Anna Blume

Trying as many recipes in Nigel Slater's Ripe as I can before my stock of apricots is depleted. Made a lemon v. tea w fresh, organic leaves from market. added a little sugar and vanilla. couldn't find the jar of star anise anywhere, so i guess i need more and that might have added something. After leaves seeped, discard them, sweeten tea (about 3 c) and pour over a pound of tightly packed together fruit in a gratin dish and bake for around 40 mins. good. delicate. still find roasting the fruit the best way to coax out and rev up the flavor of local, contemporary apricots.

The Anglo-Italian rice pudding is finished and chilling in fridge (Venetian, stubby rice prepared British pudding style). Apricots currently poaching in sweetened, lemon verbena tea, 350 F.

Context: a lament in the Trader Joe thread about not finding raw peanuts. Or the decision of buyers at Friendship Hts and Silver Spring (both checked) vs. Tenleytown? I don't know since I am convinced I've seen them at WFM before. Actually, you grind roasted peanuts. $3.99 lb. vs. the bins of roasted peanuts sold at $5.99 lb. as part of the Granola Bar. Talk about cynical, sleazy selling practices...

New products: FRESH Asian noodles: thin rice noodles from "Korea" Chinese-style wheat noodles cut sort of like linguine The latter used to be ubiquitous in supermarkets and WFM, sold next to plastic tubs of tofu. Now that it's perfect weather for peanut noodles, it's great to have these. However, it's frustrating that neither TJ nor WFM bother to sell shelled, raw peanuts. Thumbs down on the large spinach & ricotta ravioli.

Zucchini fritters Whole wheat apricot couscous Handful of blackberries I really loved what I baked using Nigel Slater's recipe for a simple, homey apricot cake w raspberries (Ripe, published as Tender, vol. II in the UK). The couscous is very good, too, though I bet Zora's tree in Santa Monica would have lifted the dish higher. Given flavors of spices, chopped preserved lemon rind, and golden raisins simmered with both apricots and aliums, the chopped apricots got lost. Planning on roasting some more apricot halves to toss with leftovers. Cilantro also seemed tame. Homemade harissa turned out wonderfully; glad I looked online since recipes bore no resemblance to the list of ingredients on Cava's packages of the condiment.

Hours just for tomorrow, July 15, 2012: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm While closing half an hour early this one day, the parking lot will be transformed for the big bash scheduled for 4 - 7 pm. The following week, the market will close at 1 pm as usual.

Hmmm. I didn't see any at either the Friendship Hts WFM or the Giant tonight, so perhaps I am (1) remembering what WFM used to carry some time ago and (2) mixing up the Chevy Chase Safeway with that Giant. Meanwhile, no signs of the bottles at Rodman's, one bottle of vinegar at TJ Maxx (same area) and several at nearby Sur la Table. ************* My quest: harissa. Can or small amount vs. Cava's at $5.79. I only want a dab or two and used to buy however much I wanted at WFM where they don't seem to carry it as something to scoop up anymore. If need be, I can mix up tomato paste, chili flakes, etc., but...

I didn't know about oil, but the vinegar's at Giant, Whole Foods, Marshall's or TJ Maxx.

The author appeared on "The Splendid Table" during his book tour and recommended three brands including California Olive Ranch. The other two were Spanish and very pricey.

I know where Jason at Three Little Pigs gets his animals, at least some of them. What about Jamie? Jamie's gifts and years of experience should command high prices. His raw ingredients might cost a great deal less. I don't know.

Not just a region-thing, though I am sure just-picked is always best. It's also a time machine thing and I suspect has a lot to do with the same sort of whittling down of varieties that we've seen affect other fruits. However, as much as I don't find apricots worth eating out of hand, cooking them always satisfies. I roasted some last week w a tiny sprinkle of turbinado sugar, a pat of butter and a speck of vanilla, 12 mins. at 375 and they were wonderful chilled in thickened yogurt. That said, the dried Bleinheim (?) apricots from CA at Trader Joe's that cost far more than the alternative are worth the price. I know one farmer in S. PA who has planted some recently and wonder if there are others producing this varietal locally.

Thanks, everyone for suggestion! I bought fresh tofu, semi-firm for ma po (goodeats advises one to ask for the fresh tofu w ginger syrup if you're looking for soft tofu) and it is much, much better than anything packaged that I picked up at supermarkets and much better than the stuff hippies produce for food co-ops.

