Winter, for me, is a season of cleansing and stark beauty.  The simplicity of the silhouettes of bare branches against a steely grey sky speaks softly to my heart, also in need of a restful moment or two.  Snow is a constant wonder to me, though not in the same way it was when I was a kid barreling down the long steep hill behind our farmhouse on a wooden sled that surely was dangerous with its rusty metal rails.  In fact, a new unblemished blanket of white has just fallen overnight and my current home’s window frames a comforting innocence, the usually busy city street out front muffled.  Soon a gaggle of neighborhood kids will be sliding down the gentle slopes of the school yard next door.   I suppose the wonderment I have for winter white is that it is a great equalizer.  An eyesore and a masterpiece look nearly the same under a mantle of snowflakes.   Neighbors who may do no more than nod hello in every other season gather together with shovels on shoulders to clear the alleyway connecting all their homes, shouting stories about their kids or the city’s sports teams over the scrape of shovels against asphalt.   For at least a few hours, everyone in the world seems a little more considerate.  A little more wholesome. 

The food of winter is also wholesome, in a way delicate spring lettuces and indulgent summer fruits can’t be.  Winter fare should fill you up and stay with you to warm your belly through that cold jaunt to the car or train.  I’ve been rediscovering the joy of cooking this winter, after having burnt out my inner creative cook during the heat and hubbub of summer.  I’ve been taking my time in the kitchen, no longer reaching in the freezer to pull out a pre-made this or that because it would be fast and easy.  I’ve been cooking to make myself happy; to treat my tastebuds; to eat more winter vegetables. 

This Warm Winter Whole Grain Salad has become a staple in my diet the past month or two.  And, while I can’t claim it to be a miracle cure, it certainly seems to have contributed to my happier and healthier state of being this winter.  On Saturday night I soak the wheat berries and then spend a relaxed Sunday afternoon making the rest so I have a delicious dish for lunch every day that week.  I have as yet to get bored with it, the wheat berries and barely so chewy and nutty.  The butternut squash is sweet, especially with that hint of nutmeg, contrasting with the salty feta.  The beans, rich in protein, add a creamy quality to each bite.  This salad can be your main dish or an unexpected side to a winter feast.    

Don’t be put off by the length of the recipe or that it appears to take up a good deal of time.  While this salad does require you to be a bit organized, it requires surprisingly little hands-on time once you have the butternut squash peeled and cubed.  The first bite will make it all worthwhile and your winter a little more wholesome. 

Warm Winter Whole Grain Salad
A Straight from the Farm original

Part I
2 C. wheat berries (available at Whole Foods)
1 butternut squash
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. freshly ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Part II
6 cups water*
1 C. pearl barley
1 red onion
5 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 can (14oz) cannellini beans
4 T. orange muscat champagne vinegar (available at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods)**
2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. lite feta cheese
cooked chicken/soy chicken (optional)
dried cranberries (optional)

* You may need more than 6 cups of liquid.  I sometimes use a cup of vegetable stock to give it a bit more flavor.
** If you can’t find the orange muscat champagne vinegar, a high quality balsamic will work just fine on its own. 

Part I

Place your wheat berries in a bowl and cover with cool water.  Cover bowl and allow to sit for at least 4 hours; overnight usually works best.  When you are ready to use the wheat berries, drain and rinse before proceeding with the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Peel and cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise (I usually also cut the “neck” from the “bulge” to make for more efficient chopping).  Scoop out the seeds.  Dice the orange flesh into rough half inch cubes and place on a foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Toss to combine and place in the hot oven.  Roast until cubes are tender but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes.   Set cubes aside to cool.  They can be stored overnight in the fridge. 

Part II

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.  Add a little salt like you would to pasta water.  Carefully slide the drained wheat berried into the water.  Return water to a boil and then reduce heat to a high simmer, leaving the pot uncovered.  Cook for about 35 minutes and begin testing by chewing a grain or two.  When wheat berries are tender enough to chew but not soft yet (usually 35-45 minutes of cooking), add the pearl barley (you may wish to rinse the barley first to remove any dusty debris).  Continue to simmer until both the pearl barley and wheat berries are tender but not mushy, about another 15-20 minutes.  If liquid is getting low, add another half cup at a time of hot water.  When done, drain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a large bowl. 

