SUMMER'S BOUNTY

TO MARKET, TO MARKET......and I come home laden with so much I have to make a list to make sure I don't overlook something in the fridge during the week.

It's sensory overload, just walking through the farmers market.  "Taste this," the vendors cry, holding up pieces of peaches, tomatoes or cukes.  And I taste and taste.  And I buy.  We have been eating like royalty these days, with plates laden with sweet fresh corn, crisp green beans, squash and zucchini laced with oregano from the herb garden, fresh pears, and sweet, sweet watermelon......oh, my.

Fresh and local, that should be everyone's mantra.  Especially now, during the height of the summer's harvest, and knowing that in just a few short weeks, the peas will be gone, maybe the sweet corn won't be there next week, and the figs?  Grab them while you can.

SENSUOUS FIGS

The beauty of a fig sliced open, the musty flavor that wafts from within, the moist, honeyed sweetness....well, it's almost like having sex in the kitchen.

 Figs grow profusely on Hatteras and Ocracoke.  Seems they like the salty air, and most long timers there place oyster or clam shells around the base of their fig trees, both as a mulch and for the minerals to leach into the soil. Lynne Foster lives on Hatteras Island, and with husband Ernie runs the Albatross Fleet, a set of charter boats that go out to the Gulf Stream right off the Outer Banks. Lynne most graciously shared some recipes with me for THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK. 

One of our favorites is an appetizer of fresh figs.  Here's an adaptation of one of Lynne's great recipes, using what I had on hand one evening.  Preheat the broiler.  Slice the figs in half vertically, from stem to end.  Place a toasted or candied walnut in the center, then top with fresh chevre.  Place under the broiler until the cheese softens just a bit, about two minutes.  To gussy them up, place a sprig of fresh herbs on top, like thyme, even rosemary.  Wait just a few minutes before serving because they can burn your mouth if you pop them in right away.

O' HENRY  Peaches . . . .As I peeled these beauties, I couldn't help but think about the lovely short story read each Christmas by O'Henry, about the couple who each gives up something significant in order to buy a beautiful present for the other.....  I believe O'Henry was from Greensboro, NC.         These sandhill peaches are a short-season variety.  Very dark in color, as you can see in the photo.  Isn't that a lovely, 3-handled pottery dish made by my friend Missy Manning?  We saw a dish similar to that when we got caught in a short squall while hiking up to a view on Virgin Gorda on our last sailing trip in the BVIs.  Missy came home and did it even better, so I grabbed it at one of her shows.  I love using this dish, not only because of its fond memories, but because it shows off my food so well.

I've been making an effort this summer to freeze some favorites.  Blueberries, peas, and peaches, esp.  I buy in quantity, which presents the problem of spoilage.  If you wait until the peaches are just beginning to soften, you have to deal with some that have mold or have gotten too soft.  I spread them on the countertop, not touching, when possible, and that seems to help some.  I remember helping my grandmother with freezing peaches, when my dad would return from Georgia where he bought tobacco slips in the early summer.  He'd bring back a bushel basket or two of the first peaches of their season, and we'd spend a day peeling and slicing.  

Mark Rosenstein, the Asheville chef I followed at the City Market there a few weeks ago, said he learned when in France that a good chef will immediately start a pot of water to boil when he begins his day, to peel tomatoes, or like me, peaches.  

First, make a small cross at the bottom of each peach you're gonna peel.  I like to work with just four or five peaches at a time, placing them in a pot of boiling water, turning to make sure all sides are submerged, for about a minute.  Then, I lift them out and immediately place them in a bowl of ice water.  And like magic, most times, the peel will easily slip off the peach, leaving a gorgeous blush of rouge on the flesh.  I slice them, and splash with orange juice, or lemon, to keep the color bright.  I've been using the new two-sided freezer bags, and lay them flat on the freezer shelf.  This winter, I know they'll bring me much pleasure when thawed.  

ASHEVILLE CITY MARKETS

Ruby red and golden tomatoes, crisp chocolate croissants and rustic whole grain boules, figs, apples, blackberries, Asian pears, trout, cheeses, jewelry, and, oh wow, yes, that's exactly what I smelled....a coffee cart!  A recent visit to the Asheville City Market had all my senses racing on high.  Each farmer has such a meticulous display of vegetables, greens and fruits, with chalkboards and signs, and a friendly greeting for new and old customers.  I loved it.  There was even a pair making cheery bluegrass music.  

Tasting my way through the U-shaped market was such a great way to start my Saturday.  We were in Asheville, for me to read and sign THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK at Malaprop's Bookstore, and to do some tasting research for my new project.  

SHOP WITH A CHEF, sponsored by ASAP, Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project, featured Mark Rosenstein, creator and chef of The Market Place Restaurant and author of IN PRAISE OF APPLES.  His cooking has long been an inspiration for me, and I always make reservations whenever we are in town.  I also enjoy his new 10o Bar/Bistro on the terrace.

Mark led shoppers to several farmers to buy heirloom tomatoes, herbs, greens and some marvelous breads, explaining why he choose what he did and how this is ripe, smells good, etc.  

Then he went back to a cooking station and talked as he showed how to blanch and then peel tomatoes, toasted bread, added herbs, etc.  What a marvelous event, and indeed, we did learn as we watched and tasted with him.

I was so delighted to stop at table for SUNBURST TROUT.  Their trout farm is set at the base of Cold Mountain, and they make a tremendous effort to feed the fish good, organic food, and provide their waste products to farmers to use as compost.  Their trout fillets are excellent, and are sold at Earth Fare statewide as well as with other grocers.  Owner Sally Eason was concerned with the drought, saying that they had a good week or two of water left, and that was it.  When the water is low, the hot temperature really affects the fish.  Also, she usually has a big stash, like a thousand pounds or more, of the trout caviar (roe) which has made them famous all over the country.  She said she only had four pounds harvested.  Wow.   Let's hope this latest tropical storm in Fla will make its way to NC's mountains.

  

We packed some of Sally's latest new product, trout jerky, and some smoked trout into our ice chest, along with some chevre.  We liked the Jumpin' Juniper with a bit of chili powder from Three Graces Dairy, and I couldn't resist another tub of Sunset Valley Herb Chevre from Spinning Spider Creamery, one that our daughter Bec introduced us to. Along with an Asian pear, baguettes from Bec's work - City Bakery - we had lovely picnic fare to eat on our hike to the Three Waterfalls at Dupont State Forest, and the next day streamside while Steve flyfished along the Davidson River.

BON APPETIT Y'ALL

BOUCHON is a lovely little bistro on Lexington Ave. that certainly delighted our tastebuds.  We chatted with owner/chef Michel Baudouin while waiting for our table.  He grew up outside of Lyon, on a farm in the southern Rhone Valley.  How did he get to Asheville?  Via Dallas/Ft Worth, where he established two successful restaurants.  On a getaway several years ago, he and his wife fell in love with this area.  They moved, and started Bouchon, which is a colloquial expression for "bistro."  We loved their moules & frites, and there are several flavorings for the mussels.  The Salade du Grand Pere took me to back to France, with its lardons and walnuts. The wine selection was good, and the prices were very reasonable.  

But what I really loved was the Trout Almadine, a fillet covered with thinly sliced almonds, sauteed with butter and herbs. Yes, I know, that's a dish that's seen plenty of territory, but it was done just right, served with brussel sprouts and slivers of potatoes.  

Bon appetit y'all, Bouchon's menu declares.  I'll go back.

RECIPE - My version of TROUT WITH ALMONDS

This dish cooks quickly, so have all ingredients ready to go, as well as your side dishes that you'll be serving along with the trout.

Servings for four:

4 fillets rainbow trout - about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

2 to 3 Tablespoons butter & 2 to 3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds

2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs - lemon thyme, regular thyme, parsley or chives

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Wash trout and pat dry.  Mix flour, cornmeal and salt together on a plate.  Lay fillets in dry mixture on each side, knocking away coating until just a thin haze of the flour/cornmeal is left.

