Gardens to Tables

August is time to:

Harvest Your Warm-Season Crops 

We've reached the height of the summer growing season, so harvest, dehydrate, cold-store, can, freeze or preserve any surplus crops as appropriate.

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Garden ideas and insights from our crew of intrepid garden bloggers:

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Desserts
Fuju Persimmon and Cranberry Cobbler Print E-mail
Written by Cal-a-Vie Executive Chef Jason Graham   
Sunday, 13 December 2009 02:23

Cal-a-Vie CobblerINGREDIENTS

For the cobbler:
1 egg
1/3 cup Vanilla soy milk
½ t vanilla extract
1/3 cup agave
¼ cup unbleached white flour
¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 t baking powder
Non stick butter spray
6 1T scoops of SoyDream Vanilla Ice Cream

For the filling:
2 large ripe fuju persimmons
1 t lemon juice
30 dried cranberries, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, drained and towel dried
½ t whole wheat pastry flour
2 t agave

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the cobbler, place all wet ingredients into a bowl and whisk for 1 minute. Slowly add the unbleached white flour, whole wheat pastry flour and the baking powder and mix until smooth, scraping the sides as needed, for about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until baking.

2. For the filling, place the two large, ripe fuju persimmons, peeled and cut into medium dice, into a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients to the fuju persimmons and fold together gently with a spoon to combine.

3. Generously spray 6 3oz ramekins with the Nonstick butter spray and place them on a cookie sheet. Spoon 1 rounded Tablespoon of the filling into each ramekin. Then ladle 1oz of the cobbler batter on top of the fuju persimmons and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

4. Let cool for 5 minutes and finish 1 Tablespoon vanilla soy ice cream and 5 cranberries per cobbler.

Yields 6 servings / Serving size 3 ounces
CAL 190 / FAT 3g

 
Celebrating the Fall Harvest at Sapphire Laguna Print E-mail
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Written by Ann Shepphird   
Tuesday, 17 November 2009 21:41

Chef Azmin at SapphireSapphire Laguna Restaurant & Panty in Laguna Beach, California, recently held a local fall harvest dinner party. The meal, prepared by Chef Azmin Ghahreman (right) and his team, celebrated local sustainable farming, with Chef Azmin letting guests know how each of the ingredients in the dinner was grown or raised and how it got to their table at Sapphire.

One of the dishes at the event was a Pistachio Date Pudding, for which Chef Azmin was kind enough to provide a recipe. For more information on Sapphire Laguna and other upcoming events, call (949) 715-9888 or visit www.sapphirelaguna.com

PISTACHIO DATE PUDDING
By Chef/Owner Azmin Ghahreman
Sapphire Laguna Restaurant & Pantry
(Serves 10-12)

Ingredients:
8 cups (about a 1-pound loaf) egg bread or brioche with crust, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
Unsalted butter for greasing
2 ¼ cups Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
½ cup pistachios, shelled and coarsely chopped
6 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Powdered sugar
Vanilla ice cream
(click “read more” for method)

 
Warm Chocolate Cake with Brandied Cherries from Studio at Montage Laguna Beach Print E-mail
Written by Executive Chef Craig Strong   
Wednesday, 11 November 2009 01:21

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS
9 eggs
300 grams sugar
250 grams butter
250 grams dark chocolate
135 grams all purpose flour
1 cup brandied cherries

METHOD
In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip eggs and sugar until light (ribbon stage).  Over double-boiler, melt chocolate and butter.  Fold butter-chocolate into egg mixture.  Sift flour and fold.  Fold in cherries.  Fill buttered and sugared or sprayed and parchment lined molds ½ way with batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream on side.

 
Jody's Harvest Pie from Morning Glory Farm Print E-mail
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Written by Tom Dunlop   
Monday, 09 November 2009 21:28

Morning Glory Farm coverFrom "Morning Glory Farm and the Family that Feeds an Island":

This is the quintessential farmers’ pie, served in the fall when the farmers are celebrating the bounty of the season. Bakery manager Jody Drake took several of her favorite autumn-inspired tastes and combined them into a pie that makes you think of wood fires and holiday traditions. It works as both a single-crust pie with streusel topping or as a double crust.

Preparation time: 30 minutes, including pie crust • Cooking time: 40–55 minutes • Servings: 6 generous slices

Jody’s Harvest Pie
3 cups fresh apples, diced
1 cup fresh cranberries
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 ½ Tbsp. orange zest
1 ½ Tbsp. butter, melted
1/8 cup orange juice
1/8 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pie crust (click "read more" for the rest of the recipe, including that of the pie crust).

 
Cooking with Lavender Print E-mail
Written by Joe Orcutt from the Hood River Lavender Farm   
Friday, 17 October 2008 06:15

Hood River Lavender is a collection of three organic lavender farms in the Columbia River Gorge area of Oregon. One of the farms is open to the public for tours and shopping, and hosts the annual Lavender DAZE Festival each July.

Here are some tips from Hood River Lavender's Joe Orcott on using lavender for cooking: Lavender is an herb, and one of the many members of the Mint family. Extremely versatile in cooking, it also adds nice color and garnish to a dish.

 


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