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!
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.
when we first moved to our current place, none of my neighbors had plants outside, and all the landscaping was meticulously cut into round topiary shapes, so closely that flowering plants no longer flowered, and the 2 loquat trees bordering my patio no longer bore fruit. finally, one day, one of my neighbors said “um, hey, quit cutting the trees!” and after 3 years of rehabilitation, we have full loads of loquats ripening on 2 trees. this is going to easily double what we can eat off the land here in springtime.
i grew up with a loquat tree, so i am totally thrilled about this. while i agree with most assertions that eating them fresh while standing in the yard is the best way to enjoy them, anyone who has these trees knows there’s only so much you can do of that, as the yield is too copious to keep up with. i’ve been looking for all the things i can do with them for LAist and came up with some pretty great projects, including loquat wine, loquat-infused brandy, and homemade italian loquat seed liquor. in the meantime, i just tried the very first firm fruits, and found they were already quite sweet, so i got to work picking what i could, and put up a jar in the freezer.
to prepare loquats for use, start by slicing around the fruit lengthwise. i like to start at the flower-bud end, because it’s often hard to slice, but easier to cut out afterwards. roll your knife around the fruit, meeting the starting cut, and twist the 2 halves apart as you might with an apricot or peach.
once halved, you can simply pinch the seed membrane in the empty half with your fingernails, and peel it out [this isn’t critical, as the membrane is both harmless and edible]. then pop out the seeds from the other half, peel out the other membrane and then chop as needed. there are all kinds of recipes asking for blanching and peeling, which i find entirely pointless. in general, i think peeling fruits and veggies when the peel is inconsequential to the texture is a total waste of time, and only contributes to food waste. and pettiness! there, i said it.
oh—and if you ever wondered what the relation is to kumquats? it’s in name only. they both have names deriving from their old cantonese names, so they sound the same while being totally unrelated. there ya go!
after researching a few chutnies, i altered a recipe i liked and will be making a good quantity of it for the next LA food swap, among other things. it’s delicious, with a satisfying ginger-mustard spice. then, it’s down to the home brew supply to see about this loquat wine idea.
Loquat Ginger Chutney
1 TB canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp curry powder
10 loquats, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs fresh ginger root, minced
1 fresh serrano pepper, minced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, and garlic and sauté until tender. Add the cumin, mustard, and curry powder, sauté another minute.
Add the loquats and toss to mix through, 1 minute. Add the vinegar, serrano pepper, ginger and salt, and simmer on medium heat about 30 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce.
Store in a jar in the refrigerator, or let cool for use in your next meal.
CicLAvia 04.10.11 from Nicholas Dahmann on Vimeo.
an estimated 100,000 people came out for cicLAvia this past sunday, were you there? check out LA streetsblog’s 5 cicLAvia stories you shouldn’t miss.
i love it when 2 worlds i adore collide. brand session assigned a different pantone chip to each varietal of wine and used it all over the packaging. see the whole profile on thedieline.com
one part great sustainability idea, one part diy, why not cut the top flap of your greeting cards away from the personalized back flap and reuse them as postcards? thanks, greenlagirl!
if you find yourself in need of meditation but not sure where to start, get on this 30-minute method from utne reader.
a few tools circulating like wildfire around the web this week include what font, a droplet that will allow you to identify fonts on the web, and print magazine’s how to proofread like a pro, because everyone needs to do it, but nobody really thinks they can.
in other news, one day for design is an online open forum to discuss the future of design, and it’s happening all day TODAY!
as we move into spring, more fresh fare appears in the markets. seasonal eats: fare from the ancients with asparagus! because maybe you didn’t know, but we’ve been eating it as long as recorded history.
it’s also the season to throw all kinds of things in salads. i love this round-up from the kitchn: chicken, tuna, pasta: 15 fresh, filling lunch salads.
