Farmer's Market Grill

My friend Lon told me about Fresh Field Farm a few weeks ago...so I had to check it out. One day, I am going to take photos inside because I always love what I see. I have a huge smile on my face looking at all the gorgeous produce. This is just a portion of what I picked up on my first trip:



Gorgeous huh! Anyway, my friend Kristy came over and we got to cooking.

I have NEVER cooked artichokes...and I had to buy these. they were like $1 a piece and HUGE! I needed some help, so I looked on the Food Network and found this video by Chef Anne Burell on how to peel and prep the artichokes. I just went as far as the preping and peeling...I kept my artichokes whole.



So, got them peeled, I boiled them in salted water for about 25-30 min. Just to soften them.



Then we got all of the rest of the veggies on the grill. Aren't the colors GREAT?!





I also picked up some NY Strip steaks at the Farmers Market, and Kristy marinated them with some fresh garlic, olive oil and herbs de province that my friend Steve brought back from Cannes for me.



I then cut the parboiled artichokes in half and put them on the grill for some char. Kristy also made a vinagrette that she brushed onto the veggies as soon as they came off of the grill. I will have to ask her what was in there...it was amazing.

When the steaks were done, Kristy put them on a bed of fresh large leaf arugula from Whole Foods...THIS WAS SO GOOD!! I guess I have always had baby arugula...well if you love that flavor...try this mature version...the flavor is so strong and delicious!



Kristy brought over some Steak House wine from her new find The Wine Barn, and we sat for a great meal...we moaned over every bite! We didn't even have any starch..straight up meat and veggies and we didn't miss it either!



Always have to end the night with esspresso...I picked up these rock candy sticks...very nice way to serve your coffee.



Find your local farmers market and enjoy!

More Loveliness from Amy Atlas

I swear everytime I see a table display by Amy Atlas, I wanna cry. They are just STUNNING. Look at this loveliness:



What did I tell ya...here are some close ups:





Everytime she posts more images, it is like Christmas for me. Enjoy!!

The Cutest Cupcakes!

Look at what the little elves cooked at at Martha Stewart...aren't these darling!



I love those! I recently saw these cupcakes with just the umbrella, but Martha took them to the next level and they are so clever.


Why can't I come up with cool stuff like that! Maybe because all my creativity is sucked dry from my real job...and when I come home, all I wanna do is play bejeweled till I pass out? huh? haha...no ya, really that is true.

Plum Clafoutis

I have been going to the fresh produce market for a few weeks now...the produce is so amazing. Fresh fresh! Find your local farmers market or direct from the farm market...totally worth it and you can be inspired by the finds. I bought some pretty little plums there for my husband...he eats tons of fruit...I can't keep it in the house long enough. Anyway, these plums weren't very sweet, so I decided to make them into a dessert.

I would normally make my SUMMER BERRY COBBLER...but I saw this recipe on the Barefoot Contessa a few years ago and wanted to try it. It is basically a crepe batter that you pour over fresh fruit and bake. Very simple. The longest part was cutting up and fanning the plums, but it was fun too! :)




Plum Clafoutis

8 small plums
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk (low fat is fine)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425F and lightly grease a 10-inch round baking/tart dish.
Peel pears. Slice in half and remove cores and stems. Slice crosswise every 1/8 inch and fan around a 10 inch round baking dish, stem ends facing into the center. If your pears are large, you might only use 6 halves around the outside of the pan. If this is the case, add one of the remaining pear halves to the center of the dish (as pictured above). Sprinkle pears with approx. 1 tbsp sugar.
In a food processor, blend flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk, vanilla and nutmeg until smooth, about 15 seconds. Pour mixture on top of pears and sprinkle again with remaining sugar.



Bake for 15 minutes at 425F. Turn oven down to 350F and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, until clafoutis is golden brown and a tester (sharp knife) inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 8.

Note: The clafoutis will fall a little bit as it cools, so don’t be surprised!



We wanted to try it so badly, I almost forgot to take a photo! So there is a scoop out of this one. This is a great recipe for any fresh summer stone fruit...peaches, plums, apricots...even pears would be excellent. Give it a try, it is super simple and delicious.