3.  In a large, ovenproof saute pan, (or use 2 pans), melt butter and add olive oil.  When hot enough to make a sizzle with water droplets, add trout, skin side up, and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn fillets over, and press almond slices into the flesh while cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes.  Sprinkle fresh herbs over the fillets, also.  

4.  Slide saute pans into oven to finish cooking, for about 3 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve immediately.  

GOT THE BLUES

THE BLUES

It's blueberry season, and boy, do I have the blues.....blue fingers, blue nails, blue towels.....blueberries do stain, but are they ever worth it.

My sister recently married the largest supplier of blueberry nursery stock in the world.  Dan Finch, of Finch Nursery, has had blueberry farms in Spain and Chile, as well as his test fields in Bailey, NC.  Last week, they invited the hubby and I down to go blueberry picking, which Steve had never done.  Amy and I ate about as many berries as we put in our baskets, but the guys quickly tired of picking them by hand.  Dan retrieved a tarp, and Steve shook.  They were rewarded with a bounty of berries - both beautiful, plump and ripe, along with the pink and green ones, twigs, leaves and other detritus.  Then the question was how to get rid of the unwanted.                                  

 Dan is also a premier potter.  His solution was turn on the huge fan in his pottery workshop, and allow the wind generated to blow the twigs and leaves out.  Didn't work real well, fellows!

We wound up handpicking through the berries the next day, all day, as a matter of fact.  But it was worth our efforts.  Eat a few, pick out some leaves, eat a few more.....

I froze gallons and gallons of berries.  First, I placed a layer of the clean berries on a large cookie sheet for at least an hour.  Then I placed them in freezer storage bags.  Done this way, they won't stick together in the freezer and you can then pull out as many as needed, say a cup or two for muffins or smoothies.  Frozen, they're great to just pop in your mouth!

We've had blueberry cobbler, blueberries on granola, blueberry lemon tart, and even tried a savory blueberry sauce with rosemary and thyme to serve with a pork tenderloin.  We all decided it needed some oomph....some hot peppers.  Next to re-try is a blueberry salsa which would  be dynamite paired with pork as well as chicken.

ABOUT NC BLUEBERRIES

Last year I tasted my way through Dan's test field, amazed at the difference in taste from one row to the next.  Some were sweeter, some more tart, some smaller, some darker when ripe.  

Most of NC's commercial crop are highbush varieties grown near the coast in boggy soil, ready about mid-May and harvested through the end of July.  Varieties in the western part of the state get ripe in August.  Wild varieties can be picked along the sunny ridges of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but be wary of bears who love this treat.

Growing blueberries for mass market in NC began in 1936 when a frustrated farmer from Cooperstown, NY bought a thousand acres in the southeastern corner of the state near Wilmington.   Because the land was considered worthless swamp, it went for a dollar an acre.  Blueberry bushes were brought down from the lowlands of New jersey, and just thrived in their new Southern boggy location.  Soon other newcomers and local farmers joined in, and trains were sent up North loaded with NC berries picked during early summer, which supplemented the later crop picked in New Jersey in August.

Now, with global transport, you just might find that some of those blueberries sold in grocery stores during the winter were more than likely grown in Chile from blueberry stock supplied by Finch Nursery in NC.  

TIPS FOR HANDLING BLUEBERRIES

- Refrigerate blueberries, covered

- Don't wash until you're ready to use.  Moisture causes them to mold.

- Use or freeze within 10 days

- To keep blueberries from streaking batter, stir blueberries, either fresh or still frozen, into the batter last.

- For pancakes or waffles, pour batter onto griddle, then add blueberries.  They'll look prettier, be more evenly distributed, and easier to flip.  

RECIPES

 In THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK, I've got a dynamite recipe for lemon curd, blueberry tart.  It's quite a pucker-producer, and extremely pretty.  Makes a terrific dessert to show off your culinary skills, but it's not THAT difficult.