Blödes Orchester from white tube on Vimeo.
this appliance orchestra is cracking me up!
how’s this for an awesome diy project, combining custom typography with [hopefully] a love of salvaged signs. hey, if you can’t find any, make them! check the whole how-to at design sponge.
what a cool, fun, retro, stampy, hand-made looking label for broken trail sauces. check the whole profile at the dieline and be sure to read all the great copy in the details.
it may be a bit too late for this year, but if you found yourself battling your past of disorganized paperwork when preparing taxes [or you’re about to], take that frustration and do something about it for next year: biz ladies: taxes made easy
a wave of design award submission deadlines just passed, but the under consideration people just announced a new one the FPO awards, calling for entries now!
for the ladies everywhere who are looking for the women in this industry, women of design was reviewed in the designer’s review of books and it looks like an awesome collection of who’s ever been who on the fairer sided of design.
if you’re looking for great LA design events this week & next, look no further than my round-up for LAist: LA design events, april 2011 preview!
cicLAvia is this weekend! make sure your bikes are tuned up & ready to go, and hit the streets this sunday!
it’s the season of flowers, including those that eat like a meal. if you’re looking for endless great artichoke ideas, i’ve collected the best i could find for LAist: seasonal eats: have flowers for dinner with artichokes!
this past sunday, i picked up a big bag of baby artichokes for marinating, and researching this week’s seasonal eats for LAist. my favorite seller for tender organically-grown baby artichokes, tutti frutti farms, has just started carrying them this past month. i was all set to do a traditional marinade when i read about grilled artichokes, and wondered, can’t we grill them first and then marinate them for a toasty, smoky flavor? why not!
when you prepare baby artichokes, nearly all recipes will require that you trim them. the photo above shows the 3 stages of trimming, where the 2 on the left are un-trimmed baby artichokes. first you pull out the tougher outer leaves, and finally trim the tops of the remaining leaves and shave down the stem into a cone, so as not to cut away much of the heart. as you work, drop the trimmed artichokes into acidulated water to prevent discoloration, which can be made by adding lemon juice or citric acid to a bowl of water.
while reading up on artichokes, i was interested to find that artichokes are the highest known anti-oxidant vegetable, and that many cultures have made parts of the plant into tea for liver health. sure enough, the leaves are a great source for tea-brewing, so i saved all my outer leaves in the trimming process, boiled up some water and steeped a whole pot of them. i can safely say i have more artichoke tea than i know what to do with, but it sweetens up nicely with a bit of honey, so i guess i’ll drink some every day.
following the cue from another recipe, i cooked the chokes 8 minutes in boiling water, dunked into cold water, sliced in half lengthwise, drizzled with olive oil, and set over a heated grill sprinkled with mesquite chips. the pre-cooking helps infuse the flower heads with water, so they won’t char quickly, but watch them and check frequently, since they’re small. as they become toasty brown, turn over and grill the outer side.
on the stove, boil 1 cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar, juice of 1 lemon, and 1 cup water in a saucepan. once the mix reaches a boil, drop in 20 peppercorns to steep. once the artichokes are grilled, you’re ready to pack them up. i chose to add 1 chopped preserved lemon for extra flavor, along with 2 sprigs marjoram and a few small sprigs thyme for each jar.
place some chopped preserved lemon in the bottom of each jar, and work in layers, adding 4 grilled artichoke halves, a sprig of thyme, and more preserved lemon until you’ve packed all the artichokes. halfway through, slide the sprigs of marjoram into the outer edge of the jars so they stand vertically as you pack the jars.
once you’ve packed all the grilled artichokes, pour equal amounts of the boiled mixture into each jar, topping off with water to cover. let jars come to room temperature, then store in the fridge.
Marinated Grilled Artichokes
24 tender baby artichokes
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 minced preserved lemon, or zest of both fresh lemons
4 sprigs marjoram or oregano
6 small sprigs thyme
20 black peppercorns
olive oil & salt for cooking & packing
If you’re grilling with charcoal, start the coals and soak mesquite chips if you have them. If you’re cooking with gas, heat the grill a few minutes ahead of when the artichokes are done, below.
Trim the baby artichokes by pulling off tougher outer leaves, cutting off tops, and paring down stems to a point. As you work, drop each into a bowl of acidulated water to prevent discoloration, made by adding the juice of 1 lemon to the bowl.
