There's also this:
Honestly, other than the occasional doodle I haven't been working much at all. My application review is taking a very long time so I've been trying to keep busy puttering around.
We found a local farmer's market that gathers every Saturday morning, and we've very much been enjoying the bounty of the season. Cherries and stone fruit are very cheap and sweet these days. There's still a lot of asparagus and the mushroom vendor still has a few morels, which I can't quite bring myself to try. They're so alien-looking and highly valued I feel nervous at the thought of cooking with them.
That's about all at the moment.
I know what you mean about the high-stakes feeling one can get from unknown produce, so I've come up with a new rule that I use every time I see something I want to try but fear: buy two handfuls (or maybe just one in the case of mushrooms - they can get wicked pricey) and saute. I feel like 'valuable' produce is usually like that because it's tender and naturally flavorful, so maybe just cook it gently with a little fat, salt and pepper and let it be what it wants to be. I'm doing the same with garlic scapes, and I have no idea how it's going to be, but at least I'll know I haven't obscured the natural flavor. :-)
ReplyDelete