Pandemic polenta. Not the best photograph, mind you, but absolutely the best polenta I've ever had. And I made it from scratch! The ingredients for entire pan of polenta cost only about 2 dollars.

Hope you are staying safe and well during these unprecedented and weird times. Love to you all.

Pasta in Place

Outside of one week on the west coast, I've been sheltering in place on the east coast for about five weeks now. I swear I have never cooked so much in my entire life. But I'm thankful for each day, taking nothing for granted anymore.

Problem – we both had a hankering for raviolis. I do have a nice Italian pasta machine, but no ravioli attachment,
no ravioli roller, no ravioli tray. What to do?

Solution - realized we may still have an ice cube tray or two from back in the day. Found one and scrubbed it up and enlisted it in the weird ravioli project. Weirdiolis!

Ground turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, parmesan, salt and pepper. Tres delish.

Dark Red Apple, Late Summer

You know how you wake up one morning and you go outside and you are hit with a little coolness, a little crispness, that signals the wake up of the fall season? Yeah, it's like that.

Still Life with Squash Blossoms

 

Every now and then in this messed up world, I see something and my heart just aches with an overload of beauty.

Well, this photo I took this morning of fresh squash blossoms from the garden is really doing it for me. Almost inspiring me to get back into food photography once again.

Hope you enjoy it too.

Mid-summer Blueberries

So, what's been going on over the last three years, you might ask. Well, I'd answer, I fell in love with a man who I first met when we were kids. On the other side of the world. Long story.

So I left the West side of what's-left-of-America and moved to the Boston area, as he had the better job over here. And now I live on the East side of what's-left-of-America. It's very green, in all interpretations of the word, which I appreciate immensely.

I've been working in tech, and doing some jewelry/metalwork when I have a chance. But I'm missing the food photography and may be dangling my toes back into it. We'll see!

Here are some amazing blueberries I just picked from the backyard. Happy summer!!

Back in Business!

Today is opening day of the Saturday Farmer's Market in Lake Oswego, OR. Whoopie!! They are back in business! The freshest fruits and vegetables, the most colorful flowers, the tastiest cold pressed juices. Yeah, I missed you, you vibrant-as-all-get-out market, you : )

Holiday Desserts!

This scrumptious poached pear dessert is courtesy of my son, an amazing chef in his own right. These are anjou pears poached in red wine, raw sugar and mulling spices.

I truly hope this holiday season has been filled with love and joy for you all.

Yours,

Alison

Tomatillo Time!

The tomatillo skins and fruits are extra colorful this year. It's going to make for a wild salsa!

Today I am trying to capture some decent food images with my old Lumix (Leica lens). I'm actually pretty happy with the result.

The Lumix will serve as my temp camera while I try to find a camera to replace my beloved Nikon D800. Yes, after much angst, I've decided that the D800 is far to heavy for me to use on an ongoing basis. It actually wonks my back after a while. And if I use it with a heavy lens while I'm out tromping around a vineyard for a few hours? Flat on my back for a day or two. Yikes!

So it's time to move on to something lighter. Research mode!! I'm excited to see what I find : )

Rustic Summer Sandwich

Is there anything better than a rustic summer sandwich for lunch during the dog days of August? Warm tomatoes off the vine, just picked basil, artisanal mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and crusty bread. Just yum!

The Beauty of Imperfect

 

 While hanging in Santa Barbara this week, I came across these blemished beauties at the Saturday Farmer's Market. I was struck by the vibrance and color of these second class fruits. Ideal for jams, ideal for sauces and compotes, but discounted and overlooked by most. 

This got me to thinking, why does everything have to be perfect these days? It didn't used to be like that. Perfect fruit, perfect shoes, perfect dress, perfect house, perfect shampoo. Sadly, I even buy into this mindset somewhat. Clearly it's time in the world to start embracing, even celebrating, the imperfect. The world holds many vibrant gems that sport a few dings and scratches, but are perfectly fine in every other way. Viva la imperfections!

