Don't Spare the Asparagus!

The asparagus bed is offering a daily harvest to the delight of my stomach. Luscious spears are added to whatever we are eating. The Calm One made a big batch of his special macaroni and cheese. Special? It has three kinds of pasta and three kinds of cheese! Not to mention saucisses de Strasbourg and a generous splash of cream. No recipe, I am afraid, as he follows none. It starts with a roux, that I know, and is done on the stovetop.

Penne, corkscrews & pipes; cheddar, emmental & gruyère

Asparagus bob happily in creamy herb, potato, and sausage soup.*

In a couple of weeks, tomato and sweet red pepper plants sowed mid-March will be ready to go into the ground.

Four varieties of tomatoes!

Lilacs have delayed their flowering this season which I suspect was because they did not get enough chilling as our winter was very mild.

That pink cloud is a neighbour's gorgeous ornamental cherry tree.

Bright emerald green of grass and foliage makes a sublime setting for the amethyst of irises and the citrine of calla lilies.

Queen Elizabeth shrub rose & strawberry, leek, carrot, beet, and asparagus beds

Calla lilies have a dignified flair.

Bearded irises at the head of their long border get the most sunlight and therefore are the first to bloom.

A blueberry bush planted in a large pot filled with the necessary acid soil for it to thrive is putting out delicate flower-bells.

The sun, low in the horizon, lights up an edged-with-red, deep-yellow tulip.

Whoever painted the edges got a bit careless with the brush!

À la prochaine!

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*Recipe for creamy herb and sausage soup (some photos have been corrupted in this old post but text remains correct)

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A new high quality, early season variety of asparagus
Cooking, cooling, then reheating pasta and potatoes have health benefits

Early Spring Kitchen-Garden Delights: Pea Shoots & Asparagus

Pea shoots are a delicious addition to early spring menus. Tagliatelle and chopped shoots are simmered together, then drained, reserving some of the pasta-cooking water. Saute a nice dose of minced garlic, finely chopped fresh ginger, and red pepper flakes in some olive oil for a minute or two over medium heat. Add a couple of heaping tablespoons of whole almond meal along with the reserved water till creamy. Stir in the pasta and pea shoots. Salt to taste. Creamy, nutty, spicy, fresh, and good!

Our shoots came from peas planted in a pot six weeks ago

A pleasant brunch can be had by simmering some asparagus and a cracked egg in chicken broth while the toast is being made.

Flip over the egg.

Our 4-year-old plants can be harvested until the end of April

Pour some of the broth over the slices. Top with spears and the egg. Fleur de sel would be a nice sprinkle.

A trap door exposing the golden treasure

Bluebells are just starting their blooming.

Cream-coloured species tulips are being buffeted by the wind.

The bright splash of golden yellow in their centre is a wonderful accent.

The first calla lily bud has made its appearance.

The irises are unfurling their purple blooms.

To get raspberries in early summer in addition to their typical fruiting in late summer/early autumn, I leave the stems from last season alone until they put out fresh leaf growth. Then the spent part of the stems will be clearly seen and can be trimmed off. In a month or so, new shoots will grow from ground level and will fruit later in the season.

À la prochaine!

It's Asparagus Pickin' Time!

The first spears have been harvested. Sweet, sweet spears.

And I do mean sweet. Just minutes from harvesting, they were simmered gently in a skillet. There was no time for the natural sugars to turn into starch. Instead of a squirt of lemon, I opted for sorrel which was picked at the same time as the asparagus.

That's lemony sorrel in the background

While the pasta is cooking, break off the woody parts of the spears, wash, and simmer in a shallow pan for a few minutes. Remove the asparagus, slice in pieces, and reserve.  Add some butter and olive oil in the skillet and then toss in the chiffonade of sorrel. Stir for a minute or two until the sorrel has become saucy. Add the asparagus and several tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and incorporate it with the asparagus. Mix well while cooking another minute or so. Pile on a plate. Grind some black pepper, sprinkle a bit of fleur de sel, and top with freshly grated Parmesan.

So fresh! But also pleasingly rich what with the butter, olive oil & cheese!

