plum day

One of my favorite flavor combinations is plum & walnut; I can polish off (& have on many an occasion) a 750g tub of Liberté yogurt in that very flavour combination & still feel like I could have just a little bit more. So when Scott Farm sent us home with a 1/2 peck of the sweetest deep purple jewels, a walnut & plum galette appeared as a vision in my head... & then happily in my belly!

Rustic Walnut & Plum Galette
a mash-up of a few different recipes

1 1/4 cups + 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus some for rolling

1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 cup + 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp sugar, plus some turbinado for dusting

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4-6 Tbsp ice water

1/4 cup whole walnuts, toasted

5 to 6 firm plums, halved, pitted, & sliced thinly

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 egg, lightly beaten

Prepare the crust
In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp sugar, & salt.  Add the butter & cut in with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time & stir with a wooden spoon until dough is crumbly, but holds together when squeezed.  Be careful not overmix! Shape dough into a disk, then wrap it in plastic wrap & refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.

Prepare the walnut meal
Grind the toasted walnuts, then stir together with 3 Tbsp sugar, & 2 Tbsp of flour.  Set aside.

Prepare the plums
In a large bowl, toss the plums with the lemon juice, then toss with 1/4 cup sugar & 1 Tbsp flour.  Add more sugar if it appeals to you & set aside.

Prepare the galette
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 14 inch round, about a 1/4 of inch thick.  Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet & spread the walnut mixture over dough, leaving a two-inch border.  Arrange the plums on top of the walnut mixture.  Fold & pleat edge of dough over fruit.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Brush crust with egg wash & sprinkle galette with a couple Tbsp. of turbinado sugar.

Bake at 350º until crust is golden & underside is cooked through, about 60 minutes.

this is beautiful

The mesmerizing Ouleya Mint Amartichitt , singing at an outdoor gathering in Mauritania, with horses!



Thanks again, John, my source for all good things musical.
photos from here

cooking weather

Last week we were such wretched creatures while waiting out the heatwave that we did not cook much, if at all. The turn in weather has made us re-enter the kitchen with renewed vigor. Last night's dinner of a leek tart, & mixed greens with roasted beets, chevre & a maple balsamic vinaigrette helped us take care of some of the vegetables that had been patiently waiting in the refrigerator & garden. The edges of the tart got wonderfully carmelized & set off the creamy filling nicely.




Leek & Thyme Tart
adapted from The Greatest Vegetarian Cookbook by Nicola Graimes


for the filling
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 leeks, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground mace or nutmeg
sea salt & freshly ground pepper


for the crust
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cold butter
6 Tbsp milk


prepare the filling
Heat the butter & oil in a medium-size frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks & cook for 10-12 minutes until soft & golden. Season with thyme, salt & pepper. Remove from heat & let cool.
Beat the egg & yogurt together, stir in the  salt & cayenne. Set aside in cool place.


prepare the crust
Sift the flour, baking powder & salt into a bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the milk & stir in lightly with a wooden spoon to make a dough.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface & knead lightly.
Pat out the dough into a 9-inch round. Transfer to a 9-in springform pan.


assemble the tart
Cover the dough with an even layer of the prepared leeks. Pour in the yogurt mixture & spread evenly over the leeks. Sprinkle the top with freshly ground mace.


Bake for 30minutes at 425º F until golden brown. 
Leave the tart to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Slip a knife between the tart & the pan to loosen, then unmould on to a plate.






Balsamic & Maple Vinaigrette
  
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 large garlic clove, crushed
freshly ground black pepper


Whisk the ingredients together well in a bowl.  Transfer to a bottle or jar, & let marinate on the counter for about 1 hour. Shake well before using.
Delicious drizzled over roasted beets & goat cheese.

a most satisfying weekend

We had originally planned to go out of town, but staying at home over the long weekend proved to be a brilliant move, indeed. We did miles of hiking, watched a few Agnés Varda documentaries in the pleasantly brisk evenings (what a welcome change from the soupy nights of just last week!) with a glass of wine in hand, saw some friends play music, dove in to some creative pursuits, & cooked & ate to our hearts' content. By the end of the weekend we felt very rested, & as though we had some accomplishments under our belts.

One of our favorite summers'-end meals is a simple potato & green bean dish from the coast of Bretagne. Both hearty & light tasting, the mellow & buttery potato along with fresh crisp beans allowed us to really appreciate the pungency of our home-grown parsley, which, like the basil, grew madly in the hot & humid weather.

Fritattas are a staple in our house, & traditional Sunday morning fare if we don't go to one of our favorite brunch spots in a nearby town. A tomato, parsley, red onion, garlic & boursin rendition hit the spot, & was made entirely with produce from our garden or local farms.

And seeing as summer is quickly slipping past, cooking out felt like a must, it being a holiday weekend & the weather being so incredibly fair. We made another favorite, grilled vegetable kabobs (fondly referred to as "sticks" in our household, this iteration with soy "beef") with a garlic, ginger & toasted sesame marinade.

Cheers - enjoy the last bits of summer!

Garlic, Ginger & Toasted Sesame Marinade

Each time I make this marinade, it is slightly different as I don't measure anything, so the proportions vary. So far I have not been disappointed with the outcome, so don't be afraid to experiment & find your own perfect balance of flavors.

olive or canola oil

rice wine vinegar

toasted sesame oil

soy sauce

crushed fresh garlic

grated fresh ginger

chili paste, or a finely diced hot pepper of your choice

pinch of sugar

sesame seeds, if you fancy

Green Beans from the Brittany Coast

from From a Breton Garden by Josephine Araldo

1 1/2 pounds string beans, cut in 1/2-inch lengths

1/2 pound very small new potatoes, peeled (I never peel mine, & am pleased with the results)

1 small bunch scallions or 2 shallots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup chopped parsley

salt (I use French sea salt for a crunchy counterpoint) & freshly ground pepper

Blanch the vegetables in boiling salted water, first the green beans until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes, then the potatoes until they can be pierced easily with a fork. Drain the vegetables when they are cooked and reserve.

While the vegetables blanch, sauté the shallots & garlic in the butter until limp. Add the blanched vegetables to the shallot/garlic mixture. Stir to coat with butter, adding to taste. Toss in the parsley and season with salt & pepper. Serve very hot.

books by their cover

I love these hand painted covers by illustrator Frank Chimero. A wonderful way to personalize & gussy up cloth-bound books minus their dust jackets.

from here

house of card(board)

Don Lucho's work captures the mundane details of every day life with a simple yet effective use of line, to create very moving three-dimentional forms with the merest suggestion. I love the fact that the corrugated cardboard is reused/recycled, & that the domestic & street scenes he creates depict a down-to-earth every-day world; conjures up many stories & characters & lives.

 from here

flower power

The fantastical pieces in Tithi Kutchamuch's series Vase Garden are part jewelry, part decorative art. The graceful silver flowers that sit atop simple clear vessels double as rings that really pack a visual punch, & I imagine a physical one, too! How lovely they would be as pendants suspended from a cord, as well.

from here via here