Peel and finely dice the red onion.  Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet.  When hot, add the diced onion and cook over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, rinse and drain the cannellini beans.  Add to the onions and toss to heat through.  Reduce heat to low and move all the beans and onion to one side of the skillet.  On the empty side of the skillet, whisk together the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil and the vinegar(s).  It helps to tilt the skillet a bit to collect the liquid so you can whisk it.  Taste and add more vinegar if desired.  

Once you have the vinegar and oil to your liking, gently toss the beans and onion with it and remove from the heat.  Season generously with salt and pepper and pour over the bowl of cooked wheat berries and barely.  Toss gently to combine.  Now add the roasted butternut squash and toss again.  Allow salad to sit for at least 30 minutes to soak up the dressing.  

Salad can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to a week.  It can be served at room temperature or hot (a minute in the microwave does the trick).  Top each serving with a crumble of feta cheese and some cooked chicken if desired.  A handful of cranberries are also a nice addition. 

(serves 12) 

I visited the farmers market this weekend, walking the block between my home and the market at top speed, trying unsuccessfully to stay warm in the whipping winter winds.  I love that so many of the farmers markets here in Philadelphia have decided to hold winter markets, most every other week instead of weekly and for just an hour or two so the farmers don’t turn completely into icicles.  Being able to still buy local sweet potatoes, onions, broccoli, kale, and apples directly from their growers is such a treat and a sure cure for the winter blues. 

I purchased eight large russet-hued ‘Winesap” and a few bicolor ‘Honeycrisp’  apples, having a hard time counting out my bills with my numb fingers.  I didn’t really have a plan for them at that moment, but given apples keep for quite some time, I thought I’d just store them until I had a grand idea.  Once I got home though, I realized I didn’t want to dream up a wild creative dish for them.  Instead, all I really wanted was a simple delicious traditional Apple Crisp. 

Surprisingly, I don’t make fruit crisps very often so I didn’t have a go-to recipe already.   So, after a quick online search, I came across the one below.  It seemed ridiculously easy, I already had all the ingredients in the pantry, and the recipe got great reviews.  Away I went, peeling apples and crumbling the topping.  Indeed it was easy and delicious.  This is a keeper, though this particular crisp is likely to be gone real soon…

CLASSIC APPLE CRISP
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Filling
10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 cup water

Topping
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).

Place the sliced apples in an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), uncovered, for about 45 minutes.

I’ve been shamefully neglectful of this lovely little blog of mine.  Fortunately it looks like a lot of you have still been coming around and leafing through the archives for some tasty seasonal fare.  I wish I could promise there will be regular updates moving forward, but, the truth is, I’m just not sure.  Life sends you down unexpected paths sometimes that steer you away from past passions (such as this blog).  I’m doing my level best to recalibrate my course and get back to blogging about food, but it might take awhile.  Please keep looking through those recipe archives in the meantime!

On the eve of the year’s biggest food day here in the States, I figured I’d best put up a post to say hello.  And since a local Philadelphia company sent me some samples a few weeks back that would make perfect holiday gifts for the foodie in your life, let’s talk about CHOCOLATE!  To be more precise, let’s talk about the crème de la crème of the chocolate world right now: John & Kira’s.   

I’ve known of John & Kira’s for several years now since the company has graced several of the same farmers markets as has my own farm.  Ironically though I’d never gotten to try a sample of their adorably cute chocolate ladybugs or other chocolate creations even though they generously give samples to many a market patron.  I was always manning my own market table and didn’t have time to scoot over for a nibble.  Lucky for me, they recently launched a new collection of chocolates called The Enchanted Garden and they asked me to review them along with a bar of their Mighty Urban Garden Mint chocolate. 

Let’s’ start with the Mighty Urban Mint chocolate bar.  You may notice the absence of a photo of it in this post.  That’s because I’m a mint-loving maniac who devoured the whole bar, with its dark chocolate richness and subtle-yet-highly-addicting fresh minty-ness.  While the first bite of this bar didn’t blow me away, it proved to be one of those foods that sits at the back of your tongue/brain and about an hour after you’ve had that initial bite, you find yourself craving more.  And so the whole bar is gone… 

The Mighty Urban Garden Mint chocolate bar is indeed tasty, though the price tag is also a bit might at $9 a bar.  The solace here is that John & Kira’s donates five percent of the sales back to the urban city gardeners and kids that grow the mint used in the bars.  Seems like a nice way to donate to charity, don’t you think?

