Grilled Head-on Shrimp and Chermoula at Anthology, Perfect Ice Cream at New York Times, and Some Thoughts about Labor

Summer is ending. The food doesn't really say so here in the lush south, but everything else does. Particularly, the light which streams into my studio… more directional, sharper and crisp. It's a beautiful thing, really, but I'm not ready for the huge thrust fall brings. More on that in a bit.

This chermoula, bursting with flavor, is essentially a north African version of salsa or pesto. And, it's my newest story at Anthology. Click here for the full story and recipe.

So good. On these shrimp, on everything prepared for this feature. Really, chermoula is good on everything. Do let me know if you decide to make it. I love to hear when a recipe (or photograph) seizes you.

A couple weeks ago, I had another Page One piece, produced for The New York Times Food section. This time it was ice cream. I produced simple, amazing vanilla. Certainly gave me a renewed appreciation for this humble flavor. 

five simple ingredients is all it takes

Here is the ice cream recipe.

I am on the edge of telling you some big news. It will have to wait until more is clear, but many changes are in store. Thanks for staying tuned!

Eat great food this holiday. Maybe both of these tasty recipes will make it onto your menu. They surely will not disappoint.

Beyond good eating with those we love, I hope in your Labor Day festivities you will make room to appreciate the countless people who toil so hard -  often for pennies a day - around the world.

In the distant past and now again, our economies suppress the value of labor. The rhythmic work of nimble human fingers, day in and out. Bodies which lift machinery over and over, actions repeated at a dizzying pace, or, skills so particular only few can do it. Never mind the repetitive stress those fingers and bodies face…. Young people assembling iPhones in China. Brick workers who are essentially slaves, in Pakistan. Men without safeguards against debilitating injuries in General Motors factories, in Colombia.

Do we value this work? How do we value human labor? In my own world I labor intensely, but thankfully I am (more or less) in charge of how and when it gets done. But no safety net, no built-in room to slow down. I'm working on that….

Of the above, this group has a link where you can offer your support, if you would like to help:

ASOTRECOL - association of injured Colombian GM workers.  These men suffer debilitating injuries from repeated work processes during a time when no safety standards had been implemented in their factory. They have been discarded by GM, with no means or medical insurance to have the needed surgeries, to live healthy lives and get new jobs to support their families.

What good fortune we have to be privileged! And so, what good use a few minutes to give recognition and gratitude to those who help pave the way, who don't get that privilege.

Have a fantastic "sending-off summer" weekend. And then, on to plan the wonderful things we will do this fall. Thanks for being here with me, dear friends. xxx

Blueberry Peach Crisp - My Newest Anthology Story, and "Feeding the Fire" Recipes with the New York Times

You know how when summer arrives, you don't want to cook anything? That thankfully, all the food around you is so fresh, sensual, and flavorful, you don't have to? Yeah. Me too.

There isn't any reason to cook peaches and blueberries. Unless you want an outrageously satisfying dessert. And because I'm a sucker for pie and all things cooked fruit (though this is much easier), I turned on my oven during summer in Alabama and decided to give this idea a whirl. So much *Yay* I made that choice. 

I'm sure all my friends who got their morsels after the spoils got divvied up are happy about this too. So will you, if you choose to make this fantastic blueberry peach crisp, the newest installment in my column at Anthology.

Edit: with Anthology now gone, see below for the full recipe -

Blueberry peach crisp 

serves 8

for the fruit:

3-4 lbs tree-ripened peaches - I tried to find organic and it was impossible (see if you have better luck!)

4 cups organic blueberries

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp all purpose flour

pinch kosher salt

for the crisp:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 packed cup brown sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 sticks pastured butter, cubed and freezer-cold

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

pinch salt

vanilla custard ice cream, for serving 

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir with a fork to incorporate. Add ginger and butter to mixture and work butter into dry ingredients with your fingers, until pea-sized crumbs remain. Refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Stir together lemon juice, brown sugar, zest, flour, and salt. Add fruit and toss to combine. 

Pour fruit mixture into a large baking dish and then spoon oat mixture to cover. Bake until crisp is golden and juices bubble, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. 

Great served warm, room temp, and even cold. This fruity number is excellent all by itself and of course is amazing topped with ice cream. This crisp is so virtuous you could even eat it for breakfast…..

