Archive for August, 2011

La Rosalia – A Happy Marriage of Watermelon, Aperol and Basil

Posted August 29, 2011 By Adri

Aperol Drink

Call it a cooler.  Call it refreshing.  And call our weather hot, hot, hot.  For the last few days I have been looking for cool, but not too sweet drinks, and I came up with this one.  In our house watermelon defines summertime, and since it’s still watermelon season, I thought I would use it in a beverage. Read more… »

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Banana Legs Tomato

Posted August 27, 2011 By Adri

Another in the ongoing series – Exploring Tomatoes


Banana Legs Tomato


This low acid novelty looks a bit like a banana, well, kinda sorta – a 4 inch long bright yellow banana with a point at one end and very pale green stripes running the length of the fruit. Like I said, kinda sorta. This is one dependable and remarkably disease resistant plant. It is a determinate variety, and as such all its fruit will ripen at once, beginning at about 75 days and continuing over a two week period. The plant will then be “finished.” Known as “bush tomatoes” because of their low compact habit, determinate plants stop growing once the fruit on the top (or “terminal”) bud has set. These are not plants that will reward you with fruit all season long. Keep the determinate vs. indeterminate factor in mind when planning your tomato garden. Read more… »

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Golden Copper Tomato Sauce

Posted August 21, 2011 By Adri

Tomatoes

Aren’t they beautiful? And that is just what I grabbed from my garden yesterday morning. Really. I decided to make some sauce with all those babies, and what a lovely thing it is. The color is a knockout. It’s not yellow. It’s not just orange, but a coppery orange that I love. I used a few heirloom tomatoes – Jubilee, Yellow Brandywine, Russian Orange, Mr. Stripey and Jaune Flamme. As I was chopping and seeding the tomatoes I was astounded at how juicy they were. And the juice was an absolutely glorious golden color. Summer rocks. Read more… »

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LA Times Gravenstein Thin-Crusted Apple Tart

Posted August 16, 2011 By Adri

Gravenstein Apple Tart

When you have really nice apples you don’t need anything else. Well, except for some butter and flour to make a tart. When I saw the article in the August 11 edition of the Los Angeles Times about the endangered Gravenstein apple and the accompanying recipe, I just had to give it try. I had forgotten about Gravensteins. They were one of my mother’s favorites for baking, along with Jonathans. The Gravenstein apple, once a large crop in California is now in danger of disappearing. There are several reasons, foremost among them, the apples are difficult to harvest, perishable and quite simply, farmers can make more money growing other crops. However the Gravenstein is not without friends. Read more… »

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Acqua di Cedro – a Drink and a Panna Cotta

Posted August 14, 2011 By Adri

Acqua di Cedro Citron

Acqua di CedroMove over Limoncello. Acqua di Cedro has arrived. This clear liqueur is made with citron, cedro in Italian (botanical name – Citrus medica.) Poor unattractive and underused citron, aside from its candied peel used for Christmas baking, it is pretty much ignored in my kitchen. Not so however on my dressing table where its essential oils form the base of many of my favorite perfumes. This most ancient of citrus with its gnarled and bumpy skin is said to have flourished in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and was brought to Italy by Alexander the Great – this baby’s got some history behind it. Read more… »

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Negroni sbagliato

Posted August 5, 2011 By Adri

Negroni Sbagliato

 

Looking for Bar BassoI’m such an Armchair Traveler. Take one look at my Passport, and you’ll know I haven’t been anywhere in years. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my virtual peregrinations, brimming as they are with a wonderful combination of memories, true nostalgia and the discovery of the new. In the realm of memories and possibly even more of nostalgia are the many cocktails that have as their base that quintessential Italian beverage, Campari. The Campari cocktail with the most character is unassailably the Negroni (nay-GROW-nee), an aperitivo with a distinct point of view – herbaceous, botanical, Italian and pure alcohol. These days it seems everybody talks Negroni, but not everybody drinks Negroni. And I think it’s the gin that stops them. Ah, but drinkers walk the walk where Prosecco is concerned. Everybody drinks Prosecco. Want the allure of a Negroni, but don’t want the gin? When is a Negroni not a Negroni? Read more… »

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