Foie Gras & Flannel

This early summer is messing with the berries. I mean, we were picking mulberries in mid-June last year; this year, we’re we’re almost a month ahead of schedule. Guess that means it’s time for a little urban foraging.

Picture this: it’s 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. A dark SUV rolls quietly down a city street. It stops: two people quickly exit, run across the street, and disappear into the bushes.

Okay, that sounds a bit dramatic, but it really happened. I suppose we could have knocked on the door and asked permission, but where’s the fun in that?! We were gone within a few minutes, anyway–a small collection of ripe berries in our stained hands.

Mulberry-Maple Syrup

• 1/2 cup fresh mulberries, rinsed
• Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
• 2 Tbsps. grade B maple syrup

In a small sauce pan, heat the berries and lemon juice until boiling. Stir in the maple syrup, and reduce heat. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break the berries apart and cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until the liquid reduces and thickly coats the back of the spoon (keep in mind that the syrup will thicken as it cools).

Simple, right? The lemon and maple really bring out the flavor of the berries.

Drizzle over a stack of Martha’s buttermilk pancakes.

.media {display:none;}

It’s Monday, and I’m out of words. Just…appreciative.
And excited to see all of the valley’s roadside stands open for business.

Life gets complicated. At least, my life has gotten complicated, so lately I’ve found myself retreating and resetting–reformatting. Now, I’m attempting to rediscover the beauty and inspiration that lie in simplicity.

That’s what I found at the market this weekend:

Early season sugar peas

Fresh mint

Eggs (these actually came from a friend’s backyard)

Side note: I also found an amazing work table at a local thrift store–that’s the wood grain in the images above. It’s bulky, gritty, and charmingly weathered. (Interestingly, this is also how I might describe myself.)

Back to the peas. Those were eaten whole, straight from the bag the farmer handed me. The mint was used in iced tea and in a quinoa salad with feta cheese and pomegranate arils. The eggs were used to make Dutch babies, then topped with fresh strawberries and kiwi.

And with these, I’m renewed.

It amazes me how a few fresh ingredients can restore a sense of peace, but they really can. Today, I feel like I may once again have a handle on things–that life is a little less complicated. Today, I want to cook again.

I love this time of year. But this late summer is making it hard to get anything done – every trip to the market inspires new food ideas.

Today, I picked up a peach pastry (you might notice a theme when I go to the Saturday market), fresh raspberries and blackberries, and plump muscat grapes. Just yesterday I talked to a winemaker about the flavor of wine grapes: less water and more sugar make for a much more flavorful grape. And these muscats have a crunchy, nutty seed that’s also tasty.

I hope your Saturday is just as inspiring!

I needed something healthy for dinner. Like an heirloom tomato and edible-skinned avocado.

I picked these up during a tour on Sunday of KMK Farms in Kingsburg. Take a trip to a nearby farm, farm stand or farmers market to take advantage of the harvest!

Ever seen one of these? I bought a few off of the flower vendor at the market this morning—she says they’re as hot as a habañero.

I’m a little nervous.

Half an hour outside of Sacramento is the tiny town of Capay. A green sign at the entrance announces the population: 200. Elevation, 250.

Kim and I visited last month, driving up for the annual Capay Tomato Festival. The event is actually named after Capay Organic Farm (the town is just a few miles east)–all festivities, including overnight camping in the fig orchards, take place on the 30 year old farm.

We learned about the event from Bay-area friends who went a few years back. Our group claimed three rows in the fig orchards, and re-acquainted over drinks, contraband cheese from Italy, and what could only be described as food porn: homemade crème fraiche, mixed with fresh berries and drizzled in honey. *Drool*

This was a tomato tasting, so we sampled:

Of course, with only six or seven varieties to taste (that’s all the family grows on the farm), that didn’t take long.

Not to worry, we didn’t go hungry–not that a group of foodies would. Vendors sold tacos, elote, paletas and more.

Really, though, the event wasn’t about tomatoes. It was about great music, strawberry picking, tractor rides, roaming about and exploring the family’s farm.

Other activities included picking fresh fennel, infusing herbs and rock salt, and several things for families and kids.

And more great music.

We partied into the night, eating, drinking and dancing (even I danced, though that could be credited to the drinking).

Cool mornings don’t last long in the Valley, so we rose early, ate breakfast (thanks to Neil), and packed up our tents.

Well, not all of us got up. Last we saw Alex he was asleep inside of the case he brought for his upright bass…

The beauty of summer in the Central Valley is the abundant harvest—if you plant it and give it a little water, it’ll probably grow here. Come August, we’re up to our ears in corn (yeah, I went there), tomatoes, peppers, herbs, stone fruit, strawberries (they’re still around!)…the full list of what’s in season is overwhelming.

A couple weekends back, friend and super-foodie Tracy—who sometimes blogs—hosted a “harvest exchange” to celebrate all that’s growing and being cooked this time of year. She says her co-host Eloise read about the concept in a magazine:

Eloise thought it was a perfect fit for the Valley, as almost everyone has access to too much zucchini and there is a growing number of folks who are canning and preserving at home.  We also thought it would be fun to bring together her friends, (boomers) with mine (gen y) for some cross-generational tips and inspiration.

Here’s Tracy, with husband Nyeland:

We gathered on a Saturday morning (to beat the heat), and started with introductions,

And then we ate:

We polished plums:

And then we shopped:

For fresh fruit and veggies:

For dried herbs:

For pickles and jams:

And for other goods (kumquat vodka, anyone?).

It was incredible. And I’m still nibbling on what I took home. The event was a reminder that good food—really good food—should be shared with others!

Addendum for the parents:

All spring I complained about the abundance of citrus, and longed for the first bite of stone fruit. Now, I’m swimming in peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots and apriums. I’ve sliced ’em and eaten them fresh; I’ve soaked them in wine, and covered them with honey whipped cream.

They keep showing up in my CSA boxes.

So I made a cobbler.

I’ve always loved fresh peach cobbler, and covet a good blackberry cobbler, but I think this one takes the cake (pun intended). It marries the texture of the peach with the tartness of the berries, but the plums* also have a character all their own.

*I had a mixture of plums, pluots and apriums on hand, but any plum or plum hybrid will taste good tossed in sugar and covered in a buttery batter!

Ingredients

• 8-10 fresh plums/pluots/apriums (enough to fill a little over 4 cups when sliced)
• 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Halve and seed fruit; slice to 3/8- or 1/2-inch thick. (Note: This is a great use of over-ripe fruit, though it can be difficult to handle if it’s too soft.) Coat the fruit in a mixture of 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon, and spread in the bottom of a 13″x9″ pan—or, do as I did and split the mixture into two small cake pans so it’s easier to share.

In another bowl, combine the rest of the sugar with the flour, baking powder and salt. I like a doughy cobbler, so I cut in the softened butter, but If you prefer more of a crumble, cut in cold butter with a fork or your fingers until course crumbles form. Lightly stir in the milk and egg to moisten.

Gently spread the batter or sprinkle the moistened crumbles over the top of the fruit mixture. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you dare.

If you try this with a different fruit mixture, please report back!

I discovered Slow Food Madera‘s Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee last year, as an assignment for the radio show I hosted at the time. I couldn’t believe the variety of peaches and nectarines on display (and apricots, plums, and more)—all of them sliced and set out for sampling.

This year’s event was even tastier, and included not only fresh fruit, but prepared foods from Dusty Buns, Gus’s Meat Locker Chase’s Chop Shop, La Boulangerie, Chicken Pie Shop and La Reina de Michoacan (mmm…paletas).

The event is by far one of my favorites. In case you missed it: