Counter Culture

Here in my kitchen we've begun to enjoy the first produce from our garden: radishes of course, and the peas have started as well. The lettuce has been ready to pick for some time, I'm just waiting until I need it!



I started my garden last year, dug in the terrible, clay-filled soil of my backyard. I have dumped in straw, peat, and manure, but from what I've been told, it is going to take a number of years to get the dirt in good condition. Right now I have to rely on Miracle Gro if I want anything to stay green and actually grow. As time goes on I hope my dirt will develop so I won't need that.

The most fun thing about the garden right now is that it has brought many, many birds to our backyard, including a pair of mallards who fly in each evening to peck at the leftover birdseed (and hopefully not at my little plants). The golden finches are finding the beet greens to be very tasty.



Each week I eagerly anticipate my CSA pickup. It's kind of like getting a pile of presents to open. Swiss chard was among the recent arrivals. I often marvel at the amazing colors we get to enjoy while working in the kitchen. Food can be so beautiful! Just look at this PINK color. And look how it is paired with green (the natural complement of pink/red) to make a stunning combination.



I chopped the chard stalk and sautéed it with onion until soft then added in the cut greens and continued sauteeing until all was soft. A little balsamic vinegar finished it off.



Last Saturday was my annual day for  garage-saleing.  I'm always on the hunt for new things for my kitchen. I found the red-checked tablecloth which will be perfect for summer, and a few different antique china platters (50 cents each) as well as a beautiful green glass bowl.



I was most happy to find a brand new salad spinner for $2. The spinner I have been using was a wedding gift and had served us faithfully since then. The spinner happened to break the same week as my washing machine and I did feel as though my trusted tools were falling apart around me! (Especially since the dishwasher was also broken.)

I hope you all are enjoying the beginning of summer and all the lovely produce that is beginning to be available. If you have the chance, check out your local farmer's market -- it is always very inspirational to me, even if I can't buy much. One of these weeks I'll have to take you on a tour of our local market...

Off The Shelf: Jamie At Home

Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver is a perfect cookbook to peruse in the spring just as you may be planning your garden or beginning to haunt the farmer's markets for seasonal produce.

This book is designed around the seasons, giving an outline for what is available when, tips on how to grow the fruits and vegetables, and delicious and creative recipes to use the produce.

Here's what the contents of the book looks like:

SPRING: asparagus, eggs, lamb, rhubarb

SUMMER: barbecue, cabbage family, carrots and beets, climbing beans, zucchini, onions, peas and fava beans, pizza, potatoes, strawberries, summer salads, tomatoes

AUTUMN: chillies and peppers, feathered game, furred game, mushrooms, orchard fruit, pickles

WINTER: leeks, pastry, squash, winter salads, winter veg

As with all of Jamie's books, there are plenty of gorgeous pictures.

I tried Jamie's Creamy Asparagus Soup and it made a lovely lunch, complete with a salad and some homemade bread. We ate the leftovers the next day and agreed that the soup tasted even better after sitting overnight.



CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP
(adapted from Jamie at Home)
Print this recipe

1 3/4 pounds asparagus, woody ends removed
olive oil
2 medium white onions, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
2 quarts good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

cream for serving (optional)

 Chop the tips off your asparagus and put these to one side for later. Roughly chop the asparagus stalks. Get a large, deep pan on the heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Gently fry the onions, celery and leeks for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, without coloring. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on. Remove from the heat and blitz with a handheld immersion blender or in a standard blender. Season the soup bit by bit (this is important) with salt and pepper until just right. Put the soup back on the heat, stir in the asparagus tips, bring back to the boil and simmer for a few more minutes until the tips have softened.

Note: I dribbled a little cream over the top before serving. If you like really creamy soup, you could stir in 1/2-1 cup of cream before dishing the soup out.

My Kitchen View

Welcome to the first edition of My Kitchen View. My hope is to include recipes, garden reports and produce pictures, food or restaurant reviews, and more. It's literally my view from the kitchen and figuratively my perspective on the happenings in and around the kitchen.

The kitchen is truly the heart of our home. We spend a lot of time there preparing food, eating, and sharing around the table. It is where the delicious smells emanate from and my creative juices flow. When the weather is warm, we eagerly move out to the deck and enjoy the outdoor table and grill overlooking the backyard and neighborhood pond. 

Garden Report:
I'm a little late on starting to plan our garden but time has gotten away from me! I'm looking forward to my annual plant purchasing trip - something about wandering through the rows of plants, gazing at the packets of seeds, and just smelling the dirt is incredibly motivational. This year, I'm planning 3-4 varieties of tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, onions, green beans, cucumbers, zuchini, and yellow squash as well as a several different herbs. I'm sure there will be a few more things added to that list.  

My favorite part is the herbs! I love cooking with fresh herbs and most of them are fairly easy to grow. I get so excited to plant them. I'm not sure what all I will grow but it will definitely include cilantro, rosemary, basil, mint, parsley, and oregano. My chives and thyme have come back every year. I may also add sage and dill to that list. I can't wait to add the fragrant plants to my backyard garden!

What's Cooking:
A couple of weeks ago, I shared a recipe for Key Lime Coconut Cupcakes which I loved but I couldn't help but continue developing that recipe in my head. And so for Easter, I made a 4 layer Key Lime White Chocolate Cake. I filled two of the layers with homemade lime curd and I filled the middle layer with white chocolate lime frosting. I iced it in a lime buttercream and garnished it with lime zest and white chocolate curls. It was a bit of work but it was completely worth it! Everyone enjoyed it and I discovered how much I like making cakes from scratch!





KEY LIME WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Print This Recipe

1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tb. grated key lime zest
1/4 c. fresh key lime juice
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 oz. white chocolate, finely grated

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 - 8 inch cake pans and if desired, line bottom with parchment paper.

Using an mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 5 parts total, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate.

Divide batter between two greased 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out on a baking rack to cool completely. Makes 2 - 8 inch layers.

WHITE CHOCOLATE KEY LIME FROSTING
(you may not need all of this)

3 oz. white chocolate
1/4 c. butter, room temperature
 2 - 2 1/4 c. powdered sugar
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. fresh key lime juice
1/8 c. sour cream

In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave. Let cool until just slightly warm. Meanwhile, using a hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Add the salt, vanilla extract, key lime juice, and sour cream and mix until very smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix just until incorporated.

KEY LIME CURD 
I wanted to eat this lime curd with a spoon. It was absolutely delicious! I adapted a lemon curd recipe from Ina Garten into this wonderful, creamy lime curd. (Note: This makes a lot - I cut the recipe in half and had more than enough for the cake!)

4 limes 
3/4 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 c. lime juice (about 3 to 4 limes)
1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Completely zest all three limes - avoiding the white pithy areas. Stir into sugar. Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lime mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lime juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lime curd will thicken just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd before refrigerating.

KEY LIME BUTTERCREAM1 1/4 c. butter, room temperature
2 1/2 lb. (about 10 c.) powdered sugar
1/2 c. key lime juice
2 Tb. grated key lime zest

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar alternately with key lime juice until light and creamy. Add lime zest and beat until combined.

To Assemble:
- Cut the two layers in half crosswise so you have 4 equal layers.
- Place the bottom layer on a plate and spread with lime curd.
- Top with the next cake and spread with white chocolate lime frosting.
- Top with the final layer and spread with lime curd.
- Frost the cake with lime buttercream icing.
- Swirl the frosting and top with white chocolate curls and fresh key lime zest.