Here's that Blueberry Salsa recipe I said I'd do again with pork, but it's good with grilled chicken, or to mix in with chicken salad:

1 cup blueberries, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno, to taste

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons lime juice

salt and freshly ground pepper pepper to taste

 

Stir all ingredients together and let sit for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Copyrighted, EFW 2008 

TRUE LOVE

Okay, so what does a scenic mountain view have to do with food and True Love?  Try this view with a tub of Sunset Valley Herbed Chevre from Spinning Spider Creamery in Marshall, NC, along with hummus from the Flying Frog Cafe in Asheville, slices from a pumpkin seed baguette from City Bakery, and a lovely bottle of blended reds from Languedoc that our daughter, Bec, chose to go along with the other treats, and you have the makings of one fine anniversary.  We celebrated our special day with a stay

 at the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We arrived after one helluva thunderstorm, and when the fog lifted, this is what we discovered out the back door.  After our lovely appetizers, we wound up getting lamb chops from the Inn's restaurant and brought them back to our balcony.  The view and ambiance were just too lovely to leave.

Spinning Spider Creamery produces marvelous goat cheeses, from crottins to fresh logs to aged, hard cheeses.  The "Sunset Valley" herb blend is their special blend they hope will become as well-known as Herbes de Provence.  The "Stackhouse", a square loaf with a white rind over a thin layer of organic apple wood ash, was voted the best in a Southern Foodways Alliance competition.  Spinning Spider is a great story, too, of a couple with 3 home-schooled sons who turn their passion into a good business.  I'll tell you about it next week, when I'll talk of other farmstead goat cheeses.

JUICY PEACHES 

The best way to eat a peach?  Standing at the kitchen sink so the juice can just run right down your chin and to your elbow.

Feel the soft peach fuzz.  Feel the cool, smooth silkiness of the flesh.  I love the imagery Frances Mayes evokes in her book, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, when she drops peaches into boiling water for just a moment, watches the rosy colors intensify, and then slides the skin off  "as easily as taking off a silk slip."

Grilled, or just plain sliced, over vanilla ice cream, has got to be the quintessential, best dessert of the summer.  I've also got a great fresh peach pie recipe with a gingersnap crust featured in my OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK.  Add to a bowl of cereal.  Peel or don't peel.  Make jam, ice cream, cobblers.  You can spend hours in the kitchen making them last past this dizzy, sensuous season of fresh peaches.  

Freestone or cling, there are so many varieties grown in the Sandhills, where farmers started planting many orchards in the 1950s as the famed golf courses were built and the retirees settled in.  Another great area is the Brushy Mountains, near Taylorsville.  Drive north from I-40 on HWY 16, and you'll find plenty of places to stop and pick your peaches. There are even peaches at the beaches, esp at Knotts Island, way north in Currituck Sound.  Take the ferry over from the mainland at Currituck, and join in the Peach Festival later this month.

As the sign warns, DO NOT SQUEEZE.  Sniff them, look for a peachy glow with less green on the skin.  At the market, they will feel hard, but allow them to sit on your countertop, away from direct sunlight, and they'll ripen.  Or, place them in a paper bag to hurry up the process.

Here's a recipe for an Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler that was given to me by my husband's Aunt Margaret.  The batter does a flip flop during the baking, and winds up covering up the fruit.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

OLD- FASHIONED PEACH COBBLER

For the batter:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

For the fruit topping:

2 1/2 cups sliced peaches (or combo of peaches & blueberries or blackberries)

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup fruit juice (I use orange juice: you might want to try peach or apricot nectar)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray or lightly butter one 10 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

2.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.

3.  Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in alternately with milk, and mix just until smooth.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

4.  Place fruit over batter, and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar.  Pour fruit juice over top.

5.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until top is browned.  

copyrighted 2008 in THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK

SUMMER EATS

Dad playing "Flip Cup".  He lost.

      scroll down for Grilled Soft Shells - recipe included

MOUNTAINS TO THE SEA

"Variety Vacationland" used to be NC's tag line, referring to its coast, mountains, and plenty of things to do in between.  That's one of the reasons we returned to our home state.  Three hours or less and we're digging our toes into the wet sand of the 

Atlantic.  Three hours the opposite way and we can be on a hiking trail or up a creek getting a fly wet. And the food varies a bit with the scenery, too!

