the chopped fennel fronds, then, using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.  Alternatively, puree the soup in a blender, in batches, covering the blender lid with a tea towel.  Pour soup back into pot and add the cream, grainy mustard, and cheese.  Check for seasoning, and add salt and pepper.

Ladle into four bowls, and garnish with remaining chopped fennel fronds.  Serve with fresh bread.

Homey, nutritious, and absolutely electric.

Enjoy!

Out of The Box

As you may be aware, food takes up a rather large part of my day, week...life, whatever.  Thinking about the next meal, reading cookbooks and blogs, preparing a healthy (and hopefully tasty) meal, and best of all, of course, eating.  And since we are just lucky enough to be taking part in Helsing Junction Farm's CSA program, that means I'm getting even more stoked on food these days.  For not only are we blessed to be eating delicious, organic food...we get to look forward to the box arriving every Tuesday.  It's like my birthday happening every week!  Who could ask for more than a surprise in a box each week?  And said surprise is of the food variety?!  Well, needless to say, this gal is fairly content.

Now, I'm not making any promises here.  I mean, I'm rather shockingly terrible on follow-through, people.  But, I will try my very best to post a recipe, all summer long, from Out of The Box.  (Everything in me screams against even mentioning such a commitment.  I shall try, though, that much I can promise you.)

So, this week, from Out of The Box:

It was a beaut, fine people, let me tell you.  Having been off to enjoy Whidbey Island for a couple of days with friends, I found myself, from the moment I awakened yesterday, looking forward to making dinner when we arrived home. 

Being a rather grim day, at least for summer, something warm and homey seemed in good order.  Fresh carrots, baby turnips, sugar snap peas, fresh garlic, green onions, bunches of herbs...and from my pantry, some new potatoes, onions, fennel, yellow pepper, and a lemon.  What's cooking, you ask?  Why, a Baby Vegetable Braise, of course!

Baby Vegetable Braise with Lemon and Fresh Herbs - serves 4

1 small bunch new carrots (about 6 or so carrots), scrubbed and cut in half
1 small bunch baby turnips (4 to 6 turnips), blanched for 5-7 minutes, then halved
1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 head fennel, cored and sliced, fronds saved for garnish
6 new yellow potatoes, blanched for 10 minutes, then halved
half a medium onion, sliced
6 cloves fresh garlic, or 3 regular cloves, sliced thinly
1 yellow pepper, sliced
juice from one lemon
4 Tbs unsalted butter
white wine, or chicken or vegetables stock, or a combination of the two

Herbs for Garnish
1 or 2 green onions, sliced thinly
small bunch of parsley or cilantro, chopped
fennel fronds, chopped

In a Dutch oven, or heavy bottomed pot, melt 2 Tbs butter over medium low to medium heat.  Add onion, fennel, and garlic and cook until translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes.  Add potatoes, carrots, and turnips, a hefty splash of white wine (about 1/4 cup), and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Turn heat to the low side of medium low, and cover.  Cook until vegetables are easily pierced with a fork, but not over-soft, about 20 - 30 minutes, checking often to ensure the pan doesn't dry out.  If it does look dry, add another glug of white wine, or chicken or vegetable stock.

Add sugar snap peas and yellow pepper, check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.  Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.  The peas and pepper should still have a nice snap and retain their bright colors.  Squeeze the juice of a lemon over all the vegetables, add the remaining 2 Tbs of butter, and the fresh herbs.

Now that is one tasty dinner.  Bright, fresh, colorful...a feast for the eyes, and the belly.

Enjoy!

That's How We Roll

 

Ahhh...here's to summer.  At long last.

Had a lovely bike ride and picnic today, with the Mister and the kiddos.  And yes, my bike is pink, and certainly not intended for the mountains where it gets ridden.  But, whatever.  She's pretty.  And well, yes, I may be rocking the flip flops and skirt as my biking gear of choice.  That's just how I roll.  

There is absolutely nothing serious about my biking adventures.  Often there may be a bit of huffing and puffing, and possibly some cussing, because of those unavoidable hills.  But not today.  Today was my favorite kind of biking day.  A flat day.  Yes indeed, merrily we rolled along, and nary a drop of sweat to be seen.

Perfect day, really.

The mountains, my favorite people, good food...

Oh yes, and the CSA box today!  Among all the loveliest of lovelies, we had another amazing cache of strawberries.  Tonight, after a seriously massive salad and fresh loaf of bread, I made up a quick whip cream/yogurt mix, while Tyler prepped the berries.  I have a recipe for a Blueberry Fool, in my Williams' Sonoma Outdoor Living Cookbook, which combines plain yogurt with whipping cream, and layers that much lighter treat with a spiced blueberry puree.  To honor these strawberries, I saw no need whatsoever to mess with cooking or seasoning them.  So, here's our very quick, very delicious dessert:

Strawberries with Yogurt Whipped Cream - serves 4

1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

1 Tbs confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, beat the cream and yogurt together, until it thickens, but not as far as forming stiff peaks.  Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, and beat another minute or two.  Layer the yogurt cream with the berries, and luxuriate in the fact that it's only half naughty for you.  And wholly nice.

That's how we roll.  Have a good one.