Oh, the elusive pink to-the-core rhubarb. Though I bought the red variety from the plant nursery about six years ago, the streaked-with-red stalks have green insides. What's up I wondered. Now I know. Those smooth, sweeter, more tender, and solidly pink beauties are forced in darkness.* Out came the largest planter. The Calm One taped-up the drainage holes and upturned it over the remaining plant that has not yet burst from its buds. In a month, all will be revealed.

Dirt was mounded around it for increased snugness

The peas are in! And duly protected from eager avian beaks via horticultural fleece.

Next are the early-season potatoes.

Well-sprouted Artemis variety

Their bed is being prepared. Soon, my little starchy nuggets!

Instead of garden tools being precariously heaped in a potting room corner comme habitude, they are now nicely nestled in the slots of a salvaged wooden pallet thanks to the cleverness and resourcefulness of The Calm One.

The purple plum tree is putting out blooms.

And the species tulips too.

À la prochaine!

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*European Protected Designation of Origin Yorkshire forced rhubarb (that is, the rhubarb triangle of Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford):   Once inside the rhubarb stalks grow so quickly it is possible, if it is quiet in the shed, to hear the ‘popping’ sound as the stalks are pushed out from the bud.

Rain Has Stopped . . . and so have I!

It took six weeks, but the rain has finally ended. Dry sunny days are forecasted all the way to Sunday. Everything was well and good as I have most of the spring sowing to do: peas, early potatoes, leeks, lettuce, spinach, beets, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, and shallots. Then I pulled a shoulder muscle.

Ah, no more rain, must tell the gardener chez nous

Oh, you say, a pulled muscle?  I can sprawl on the heating pad!

After a day of immobility and application of heat, both electrically and fur-generated (via Dirac the Young Cat), I already am feeling better. The Calm One brought home a collection of Arsène Lupin stories from Angouleme's impressive new library to stave off my boredom. It's working (even if I am not)!

À la prochaine!

Muffins with Maple Walnut Cinnamon Topping

To me a true muffin doesn't have a cake crumb, but rather innards composed of a fluffy, honeycombed texture. The batter used is similar to very thick griddlecake batter. The same astuce applies: leave the batter lumpy which involves hardly any mixing.

Ingredients
12  medium muffins baked in 80 ml/2.6 fluid oz capacity tins

• Flour, white, 280 g (2 American cups of 8 fluid oz each)
• Baking powder, 3 tsp
• Salt, 1/2 tsp
• Sugar, 4 T
• Maple syrup, 1 tsp
• Egg, 1, slightly beaten
• Milk, whole, 250 ml (8 fluid oz)
• Butter, melted, 60 g/4 T
• Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
• Walnuts, finely chopped, 2 T

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C/375 degrees F. Butter the tins well. Add the maple syrup to the sugar.

Blend well to get a moist, light beige mixture. Reserve two tablespoons for the topping.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Pour in milk, beaten egg, and melted butter. Stir just until everything is moistened.

Perfectly lumpy batter

Fill the tins a little more than halfway.  Mix together the reserved maple sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon. Sprinkle a teaspoon on each muffin and lightly press down.

Bake around twenty minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Wait about a minute and then turn the tins over a suitable surface. Most should come out. For the reluctant ones, give a nice thump on the back of the said tins. They are so comforting when served warm. As is their fragrance wafting about. Any leftovers can be reheated in a low oven or split and toasted under the broiler.

They taste good cold too! The texture becomes closer to that of an English muffin (crumpet)

With your hands break apart a plump muffin height-wise  so as to afford the sweet butter some fjords into which it can melt.

A drizzle of maple syrup wouldn't be out of order

The soft, moist, honeycombed insides can be be seen clearly when not filled with melting butter.

They also freeze well

There was just two days since the beginning of February when it hasn't rained. Those were the days I managed to spray the peach tree while it was still dormant and get the newly arrived strawberries in the ground. So much more to sow and plant but the rain just will not stop so the soil can dry out to a workable state. Dirac the Young Cat has restricted his outdoor activity mostly to brief romps, preferring to stay inside.

A happy, dry paw points out the volume containing the entry on tigers

À la prochaine!

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Baked Mocha Custard

Plain baked custard comprising of just eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla certainly is lovely, comforting, and simple. But mocha is, well, mocha. Topping with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cocoa, and a drizzle of maple syrup makes this custard even more alluring.