Now,  let’s move on to The Enchanted Garden collection of chocolates.  These artfully hand-painted chocolates are exactly why John & Kira’s has become iconic here in Philadelphia and elsewhere.  It is amazing to think that someone sat and painted the little bit-sized chocolate mound I’m about to pop in my mouth.  Reminds me of that dish Zen garden I had at work once where an unknown co-worker would always come by and smooth it out while I was a lunch…

To my surprise, I was sent two beautiful – I mean truly BEEUTEEFUL! – boxes of chocolates: Spiced Pumpkin and Chocolate Cherries.   The packaging along makes you feel like a million bucks.  I felt a bit guilty as I dared to open them.  The chocolates inside were equally stunning.  Each practically sparkled since John & Kira’s uses a glossy tempered chocolate to coat each confection.  The “pumpkins” in particular were extra adorable as each had been given an individual curly-cue stem of green chocolate. 

Of course, I could hardly wait to take a bite, especially of the Spiced Pumpkin because I am a self-proclaimed pumpkin nut and creator of a decadent pumpkin pie truffle that’s just sensational (that’s not me saying that, I promise).  So, I bit into a miniature pumpkin artwork and…I’m disappointed.  Sorry, it’s true.  I guess I just wasn’t expecting a filling that’s the consistency of loose pudding.  And the flavor was 90% cinnamon when I had hoped to taste a good bit of the chocolate too (seriously, if you’ve never tried paring pumpkin with dark chocolate, you need to get on that right away).  I know that pumpkin itself doesn’t have a lot of flavor so it’s about balancing the spices to evoke “pumpkin” in the taster’s mind.  These glossy little pumpkin confections just didn’t find that balance for me. 

So, I moved on to the Chocolate Cherries with diminished spirits.  See, I really hate the classic chocolate covered cherry.  They are always too fake for me and something about that gelatinous ooze surround the cherry is quite disturbing.   I assumed John & Kira’s was going to be just an artful version of that dime store standard. 

Hello, boys and girls, we have a winner!!  I was so surprised to bite into a John & Kira’s chocolate cherry and find it filled with a nearly smokey dark chocolate ganache (no ooze here) and a naturally sweet dried cherry instead of a sugary maraschino.  After devouring that tasty treat, I finally bothered to open the catalog that came along with my lovely sample boxes and found out that there’s also some brandy mixed in with the filling for the chocolate cherries and that made perfect sense with what I was tasting.  Yum! 

The Final Score Sheet:

Mighty Urban Garden Mint chocolate bar:  Thumbs Up
Spiced Pumpkin (The Enchanted Garden Collection):  Thumbs Down
Chocolate Cherries (The Enchanted Garden Collection): Two Thumbs Up!

Before you rush off to place your order, you should know that John & Kira’s is not cheap.  Seriously, really not cheap.  But, as someone who now earns a living from my own creative work with a product that is largely considered a luxury, I know the value John & Kira’s is giving their customers.  In addition to masterful chocolates, they are also a super socially conscious company that is striving to use as many locally grown and fair trade ingredients as possible in their confections.  They partner with Philadelphia urban school garden programs in particular, a cause near and dear to my own heart.   Like fine wines or cheeses, John & Kira’s is for the discerning palette (and wallet).

{NOTE: The John & Kira’s website isn’t listing the Spiced Pumpkins at the time of this post.}

Entry #3 :: Foodbuzz.com “Project Food Blog” Contest

Challenge Prompt from Foodbuzz: Celebrate! You’ve made it this far, and the next challenge is to hold a party for your friends and family (at least four guests, you can include yourself in the 4 person count). Whether you’re an experienced host or an entertaining newbie, get creative and host a luxurious dinner party where your guests will discover new tastes and exotic flavors. Share your hosting secrets with readers, like how to cook for a crowd, plan a menu, or involve guests in the prep. And don’t forget to document the party with pictures including one of your Project Food Blog Menu using the provided template.

