creme fraiche

Recipes for Asparagus: Steam, Grill, or Roast and Enjoy!

by Anne Maxfield on May 9, 2013

Accidental Locavore Green AsparagusThis time of year, recipes for asparagus are as plentiful as tree pollen (but not quite as excessive as recipes for ramps).  The Accidental Locavore shares recipes and ideas for asparagus (to see how to pick asparagus check out the “How To” section).

No recipes needed to grill asparagus, one of my favorite ways to cook them. If they’re not too big, just toss them in some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and throw them on the grill for 5-10 minutes, turn after a couple of minutes and cook until they start to have grill marks, are flexible and cooked through. If you’re working with bigger stalks, you might want to steam them (I use the microwave) for 4 minutes, then toss in olive oil and grill, or skip the steaming and just cook them a little longer over slightly lower heat (charred is not good).

This may sound a little crazy: a great recipe for grilling asparagus is to marinate them in a mayonnaise mix, then grill them. This recipe is adapted from Food & Wine. Feel free to substitute and/or add things like mustard, hot sauce, or sprinkle with something like Parmesan Cheese before or after grilling. Added bonus? The asparagus won’t stick to the grill. 6 servings if you’re not too greedy.

  • ½ cup mayonnaise (make your own-it’s easy and tastes so much better)
  • ¼ cup olive oil (use a good quality)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed (use the back of a knife)
  • 1 tablespoon sweet, smoked paprika (you can use the hot smoked paprika if you like, or substitute a little of the sauce from chipotles in adobo)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (if you don’t have the smoked paprika, just use a little more cumin for that smoky taste)
  • 1 pound thick asparagus, woody bottoms snapped off or cut

Light a grill. In a shallow dish, whisk the mayonnaise with all the other ingredients, except the asparagus. Add the asparagus, toss and let sit for 30 minutes. Grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, turning to cook evenly, until tender, about 5-10 minutes.

Asparagus are also good roasted. Same principle as grilling, just toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until they’re cooked through.

I’ve roasted them with sprinkles of goat cheese and herbs de Provence, ok but not great. Better is some lemon zest, and grated Parmesan (you can add before they go in, or sprinkle on before serving.

When you steam them (4-5 minutes in the microwave and they keep their color), or (steam them in a pan) on top of the stove, to jazz them up a little hollandaise sauce is delicious, decadent and easy to make. Recently I made an “homage to hollandaise” with about ½ cup crème fraiche, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard and a little squeeze of lemon juice mixed together and served with roasted asparagus. Not quite the guilt of hollandaise.

What’s your favorite recipe for asparagus?

 

 

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Smoked Trout and Potato Salad Recipe

by Anne Maxfield on May 10, 2012

As things sometime turn out, the Accidental Locavore had just finished reading a recipe for smoked trout with potatoes from April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pig when my husband started talking about how much he liked smoked trout, a factoid I filed away for future reference.

A week later I was at the last indoor version of the Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market, where one of the vendors had some lovely looking smoked trout. I got one and proceeded to give April’s recipe a shot. The original recipe was for 4 people, this was adapted to feed 2. If you want to make your own crème frâiche click for the recipe.

Smoked Trout and Potato Salad

Print recipe
Smoked Trout and Potato Salad
Serves 2
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 1 hour
Total time 1 hour, 20 minutes
From book A Girl and Her Pig
April Bloomfield's recipe for smoked trout and potato salad. The Accidental Locavore adapts a recipe from "A Girl and Her Pig" with local smoked trout and herbs from the garden.

Ingredients

For the dressing

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (use a good quality oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (you could substitute kosher or other sea salt, but Maldon has a lovely flat flake, so you might want to check it out)

For the salad

  • 3-4 Yukon Gold potatoes (washed and cut into 1" chunks)
  • 1/8 cup olive oil (use a good quality oil)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 3 unpeeled garlic cloves
  • 3 sprigs thyme (I used 4 sage leaves)
  • 1 medium smoked trout
  • 2 tablespoons crème frâiche
  • 2 tablespoons chives (finely chopped)

Directions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400. Put the potatoes in a bowl, drizzle them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Arrange the potatoes in a mound in the middle of a baking dish (don’t spread them out). Drizzle with the liquid from the bowl. Sprinkle the garlic and thyme around the potatoes. Add ½ cup of water to the pan, but not on top of the potatoes. Cover with two layers of aluminum foil. Bake for about 40 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Step 2
While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. In a small container with a lid, combine the lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Shake well. Peel the skin off the trout. Pull the fillets from the center bone. Check for small pin bones and remove them. Break the trout into bite-sized pieces and put in a small bowl. Add ½ the dressing and toss to combine.
Step 3
When the potatoes are tender, remove the foil, give a quick stir and cook for another 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and place in a small bowl, leaving any oil behind. Toss with the rest of the dressing.
Step 4
To serve: arrange the potatoes on a plate. Scatter the smoked trout on the potatoes. Add a dollop of crème frâiche to each plate and garnish with the chives. Serve and enjoy!
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My verdict: Delicious! This is a great way to roast potatoes. You could use any herbs, rosemary especially would be nice if you were just doing the potatoes. After this, I may start smoking my own trout and since I seem to have saved at least three recipes from the book, I may have to own it…

I’m experimenting with a new layout for posting recipes and would love your comments!

