A Perfecly Sweet Berry Bowl

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Mike's lovely stepmother and I returned from the local farmer's market with armloads of fresh corn, peaches and berries.

As we scurried around the kitchen, trying to find a proper place for everything, she retrieved a beautiful, whimiscal little bowl, just perfect for the pint of blueberries, freshly plucked from their bushes.

I let out a quite audible gasp.

She either did not hear me or, more likely, dismissed my noises as another one of my quirks.  It could, afterall, been directed towards just about anything - the discovery of a perfectly plump peach or juicy blueberry, for example.

Just as when everyone politely smiled and shook their heads when I pulled monster cookies, homemade marshmallows, spicy cocktail nuts, good quality chocolate and a 9" springform pan from my luggage earlier that weekend - my tendancies are quite happily accepted by Mike's family at this point.

Either way, this did not discourage me from falling absolutely in love with this little dish.

So when I returned to my little piece of Manhattan, I was determined to locate this piece to add to my collection.  A mere five minutes later, the piece had been located and ordered.

It now sits quite happily it my kitchen cupboard, eager to hold my treasures from this weekend's farmer's market.

Monster Cookies

I had the best intentions to post this recipe last week.  Truly.

But life picked up speed last week and, while everything that is happening is exciting, it left little time to think, let alone write.

At the restaurant, my chef will prepare these every so often as a special treat for both the line cooks and pastry cooks.  She said she found the recipe in an old church cookbook and has been making them, much to the enjoyment of others, ever since.

Happy Fourth of July

I love the Fourth of July.  The simplicity of the holiday lends itself to a lazy day filled with family, friends and good food.

I have very happily been put on dessert duty for the weekend and have lots to share with you.  What are you whipping up this weekend?

Enjoy a very happy Fourth of July!

Food52 Cherry Contest: Finalist!

I interrupt today's scheduled post to shamelessly promote my recipe.  Since we last spoke, my recipe for Cherry Jam with Lemon-Pepper Shortbread was chosen as a finalist in the Food52 cherry contest!

How exciting!

So, if you are up to it, skip on over to the Food52 website and vote for me!

Cherry Jam with Lemon Pepper Shortbread

Confession: I am 24 years old and I only began to enjoy the simple sweetness of cherries one month ago.

I realize this fact may startle most of you.

My previous stance against cherries, I realized, was purely based on my experience with the jarred varietal of cherry - the ones found so promisingly perched on top of a child's ice cream sundae or floating at the bottom of a Shirley Temple.

Thinking back, we never really used cherries in any recipes in pastry school.  Even when we received shipment upon shipment of these bright red beauties at the restaurant, as the other pastry cooks sampled by the handful, I resisted and dutifully returned to my cutting board.

But then, in a moment of true weakness, as I perused the farmer's market, I was greeted by a mound of cherries.  As my camera captured their beauty, they seemed to beckon for me - try just one.

Into my mouth, I popped the most juicy, sweet little cherry.  I am forever converted.

I brought home a quart of the beauties and began thinking of how I might want to prepare them.

My first thought, obviously, was a steaming, fruity pie.  But, between long work hours and some one's distaste of fruit desserts, pies, unfortunately, go to waste around here.

So, instead, I began thinking about what flavors I would want to pair with the cherries.  While keeping the cherries as the star of the show, I decided something with a crunchy, freshness - maybe even spiciness - would be wonderful for a summer day.

While mulling over how to achieve these accompanying flavors, I began creating a simple, sweet cherry jam.

Maybe it was the homey, unmistakable scent of the sugar caramelizing with fruit that instantly pointed me in the direction of a buttery shortbread as the perfect base for this summer jam.

With the addition of bright lemon zest, freshly milled black pepper and a sprinkling of turbinado sugar, the shortbread emerged from the oven a perfect match with the sweet cherry jam.

Upon assembling and tasting my creation, from the very first bite, the soft, sweet cherry jam paired seamlessly with the crunchy, buttery shortbread, instantly brightened by the lemon zest.

As the flavors lingered on my tongue, lazily melting away, the smooth, spiciness of the black pepper appeared, creating just enough heat to balance the sweetness of all the other components.