http://persnicketypalate.com A fussy foodie's adventures beyond comfort food Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:27:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/09/02/potential-energy/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/09/02/potential-energy/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:52:24 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5189 I’ve gone to the farmer’s market this summer more regularly than the past several years combined (it helps that my son is now old enough to come along on the hour-plus round-trip walk, and his stroller takes some of the load out of my backpack). The more I work with fresh, local vegetables, the more [...]]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/09/02/potential-energy/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/31/spinach-balls/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/31/spinach-balls/#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:57:39 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5146 A crowd-pleaser from my childhood: baked balls of stuffing mixed with onion, spinach and melty cheese.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/31/spinach-balls/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/30/get-out-your-shaking-stick/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/30/get-out-your-shaking-stick/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:08:32 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5029 A beautiful bevy of breakfast muffins, from beet-chocolate chip to nibby raspberry to sourdough apple, with a few egg-free, veganizable offerings thrown in for good measure.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/30/get-out-your-shaking-stick/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/29/eggplant-encounters/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/29/eggplant-encounters/#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:43:51 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5092 Garlicky baby eggplants steamed and stir-fried with intense Chinese flavors for a meal that increased my confidence in my ability to eat eggplant.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/29/eggplant-encounters/feed/ 2 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/27/baked-alaska/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/27/baked-alaska/#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:22:36 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5102 The August 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was brown butter pound cake combined with homemade ice cream into baked Alaska and ice cream petit fours.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/27/baked-alaska/feed/ 5 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/23/in-a-pickle/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/23/in-a-pickle/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:29:58 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5014 Chard stems and okra pickled in vinegar are my contributions for this week's Preserve the Bounty challenge.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/23/in-a-pickle/feed/ 1 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/22/anglo-indian-leftovers/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/22/anglo-indian-leftovers/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:15:40 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5051 Leftover milk-braised chicken and rice makes an easy transition to chicken biryani, accompanied by a sauté of onions and baby okra. This is a pretty fussy-friendly main dish, though the side of okra might give some pause.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/22/anglo-indian-leftovers/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/21/taking-the-cure/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/21/taking-the-cure/#comments Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:30:09 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=4820 Home-cured salmon isn't nearly as scary or complicated as I thought it would be! We loved this gravlax with scrambled eggs, in corn soup with okra croutons, and straight off the board.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/21/taking-the-cure/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/20/every-part-of-the-buffalo/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/20/every-part-of-the-buffalo/#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:27:03 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=4928 An experiment in using every part of a pile of tomatoes: tomato paste and lacto-fermented ketchup from the pulp, tomato powder from the skins, and seeds harvested for next year's garden.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/20/every-part-of-the-buffalo/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/19/conundrum/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/19/conundrum/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:26:40 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=5016 An oddity of a meal---whole chicken braised in milk with lemon zest, sage and cinnamon, with rice to absorb the curdled sauce. It may not sound appetizing, but the flavor and tenderness of the meat make it worth trying (and trying again!).]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/19/conundrum/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/18/check-that-one-off-the-list/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/18/check-that-one-off-the-list/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:15:26 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=4999 Barbecue beef sandwiches with my homemade sauce and sandwich rolls, and coleslaw with a dressing made from homemade mayonnaise and yogurt---self-sufficiency can be a beautiful thing.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/18/check-that-one-off-the-list/feed/ 1 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/17/kale-slaw/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/17/kale-slaw/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:18:42 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=4979 Spins on two Italian-American chicken classics---slow-braised cacciatore and breaded chicken parm---with a side of raw kale slaw with apples and sunflower seeds in a sweet, tangy dressing.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/17/kale-slaw/feed/ 0 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/16/compounding-assets/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/16/compounding-assets/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:44:53 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=4877 In the second week of the Preserve the Bounty Challenge, we preserved fruits and vegetables in fat and oil. My approach was three flavorful compound butters: basil, peach-praline, and tomato-garlic.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/16/compounding-assets/feed/ 2 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/15/dilly-dally/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/15/dilly-dally/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:49:25 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=4925 My first batch of cucumber pickles, lacto-fermented with fresh garlic and dill. ]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/15/dilly-dally/feed/ 2 http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/14/bagel-kisses/ http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/14/bagel-kisses/#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:55:15 +0000 Julie http://persnicketypalate.com/?p=4902 Expanding my sourdough repertoire to bagels, made with all-purpose flour fortified with vital wheat gluten.]]> http://persnicketypalate.com/2010/08/14/bagel-kisses/feed/ 3