One of the great things about late summer and early autumn in my foodie world is figs. I get giddy for those figgies! And, to make them last longer, I often make jam out of figs, which can be used for both sweet or savory things, added to stews or even stir fries, but don’t count out making Fig Newtons! This year, I’ve made two sorts: Cardamom Fig and Orange Fig. Distinctly different but equally lovely.
Something a little different on the site today: Popcorn! I am actually a huge fan of popcorn and particularly the whole sweet and salty of kettle corn. I decided to make this type maple-based and OMG is it good. Really easy to double (or even triple!) If you are making it for a crowd. Best fresh, but will hold up to about a week and still be very yummy! Give it a try.
Amother bit of bounty from my weekend in Maine: Chanterelle, Gruyère and Thyme Tart with mushrooms that I foraged in the woods myself. Let me start with this disclaimer: If you do not know your wild mushrooms, please don’t go foraging; just buy them in the shops. Even if you know your mushrooms, please be exceptionally careful. I have been “mushroom hunting” with my father since I was a toddler and even I prefer to have a second set of eyes on them.
All that said, this is an absolutely delicious tart and very simple to make. In theory, you could also use straight up crimini from the shops, but the chanterelles have a lovely peppery bite to them. Lunch to wrap up the week.
Today, we’re back to experimenting with some unconventional flavors in the cookie department. Who would have thought to combine pine nuts, rosemary and black pepper into a sweet shortbread cookie? Turns out, it’s an awesome combination. I’m not sure if I think that these would go better with sweet such as tea or savory such as wine and cheese. Either way, they do taste good, even if you end up thinking “Hmmm, what’s that flavor?”.
Here’s another recipe to add to the “goes great with beer or wine”: Spicy Cheddar and Sea Salt Crackers. Lots of kick with the jalapenoes and chili powder to boot. I used a very shart cheddar, so they are crazy flavorful. Sure, I made them all cute and pretty by using a flower cookie cutter, but a recular circle or square (or even just cutting irregular pieces with a pizza cutter would work.