Julia Child's Cherry Clafoutis

Well, I was SO not going to waste my beautiful local cherries that I purchased a few days ago. So I thought maybe some beautiful jam, a cherry pie, or...? Then I remembered my fave! I dug up the Julia Child clafoutis recipe, huzzah!! It's a recipe that you think might be difficult, but really it's not so much. Your fingers get a little stained from all the juice, but it's a small price to pay for the custard-y heaven that is clafoutis. Julia's clafoutis. Nom.

Here's a link to the recipe on Food.com - http://www.food.com/recipe/julia-childs-cherry-clafouti-239454?photo=361982

Flourless Orange, Almond and Ginger Cake

I'm loving many things about the Portland, Oregon area. Many things! 

One of my favorite new eateries here is the St. Honoré Bakery and Cafe. It's a casual little place with fresh soups, killer vol au vonts, savory caprese sandwiches. And hecka amazing flourless orange and almond cakes! It's one of those places where the food is just as beautiful as it is delicious.

Time for another run!!!

Experiencing the Oregon Truffle Festival!!

Wow folks. What an awesome experience. I just recently found out about the Oregon Truffle Festival (OTF). The yearly festival celebrates the burgeoning local truffle industry.

Had an opportunity to catch up with the event at the OTF marketplace today. My gosh, truffle cheeses, truffle charcuterie, truffle ice cream : ) And some amazing local wines as well! All in all, a very tasty day.

Now it's time to find some yummy truffle recipes. First up? It's truffle fondue!!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!!

I was cooking up some savory omelettes this morning when these beautiful red pepper seeds caught my eye. On this day, (of all days), I am reminded that today is just the start, just the tiniest seed of the new year. I firmly believe you can grow this year into anything you want it to be.

Best of luck and much happiness : )

Alison

Gewürztraminer Baby...

Ooh! A wine grape with an umlaut! 

Found some charming, blushing Gewürztraminer grapes while hiking around the vineyards the other day. Which got me to thinking, does Gewürztraminer pair well with anything besides fish? I've rarely had the wine, as I'm just not too much of a fish/seafood person.

What? It pairs with Asian foods? What? Pairs with a ham and gruyere tart? Whoa nelly. Well, I guess I have a new wine to explore!

Food &Wine has all the deets right here.

Tzatziki on the Beach

Back home now, instilled with a healthy infatuation for the foods we ate in Greece and Turkey.

I'm convinced we ate the best tzatziki on the face of the earth. We found it on the menu in the lovely taverna above Panormous beach on Mykonos. Even the Aldous Snow imitator to our right couldn't detract from the smooth coolness of the dish. It was really something special.

I've been trying to reverse engineer the dish, with some success, but it's not quite perfect yet. Tomorrow I'll try an existing recipe I found from Ina Garten - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tzatziki-recipe.html

Wish me luck!

The foods of Istanbul

Well, we've been here for maybe 12 hours or so, and we are already just loving the churning excitement of Istanbul!

This is pomegranate and pistachio lokum, found at an incredible shop just down the street. A thing of beauty.

I'll let this picture be worth a thousand words. More soon...

White Asparagus with Saboyan Sauce

Look what I found at the market today... white asparagus! Not something you see every day around here.

Today, I'm preparing this delicacy with an elegant olive oil based Sabayon sauce. Found a great recipe on the Saveur Magazine site.

What a treat!!

Bitter and Fierce - Fun with Candied Grapefruit

I've taken Smitten Kitchen's attempt at candied grapefruit as my challenge of the week. And, oh, it is a mighty challenge.

I tried to boil and sugar the translucent gems into submission, but yeah, just like SK, I find the grapefruit turns out bitter as heck. No way around it.

I may chop up the remainders tomorrow and mix them with something sweet (naval oranges?) to make an uber marmalade. If at first you don't succeed...

Lavender Season

The lavender outside is flourishing in the hot days and cool nights of the central coast. There is so much of it now, I'm fully inspired to attempt several new recipes. I do not want it to go to waste!

First up on the to-try list is a lovely crème brûlée from Jamie Oliver - http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/eggs-recipes/lavender-cr-me-br-l-e.

Next, I'll try a savory recipe, perhaps a lavender barbeque rub. If anyone has a savory recipe that uses lavender, do let me know! Feel free to contact me offline at info@alisonparkswhitfield.com.