VOTE FOR ME HERE 

The reality of my life is that it’s entirely too overloaded with priorities.  It seems there’s never enough hours in a day and certainly not enough days in a week.  As such, I’m always looking for ways to multi-task and objects that are multi-functional.  For example, in my garden, the best plants are those that are edible, look beautiful in the garden, make good cut material for bouquets, and come back every year so I don’t have to take the time to replant.  Sometimes it takes some creativity to get all this multi-tasking and functioning rolling, but it’s well worth it in the end. 

My passions for food and for flowers have been merging a good bit lately.  When Foodbuzz issued the challenge to throw a luxury dinner party, my first reaction was “Oh no!  How am I going to fit this into my schedule??”.   Then, as I mused about the possibilities, I decided what a great opportunity it would be to combine local seasonal food with a flower design class using local seasonal flowers that I was already scheduled to host.  See, my business, Love ‘n Fresh Flowers, is focused on growing flowers sustainably and using/selling them locally in gorgeous lush floral designs.  My clever tagline is “from seed to centerpiece”.  Fun, huh?    

While the combination of a floral design class and a dinner party might not be feasible for most folks, it IS worth considering how you can involve your guests in a fun activity while they munch on your fabulous fare.  In this case, it was a match made in heaven since the lovely ladies that attended the class were very appreciative of both the delicious food and the beautiful blooms.  We even trekked out into the garden to take stems of herbs {sage, rosemary, lavender, dill, fennel} and apples, among other things, that were then incorporated into our floral designs.  Ah, how it made my multi-functional heart happy to see these delicious edibles so beautifully displayed. 

All of the food was uniquely seasonal and easy to grab a bite between bouquets.  There was the French Fig Clafouti you’re all familiar with already from the last post.  And the dense moist Pumpkin Bread that’s made an appearance on the blog already was once again a hit.  Slices of perfectly ripe Asian pears and decadent blue cheese were simple and delicious nibbles.  And the recipe featured in today’s post actually used some of the same elements from our floral arrangements — sage, rosemary, and apples — and joined them with pumpkin and garlic on an Autumnal Pizza. 

Add to the mix some local cider and a few glasses of wine, the evening proved to be a delightful success with a chorus of excited “Thank you, let’s do this again soon! I had so much fun!”  and happy hugs.  The moral to this delicious and beautiful tale is that even if you are a busy bee, don’t presume you can’t squeeze in a dinner party. Think a little bit beyond the traditional table and place settings to incorporate some of your other passions and talents.  I bet you’ll find your guests to be all the more engaged and satiated in the end. 

VOTE FOR ME HERE 

AUTUMNAL PIZZA
A Straight from the Farm Original

Dough

1 C. warm tap water (may need 1 or 2 T. more water)
1 1/2 t. active dry yeast
2 t. honey
2 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
2 C. all-purpose flour
2/3 C. whole wheat flour
2 T. flaxseed meal*

*The flaxseed meal adds a really nice nutty flavor and is nutritious to boot.  You can usually find it in most supermarket baking aisles.  If you don’t have it, just add a full cup of whole wheat flour instead of three quarters.   

Whisk water, honey and yeast in a medium bowl until yeast has dissolved. Sit aside and cover with a towel until mixture is foamy and double in size, about 15 minutes.  Stir in salt and oil. Add flour and work mixture with a spoon and your fingers until it comes together as a dough. Add more water one tablespoon at a time if you need, but try to avoid this if you can knead the dough without more water.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead the dough for a few minutes.
Clean out the bowl you used to mix the dough and coat it with olive oil (or non-stick spray).  Put the dough in, cover it with a clean dish towel, and let it rise for an hour or up to two, until it is doubled.  If dough is not showing much life, place on top of a warm oven or radiator.

When dough is doubled, gently deflate it with the heel of your hand.  Form it into a ball and let it rest on a floured spot with the bowl turned over top of it to keep out drafts. In 15 minutes, it is ready to roll out.

Toppings

1 C. ricotta cheese
1 small pumpkin or winter squash
1 large apple (Gala worked well)
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
8-10 small sage leaves
1 sprig of rosemary, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste

Preheat oven to 500F or your highest setting.  Place your pan or baking stone in the oven to also get hot. 