I've endured a split personality this month, logging in time at both extremes.

ASHEVILLE  

Asheville is a beautiful metro area, located along the French Broad River, in a bowl beneath Pisgah, Cold Mountain and the Blue Ridge, with some very fine eating establishments.  We were up for our youngest daughter's graduation from UNC-A.  She chose her favorite, TWELVE BONES, to gather the fixin's for the big party we threw at her rental house.  Twelve Bones is owned by a Louisiana native, who makes the best ribs I've ever eaten.  I love the daily specials, and love the blueberry chipotle sauce for the ribs.  For her party, we got their tasty, smoky chopped barbecue, done Eastern-NC style, if you will, with a rub and vinegar base (no tomato sauce).   We all pigged out, but there was enough for leftover sandwiches for several meals.  A great party, by the way!

Twelve Bones is only open Mon through Fri at lunch.  Usually there's a long line wrapped around the no-bones cinderblock building down in the industrial river area, with pickups sharing the parking lot with Mercedes.  Eat in, or take plates outside under a large shelter.  They make marvelous cornbread, macaroni and cheese, collards and other veggie sides, and the price is right. 

Late in the evening, the hubby and I slipped away from the kids, kegs and 'cue for a quiet moment of celebration for getting three through college.  We sat outside the Market Place Cafe, what they call "BarOneHundred, where there are a few tables and a neat tasting menu.  All wines are $8 bucks for a short carafe, and there's a short menu of snacks, cheese, fish and pasta and desserts, of course.  It was perfect.  We watched the moon climb over the hills while munching on candied walnuts, pimento cheese, pickles and flatbread, then shared a nibble of grilled mountain trout.  A perfect ending to a perfect day.

SOFT SHELLS

I am crazy for crabs.  Love them.  Hard or soft, grilled or steamed, picked or not.  I prefer blue crabmeat over lobster.  There's so much more flavor, and, they're found in NC waters!

Crabs awake from their winter slumber, spent in the mucky bottom of the sounds, in early spring.  By the first full moon in May, they begin to molt, or peel their shells, for bigger coats.  In my  OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK,

you'll find an account of how the jimmies, or the males, are wooed by the females into their chambers, and after mating then protect the lady when she sheds by cradling her under their tummy.  How romantic, huh?  

"Feels like silk," said a big, strapping young man who picked up a crab that had just left its shell, while he was tending to some holding tanks on the waterfront at Wanchese.  I wanted to ask what silks he had felt to compare the crab to, but.....

So before we left Oriental, the sailing capital of NC, I had to nab some soft shells.  We had spent Memorial Day weekend with friends sailing the Neuse River on Lagniappe, their beautiful 37-footer, and exploring smaller creeks on their little motorboat, Jockomo.  Joe and Dede are New Orleans transplants - can you tell?  Joe is quite the cook, whipping up shrimp stuffed red peppers one night, shrimp  jambalaya another.  Loved it.

But before we left, we went over the bridge to Endurance Seafood, where we got the last of the day's soft shells.  Big, plump - they would have qualified as "hotels," they were just beautiful, having just shedded.  We grilled them with a lime butter sauce, and served them simply with more melted butter and lime.  I frequently use lime, rather than lemon, because I like its sweeter, more mellow flavor. 

Here's the recipe for grilled soft shells that appears in THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK.

Grilled Soft Shells with Creole Sauce

Hot and crunchy is how these soft shells come straight off the grill.  This is one of the easiest ways to prepare this seasonal treat, and allows the succulent texture and taste of the crabmeat to shine.

Simply serve 2 to 3 soft shells per person over a bed of lightly dressed greens.  We found using a perforated grill pan kept the crab legs from falling through the grates and breaking off.  If you prefer to leave out the hot sauce, it will still be delicious.

12 medium soft shells, cleaned

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco, or to taste

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.  Preheat grill.

2.  Pat cleaned soft shells dry, and lay them in a shallow dish.

3.  Over medium heat, melt butter.  Add garlic and stir for about one minute.  Remove from heat and add the hot sauce and lemon juice.   Stir to mix. 

