Exciting Times ... Supplies Arriving for Market Season

Our farmers' market opens in 7 weeks, 1 day, 22 hours and 17 minutes....not that I'm counting! Yes, I am counting. This weekend I will fire up my bread oven to be sure it is in fine working order and to get my bread making touch back.

These are some of the supplies I ordered and have arrived. You can see some are from the San Francisco Baking Institute. On the bottom is a proofing board. It is amazingly light compared to my homemade boards last year. I'll give it a test drive on Saturday and probably order a few more.

I will be adding baguette to my menu this summer. You can see the bags I purchased and the board with SFBI logo is the board I need to nicely lay it on the stone floor of the oven. Blue wrapped blades for scoring the tops, linen couche for proofing them and a nice big pair of oven mitts. No burns on my lower arms this year! And last but not least is hardware so I can make a broom to sweep out my oven.

And I almost forgot. I have new bags with a flat handle. They are a little larger than my usual so I can better fit all that bread into it.

Now it is 7 weeks, 1 day, 22 hours and 10 minutes.

The Definitive Guide on How to Peel an Egg

It sounds so easy, so simple. Peel an egg. I am a home economist and an avid home cook. I have peeled a lot of eggs but when I took on the challenge to make pickled eggs for an organic farmer friend, I had no idea of the challenge that lay ahead.

I have lost count of how many eggs I have peeled but it is in the neighbourhood of at least 100 dozen. That's 1200 freaking eggs! Even with easy peeling eggs this is a lot of eggs! What was I thinking when I said yes I would help him out?

His organically raised free range hens produce an egg with a very hard shell. I swear you could drop it and it wouldn't break. Under that hard shell is a very tough membrane. Producing picture perfect peeled eggs has been a learning curve. Here is the system I use ...

Step 1   Do not use fresh eggs. Stale work better.

Step 2   Place eggs in a pan of cold tap water.

Step 3   Heat to boiling and turn off heat. Let sit in hot water with lid on for 12 minutes.

Step 4   Forcefully dump eggs into sink so they will crack. If all eggs do not crack, crack them. The more they are cracked the better.

Step 5   Place in ice cold water and let soak for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Step 6   Using a stainless steel spoon peel the eggs. Be sure to get under the membrane and gently move the spoon around so the shell is loosened from the egg. If you use a silver spoon it will become very tarnished very quickly. The air sac is usually on the blunt end of the egg and this is a good place to start.

Stir Fry Peppers and Asian Pork Tenderloin

 

This is a simple and healthy meal that can be made in less than 30 minutes. I have chosen brown basmati rice, a healthier choice than white rice. My way of cooking rice yields a light and fluffy grain. Boil in plenty of salted water until al dente. Strain through a calendar or sieve and lay a clean tea towel over the rice. Let it steam until the rest of the meal is ready. I use this method for all types of rice.

Asian Pork Tenderloin
1 large tenderloin about 1 1/2 pounds.
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp. Asian chile sauce

Trim the pork of any silver skin. Cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick medallions.
In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, 2 tablespoons. of the brown sugar, the garlic, ginger, 1/2 tablespoons. sesame oil, and 2 tsp chile sauce.  Toss 1/2 cup of this mixture with the pork medallions in a large bowl; reserve the remaining mixture to use as a sauce.  Let the pork sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a heavy 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until shimmering hot.  Remove the pork from the marinade, shaking off the excess, and transfer the pork to a clean plate.  Discard the marinade.  Add half of the pork medallions to the skillet, spacing them evenly.  Cook them without touching until well browned, about 2 minutes.  Flip and cook until the pork is just cooked through, about 2 more minutes. 

 

 

 Stir Fry Peppers and Onions 

1 large onion
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
 2 large red or green peppers
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Slice onion thin; put garlic through press and mince ginger; stir fry in hot oil in large skillet for one minute.

Cut peppers in strips; add to skillet and stir fry about 5 minutes, until crisp-tender.

Add soy sauce, vinegar and pepper and cook another minute. Serves 3.

Brown Basmati Rice & Lentil Pilau with Fenugreek

 

 

In my small town where I only find flat leaf parsley once a year, yes in my garden, you can imagine my disbelief. Fenugreek? I checked the label again and, yes it is fenugreek. Strangely I made a quinoa and lentil pilau, or pilaf as many say, only a few days ago that asked for a cup of chopped fenugreek. I simply omitted it. I have never tasted fresh fenugreek and to make a substitution was unnecessary. There was already lots of flavour.

