Tortilla Soup

When I moved to L.A. I thought everyday would be a suffocating and dry heat. This probably coincided with my "urban wasteland" theory of L.A. I'm happy to admit that I am wrong about L.A. and it's not such a bad place, in fact, I kinda sorta love it. :)

The weather has taken a turn for the cold, and by cold I mean upper 60's. But I don't need an excuse for soup. I busted out the slow cooker and made a chicken tortilla soup. It really hit the spot and I was pleased with the flavors and the homemade tortilla strips.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1lb shredded chicken
2 cans (14 oz each) chicken stock
1 10oz can of enchilada sauce
1 medium onion chopped
1 8oz can of green chiles
4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 bag (12 oz) corn
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Garnish options:
Cilantro
Avocado
Sour Cream
Cheddar cheese

I cooked the chicken by boiling it in 1 can of chicken stock and shredded it easily with two forks.  I threw everything into the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours.  I made the tortilla strips by cutting white corn tortillas into strips using a pizza cutter.  I sprayed it with some Pam, sprinkled some salt and baked for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until they became crispy taking care to flip halfway through the cooking process.

Crispy!

The slow cooker is a magical little creation and I for one cannot wait for winter!

Maple Bacon Ice Cream

While on the treadmill at the gym, I end up watching a lot of Food Network which then leads me to making things like Maple Bacon Ice Cream.  Which then leads me to spend even more time at the gym.  It's a vicious circle.

I've had an ice cream maker for a few years and aside from a particular coconut milk ice cream, I haven't really found a recipe I love.  This recipe from Claire Robinson takes a very easy and typical custard base and kicks it up a notch by adding maple syrup, caramel, and bacon.  The hard crunchy caramel pieces will   dissolve a little throughout the ice cream leaving flavorful swirls.  The recipe calls for grade B maple syrup but I didn't have any on hand and didn't want to spend the money on good maple syrup when I wasn't sure how the recipe would turn out.  I used good ol' Mrs. Butterworth and it was just fine.  I refrigerated the base for 6 hours but I think a good 24 hours would be better because it took my ice cream maker longer than the half hour it usually takes to turn the base into ice cream.  In the end, I ended up freezing the base and it froze into a more ice cream like substance.  I really loved the maple flavor and the smoky bacon and crunchy caramel added a salty goodness to the sweet ice cream.

  

Ingredients

• 1 cup grade B maple syrup
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices)
• Special equipment: candy thermometer, ice cream maker

Directions

In a medium saucepan over moderate heat, reduce the maple syrup to 1/2 cup. Set aside.

Over moderate heat in a medium saucepan, heat the half-and-half with 1/2 cup sugar until hot and just bubbling around the edges.

In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks with 1/2 cup sugar, then add 1 cup hot half-and-half mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour the whole egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon and registers 170 degrees F on a thermometer. Do not let boil. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl and whisk in the maple syrup. Cover with parchment paper letting the paper touch the surface of the mixture, to prevent a skin from forming. Chill the mixture until very cold, at least 6 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a rimmed sheet pan with heavy foil. Place a baking rack over the lined sheet pan and arrange the bacon slices across the rack next to each other. Bake until crispy, about 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, finely chop.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a fork, until the sugar starts to melt. Stop stirring and cook until the sugar is a golden caramel color, about 10 minutes. Add the bacon and stir to coat. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and let harden. Chop the candied bacon into small pieces.

Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, 20 to 30 minutes and at the last minute, add the candied bacon and let churn until just combined. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes, you have to try something different.  Everyone loves a chocolate chip cookie and my husband is no different.  I got this recipe from my sister-in-law and these are so so good.  It's a Jacque Torres recipe, how could you even go wrong?  The salt really brings out the bittersweet chocolate and the cake flour makes the cookie nice and soft.

Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tbsp cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 extra tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pound bittersweet chocolate disks (at least 60% cacao content)

sea salt

1.  Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 2 ounce mounds of dough (about 1/3 cup) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, pressing the salt into the cookie so it sticks, and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.  Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more.  Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

The one change I made to the recipe is the cookie size.  I use 2 oz. balls of dough versus the suggested 3.5 oz.  Be careful how much you salt each cookie, I find that being diligent and careful with the salt is the only way to go because you want all the cookies to be uniform with the correct amount of salt.  I wouldn't salt much more than the picture above.  Try this cookie for something a little different.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

It's not uncommon for me to wake up craving food.  Last Sunday it happened to be in the spirit of summer and BBQ's and smoked meat.  I never realized pulled pork was so easy to make, and thankfully so because my house would probably reek of BBQ sauce and I'd be many pounds heavier.  From what I've gathered through some research, pulled pork can be made a couple of different ways.  One way is with a smoker and the other is with a slow cooker.  That made it pretty easy as I only one of the two.  I searched for recipes and it seemed they were all variations of each other.  Either you use a rub first and smoke it or put in the crock pot, or you can cook it in a crock pot using a lot of liquid like root beer and BBQ sauce.  I chose to use a rub to maintain the taste of the pork meat and not create flavor by just using BBQ sauce during the cooking period.

I used pork shoulder as suggested although many recipes called for Boston Butt, I couldn't find it at my grocery store.  I used a spice rub from Cook's Illustrated since its recipes have never failed me before.  The unique thing about this rub from other rubs I have seen is the addition of cumin powder.  The cumin really helped to bring out the meat flavor.  This rub is for a 6-8 lb pork shoulder.

Spice Rub 
4 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp salt
1-2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp ground oregano
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground white pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Rub on the meat. 

Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or up to 3 days.  When ready to cook, add 1/4 tbsp of liquid smoke into the crock pot and 1/4 cup of chicken broth.  Cook the meat on low for up to 10 hours. 

Done!

When meat is ready, take out of the pot and begin to shred the meat, discarding both fat and bone.  Place meat back into crock pot with 2 cups of BBQ sauce for another hour.  

Pulling the pig

This recipe was so delicious!  The meat itself was flavorful and extremely tender.  I had to stop my husband from eating all the meat before we could get BBQ sauce on it.  We definitely could have just eaten the pork alone without the BBQ sauce.  This recipe is a keeper!

Baked Custard with Fruit

It is an embarrassment of riches to have so much delicious local fruit that you just can't eat it all. Between my farm basket, sporadic visits from my in-laws, and the abundance of farmers markets, I have to come up with ways to eat all the fresh food I have in ways that are not just cutting it up and taking a bite. This is a simple recipe to utilize fresh fruit or frozen fruit. It's essentially a baked custard and it takes minutes to prepare. It will fill the house with the smell of baked fruit and is always pleasing. It is a great dessert after a long day at work. The recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Ingredients
1/4 stick of butter
1/4 cup of milk
3 large eggs
1/2 sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups fruit (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, whatever you have on hand)

Set oven at 400 degrees. Put pie pan in the oven with the butter to melt it. Mix all the ingredients together except the fruit and the 1 tbsp sugar. Mix well smooth. Pour into pie pan and add fruit. Sprinkle the sugar on top and bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the middle is firm. Heat broiler and broil for another 2-3 minutes until the sugar on top caramelizes.

Blueberry Beer and Rhubarb Beer

After homebrewing for a couple of years now, the husband and I decided to get adventurous.  We had made a delicious German Hefe a couple summers ago and this time we decided to make an American Hefeweizen with fruit flavors.  While living in Boston, one of my favorite beers was Seadog Bluberry and the Bunker Hill Blueberry beer at Beerworks.  Naturally, we would do a blueberry beer.  We didn't want to use extract because often the extract adds an artificial flavor and we wanted a more pure fruit taste.  We decided to use frozen blueberries to reduce the cost of fresh fruit and, in addition, freezing fruit breaks down the cellular structure of the fruit allowing more flavor to be extracted.  For each gallon it's suggested to use one pound of fruit.  As we pondered over the other type of fruit to use, we remembered what we had right in our freezer.  My husband's family grows a lot of rhubarb from a rhubarb plant that had come from Sweden, brought to North Dakota by his great great grandmother and transported to California.  This plant produces so much rhubarb that when we go home to Northern California we often bring back with us bags and bags of the fruit to later make a crisp, pie, or compote.