Ingredients
four 177 ml/6 oz servings

• Milk, whole, 532 ml (2 1/4 cups  or 36 T)
• Sugar, 5 T + 1 tsp
• Cocoa powder, unsweetened, 3 T
• Coffee, freeze-dried crystals, 1 T
• Eggs, 3
• Vanilla extract, 1 1/2 tsp
• Topping: cocoa, maple syrup & whipped cream

Preheat oven to 163 degrees C (325 degrees F). Place the kettle on the boil. Put the milk, sugar, coffee, and cocoa in a saucepan.

Heat gently all the while stirring till smooth which should take a few minutes. The mixture should be closer to lukewarm than hot.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until the yellows and whites are blended. Gradually incorporate the warm milk while whisking. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour into cups, ramekins, or bowls. Set them into a suitably sized shallow dish. Add 2.5 cm (1 inch) of boiling water.

Bake thirty to forty minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool about twenty minutes. If you like warmish custard like I do, then whip up some cream, sprinkle on the cocoa, and drizzle some maple syrup. If not, refrigerate at least two hours or overnight if you desire a well chilled dessert.

The piled-on-high whipped cream, maple syrup, and cocoa makes you into an adventurer bent on discovery as you dip-in your spoon to reach the silkiness of the custard proper with its darker, slightly rough skin. 

This dessert makes a nice ending to a spicy meal, like enchiladas

In the garden, mostly everything is still dormant which is the time to do pruning. Evergreens can get trimmed also as their sap is just starting to rise so though they are prettily green they are technically sleeping.

Lots and lots and lots of laurel prunings

The grass and iris foliage are awakening.

The 'lawn' recently got it first haircut of the season

The peas planted in a pot several weeks ago are putting out growth. Soon they will provide pea shoots for delectable, early-spring greens.

À la prochaine!

Late Winter Warmers: Rich Spicy Broth with Pork Slivers & Tagliatelle . . . and coffee ice cream affogato

My having roasted a rack of pork for our Christmas dinner allowed reserving the bones for stock. The rest of the Médoc wine along with a bouquet garni, black peppercorns, onions, and mushroom stems—the caps were braised and served with the pork—were tossed into the pot. The scrumptious result was strained, reduced, and then frozen only to be thawed recently when a chilly, windy day became the perfect time to do so. As there also was homemade chicken stock in the freezer, that got added along with strips of left-over pork, red pepper flakes, minced ginger, crushed garlic, and broken-up tagliatelle. All were simmered until the pasta was tender which takes about fifteen minutes.

Its exquisite shade of burnt umber comes from 'room stems & lush red wine

An earthy soup such like this can easily sport the sun in the form of a poached egg.

The garlic was harvested from our potager last summer

If you love eggs like I do, then you have an inexpensive and delicious way of boosting your nutritive intake by topping grain dishes, soups, and toast with poached beauties. Decades of our ignoring the dire health claims made against them have been vindicated. In this case, an egg was poached in a small amount of broth, the raggedy bits trimmed, and added to a bowl of steaming goodness.

I eventually will sample eggs other than chicken like duck & quail

Now you would be right in doubting the warming effect of ice cream, but then you would be underestimating affogato's flair. Though usually it's made with vanilla ice cream, the earth-coloured theme can continue along with a double dose of coffee by subbing coffee ice cream.

Purists insist that affogato is a beverage and not a dessert. I say just drink it after the meal! And what an adaptable drink it is. For summer, put more ice cream than coffee, for winter, more coffee, less ice cream. Make expresso or very strong coffee in which your favourite coffee liqueur could be added. Put the ice cream into a chalice or a cup and pour on very hot coffee. The melting ice cream will cool down the coffee just enough so you can imbibe the creamy warm beverage with ease. A spoon can assist in securing a few extant lumps of ice cream.

Don't tell anyone I used freeze-dried coffee!

À la prochaine!

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Making chicken stock (some photos have become corrupted in this old post, but the info remains correct.)
Broth with chicken, pasta, greens, Parmesan, poached egg & bread crumbs

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How to make your own coffee liqueur