Blueberry Clafoutis

[Printable Recipe]

The food blogosphere was taken by storm by the recent movie, “Julie and Julia.” To be honest, I wanted no part of it. I was completely over the movie before it even came out (which is a shame because I hear that Meryl Streep was fantastic). As such, when most food bloggers were reaching for their versions of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I kept my head down and muttered about the number of calories in a dish that used copious amounts of butter, cream and bacon.

Alas, that didn’t last.

Last week marked the end of a very long blueberry season here in Central Texas, and though I thought I used blueberries in every which way, I hadn’t yet made a clafoutis. Clafoutis, essentially a fruit custard in the form of a cake, is normally made with cherries, but I’ve also seen it made with blueberries for a new twist on a classic dish.

Unfortunately, I don’t actually own any of her cookbooks (my boeuf bourguignon is perfectly fine without lardons and I don’t even use cream of crap soup, thankyouverymuch!), so I had to improvise. Lucky for me, my fellow food bloggers, intent on channeling their inner Julia Child, had written up the recipe for me on their blogs.

Adapted from Julia Child, via Big City Cooking and The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients:

• 1 c. blueberries
• 1-1/4 c. milk (I used fat-free)
• 2/3 c. sugar, divided
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract (The original recipe uses vanilla.)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. flour
• Butter, for greasing the pan
• Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of a 9″ pie dish or tart pan and set aside.
• Combine the milk, 1/3 c. sugar, eggs, almond extract, salt and flour in a blender. Mix thoroughly for a minute.
• Pour some of the batter into the buttered dish until it comes 1/4″ up from the bottom. Bake for 3 minutes until the batter sets and is less jiggly.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 c. sugar and the blueberries over the firmed batter, then pour the rest of the batter on top. Continue baking for 45 minutes to an hour (though mine only took 40 minutes!) until the clafoutis is browned on top and the top has pulled away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick in the center should come out clean when it’s ready.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the clafoutis and serve warm or at room temperature.

Verdict:
Even with 3 eggs, this dish is light and decadent without being overly rich. The almond extract was a perfect complement to the blueberries. Keeping the blueberries whole ensures that they burst in your mouth when you take a bite, and the bits of caramelized sugar around the edges were divine. For a dinner party, I’d make this in individual ramekins or tartlet pans for an easy and tasty dessert.

Local Box Meal Plan: August 24-28

In our box this week, we’re getting blueberries from Berry Best, canary melon from Tecalote, basil from Montesino, herbs from Tecalote, limes from G&S Groves, lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics, squash blossoms from Montesino, bell peppers from Tecalote or My Father’s Farm, eggplant from Tecalote, summer squash from Naegelin, baby leeks from Animal Farm, and garlic from Montesino.

We’re traveling to a wedding this weekend, so I’m trying to use up as many of the perishable items quickly.

For the morning before we travel, I’ll make a hearty fritatta with baby leeks, squash blossoms and herbs. I’ll also make grilled veggie sandwiches (made with grilled eggplant, summer squash, and bell peppers) spread with basil pesto to take on the plane.

When we get back, I’ll use the canary melon and limes to make agua fresca (probably add some ginger to cut through the sweetness) and a blueberry clafoutis.

In my neverending quest to cook lettuce, I found this recipe for lettuce soup. Seems a bit strange, but looks easy and tasty. Seems pretty healthy also!

Blueberry-Fig Salsa

[Printable Recipe]

After my experiment with blueberries, figs and balsamic last week, I wanted to give this flavor combination a try again. Like the cantaloupe salsa, I had all of the ingredients I needed in our Greenling box or from the pantry.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. blueberries (my box of blueberries fell on the floor in between transporting them from the Greenling box to the fridge. I bet you can guess what happened to the other 1/4 c. Yes, it had something to do with these guys.)
• 5 figs, cut into chunks (chunked?)
• 1/2 c. whole toasted almonds
• Splash of balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Combine in a bowl and serve immediately with chips.

Verdict:
I will freely admit that this one is a little strange. But do give it a try! I was so pleasantly surprised with the way these flavors and textures came together. The balsamic played off of the sweet figs and blueberries really nicely, and the toasted almonds gave each bite a hearty crunch.

Local Box Meal Plan: August 17-21

It’s that time of week again! We’ll be getting our Greenling Local Box on Thursday and I’ve got to plan for it.

