Strawberry and Cherry Shortcake

Isn't that little strawberry on top of this shortcake just the cutest thing you have ever seen?  Every May and June, loads of big juicy California strawberries flood the market at lower than normal prices.  I usually stock up on these.  And then in late June, in New England, the local strawberries debut.  They are small, cute, fragrant, photogenic and really really expensive.  I always get sticker shock and resist for a bit, then I just break down and buy the 7 dollar little basket.  I shake my head at the receipt, consider myself a sucker, and then I bite into one, and all my negative feelings about the price slip away.  The local strawberries are worth every penny, not only are they picture perfect, they taste so much better than the gargantuan ones shipped in - juicy, sweet and pure strawberry flavor.  You have to eat them quickly though, they get mushy quickly.  The perfect thing to do with strawberries that are a tad past their prime (besides making jam), is strawberry shortcake.  I like to go the biscuit route with my shortcake, and these were so tender that they would have fallen apart if I tried to cut them in half.  So instead I made a little strawberry and cherry compote, by sauteing the fruit for just a few minutes with a little sugar and a little orange liqueur, and plopped the biscuit right on top.   The perfect way to enjoy June fruit.

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Springtime Eats: Salmon and Asparagus Bruschetta

Even though the temperature hovered in the 90s last weekend here in Boston, it is officially still spring, and therefore I am not woefully late with this tasty spring dish, that I made months ago and in my blogging rut, failed to post.  While fall is my favorite season, spring is the time I get most excited about new produce  - asparagus, peas, spring onions, and then strawberries, rhubarb.  While the bounty of summer is the star, spring produce is more exciting because we (at least here in New England) have been suffering through a long drab colored winter.  The brilliant green of spring produce is rejuvenating!   So this asparagus and salmon bruschetta was definitely rejuvenating back in April when I made it, and now that I see it in June, it seems perfect to suit summer as well.  This is from the original Ottolenghi cookbook, which has the most beautiful photography.  I must admit I have flipped through it more times than I have cooked from it, but with the success of this dish, I will dive in more.  The salmon is poached in the oven with wine and spices and comes out moist and flavorful.   This is a different and special brunch dish that is also very easy to make.

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The Newleyweds and Egg and Potato Curry

April got away from me, and then May has too.   Blogging has taken a back seat to other things, and I hope that soon my blogging focus will be reignited.  I am not sure of this exact cause of lagging blogging, but work has certainly been a big part of it.  I have working on one of those cases that is running on a fast track, so it has been intense so by the end of the day it takes a lot out of me.  I have also been in a bit of a reading rut, I have been working on Richard Ford's Canada for about a month now, and have refused to give up on it even though it hasn't really caught my attention, I am taking it on the plane with me today on a quick trip to New Orleans, and if I am not engrossed after the flight, I may just throw in the towel. [Note: that was several weeks ago, I did end up abandoning the book but hope to pick it up and try again]  A book which did catch my attention however was Nell Freudenberger's The Newleyweds.  The novel tells the story of a marriage born of the internet age  - a young Bangladeshi woman, Amina,  and almost middle aged IT guy from Rochester, George.  The two meet over the internet - through a website called AsianEuro.com.  Not a romantic start, and this is not a romantic novel.   The Newlyweds is an affecting portrait of a woman struggling between two cultures and trying to define her life's path for herself.   More after the jump.

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Cocktail Hour: Classic Bloody Mary

I have totally abandoned cocktails lately, and now that I finally have a quieter weekend, settling in with a classic brunch cocktail seemed like a good way to spend some downtime.  I love a good Bloody Mary and often order virgin versions of them at brunch.  Why virgin you ask?  Day drinking is definitely not my strong suit, and a shot of vodka at 11AM will likely knock me out for the rest of the day.  To me, the best part of a Bloody Mary is the horseradish that is used to spice the drink up.  Horseradish is one of my favorite condiments and there are not a lot of opportunities to eat copious amounts of it - pretty much only with oysters, or if you are Jewish like me, as a condiment to the once a year gefilte fish at Passover.  The version I put together above is pretty much classic - no wackiness here with pickled beets or tomatillos - just a simple tomato juice, celery salt, and horseradish concoction. 

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