4.  Brush the butter sauce over both sides of each soft shell, then dribble excess over the legs.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Allow soft shells to sit until the grill is ready, or about 10 minutes.

5. When grill is medium hot, place crabs evenly over grill without touching.  Close the lid and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness.  Turn the crabs over, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until crabs have gotten a bit crisp and golden brown.

YIELD:  4 to 6 servings.

CREOLE SAUCE

With just a bit of a kick, this sauce adds a sassy finishing touch to crabs, shrimp or grilled fish, and it couldn't be easier to make.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons drained capers, chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped chives

2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

1 generous tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

several grinds black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small serving bowl.  Taste for seasonings and adjust.

YIELD:  about 3/4 cup

copyright   THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK;  Recipes & Traditions from NC's Barrier Islands, Elizabeth Wiegand, Three Forks, 2008 

PRESERVING SANITY

STRAWBERRIES are everywhere, at farm stands along the busy roads leading into the metropolis, at farmers markets, in grocery stores, or at pick your own farms.  I'm pressed for time these days, so for me, it's pick and go at local roadside stands.

Strawberries are my absolute favorite berry.  This year, I am determined to put up, as we say here in the South, fresh berries so that I can enjoy remnants of their wonderful taste during the cold winter months.

I told you previously that I was going to try to make some strawberry preserves from Russ Parson's book, HOW TO PICK A PEACH.  Well, I did.  But the flat I bought was twice as many berries as he recommends doing at a time.  His theory is that smaller batches are easier to hit just right.  And I can tell you, he is correct.

I should have known better.  I write recipes, and I know there's a reason for recommended quantities!  Anyway, rather than cook just 2 cups of sweetened berries, I put 4 in the skillet.  And being my first batch of preserves I've made in several decades, without the watchful eye of my doting grandmother, I had a bit of trouble determining if they had cooked long enough.  I mean, I allowed the mixture to dribble from my spatula, and it didn't come off in a sheet as it's supposed to when it's ready.  But I was getting scared that it was cooking too much, because the time was twice as long as Parsons recommends.  The second batch, a bit smaller, thickened beautifully, and I ladled it into the prepared jars thinking this is more like it.  The last batch was not as juicy as the others, and I think it came out perfect.

I did "can" them, putting the jars of preserves in boiling water for 10 minutes, and making sure the top had "popped" and sealed.

The results?  Well, the taste is awesome. Dynamite fresh strawberry taste.  The consistency varies.  My first batch is very runny, but still good when dribbled on toast.  The second was thicker; the third thicker still with a consistency more like regular preserves, although as Parson says, this jam will not be stiff since it has no pectin.

A worthwhile adventure in the kitchen, I think, and I do plan on repeating it before strawberries disappear, for I only have a few jars left!  We usually don't have toast every morning, but lately, well, who can resist?

A Berry is a Berry or NOT?

These strawberries I've been rapping on are great.  But.  But they do not taste like strawberries of old.  They're larger, for the most part.  Most have a good taste, but they are not as sweet or as potent as I remember.  And I thought perhaps it's just because I'm getting old (I did have a birthday this weekend!), until I read an essay on Saveur.com that agreed with my assessment of today's modern crop.

The strawberry has suffered from the same constraints as other veggies and fruits.  They're being bred for transport, not flavor.  Even those bought locally and sold just down the road are the same plant variety as those harvested and sold hundreds of miles away.  The Saveur piece says that in 1920, over 1,300 varieties of strawberries existed.  Today, there are less than 100. 

Year-round strawberries are possible, but you have to sacrifice a bit for taste.  Sure, they're beautiful and red, plump and huge, but most times they just don't have that WOW factor in the taste department.  They're like the tomato - they need to ripen in the sun, in the field, not on a shelf.

In North Carolina, as along the rest of the East Coast, strawberries are native.  John Lawson, who explored the state during the early 1700s, wrote about coming upon a field in NC's mountains where native Indian maidens were frolicking with only strawberry juice covering their skin.  The berries were likely the wild F. vigininiana that grew thick enough to turn horses' hooves so red they looked like they were bleeding, the Saveur piece states.  This wild berry was crossed with one from our West to become the parent of all American strawberries.  