We had never had a rhubarb beer (or heard of one), let alone use fruit in our beer making.  As it turns out, it's quite easy.  We made a 5 gallon batch of American hefeweizen beer and after the first fermentation, split the batch and added frozen blueberries to one fermentor and cut up frozen rhubarb to the other.  Because the blueberries had so much natural sugar, the beer continued to ferment in the secondary and we had to attach a "blow-off" tube.  After the secondary fermentation, we added priming sugar and bottled the beer as usual.

Delicious beer in the making

The results were really interesting and very tasty.  We were skeptical about the rhubarb because the fruit is naturally very tart.  The resulting taste perfectly mimicked a sour beer, with a nice rhubarb finish.  We were very pleased with the product!  The blueberry was a rich purple color, it looks almost like juice and could probably be mistaken for a framboise.  The blueberry flavor was present, but unlike other blueberry beers we've had, it wasn't at all sweet.  The yeast had eaten all the natural sugars.  Adding fresh blueberries helped with the sweetness and letting it age a few more weeks allowed a more complex earthy flavor to develop.

We've started the experimentation process and now we can't stop!  A banana porter and beer cookies are on the way!  Stay tuned!
  

Williams-Sonoma Mini Pie Maker

I love Williams-Sonoma and as always, they have their finger on the pulse of culinary trends.  Pie is the new cupcake and pie shops are popping up as fast as cupcakes shops in 2007.  I had to have one and since Christmas they have been sold out.  Well they are back in stock and my husband ordered one for me very recently as a gift and I love it!  It will take some perfecting with the crust but I think will definitely be a party pleaser.

It makes 4 mini pies in 8-15 minutes which is fabulous.  The maker comes with 2 cutters, one for the bottom crust and one for the top.  1/4 a cup of filling is all it requires and you are good to go!  One of the hassles of making pie is to have a perfect crust and this is no different.  However, making smaller pies and therefore rolling out smaller rounds of crust leave some room for error.  What is interesting is that they Breville cookbook suggest using regular pie crust for the bottom and puff pastry dough for the top.  I'm not sure exactly why that is, I believe puff pastry cooks faster than regular pie crust.  I used puff pastry for the bottom as well is some pies and I felt that combination yielded the best results.  

I made chicken pot pie, bacon mushroom pie, and quiche in this wonderful little machine and it's awesome the variety of pies one can make.  The machine is easy to clean with an easy wipe down.  I'm usually not a big fan of single use tools, but imagine all the types of pie you could try!  I highly recommend this pie maker!

Samoa Cookie Pie

There is that magical time of year when little girls so innocent and sweet offer delicious treats.  They will give a wicked little grin of victory when you succumb to temptation and hand over $4 for 15 delicious little cookies.  Is it the cookie itself or the hurried feeling of a limited time offer that make these little cookies seem so much more delicious than they are?  I can never be sure but every year I looked forward to these tables set up in front of my grocery store and every year I look for the Samoa cookie (or Carmel Delite, depending on the distributor).  It is a popular cookie and having it once a year simply isn't enough.  I decided I needed to make it, but in pie form.

My sister-in-law and I love pies.  It's the obsession du jour and we would love nothing better than to open our own pie shop out in wine country.  Until then, we are dedicated to finding ten perfect pie recipes.  This one is one we concocted ourselves.  The flavors are spot on, tasted just like the cookie, and even though we might tweak it a little as we go, this pie needless to say, is AMAZING.

