Whenever I cringe at the price of artisanal cheese I remember the labor intensive devotion to cheese-making, and to goats, presented in this video.
Artisan Cheese on the Farm is another video story from Cooking Up A Story. Thank you.
Summer is winding down but there is still time to try some of those recipes you have been hoping to get to before cooler weather sets in. For me, making more ice cream has been near the top of the list.
I made a batch of creme fraiche to serve over Billy’s strawberries for dessert on Saturday night and had exactly enough leftover to try to make the creme fraiche ice cream I’d been dreaming about. Coincidentally, I saw a recipe for “Ice Cream in a Bag” in the NY Times a few weeks ago. I was in a low-tech mood so I thought I’d give it a try.
Basically, the idea is to put the ice cream mixture in a freezer bag, then sandwich the bag between two layers of salt and ice in a salad spinner or bowl with a lid for about 30 minutes. Halfway through, you knead the mixture and put it back under the ice to freeze. Problem is, mine never really froze. I know it was practically the hottest day of the year, but I gave it extra time and even had a fan on it.
Don’t get me wrong, it tasted divine beyond words. But, instead of consuming the whole thing as a decadent milkshake, I decide to call it quits with the bag and wait for my ice cream maker container to chill sufficiently to try again. I would need a thoroughly chilled mixture anyway and besides, it wasn’t a bad experiment for a steamy afternoon.
I couldn’t help but wonder if my expectations for firmness were too high so I did a little googling and found several recipes for ice cream made in a bag. You put the mixture in a small bag first, then in a larger one filled with ice and salt and tossing it around for 5 minutes or so. The main caveat being that somehow the salty water may get into the mixture. Not hard to imagine if a 10 year-old boy started tossing it around.
I opted to go back to the method using an electric ice cream maker, not low tech but tried and true. When it was done I sliced some luscious peaches from Rama Farm on top.
We have had lots of interest in making creme fraiche so I am reposting an entry from April. If you didn’t try it then, this is a wonderful time to make up a batch to use in salad dressings or to have with berries for dessert.
Creme Fraiche is a beautiful, versatile ingredient you can make easily and use in any recipe that is begging for a tangy, creamy flavor. I started with heavy cream from Sea Breeze Farm. I was planning to buy their creme fraiche at the University Farmers Market but they were sold out and were nice enough to tell me how to make it.
Add 2-3 tablespoons buttermilk to 11/2 cups cream. Heat in a saucepan until it feels warm to the touch. Pour into a bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it sit on the counter for 24 hours or so, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. It will continue to thicken as it ages. Try not to disturb it until it looks thick enough to test. When it’s ready, store in the fridge for up to 10 days. Read the rest of this entry »
Who knew that a piece of wild Alaskan salmon and a yogurt raita from southern India, accompanied by a piece of naan, could land on the same plate and have a decent conversation.
Traditionally Indian and Greek condiments, raita and tzatziki use similar ingredients and are served with lamb or grilled veggies. We enjoyed the flair of something different and thought the carrot raita went well with salmon.
About the fish: We’re being careful with our salmon consumption these days, both for the causes of sustainability and for our pocketbooks. We often buy from Loki Fish where we know they’re committed to the survival of salmon; we eat it less often and in smaller amounts. A three-quarter pound piece made four hefty sandwiches. (Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for information on sustainable seafood choices.)
A local meal for summer: Salmon from Loki Fish, carrots for the raita from Willie Greens, Nancy’s plain yogurt, and pea shoots from the backyard or Whistling Train Farm. Add the shoots to a salad, or sauté slightly with a little oil and garlic, sort of like spinach says Shelley of WTF.
Carrot Raita Recipe:
A steaming hot bowl of French onion soup would be soothing, spring onions are especially sweet right now. Plus we need soup to go with our tea and blankets and warm cozy fire.
Things have gone even more awry than we thought possible climatically and geographically speaking, the hemispheres have flipped, we’re in the southern one, and it really is autumn. The compromise, somewhere between a wintry soup and a summery salad, is a goat cheese and onion tart using local cheese and onions - and whatever else sounds good. If the sun pops out eat it on the front porch or in the garden, if not, a movie and a blazing fire would work too.
Make a classic pastry for the tart shell, or, my daughter makes this with large fresh tortillas, healthy-easy-nummy, your basic guerrilla cooking principles. Naan works well too, brushed with olive oil, topped with onions and baked for 25 minutes. Use pizza dough and call it a pizza instead of a tart. Caramelized onions are the base, from there you could take it in a number of directions, including soup. Play around with other possibilities like using different cheese, substitute ricotta for goat cheese if you like, especially Poppy’s homemade ricotta, add bacon or prosciutto bits. Have this for supper with a colorful spring salad, or it’s a fine appetizer when cut into smallish pieces.
