sprinklefingers

Two weeks ago I thought spring had arrived. Then it was 39º and raining again. Last week I thought, what with the 60º and bright sun in the sky, that cold and rainy was behind us - and then I woke up this morning to another cold and rainy one.

I’m not necessarily interested in rushing things, I just would like to leave my heavy raincoat at home for a while. And I’d like to stop wondering if I should stick my rain boots in the car just in case. Oh, and, I’d like to feel just a little bit closer to summer foods - like tomatoes.

Since the forecast for rain stretches further than I’d like, and because summer doesn’t usually arrive in the Pacific Northwest until August, I was happy to find this great bit on tinned (canned) tomatoes from one of my favorites, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I want to eat the bread and tomato gratin right this second - it sounds delicious enough to get me through the big wait for better weather and summer food (rejoice!)

Read all about canned tomato goodness here.

Oh, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It’s no secret that I love thee.

And with your new book (thanks to Amazon UK) in my possession, it’s even easier than before to be dedicated to you. Each dish with three main ingredients. So easy. So delicious. So inspiring. 

And, dear readers, good news. You can enjoy Hugh’s latest (at least a chunk of it) thanks to the Guardian UK - they have a great piece up now covering 25 recipes from Hugh’s new book, Three Things on a Plate. 

Click on the image below to go to there:

 

So says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and I couldn’t agree more.

This handful of sausage recipes from Hugh are a delicious way to wait out these last cold and drizzly days of spring (these are the last of the cold & drizzly days, right?)

I can’t wait to eat toad in the hole. Yum. And imagine it with caramelized onions! Gah!

speaking of summer tomatoes, how about summer green beans? yes please.

check out these get-to-the-market-now-and-make-these-tonight recipes. we’re having the feta-dill number tonight…and i can’t wait.

ps: as always, hugh fearnley-whittingstall, i love ya.

i’m not shy about my love for mr. hugh fearnley-whittingstall. and his column from last weekend’s the guardian isn’t helping.

subject: bacon.
yes, i’m swooning.

the column includes recipes for chops, soup & a strata. all with bacon.

the strata includes leeks, bacon and cheddar - sounds like an outstanding candidate for your next brunch. the recipe can be found here.

and to quote the wonderful mr. hugh:

It’s amazing how many dishes are improved by the addition of even just a little bit of salty, porky brilliance.

amen to that.

back in 2005 when i first opened my bakery, i was really good at testing recipes and not gaining weight. i’d carefully bake something, have a single bite for taste - SPIT THAT BITE OUT - and that was that.

and now it’s 2011. and i’m developing recipes for the new bakery. and i’m eating multiple slices/pieces/spoonfuls and i haven’t spit a bite out yet. what is wrong with me? i literally have zero self-control. here’s an example:

yesterday i forgot to eat breakfast. when i got to work i had a small bowl of yogurt with honey-preserved hazelnuts on top (it’ll be on the breakfast menu at the new bakery.) after that, i baked off a few sheet trays of buttery sugar cookies…and then i ate 8 of them. the first cookie was when i realized i had finally arrived at THE recipe. the next 7 were because i couldn’t ignore the deliciousness of the salty, buttery, vanilla-y cookies. next up: chocolate custard. with felchlin chocolate. i ate at least a cup of it when it was still hot. then i sampled it after it cooled. and then - then - i baked off some tart shells, filled the tart shells with the chocolate custard, topped them with honey and toasted hazelnuts and ate three of them. in a row. while barely taking a breath.

it’s a good thing we had salad for dinner.

and now it’s saturday morning. and i check in on my man hugh fearnley-whittingstall. and his weekend column in the guardian features fried foods. fried foods like churros. i will not make them. i will not make them. i will not make them. i will not. not. not.

here’s hugh’s recipe - word for word. make these. eat them. then send me a note telling me all about it. please?

——————-

churros
hugh fearnley-whittingstall

Serves four

120g butter
A pinch of salt
130g plain flour, sifted
½ tsp baking powder
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying
4 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

To make the dough, put 250ml water, the butter and salt into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat and beat in the flour and baking powder. Stir vigorously until the batter pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball – about a minute. Remove from heat, beat in the eggs until smooth, then leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

Prepare to fry the churros by heating 4cm oil in a deep pan to 160C/325F.

Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large, star-shaped tip. Squeeze 8cm strips of dough into the hot oil. Fry four strips at a time until golden brown, turning once – about two minutes on each side – then drain on kitchen paper. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon, if using, and toss the churros in the mixture while still warm. Serve immediately.

there was a package waiting for me when i got home yesterday. it contained this:



adorable, isn’t it?

and inside? this:


can’t quite make out the print? it’s a ‘recipe’ for curing your own bacon!

the entire book is jam-packed with amazing ideas for getting your kids involved in the kitchen…it’s all accomplished through a series of ‘projects’ - whether it’s curing your own bacon or making your own salt or creating your own butter or building an ice cream maker or growing tomatoes or hosting your own pancake race - every project is so much fun and so interesting that i’d bet even the pickiest kids would love getting involved. even my husband.

seriously, this book is so much fun that someone should start a blog about it.
speaking of blogs about things, i wonder how lawrence is doing…

it’s been a while since i’ve mentioned hugh fearnley-whittingstall around here. no, my obsession hasn’t waned - it’s just that this isn’t a blog about hugh. sigh.

at any rate, i couldn’t ignore saturday’s hugh column in the guardian. three delicious sounding dishes using some great ingredients. seriously. first a bulgur & red lentil soup. next, a quinoa stir fry with kale and chilies. then couscous with squash! all three great sounding recipes for our ever-enduring winter months!



find all three delicious recipes here.

hugh fearnley-whittingstall is at it again.
week after week his column truly speaks to me.

this week?

of all things, PORK!

that pork shoulder he talks about? going on our menu this week, certainly.

read drool all about it here.

i cannot wait until tomorrow.
why?
because tomorrow i actually have a few spare minutes to (finally) get peaches. how many? i’m not sure. as many as i can carry, certainly. and how many peaches can i carry? well, i’ll answer that question by telling you that i can (no shit) do a one-armed pullup. i’m pretty sure that means i can carry a crapload of peaches. and i hope so. because i’m making jam. and i’m saving some for canning. and i definitely see a peach cobbler or two on our dessert menu this week.

when i sat down at my computer to map out exactly which farm i’ll get my peaches from, i first took a quick trip to the guardian’s website. and what is hugh fearnley-whittingstall focusing his column on this week? peaches! amazing! but not as amazing as every single recipe he lists…looks like i’d better add a few more peaches to my load tomorrow…