Roll out the dough.  Top with the ricotta and spread evenly.  Using a mandolin if you have it or a very sharp knife, carefully slice the pumpkin and apple very thinly.  Toss with about 2 tablespoons of oil and artfully layer on the pizza dough.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Place dough with ricotta, pumpkin and apple in the oven for about 6 minutes or until the crust is getting puffy and the toppings soft but not too done.   While it bakes, prepare the herbs by combining the sage, rosemary and garlic in a small bowl with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Pull hot pizza from the oven.  Quickly and carefully distribute the herb mixture over the top along with a little more salt and pepper if desired.  Return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the herbs crispy but not burnt. 

Remove from oven and top with parmesan and serve hot or at room temperature. 

(serves 8-10)

Entry #2 :: Foodbuzz.com “Project Food Blog” Contest

Challenge Prompt from Foodbuzz: Ready to tackle a classic dish from another culture? Pick an ethnic classic that is outside your comfort zone or are not as familiar with. You should include how you arrived at this decision in your post. Do your research then try to pull off successfully creating this challenge. Try to keep the dish as authentic as the real deal, and document your experience through a compelling post.

VOTE FOR ME HERE 

Even though I don’t speak the language and I’ve only traveled there once, I have an undying love {obsession} with the French lifestyle.  How can you not appreciate rich food, beautiful art, bright scooters, intrinsic romance, classic but flirty style, and an abundance of al fresco cafes?  When I visited the manageably sized city of Lyon for a dear ex-pat friend’s “hen night” weekend {the equivalent of a bachelorette party in the States} , I didn’t have any idea I was in for a fast and furious love affair with the city and French life.  I immediately gravitated to the eclectic street artists, the open-air produce market that lined the river bank, the lusciously verdant flower stands at nearly every turn, the delicious coffee and flavored sodas, the decadent brunch dishes, the pockets of parks and tiny enclaves, and the flirty but classic styles displayed in shop windows.  I sat on park benches and bistro chairs, letting the rush of energetic French conversation wash over me.  I couldn’t get enough. 

I have since determined that I am so in love with Lyon that I will someday retire there, at least in part, to live in a little walk-up flat with sun-filled tall windows and a cheerful mix of flea market finds for furniture.  I’ll go to the river’s edge market to buy baguettes and cheese and spend countless hours people watching at cafes.   I’ll take advantage of living on the Continent to travel to any of the remaining European countries I haven’t made it to by then.  It’ll be one long enjoyable holiday! 

In the meantime, I need to work on a few things to prepare for my Franco freedom.  Learning to speak French would seem like a wise step.  But, alas, I’m utterly pathetic at learning languages.  Really, I spent 10 years of school learning Spanish and can barely get past “como se yama?” any more.  I figure I’ll just learn by immersion when the time comes. 

I can, however, start to learn more about French cooking.  It is a cuisine that intimidates me, to be perfectly honest.  It seems so full of sauces and soufflés, all of which require a precise technique.  I decided to start with something more rustic and simple, a dish that embraced seasonal ingredients that would likely show up in that riverside market in autumn.  Figs are heavenly fall fruit and this “clafouti” couldn’t be easier.  I made mine with beautiful farm eggs from Red Haven Farm {isn’t their hand-decorated carton just too cute?}, which created a faultless custard base to amplify the figs’ natural sweetness.   The clafouti did puff up in the oven like a soufflé — so dramatic! — but it’s not meant to stay that way so I didn’t have to deal with the dread of watching it fall and feelings of failure.  This was the perfect introduction to classic French cooking! 

Now, perhaps the remaining nine eggs can be put towards a soufflé…  I think I’ll skip the frogs and snails however. 

VOTE FOR ME HERE 

French Fig Clafouti
Country Cooking of France

3 eggs 
1 cup milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
Pinch salt
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
20 or so fresh green or black figs cut in half lengthwise
butter to grease baking dish 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crack eggs into a medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until foamy. Add milk, vanilla, sifted flour, sugar and pinch of salt. Beat again until smooth.  Arrange figs artfully, cut side up, in buttered 9-inch ovenproof dish or pie plate. Pour batter carefully over figs. Place in hot oven and bake 40-45 minutes. Batter will rise up towards the end and turn golden when done.

