Nettles are a bit daunting. Those prickly vines are not kidding around. We were reduced to wearing washing up gloves and using sharp kitchen scissors to separate leaves from stems. Happily - a quick toss in the sauté pan puts an end to the nettles' sting and transforms them into a mineral rich delicious dark edible green.
Read MoreSmoked Trout With Lentil and Beet Salad
It's health week here at KR because this blog is making us fat! We're not dieting, we're just reining ourselves in a bit after the Rhubarb Binge. A lighter fare with some whole grains and lots of veggies ought to do the trick.
Read MoreRhubarb Ice-Cream and Sorbet
Rhubarb Chutney Served Two Ways
The nice thing about this chutney is its versatility. Here we served it with a nice crumbly Cabot Cloth Cheddar as an hors devour and then with a seared duck breast as a meal.
Read MoreRoasted Rhubarb Compote with Vanilla and Orange
Rhubarb Berry Jam
Rhubarb Crumble Pie
Chicken Liver Paté with Rhubarb Jelly
This chicken liver pate' is served with a rhubarb jelly made from the simple syrup of the Rhubarb Fizz.
Read MoreRhubarb Fizz
Binge: Rosy Rhubarb Meringue Cake
At last rhubarb arrives in the grocery store, and you grab at it like a starving person. Which you have been, in a way, given winter’s turnip-y duration. In this state—flushed with spring love, fantasizing about pies and tarts and compotes—you arrive at the checkout counter, where the woman behind the register picks up your bundle, flips it around, squints at it, says, “What’s this?”
“Rhubarb!” you reply, adoringly.
“Is it some kind of celery?” she goes on, just as if you’d spoken total nonsense one second earlier.
“It’s rhubarb,” you repeat, and then, as she pulls out the laminated sheet of PLU numbers to enter into her machine, you sigh, add, “R-H-U-B…”
This scene, which plays out with variations all over America each May, might perturb the rhubarb devotee were he not too giddy to care.
Those of us who grew up with parents of British or northern European descent know rhubarb the way kids today know strawberries. James Dunlinson, an English art director (who lent his guidance to the creation of these photographs), spent his early springtimes dipping stalks of raw rhubarb into saucers of sugar, and devouring them—bite by blissful, painful bite. My mother, a Finn, used to park me on our front stoop with the exact same treat. I recall the sharp ecstasy of the flavors mingling in my mouth—the sourness almost pushing to intolerable before being rescued in a rush of melting sweetness.
Rhubarb, a leaf stem and therefore technically a vegetable, is in fact not only sour; it is also bitter and tannic and full of oxalic acid which makes your mouth feel chalky. And, according to James, “It’s the best taste there is. I’m obsessed with it.” Even now, grown up, he looks forward to rhubarb season the way most kids look forward to Christmas. Last year, for his birthday (which happens to fall in April), he invited 50 friends over and served them rhubarb four different ways.
He and Frances, who created these recipes, are in the habit of buying gobs of it in season. Whatever they can’t eat right away, they cut up and freeze for later (rhubarb freezes very well). Springtime in a ziplock bag.
Words by Celia Barbour, Art Direction and Inspiration by James Dunlinson, Prop Styling by Alistair Turnbull
Read MoreSpanish Housewife Beans and more…
According to a firmly established family/friend traditional, we mark the arrival of spirng with a night full of debauchery, Romanesco sauce and the foods that enable us to eat plenty of it.
Read MoreFor The Love Of Egg
Yes people, we are again inspired by the versatility of the egg. Homemade mayonnaise and egg salad sandwiches is full on love.
Read MoreHomemade Mayonnaise and Oven Baked Fries
There's nothing like homemade mayonnaise. It's not hard to make but it seems like a luxury. See how quickly and simply you can achieve a bit of bliss…..
Read MoreRamp Bruschetta with Fresh Ricotta & Pine Nuts
Spring Pea Potage with Ramps and Potatoes
Poached Eggs With Sautéed Ramps and Golden Bread Crumbs
If you haven't figured it out yet, we at Kitchen Repertoire like our eggs any style, any time. So here's yet another idea for you egg lovers out there.
Read MoreCheddar Grits avec Ramps and Bacon
Although I was born in California, I grew up in the south- Georgia and South Carolina to be exact. While I was a kid, grits weren't really a part of our everyday life. My mother's "southern-ness" has evolved with time so when I was young she was still a California girl making Tamale Pie and the like (a suburban girl getting her "mexican" on). Anyway, grits grew on me as an adult. A college student working in a bajillion restaurants, eating her way to a southern background. Every time I'm back in the south I order grits wherever I go because its such a comfort food and nobody does it like the south. These were made with instant grits (yes, lazy lady style) and then we modernized them with eclectic toppers. Don't even try to keep your heart attack in check here, grits need lots of salt or they're disappointing, so sodium intake be damed for a day.
Read MoreRamps
Pickled Ramps.
Deviled Eggs topped with Pickled Ramps.
We cheated and used the left over brine from a favorite jar of dilly beans. Trim, rinse and chop one bunch of ramps. Transfer to a small bowl or jam jar and cover with brine. Let stand refrigerated for at least 8 hours before using- over night is better. Serve with Deviled Eggs- simply made with just mayo, touch of dijon and lots of salt and pepper.
If you don't have pickle juice in your fridge simply make a brine that's 1 part white vinegar (or cider vinegar, whatever you have), 3 parts water. Then throw in salt, sugar, some peppercorns, dill seed or fresh dill if you have on hand and some mustard seeds.
Download a printable pdf of this recipe
Soft Salted Pretzel
My girls make these pretzels to sell at the West Cornwall, CT farmer’s market all summer long. In general - Sophie rules the kitchen and Plum mans the till. The dough needs to be refrigerated overnight and then come to room temperature before it is ready to be rolled, shaped, boiled, oiled, salted and baked - making for an industrious Saturday morning. Bread, pastry, whole wheat and barley flour has been substituted, in a pinch, for the customary all-purpose white. Weather effects the end product. Humidity causes the dough to disconcertingly bloat rather than rise. A cold snap makes the whole process pretty miserable. None of this matters. The pretzels are always delicious and sold out by noon.
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Sure Thing Salad Dressings
Sometimes (or maybe most times) a salad is hard to get everyone to embrace. It just doesn't have the excitement of a baked potato dripping with butter or sour cream. But if you have the right salad dressings on hand, I find I can get everybody on board. I realize I'm not reinventing the wheel here or anything but bottled Ranch just doesn't cut it for me. Ranch is not hard to make, you pretty much have most of the ingredients on hand and while its not exactly "healthy" you don't need a lot to make your salad yummy. The vinaigrette and carrot miso dressings below do aire on the healthier side so if the ranch ingredients freak you out try the others….and they last for several weeks so you can make a big batch and have it on the ready.
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