I'd like to encourage local farmers to try different cultivars, to get more of an "heirloom" berry available for those of us who can taste the difference.  Saveur says to look for a new winter  berry, Camarosa  from California which promises better flavor.  

FREEZING Next

So my plan is to freeze a couple of quarts of strawberries, both sliced and whole.  I've got a couple of recipes I want to check out, and will give you an update next time!

A FAVORITE RECIPE......adapted from The Silver Palate

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE TART

            Here are two sensuous flavor combinations.  Save the prettiest berries for this beautiful tart. 

One cooked 9-inch pie shell

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 quart (4 cups) whole, fresh strawberries, hulled and large ones halved, rinsed and dried

2 Tablespoons strawberry or red currant jelly

1 teaspoon water

Garnish:  confectioners’ sugar, sifted, sprigs of lemon verbena or mint

 

1. In the microwave, or in a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring frequently. When thoroughly melted and mixed, stir in cream and beat with spoon until combined. 
2. Spread mixture into the cooked tart shell. 
3. Immediately place berries, bottoms up, starting in the center, in a patterned circle covering the tart. 
4. Melt jelly and water together in the microwave, stir, then brush the tops of each strawberry with that mixture so that berries will glisten. 
5. Serve within two hours, or refrigerate for up to six hours, allowing tart to warm to room temp before serving so that chocolate layer can be sliced.  Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top of each slice, and place a green sprig on top. 

YIELD:  8 servings

CRABS ARE BACK!

BLUE CRABS WAKE UP!

A TERRIFIC BEACH WEEKEND IN APRIL

Crabs are back!  The Carolina Blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, which literally means beautiful or savory swimmer, spends the winter sleeping in the mucky muck at the bottom of our sounds and bays.

When the water begins to warm, the crabs emerge, and feeling rather randy, want to begin to mate, feed, and if we're lucky, make their way into crab pots and onto our plates!  Busters, chandlers' wives and jimmies are nicknames given crabs when wooing and shedding. When soft shells come in at the first full moon in May,  I'll tell their story.  

Ray Hautsch, of B & J Seafood in New Bern, is one of those seafood vendors that this cook just loves.  "Whatcha got that's fresh?" I ask. Remembering what I like, his  face brightens, he talks about what's coming in and where it's from, then disappears into the back, where you hear him scaling and cleaning and calling out ideas for ways to cook his fresh treasures.

This weekend, he had a big, beautiful rockfish, or striper, on ice that had been caught upriver.  Stripers spend the winters in the ocean, then come into the estuaries and rivers, and this is amazing to me, where they were born, in order to spawn themselves.  The hubby and I were staying for a few nights at his family's beach condo, where we saw another party grilling (hamburgers, at the beach?). When they were done with the grill, Steve rushed down to place our beautiful fillets over the remaining coals.  Not having any fresh herbs on hand, we just used a seasoning salt on it.  What a delightful feast.  The fish was firm but moist, with a delightful mild but definite fish taste.  

But what really delighted me were the live crabs Ray cleaned for us.  Bright blue claws!  Ray introduced me to a totally different way of preparing crabs, one that I did not run into while researching  THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK.  You place cleaned crabs upside down on a baking sheet, put butter in the cavity, and a ton of garlic, then sprinkle loads of freshly cracked pepper over it all. Cover with foil, then place in a 300 degree preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.  Look at the above "after" photo, and you can imagine the sensuous delight we had "picking" those crabs.  I was glad for the fresh asparagus that we could just pick up, too, for it was a definite "finger food" meal, lasting for hours and many glasses of wine picking through at least 3 crabs each.

Another evening was spent with the flounder Ray had "pocketed" for the lump crabmeat he placed in our ice chest, which also made a super omelette the next morning.

B&J Seafood is located right on HWY 70, on the right near the airport turnoff and past the bridges if you're headed TO the coast.  Tell them I sent you.