Remove clafouti from oven and let stand 10 minutes. It will sink back down.  Serve with whipped cream if desired.

(serves 8 )

Entry #1 :: Foodbuzz.com “Project Food Blog” Contest

Challenge Prompt from Foodbuzz: For the very first Project Food Blog Challenge, we’re asking you to create a blog post that defines you as a food blogger and makes it clear why you think you have what it takes to be the next food blog star. Consider what makes your blog unique and sets you apart from other food blog brands: is it your foolproof recipes, your mouthwatering photos, or your perspective on family meals? Write a post that comes from the heart and is true to you and your blog.

VOTE FOR ME HERE 

Those who have been following SFTF for awhile surely know a bit about my background and the driving force behind this blog.  However, like any good reality TV show, the Project Food Blog contest opens up a whole new world to the players in the game.  If you’ve not dropped by SFTF before, welcome!  The message here is always simple: locally grown fresh produce is artfully delicious, and thus we are always “feasting on fresh” in the SFTF kitchen.

I grew up on a farm where we raised a great deal of our own food and only went to the grocery store to pick up flour, sugar and cleaning supplies.  It was a rich upbringing, one centered around eating seasonally and preserving the farm’s bounty, that remains ingrained in me.  My mother taught me to cook from a very young age.  Thanks to her good graces (happy birthday today, Mom!), I learned the blueprint of good cooking and rarely depend on cookbooks or online recipe libraries any more.   Instead, when I see a quart of oh-so-ripe figs at the farmers market and get to pick a cupful of autumn raspberries from a neighbor’s garden, I go home and immediately begin dreaming up the best use for them simply by considering their flavors and my mood.  I find I’m rarely disappointed and neither are SFTF readers. 

The posts on SFTF are meant to read like the beautifully illustrated pages of an art book.  Each photo is crafted with the intent to both make readers gasp a little and drool a lot.  My photography has evolved exponentially since the outset of this blog, but the purpose is still the same: to inspire others to make the recipe in the post.  Often we are intimidated by unfamiliar ingredients  {a classic case is the misunderstood kohlrabi }.  When I can capture an odd-ball fruit or vegetable’s inner beauty, I find many readers begin to be more daring with their own dinners. 

Unlike most other food blogs, SFTF combines artful photography, original recipes, and interesting pertinent tips together in one single pot, all of which is focused on sustainably and locally grown food straight from the farm!   Case and point?  Fresh Fig and Raspberry Stuffed French Toast…recipe after the jump.

VOTE FOR ME HERE 

Fresh Fig and Raspberry Stuffed French Toast
A Straight from the Farm Original

Fruit Filling

8-10 ripe fresh figs
1 C. fresh raspberries
2 t. wildflower honey
2 t. real maple syrup
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. freshly ground nutmeg

French Toast

6 thick slices of a rustic bread (I used a local bakery’s Italian sourdough)
3 eggs
1/3 C. milk
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
real maple syrup
heavy cream
additional fruit for garnishing

Start by making the filling.  Rinse the fruit and pat dry with a towel.  Cut the figs into thin wedges.  Add the honey and maple syrup to a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until runny.  Add the figs and raspberries to the pan and toss gently to coat with the syrup.  Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and stir again. Keep an eye on the fruit and cook just until it is softening and hot, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the French toast.  (You can refrigerate the fruit filling overnight if you’d like; just be sure to gently warm it up again before using. )

To make the French toast, preheat the oven to 350F while you work.  Also set a large heavy skillet over medium heat and coat with butter or non-stick spray.   Whisk together the eggs and milk in a wide shallow bowl.  Add the spices and whisk again.  Using a fork, dip a slice of bread into the egg mixture.  Carefully turn and coat the other side.  Immediately place in the hot skillet and cook on one side until golden brown, about 3 minutes and then carefully flip to cook the other side until golden, about 2 minutes.   Repeat dipping and cooking process until all slices are done. 

Line a baking sheet with foil and place finished slices on the sheet until all your French toast is done.   Evenly divide the fruit filling to top three slices.  Place another slice on top of each to create a “sandwich”.  Press down gently and then place the now-stuffed French toast in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes or until crisp and hot. 