Went a trifle overboard this weekend, it being that time of year for reincarnated fruit bats like moi: figs, blackberries, red raspberries, blueberries, apricots, semi-cling peaches & Methely plums. Oh, and first cantaloupe. More than a couple nectarines. Could have picked up half a dozen other types of berries, crisp, dense and pucker-y summer apples, or pale, yellow plums but a little restraint's a good thing. Finally plunged and chose Nigel Slater's Ripe over another book on my list, Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert, leaving the dreary, largely tome-free interior of Barnes & Noble downtown for Politics and Prose to make the purchase. You are a ninny if you don't follow suit. Come on. Apricot couscous. Black currant and apricot terrine made with crushed meringues. The length of the apricot chapter alone is enough of a reason. Savory and sweet, much more of the former than one might expect. Mackerel and rhubarb. Fig and blackberry tartlets. Blackberry focaccia. Hazelnuts. Currants. Gorgeous photos to go with the prose. Simple and homey and a bit crusty and dark around the edges when roasted or braised. Raspberries most fragile and since pools don't open till after noon, I plan on baking the apricot cake with almond flour and raspberries as soon as I log out. Since this week will probably be the last when the year's meager crop of apricots can be found at the farmer's market, I plan on buying a couple of quarts more.

Shaw and Perlow built something pretty amazing and for a few months I felt thrilled and fortunate to have stumbled upon egullet during that golden afternoon of its heyday and to participate in what was indeed, an international community that counted the likes of Ruhlman, Bourdain, Wolfert, and new to me, Russ Parsons and Dorie Greenspan, among its members. Once name-recognition became less of a new, exciting thing, it was easy to enjoy the contributions, wit and knowledge shared by fellow, plain ol' ordinary members. I learned more about baking, was intrigued by reports from Japan from a (then) former midwesterner and loved Mayhaw Man (right?)'s instigation of the whole pie vs. cake debate. Andrew Fenton's silly experiment with fermenting hot dogs was a blast, too. Never thought I'd write a villanelle about the subject. And I'm proud to have prodded along a courtship between two members I've never met, though the now husband, express-mailed a cake from Bouchon as a thank-you. Sadly, the problems with egullet quickly became apparent to someone as willful and stubborn as myself since part of the transformation of the Society ( ) was a more rigid managerial style that seemed to operate from the top down and sent lower-tier administrators after those more intent on having fun than edifying its membership. PMs from management that were warm and welcoming at the beginning of my tenure ultimately became ones of censure and control. Posts were deleted and some of the writing I am most proud of--such as a story involving praying manti and Christmas cookies--got deep-sixed before I could try to retrieve it. While many of you spent much time in the DC forum, I retreated from the most trafficked forums above to the International section below where an enthusiastic, encouraging group collaborated for over a year in cooking our way through Italy, turning to a new region each month. There we were pretty much left alone for a while and truly enjoyed the perfect synthesis of education and pleasure. Unfortunately, further reorganization of eGullet's management put international forums under the supervision of a handful of (mostly) US-based management and we lost the local, up-to-date expertise of those living in the countries or regions under discussion. One of the best things the site did for many of its members is precisely what it has done for Stephen Shaw: effect a move into a new, professional life.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR A BIG 15TH BIRTHDAY/ANNIVERSARY 3-8 PM especially, JULY 15TH (SUNDAY) Excerpt from recent enewsletter of FRESHFARM Markets. There will be some good music provided by famous bluegrass musician-dad of Julie Stinar, Evensong's farmer (Tom Gray, Seldom Scene, etc.) and if you're not able but maybe have an energic, former vegetarian daughter home for part of the summer, there are chiller sounds provided by the folks who organize the annual festival for sweetgreens.

