Asparagus, Leek, and Herb Frittata

Our CSA is back! The CSA to which we belong delivers shares from early June until the end of December, which means we’re back into the routine of having more of our meals dictated by what we get each week rather than entirely by my whims. 

We’re definitely eating more seasonally and locally now – there’s not a whole lot of diversity of what’s in season in New York the winter and there are only so many root vegetables one can eat before succumbing to imported produce. And I’ve gotten much better about using multiple items of our share in one meal rather than deciding on something to make for dinner and figuring out how to incorporate one item from the share.



Sweet and Spicy Cornmeal Waffles Florentine

As much as I love brunch, I am no longer a huge fan of going out for brunch.  Yes, I know it's an NYC institution, but I have good reasons.  All too often, there is only one savory and one sweet option on the menu that are vegetarian (seriously, why is that), and since pancakes and french toast always leave me hungry (I have an anti-sweet tooth), that means I'm relegated to ordering the one vegetarian egg dish.  Which is really not my idea of a good time at a restaurant.  I like to have choices.

And even if there are a variety of options, it rather pains me to pay $14 for a pair of poached eggs on a soggy English muffin or a mediocre omelet.  Sure, I still love a good brunch outing on the weekend - particularly to Cookshop or Five Points (ok,  those are basically the same place), and I'm heading to The Farm on Adderley next weekend - but I don't go out for brunch nearly as often as I used to for the reasons mentioned above, not to mention that I'm happy as a clam when I'm in the kitchen.

Vegan Coconut-Oat Pancakes with Blackberry-Peach Compote

It’s January, which means many of us are attempting to eat healthier to negate the many calories packed on over the holidays.  I'm trying to eat better this year, but not because I overate this past month (or did I, hm), but because my detox diet last year made me more attuned to the types of grains I eat, so my sort-of resolution for this year is to eat less gluten and, if I do eat gluten, it should be of the whole grain variety.

Although there is no way I am giving up pizza at Roberta’s. So when I made pancakes for brunch last weekend, I started to scheme about how I could make them healthier. Add to that the fact that, for the past few months, I’ve been getting a number of requests for egg-free recipes, and I came up with this.

Currant Yogurt Muffins

As much as I love being a CSA member, some weeks I get things that have minimal utility. Case in point: loads of curly cress (it's so strong and peppery that you can't use much of it) and last week's quart of fresh currants. You can't really eat them like grapes or other berries - they're super tiny and very tart - so the only thing you can really do is bake them or add them to savory dishes that could benefit from a little tartness.

I used my currants two ways: first in an eggplant caponata (which is all about agrodolce - sweet and sour - so the currants were an excellent addition) and later in these muffins. The tart currants melded beautifully with the yogurt and their flavor was accented by a bit of almond flour and extract. A touch of orange zest lent these a wonderful fragrance (reminiscent of the classic cranberry-orange flavor combination) and freshly ground fennel seeds rounded out the mix, providing a bit of mild savoriness.

Manchego Cheese Popovers with Membrillo Butter

I've recently noticed that popovers are taking restaurants by storm. They've shown up in place of bread at a number of restaurants in my neighborhood (including one of my favorites, Buttermilk Channel), and it's nearly impossible to find a brunch bread basket that doesn't contain them. I had never made them at home because I found them intimidating; I think it's because they have their own special pan in which they should be baked, and things that requires a specific pan are usually fussy. Not the case with popovers, though.

Popover batter is actually ridiculously easy to make. You do not have to have any baking skills whatsoever to make these and, more importantly, to have them come out good. No need to cream butter, knead and raise dough, or work with hot sugar. Just a few simple ingredients that most people always have on hand get whisked together and put into the oven. Really, it's as simple as that.  The key skills here are actually patience  and resisting the urge to open the oven door.

The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment

The guys who brought us The Brooklyn Beer Experiment (which I entered), The Brooklyn Cheese Experiment (which I missed because I was on my honeymoon), The Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment (which I swept – I was awarded 1st place by both the audience and judges!), and The Brooklyn Taco Experiment (which I missed because I was out of town) are back with the next installment in the wonderful Brooklyn Food Experiment series – The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment!  And, of course, I am entering this one, so keep reading to find out when and where it is so you can come out and eat my amazing entry and vote for me to win some awesome prizes.

There’s an impressive lineup of judges, and as in previous experiments, there will be awards selected both by the panel of judges and the audience. Prizes this time around are big – grand prize winner gets two round-trip tickets on JetBlue, someone else will go home with a Cuisinart stand mixer, and much more.

The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment is on Sunday March 28 from 12 pm - 4 pm at The Bell House in Brooklyn. To my NYC readers – please come and support me! Every single one of the previous experiments has sold out, so make sure to get your tickets in advance and to get there on time. Please note the earlier start time of noon (previous experiments have started at 1 pm). Your $20 advance ticket gets you lots of great food and an added bonus is that a portion of the proceeds will go to ovarian cancer research. You can get tickets here or from the box office at The Bell House.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ginger Scones

I can’t believe I got up early on both Saturday and Sunday to go to the Waverly and Baltimore Farmers Markets, respectively. Saturday’s trip was exclusively for dairy, and Sunday was the opening of the larger Baltimore Farmers Market (the one under the JFX). I really love going to the JFX market – waking up early, perusing the market, and walking home with bags full of produce makes me feel productive, and, for some reason, walking to the market and then walking home with heavy bags of produce reminds me of being in NYC – probably because one of the aspects of living in NYC is that you have to lug all of your purchases home because you don’t have a car.

It’s not quite summer yet, and the market is still overflowing with spring produce: asparagus as far as the eye can see, spring onions, greens, and herbs are the most abundant right now. Both markets were selling strawberries from North Carolina, and there was but one vendor at each market selling rhubarb . I had to get the rhubarb because it’s going to be out of season soon and I wanted to make a pie with it. So of course I got strawberries to go with the rhubarb – they’re a classic pair in pies (although I prefer peach with rhubarb, but it’s not peach season yet, so strawberries it was).

Simple Spring Brunch

I think I’ve expressed my love for brunch on here enough times to forgo doing so yet another time.

This brunch is simple, fresh, and light, and it's one that I make only in the spring, when asparagus are plentiful and in season. But because of its simplicity, it’s one of those meals that will only taste as good as the ingredients you put into it.

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

My supervisor at work - who is awesome for many reasons - gave me a sweet holiday present last month – a jar of wild Maine blueberry jam that she had made in August while she was vacationing in Maine with her family. I didn’t want to just put it on toast; I was saving it for something really good. Last weekend, I came up with it: super-fluffy pancakes.

 

I haven’t made pancakes in years, and I recall that my previous attempts were flat and kind of blah. I know that I’m much better in the kitchen these days, so I decided to revisit them. I love using buttermilk when I bake – the end result is always seriously moist and fluffy – so I decided to use it in my pancakes, too. And, as I had hoped, the pancakes turned out exactly the same way.