While the French toast is baking, whip the heavy cream (sweeten with a little Splenda or superfine sugar if you’d like) and get your plates ready.  French toast is best served piping hot and topped with a large spoonful of whipped cream and extra berries. 

(serves 2-4)

Well, the posting may have been sparse around here this summer, that’s for sure.  But the autumn harvest is just revving up, and I’m itching to cook once more now that the temperature has dipped back into the realms of “bearable”.   Just in time since there’s a great food blogging contest just getting started.  I’ve officially thrown my hat into the ring for Foodbuzz.com’s “Project Food Blog” extravaganza.  This online contest is reminiscent of TV’s myriad of reality battle-it-out shows.  It should be fun and perhaps there will even be some drama (after all there are nearly 2000 bloggers competing)!  If nothing else, you’re assured there will be more frequent posting on this blog as long as I’m still in the running. 

My first official entry post will be put up this weekend.  However, I wanted to get the link to my contest profile posted so you could go snicker at it.  If you care to follow along with the entire contest, feel free to bookmark my profile as it will show my status and links to my entries.  All the entries will also be posted here on SFTF…they’ll be posted once a week now through December (or however long I last in the contest). 

I NEED YOUR HELP!  A critical part to the contest is getting people to vote for your entries.  If you’re a fan of my work here in SFTF (the recipes, the photos, the writing, the mission), please make a point of voting for each of my Project Food Blog entries.   That would really make my day!

Just in time for Labor Day, a perfect classic fruit cobbler recipe!

Somehow this summer has completely blown past me.  How did I displace the entire month of August?!  For that matter, what about July and June?  I guess this is just what happens when you launch your own business and handle every aspect of it yourself.  It’s been a fun summer though, full of beautiful flowers and new friendships with the lovely folks that buy them.   And since I now spend two days a week selling my blooms at farmers markets, I’ve been getting quite the assortment of fresh seasonal fruit from other farmers to bring home.   These guys have the best peaches.  And these guys have the most amazing Asian pears.  And these guys have to-die-for black berries. 

I’m still growing nearly all my own vegetables, but fruit, particularly anything growing on trees, is tough to manage in pots on the deck so I depend on getting to know a few key fruit growers to be sure I stay fully stocked with nature’s candy.  There have been two notable growing- fruit-in-a-pot successes this season though.   There were a half dozen of the most darling and delicious miniature melons.  Little Gem is an heirloom variety that was quite happy to climb up the lattice around our deck and dangle delicate melons from the vines without fear of them falling from their own weight.  The taste was sweet and superb. 

The other success story was the blueberries.  Last year I put a blueberry bush (‘Bluegold’) in a very large pot on the deck and crossed my fingers that it would make it through the winter in one piece.  Not only did it survive, it thrived!   I picked gobs of perfect blue orbs off it over the course of late June and July.  I had to protect the bush from marauding birds and squirrels by fitting it with a custom-made “shower cap” (row cover fleece with an elastic band sown around the bottom so I could put the fleece over the bush and secure it with the elastic around the pot).  

The berries went into my breakfast yogurt and pancakes mostly.   But I did save a pint of them specially to make a wonderful summer fruit cobbler.  This is just the perfect thing for a relaxing backyard get-together…perhaps you’re having one of those real soon for Labor Day.  It should be mandatory to serve it with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, but I won’t go so far as to dictate your entire dessert menu.  Peaches are at their peak still, but local blue berries might be hard to find.  The recipe is really just a blueprint for a cobbler that will showcase any combination of fruits.  Just stroll through your local farmers market and pick out what looks the most tempting and juiciest.  You really can’t go wrong. 

Height of Summer Fruit Cobbler
A Straight from the Farm Original

Filling
2 T.  cornstarch
1/4 C. cold water
1 C. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1 vanilla bean, scraped
a pinch of ground ginger (optional)
1 C. fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained
1 C. diced fresh peaches (about 3  peaches)
1 C. fresh blueberries
1 C. diced fresh plum (about 4 plums)

Topping
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. white sugar, divided
1 t.  baking powder
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t.  salt
6 T. cold butter
1/4 C. boiling water

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and sit a baking dish (9×9 or 6 small ramekins) on top.
In a mixing bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Whisk in 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, vanilla bean, and ground ginger.  Add the fruit and toss to coat evenly.  Transfer to heavy pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring regularly.

