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I'm sure Mitch was joking; that was my impression, in any event. As for the radishes, that's what they're called. I suppose I have could said "heirloom radishes", but I thought I'd provide a little more information by providing the name they're usually known by. Moving on... My experience with making the mayonnaise for the oeufs mayo from "My Paris Kitchen" was so successful that it's become my default recipe for mayonnaise, and I've started to branch out. This is probably a not a revelation to many of you who have been making your own mayonnaise either by hand or by machine, but for someone like me who only rarely makes his own which is then promptly consumed, it's bordering on practically obsession. I made a batch of chive mayonnaise (basically the same recipe that David gives for the tarragon version, but I substituted 1 tablespoon of minced chives and 1/2 tablespoon each finely chopped Italian parsley and celery leaves); this is what accompanied the radish plate and will also appear as one of the sauces for the crudités plate tonight. One of the items I bought from USGM was chickweed which will most likely be the "green" for the salad course. It's an adaptation of a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe; the original calls for chickweed tossed with a vinaigrette of hazelnut oil, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper. The proportion of oil to acid is 2:1; if made correctly, it highlights the faint sweetness of the chickweed while providing a nutty background flavor and a slight acidity by the lemon juice. I have some leftover sorrel which will also appear in the salad. Typically, sorrel is used to accompany fish, but I'm trying to find creative uses for it in order to expand my horizons; it's what happens when you cook seasonally; and anyway, I like a good challenge. The main will be a pasta, featuring squid, ramps and toasted breadcrumbs. More later.

two separate meals tonight. miss k and a had salmon and sweet potatoes.. two more ingredients on her list. i had lamb stew over rice with some ramps thrown in.. in terms of the eye ball or the consistency, i gave miss K, a fork full of perhaps 1/6 of the eye on it with some rice.. She ate it and loved it.. i have yet to tell her what she had.. She wants this for dinner tomorrow night.

We were at Maxim's Sur la Table demo on Modernist Cuisine at home last week, and enjoyed the evening thoroughly. For me, one of the highlights was the very simple, but very scrumptious carrot soup, made in a pressure cooker. So for dinner tonight, I thought I would attempt to replicate that soup. What could go wrong? Carrots, butter, baking soda, salt, and a pressure cooker -- all things I have on hand. I followed instructions to the letter, painstakingly cutting out the core from about 30 tender new carrots, ensuring that I actually ended up with 500 grams of carrots, weighing butter, salt, baking soda, then plopping everything into our pressure cooker. Husband and I both wondered at the lack of water in the recipe, but thought that, since it wasn't called for in the ingredients, we wouldn't add any. So then we ramped up the PC to the recommended 15 PSI, and set the timer for 50 minutes, as per the instructions. At about 30 minutes, the carrots were smelling wonderfully sweet and caramelly. At about 35 minutes, there was a whiff of scorch in the air. By 40 minutes, I knew things were hopeless, but persevered. At 50 minutes, we opened all the windows and turned the fan on high, then scraped out bits of carroty charcoal from the PC, before putting it into hot soapy water to soak for a day or two, and went to plan B, and defrosted some lovely tomato bisque we made earlier this week. What went wrong? My strong suspicion is that 50 minutes cooking time is just too long. If so, perhaps the recipe should be amended. Or maybe we should have gone ahead and added some water at the start. If so, how much? I really, really liked this soup, and would dearly like to be able to make it for Thanksgiving dinner next week.

Awesome spread, Norm. Heirloom carrots, with hazelnuts and parsley Carrots -- simmered in lightly salted water, then sautéed in unsalted butter, finished with sea salt, black pepper, Italian parsley and hazelnuts. Squid, with roasted heirloom potatoes, capers and Meyer lemon The potatoes were a variety called Russian Banana, from Paffenroth Gardens' stand at USGM. Potatoes -- peeled, halved lengthwise and quartered, then par-boiled in lightly salted water for 5 minutes; then soaked in an olive oil bath, with a handful of sage leaves for 15 minutes; then seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, and roasted at 375 F for 35 minutes. Squid -- sliced, then sprinkled with a little salt and pepper; was set aside for 5 minutes; then cooked in olive oil with rocambole garlic, anchovy and Italian parsley for 3-4 minutes. Assembly -- combine roasted potatoes and squid in the skillet used to cook the squid. Toss once or twice. Stir in capers, thinly sliced red onion and the juice of half a Meyer lemon. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve. I usually make this with ramps or leeks, but it's equally tasty without.

tonight dinner was made with leftover sauces and ingredients from an event this weekend. Risotto with onions, peas, mascarpone, a little ham, ramp pesto and salmon roe. So good. water stock. started with a bacon and onion, then vermouth, peas, mascarpone, pesto a little in the rice while cooking, then the rest while plated.. Topped with salmon roe.. a no shop dinner. it might look a little more fluffy here

This weekend, we had 32 diners come to the place for an event. I never really remember to record our meals, or even photograph things.. Here is the menu: Kale, Pomegranate, Filberts, Valdeon, Meyer Lemon Creme FraicheAsparagus, Duck Egg, Salmon Roe, Ramp PestoWild Spanish Mackerel, Treviso Radicchio, Avocado, DijonGame Hen, Spiced Lentil Puree, Cardamom Crema, Burnt ShallotsCheese, Truffle Honey, Quince PasteBrûléed Melon, Mango Sorbet, Basil, MaldonS'more Brownie, Housemade Marshmallow, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout Gelato, Smoked sea salt One recorded dish, that was photographed below in an incomplete state, is this asparagus dish.. I am proud of this dish as it was a complete collaboration and our first time making the dish. In fact, outside of the kale salad, every dish was our first time making it. Steamed Asparagus, with a ramp pesto vinaigrette, crispy pancetta with a sous vide duck egg resting on it, topped with salmon roe. This dish came about as, our fish guy last week delivered us salmon caviar instead of our regular black caviar.. So, we had to go out and buy different caviar and were left with this salmon roe. After seeing ramps at the green market, the rest of the dish came together. Here is a grainy photo taken by one of the diners that had the kitchen table seat.. This is prior to the pesto and the salmon roe. .We had been playing with bruleed melons this week.. We served that as a course on Saturday. People were raving about it.. I took delight in revealing, the melons were bought at Mr. Coco for a dollar a piece. We got about 4 to 6 servings per melon. Last night I had a dream of doing something with the bruleed melons and also broiling blue cheese with it and serving it with some ham.. But, we shall see. It was also a rare time that we served poultry at our place. Brined the game hens for a day. We smoked cornish game hens for a few hours at a super low heat, it was covered in zaatar.. We then took them out, let them rest for a few hours.. Roasted at 450 for 10 minutes, cut into portions and then broiled for two minutes to crisp the skin. Served on a lentil dal with cardamom scented crema and crispy burnt shallots.. That was really good. But, the second most fun thing I think we served was the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout gelato.. Luckily enough was made that, we have a full pint leftover.. We did not cook the beer out so, it remains to be a boozy and delicious concoction. Homemade marshmallows, homemade brownies and this really beautiful gelato.. It almost tastes like caramel and coffee ice cream. Anyway, that was my brief summary of this weekends meal.. People were super happy and it was another really eclectic mix of people.. I hope someone blogs about it. A guest that has come several times through out the years told us, it was one of their favorite dinners they have had with us.

Thanks Smithy. The ramps are from Eataly. USGM won't have those available for maybe 1-2 more weeks. It's been a long winter. Carrots and salsify, with garlic and saffron Peel and trim salsify, cut into batons, place in a bowl of acidulated water (1 cup water, juice of half a lemon). Peel and trim carrots, cut into batons. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add carrots and salsify; cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Melt unsalted butter in a skillet, add chopped garlic. Fry until garlic turns a pale gold, add carrots, salsify and a pinch of saffron. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley. Taste for salt and pepper, then serve. Omelette aux fines herbes, sautéed spinach with shallots and sesame oil.

I envy you those ramps, Soba. They'll be coming up in our woods soon, if the snow ever melts, but I haven't seen them in any stores we've visited.

Asparagus with shallot vinaigrette Fried farm egg, smoked bacon and ramps

Thanks all. Anna: you're killing me with the chicken thighs. those are probably my favorite parts, next to drumsticks. =============== late dinner tonight. Ginger chicken broth, with fried farm egg, ramps and baby spinach Basically a variation on "garlic soup", with a fried egg instead of poached, and ramp stalks/ramp leaves instead of garlic and parsley. A 1/2 tsp. of finely minced ginger adds a pleasant jolt. I think these are sensational. And you really don't need to do much to bring out their best. The radishes were halved lengthwise (so that the greens would be left intact) and sautéed in unsalted butter with some baby spinach. Sea salt and black pepper to taste, and a splash of wine vinegar. Black cod (a/k/a sablefish) with ramp pesto, served with oyster mushrooms and samphire Samphire is also known as "sea beans" and "glasswort". See fifi's eGullet Foodblog for a particularly memorable entry. The mushrooms and sea beans were fried in unsalted butter and a little chicken stock, seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and Meyer lemon juice.

• Fresh oyster mushroom & morel mushroom medley. Sautéed in EVOO w/ some slices of ginger & a bit of salt. • Ramp bulbs (sliced up) & spring onions (green parts mostly) sautéed w/ minced pork. Simply salted. Tossed in the pan w/ capellini fedelini [De Cecco].

Forgot to say.. I added ramp bulbs with the creamed leeks!!

Here is the finished dish!! Almond Gnocchi w/Ramp Pesto and Baby Spinach

Thanks. Garlic broth: 2 cloves heirloom garlic, thinly sliced and 4 ramp stalks, minced, fried in 2 tablespoons olive oil until the garlic turns a pale gold. add 2 cups water, along with julienned ramp leaves and torn spinach leaves. simmer for 10 minutes. taste for salt and pepper. stir in the juice of half a lemon, if desired. ladle broth into soup bowls, then serve. you can add a poached egg if you like (which will make it more substantial), or garnish with cooked English peas or morel mushrooms.

Sautéed chicken livers with port and shallots, and mesclun salad Garlic broth, with ramps and spinach Roast chicken; spinach with garlic, anchovy and lemon

Leeks sautéed in butter, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Ramps sautéed in butter and olive oil, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Bacon pr0n. Toasted bread, with fromage blanc, ramps and bacon. Baked eggs, with cream, leeks and cheese.

Pork belly fried rice. With ramps, scallions, celery, eggs. Sea salt as sole other seasoning. Chopped ramp bulbs & gently crushed scallion whites trimmed to 2-inch lengths (halved) sautéed in vegetable oil. Thinly-sliced pork belly (skin removed) added, salted, left to "brown" slightly and be "released" from the pan surface; turned over/tossed over roughly with the spatula, sautéed a bit more. Reserved. More oil added to pan juices/liquids, 3 farm eggs broken directly into the pan, scrambled/"marbled" in situ. Several-days-old white rice added, mixed in/tossed around. Reserved pork belly & ramp bulbs & scallion whites added back in, mixed/turned. Chopped celery followed by the leafy parts plus purplish-stems of the ramps then went in, everything tossed/mixed around on high heat till done. Covered for a minute. Served w/ chopped scallions (mostly green parts).

Thanks, basquecook. I'm jonesing for Greenmarket asparagus right now...well, maybe this weekend there will be. Been a long winter... Crudités plate -- celery sticks, carrot sticks, steamed heirloom potatoes, raw French breakfast radishes, hard-cooked farm egg w/anchovy; chive mayonnaise, lemon vinaigrette. Chickweed, sorrel and mint salad; hazelnut vinaigrette Spaghetti, with squid, ramps and toasted herbed breadcrumbs

Cockles, Japanese turnips, fiddlehead ferns, pickled ramps. Cockles: steamed in a bath of 1:1 white wine and water for 10 minutes. Turnips/ferns: simmered in lightly salted water, then blanched, then tossed in melted unsalted butter along with 2 tablespoons ramp greens; seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and minced chives. The ramps were pickled in kumquat vinegar (a jar of kumquats in the fridge that have been sitting in cardamom-infused white wine vinegar for a couple of months now). Chickpeas with cremini mushrooms and turnip greens Mushrooms: sliced cremini and shiitake mushrooms sautéed in unsalted butter with chopped garlic, seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and thyme Turnip greens: simmered in lightly salted water, then chopped coarsely and cooked in olive oil with chopped onion and canned chickpeas; seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, chopped parsley and lemon juice; added the mushrooms, then stirred in a tablespoon of tomato chutney.

Was an experiment tonight -- my partner proclaimed it delicious which is all that really matters in the end. Garlic shrimp, with ramps and egg on toast We also had: Leftover soupe au pistou Cheese, fruit and honey

Ashen – delicious way to give leftover chicken gourmet treatment. SobaAddic – many stunning photos! Scottyboy – We miss your cooking. Huiray – you need to start thinking about writing a cookbook. Ann_T – you make yummy food look so easy to create. Anna N – your dishes are always just as appetizing as any fancy ingredients. Basquecook – Dandelion greens, ramps --- you are speak my kind of language. Mm84321 – everything comes out from your kitchen is perfectly done. Steve irby – beautiful plating. Chefmd – Agree, perfect salmon. Kim – Absolutely amazing onion rings. Not the easiest thing to get perfect. ------------------------------------------ A few recent cooks. dcarch Roasted pork, kabocha, broccoli stems smoked chicken daylily shoots Smoked pork shoulder on orzo

Late lunch today.... French breakfast radishes, unsalted butter, sea salt. Red amaranth and spring lettuce salad, ramp and bacon vinaigrette. Spaghetti with scallops, garlic and parsley

I wish I was a better photographer. But, it's also partially my fault.. Case in point, I plated this guy but, then after realizing I forgot to add the baby roasted sweet potatoes, i was too lazy to go back. Dandelion greens, pan roasted duck breast, family raised lamb and brown rice. I made a ramp oil that I marinated the lamb in. Also, squirted over while it was resting. Duck breast was served medium rare, crispy skin. Bribed miss K into eating the greens by turning off Peter Tosh for a bad called Breaking Benjamin.

Radish and butter sandwich. Sancerre, Pascal Jolivet 2013, France Arugula and chickweed salad, poached farm egg, bacon and ramp vinaigrette Poached arctic char, glazed carrots with mint

Recently made a Salmon w/ Ramp Pesto--FiddleHeads and Morals