Rosemary, Pear & Vanilla and Pop Tarts

QUITE THE PEAR

Yesterday I had the privilege of creating content for my friends at Misfit Juicery- one of my favorite socially driven business. Their mission is to salvage unwanted fruits and veggies (a misshapen apple, or a lemon with a bruise) and turn them into a 21st century commodity, a staple product in every health conscious millenial's refrigerator- juice! 

In many ways, it was Ann & Phil (founders of Misfit) who inspired me to rethink my actions in the kitchen. According to the USDA, over 40% of food produced here in the US never makes it to market. Even more shocking, 1/4 of the food that consumers purchase and bring back to their personal kitchens ends up being thrown out, and 97% of that waste rots in landfills, producing air toxic methane. Our food waste system creates incredible pressures on our environment, and ourselves. In a very real way, it presents us with a paradoxical moral dilemma. How can we allow so much food to be wasted, when so many are hungry?

Over the past 3 months, I've gotten the opportunity to photograph and film food in a variety of settings. The only thing that has troubled me at these shoots is baring witness to heaps of wasted food. With these images seared into my brain, and the fact that I was shooting next to a food waste guru, I was doubly aware of my responsibility to do my part in preventing such a cycle. My apartment looked like the Garden of Eden yesterday - every surface occupied by a cornucopia of oddly shaped veggies. I made a promise to myself then and there to utilize each morsel of produce from this shoot, and beyond. After all, change begins at home.

Here's how I used Misfit's funny looking (yet flavorful) pears. More recipes using Misfit produce to come. Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS

• pears, cored and diced
• 1 vanilla pod, deseeded
• 1 stalk of rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbs of red or white wine
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 2 cups flour whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tbs of rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbs of maple syrup
• 10 tbs. cold butter 
• 5 tbs. of ice cold water

DIRECTIONS

First, drop pears in a saucepan over med. heat with water, vanilla, rosemary, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil. Add the wine, and reduce to simmer. Cook for 9 mins. 

In a bowl, combine flour, salt. rosemary and butter in a bowl, and mix (with hands or using a standing mixer) until the mixture is the size of peas. Then, add maple syrup and water until the dough forms. Flour a surface and roll out the dough until 1/6 inch thick. Cut into 10 rectangles. 

Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pear compote on 5 of the rectangles and use the remaining dough to cover them. Seal the tarts with a fork, and brush with the compote liquid. Slice the tarts to allow steam to escape. 

Bake at 375 for 25 mins or until golden brown. 

Sundried Tomato and Rosemary Pesto, The Wandering 03

SUNDRIED TOMOTO AND ROSEMARY PESTO, The Wandering 03

I'm writing this post while smiling and still riding the high from The Wandering 03. It was our first brunch, and certainly will not be our last. Let me first describe the setting. We gathered at Ceremony Coffee's workshop in Georgetown. The space is a small- an intimate room- peppered with shiny coffee equipment throughout, perfumed with the smell of toasty ground coffee, and illuminated with natural light pouring into every corner. Aley and I feel incredibly grateful to have had a space donated to us, as opposed the default plan that we've grown accustomed to- hosting the dinners at my apartment. This goes without saying but this was definitely an upgrade. 

The Wandering has truly been a labor of love for me. One word that I should emphasize is labor. The gatherings take time, collaboration, energy, patience, and lots and lots of planning. This gathering however, came together more organically than the others and was a little less demanding. I spent Saturday cooking leisurely, putting together my mise en place, and creating table cards. By the time Sunday morning rolled around, all I had to do was pop my dishes in the oven, "set it and forget it", if you will. I met up with Aley and Ceremony 3 hours before guests arrived which offered us plenty of time to catch up, set up, take photos, sip on locally roasted coffee, and design an enchanting space for our guests. 

And now the coffee. Where to even start...? Ceremony Coffee is just so comforting and tasty, and their love and appreciation for the craft is inspiring to be around. We were joined at the table by two coffee experts from Ceremony, who made sure that our cups were bottomless and taught us about the unbelievable amount of work and attention at each step of the chain to develop a well balanced cup of joe. The coffee endlessly flowed into our mugs. In fact, before the wanderers arrived I was already 3 cups deep and so by the event's end I felt so jacked up on caffeine that my hands were twitching and my heart thumped along to the subtle sounds of Tycho that emanated out of the speaker in the background. 

As usual, when our guest leave, and we're left to clean up the dishes and pack away the leftover food, I reflect on how very lucky I am to be able to do what I love- cook for others, and bond over a common food experience. 

One of my favorite dishes that we served was my unconventional take on pesto. Unlike traditional pesto, this dip had a deep autumnal red hue. The color came from juicy sun tried tomatoes and the oil they were packed in. The pesto was the perfectly balanced- sweet, savory, herbaceous, and garlicky. I served the pesto on toast was a generous dollop of mashed avocado and lemon, olive oil, chili flakes and smokey salt. Make this for you friends and family! They'll be smitten. And, keep an eye out for our November gathering announcement, coming soon. We hope to see you at our table.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 jar of sundried tomatoes packed in oil 
• 1/2 cup of pistachios
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tbs of smoked salt 
• 1 tsp of aleppo pepper
• 1 tbs of rosemary, minced
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, including the oil from the sundried tomatoes, until the mixture is smooth. If needed, add more olive oil. Serve on top of toast with mashed avocado and lemon, olive oil, chili flakes, smoked salt and pumpkin seeds. 

fig and rosemary scones with honey and pink salt

THE NOTORIOUS F.I.G. 

I love how food can activate memories and experiences passed. Fresh figs have that nostalgic effect for me, and every time I eat them, I'm reminded of my days living in a communal house with friends the year I graduated college. We had a robust and healthy fig tree just outside our house that bloomed each late-summer with sweet and succulent fruit. I recall picking figs and placing them on a beautifully plates, adorned with cheeses and jams, entertaining friends, and playing the part of an adult. In a way, figs taught me to honor the ingredient, and showed me the beauty of looking to nature for inspiration in the kitchen. 

Here's a recipe for rosemary and fig scones, in honor of the first time I harvested and ate fresh figs from a tree in my own backyard. These scones are delightful, and beautifully balance the sweetness of figs with the piney aroma of rosemary. To say they were delicious would be grossly understating how exquisite they were. Eat em' as is, or top with jam, butter, or freshly whipped cream and berries. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tbs cup raw sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 2 tbs of honey
• 7 tablespoons butter (very cold), diced
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg, beaten, room temperature
• 6 figs, sliced
• 4 tbs rosemary, chopped finely 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375. In a standing mixer, combine all dry ingredients. Add very cold butter and incorporate until the mixture is the size of peas. 

Using a separate bowl, add heavy cream, beaten egg and honey. Add the wet ingredients into the standing mixer mixture and incorporate until it forms a dough. Slowly stir in the figs and rosemary. 

Roll dough out on well floured surface, until the dough is 2 inches thick. Using a jar or cup, cut the scones into rounds. Place the rounds onto cookie sheet with parchment paper. Brush with beaten egg, and sugar. Bake for 14 mins.