Get Figgy Wit' It!

I know you've all been waiting for this post. Well, it's been a strange year. The figs came early and aren't staying around as long on the tree. And these buddies sure don't last long once picked! Fortunately they were around for our neighborhood pal progressive dinner! Citing the fig tree, we requested appetizers so we could feature our favorite fig recipe. But figs also go well with...bourbon!

 

 

 

First, I infused some bourbon with some figs. Look at the color! That's the unadulterated bourbon on the left and the fig-infused on the right. Did you know that the Kirkland small batch bourbon at Costco is delicious and reasonably-priced? It's become a House of Pi standard. Some figs also found their way into a puree.

Fig-infused Bourbon

1 750-mL bottle of a decent bourbon
approximately 12 fresh figs

Clean the figs, then slice off the tops and cut into quarters. Place in a clean, glass container. Pour bourbon over figs and cover. Let sit in a cool spot for up to a week. Remove bourbon-soaked figs with a slotted spoon, then strain the bourbon back into the original bottle through a coffee filter.

 

Fig Puree

 

1 quart fresh figs

2 Tbsp sugar

4 tsp water

2 tsp lemon juice

 

Clean the figs, then slice off the tops and cut into quarters. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

 And then, the drank!

 

Get Figgy Wit' It

2 oz fig-infused bourbon
1 oz fig puree
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
club soda

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add a couple ice cubes, and shake well. Pour over ice in a rocks glass and top with club soda. Enjoy. 

 

And for the appetizer...

 

Prosciutto-wrapped Figs with Gorgonzola

 

12 figs

1 5 oz. package of prosciutto

gorgonzola cheese

 

Clean figs and cut in half. Top fig halves with a nice slab of gorgonzola. Wrap with 1/2 slice of prosciutto and secure with a toothpick. Grill for approximately 5 minutes on each side, until the cheese is melty and the prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.

Misfit Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce

I know, I know. I've been slacking. But summer is a busy time of year! Sorry, friends.

Tomato season is upon us! It's our first full summer in the House of Pi, so we're still learning the nuances of our yard. Fortunately tomatoes are forgiving. Mostly. They're not always pretty. Or large. So here's what I decided to do with some of our garden misfits. Featuring: cour di bou, green zebra, large barred boar, and purple calabash!

cast of characters

Misfit Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce

2 pounds fresh garden tomatoes (not necessarily perfect)

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Chop tomatoes, keeping all of the delicious fresh juice and discarding any icky parts. Finely chop basil and garlic and add to tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes.

Serve over your pasta of choice. I recommend angel hair. Top with parmesan cheese, if you like. Enjoy.

fin

Mojito Season

I don't think anything tastes like summer more than a refreshing mojito. And why not toss in a couple fresh blackberries off the vine?!

Here's my attempt to enumerate a recipe. It's more like just a feeling, you know?! Go with it.

Blackberry Mojito

makes a single drink in a pint glass

6-10 mint leaves (depending on size/potency/how much you like mint)
1/2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
4 blackberries
juice from 1 lime
3 oz. light rum
soda water
ice

Muddle mint leaves and powdered sugar in a pint glass (I find it easier to add an ice cube or a bit of crushed ice to help). Drop in blackberries and lightly muddle. Add lime juice, rum, and several ice cubes. Top with soda water and stir. Enjoy!

Preserving Plums

Another fruit tree we inherited at the House of Pi is a purple-leaf cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera). Or something like that. Whatever it is, it ended up completely full of tasty, little plums. I went out with the ladder and a bucket one day and picked the most accessible ones. And ended up with 18 pounds! Whew! So we spent a couple evenings making pickled plums, plum sauce, plum chutney, and cardamom plum jam. Despite a temporary repetitive-pitting injury, it was well worth it! As a bonus, that's 18 pounds of cherry plums that won't be making a mess in our yard.

Pickled Cherry Plums
adapted from Glutton for Life

makes 4 pints

2 lbs. cherry plums
4 whole star anise
8 green cardamom pods
8 nickle-sized coins of ginger
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt

In each sterilized jar, place one star anise, 2 cardamom pods, and 2 ginger coins. Pack with cherry plums. In a saucepan, bring remaining ingredients to a boil. Fill jars with liquid, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, and lid. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Serving suggestion: Delicious served over vanilla ice cream!

