Boozey Cherries / End of Mesclun Mix

The Boozey Cherries
Inspired by this recipe, Diane and I embarked on a flat of cherries. Recipe calls for one pound for a jar. I didn't weigh the flat, but we pooped out at 7 jars and there's a bunch left over for some jamming. 2011 may prove to be the summer of cherries, as I was hopelessly charmed by the gentleman by the side of the road from whom I procured my flat ("A whole box?!"). His grandson, who must have been about 4 or 5, was in charge of picking out my flat, with his little hands and elbows trying to move the flats around—so heavy!—he managed to scoot a box over just enough for his grandfather to reach it as his mom looked on, smiling and quiet.

Our first two jars were true to the original recipe. Next two were inspired by Travis' brandied cherries at Bar 355, which are laced with spice, so we replaced the vanilla with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Next two jars, back to vanilla. Last jar: lemon peel!

Our flow chart:
Rinse cherries - pick through and dump blemished fruit - prick with sterilized needle - put in jar, pits and stems included - make simple syrup using 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water for each jar - pour syrup over cherries - add spice(s) - fill the rest with brandy - cap and be patient.

Playlist
The Ballad of El Goodo - Big Star
Emotional Rescue - The Rolling Stones
End of the Street - The Bees
F-Hole - Squeeze
Green Gloves - The National
The Hair Song - Black Mountain
Hanging from a Hit - Okkervil River
Rabbit Heart - Florence and the Machine
Reckoner - Radiohead
Slaveship - Josh Rouse
Stop Me - Mark Ronson featuring Ole Dirty Bastard
Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Take a Minute - K'naan
This is Why We Fight - The Decemberists
In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
The High Road - Broken Bells

God's Eye / Fisherman's Blues

God's Eye / Ojo de Dios / Sikuli
A ritual tool, magical object, and cultural symbol—symbolic of the power of seeing and understanding that which is unknown and unknowable. The Mystery. The four points represent air, earth, fire, and water. The design of the eye has the power to heal and to protect. The act of weaving, spiritual with intention, spirit with intent.

Soundtrack

Fisherman's Blues - The Waterboys

Bacon & Potato Soup / 13 Songs

oops.
soup so good it was gone before i snapped a shot.
bacon -> mirepoix -> spuds -> stock -> spice. burrmix. cheese. green garlic chives / bacon crumblings.

willis was (is, for another 4 hours) in town. add Clay n Morter and you've got yourself a ribald gathering. grilled artichokes FROM MY FRONT YARD! and sausages plus balsamic braised kale n red cabbage. it was all wintery even though it's june. but everyone knows it's been brisk here in cali. damn, if that wasn't a tasty meal and killer company. note to self: invite CnM over way way way more frequently.

add one bottle of wine and an 11pm Skype date and you've got yourself a sleepy xtina this morning. O 2:30am bedtime: why don't you communicate with my 6am wake time and give it the morning off?

Soundtrack

13 Songs - Fugazi

French Braid / Faux News

Breaking news: I French Braided my hair.

Faux News: while I was listening to / watching the Daily Show.

More Jam / Compact Snap

More Apricots
More Jam Prep
This time with Vanilla Bean. Seemed kinda simple, almost boring. Holy crap, if it tastes as good when it's done as it already does when it's stewing, it's gonna be golden. GOLDEN!

Soundtrack
Compact Snap - The Jam
I mean, really, how could I resist?

Apricot Bacon Bourbon Jam / Figure 8

I don't know about you, but I was getting kind of tired of all the orange.
So here's a green and bacon colored picture.
There's an orange one too, but you'll have to wait 15 whole seconds for it.
I did it. I put the bacon in the jam. It turned out very tasty, although I think I'll need to get used to the texture juxtaposition between the smooth/smooshy apricots and the chewiness of the bacon. Not a bad thing to get used to. Flavor-wise, instant hit. Since I don't eat bread, I'll need to brainstorm applications for it. I usually have my jam with yogurt, but that's not sounding good to me. I'm thinking with meat as a glaze-y thing, either before cooking or after. I also think it would be killer with goats cheese (or any creamy cheesy spready thing) on top of something. Oh crap, or on pancakes.
For those who can eat bread (or pancakes): no brainer.
Also good news: made a fairly healthy sized batch.

Soundtrack
Figure 8 - Elliott Smith

Chocolate Cake Again / Slaveship Mix

Chocolate Cake
Apricots
Chocolate Cake
Apricots
Thank goodness for the occasional soup and salad, cause I'm feeling redundant.
Might as well be honest, though. Cause I do get into phases.
Brought this, my favorite cake (or Brownie, if you're Rick), to Mace & G$'s place. Seeing friends you haven't seen in a while sure is good medicine. They also have a kick ass coop in their amazing backyard, full of bantams. Rad.