Samoa Pie
Crust
1 package Lorna Doone shortbread cookies
1 stick of butter, melted
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Run these cookies through a food processor.  Crushing by hand isn't as effective because the consistency needs to be very fine in order for the crust to hold together with the butter.  Mix butter and cookie crumbs and form a crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour.  When the crust has set and cooled, gingerly brush the melted chocolate on top of the crust.  Do this lightly and evenly as possible, some loose crumbs may stick to the brush, that's okay.

The Filling
2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tbsp confectioners sugar

Bring the coconut milk to just a boil in a medium sauce pan.  Remove from heat.

Beat sugar and egg yolk with an electric mixer until it increases three times its original volume.  Add flour, cornstarch, and salt.  Continue to mix and slowly add the coconut milk. Return the mixture to heat and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly.  Once it begins to boil, let it thicken for another minute while continuously whisking it.  Remove from heat and add butter, 3/4 cup coconut, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Let the mixture become room temperature and cover with plastic wrap.  Make sure the wrap is touching the cream as to not let the cream be exposed to air and develop a film.  Refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Beat the confectioner sugar with the cream until soft peaks form.  Add remaining vanilla.  Fold into the cream.  Transfer the cream to the crust and smooth with a spatula.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 4 hours.

Sprinkle remaining coconut on top the the pie. Using 1/4 cup sugar,  make caramel sauce.  Drizzle the caramel over the pie.

This pie was so delicious!  The key in this is making sure the cream is a bit more thick than you'd like before you take it off the heat.  Adding the whipped cream lightens it but also thins it out.  Next time I will add thick drizzles of chocolate on top so it more closely resembles the cookie.  Try this pie, it's definitely a winner!

Daring Cooks March 2011 Challenge: Ceviche de Pescado

Kathlyn of Bake like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks' March 2011 hostess.  Kathlyn challenges us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from "Peruvian Cooking - Basic Recipes" by Annik Franco Barreau and Papas Rellena adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn's Spanish teach, Mayra. 

We had the option of making both recipes or just one.  Due to time constraints I decided to make the ceviche because I absolutely love it and have been wanting to make ceviche for some time.  My favorite ceviche is a Fresca in San Francisco and I haven't been able to have it in a long time.  This recipe looks like a standard ceviche recipe without any bells or whistles.  It looked so simple I knew I wanted to use really good fish.  I decided to use a wild caught halibut and diver scallops.  Neither were sashimi grade but both were really fresh and good quality seafood.  

Halibut and scallops

Ceviche de Pescado (Fish Ceviche)
2 lbs firm white fish (scallops or other seafood may be used)
2 garlic cloves mashed
1 chili pepper minced (Use Aji but if not found, jalapeno works too)
1 cup fresh lime juice (8-10 limes) Fresh juice, not from concentrate
1 tbsp coriander (cilantro)
1 red onion, thinly slice lengthwise
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
1 sweet potato
1 large ear of corn
lettuce leaves

Cut the fish and season with salt and pepper.  Mix the rest of the ingredients except for the red onion.  Pour the mixture over the fish and while it "cooks" put the slivers of red onion over the fish.  Marinate for at least 10 minutes.  The fish should look a little bit white on the outside but is essentially raw on the inside.

Garlic and limes

This was a simple and delicious recipes.  I added half a jalapeno for heat and I think next time would go for a little bit more heat.  I would also add some hominy to break up the monotony of the fish.  The scallop was so delicious because of it's natural smoothness.  A great easy recipe, perfect for a warm day!

Jose Andres' The Bazaar Restaurant

I had the pleasure of dining at this restaurant for my husband and sister-in-laws birthdays.  Birthdays are a big deal in this household, the celebration typically last a month and celebrations range from large gatherings and parties to simple asinine things like, "It's my birthday month, I don't have to do the dishes".  Needless to say it can get a little bit out of hand, I can only imagine how it's going to be when we have kids!