………………………………..

To start the meal to which this crisp offers grand finale, these three recipes I produced for The New York Times most recently should do the trick. The coffee-brown sugar-spice rubbed, slow-cooked pulled lamb shoulder is a definite new favorite….

Here are a few outtakes I loved -

bacon making another starring appearance with this iceberg salad 

broccoli is delicious - here is more proof to that truth

this pulled lamb was ah-mazing. make it. see for yourself. 

I am about to embark on a trip to New York. About to have a blissful upstate weekend away. These are things which will provide a break in my day-to-day. Maybe even renewal. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of fun, but change is good to keep it all perspectivized…..

Also - Oh! Did you see this? 

I'm number one on the list of food stylists who will make you hungry. How cool is that?! Come eat with me. I have food, and we all need to eat. 

If you can't come over, at least follow along with me on the daily fun-slash-food-rescue-missions, over on Instagram. I do try to keep things interesting.

And have a remarkable summer! We all know it's going to zoom before our very eyes…. 

Lift a glass of rosé with loved ones. Eat some grilled squid, a lobster roll, or a bowl of tomatoes dabbed in good mayo. Leave your footprints (and only that, please) on a beach. Revel in the sun-kissed sparkling water surrounding you in a boat excursion, or the mesmerizing fire dance huddled in front of a nighttime campfire. 

Whatever you do, eat good food. Thank you for the love!

Twelve Months with Anthology

I am brought to reflection on various milestones this year, and this one adds to the list of sweet accomplishments added to my day-to-day. Yay for this anniversary! 

I picked these figs from trees heavy with fruit one evening before going on set, with the fermented fragrance of more, too quickly ripening to all be plucked, heavy around me. So many different types of fig trees to wander through. It was my quiet weeknight rendez-vous as I prepped this story, at the urban teaching farm known here as the Jones Valley Teaching Farm. It's only 10 or so blocks away from my home, and what a beautiful series of gardens they have.  

To mark the occasion of this anniversary, I've made a delectable fig-bourbon vanilla-almond brittle-pistachio honey-gingersnap ice cream cake. Perfect for the still-hot weather here, and a fun bite worthy of most any celebration. I hope you love it. Full story and recipe now at Anthology.

Pennants to add to the celebratory note….

The cake melts, but that's part of the fun! The mess of those delicious layers….This simply means you have to invite friends over to gorge with you, or get savvy at parceling out and freezing the leftovers.

To revisit the last twelve months of Anthology stories, here are some of my favorite images and their respective recipes….

The gorgeous - and still very relevant - panzanella salad.

One of the three salads for summer staples I created, from this story.

The extraordinarily satisfying strawberry-rhubarb crostadas to herald in spring.

Simple and colorful: my kind of daily eating. This crunchy and flavorsome slaw is where it's at. 

A ridiculously easy and delicious apple flognarde. What else matters when you have this?

That amazing layer cake I did because people like layer cakes. And because this was basically my wedding cake and I wanted more of it.

The savory meat pies to keep you comfy. Warm buttery crust and herby meat filling. What better way to bear down and cope with winter?

A favorite of mine: savory slow-cooked lamb shanks and melted onions. I get hungry just reading those words aloud….

Classic apple tarts tatin. Half the work of pie and just as pleasing as if all the effort was exerted. Dig in.

Best-ever cheesecake, made with muscadines. Newly to the south, I discovered an easy way to make a mark with these brightly sweet southern orbs.

And for my first post, this as-awesome-as-ever pesto-not-pesto. Nutty, savory, addictive. You'll pretty much want to put this on everything. 

Do you have a favorite? Please let me know! As I breathe life into the second year of posts, I want to hear from you which recipes and stories have really stood out, and why. Thank you.

And thank you all for following these adventures. I couldn't do it without your enthusiasm, your hunger for details, the back-stories, and wanting to see a peek into the what's next. And as to what is next, there are a bunch of beautiful things getting cooked up.... 

If you haven't seen the new Anthology Journal, here is an excerpt with my grandmother's heirloom recipe story. You can find a copy for yourself by clicking here. 

Happy eating. Make something delicious for yourselves! xxx