Get ready for more apricots. Lots more.
This case of cots is like the goose that laid the golden egg. Srsly neverending. Still to come: two more batches of jam, two more of booze, and a shrub.


Set List
Slaveship - Josh Rouse
There Goes the Sun - Pernice Brothers
Yours and Mine - Calexico
Dream About Flying - Alexi Murdoch
Sixteen, Maybe Less - Calexico / Iron & Wine
Savannah Smiles - Okkervil River
Party Pit - The Hold Steady
Rise Up With Fists!!! - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
Islands - Cat Power
California - Low

Fennel Orange Avo Salad / Master & Everyone

Fennel Orange Avo Salad
Plus some shaved red onion and lettuce from my box. Dressing = juice from the orange supremes, olive oil, white balsamic, pepper, salt
This salad kept the beans n greens soup (and a couple of chicken shish kebabs) company.

Soundtrack
Bonnie "Prince" Billy Master & Everyone

Sriracha Pickled Rainbow Chard / My Life

Pickled Rainbow Chard Stems
My friends John and Natasha have copious amounts of stunning (!) Rainbow Chard that they've been sharing with me in trade for eggs, soup, jam, dried citrus, what-have-you. It makes me crazytown happy cause their produce is freaking beautiful and delicious. But there are weeks it's hard to make it through it all (note: chard + eggs = freaking awesome). Stoked to find a use for the stems; the leaves went into this soup.
Cut the stems to fit the jar. Made a pickling juice out of white vinegar, Sriracha, sugar, coriander seeds. The original recipe called for celery seed, but I'd just run out. Hopefully the substitution won't suck. We'll find out in a couple of days.

Soundtrack
Iris de Ment My Life

Apricot Jam / #1 Record

(More) Apricot Jam
Prep. Stew overnight. Find out tomorrow what flavor wins.

Soundtrack
Big Star #1 Record

Dapple Soup / Neurotica

Beans & Greens Soup
Diane gave me these rad beans. Soup = spring onions, carrots, celery, dapple grey beans and their liquor, rainbow chard, red russian kale, herbs. Topped with parm and olive oil floater. My favorite beans n greens soup to date, methinks. The beans are mild (eating them, the word "rosy" came to mind, don't ask me why. Maybe a smidge of a floral edge?). They're not as rich as pintos, nor as neutral as great northerns. Soft, medium flavor, they were perfect in vegetable soup as they add mild but notable flavor profile in addition to texture and protein. Thumbs Up!

Soundtrack
Redd Kross Neurotica

Apricot Liquor / Wounded Rhymes

Apricot Liquor
The first of two I'm making; this one using the flesh (the other, the pits, cracked with a hammer).
Apricots, Everclear.

Soundtrack
Lykke Li Wounded Rhymes

Apricot Cherry Red Chile Jam / It Takes A Nation Of Millions

Apricot Cherry Red Chile Jam
Fruit ratio was 4:1, apricots to cherries.
Then also lemon juice, sugar, healthy amount of red chile.
Turned out exactly as I wanted it to—tart, sweet, spicy starting in the middle and good through the end, but not so much as to overpower the flavor or hurt your mouth.
Balanced. Go figure.
And made a big batch. Bonus.

Soundtrack
It Takes A Nation Of Millions

Chocolate Cake / You're Living All Over Me

That Chocolate Cake
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1.75 sticks unsalted butter, in half inch cubes
1 cup + 2T sugar
some salt (hearty pinch)
5 eggs
1T g-free flour

- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Butter the bottom of an 8"-9" cake pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom. Butter that too, and the sides of the pan.
- Using a microwave (30 second bursts, stirring in between) or a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together until smooth and all melty.
- Stir in sugar and salt.
- Add eggs. I use a whisk and mix them directly into the batter.
- Sprinkle flour across top and stir to incorporate. You don't want to over-stir, but you don't want flour lumps either.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes. (Technique that's worked the best): bake for ten minutes, rotate, bake for another ten minutes, then start checking every 2 minutes. The sides will puff up and it will be jiggly in the middle. The trick is to have it be just slightly jiggly - usually around 26 minutes for me.
- Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then, using a plate, carefully invert pan and remove cake pan and parchment paper. Then, using your cake plate, re-invert (?) so that the top is facing up.
- Whip up some cream, make some compote, serve it to your friends whilst drinking huge bottles of bourbon.

I got the original recipe from Molly Wizenberg. Slightly modified.


Soundtrack
You're Living All Over me