This week, we’re getting chives (or mint) from Pure Luck, squash blossoms from Montesino, blueberries from Berry Best, pea shoots from Bluebonnet Hydroponics or Bella Verde, a pepper mix from Lundgren, okra or eggplant from Tecalote, squash from Naegelin, peaches from Cooper Orchards, lettuce from Bluebonnet, shallots and elephant garlic from Lundgren, and a Canary melon from Tecalote.

So I’m making:

Breakfast:

• Melon halves with cottage cheese (don’t knock it until you try it! Cottage cheese is a great source of protein in the early morning and it’s great when paired with a sweet melon like this.)

Side dishes:

• Grilled Caesar salad with garlic-rubbed grilled croutons
• Pea shoot stir-fry
• Fried squash blossoms stuffed with a chive-goat cheese mixture (if we get chives)
• Corn saute with jalapeno, okra, squash and tomatoes
• Peach-blueberry galette

And if we get mint instead of chives, I’ll be using that in one of the cocktails I’ll be serving at my friend’s lingerie shower this weekend. Champagne, lychee and bruised mint — yummy!

Have you come up with some creative ways to use your lettuce in recipes? I find myself eating it raw most of the time.

Local Box Cooking Class at Thai Fresh

Yesterday we traveled up to Austin to attend a Greenling local box cooking class at Thai Fresh. The premise was simple: we would learn how to use the ingredients in our local box to prepare a few recipes. I had never cooked Thai food before (scratch that — I made a terrible Pad Krapao Mu a few months ago), so I was excited for the opportunity to learn a few new techniques and meet some great people!

Ever the good host, Mason started off by offering us a choice of the Parducci Zinfandel or Pinot Grigio. Parducci is located in Mendocino, California and is the first carbon-neutral winery in the US.

Cory and I both particularly enjoyed the Zinfandel. It wasn’t as tannic as other Zins I’ve had, which really let the fruitiness come through.

Mason then showed us what was in this week’s local box. Can’t wait for those beautiful portobellos!

Here’s a fun fact: whereas typical grocery stores waste 30% of their produce, Greenling only wastes 3%! And that just ends up in the compost pile.

Next — onto the cooking!

You can tell how excited Jam, one of the owners and chef at Thai Fresh, is to be cooking and eating locally. She shared lots of great tips about traditional Thai ingredients and substitutions, and about cooking in general.

We started with her recipe for Som Tum, or shredded papaya salad. Instead of papaya, however, Jam used the peaches, blueberries and figs that came in this week’s Local Box. It’s basically a fruit salad that’s dressed in a spicy savory vinaigrette. This was a really versatile recipe that can be used with any firm, not-too-juicy fruit or vegetable. Jam suggested spaghetti squash, and she’s also made it with carrots and rhubarb. I really liked the juxtaposition of the oh-so-sweet figs with the spicy chilies. Jam uses dried shrimp and fish sauce in the recipe, which I questioned at first, but it really makes the salad much more complex. Jam said during the lesson, “If you think something’s missing, it’s probably fish sauce!” It just adds a certain something. Jam also uses palm sugar in this recipe. It apparently has a lower glycemic index than agave nectar.

Did I mention that this was a hands-on cooking class? She put us to work!

Next we started the yellow curry. Much like Indian yellow curry, Thai yellow curry is traditionally made with onions and potatoes, but instead of the dry spices used in Indian curries, Thai curries always use fresh herbs and spices. Instead of the dried tumeric and curry powder used in traditional Indian curry, Jam used a container of paste that was made up of different herbs and spices. She brought out her huge mortar and pestle and regaled us of stories of making curry paste by hand when she was little.

The curry starts by frying the curry paste in the coconut milk:

Then the chicken is simmered in the liquid for about 30 minutes, and midway through the cooking time, the potatoes and onions are also added. We used bone-in chicken last night, but boneless chicken would be much quicker.

While the chicken was cooking, we whipped up a double-batch of tofu pad thai. Anyone who knows me know that tofu and I don’t get along well, but Jam told us of a place in Austin (next to the MT supermarket, for locals) that makes fresh tofu. It’s apparently much better than the packaged stuff and it’s all she uses at Thai Fresh now. And let me tell you, it wasn’t too bad!