While the fruit cooks, make the topping.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Cut or rub in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in about a 1/4 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.

When the fruit is boiling steadily, take it off the stovetop and immediately (and carefully) transfer it to the baking dish on the tray.  Drop dough by spoonfuls onto the top of the fruit. Place cobble in the preheated oven and bake 25-30 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

While the cobbler is still warm, sprinkle the top with a little extra sugar to give it some crunch.  Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or just a drizzle of heavy cream. 

(serves 4-6)

Years after this post was originally put up on the blog, I’m still as smitten with this pillowy dessert as ever!  My own blueberry bush, growing in a five-gallon pot on my deck, produced a bumper crop this year.  I knew I needed to pull up this recipe from the archives and show it to you again.  In addition to the blueberries, a neighboring gardener gifted me with beautiful and sweet raspberries and blackberries. And of course the eggs are farm fresh from free range chickens.   Delicious!  

From the Archives  

There’s something magical about summer twilights.   And something even more magical about fresh blueberries on 4th of July celebration desserts.  I have many a fond memory of eating homemade ice cream topped with fresh blueberries and then running through dewy grass in the twilight with sparklers or chasing lightning bugs.    

I first came across fresh fruit pavlova while living in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  I can remember everything about the scene of my first bite – it was that delightful.  A crisp shell of a meringue with a melt-y middle topped with ever-so-slightly sweet fresh whipped cream and (for that first encounter) kiwis and blueberries spilling off the plate.   If ever the heavens should point a sunbeam directly on my head and issue forth an angelic chorus, it should have been at the moment of my first bite in that roadside Irish inn.     

Since then, I’ve learned this dessert really hails from New Zealand and was named after a Russian ballerina so I think it classifies as an international dish even though there’s nothing regionally distinctive in its flavors.  Don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe directions.  It really is just a lot of mixing and that’s all.  These little puffs of marshmallow-y delight are well worth the 20 minutes of shouting required to be heard over the mixer.   

SUMMER BERRY PAVLOVA  

meringue
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2  c. sugar
1/2  t. cream of tartar 
1 1/2  T. cornstarch
1/4 t.  freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2  t. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg  

topping
1 carton of heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. sugar or Splenda (Splenda recommended as it dissolves better)
2 pints fresh seasonal berries   

Preheat the oven to 225 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.  Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature.  If you didn’t have time to let them sit out beforehand, place bowl of egg whites inside another large bowl filled with warm water for 15 minutes.  Using the room temperature egg whites, begin beating them on low speed with an electric mixer (just a word to the wise, don’t attempt this recipe without some type of electric mixer as it takes a great deal of whipping).   Add the cream of tartar, pinch of salt and nutmeg to the mixer and continue at low speed for 3 to 4 minutes.   

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  Measure out the sugar and add to it the corn starch and nutmeg, mixing these three ingredients in the measuring cup.  Set aside for later.   

Returning to the egg whites in the mixer, increase the speed to medium and soft peaks should begin to appear after another 2 minutes or so.  Increase the mixer’s speed another notch or two.  Begin to slowly add the sugar mixture, sprinkling in just a few tablespoons at a time.  Let mix for 2 or 3 minutes more.   Slowly add the vanilla extract and increase the mixer speed to the highest setting.  A glossy sheen should be appearing and the whites should become increasingly stiff.  Once “stiff” peaks form, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl.   

On the lined baking sheet, place heaping spoonfuls of meringue and flatten down slightly, creating a shallow indent in the center.  Leave plenty of room between spoonfuls as the meringue spreads and rises quite a bit.  You should be able to get six on a sheet.   Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, checking on them about half way through to make sure the meringues are not coloring or cracking.  Remove from oven when meringues are crisp and dry to the touch but still relatively white in color.  You don’t want these to get golden like typical meringues on pies.  Gently lift the meringues off the parchment paper and place on a wire rack or kitchen towel to cool.   If you don’t want to use them right away, store meringues in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.    

To serve pavlovas, whip heavy cream with 1/4 c. sugar/Splenda until firm, but not stiff.  Spread a thick layer of whipped cream on top of each meringue and top with a generous handful of fresh berries.  Serve immediately.    

(makes 8-10 servings)