Blueberry Not-Pancakes

Improvising in the kitchen is good, so long as you are willing to eat the results. Today? Salvaged, but just barely.
It all began when a neighbor borrowed a ladder, which was really our other neighbor's, who didn't mind. Being that sort of community, the borrower gave us a bag of organic blueberries fresh from the farmers market, and we took them next door to give the ladder owner first dibs. Later that evening we enjoyed two bowls of fresh blueberry crumble, and sent some scoops of vanilla ice cream back with the rest of the pan. Following so far?

The crumble was pie-like, and delicious; and it put the idea of baking blueberries into something coffee-cake-ish into my mind.  But I had only saved about a cup from the bagful. So I modified my plan to pancakes. But I hadn't tried making gluten-free pancakes for some time, so I rose early today and asked the internet to teach me what to change from a standard recipe.  A bewilderingly wide range of answers popped up, some as simple as 'buy a bag of gluten-free pancake mix' and some too complex to fit on one page.  So I got the general gist - a fairly standard ratio of egg, milk/liquid, and dry ingredients. And off I went to see what my cupboards held. Kindly bear in mind here that my gluten-free waffles are a smash hit even with wanton wheat-eaters, and they are the result of simple tinkering.

But the combination (I won't tell - you should not attempt to replicate it) did not behave as I hoped. After adjusting here and there, I heated the iron skillet and drop a couple ladlefuls in. Nice flavor, good browning, reasonably light and fluffy on the outer edges - but mushy in the middles. Repeats confirmed that technique was not to blame. What to make of the woeful bowlful of batter, then? Coffee cake!

With a little orange zest, a drizzle of agave syrup, and the berries stirred in, the whole messed plopped goopily into a buttered baking dish. Then a bit of lemon curd was swirled in/over it, and a bit of turbinado sugar to caramelize the top.  I pulled it out and tested with toothpicks twice. Both times it seemed done; but the first time I disbelieved the results, remembering how difficult it was to cook the griddle cakes through. The second time the edges were too brown to leave in any longer; so even if it wasn't done, it was done.

Indeed, the outer inch all the way around came out perfectly. The middle? May get cooked on its own, one last time - or it may be time to throw in the tea towel.

Black bean-corn-red pepper Salad

Memorial day means cook-out season; and that means black bean-corn-red pepper salad. It travels well to barbeques or picnics, looks colorful, tastes great, and isn't likely to spoil out in the sun (unlike salads with mayo or milk-based dressings). Leftovers keep well, too.

Ingredients:

• Black beans (one can, drained)*
• Corn off the cob**
• Smallish chunks of one sweet red pepper
• Balsamic vinegar
• A splash of lime or orange juice
• Salt, cumin or other spices, to taste.

*Dried beans, soaked and cooked, can also be used. In the summer, it is especially fun to prepare them with solar cooking.
** To extend my seasonal eating, I cut fresh corn off the cob at the height of summer and freeze it. Then I can make this recipe whenever the red peppers are ready, ahead of or after our local sweet corn.

Quick Prep:

• Place the beans in a bowl and toss with some balsamic vinegar and the seasonings. Allow them to marinate while you take care of other chores.
• Add a layer of fresh or frozen corn to the bowl.
• Add the red pepper chunks as the top layer.
• Just before serving, toss together.

I usually serve this salad as a side dish next to the rest of the meal on the plate. But for snacking at home, I will sometimes put a serving into a bowl and eat it with tortilla chips as my fork.

Rapture on a Plate

Gluten-free Rapture

All this talk of the rapture got me jones-ing for the lovely confection Flourchylde bakery makes and sells at the farmers market in San Carlos.

Fortunately, Hot Harvest Nights started its season earlier this month. My personal-size cake didn't make it until midnight tonight - but it's the 21st on the East Coast, already. So let the Rapture begin!
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Faithful to Fannie

"Fannie Farmer's Last Supper" documents the efforts of America's Test Kitchen to reproduce a Victorian Boston dinner feast, using recipes from the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, published in 1896..Whether you are a foodie, a social historian, or a steampunk, the hour's exploration of what cooking in the era was like will fascinate you.

The show's staff, with the help of numerous chefs, used the same labor-intensive methods and kitchen equipment as home cooks in the late 1800's. Authenticity demanded going so far as to construct a coal-fired stove.  After more than a year of testing recipes, finding or reproducing the needed tools, and acquiring antique place settings, the crew hosted a magnificent supper worthy of an upper crust Boston home in the Golden Age.

The photos, commentary and sumptuous meal made me want to learn more about food and its preparation in that era. I'd especially love to see the original Cook Book, for its language as much as its ingredient lists. And if any steampunk authors are planning to set a story within the Boston Cooking-School, I'll pre-order now. My appetite's been well whetted.

Kapi'olani Farmers Market

Locally aqua-farmed abalone

Every farmers market reflects the geography, climate, soil, and culture of its home community. So what you find at each one varies, making visiting the local market while traveling a great way to get a glimpse into the area that a casual tourist might not see.

My two main revelations from the Kapi'olani Farmers Market on Oahu were the fresh abalone and the tropical flowers for sale. Just can't find those in Seattle, or even the more Mediterranean SF Bay Area. The early hours for the market - 7:30am to 11am Saturdays - also reflect the reality of Hawaii's sunny, humid climate. For this market, bringing a cooler ready to store the morning's finds is highly recommended.

Haleiwa Eats

Wild-caught Hawaiian blue marlin

The town of Haleiwa, on the north shore of Oahu, offers lovely beaches for surfing, swimming, or watching the legendary Pipe Masters competition. For a view that's matched in quality by its food, Haleiwa Joe's restaurant ranks at the top of the local choices for dining.

A particular treat the night we visited was finding wild-caught, Hawaiian blue marlin on the menu. While most marlin makes the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch list with an "avoid" rating, this one type is listed as a "good alternative." As if that weren't enough, it goes beautifully with garlic mashed potatoes and an avocado sauce.

Dry-farmed Taro

On the flight to Oahu, we read an article in Hana Hou! magazine about Jerry Konanui, an expert in the cultivation of kalo (Hawaiian, for taro).  It was fascinating, and put my eyes on alert for the sight of taro growing. Sure enough, we spotted the large leaves all sorts of places, from marshy paddies by the sides of roads to a water feature in the Ala Moana mall in downtown Honolulu. Not until we visited the Lyon Arboretum in the Manoa Valley, however, did we spot taro being dry farmed.

Dry-farmed taro at Lyon Arboretum

Like most mainlanders, poi does not appeal to my palate; but I have enjoyed taro prepared all sorts of other ways (taro cakes at dim sum, and as the vessel in Buddhist Yam Pot, for instance).  So it was a pleasure to see in person the plant that fills my plate.