It’s peach season, and I just received some Red Havens from my uncle’s orchard. Needing something sweet to enjoy, I played around with a peach sorbet the other day. The result was an English thyme-infused peach sorbet, served with Stilton toasts (h/t Sheridan for that flavor combo.) It’s really easy and delicious!
Thyme-Infused Peach Sorbet with Stilton Toasts
3 lbs fresh peaches, partially peeled
1 cup English thyme-infused simple syrup
3 T lemon juice
Pit the peaches and place in a blender. I typically leave half of the skins on to give color and texture. Add lemon juice and cooled syrup. Blend well and place in yogurt maker until desired solidity is reached. Serve with toasts.
For the syrup:
Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 12 sprigs of thyme in a sauce pan. Warm slowly to simmer until sugar melts and the syrup becomes aromatic. Strain and cool.
For the toasts:
Slice a baguette and place on a cookie sheet. Broil briefly until golden, on both sides. Top with Stilton cheese and return to oven, baking at 400F until cheese bubbles. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
Here’s a bit of pop culture for you, and a rare musical interlude. If you’ve read William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch, then you know that Steely Dan was the name of a dildo:
Mary is strapping on a rubber penis. “Steely Dan III from Yokohama,” she says, caressing the shaft.
“What happened to Steely Dan I?”
“He was torn in two by a bull dyke. She could cave in a lead pipe.”
“And Steely Dan II?”
“Chewed to bits by a famished canidru in the Upper Baboonsasshole. And don’t say ‘wheeeeeeee!’ this time.”
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen introduced the character in a song entitled “Soul Ram” (I think you see where this is heading), which appeared on a collection of tracks named The Early Years. It’s all pre-Steely Dan, and really wonderful. Back in the early 1980s, I discovered a vinyl copy in a miscellaneous bin. So, for your enjoyment, today’s interlude is “Soul Ram.”
Today was pretty simple, but a great experience. I took the El downtown to attend the solidarity rally at Daley Plaza, and stopped by Rick Bayless’ XOCO for a really awesome Cochinita Pibil torta. Just lovely, and the habañero salsa was genuinely spicy. My only available camera was my smartphone, but here is a sample of what you can expect if you come to eat:
Afterwards, I proceeded to Daley Plaza, where people had gathered to show support for Wisconsin public union members. A number of speakers were there, including Senator Dick Durbin. There were lots of good signs, and I shot a few seconds of video. What was really cool, though, is that after a few minutes a bunch of pro-choice protesters showed up, and the crowds started to mix and feed off of each other. It was really exciting to see such a diverse mix of folks who shared a common vision for the future; an inclusive vision that allows for economic and social mobility, and rejects the notion of inherent class separation.
We like to throw around the word “freedom”, but what good is that if there is economic oppression?
Rally at Daley Plaza, Chicago, February 26, 2011 (#1)
Rally at Daley Plaza, Chicago, February 26, 2011 (#2)
I’ve been playing around with butternut squash this winter, and last night’s batch of soup was particularly tasty, so I thought I would share it with everyone. Buon Appetito!
Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Apple and Cumin
by Michael Miles
1 large butternut squash (yield about 4 cups)
2 apples (I prefer Honey Crisp or Gala)
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
6 whole cloves
1 tsp fresh thyme (about 6 sprigs)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400F. Slice the squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Place pulp down on baking sheet. Place whole apples on baking sheet and roast in oven until done (about an hour.) Separate squash pulp from skin and remove apple cores.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a stock pot and sauté onion and garlic until fragrant and slightly brown. Lower heat and add vegetable stock. Bring to simmer, then add cloves, thyme, cumin, carrots and celery. Cook for 45 minutes.
Add the squash and apple. Simmer another 15 minutes. If necessary (and it probably will be) add water to reduce the thickness.
Remove cloves and thyme stems. If you want to save yourself the hassle of finding six cloves, place them in a tea ball or cooking bag beforehand. Transfer the soup to a blender in small batches and purée until smooth. Return to stock pot and season with salt and pepper before serving.
It gets cold in Chicago, and the harbors freeze. That’s not so good if you enjoy sailing. While it helps to long for April 1st, when the boats will start to return to their slips, attending a boat show in January helps a lot. Yesterday my friend Michael and I went to Strictly Sail at Navy Pier – where among other cool things – Beneteau’s new First 30 made its Chicago debut. Perfect for getting one’s mind off of gray skies and old snow.
