Thu
Apr 10
2008
Strawberry Preserves with Black Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar
I can’t find my first sentence. Do you know where it went? I had it wrapped around my brain when I rolled out of bed this morning, but staring at the computer now, I can’t remember what it was. I had been dreaming about Top Chef again and Gordon Ramsey was the judge and Nancy Silverton had replaced Padma. We were getting ready to start the Quick Fire Challenge when G-Ram said…what?! Argh!
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Mon
Oct 8
2007
Fresh Spiced Fig Jam on Buttermilk Biscuits
It’s easy to get a little detached from the seasons when you live in Los Angeles. Here, we slip, almost seamlessly from warm and sunny summer days into equally warm and sunny autumn days. The only difference tends to be the light, appearing through the window more slanted at first then fading earlier each evening. The farmer’s market overflows with end-of-season strawberries and melons and figs. Lots and lots of figs.
While this ancient fruit is generally available from June through October, it’s the plump, late-season figs, sweet and earthy, that I love best. There are hundreds of varieties of figs like the pale green-skinned Adriatic figs, with their snowy white flesh, the green Turkish Smyrna figs or the harder-to-find Magnolia’s with their tawny skin and pink flesh. Continue reading »
