blue_dolphin

Two new-to-me olive oils from Katz Farm. For the Meyer lemon olive oil, they actually milled locally grown lemons along with the olives. The flavor is lovely. The other one was made from olives harvested in January, quite late. They say they’ve done this in the past for restaurant clients who wanted a milder olive oil for some recipes. The idea of paying a premium for a less flavorful product seems counterintuitive. If I want a milder olive oil flavor in an aioli or dressing, I use part EVOO and part neutral oil like avocado or sunflower. But they had a special if you bought both and I’m always curious. I’d say it tastes rich but without the bite of their regular oils.

Leftover Trader Joe's Tarte d'Alsace, reheated and topped with a fried egg

Well, I use the same mix for popsicles and sorbets. If you’re confident that your slushie machine would turn that into a sorbet, regardless of the dial setting, then perhaps popsicles aren’t a good starting point for your needs. Edited to add - maybe start with something as water-like as possible if that’s the texture you’re aiming for. Maybe a strong cup of tea or coffee, sweetened to your taste?

Recipes for popsicles and sorbets are pretty similar. In both cases, steps are usually taken to lessen the icy texture and make it more smooth at serving temp. You might want to do the opposite - leave out or reduce any alcohol, etc. Will you be using a cryostat or a freezing microtome to do the shaving? Are you wanting little frozen curls? Something more crumbly? Or something else?

A modified recipe for cheese on toast with spring onion, honey and Urfa butter from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage In the book, it’s called Giant Cheese on Toast and is made with a whole loaf of focaccia or sourdough, sliced in half horizontally so it’s kind of like a cheesy bread pizza. I went with something more modest in scale 🙃

How much $$$ was it for how much feta?

One recipe, two lunches. Triple citrus tomato salad (or soup) from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage. I made the salad version of this recipe first with some pretty heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market. The tomatoes marinate in a mix of lemon, lime and tangerine juices while you prepare the garnish which consists of crispy ginger, garlic, and chilies and the oil they’re fried in plus a sprinkle of fresh chives. The juices left in the plate were so slurpable that decided to try the soup version. It’s not as stunning as a colorful array of heirloom tomatoes but it’s just the ticket if you’ve got tomatoes that are too ripe to slice nicely. The soup gets a dollop of yogurt before adding the crispy, fried garnish and its oil which is just as delicious here as on the salad. I chilled the soup to just below room temp, not icy cold but the recipe says it can also be served warm. A nice alternative to gazpacho. Edited to add that both lunches were accompanied by an ear of corn on the cob. .

I think most people also think primarily of sweet galettes, though I have quite a few savory galette recipes in my cookbook collection. In the book's intro, Rebecca has this to say about what she’s calling a galette:

Toast, spread with Silver Goat chèvre, topped with black mission figs. Toasted walnuts on the side. Figs & walnuts both from the local farmers market.

Community Supported Agriculture. Generally, you sign up with a farm, pay a set fee for a season and receive a regular box of produce. Variations abound. See more here.

I wish someone would make square or rectangular containers in a range of sizes that use the same lids. Deli dishes fit this description with sizes from 8 - 32 oz, varying in height but accepting the same lids. I find square or rectangular shapes store more efficiently in the fridge or freezer. I had a bunch of very sturdy 16oz square Rubbermaid containers I used for my work lunches and also as @rotuts describes to pre-freeze sauces, beans, etc that I'd remove and vacuum seal. I bought them about 30 years ago and am down to my last few. They served me well but now I’ve got a mishmash of different brands and random takeout containers that take up a ton of space and annoy the heck out of me when I need to find the right lid. Thirty years is probably asking too much as I probably won’t last that long myself but I wish I could find something fairly durable to invest in. Any suggestions?

The TJ's Greek feta is my preference as well, though for slightly different reasons. If they’re out, the Israeli is an acceptable option.

I recently purchased Galette!: Sweet and Savory Recipes as Easy as Pie (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) by Rebecca Firkser and it looks like it will be fun. There's one basic dough recipe used throughout, with options for adding flavors or other flours like cocoa, buckwheat, etc. The wide range of shapes and sizes she uses is very appealing to me. Everything from an XL sheetpan size for parties to individual servings in folded squares or muffin tins to a deep-dish version baked in a springform pan to accommodate lots of filling. First on my list to try is the Rotisserie Chicken, Potato, and Chèvre Galette which Rebecca describes as a chicken pot pie on vacation in France. She offers a Buffalo wing variation with blue cheese instead of chèvre. Maggie Hoffman recently hosted Rebecca on her Dinner Plan podcast to chat about the book and other things. You can listen to the podcast and find the recipes for the chicken galettes I mentioned and a pretty summer tian galette here: The Dinner Plan: Rebecca Firkser’s Best Advice for Cooking on a Budget You can scroll down on this page on the author's website to find a carousel that includes several pages and recipes from the book: https://www.rebeccafirkser.com Other recipes: Sour Cherry and Campari Galette Sweet Cherry and Lime Galette Sugared and Peppered Plum Galette

Ah, I knew about the one store liquor or wine license rule and that TJ's had one wine shop in NY but didn’t realize it had closed. Luckily, you have many superior options close by!

Trader Joe's had a nice private label Bandol rosé earlier this summer @12.99. I polished off my last bottle over the weekend. Unfortunately, I think it’s sold out now but it’s worth trying if you happen to spot any.