I await fig season each summer with such eager anticipation. I get to the farmers market first thing on Saturday morning, making a beeline to my favorite fig vendor to snap up as many as there are available. My first task is making Fig, Bourbon and Vanilla Bean Jam, a favorite of my friends and family. I hold a few back to slice and eat drizzled with honey or wrapped in … [Read more...] about Fig, Brown Butter and Hazelnut Tart
Fruit and Vegetables
Nectarine, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto Flatbread
I have discovered nectarines. I don’t know why I feel like it’s a new experience to me, surely I have had nectarines on many occasions throughout my life, but they never really hit that top ten list of fruits. Maybe it’s because they have become so tempting at the farmers’ market in recent years, maybe my unfamiliarity has held me back because I wasn’t quite sure about what to … [Read more...] about Nectarine, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto Flatbread
Blueberry Lavender Pound Cake
Last year, I went on a little tear baking with fruit and herbs. It started when a favorite vendor at the farmers market had a proliferation of lemon balm, and it was so fragrant I couldn’t resist. That led to my Nectarine and Lemon Balm Cake. The same trip to the market resulted in a plethora of blueberries, so I turned them into this dense, rich pound cake, and with my … [Read more...] about Blueberry Lavender Pound Cake
Fennel Vichyssoise
Throughout these strange months of limited activity, I, like many people, have turned to the kitchen for comfort and distraction. I haven’t been cooking quite as much as I thought I would, and its been a bit of a rollercoaster of success and failure. For myself, I’ve made hamburgers, hot dogs and rich pastas, I’ve been known to have chips and dip for dinner, I’ve made … [Read more...] about Fennel Vichyssoise
Summer Squash Muffins
Sunny yellow summer squash is so abundant here in the summer. If you know anyone who grows it, you’ve probably found a bag of excess stealthily left on your doorstep in the deep of night – when it grows, it really grows. The farmers market is also awash in all varieties of summer squash, and sometimes I find it so cheerful I just can’t say no. But I frequently have one or two … [Read more...] about Summer Squash Muffins
