Foodie Year in Review

Of course the year is not quite over -- 2012 still has a good few months left in it -- but I might as well get these up now, while I have time and am thinking of it and before the school term starts up and things get crazy again.  Here are some of my favorite things since the start of the year:

New Year's menu at my parents' house. This is how we roll. (Once a year, at any rate.)

Easter brunch: just-picked asparagus, baby beets, crumbled ricotta salata.

I found a cardoon at the market! Look how enormous it is!

After pulling off the leaves and cutting the stalks into manageable portions, this is what was left.

And after trimming away the spongy outsides and getting down to the tender, edible heart, this is all that was left. I braised it in chicken broth, with garlic and fresh herbs; delicious.

My dad's university offers a cooking class for undergrads, and my mom is one of the instructors. One of my visits coincided with the Italian food class, so I checked it out. Project of the day: breaking down an ENTIRE WHEEL of Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese. Fantastic!!

If only blogs could convey smell...when the wheel was cracked open, the whole room filled with that delicious, nutty, creamy Parmesan aroma. It was glorious.

A gift of plums from a coworker's tree: baked into a tart with frangipane. A big hit at the 4th of July picnic.

On my last visit to my parents I got to raid their garden for all this spectacular summer produce...

Several varieties of tomatoes and peppers, squash blossoms, every kind of herb...

The rainbow chard and new potatoes went into this lentil soup (a favorite family recipe). Seasoned with lemon juice and mint, also from the garden!

Delicious white nectarines from mom and dad's tree -- they made a killer sorbet.

One of my favorite tricks, which I learned on my last trip to France about six years ago: use a vegetable peeler to make "noodles" of tender young zucchini. These are tossed with toasted pine nuts, garlic, thyme, parsley and olive oil.

I'll try to update this thing on a more regular basis from now on.  Buon appetito!

Party Time. (Excellent.)

I don't cook just for myself, of course; in fact, I prefer to cook for other people.  Preferably large groups of other people.  Here's some of my favorite party food from the last couple years:

Writers' Summer Luncheon
I used to work as an assistant to an author; when she threw a thank-you / meet-and-greet party for contributors to her latest book, I got to do the catering. Some of the produce came from the author's own lovely garden, the rest from my local farmers' market.

Crostini of smoked duck with spiced apricot chutney, green goddess dip, homemade tapenade, crackers and crudités.

Sandwiches. Left: Roast beef with arugula, blue cheese, caramelized shallots. Right: roasted veggies (eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini), basil pesto, goat cheese.

Orange chiffon cupcakes with dark chocolate ganache and golden raspberries.

I also collaborated with two friends to throw a very elegant baby shower.  (The baby will be a year old in October, which tells you how long overdue this post is!)

Cheeses platter

Seckel pears poached in moscato and spices.

Our gracious hostess, C. opened up her beautiful Craftsman-style home and provided the gorgeous vintage linens and table settings. (Check out the amazing punch bowl and her adorable apron!)

Salumi plate. I made the pâté and pickled red onions and C. made the smoked duck breast; the rest came from my friend Rachael, chef/owner at The Compass Star.

Dark chocolate truffles -- pure decadence!

Two kinds of cookies: almond crisps; shortbread with currants and candied citrus peel.

Mini fruit tarts (vanilla pastry cream, berries). No need to get a fancy set of teeny tart pans for this; I used a mini muffin tin to shape the crusts.

A tower of decadence!

 

 

 

And finally, I got to throw quite a lovely party for myself to celebrate a milestone birthday in early 2012.  My Fabulous Sicilian Landlady let me have the shindig in her gorgeous house because my studio is so teeny, and my glamorous friend Joyce created some spectacular cocktails and loaned me the beautiful marble serving platters you see in the photos.

the grand spread of hors d'oeuvres

 

Yes, I did decorate my cake with a tiara and pink polka dots. (Red velvet with cream cheese and mascarpone icing.)

My hair almost matched the cake.

La Buongustaia is back! (sort of)

The other day my cousin asked me if I had a food blog. Of course I did! Then I realized that I hadn't updated it since I got back from Italy...almost TWO YEARS ago. Oops. What can I say? Life as a grad student doesn't leave a whole lot of spare time for blogging, unfortunately.

By way of excuse, let me tell you what exactly has kept me so busy:
- PhD qualifying examinations (I passed! yay!) and dissertation prospectus
- performing in a music ensemble
- the usual assortment of coursework and teaching, going to conferences, serving on committees, and other delights of academic life
- a couple of part-time jobs
- a summer internship with a Shakespeare festival
- a social life (no, really!)

But I have managed to find time to cook on occasion, despite all this, and sometimes I even manage to remember to take pictures.  Here are some of the greatest hits from 2010-11:

French-style fruit tart (vanilla pastry cream, topped with strawberries, plums, raspberries and apricot glaze)

apple tart -- from apples grown in my backyard!

Trifle (at Christmastime). I think it may have involved sour cherries and almonds.

Cassoulet, with homemade sausage and duck confit.

Fried chicken; carrot and cabbage slaw (mustardseeds and lime juice).

Homemade pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage. Not as ethereal as what I ate in Mantova, but still pretty good!

Involtini of zucchini and eggplant, filled with herbed ricotta cheese, baked in tomato sauce.

Braised baby artichokes. (Some of the best artichokes in the world are grown a few miles from where I live...lucky me!)

Pumpkin and carrot soup with fresh corn, chives and creme fraiche.

Seafood pasta.