This reminds me of when I found fresh Black Mission figs at the peak of ripeness. The bewildered produce manager had no idea how one would eat them. I bought a case. They were chopped and added to my farmers’ market loaves. I enjoyed them with a lovely chevre drizzled with local honey. I preserved jam and chutney. That was two years ago.

And then there was the time I found halloumi cheese. I had barely moved to town and was not familiar with anything let alone the standard fare at the grocery stores. I was suitably impressed but that was it. Once. Ditto with angostura bitters. That same Christmas there was an impressive display of angostura bitters. Wish I had bought a few bottles. I have not seen it since.

I looked again at my pilau recipe and it was indeed fenugreek that had been called for. Coincidentally I am making the pilau, this time with brown basmati rice, for a catering gig. Did I dare use the fenugreek? What would it taste like? 

How could I not buy it? I’m sure I’ll never see it again.

Brown Basmati Rice and Lentil Pilau

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice

1/2 cup cooked green lentils

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped fenugreek

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds

4 curry leaves

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon raw cashews

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, to taste

Cook the rice and lentils separately. I cook both of them like I cook pasta, with lots of water. I drain them when they are cooked but still firm and lay a clean tea towel over them to steam for a few minutes.

Heat oil in a wide saute pan on medium heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they begin to pop add the cashews and toast. Add turmeric, curry leaves, coriander and saute for a minute or two. Add shallots and carrots. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add rice and lentils. Mix thoroughly. Cover and heat on lowest setting for 8 - 10 minutes or they can be placed in a 325F oven in a covered pot for about 20 minutes.

Fenugreek (/ˈfɛnjʉɡriːk/; Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop, and its seeds are a common ingredient in dishes from the Indian Subcontinent. (Wikipedia)

It has a green herbaceous flavour with a slight bitterness. It is very mild in this dish. 

Ricotta Semifreddo with Sea Buckthorn for Easter

This month we are planning an Easter meal. I have the dessert course. I tried to remember the last time I had an Easter dinner. Our family doesn't get together.  This is my Easter dinner. Come dine with me and enjoy all the fabulous recipes my friends are bringing to the table.

Sea buckthorn are berries that I adore. Not only do they have a long list of nutrients including all the omegas, yes ALL the omegas, they are delicious. Every chance I get I add them to my menu. This delicious semifreddo is just great all on its own but a fruit or berry garnish add that je ne sais quois. Simply simmer the berries in a heavy sugar syrup. Check out all those wonderful vanilla bean specks. Vanilla bean accentuates sea buckthorn perfectly.

Oh, and we have another person at the table. Shelby of Grumpy's Honeybunch is now with us. She was a member at the beginning of this club. And now she is back. Welcome, Shelby.

So here's the menu

Jerry at A Live, Lived brings  Baked Ham with Bourbon Cranberry Glaze

Sandi at The Whistlestop Cafe has Deviled Eggs with Pickled Onions
Shelby at Grumpy's Honeybunch Shrimp and Bacon Deviled Eggs

Val at More Than Burnt Toast made this wonderful Spring Pea Soup with Crab Flan

Susan at The Spice Garden is making these awesome Smashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Chives and an Asparagus Salad with Pickled Peppers

Ricotta Semifreddo with Sea Buckthorn

1/2 cup sugar 
1/4 cup 2% milk 
1/4 cup honey 
1/2 teaspoon freeze dried sea buckthorn puree
1 vanilla bean
1/8 teaspoon salt 
3 ounces cream cheese, softened 
16 fl.oz. (500 mL) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream 
1/4 cup fresh or frozen sea buckthorn berries 
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Cook the berries in 1/2 cup water with sugar for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, milk, honey, freeze dried sea buckthorn, seeds from one vanilla bean pod, 1/8 teaspoon salt, cream cheese, and ricotta in a blender; process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Pour cream into a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/4 cup whipped cream into ricotta mixture. Fold in the remaining cream.
3. Spoon mixture into prepared loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze at least 8 hours or until set. Remove semifreddo from freezer, and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Discard top piece of plastic wrap. Invert loaf pan onto a serving platter, and tap to remove semifreddo. Discard the remaining plastic wrap, and slice semifreddo crosswise. Serve with sea buckthorn berries in syrup.