early fall flavors

A friend gave me this recipe a few years ago, for a deliciously different way to prepare the never-ending supply of zucchinis growing this time of year, & a great way to savor the last of the season's sweet corn. I added diced onion & bell pepper for a zesty & sweet counterpoint, as well as smoky "bacon" & a chipotle remoulade to round out all the flavors. 

corn & zucchini fritters

for the fritters
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
fresh cracked pepper
combine dry ingredients in a bowl & mix well

2 Tbsp. melted butter, cooled to room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. milk
combine in a smaller bowl & mix well.
add to the dry ingredients & mix well.

1 1/2 c. grated zucchini
2 c. fresh corn kernels
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 slices of crisp cooked bacon, or a vegetarian "bac'n" alternative
add to the batter & stir until well covered & incorporated

heat a deep frying pan with a few Tbsp. of cooking oil ( I used olive).
plop a wooden spoonful of batter onto the hot oil, & press down with the spoon to flatten.
brown each side, pressing down on the fritter with a spatula after flipping.
serve warm with chipotle remoulade.

for the remoulade
1/4 cup mayonnaise - homemade is best
cayenne chili powder to taste (start with 1/2 tsp. & build up to suit your heat level)
2 tsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
fresh chopped cilantro to taste
salt & fresh pepper to taste

peachy keen

Peaches arrived early this year, as did nearly everything else. We got our first batch in our CSA from our local orchard. They were incredibly tender & ripe & great for eating out of hand the first week, then juicy & melting & ready for something else the next.

I found a delicious & simple recipe for peach chutney, substituting umeboshi vinegar for the apple cider variety & leaving out the salt. The resulting sauce is sweet, sour & spicy, & fragrant with fresh ginger & cardamom. Even better, it refrigerates in a sealed jar for up to 6 months, so we'll be able to savour the taste of summer when the snow flies.

recipe here

free range happy hour

Good food, good drink, great folks (including the furry variety). And of course, chickens. Perfect summer evening.

I love Vermont.

en plein air

Outdoor art openings with friends. Croquet court opening avec amis. Sunday drives to delicious destinations. I love summertime.

scenes from a vermont weekend

You certainly eat well in Vermont, & perhaps because of the long & dormant winter months, it seems most explicitly so in the springtime. Shoots & leaves spring out & cover the landscape in a tide of green, & produce from local farms begins appearing in droves in the roadside farm stands, markets & shops. One of the things that attracted us to this corner of the world was the close relationship one has with the natural world, & with the cultivation of the very stuff of life, our food.

The first Farmers' Market of the season certainly drove this point home. After picking up a flat of organic herb starts & freshly harvested salad greens, we sat down to a humongous breakfast of local chef Shital's palak paneer & aloo gobi, with piquant garlic pickle & fragrant coriander chutney. Oh how I missed this food over the long winter months! As if that weren't enough, we each got a beautiful & delicious pastry from Patricia, whose artistry, as someone interested in the chocolate arts, I hold in very high esteem. My tender & feather-light meringue cookies had creamy hazelnut & dark chocolate ganaches sandwiched between, & were absolutely swoon-worthy. A cup of Neil's expertly blended hot chai was the perfect compliment. Heaven.

Seeing the Market's newly landscaped common area dotted with picnic tables brought back memories of last year's devastating floods, & was testimonial to this area's commitment to coming together as a community & helping each other in times of need. We sat not far from a spot where J & other volunteers helped shovel fill onto the scarred terrain & rebuild the soil that was swept away.

I love living in a place where we know the people who grow our food, & know the land from whence it came. Our own little garden plot is now populated with herbs & greens that started their lives just a few miles away.

We topped off the weekend with a hike on some of our favorite trails, a place with a colorful history & miles of hilly & rocky terrain. Although we visit this particular forest during each season, I must admit that I like springtime the best; the mosquitos & biting flies have yet to come out, & the riot of green & birdsong is invigorating. Our hike was punctuated every several feet by the alarm chirps of territorial chipmunks, & the astringent smell of pine needles flooded our sinuses & made me feel dizzy.

I certainly slept well last night.

spring kitchen

We are finally getting more much-needed rain, & the views outside our kitchen window are exploding with color & texture against a soft, grey sky. 

Fiddleheads have shown themselves, one of the much anticipated springtime edibles that appear for just a short time: tender & tangy little curled up ferns, picked right before they unfurl. Steamed & tossed with minced garlic, crushed toasted sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, tamari & a dash of mirin is my new favorite preparation, while our traditional approach, sautéed with butter, white wine, garlic, fresh parsley, & a dash of lemon juice, is a close second. The bounty begins...

spice it up

There's still enough chill in the air to make soup sound satisfying, especially spicy & smokey concoctions inspired by warmer climates. Last night we made a big pot of black bean & sweet potato soup, with cilantro, poblanos, red bell peppers, jalapeños & chipotle. We didn't have any sour cream on hand, but a dollop of Greek yogurt did the trick nicely, adding a creamy & tangy counterpart to the spiciness. As a brisk evening wind blew outside, the kitchen filled with steam & delicious aromas, making me feel a tad nostalgic (crazy, I know) for cozy nights & warming winter fare.

I make this soup often, with varying amounts of each ingredient depending on what I have on hand, & what is fresh at the market. This cast of characters has proven to make a tasty & hearty meal, so try out your own version:

mirpoix 

made with a large yellow onion, carrot & celery, to which I add crushed fresh garlic, cumin, smoked paprika & chipotle (I usually add powders, but crushing cumin seed & seeded dried chipotle peppers with a mortar & pestle is marvelous).

sautée

diced poblano (or pre-roast, which is delicious) & jalapeño peppers, add diced red bell pepper nearer to the end

simmer

with water or stock cubed sweet & yukon gold potatoes, oregano, fresh cilantro & pre-cooked or canned black beans, until potatoes are soft. salt & pepper to taste.

sweet natured

 

These exquisite creations are not only astoundingly beautiful, but delicious as well.

Inspired by the world around them, Andie Moore & Jason of Andie's Specialty Sweets dream up & craft these jaw-dropping delights, using as much thought in choosing their ingredients as in their designs. If the results didn't sound so scrumptious, I'm sure I'd find it difficult to bite into them, they're so lovely.

Andie & Jason's inspiration doesn't stop at the natural world; sweet edible buttons & candy gears, as well as scrabble tiles & jewelry designs are all part of their artful repertoire.

Be sure to check out their shop