A Good Dish

making food simpler

National Farmers Market Week – What Better Time To Find A Market Near You?

Zinnias from Ray Bradley Farm
Porcelain tumbler by Gwendolyn Yoppolo

Did you know it was National Farmers Market Week? I found out from a Union Square Greenmarket post yesterday. As those of you who follow A Good Dish know, I am a devotee of our local markets and always seek out a market when I travel. With the internet, it is easy to find a market near you. This time of year, markets are bursting with tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, leafy greens, melons, peaches and nectarines, plums, flowers and herbs as well as the year round offerings of meat, dairy, bread, pickles, onions, potatoes and root vegetables. If you don’t already shop at your neighborhood farmers market, find one near you and go weekly. There is no fresher produce to be had unless you actually go to a farm or grow it yourself. Check out these photos and then tell me, how can you resist?

All these images are from the Friday 97th Street Greenmarket in Manhattan.

Rainbow carrots, cabbages, leafy greens, herbs (even lemongrass) from J&A
Vermont cheese and syrup from Consider Bardwell Farm
White donut peaches actually are “very sweet”
Grass-fed beef and bones are available year round at Sun Fed Beef
Ray Bradley’s heirlooms have intense, sweet tomato flavor
Pickles, sauerkraut, eggs, cheese, sausages and butter from Amish Millport Dairy

 

 

 

 

Cherry tomatoes in every hue! 

 

 

Summer Cocktails Are Easy And Light Using St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

A Refreshing St. Germain Cocktail
Porcelain cup by Andy Shaw

One of my favorite summer drinks is a version of the St. Germain cocktail. It is more sweet than sour but light and refreshing. Summer in New York can feel too hot for either bourbon or red wine, my winter default drinks when I want warm and cozy. When the temperature climbs, I turn to the increasingly popular Aperol Spritz, which I wrote about a couple of years ago, a gin and tonic, sangria, a citrusy IPA (even a shandy) or an elderflower cocktail.

We first tried St. Germain, which is an elderflower liqueur, about 7 or 8 years ago when it was being promoted at our local liquor store and each bottle came with a complementary carafe and recipe cards for drinks using the liqueur. Having just discovered an inexpensive rose Cava that we liked, the St. Germain cocktail immediately appealed to us. Somehow, we seem to make it only during the summer – because it is so fresh tasting, it is particularly well suited to warm weather concoctions. The recipe for this libation is simply a 2-2-1 mix of Prosecco or Cava, bubbly water like seltzer or club soda and St. Germain. The result – a slightly buzzy but pretty light and spritzy drink.

The shapely St. Germain bottle with its old style lettering on the label was well designed to make it appear as if it had been around forever but it was actually first produced in 2007 by the Cooper Spirits Company and then bought up by Bacardi in 2013. The liqueur is sweet but not sugary, floral but not perfume-y and fruity, but in a non-specific way. It is not the only elderflower liqueur out there but clever marketing and packaging, including the faceted bottle and bold graphics, have made it the most well known. The company’s recipe calls for 2-2-1.5 but I think 1 part St. Germain is sufficient and lightens up the drink so you can continue imbibing all evening. If you don’t have or don’t like bubbly wine, just substitute a dry white. You can even mix up a pitcherful before guests arrive and not be bothered bartending. Slices of lemon, lime, grapefruit or peaches add a festive touch.

There are other ways to use St. Germain. To up the ante on a gin and tonic, add 1 part St. Germain to 1 1/2 parts gin to 4 parts tonic and squeeze in a lime. And adding a big splash of elderflower liqueur to a disappointing bottle of wine improves a meh white or rose. Add slices of citrus, peaches or some berries and you’ve rescued your purchase by creating a light style sangria. I don’t mean to sound like an advertisement for St. Germain but it does make delicious summer cocktails.

A Gin and tonic becomes even more summery with a splash of St. Germain
Porcelain tumbler by Andy Shaw

Elderflower Cocktail

Combine and stir:

  • 1 part Elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain
  • 2 parts Prosecco, Cava or Champagne
  • 2 parts bubbly water like seltzer or club soda
  • Slices of lemon, lime, grapefruit or peach

Serve over ice or chilled.

Wild Rice Salad Is An Easy-To-Make And Easy-To-Vary Summer Meal

Wild Rice Salad with Dried Cherries
Earthenware Sheep Cup by Ayumi Horie

One of the simplest and most universally liked dishes I serve at parties or take to a potluck is a wild rice salad with walnuts, cherries, parsley and an orange raspberry vinaigrette. All you do is mix together the cooked wild rice with finely chopped raw vegetables, a dried fruit, nuts or seeds and toss with an easy dressing. You might think of wild rice as a Thanksgiving food but this salad makes a great summer meal because all you have to cook is the wild rice and then add the other, uncooked, ingredients.

Originally, I got a version of this recipe from the Whole Foods website. It is like the one that shows up on their salad bar from time to time. I just varied it to meet my tastes. It is an extremely flexible recipe. Almost every ingredient in the salad may be substituted for by another depending on season and what you have on hand. No celery, use fennel or zucchini. No red onion, use scallions or shallots. No dried cherries, use cranberries, currants or apricots or substitute fresh berries, cherries or citrus sections. No walnuts, use almonds, pecans or pumpkin seeds. No red pepper, use green, orange or yellow peppers or jalapeños, jicama or leave it out altogether. I had sugar snap peas this week so I sliced some and tossed them in. If you don’t like the raspberry vinegar in the dressing, use wine, pomegranate or sherry vinegar instead.