Plum Sauce
adapted from An Oregon Cottage

makes about 8 half-pint jars

4 lbs. cherry plums, pitted
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. ground mustard
2 tsp. dried chili flakes
2 Tbsp. ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about a half hour. Process with an immersion blender and cook until thick and syrupy. Ladle into sterlized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and lid. Process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.

Serving suggestion: as a glaze for grilled chicken drumsticks, shown here with kimchi fried rice and asian-style zucchini

Plum Chutney
adapted from the Ball Blue Book

makes 4-6 pints

4 quarts cherry plums, pitted
3 cups brown sugar
2 cups raisins
1 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until thick, stirring frequently. This can take up to an hour. Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, and lid. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Cardamom Plum Jam
adapted from Liana Krissoff, author of Canning for a New Generation, available in Southern Living, August 2012

makes about 5 half-pint jars

4 pounds cherry plums, pitted
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom

Combine plums and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, gently pressing with a wooden spoon to squeeze out juices. Reserve plum pieces. Return juice to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes or until syrupy. Add reserved plum pieces and stir in lime juice and cardamom. Bring to a light boil, stirring often, and simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, and lid. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Serving suggestions: on a crumpet at tea or cut with a bit of balsamic vinegar and used as a glaze on broiled pork chops

And here are the finished results! I tend to use 4 oz jars to share tastes with more people...

Cucumber Inspiration

Our first harvest from the summer garden was a cucumber! Okay okay that may not sound very impressive, but we were excited. What to do with it?! We didn't want to cover up the flavor of this exciting cucumber too much, so we decided on a simple sunomono.

Simple Sunomono

Serves 2-3

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sesame seeds

Pour vinegar over cucumbers. Serve in small dishes topped with sesame seeds.

Many traditional recipes use sugar and salt or soy sauce. Feel free to try that if you like, but we enjoy the simple flavors of the vinegar and cucumber.

But what else should we have with this special sunomono?! We decided on cold soba noodles. There happened to be a delish sauce recipe on the package. And somewhere in between, Brent splurged on a lovely ahi steak.

Seared Ahi over Cold Soba Noodles
Serves 2

1 ahi steak (approx. 2/3 lb.), cut into two halves
olive oil
sesame seeds (1/2 white and 1/2 black is especially pretty!)

1 3 oz. package soba noodles
1.5 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. finely grated ginger
4 Tbsp. lime juice

Coat edges of ahi steaks with sesame seeds. Thinly coat a skillet with olive oil. Sear ahi over medium high heat for 45 seconds on each side. Carefully cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Cook soba noodles as directed. Rinse well and drain. Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and lime juice. Pour over noodles, reserving remainder for dipping.

Things to do with Strawberries - Bubbly and Muffins

What happens when you spend a weekend with friends in Tahoe and another couple also brings a 4 lb. box of strawberries?!

Strawberry-Mint Sparkling Limeade
adapted from Cooking Light, May 2012

3 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 bottle sparkling wine, chilled


Place all ingredients except the wine in a blender and process until smooth. Pour 1/2 cup strawberry mixture into a glass, then slowly add 1/2 cup wine and gently stir to combine. Enjoy.

TIP: If you already have all-purpose flour, you don't need to buy a whole other bag of self-rising flour. Wish I'd looked this up before I did...

1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt = self-rising flour

Why am I mentioning this? Oh, here's another strawberry recipe to make while you're enjoying your bubbly:

Strawberry-Meyer Lemon Muffins
adapted from Southern Living, April 2012

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup meyer lemon juice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

2. Stir together sour cream, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs and add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold strawberries into batter. Spoon batter into lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, filling three-fourths full. If you like, sprinkle additional sugar over batter.

3. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 1 minute; remove from pans to wire rack, and cool 10 minutes.

We also concocted possibly the best quiche yet: zucchini, mushroom, and feta. Yum! I'll just go add that to my quiche post...

Garden Update - late May

Things have been busy busy lately, so I haven't been able to throw together any helpful posts! So hey, how about some photos from the garden on this lovely morning!

blackberries and grapes getting started

spaghetti squash and cucumber 'Potluck' showing off

Nugget hops movin' on up

 

heirloom tomato 'Large Barred Boar'...with a long way to go!

uh-oh! what's wrong with my 'Black Krim'? still working on a diagnosis, but since it's the new leaves that are curling with purple veins, I'm leaning towards a virus...