Thanksgiving

David did a great story on our Thanksgiving meal!

Persimmon Pudding - Keeper Recipe!

The NY Times recently published an article on recipes that evoke each of the states. Indiana's recipe was persimmon pudding, and in a happy coincidence, my neighbor had given us some persimmons from his tree.

You puree the persimmons and then mix the wet ingredients together. Add in the dry ingredients and bake (be sure freshly grate your nutmeg). This recipe is a keeper! Really moist, perhaps a little dense. But I would definitely make it again! I think not using the souffle dish would make it better.

The Misunderstood Medlar

I was recently introduced to an uncommon fruit, the medlar, by a co-worker who had joined the Seattle Fruit Tree Society. One of the members gave her a few medlars and I was lucky enough to get one to taste. The medlar must be bletted (or seriously rippened) before eaten. The soften fruit tastes like a cross between apple butter and lemon. In the MIddle Ages, the fruits were packed in straw in barns, and allowed to ripen making them one of the few fruits available during the winter.

There are numerous literary references to this fruit, including Chaucer, Shakespeare and others. In the 16th and 17th centuries, medlars were bawdily called "open-arses" because of the shape of the fruits, inspiring boisterous or humorously indecent puns in many Elizabethan and Jacobean plays. The French refer to them as "cul de chien" (dog butt).

We just had the one fruit to sample but if you do find a tree in your area, there are many things you can make with them, from pie, to jelly to 'cheese'.

But I think one of the best things about the medlar is it's potential as an insult. You can call someone a medlar and they won't know you are calling them a dog's butt!

Frog's eye salad and pig pickin' cake?

In a follow up to their article on recipes that evoke each of the 50 states (and D.C. and Puerto Rico), the NY Times followed with the most googled recipes in every state. Let the cooking begin and Happy Thanksgiving!

The Thanksgiving Recipes Googled in Every State

Thanksgiving fun!

Here's a great list of Thanksgiving dishes from across the United States!

Now all I need to do is find some paw paws!

Seriously, I have had my eye on the St. Louis gooey cake for a while so I'm looking forward to making that. Plus, my neighbor gave us some Fuyu persimmons from his tree and I can make the persimmon pudding!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Blueberries in October?

We had an extended summer season at the farmers market where tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and blackberries and blueberries were available in October. Although not as good as peak of season blueberries, who can resist? And then you get them home and it's, "Oh, now what do I do with them?"

One of my favorite food blogs is Smitten Kitchen. I love Deb's story telling and her recipes are always approachable. So, I turned to one of my favorites, blueberry crumb bars.

Blueberries

Use a parchment paper sling to lift out easily.

Ready to eat!

Recreating a restaurant favorite

When I travel to Milwaukee for press checks, we often like to eat at Blues Egg. It's mostly a breakfast place and one of my favorites is a baked ramekin of poached eggs, roasted mushrooms, braised kale and sauce fonduta.

Previously, one night we made a meal of polenta with one of the last cobs of corn from the farmers market.  It was the base for a pork chop, carrots and arugula.

I'm not sure where we got the idea of adding fresh corn to polenta, but here is a recipe that you could use.

The left over polenta got me thinking about the Blues Egg dish, but we didn't have mushrooms or Fontina cheese, so it was innovation time! I buttered the ramekins and placed polenta on the bottom, sauteed the kale with leeks and made a basic cheese sauce with some cheddar cheese. Poached eggs went on top. A little adaptation is a great way to use miscellaneous items in the 'frig. The end result, tasty, and a comforting morning dish that could do lunch or dinner duty.

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