Fall produce – what do you think of? Apples, of course. Brussels Sprouts. Take a page from Thanksgiving and think sweet potatoes and cranberries. And pumpkins are, of course, inescapable, their leering visages popping up everywhere you go. Although I personally love all of these, the autumn crop which gets me all hot and bothered is the persimmon.
This salad combines some of the best flavors of fall, with persimmons, toasted walnuts and a dressing made from apple cider and apple cider vinegar. This is tied together with peppery arugula and a mellow, nutty aged gouda. It calls for the squat Fuyu persimmons — don’t use Hachiya unless you enjoy wearing your lips in a perfect pucker. Enjoy it as a counterpart to all the Halloween candy that abounds today!
Entries from October 31st, 2009
Flavors of Fall — Arugula Salad with Persimmons and Gouda
October 31st, 2009 · 3 Comments · Autumn, Entertaining, Quick, Recipes, Salads
Tags: cheese·fall·Gluten Free·persimmons·salad·Thanksgiving·Vegetables·Vegetarian
Dine LA Reviews – One Pico, Craft, Shangri La
October 29th, 2009 · No Comments · Non Recipe, Restaurant Review
LA had its restaurant week a few weeks ago and I broke my usual streak of never eating out (seriously, have you tried eating out with a 2 year old? Even with the best behaved toddler on the planet, it’s not exactly a relaxing experience) and ate at no fewer than THREE restaurants in one [...]
Tags:
How Daring Bakers Nearly Destroyed Me — Salted Caramel Macarons
October 27th, 2009 · 29 Comments · Baked Goods and Desserts, Recipes
I am not the most precise of cooks. I take shortcuts, measure by eyesight, play fast and loose with recipes. I never use cake flour, rarely sift anything, freely substitute ingredients. And most of the time, things turn out very well indeed. Some people would say, “Oh, you’re a cook, you’re not a baker. Baking must be done with precision!” But I do bake quite a bit, and while baking requires MORE precision than cooking (I would not suggest, for example, leaving out baking powder altogether), there’s still quite a bit of wiggle room, and most things come out just fine, even with my wild and crazy ways.
Macarons are not one of those things.
The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S of Baking Without Fear. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.
If you’ve never had a macaron, you should. These are not the gooey, coconut confections ubiquitous at Passover, but French almond cookies similar to meringues sandwiched together with a creamy filling. A properly made macaron has a smooth, crisp shell over dainty, ruffled “feet”, and when you bite into it, you get first the crunch exterior shell then chewy almondy macaroon then creamy filling. In Parisian patisseries (where they are all the rage), you can find them in a glorious rainbow of colors and flavors. Trust me, when made properly, they are a treat.
