i’m just keeping up with deadlines & working away, but if you get a chance, this saturday you can check out delab’s john chase’s west hollywood. i’ll be at the LA food swap on sunday, trading nasturtium capers and nasturtium pesto.
last week, the first cherries appeared at the farmer’s market. the ones i found ranged in color from a bright cranberry to a deep wine color, so i thought they might be a bit tart, but these were all sweet and delicious. normally, i love to eat them raw, so the challenge for me is setting some aside for my LAist recipe [seasonal eats: cherry season is upon us!]. cherry recipes are almost always desserts, so rather than fight it, this time i decided to experiment with adapting a dessert to be low-carb, low-sugar and gluten-free [an unintentional benefit].
i read a few suggestions about roasting cherries, which sounded interesting because the stones are supposed to impart an almond-extract flavor [perhaps this is why maraschino cherries taste like almond extract to me]. i’d also tried out blending cottage cheese smooth with a bit of milk and found it to be a really tasty dessert alternative, so i thought i’d bring the best of 3 worlds together: a coconut almond meal crust, roasted cherry filling, and whipped cottage cheese on top.
recipes suggest to roast cherries about 30 minutes at 325, in anything from just oil to a mix of sauces. i found that mine all boiled away, but if you wanted to reserve the sauce, roasting covered would be a good idea. i decided to live dangerously and wing it, adding canola oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine and vanilla extract. i roasted 42 cherries to cover the bottom of a shallow 8″ pan, but once it was done, i could see more would have been fine. also, a deeper pan would allow for more fruit.
you might think cherries split and wilt with roasting, but very few of them did. they are a lot easier to separate from their stones after a roasting, so work with a knife and fork. if you want to be neat about it, you can cut them in half and scrape away the cherry from the stone and get perfect halves, or do like i did, mash the cherry with the fork, and then use the knife to separate the stone from wherever it is still attached.
for the pie crust, i used equal parts almond meal and shredded coconut, mashing and mixing together with coconut oil and an egg white. i prefer coconut oil because it solidifies around room temperature, so i could hand-form the crust in the pan and then chill until baking time. this crust bakes up quickly, 15 minutes at 325. if you time it right, you can get the cherries going, then stick the crust in the oven, and everything will be ready to assemble at once.
for the whipped cottage cheese, put 2 cups cottage cheese in the blender with 1 tb vanilla extract and 1 tb honey [or more, if you’re so inclined]. blend until smooth, scraping down the sides and mixing with a spoon and a splash of milk if it’s too thick to continue. if you choose to do this ahead of time, chill it so it thickens. if not, pour it over your cherry-filled crust, and chill to set. i found mine was a bit thinner than anticipated, but some time in the fridge will thicken it up.
and there you have it! this cheesecake is not for everyone. some of the more sugar-inclined out there won’t like it much, but i find it to be a fun treat. also, after a few days, some of the cherry juice settles into the crust, which is quite delicious. ultimately, i think using mixed fruits is a great idea for this setup, roasted or raw, throw them in and enjoy!
roasted cherry cottage-cheesecake
cherries:
42 cherries
1 tb canola oil
1 tb vanilla extract
1 tb balsamic vinegar
1 tb red wine
– tossed in a pan, coated & roasted at 325 for 30 min
crust:
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tb coconut oil or butter
1 egg white
– mash together & press into pie tin
– bake 325 15 minutes
cottage cheese:
2 cups cottage cheese
2 tbs milk, as needed
1 tb vanilla extract
1 tb honey
blend until smooth, chill
assemble! eat!
it’s another week of laying low, beating back deadlines, and letting the yoga soak into my bones. this week, i’m adding the lucretia-avalon stairs to get between my house and the studio, which affords a lovely nasturtium-covered hillside walk and about 150ft elevation gain.
sunday, may 15 7pm taylor eigsti at catalina jazz club, featuring becca stevens come hear taylor and becca, who are in town for one night at catalina’s!
if you’ve got your how magazine‘s design & creativity issue for may 2011, check out ilise benun’s piece, “making the move,” on how to transition to freelance for advice from myself, alisa bonsignore, lydia varesco racoma and kristin maija peterson. i’ve been talking a lot about how i started planning for my transition and then put it into high action during an unexpected layoff. 3.5 years later, i’m still going strong and only getting better. if anyone has questions about what they should know or what to be aware of, i’m always happy to help.
i’ve been reading how for about 15 years, and i’ve met so many great people through it, it’s a true honor to be able to contribute to it and be included in helping other designers learn different aspects of our industry.
for more on the transition to freelance, check these links below:
Ready to Conquer the World? by Ilise Benun for creative freelancer blog
Take 6 Steps Toward a Successful Freelance Career by Ilise Benun for HOW
In House Interpersonal: Walking out of the house from the InHOWse designer blog
Interview with Heather Parlato on Freelancing, podcast with Ilise Benun
Freelancing 103: When to Make the Leap to F/T Freelancing by Ilise Benun
Freelancing 102: Balancing Two Jobs by Ilise Benun
Freelancing 101: How to Begin Getting Clients by Ilise Benun
Loose Leaf – Edition One from Manual on Vimeo.
more good news for the print’s not dead files, two new publications have emerged this spring worthy of note. eureka magazine, profiled on iso50 is a fresh, clean & colorful approach to scientific matter, while codex is dedicated to typography.
we’re ramping up for the creative freelancer conference in june. i talk about what a good pep talk does for me while longtime HOW magazine editor, bryn mooth, talks about joining us in her transition to freelance. dang, we’re in good company.