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Accidental Locavore Crème Fraiche Taste Test

by Anne Maxfield on August 22, 2011

Accidental Locavore Creme Fraiche

My friend Zhu Zhu decided to take on the Accidental Locavore in crème fraiche making. He’s a genius who certainly knows a lot more about the chemistry behind cooking than I do, and we were chatting about some of the science behind making milk “spoil”. Because we’re both just a little competitive, he dropped off three versions of crème fraiche that he had made and I threw my latest batch into the ring.

The first sample the Locavore tasted had great taste, tangy and creamy at the same time. Good, rich, mouth-feel, really luscious. Zhu Zhu’s second one had kind of a weird texture, it seemed to be separating a bit, kind of like yogurt. It was a little tart, more like sour cream. The third sample was thin and sour, almost inedible. How did mine compare? I would rate it second. It was just a little short on the mouth-feel and taste from his #1.

Accidental Locavore Creme Fraiche TestAfter that, I suckered my friend into tasting. In Laura’s opinion 1 was the clear winner, with mine coming in second. She thought 3 tasted nasty, and was the thinnest of all of them. “His 2 has a weird consistency and not much taste”.

My husband who originally didn’t want to taste, changed his mind (peer pressure?). He picked mine as his favorite with Zhu Zhu’s #1 coming in second. He liked the Locavore’s because it was a little lighter.

Zhu Zhu preferred  the taste of #2, but agreed on the texture. That’s why he thought it needed to sit out for another day.

So what was the secret formula? From Zhu Zhu: #1 was 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of Farmland cultured low fat buttermilk. It sat unrefrigerated for roughly 24 hours before refrigeration. #2 was 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of #3. It might need to sit out for another day for the texture to improve. It didn’t thicken as fast as #1 and he never put it in the refrigerator (the cream was also Farmland). #3  was the commercial crème fraiche from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery, “handmade in Vermont and all that” (which just won the 2011 American Cheese Society Competition). The Locavore’s was also 1 cup of Farmland cream, with 2 tablespoons of Tuscan buttermilk (here’s the recipe).

What does this prove? Mostly that you can make crème fraiche at home, cheaper and more delicious than even a good commercial variety. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

 

Accidental Locavore Recipe for Crème Fraîche Cheesecake With Sour Cherries

by Anne Maxfield on July 22, 2011

Accidental Locavore CheesecakeA friend of the Accidental Locavore saw this recipe in the New York Times and asked for someone to make it. I added a graham cracker crust, my favorite part of any cheesecake and used my own crème fraîche. I generally like my cheesecake plain, but if sour cherries are in season, they’re a great addition. This comes together easily and the sauce can be made a day ahead of time.

Adapted from the NY Times, it takes about an hour and a half plus cooling time.

For the crust (optional):

  • 15 graham crackers
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter

For the cheesecake:

  • 1 1/2 cups cream cheese (in other words, 1 1/2 packages of cream cheese)
  • 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese (something mild)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups crème fraîche
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs

For the cherries:Accidental Locavore Sour Cherries

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 pints sour cherries, pitted (if you don’t have a cherry pitter, use the flat part of a big knife and pound them, just like pitting olives. It can get messy)
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9″ springform pan and set aside. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Crush the graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. With the food processor running, add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides. Place on a baking sheet.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and goat cheese until very smooth. Add the sugar and continue beating until no lumps remain. Beat in the crème fraîche and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between eggs and beat until combined.

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 250 degrees and bake until the cake is just set (it will still wobble a little in the middle), 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.

While the cheesecake is cooling, or the day before, make the cherry topping. Pour the sugar and 2/3 cup water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has thickened, about 8 minutes. Add the cherries and balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries soften and release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cherries to a bowl. Continue cooking the liquid in the pan until the sauce reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir back in the cherries and any juice from the bowl.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake from the pan before unmolding and serve with the cherry topping.

I made this in a 9″ springform pan for the party and a small ramekin so my friend could taste it. Both came out fine, so feel free if you want to make mini cheesecakes.

Yield: One 9-inch cheesecake.

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