Last week I had some leftover wild rice and I tried a completely different version, essentially rice mixed with a Greek salad minus the lettuce. I added chopped cucumber, radishes, scallions (I didn’t have any red onion), cherry tomatoes, arugula, crumbled feta cheese, oregano and a dash of cayenne to about an equal amount of wild rice and tossed it with a balsamic vinaigrette. It made a very tasty and quite satisfying summer supper plus it held up well for lunch the next day. You could also use the raspberry version as a main course since it contains nuts for protein, or top it with crumbled feta or goat cheese, baked tofu strips, bacon or cooked salmon and plate it on a bed of arugula or lettuce leaves.

Greek salad version of wild rice salad
Earthenware dish by Ayumi Horie

Wild rice is really a nutritional grass and like true rice, its cousin, it does not contain gluten. It can be blended with brown rice in this recipe, if you prefer a milder flavor or have leftover rice to use up. This salad is quite hearty and will last (and even improve in flavor) for a couple of days in the refrigerator. I often serve it at a buffet supper because it can sit out for hours. Every time, someone asks for the recipe.

Other side (verso) of Ayumi Horie’s Sheep Mug

WILD RICE SALAD WITH RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

Mix together:

  • 4-5 cups cooked wild rice (I cook it like pasta in lots of water until tender and then drain)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh red bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup dried cherries, without pits or 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and sliced
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, raw or lightly toasted

Toss with:

  • 2 TBs raspberry vinegar
  • 2 TBs orange juice
  • 3 TBs olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 6 and keeps well for a few days refrigerated.

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE!

 

Chive bouquet for beauty and use
Porcelain vase by Andrew Martin

Happy Summer wherever you find yourself or it finds you!

Looks like the beach with all the hydrangea blooming outside the American Museum of Natural History!

 

Oak Leaf Hydrangea in Central Park

 

Sunset on Long Island Sound facing Hammonasset Beach 

Make Carrot Cake To Celebrate An Occasion Or Just Because It Is Delicious

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Plate by Hannah Niswonger

 

Carrot cake may be my favorite celebratory dessert. It is dense, spicy and flavorful, enhanced with a rich vanilla frosting. The batter is moist but made with oil rather than butter which the frosting makes up for with both butter and cream cheese. It makes as good an indulgent breakfast as a dessert. I don’t remember anyone to whom I’ve served it who didn’t like it.

I’ve been making carrot cakes since I was a teenager, a time when I loved to bake but rarely cooked. The simple, straightforward recipe, which I have altered a little over the years, is the same hippie-ish one I started with, passed to me by the sister of a friend in high school – thank you, Alice Rubin! It is a variation of the traditional carrot cake you see reprinted everywhere because it is easy and it is delicious. Because I have become more of a cooker, because we try to eat healthfully and because temptations are hard to resist when they sit on your counter, I rarely bake anymore. There are times, however, when we get together to mark an occasion, that call for cake and I bake. Cake can be a ritual that shows that a moment is special. As Maira Kalman describes in her recent and wonderfully illustrated book simply named Cake, “… we gather. We plan. We get confused. We end with cake.”

Shredded Carrots ready to add to the batter

We don’t regularly make cakes, but if a celebration calls for cake and it isn’t an ice cream or cheesecake, it is a carrot cake. This is a scrumptious cake with a luscious frosting which, if you aren’t careful, you will find yourself continually cutting off small slices to nibble because it is so good that you can’t stop. Consider yourself forewarned! I recently brought this carrot cake to a gathering of artist friends and every one of them asked for the recipe. Here it is.

A slice of carrot cake is hard to resist
Square plate by Maishe Dickman

 

CLASSIC CARROT CAKE WITH SPICES

Beat well:

  • 1 cup vegetable oil (I use a mix of avocado and olive)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs

In another bowl, combine:

  • 2 cups flour (I use half white whole wheat and half whole wheat)
  • 2 tsps baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 1/2 tsps cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional and you could use 1/4 tsp nutmeg or clove if you prefer)

Add dry ingredients to wet and beat well, about 2 minutes to incorporate air.

Then add:

  • 2 tsps vanilla
  • 3 cups grated carrots (I use the big hole on a box grater)
  • 1/4 cup raisins (even better if briefly soaked in dark rum) (optional)
  • 1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 1 TBs chia seeds (optional)

Divide batter evenly into pans which have been buttered and floured. Use two 8″ cake pans (or 9″ but lessen the time) or one 15 x 8, 13 x 9 or a bundt pan (bake a little longer in a bundt).

Bake at 325 F for 45 minutes or until the center springs back when pressed.

Cool completely before frosting. Cool rectangular cakes in pans. Cool round cakes 10 minutes in pans and then on cooling racks out of the pans.

Make sure to grease and flour your baking pans to prevent sticking

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat until smooth:

  • 1/8 pound (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, soft
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, soft
  • 2 cups (1/2 lb) powdered (confectioners) sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • Pinch salt
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)

If you want a glaze instead of frosting, for example to pour over the bundt cake, add some milk or lemon juice to loosen to pouring consistency.

Top with chopped walnuts or pecans or chopped candied ginger or press nuts onto the sides of the cake or mix them into the frosting before applying.

If you need a big cake, double the cake recipe and make 2 13/x 9 or 15 x 8 layers and double the frosting recipe. If you just like a lot of frosting, double the recipe.