Sustain! Sustain!

Pretty sure I just found the greatest utility ever:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/local/seasonal/september

It's native to Britain, so take that into consideration. But, still, amazing. Every month, you now know exactly what you should be buying!

-R

Faire un pique-nique

Look at those happy clams


Hooray ice cream!

The spread: beet salad, orecchiette, haddock, with a summery cocktail



Grinding sage a little for the cocktail: gin and tonic with basically everything in it: lemon, sage, blueberries


Cuttin' some beets...and turnips


Well this picnic may or may not have actually been a month ago...but it was tasty and joyous nonetheless! We went out into the pasture above the beach on a lovely sunny day and ate some tasties. I made orecchiette pasta (it means 'little ear' maybe gives bow tie a run for its money?) salad with beet greens and herbs.

Since I have a problem, I also made beet/turnip salad with goat cheese. OOh and a crowning achievement: haddock! My parents we're doing some grillan' so they grilled those lovelies with breadcrumbs and I pan-cooked the rest. Oh an ode to fresh fish of the Gloucester!

It was Kathryn's birthday a little while back, so I made a cake: chocolate with brown sugar butter cream. It paired nicely with homemade strawberry ice cream and mango granita!

I support anything al fresco...on the veranda...with Bradly and Madison...preferably on the Vineyard.

S.

Steak

I don't eat a lot of meat. Mostly because I don't eat out a lot, and I don't want to have to take the time to watch what I'm doing because of contamination issues.

But, sometimes, you just want a steak.

This is the steak I wanted to make: Pan Seared Rib Eye

Alton's easy recipe and trusty perfectionism led my wide-eyed, steak making virgin soul to the butcher counter at Whole Foods, where I was promptly disillusioned. There was no way I was paying $24.00 for a steak to serve two college students, I don't care how amazing it is.

I eventually came home with $7.00 worth of Top Round. Top round, top round, how do I know that name, I thought...

Oh, yes, that's the (in my dad's words) "cheap, tough, and dry" cut of meat he uses to make beef roast.

Fuck.

Solution: Marinate!

Marinated Top Round Steak

1 1/2 pound top round steak

Lots of balsamic vinegar

Olive Oil

Garlic, chopped

Salt

Buttah

Lots of freshly ground Black Pepper

A cast iron skillet

At least 3-4 hours before take out a big GLASS bowl and throw that lean piece of beef in there. Cover it completely with balsamic. Yeah, I'm not kidding. Buy the cheap ass not-really-Balsamic Balsamic for this ... not that you can really find real Balsamic in your local grocer's aisle anyway. The vinegar part will break down the connective tissue and the sweet part (even if it's not authentic) will make the steak taste good. Add chopped garlic, a glug of oil, and lots of salt . Let this marinate in the fridge until dinner time.

THEN! IMPORTANT: an hour before you cook, take the steak out of the fridge and marinade and let it rest on a plate to come to room temp.

So, you're ready to cook. Preheat the oven to 400. Now put so much pepper on that steak you think it may suffocate. Now, put more on. You really can't put too much on. I didn't need to salt this steak because I knew I overkilled the marinade. You may have a different situation.

Heat up your cast iron skillet until it's really hot. Add a bit of oil. Put that sucker pepper side down and then pepper the other side. Don't move it! Three minutes or so later, flip it.

Three minutes have passed again, and your steak is super caramelized and wonderful, but I bet the inside isnt perfectly cooked, so put all of it, including your skillet, in the oven. Unfortunately, you are just going to have to figure out when it's done.

Better to stay on the rare side with this cut. It IS a tough, lean steak. Overcook it and it's bound to not taste too good. Thinly sliced is best, and a tab of butter doesn't hurt either.

I'm glad to say my first steak turned out wonderfully.

It was eaten along-side Lemon-Oregano roasted potatoes and sauteed chard. It looked a lot like that photo above before cooking.

-R

Cilantro/ makeshift kulfi ice cream

An extra feature: Roquefort and honey ice cream...cheesy!

Herb'd! Ready to freeze



Post-custard mess


Cilantro en ice bath


Right off the farm!

This is a little embarrassing: it seems all I do is make ice cream. Ah well, my consciences is clear! I really like the idea of making desserts with mild herbs like cilantro, sage, or rosemary. Thus, I made a treat starting with some nutty fresh cilantro, the recipe definitely morphed into something like kulfi, the Indian ice cream with spices and nuts.

I made my custard with 4 egg yolks and 1 cup of whole milk (being careful not to scramble the eggs!) and strained the mixture into a bowl with my heavy cream and super chopped cilantro. I boiled the cilantro for a few seconds and tossed it into an ice bath, then ground it up in a blender.

Things were a little bland so I added a bunch of sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and crushed nuts (brazil, almond). Left it to freeze, stirring ocassionally. Colorful and tasty and refreshing!

S.

Kahlua Custard

I had extra chocolate tart dough, and didn't want to leave it in the fridge for too long, so last night I pushed the extra into two ramekins and then thought and thought of what to fill it with. Eventually, I came up with the obvious choice: custard. I found a simple vanilla custard recipe, but decided to peruse the liquor cabinet for a sumptuous addition and settled on Kahlua. After it got all browned and set and smelled like coffee, I topped it with crushed Macadamias for some continuity. Yom.

-R

Raspberry Tart: The Result II

Because my Living Room had better lighting.

-R

Raspberry Tart: The Result

I would serve this at room temperature, and if I had a sprig of mint, it would be on that puppy so fast. Although I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't find fresh currants at Wegman's, this is obviously the clear substitute.

-R