i spent the weekend with students at AIGA LA’s student portfolio day, and met some really nice people and promising designers. here’s one for you guys: 50 things every graphic design student should know.
and one for back to basics / back to awesome, if you’re not asking these questions, or questions like them on every design project, it’s time to start: 5 questions every designer should ask their clients.
this week in food, we’re all about fresh fava beans over at LAist, seasonal eats: get fava beans while they’re fresh! and look at this nasturtium love over at hot knives!
finally, in semi-food & semi-hollywood news, cahuenga alley adjacent to where the hollywood farmer’s market sets up has been approved for a makeover?! that would be incredible!
without great culturally italian elders in my family, i missed out on fava beans growing up. recipes for fava beans can be confusing, because they usually don’t specify which to use, and the beans are very different when fresh vs. dried, so my first experience with shelling cooked dried favas left me utterly confused. this week i went looking for something interesting for seasonal eats, and just before i fell back on a staple like radishes, i noticed a few sellers with fava beans and decided to conquer this curiosity. turns out, other than taking a little time, they’re really easy to work with raw, and as i’ve learned, some of the best beans using dried favas call for them pureed without shelling. alright then!
while there are some recipes where you can use the beans in the shells, pods & all, such as grilling, usually you’ll be cracking one end of the pod, pulling it apart along the seam, and popping out the fava beans. the shells are fixed to the beans at this point, but a quick parboil will separate them, so you can pinch one end with your fingernail, squeeze the other and pop out the bean. at this point, if you want to eat them raw, they have a fresh, nutty flavor and would go great in a bean salad or with a light dressing.
i decided to use as many spring flavors as i have in the house while keeping with italian flavors, and modified a fava bean & fennel saute to be vegetarian. the original recipe called for pancetta, which would be a great addition, as would sausage or bacon, or even a smaller quantity of anchovies.
fresh fava & fennel saute
3 lbs fava beans, shelled
3 tb olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 fresh fennel bulb, sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds
1.5 cups vegetable broth, heated to a simmer
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste, finishing salt to serve
saute onion and fennel in a large pan on med-high, 5 minutes. add fava beans and fennel seeds and toss to mix thoroughly. add vegetable broth and simmer 10 minutes.
turn off the heat, add lemon juice and half the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. to serve, garnish with remaining lemon zest and finishing salt of your choice. serves 4.
i’m taking the week off events to focus on adding daily yoga into my routine. when i looked around for a yoga studio to commit to, i was thrilled to find we have a new one right around the corner, yogala with a great variety of classes. in keeping with the spirit of mother’s day this sunday, here’s a photo of my newest first cousin once removed, noah parlato, who is enjoying a nap at 1 month old. have a great week & happy mother’s day!
with the coming of spring, strawberries have started to appear at farmer’s markets, and they’re finally looking ripe enough to buy. i bought my first 3-pack this weekend with the intention of making another batch of strawberry liqueur, based on this recipe.
normally i’m an all-fruit-in kind of person, but when making infusions, i try to remove any green parts from fruit so it doesn’t affect the flavor. when preparing strawberries for a maceration infusion, half them lengthwise, and then use a pointed knife to cut a small trangle around the stem to remove it.
to maximize surface area and penetrability, cut the halves lengthwise again, and cross cut the quarters into thin slices. much of the fruit will dissolve into a heavenly strawberry syrup, releasing both flavor and sugar in the process. for this reason, there is no need to add sugar to a strawberry liqueur, the alcohol works with the fruit to give you a finished product in just a few days.
i took this right after i poured in the vodka, but over the next couple days, swirling the infusion should reveal a deep pink tint to the liquid. after 2-3 days, the fruit will be soft, at which point it’s time to strain off the vodka and wrap the pulp in cheese cloth to squeeze out the syrup. then just bottle it up and enjoy! i like this liqueur over soda and ice with a twist of lemon, lime, orange—whatever’s in season.
strawberry liqueur
1 3-pack of mini-crates of strawberries
2 liter bottles vodka
1 lemon
2 half-gallon, wide-mouth jars
cut strawberries in half lengthwise, pare out the stem at the top, then quarter lengthwise again and cross-cut into small pieces for maximum surface area. distribute cut strawberries evenly between the 2 jars.
zest the lemon, mince the zest, and sprinkle equal amounts into each jar. toss strawberries and zest to mix evenly. roll the lemon on the counter to break some of the inner membranes holding juice, then slice the lemon as thinly as possible, and put equal amounts in each jar.
pour one bottle of vodka into each jar, swirl to mix, cap and store in the pantry 48 – 36 hours, swirling periodically to mix. test the fruit with a spoon, when it is soft, strain off the vodka and collect the strawberry pulp in cheesecloth and squeeze (twisting the top against the fruit helps) to extract all the macerated strawberry syrup. bottle and store up to 1 year.
after a week of admin mondays, i’m jumping back in with lots to do. if you’re a student and you’re going to student portfolio day, i’d be happy to review your work!
saturday, april 30, 10am – 5pm AIGA LA student portfolio day $15 registration fee, includes lunch.
tuesday, april 26, 7 – 10pm AIGA LA studio tour: level LA $10 AIGA members / $20 non-members.
thursday, april 28, 7 – 9pm command cxv: cut, copy, paste FREE!
thursday, april 28, 7 – 9pm ideo’s fred dust presents: designed to scale FREE with rsvp.
parlato design studio 