Onion and Goat Cheese Tart: 
Read the rest of this entry »
Now that I know how to make fresh homemade ricotta, I’ve been searching for exciting ways to use it. I came across a recipe I had cut out of the Pacific Northwest Magazine in March for gnudi and thought I’d give it a try. I’d never heard of gnudi but read that it is “naked” ravioli or ravioli without the pasta. It is similar to gnocchi but the main ingredient is ricotta cheese, not potato. I couldn’t resist this recipe created by Scott Staples of Restaurant Zoe. No instant gratification here — it has to “cure” for several days to form an outer “shell”. Evidently, that is Scott’s secret to success for making gnudi that maintains it’s integrity. I made some quickly on Monday night and kept the vision of serving luscious little ricotta pillows swimming in sage butter by Thursday as my motivation.
I must give you fair warning — you may get some looks if asked what you are doing while making this. Just answer, “makin’ gnudi” and let the fun begin.
Put 7-8 ounces ricotta in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Mix with a wooden spoon until creamy yet firm. Add more cream if necessary.The mixture needs to be the right consistency to form a ball and hold together. The recipe says store-bought whole-milk ricotta will work if you can find some with visible curds and texture.
Put a layer of 2-3 cups semolina flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill from Oregon) on a sheet pan. Shake the pan to create a level surface. Use a teaspoon to scoop each ball of ricotta mixture and place on the sheet pan.
Edible Estates, the book’s title implies something loftier for the garden, an idea that challenges our green grass in the front yard paradigm. Fritz Haeg, environmental designer, teacher and visionary is talking about replacing grass with food, unpretentiously but artfully.
He’s working to make edible gardens a practical, attractive, and nutritious option that yield something for the resources and effort given. If you’ve been wondering about the feasibility of this approach, Edible Estates might be the book for you, but first check out author Fritz Haeg’s website which has an edible estates menu where you can read about and view photographs of what people have done with this idea all over the country, the world. There are photo examples, and a letter written by a homeowner, The Lawn Goodbye.
Bob spoke about planting more edibles in our front yard years ago, I resisted, but I’m over it. We have a productive vegetable garden in the backyard, and now a few stray edibles in the front yard as well: artichoke, parsley, thyme, lavender, blueberries and a Montmorency sour cherry tree. We still have some grass and I’m open-minded about growing food just about anywhere these days.
Cherries, 
artichokes and blueberries are on the way, 
but right now the lavender beckons and it’s perfect for herb-infused whipped cream. Easy and right out of the front yard. Another example of how an herb adds its note of distinction to almost anything and with such ease.
Lavender Whipped Cream is delicious atop all kinds of things including anything chocolate, fresh berries or rhubarb sauce. Truthfully, I hesitated when first introduced to this concept, I couldn’t imagine that I would like even the slightest flavor of lavender in my whipping cream. Now I’m a convert. About once each year we make a fancy frothy dessert called Pavlova. This version of lavender-infused whipped cream was inspired by Jerry Traunfeld’s Pavlova in The Herbfarm Cookbook.
I haven’t thought much about ricotta cheese since my memories of it are bland and not that interesting. It wasn’t until I read an article in the New York Times last week that I saw the whole picture. Ricotta provides the yin to whatever spicy or sweet yang flavor you want to pair with it. It complements sharper flavors in a way that brings a richness to both. That isn’t to say that it can’t stand on it’s own. When you make your own, it has a tangy-sweet dimension that just doesn’t come through with store-bought ricotta.
Italians would probably laugh at my discovery since they have been using ricotta forever in traditional dishes like pasta filling and desserts. I may have been slow to catch on to its versatility but in the past week, I’ve already made it twice. It is destined to become a homemade staple like creme fraiche in our house.
There is something magical about this process and for those of us who are impatient in the kitchen, it is surprisingly fast. All you need for 1 cup of ricotta is 1 quart of whole milk, 1 cup buttermilk, cheesecloth and a cooking thermometer. You can easily double this recipe. The second time I made it, I used milk from Sea Breeze Farm advertised as sweeter due to the cows eating fresh clover. I’m not certain, but I think they may be right. Read the rest of this entry »
Organic Valley, their label, logo and array of dairy products have become familiar. We see them in the dairy section of mainstream grocery stores everywhere now, but their business concept is anything but mainstream. Recognized as a model to aspire to in the sustainability movement, Organic Valley is a unique cooperative venture that is worth knowing about and supporting.
With goals of sustainability and helping to keep farmers on their land, OV supports small farmers and provides communities with organic dairy products, milk, butter, sour cream, cheese, eggs and more. It’s an enterprise that seems to put ethics, consumers and farmers first. What a concept. The cooperative now has 1,239 members from throughout the United States and several regional production centers.
This short video introduces you to a Pacific Northwest Dairy Farmer who switched to organic production and became a member of the Organic Valley cooperative. Thanks to Cooking Up A Story for this video.
Organic Dairyman, Part 2, The Farmer