You had to have been there to know how just how high a mark Tweaked sets with the review posted here. I never would have thought about the difference between a round or long, rectangular table when an largish group is sharing, for example, but the point is spot-on. The family seated around a smaller round table near the front window seemed to be having a great time with one of the clay pots that appealed to many of us as we read the menu. In general, the appetizers worked best as something to share. I thought the fresh garden rolls (#4) were pretty bland. However, cf. menu for the steamed rolls w pork and pork skin (#5?) which might have been the more interesting choice. Grape leaves (favorite of all dishes period that I tried) and tofu stood out. In general, street food-options worked best just as they do in this area's numerous takes on small plates, though I concur w Tweaked re exceptions and now appreciate congee more than in the past. A few of the entrées were less successful just because the process of bringing together a number of traditional Vietnamese foods to serve as a single "Western" (best PC option?) main course seemed a bit forced. I ordered lemongrass chicken wrapped in tofu skin w sausage (one of the rice dishes, 30-something, if not quite what is listed online) and a long, half sausage and two small squares of chicken arrived on a large bed of plain, white (not even Jasmine) rice with what seemed a random collection of garnishes that didn't do much for the plate. FWIW, do note that the interior of the restaurant seems to have been much more glamorous when Rice Paper first opened, judging by one photo glimpsed online. This was my first $20 Tuesday and like Ramona, I am glad for the push to get to Eden Center. Thanks, one and all!

Thanks for the tip. Since I plan to go early for tofu (thanks for reminder , too!) I consulted Trip Planner which for some reason insists that I take a 15-minute bus from Ballston even when I plug in "East Falls Church" [Metro station] as my point of origin, then 6775 Wilson Blvd. as the final destination. Is it reading the Wilson Blvd. address incorrectly, or should I follow this advice?

What to eat in a marsh after paddling against the current, behind an abandoned duck hunter's perch: Hard-boiled guinea eggs Norwegian rye crisps w your own butter made from raw Jersey milk Grated carrot salad Wine and blackberries gathered by little hands

Please count me in! There is a slight possibility that I don't get back to town in time/shape to go, but I am looking forward to this.

Cheddar [colored vs. flavored] cauliflower salad w parsley, garlic, lemon, anchovies and capers Last piece of the escarole flat bread Last of the black raspberries over a scoop of HD salted caramel truffle ice cream HD's fleur de sel was amazing. This new, limited edition flavor is fodder for ventworms with maybe 6 tiny, mediocre "truffle" (more like cheap, chocolate pieces on par w those in a Whitman's sampler) halves and a teaspoon of caramel swirled in.

How public-transportation friendly might the destination be? I'd love to go if there's both space and accessibility.

See my post of over a year ago, above, Don. Is calling Neapolitan-style pizza trite starting to become trite?

You know, the wonderful team of Jimmy and Paige continue to be missed. I just got a personal message from one of their fans and thought it might be best to respond here. For those wanting to know more, The FRESHFARM Markets website probably still retains a blog entry conveying both the sad news of Jimmy's passing and a tribute to this hard-working team of husband and wife. Paige worked two jobs, three, really, if you count in addition to her official day-job that brought in a steady income and benefits, and her other full-time job as business manager of Buster's, the hat she wore as an advocate for a better life for crabbers and other watermen in her region. This third role she shared with Jimmy since the couple worked together to teach local watermen how to jump through all the hoops they did in pioneering efforts to sell sustainable, local seafood at farmers markets where profits went directly to those who did the hard, risk-taking work. Jimmy, however, was the sole waterman in the small family business, so the business no longer exists. Nonetheless, the workshops started by Paige and Jimmy were well attended and there are younger generations of dedicated watermen and women around in an enterprising, resourceful community.

"Handmade" means "artisinal". Since only the eldest son may inherit one's land, fathers without means to send their younger boys to school bring them from the countryside to the city to train under a master craftsman where their duties range from sweeping the floor to mixing pigments, grinding flour, fetching water, soldering, boiling down bones, stretching leather on frames or at an advanced stage, painting the trees in the background of a gilt altarpiece. After a certain number of years, with signs of hard work, talent and acquisition of requisite skills, they join the appropriate guild of their trade and start their own workshop as a full-fledged artisan where they might be commissioned to fresco ceilings, design floats for parades or develop a crisp, lightly salted snack chip from the New World's corn.

Do look at Thomas Keller's recipe for a puréed pea soup since I think the anal advice about ice atop the shelled peas and both salt and sugar in vat of surging water good even though amount of salt should be reduced by 1/2 or even 1/4. What I like is the quiddity of pea, the pea-essence of the soup that Mrs. B. once brought to a DR picnic. Plus, washed, the pods of English peas do not go to waste in a vegetable broth since they're packed w flavor. They have to be added at the last minute, though, since sweetness rapidly turns into an intense bitterness; 6-7 minutes perhaps.