preserved meyer lemons

November 29, 2011 | heather parlato

sometime last year i tried out making preserved meyer lemons, and they rapidly became one of my favorite flavors to keep on hand for seasoning all kinds of food. meyer lemons just reappeared in the farmer’s market, and they’ll be around all winter. enjoy them fresh while they’re ripe, but try making preserved lemons early in the season so you can try them out, and then you’ll know if you need to make 4-6 more jars to keep through the summer.

preserved lemons are really simple to prepare. you’ll want some quart-sized canning jars, preferably wide-mouth, a good amount of coarse sea salt, and about 8-12 lemons for each jar.

some people like to cut the stem-ends off their lemons, but since i like to use the whole thing, i left the ends on. since i’m using meyer lemons, which have thinner skins anyway, i slice from the non-stem end lengthwise to the stem end without cutting all the way through. turn 90 degrees and make a similar cut, so you have a quartered lemon that is attached at the base. if you work over a plate, you’ll be able to collect any juice to pour in the jar later.

you’ll always end up with some seeds, but this is a point where i try to remove any i can get to. once you’re ready, pour salt into the quartered lemon, coating all interior sides, close the quarters and place it in the jar. as you work, you’ll want to jam the lemons together, packing them as tightly as you can to release juice and eliminate space for air.

i worked with 11 lemons total, and my jar was about full with 8 of them inside. i zested the last 3, since they’ll just be used for juice [reserving the zest for other projects] and juiced the remaining lemons into the jar to submerge the preserved lemons and add a tablespoon of salt. place in the pantry for a couple days, and then into the refrigerator for about a month. once a the peels have softened and the salt and acids have worked the lemon oil from the skins, you’ll have a deeply flavorful addition to all kinds of meals.

some say to wash the lemons of their salt before use, but i just chop up the whole thing and forego salting the dish i’m making instead. one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is to top chicken or fish with chopped preserved lemon and oil and then broil. here are some other ways to use preserved lemon:

preserved lemon dip
cracked green olives with herbs and preserved lemon
farro, white bean and preserved lemon salad
spanish anchovy, fennel and preserved lemon salad
israeli couscous with roasted butternut squash and preserved lemon
grilled wild salmon with preserved lemon relish
preserved lemon citrus chicken with chervil gremolata
moroccan chicken with preserved meyer lemons and green olives

cherry and citrus relish

November 17, 2011 | heather parlato

it’s tricky to address cranberry sauce from a local perspective, because while cranberries are native to north america, they tend to be grown in northern states above the sunbelt. you won’t find them in farmer’s markets around los angeles, and most other fall berries have just wrapped up their seasons. so what’s a person to do about a tart berry sauce for thanksgiving?

while you might not be able to use fresh berries on a seasonal diet, lots of local producers of cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and some blueberries also make dried berries, which are perfect to simmer with seasoning and spices for a comparable compote to cranberry sauce. adding the fact that pomegranates are currently in season, there are some great, deeply red antioxidant flavors to use here.

cherry and citrus relish

1 vidalia onion or red onion, chopped
1 tb canola oil
juice & minced zest of 2 medium oranges
1⁄2 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup water
1 cup red wine
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp cardamom
1⁄2 tsp allspice
1 tb sugar or honey
2 cups dried cherries
1⁄2 cup pine nuts

sauté onion over medium heat in 1 tb canola oil until translucent, 5 minutes. add orange & pomegranate juices, water and wine, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and sugar. bring to a boil, add cherries, reduce to medium heat and simmer covered 20 minutes. check liquid levels periodically and add water as needed.

remove from heat and toss with orange zest and pine nuts. serve hot or chilled.

variations

– substitute a mix of dried berries to your liking
– substitute dried blueberries, or add in chopped dried apricots & plums
– process or chop dried berries before cooking for a more uniform consistency
– use a mix of dried, toasted & chopped nuts instead of just pine nuts

cauliflower yam purée

November 8, 2011May 18, 2015 | heather parlato

this recipe, with many other delicious treats for thanksgiving, appears in the parlato design studio seasonal eats recipe guide! pick up your copy today in the parlato design studio store, and follow the thanksgiving2011 tag for more recipes as they become available. enjoy & thanks for being awesome!

i was a bit torn about which root vegetables to work with for the seasonal eats guide. i love sweet potatoes and white potatoes, but i also love all the late-harvest squash, and having that plethora of carbs on the table seemed like overkill. what it came down to was, i wanted to incorporate as much as i could, but maybe not all in their own dishes. i sent the sweet potatoes to hang out with the pumpkin in a savory pie, which will be up next week, and then settled in to figure out an alternative to mashed potatoes that used some variation of cauliflower purée. when i realized i could use white yams, i thought this dish would be a vitamin and fiber rich cruciferous alternative to mashed white potatoes.

cauliflower yam purée

1 head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
1 white yam, cut in half lengthwise
4 oz feta cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1⁄3 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

roast yam cut-side-down on an oiled baking sheet at 300º for 30 minutes. scrape the flesh from the skin and set aside. using a steamer pot, steam cauliflower 15 minutes. reserve steaming liquid when finished.

place the cauliflower florets and yam in a food processor or blender with .5 cup cooking liquid, feta, olive oil and white wine vinegar. process until smooth, adding cooking liquid as needed (this will take a some scraping and mixing between blends). transfer to a mixing bowl.

whisk in the dijon, parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper to taste. transfer to a serving bowl and dust with finishing salt and ground pepper.

variations

make it vegan
substitute the feta for 1/4 cup vegenaise and 1/2 cup soy milk
omit the parmesan, adjust salt to taste

alternate ingredients
substitute some of the yam or cauliflower, or simply add to them [cube and steam until soft]:
– celeriac / celery root
– white potatoes
– turnips
– parsnips
substitute feta cheese for goat cheese
substitute parmesan for any hard, salty cheese
– asiago
– romano
– hard jack cheese [an early american homestead version of parmesan]

request your FREE seasonal eats guide TODAY!

November 7, 2011 | heather parlato

LAST DAY TO REQUEST A FREE COPY!!!!

1. go to the contact form.
2. enter your contact information, mailing address and write “i’d like a free seasonal eats guide!”
3. watch your mailbox for its arrival.

the parlato design studio seasonal eats recipe guide has 9 delicious, seasonal, local, healthy recipes for thanksgiving, all with online breakdowns, suggested alternates and vegan options. so far we’ve covered the apple cherry galette and the apple, celery, lemony yogurt slaw. more to come as we countdown to thanksgiving.

request your free copy today!

apple cherry galette

November 1, 2011 | heather parlato

this recipe, with many other delicious treats for thanksgiving, appears in the parlato design studio seasonal eats recipe guide! request a free copy before november 7 [details here], and follow the thanksgiving2011 tag for more recipes as they become available. enjoy & thanks for being awesome!

i really wanted this to work out as a 3-flour galette, but as it happens, there just isn’t enough gluten to hold everything together without driving a person mad when it’s a third almond flour. that doesn’t mean it drove me mad, perse, but i couldn’t put it in my recipe guide this way in good faith. hence, the photo above shows 1/2-cup each of white flour, wheat flour and almond meal flour, but unless you like a super-challenge, i’m recommending 3/4-cup each of white flour and wheat flour instead. we’ll be cutting that up with 1 stick of butter and 1 tablespoon sugar.

a really wise master pie baker who did an entire demonstration at machine project explained that the best way to create the perfect pie crust is to cut the butter into little squares, and then cut it into the flour on a work surface. this is also a really good way to get zen, because it takes awhile. if you never had a heyday cutting up particulates in your cocaine before doing lines, now is your much larger, g-rated chance, because it’s a lot like that. cut from one side to the other, through the clumps of butter, scrape it all back up and cut it back the other way. this will integrate some of the butter into the flour while retaining the smaller clumps that will eventually melt into a flaky crust while baking. as the clumps get smaller, sprinkle small amounts of ice water over the top and cut it in, until you have moist, small clumps that come together in your hands. but hey—if you have a food processor and want to cut the butter in that way, by all means go ahead!

this is pretty much what you’re going for, no matter what flour you’re using. slightly moist but not too wet. if you were to gather this up into a ball in your hands, it should push together and retain its shape. once you get to this point, ball up your dough without handling it too much and melting the butter, and put it in a bowl to chill in the fridge, at least 1.5 hours.

granny smith, fuji and red delicious apples

this same wise pie baker suggested using a selection of apples, to vary the flavor and texture, and i’ve really liked this idea. i chose a granny smith, a fuji, and a red delicious, which are popular at the farmer’s market and self-pick orchards alike. core out your apples, trim away any rough parts, and then slice them to 1/8-inch thick slices. place the slices in a mixing bowl with the dried cherries, the lemon juice and zest, honey or sugar, and cinnamon, and toss to coat. set it aside to marinate.

preheat the oven to 350º. when the dough is sufficiently chilled, and flour a work surface and roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick and a 12-inch circle. this is where my experimental dough had trouble holding together, so if you want to ease some of your pain, put down a piece of parchment, flour that, and roll your dough out over it. if necessary, you can flip it on to a plate and peel off the parchment without breaking the dough. once you have it to the right size and thickness, transfer it to a baking sheet and spoon the apple mixture into a mound in the center, leaving about 3-inches of empty dough all around. work from one side around to the other, folding the extra dough over the center mound, crimping edges as you go. if the dough breaks anywhere, just pinch it shut, or pull off a piece and patch it if necessary. once you’ve finished this part, it’s time to bake: 45 minutes at 350º or until golden brown.

apple cherry galette

1 stick butter
3⁄4 cup white flour
3⁄4 cup wheat flour
1 tb raw sugar
3 apples, mixed variety, sliced to 1⁄8” thick
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tb honey or raw sugar
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄3 cup dried cherries

place sliced apples in a mixing bowl. sprinkle with lemon juice & zest, honey, cinnamon, and cherries, and toss to coat. set aside to marinate. process butter, flour and sugar in a food processor or cut butter into flour with a dough scraper, until it reaches a crumbly consistency. sprinkle ice water over mixture 1 tsp at a time and process in pulses until the dough resembles moist chunks that just come together in your hands. push into a ball and chill 1.5 hours.

preheat oven to 350º. roll dough out to a 12” circle on a floured work surface. transfer to a baking sheet and spoon the apple mixture into a mound in the center, leaving about 3” around on all sides. fold the sides up and around the apples, crimping and pinching the corners as you go. bake at 350º for 45 min.

variations

make it vegan:
substitute 1/2 cup of any of the following for the butter:
– earth balance vegan spread
– non-dairy margarine
– vegetable shortening

use only raw sugar rather than honey.

alternate fillings:
use a mix of apples with these, or substitute the apples for:
– pears
– persimmons

substitute the cherries for:
– pomegranate seeds
– currants
– boysenberries
– mullberries
– dried figs

add vanilla extract, your favorite additional spices, or a splash of brandy to your sliced apple mixture.

loquat leaf tea

September 29, 2011 | heather parlato

back when we finally got our first big bounty of loquats from our rehabilitated trees, i researched loquats and found that one traditional use for the leaves was in tea for treating sore throats. at the time, i chose some nice, young, unblemished leaves and hung them to dry in the kitchen, eventually folding them into a jar for storage.

i have been feeling a sore throat coming on, and i’m all out of slippery elm bark [another sore throat remedy] so i thought i’d try it out. since i’m not sure what the flavor of these leaves is like, i figured i’d mix it up with some other under-the-weather tea herbs. i’m surprised how much of these were not bought. we have lemon verbena growing in a pot, but i did go out foraging for fresh, clean eucalyptus leaves in the park, and i’ve been chopping up all my orange peels and drying them in the oven.

loquat leaf tea: a sore throat remedy

3 large dried loquat leaves, crumbled
3 large dried eucalyptus leaves, crumbled
1 tb chopped ginger
1 tb dried orange peel
1 tb dried lemon verbena leaves
1 tb dried mint leaves
4 tsp raw honey
zest and juice of 1 lemon

place in a teapot and pour about a quart of hot water over all the dried herbs, ginger and lemon zest [a tea press works well for this]. let steep about 5 minutes. pour into a mug and stir in 1 tsp raw honey for each cup. slice the lemon crosswise in half, and then lengthwise into quarters. squeeze 1/4 lemon into each cup.

raspberry picking at snow-line orchards

September 27, 2011 | heather parlato

raspberry patch in the mountains of oak glen, california

last week, my friend seth and i took a day trip to oak glen above yucaipa for some apple & raspberry picking. i highly recommend this area for some good-time harvest season fun [but fair warning: the whole area is packed on weekends]. we were hoping to avoid the weekend crowds, but alas, there is no self-picking on weekdays save for raspberry picking at snow-line orchards. i had been looking forward to berry picking anyway, so we split a mini-pack of fresh cider donuts, bought our cartons [12 bucks will get you an empty 3-pack to fill yourself] and got to work.

there’s a lot more than raspberries going on in the raspberry patch though. it’s an entire microcosm of activity with grasshoppers jumping around, bright green leaf beetles going about their business, little brown frogs croaking from somewhere in the bramble, and not least of all, BEES! they’re everywhere! i thought they might be pollinating flowers, but upon inspection it seems that bees are little vampires when it comes to raspberries, gently puncturing each individual drupelet and drinking the juice. if you’re allergic to bee stings, you might want to steer clear of raspberry picking, but seth and i never got stung. the good old rule of don’t bother them & they won’t bother you still stands.

cartons of fresh raspberries from snow-line orchards

it took us about an hour to make our way through a few of the rows and fill our flats. picking raspberries is a pretty simple technique of searching out those of the deepest color, gently pinching the berry and pulling it away from the stem. if it doesn’t come off easily, chances are it’s not ripe. unlike stone fruits, raspberries do not continue to ripen once picked, so it’s best to only pick the ripest fruit. you can save time by searching out clusters of ripe fruit, cupping your hand and picking several berries one after the other, letting them drop into your palm as you go, rather than placing each one individually into your basket.

despite all the delicious-sounding baked goods i found starring raspberries, i have opted to eat most of them fresh, to get the most of the raw nutrients. i made up this raspberry parfait that uses more fruit than i’d ever normally use if i’d bought them locally [this recipe would easily use a whole small carton]. what a luxury to have this much fruit!

raspberry pepita parfaits

1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup whole plain yogurt
2 tbs pepitas
1 tb vanilla extract
1 tb honey
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a splash of rosewater

place everything except the raspberries & pepitas in a small mixing bowl and mix until you reach a uniform consistency. taste and adjust flavors if necessary.

depending on the glass you use, you can choose how to layer your berries and yogurt. i chose these martini glasses, so i put a heaping tablespoon of yogurt on the bottom, then a layer of berries, then split the remaining yogurt, and sprinkled the remaining pepitas and berries on top.

creative inspiration

September 21, 2011 | heather parlato

Just My Type from Pentagram on Vimeo.

take a high-speed spin through the new book just my type, video by pentagram! see more of a profile on fastcodesign.com.

branding

many point lake, image: branding10000lakes.com

i already think undertaking a logo a day is a pretty big deal, but branding 10,000 lakes is going to brand one minnesota lake every day for longer than most of your parents’ marriages … or try to at least! take a spin, they’re really sweet.

design industry

so, look, it’s not like i’m trying to tell you what to do or anything, but there’s a reason i spend so much time getting to know you and doing research before whipping out your next logo or web site. embrace design strategy is written from one designer to another, but it’s also a great look for clients into why we do research, why we interview you with lots of questions, and why we might sometimes seem like we’re spending too much time getting to know you. it’s all in the strategy!

echo park

awesome innovations in echo park include a very recently-unveiled solar-powered trash & recycling can at sunset & echo park avenue. get the full story from echoparknow.com.

food

some fun summer foods have been profiled for Seasonal Eats on LAist lately, here are the most recent:
Seasonal Eats: Capture the Spice of Summer with Jalapeños!
Seasonal Eats: She’s a Peach
Seasonal Eats: Crunch into Sweet Corn!
Seasonal Eats: Melon-Tastic!
Seasonal Eats: Summer Plums!

gutter variety purslane

August 22, 2011 | heather parlato

walking up my street yesterday, with my eyes on the ground, i found my wandering thoughts interrupted by something familiar. hey, isn’t that purslane—growing right there in the gutter?

either purslane is everywhere suddenly, or i am finally aware of it enough to realize people everywhere are talking about this plant. a summer favorite at farmer’s markets, purslane is an edible succulent that only grows in warm summer soil [often thriving in poor quality soil, too] and full sunlight. it’s often been called a weed, since it is quite hardy and has a tendency to spread with a near-indestructible root system that stands up to breakage and root dividing. it’s also just an annual, so allowing it to have its summer season won’t ruin your garden for fall. in fact, it won’t ruin it at all—purslane is a great ground-cover that keeps soil moist, pulling deep water to the surface and hydrating companion plants.

moreover, though, purslane is good for you! i was just reading about its superfood qualities: Purslane contains more omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid in particular[4]) than any other leafy vegetable plant. Simopoulos states that Purslane has 0.01 mg/g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This is an extraordinary amount of EPA for land-based vegetable sources. EPA is an Omega-3 fatty acid found mostly in fish, some algae, and flax seeds.[5] It also contains vitamins (mainly vitamin A, vitamin C, and some vitamin B and carotenoids), as well as dietary minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron. Also present are two types of betalain alkaloid pigments, the reddish betacyanins (visible in the coloration of the stems) and the yellow betaxanthins (noticeable in the flowers and in the slight yellowish cast of the leaves). Both of these pigment types are potent antioxidants and have been found to have antimutagenic properties in laboratory studies.[6] read more on wikipedia or nutritiondata.com’s breakdown on purslane.

purslane seeds — 2 purslane seed pods, close-up.

so, obviously i’m not going to eat it right out of the gutter, but reading about its copious seed production, i went down with an envelope to collect seeds. purslane produces little seed pods full of tiny black seeds, and you can shake or pinch them into an envelope for collection [there are 2 in the photo above, along the center horizon of the photo]. once that was done, i pulled up a healthy cluster, and took 5″ cuttings of new stems to plant in my herb garden and in little propagation pots. one way or another, i’m getting in on this plant. hopefully i can grow it from hanging pots right outside my front door. comment if you want some seeds!

while i wait to see how this experiment turns out, i’m researching recipes. here are some i found that look pretty good:
cucumber and purslane yogurt salad
purslane, peach and onion salad
purslane agnolotti
purslane, meyer lemon and pear salad with kaffir lime vinaigrette
tomato, cucumber and purslane salad

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cherry and citrus relish

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cauliflower yam purée

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apple cherry galette

variations

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branding

design industry

echo park

food

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