Beneteau has always done a fabulous job of walking the line between performance and comfort, and the second generation of the First 30 is no different. Designed by famed naval architecture firm Juan Yacht Design, the First 30 retains the distinctive Beneteau profile while incorporating substantial racing improvements, like a bulb keel, a new tiller design linked to dual rudders, and specially designed mast and sails to maximize power (no backstay on this baby.)
I’m not going to get into a review of the boat, since I haven’t sailed one and – I’m sad to think – I surely won’t have the opportunity for quite a while. Needless to say, from the photos, it’s easy to see the relative comfort built into the cabin. This is definitely not a J/30, which makes cocktail hour at the end of the day a bit more comfortable (now you know what kind of sailor I am.) But in the right hands, the boat is not going to provide any handicap on the water. So for any of you out there who feel compelled to reward me with lavish gifts, this is definitely the big daddy.
Of course, there was more: three yachts from the Beneteau series – a 37, 40 and 50 – all stunning and outfitted to the nines. The 50 actually comes with the Dock & Go system, a new 360 degree, joystick-controlled trolling motor that requires almost no skill to professionally maneuver your yacht. Perfect for the bond trader that doesn’t know how to sail.
Other highlights included a new J/111 – the latest in a series of impressive racing boats, a beautiful one-class daysailer from C.W. Hood (which was just voted Boat of the Year), and lots of cool gear (I totally fell in love with these really lightweight water shoes from Zeko footwear.) Not a bad way to spend a few hours.
Now it’s just a matter of getting through the next eight weeks, until the boat yards come to life and the harbors start to fill again. I’ve joined a crew that will be running in the Chicago-Mac race this summer, so stayed tuned for news and updates. It promises to be a really fun time.
I found a tasty little recipe this weekend after picking up some kohlrabi at the farmer’s market. If you’ve never tried kohlrabi, put it on your list. It’s a relative of the turnip and radish, and quite delicious raw or cooked.
The provenance of this recipe apparently begins with the October 1992 issue of Gourmet magazine. It was then modified by Alanna Kellogg, who posted it to the website A Veggie Venture. I have further modified it.
3 bulbs kohlrabi
2 Granny Smith apples
6 oz. plain yogurt
1 lemon
3 T chopped mint
1 t stone-ground mustard
1 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Squeeze lemon and reserve 1 tablespoon of juice. Trim and chop kohlrabi and apple into batons. Place in bowl, and toss with lemon juice to prevent oxidation. Set aside.
Mix yogurt, reserved lemon juice, chopped mint, mustard, and sugar. Whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with slaw and serve immediately with mint leaf garnish.
I realize that I haven’t posted a drink recipe in a while (actually, I haven’t posted in a while) so I present to you my Tang martini. Happily, it doesn’t use Tang in the cocktail, just on the rim of the glass.
2 parts Absolut Citron
1 part pulp-free fresh orange juice
1 part Cointreau
Tang powdered drink mix
Chill a martini glass and rim with fresh lemon and Tang. Shake vodka, OJ and Cointreau vigorously with ice and strain into glass.
Well, I spent some time in my darkroom a couple of weeks back. For those of you who know me, my recent move to Chicago has separated me from my darkroom by several hundred miles, so spending time in there is a special event. I did some organizing and cleanup, as well as developing film.
Because of my lack of organizational skills, I don’t always keep up with my work. That’s the bad news; I tend to start things that may not get finished for a while. But the good news is that I discovered some lovely images taken at our friends’ farm in New Brunswick, so I can share them with you now.
Enjoy. [Note: You can click on the image to see it full-size.]
I thought I would try this one in video. Sorry you have to watch my ugly mug, but the cocktail recipe is worth it!!
By the way, I shrank the size of the video for this blog skin. If you want to see a larger version, click on the viewer to watch it on YouTube.
For those of you who don’t want to watch, here is the recipe:
4 parts vodka
1 part sage-infused simple syrup
1 part apple juice
6 fresh blackberries
For the simple syrup, bring 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar to a simmer, dissolving the sugar. Add two sprigs of fresh sage and simmer for several minutes until aromatic (don’t boil the syrup.) Remove sage and allow to cool.
Muddle blackberries in a shaker. Add the ingredients and plenty of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