I always thought that pad thai was one of those dishes that is insanely hard to make, so much so that you should only order it from a truck (those from Carnegie Mellon know what I’m talking about!) or from a restaurant. I was *so* wrong. It’s so quick and easy!

Jam had already soaked the noodles for us, so we started by sauteeing some shallot and scrambling 4 eggs with it:

Tell me that’s not the biggest pot you’ve ever seen!

Then gradually added the fried tofu and some chili flakes, then the noodles, and douse them in the pad thai sauce. When the noodles are coated, add the bean sprouts and baby leeks and you’re done! Good thing too, because the curry was just about ready also.

Time to eat!

We left with full bellies and new appreciation for both Thai cuisine and our weekly Local Box. If you’re in Austin and get a chance, I highly recommend you check out Thai Fresh!

Local Box Meal Plan: August 3-7

This week we’re getting anaheim and serrano peppers from Lundgren, blueberries from Berry Best, pea shoots, baby leeks from Animal Farm, a peach from Cooper Orchards, eggplant from Tecalote, lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics, watermelon from Acadian, figs from Purple Goose Farm, basil from My Father’s Farm, and squash from Texas Natural.

So I’m making:

Lunch:

• Grilled squash and eggplant sandwich with a basil-chevre spread
• BLT on a pizza dough roll

Happy hour:

• Baked brie with figs and blueberries
• Watermelon and feta skewers

Dinner:

• Grilled chicken for Cory/salmon for me marinated in lemongrass and ginger, served with a pea shoot salad dressed in sesame oil, soy sauce, and toasted sesame seeds
• Chile verde (made with peppers and leeks)

Keep in mind that like figs, pea shoots are quite perishable and need to be used ASAP!

Local Box Meal Plan: July 27-31

Greenling, you’re throwing me a curveball this week. Eggplant, okra AND figs? Lots of my favorite textures there. =/ Luckily, I’ve got a plan!

This week, we’re getting figs, blueberries from Berry Best, watermelon from Acadian, peaches from Cooper Orchards, baby leeks from Animal Farm, crimini mushrooms from Kitchen Pride, eggplant from Tecalote, okra from Acadian, sweet Italian peppers from Lundgren, cucumbers from Acadian, lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics, and herbs from Tecalote. So here’s what I’m making:

Breakfast:

• Fig waffles
• Omelette with cheddar, leeks and mushrooms

Lunches:

• Baba ganoush (making it just like I make hummus, as David Lebovitz’s didn’t really do it for me) with pita chips
• Green salad with cucumbers and herbs

Side dish:

• Baked popcorn okra

Dinners:

• Goat stew with italian peppers and okra
• Bison steaks with a blueberry sauce

Dessert:

• Grilled peaches with French vanilla ice cream

Do you have any “problem” veggies that come in your CSA box?

Blueberry Crumb Cake

[Printable Recipe]

My parents came to visit us here in Texas a few months ago, and one of the things that my dad absolutely can’t resist is a good breakfast cake. He’ll sit there and slowly pick off the crumb topping (yes, he’s that guy!) until someone will call him out on it and make him cut off a piece for himself. This is a great way to use the influx of blueberries that we’ve been getting in our Local Boxes recently.

Keep in mind that in order to prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake, you’ll need to toss them in flour before folding them into the wet ingredients.

This cake fits a 9″ springform pan.

From Ina Garten, via Smells like Home

Ingredients:
For the crumb topping:

• 1/4 c. granulated sugar
• 1/3 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed (I used dark brown sugar)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1-1/3 c. all-purpose flour

For the cake:

• 6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar (I accidentally used closer to 1 c. Pesky 1/3 cup measuring scoop!)
• 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest (I used clementine zest, as I didn’t have any lemon in the house — the horror, I know.)
• 2/3 c. sour cream
• 1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling (Completely forgot this step.)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter and flour a 9-inch round springform pan. Set aside.

For the crumb topping:

• Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
• Add the melted butter, then the flour. Stir well and set aside.

For the cake:

• Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time until combined, then add the vanilla, zest, and sour cream. Mix to combine.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Toss the blueberries in the flour until they are all coated (this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake), then gradually add to the wet ingredients.
• Pour the batter into the springform pan. Crumble the crumb topping with your fingers over the batter.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes (mine took closer to 55 minutes) until a knife or toothpick poked in the center is clean when removed.
• Let cool, then sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve.