I just love my husband and my sister-in-law to death so for her visit to Los Angeles I wanted to find a special restaurant that would leave an impression on us and also wow my sister-in-law, another foodie (oh how I hate that label!) like myself.  Bazaar is one of Jose Andres' restaurants and it promises such entertainment as cotton candy wrapped around a savory piece of faux pas, liquid nitrogen experiments, and age old traditions of canning.  I've seen Chef Andres everywhere from Top Chef to Anthony Bourdain No Reservations and whatever he is making has blown me away.   Jose combines traditional spanish cooking with avant-garde techniques.  Not only was I looking forward to the food and drink, but also the dining experience as The Bazaar is split into a number of uniquely decorated rooms as well as an option to eat your dessert in the Patisserie, which sounds just fabulous!  The dishes are separated into traditional tapas, which are more hearty and filling, and modern tapas, where the more experimental things are found.  Here are a few pictures of what we had.

My drink for the night LN2 Caipirinha with table side service

Essentially a slushy.  So yummy!  

All the cocktails were very unique and different.  The liquid nitrogen is so cold it freezes the alcohol and it's like a sorbet.  It was great throughout the evening as practically a palette cleanser.

Tortilla de patatas (Potato Foam, egg 63, camelized onions)

This was by far one of the best dishes of the night.  An egg 63 is an egg cooked to 63 degrees so that the yolk and the whites are the same consistency.  It was served in this glass which is about the size of a shot glass but I practically licked the glass it was so good!  The potato foam was so flavorful, it was like a baked potato with butter.

American Caviar Cone

Not your everyday Caprese (liquid mozzarella and cherry tomatoes)

When you take a bite of the cheese it's like popping a balloon in your mouth, a balloon that oozes silky cheese that is!

House canned King Crab with raspberries and raspberry vinegar

The Bazaar cans daily and this combination was a little strange at first but it was so good.  The flavors of both the canned dishes were very simple, but with a twist.  The main ingredient was able to shine despite the extras like the raspberries.

Oven roasted cippolini onions with clementines, passion fruit, and pumpkin seed oil

Croquetas de pollo (chicken and bechamel fritters) in a shoe!

I felt like I was back in the sixties and June Cleaver just whipped up in the kitchen.  The outside crust was awesome and retained it's shape even when the inside was oozing out after a bite.  This was delicious and filling (especially when we got tired of food the size of our pinky). :)

House canned green asparagus labneh and macadamia nuts

Wagyu Beef Cheeks with California citrus

So, so, so good!  I would definitely order a couple of these and forget the philly cheesesteak.  I've never had beef cheek before but it was rich and creamy, very similar in texture to pot roast but softer.  The jus was a veal jus and the citrus added a bit of sweetness.  A not to be missed dish!

Foie Gras Cotton Candy

Yes, there are some ethical issues in consuming foie gras but I couldn't pass it up (and honestly, rarely do given the chance) when it was wrapped with cotton candy.  The foie gras was a cold cube and I wish it was warmer but I don't think they could have kept it on the stick while warm.  This was more of a novelty/facebook photo kind of dish as it was just regular cotton candy wrapped around a tiny square of goose liver.

Philly Cheesesteak (Air bread, cheddar, Wagyu beef)

This was interesting, while it was definitely good, it was the stellar palette experience I was expecting. The bread is completely hollow and there is melted cheddar on the inside.  The beef was great but I wish there was more of it. 

Tuna ceviche avocado roll with jicama, micro cilantro and coconut dressing (the top is crumbled Corn Nuts)

This was surprisingly good, it was simple, and not unlike something I've had at a japanese restaurant, but it was still very tasty.

A view of the dessert at the Patisserie

Happy Birthday!

Overall I'd give The Bazaar 4 stars as most things were very very good.  Some of the more modern dishes either wowed or not at all.  I was impressed with some of the more simpler dishes as I felt I could taste the ingredients in all it's glory.  I like what Jose is trying to do and it certainly was an experience as I've never had liquid nitrogen, egg 63, foam of any sort, or beef cheeks.  I'm not sure it was the absolute best meal I've ever had, but some of the dishes really make this place fabulous.  Definitely worth a try if you want to have a unique dining experience.

Snickers Pie

In celebration of my husband and the month of his birth, I made Martha Stewart's version of a Snickers Pie.  It's not technically a Snickers Pie because it doesn't have a nougat center but a peanut butter mousse.  As a lover of peanut butter and chocolate, this pie is not to be missed.  

The recipe seemed easy overall with it's cookie crust and an easy mousse.  The only part that I approached with apprehension is the caramel.  I've never made candy let alone caramel from scratch and my sister-in-law insisted I needed a thermometer even though the recipe didn't called for it.  I just sucked it up, read the recipe as carefully as I could, and began.  The recipe called for 1 and 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water.  I was to put it over medium heat until the sugar caramelized.  That sounded easy enough.  However, I did this 3 times and it just did not work!  The water evaporated and left the sugar in a hard white lump.

a slow boil

nothing but hard, dry sugar

I cooked in in medium heat, slow heat, high heat, but to no prevail.  I ended up resorting to Youtube videos of other chefs making a caramel sauce.  I found these videos to be particularly helpful: video 1, video 2, and video 3.  I noticed in these videos that it was simply sugar in the pot, no water necessary.  The sugar over low heat, will slow begin to caramelize on it's own.

Starting to melt

Just use the pan to move the sugar around, no utensil needed

wait for it...

Wait for it..

Smooth!

The only thing to be careful about is not to leave it on the stove for too long because even though it will look the right color and texture, the sugar will begin to burn and there is no way to remove the burned taste and you'll have to start all over.  Once the sugar is melted, take it off the heat and add a liquid such as cream or butter.  This will shock the sugar and harden it.  Put back over heat and the sugar will warm to a nice thick sauce.  This particular recipe added creme fraiche to the caramel and I think it lessened the sweetness and gave it an even creamier texture.

Adding the creme fraiche

After this step, I was spent and didn't have enough time to cool the pie before serving.  It takes about an hour to cool and form.  The chocolate ganache is supposed to be a thick layer on top so be sure it sets before releasing the springform.

Released the springform before the chocolate could set

Despite my lack of patience, the pie was still tasty and looked even better the next day!  I was very happy to learn a new technique and I will definitely make this pie again!

Farm Fresh to You

8

Ta-Da! So excited!

I have been looking into CSA's for a long time but it took a Groupon to get me signed up for Farm Fresh to You.  I have been very interested in gardening and eating in season but just don't have access to a garden to plant fruits and vegetables of my own.  My interest in local agriculture peaked after reading the Omnivore's Dilemma and a couple of books about Alice Waters.  When I lived on the East Coast I realized how lucky I was to be from California where most things can grow all year long.  Those long Boston winters were hard to endure as I saw tomatoes so pale they were almost white and high priced produce from far away lands.  Joining Farm Fresh to You is my way of support the local farmers and being cognizant of eating what is in season.

Cauliflower, avocados, potatoes, oranges, and lemons

Farm Fresh to You is a great service because there is a program for everyone.  They make it really easy with no commitment necessary.  There is no contract and deliveries happen as often as once a week to once every four weeks.  The size of the deliveries also vary with small, medium, and large sizes.  If you go out of town you can cancel a delivery or if you have a party you can have additional produce shipped.  You can also exclude items you don't like, but trying new fruits and vegetables is part of the fun!  Yes, it is a little bit more pricey than a regular grocery store but it is local, organic, and delivered to your doorstep.  

Nothing finer!

I ordered the regular mixed box for $31 a delivery.  I received everything pictured.  It was so easy and the produce was really fresh, even with fresh dirt on the lettuce.  If you end up with something in the box you've never cooked with before, there are plenty of recipes for the fruits and vegetables on their website.  

Lettuce, carrots, beets, collard greens, kale, cilantro

Eating well and supporting local farms means a lot to me and it's also a great opportunity to try new ingredients and learn to cook with what is in your refrigerator.   I highly recommend the service!