Heat a pot of water to a boil and drop the artichokes in, cooking for 8 minutes, to saturate with water and soften. Remove from heat and return to acidulated water bath to cool down. Drain, cut the artichokes in half lengthwise, dump the acidulated water, return to the bowl and drizzle with olive oil for grilling.
If you’re using coal, sprinkle soaked mesquite chips over the hot coals just before grilling. Start by grilling the artichokes cut-side-down to cook the hearts through. Check frequently, and turn when they show a toasty-brown color. Grill the outsides to a toasty brown for color and flavor. As the artichokes cook, heat a saucepan with the juice of 1 lemon, vinegar and 1 cup of water. Add the peppercorns once it reaches a boil and turn off heat. Let the marinade steep as the artichokes finish grilling.
Clean 2 canning jars, and add a pinch of lemon zest & salt (or minced preserved lemon packed in salt) to the bottom. Layer in 4 artichoke halves with pinches of zest and salt with the occasional sprig of thyme and stack artichokes in the jars. Halfway up, wedge the marjoram or oregano along the side of the jar, so it may impart flavor to the stack. Continue layering until all the artichokes are packed. Pour the hot marinate liquid over the top, and top off with water if necessary. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
a reform school filled with avid food traders. image: gregory han
this past weekend, my friend, writer & sustainable food business strategist, emily ho organized the first LA food swap, calling for home-cooks, preservers and general diy-foodie-types to bring their artisanal wares to a small, informal food trading event. i have been wanting to do something like this for awhile, but never got to organizing, so i’m really glad she made it happen.
when i first heard about the event, i researched a few seasonal preparations and got to work on the ones that would need the most time, namely the vodka infusions. i took a long walk foraging hundreds of dandelions for a 3-week infusion that turned out quite nicely [though it was hard to tell along the way]. i had been curious about this slow-cooked marmalade, so i decided to modify it by using a mix of citrus: cara cara, navel and blood oranges, meyer lemons and pink grapefruit. finally, i made something i always have on standby, garlic confit.
emily made some deliciously deep red beet fettucini, an dried & ground mandarin zest seasoning, and foraged pink peppercorns. this is just one example of the great ideas you get at a food swap—of all the things i’ve been doing with citrus peels, drying & grinding them into powder hadn’t occurred to me [though i do stick the dried zest in a pepper mix and throw it in a mill]. wonderful!
just a sample of what some of the many table and benches looked like. i was lucky enough to entice 2 food traders into awarding me with a bottle of that arancello, the rosemary lemonade concentrate, and yonder at the end of the table, some lemons & grapefruit.
so, here’s what it comes down to. i arrived with 11 jars of confit, 12 jars of marmalade, 2 jars of blood orange / verbena vodka & 3 jars of dandelion vodka. i traded them for [left to right] a bottle of arancello, garlic bread, a jar of pickled carrots & jalapeños, rangpur lime marmalade, pickled multicolored heirloom carrots, 2 lemons, strawberry-grapefruit marmalade, 3 avocados, peach marmalade, a grapefruit / fennel tincture, a jar of cherries, lemon curd, beet fettucini, spicy salsa, brown butter cookies, lavendar oatmeal scrub, 4 cheese & artichoke biscuits, rosemary lemonade concentrate, and 3 oro blanco grapefruits. not included in this photo are a few arugula plants, quince, lemon rosemary cupcakes and a bowl of foraged herbs, basically the leftovers of what we had that we traded in order not to take our own items home.
beyond all this food stuff, i got to meet some really nice people who value food traditions and want to connect over it, which has been wonderful. everyone repeatedly asked when we’d be doing it again, and the tweets following the event were full of excitement about using new food items. to see more photos and get the official word, visit LA food swap & sign up for emails on the next swap. let’s keep this event full of great people, energy and ideas! in the meantime, enjoy their official write-up: our first food swap, or my own recap at LAist: an old-fashioned good time: the 1st ever LA food swap.
parlato design studio 