As you can see, I didn’t toss the blueberries in flour and they all sunk!

Verdict:
We all really liked this cake. I made it on Friday morning to serve on Saturday morning and again on Tuesday morning, and it was so moist even days later. Since I didn’t toss the blueberries in the flour when I originally made it, the blueberries sunk to the bottom, so the presentation isn’t as nice as it could be in the picture above, but the taste is spot on. It’s not too heavy and the perfect accompaniment to a morning latte.

Local Box Meal Plan for July 20-24

Sorry for the brief hiatus in weekly Local Box meal plans, folks. Between our vacation last week and it being a lazy summer, we haven’t needed a meal plan for the last few weeks. But I’m back with a few new ideas!

This week, we’re getting figs, red potatoes from Naegelin, jalapenos from Lundgren, blueberries from Berry Best, Middle Eastern cucumbers from Acadian, mixed onions, purple hull peas from Animal Farm, peaches from Cooper Orchards, mixed peppers from Lundgren, tomatoes, basil from My Father’s Farm or Tecalote, and hydroponic lettuce from Bella Verde.

So I’m making:

Breakfast:

• Eggs with garlicky skillet potatoes and onions (my husband’s actually making this one, as he made up this recipe himself!)

Lunch:

• Chopped grilled chicken on a salad of lettuce, chopped basil, cucumber, tomatoes, and peppers

Side Dishes:

• Purple hull peas (made how Branny makes her lentils) with pepper-spiked cornbread
• Stuffed jalapenos (you know, the ones with the cream cheese and bacon? We’ll take these over to a friend’s BBQ this weekend.)

Dessert:

• Fig ice cream
• Grilled peach and blueberry cobbler (yep, a cobbler made in foil right on the grill!)

Figs are a bit hard for me because I don’t care for them too much (blasphemy — I know! It’s the seeds. Too many seeds.), so I have to make them as palatable as possible. I’m thinking ice cream is the best way to do this.

How are you using your Greenling box this week?

Blueberry Pancakes

[Printable Recipe]

By golly, I think I’ve done it — found my perfect pancake recipe, that is. I’ve gone through so many at this point and haven’t yet found a great one; they’re too buttery (I’m looking at you, Alton), not fluffy enough, spread out too thinly, etc. This one, however, fits all requirements.

I make pretty small pancakes (not silver dollar-sized, but smaller than average), so this made ~30 for me. If you like your pancakes larger (restaurant-sized), Heidi recommends that this makes ~12. If you have extra, these freeze beautifully. Lay them out in a single layer on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes, then toss in a plastic bag. You can defrost them in the toaster or oven.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

(Note: Heidi includes what looks like a great recipe for blueberry maple syrup. Click on the link above to check it out!)

Ingredients:

• 2 c. white whole-wheat flour (I used 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour and 1 c. whole-wheat flour.)
• 1 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 c. natural granulated sugar (I used turbinado sugar.)
• 1/2 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
• 2-1/4 c. buttermilk (We had no milk in the house, as we just returned from vacation, so I turned 2-1/8 c. half-and-half into buttermilk by adding ~2 Tbsp. lemon juice.)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted (Heidi recommends to melt in the pan skillet you are going to use, but I have a large griddle, so I melted the butter in a separate bowl and sprayed the griddle with Pam.)
• 1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions:

• Heat the pan or griddle over medium-high heat. It will be hot enough to use when a drop of water sizzles quickly.
• Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt) in a bowl.
• Mix the wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs and butter) together in a separate bowl, then whisk into the dry ingredients (be sure not to overmix; lumps are okay). Fold the blueberries into the batter.
• Drop the batter onto the skillet. I get 2 pancakes out of each ladle of batter. When the pancakes have started to bubble and the underside has turned golden-brown, flip them (only flip them once, as handling them too much will make them tough.)

Time to flip!

• The other side should be finished cooking in 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately or freeze (instructions to do so are above).

Verdict:
I loved these. Loved them! Using whole-wheat flour makes the pancake a bit more flavorful and nutritious, the batter is sturdy enough to hold a ton of fruit (I used the entire pint that came in our Greenling box last week) without ending up with a dense pancake, and they weren’t too buttery. The pancake is a great vehicle for fruit and when you bite into them, the blueberries really burst with flavor.