from (Susies) farm to (my) table

U-Pick is one of the magical phrases of summer!  I went to Susie's Garden Patch in Homer Glen and came home with over 7 lbs of berries and an achy back.  Here is my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb  Crumble, adapted from Queen Martha.

1 cup chopped rhubarb

about 4 cups chopped strawberries - I never measure, just look when the corningware dish is full

3/4 cup sugar

2T instant tapioca

splash orange or apple juice

1 cup flour

6T unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine rhubarb, berries, juice, sugar, and tapioca in a large baking dish, let sit 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chop up butter and combine in a large bowl with flour, salt, and brown sugar.  Here the recipe says to use a mixer, but I just mash with a fork and my hands until the mixture is crumbly.

Spread evenly over fruit mixture and bake until golden and bubbly, about 40 minutes.

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

summer couscous salad

couscous

baby spinach

chopped herbs: basil, purple basil, parsley

feta

kalamata olives - just a few

fresh lemon juice and zest

toasted pine nuts

garlic

tuscan extra virgin olive oil

sea salt from sicily

Catalina

My first try at growing baby spinach from seed is a success!  Here is my first official salad.

beautiful babies

Gorgeous heirlooms from whole foods went into my greek salad last night. I can't wait for my own (albeit miniature) tiger tom, black cherry and peacevine tomatoes later on...

my new favorite breakfast

mediterranean eggs benedict

one egg

slice of bread (ciabatta or something Italian might be good here)

spinach

basil

pesto

goat cheese

extra virgin olive oil  (use the good stuff)

Poach the egg and toast the bread.  I just bought one of those microwave poachers. Perfect.

Put a spoonful of goat cheese and a dollop of pesto in a small microwavable bowl and heat for 15-20 seconds to soften.

Spread the goat cheese mixture on the toast. 

Add spinach,basil, egg, and a little more pesto to garnish.  Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

my first batch

Today I made my first batch of homemade ice cream using my new Lello Gelato maker.

Strawberry Basil Ice Cream

Ingredients

3 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch salt

1 cup half and half

1 cup heavy cream

1 pint strawberries

8 large basil leaves, chopped finely

 

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour the half-and-half and cream into a saucepan and heat until hot, but not boiling. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Slowly, a ¼ cupful at a time, pour the hot cream into the eggs and whisk until smooth.

Return to the saucepan (add some extra chopped basil to infuse some flavor?) and cook over medium-low until thick and bubbling around the edges. The custard will coat a wooden spoon. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Next day:  Rinse and hull the berries. Chop all the berries (use strawberry slicer first) and transfer half (very finely chopped) to a small bowl.  Food process the first half.  Mash the other half with a fork or pestle; they will not be smooth but still a little chunky. Chill .

Pour the cream and pureed strawberries into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Lello: about 30 minutes.  After this, add the mashed strawberries and the basil and freeze another 5-10 minutes.

Transfer to a shallow quart container, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze in the refrigerator's freezer for at least 3 hours until ready to serve. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping.