After a visit to the Ithaca farmer’s market on Saturday, I made some awesome bacon chocolate chip cookies!  This time, however, I substituted lard for half of the butter.  Besides giving a slightly different flavor, the lard kept the cookies a little more structured (like Crisco does) than butter alone.  The bacon was also very delicious, especially with 60% Ghiradelli chocolate.

A few days ago, I also made a pumpkin semifreddo.  The backstory is that I don’t have an ice cream freezer, but I really wanted to do something with pumpkin creme anglaise.  So, after making the anglaise, I beat two or three eggwhites and sugar to a meringue and folded in about half to two-thirds of a cup of the creme anglaise.  This gave a lighter but spiced and definitively pumpkin flavor and froze very well; it was not crystalized at all.  I plated it with an apple cider reduction and salted pumpkin seeds.  Not only did they make for great presentation, but it was a tasty combination!

I recently found a tidbit of time to go to a Grocery store and to the Ithaca farmer’s market.  At the grocery store, I bought some Murray’s organic bone-in chicken breasts and some couscous.  At the farmer’s market, I got some apples and squash as well as some purple potatoes.  I haven’t yet made the squash or potatoes, but I have made:

Morrocan spiced chicken breast with raisin and pumpkin-seed couscous.  The chicken was juicier than a lot of chicken breast I’ve ever had.  I rubbed it with cumin, allspice, thyme, and cinnamon.  After searing it, I finished it in the oven.  Along with the couscous, it was delicious:

I also made cookies for Halloween to continue the spirit in the dorm.  Here are some of the delicious sugar cookies, both jack-o-lanterns and beer bottles (college style):

I did not have a pastry bag, so you’ll forgive their inherent flaws…at least they cannot get eaten by squirrels.

This morning, after waking up at six and showering, I found the time to make an apple pie.  I used the rest of my lard from The Piggery in my crust, and the filling had sliced granny smith and a Japanese variety of apple.  I was curious about Jeffrey Steingarten’s assertion that using spices in apple pie detracts from the apples’ flavor, so I only added some lightly spiced cider reduction that I made the other day, along with some flour and sugar.  The pie baked up beautifully, with a crust that is more delicately flaky and crisp than anything.  Here it is, presented on my cluttered dorm room desk:

I hope I can keep up the cooking; my new strategy involves cooking very early in the morning–the time other students use to sleep–this seems to justify my alternate use of time when I am not studying!  I’ve also devised the best method for enjoying breakfast: eating with a bamboo spork in a warm hat.  It makes me feel comforted for at least a small part of my day:

Bon appetite!  I have to go study…

Here is a list of my current culinary muses and wanderings:

1)  Yesterday, I got in the Halloween spirit.  After watching It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, I made a pumpkin cake decorated as a jack-o-lantern:
2)  After helping out with Cornell’s homecoming tailgate, I took the extra hotdog buns home to make bread pudding.  Not just any bread pudding–cinnamon-chocolate-cayenne with bananas, chocolate chips, and caramel bread pudding!

3)  My favorite new farm that supplies at the Farmer’s market is The Piggery.  Last time I went to the market, I bought pork belly from them and roasted it to go with my homemade applesauce.  This applesauce was smoked (because I burnt the bottom and saved the rest).  Mistakes are the mother of invention.

4) You might be wondering how I am faring with the dining hall food.  It is mediocre, I have to admit.  The main problem I have with it is that there is no friggin meat worth consuming!  Incinerated burgers? No.  Chicken nuggets?  No.  Gross tasting grilled chicken.  No.  ”Pork” casserole with chips and rice?  Does that count as meat?  The only protein I get is from chickpeas and cottage cheese.  Help!

I  cannot assume a cake-atarian lifestyle, and I’m not a fan of eating pasta every night…or stir fry.  It’s as though my meal plan is forcing me off a healthful diet unless I only want to eat fruit, oatmeal, and salad.  Joy.

5) I am excited for Thanksgiving.  That is a day of good eating.

Rainbow chard, onion, and butternut squash pie–  all local ingredients.  Even the crust is made with lard from The Piggery, a local pig farm.  It might be the best crust ever.  I seasoned the pie with a little nutmeg, salt, and sugar, and it is wonderful.

Feast your eyes but be sure to click on the pictures for maximum wow factor:

My next foodventure was to make two appetizers for a reception at the Hotel School following Irena Chalmer’s discussion of her book, Food Jobs.  I made brown-butter roasted radishes with sour cream on crostini and goat meatballs with roasted tomatoes.

This morning I woke up early and walked to the farmer’s market in Ithaca.  The walk there is all downhill (luckily, as most of the other places to which I desire to go are uphill.)  It is a calm walk, and today was a gorgeous day.  It felt like fall, as the morning temperature was about forty degrees.

Upon arriving at the market, I felt the buzz of a content colony of local foodies.  Ranging from young children to the elderly, the market-goers were all enjoying the present moment over cups of coffee and baked treats.

The abundance of amazing produce is overwhelming at first;  I was at once inundated with the names of various apples alone.

This farmer’s market is not home to amateurs; its vendors all have their crafts down to a science.  Farmers have perfect-looking squash, lettuces, tomatoes, and melons; cider makers have a variety of blends that they have composed for more complex tastes; and bakers have some of the most gorgeous breads and baked goods imaginable.  It seemed that I was in heaven as I walked through the market in a trance-like state.

Other vendors sell ethnic foods, and although I was tempted by the Cuban offerings, which included rice and beans; chicken fricassee; and yams and corn, I chose a fried contraption (for what else can I label it as?) from the Cambodian stand and some chickpea masala from the Sri Lankan stand.  The Cambodian fritter had carrots, onions, lentils, and either taro or potato.  This was served with sweet chili sauce.  The chickpeas were also good, especially with the three chutneys they offered.

Cambodian Fritter

chickpeas

Besides the ethnic food, I got some pork liver pate and some baking lard from The Piggery, apples, and some rye and pumpernickel breads from Fatboy bakery.I also enjoyed an apple cider donut.  Last weekend, I bought some beautiful yarn tagged with a picture of the sheep it came from!

I really am considering asking my parents to cut my meal plan next semester so I can just live off of the land.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea, but the market closes once winter hits.  For now, I’ll just do my best to take advantage of the season and enjoy!

One thing that’s beautiful about going to Cornell is that Ithaca has a ton of local farmers that sell their products at the farmer’s market in town.  This past week, I have been finding time in between my classes to cook my local ingredients as best i can with my limited kitchen facilities and additional ingredients.

This past week, I have made some delicious food.  Today, courtesy of my 11:40 classtime, I was able to make braised goat shank.  I bought the goat at the farmer’s market and cooked it with some blueberry wine that another vendor there was selling.  

the wine tastes like a light, dry red with some rounder flavors indicative of the blueberries it is made from.  the goat had a delicious flavor–very unique–and it went well with the wine.  

also, i made some creamed corn with a local grower’s corn.  my go to spice has been nutmeg; it is one of the only ones i have, and it goes well with this season’s foods.  i put it in the corn as well as in a delicata squash soup that i made the other day.

I topped the soup  with a sourdough and Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese toast and sauteed hen-of-the-woods and oyster mushrooms.  Can you believe this stuff?  All made in the dorm!

This morning I also made a crustless (for time purposes) pumpkin pie.  I also made some pumpkin muffins.

Today was a pot luck meal for the Farm to Cornell club in which I am involved.  Since apples were the only local food that I had access to, I made a gratin out of some Paula Reds and some Gjetost cheese I had in my microfridge.  

At the potluck, it was a hit, especially since many were unsure of whether it was a side or a dessert.  

Even though the dining halls are OK, I am perfectly content with the ingredients available to me now.

So far, I have made apple pie, brownies, and bread.  However, recently, I have made a chicken dinner for a few friends as well as some intense peanut-butter cup and pretzel cookies.  As I have been craving cookies for days and avoiding the ones at dining halls, these did it for me.  

The chicken dinner consisted of a roast chicken from the Ithaca farmer’s market, purple potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and fresh bread.  Unfortunately, my camera was not present at the table, so my crummy cell phone pictures must do.  

My cookies are amazing, as depicted in full glory below:

Before leaving my house for college, I wanted to cook a wonderful meal in honor of the “last” time I would be able to cook in my beautiful kitchen for my family.  I struggled in coming up with the dishes that I would cook that night, but I wanted it, in essence, to be a feast of ultimate deliciousness.  

For the first course, I served bone marrow with parsley salad, as made famous by Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune.  I made fresh homemade bread, sliced it, and toasted it.  The parsley salad had shallots, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil.  I encouraged my family to spread the bone marrow on the toast, top with sel gris, and then the salad.  It was divine.  

In addition to the bone marrow, I put out some pomme frites, which I gluttonously served with hand-whipped butter.  We found that fries dipped in bone marrow is also delectable.

For the main event, I served hand-made papardelle with chanterelle and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, Pecorino Gineppro, and olive oil.  It was hearty and amazing.  The sides included my own cured sardines, soppresata with pickled onions, and a fennel and orange salad with pecorino and pomegranate.  This was all enjoyed with a nice bottle of Barolo, which was deep enough to pair well with the mushrooms and sausage but dry enough not to overpower the salad and in a way that complemented the oily sardines.

Before dessert, I served a “Palate dirtier” in lieu of a palate cleanser– wedges of Jasper Hills Bayley Hazen Blue cheese with a Pedro Ximenez sherry reduction.  What an interlude that was…

Last of all, I made a balsamic zabaglione with strawberries and blackberries–a recipe my mom once made that enchanted me.  

I will miss cooking at home, but I think that I ended my home cooking career with somewhat of a bang.  At least I tried…

My family enjoying their last (for a while at least) meal cooked by me

Mom teaching my brother how to extract the roasted bone marrow...

Dad enjoying his meal...

pasta, salad, sardines, bone marrow

cheese--"Palate Dirtier"

It’s the final week before I leave for school, and I’m not all that sure that cooking in a dorm will be easy.  Therefore, I’ve staged a coup d’kitchen, and I’ve been cooking like a fiend.  

Since I may not have access to many exotic ingredients or the time to cook extensive dishes in the weeks to come, I’ve been cooking things that are unusual or things that I have never tried before.  For instance, a couple of days ago, I made congee, the popular Asian rice porridge.

This dish was missing from my life for far too many years.  I have never had something so simple yet so comforting.  Almost never.  I used one chicken and some scallions and ginger to make the stock, and then I cooked the rice in the stock.  The only thing I added to the dish was a soft-boiled egg, which I placed atop the congee with shreds of the reserved chicken.  This dish was ethereal, like the best bowl of oatmeal and a delicious chicken dinner and risotto all in one and on steroids!  I served some kimchi alongside, and the rice was the perfect foil for its fieriness.  Just feast your eyes:

Yesterday, I couldn’t draw any inspiration from the recipes I was looking through, so I went to the store to find some exciting ingredients.  Truth be told, I had my mind set on crab or some interesting cut of pork.  I went to the new Fairway near my house, and I swear I have had it with that store.  I asked for some pork belly at the meat counter, and the man helping me brought me pre-packaged tripe and said that they only had beef.  I told him I wanted belly–not stomach–fresh, uncured bacon.  He then told me to look back in the refrigerated bacon section or at the deli.  Really?  What kind of a store has butchers who have no idea what pork belly is?  Well, I was so fed up that I drove to whole foods, where I had better luck and ended up with Niman Ranch pork belly, oysters, corn, and artichokes.  

When I got home, I chopped up some lemon verbena and sweet basil from our garden and rubbed it with some salt and olive oil on the pork belly.  I then baked it in parchment for an hour.  After it had rendered some fat, I opened the parchment and roasted it for another forty minutes.  Meanwhile, I grilled the corn in their husks and then removed the kernels from the cobs.  I also chopped up the artichoke stems.  I sauteed some shallots with the corn and stems and then added a pinch of flour and some cream, lemon juice, cayenne, white wine, and lemon verbena.  I cooked this all down and then added the oysters to poach at the last minute with their liquor.  

For the whole dish, I baked some big gougeres and cut off their tops.  I filled them with the “chowder” and topped it with a piece of the pork belly, which I seared quickly before serving.  I topped the belly with an oyster and then served half an artichoke with some Vermont butter on each plate.  This was a decadent and beautiful dish.

Yum!  I’ve also made a chocolate charlotte and a berry pavlova, in addition to eclairs and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies!  More later!