Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Foraging for favorites

dankphishin

By dankphishin
in Food Traditions & Culture

 Share

Recommended Posts

dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

We have lilacs all over the farm.  They escaped from the other farm house many decades ago.  Would love your recipe for lilac ice cream, dcarch.

 

This was what I did:

  • 3 cups lilac florets (no leaves or branches)
  • 3 cups half-and-half
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 large egg yolks
  • 9 ounces inverted sugar
  • small pinch salt
  • 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

     

·       The Steps:

·      

·       Heavy cream, half&half, inverted sugar, salt and lilac florets in a container into sous vide cooker set at 150F for 5 hours.

·       Remove from sous vide cooker and strain off lilac florets.

·       Beat egg yolks.

·       Pour slowly mixture into egg yolk, stir while pouring.

·       Put mixture with egg yolk back in sous vide cooker and set temperature to 170F for 2 hours.

·       Leave in refrigerator overnight. You should also have your ice cream maker container in the freezer overnight.

·       Add vanilla and follow ice cream maker instructions and make ice cream.

 

dcarch

  • Like 1
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Thanks very much, dcarch.  I will have to translate that into my own ingredient and cooking method, but you have provided what I needed and I am grateful.  Our lilacs are not in bloom yet so it may be quite a while until I get a chance to make the ice cream, but I'll report back when I do.  Thanks again.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

SylviaLovegren

SylviaLovegren

Posted
Posted

Still more! I love early spring!

 

dcarch

 

sous vide prime rib on violet greens and hosta shoots

primeribvioletgreens2_zpsf073055c.jpg

 

primeribvioletgreens3_zpseece7036.jpg

 

primeribvioletgreens_zpsebd7c31c.jpg

 

 

Lilac ice cream

lilacicecream2_zpsc3039ddb.jpg

 

lilacicecream_zpse0d95814.jpg

 

lilacicecream3_zps9ab39d90.jpg

 

 

LILAC ICE CREAM!!!!!???!!!  Can you infuse lilac flowers in alcohol to make lilac extract? 

dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

How was the lilac ice cream?

We're growing some lavender ... I may try something with it when it's ready.

It was pretty good, but not spectacular. Next time I may up the sous vide temperature to 155F, and may be 10 hours instead of 5. 

 

LILAC ICE CREAM!!!!!???!!!  Can you infuse lilac flowers in alcohol to make lilac extract? 

 

I don't see why not. I may try that sometime.

 

dcarch

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

The ramps are FINALLY up!  I transplanted some from a road right-of-way to our back yard, and foraged a few while I was at it.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

Finally got fiddleheads. It went from cold to warm really fast this year, not much transition, so there's going to be a short window for getting them. I have somewhere around 5 lbs. right now, going for more tomorrow. Gonna eat as many as I can fresh, blanch and freeze some for later and I'm thinking about pickling some just to see how they turn out.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

Finally got fiddleheads. It went from cold to warm really fast this year, not much transition, so there's going to be a short window for getting them. I have somewhere around 5 lbs. right now, going for more tomorrow. Gonna eat as many as I can fresh, blanch and freeze some for later and I'm thinking about pickling some just to see how they turn out.

As I understand it, not all fiddleheads are created equal. How do you know which are the right ones to pick? (Ours are just popping up now too, along with - finally! - the ramps.)

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

As I understand it, not all fiddleheads are created equal. How do you know which are the right ones to pick? (Ours are just popping up now too, along with - finally! - the ramps.)

I usually go picking with someone who learned from her mom, who learned from her mom, who learned from her mom... you get the picture. So basically, if she says they're the right ones, I take her word for it. But I've picked enough that I can identify them without trouble now. The brown paper-like stuff and the groove running up the inside of the stalk make it pretty easy.

  • Like 1

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

  • 2 weeks later...
gfron1

gfron1

Posted
Posted

I forage for the restaurant about 4-5 times per week.  This is yesterday's excursion with my cookbook photographer capturing the exotic moments that happen in foraging.  I take my little Camry down some pretty serious backwoods trails and he's always done great.  This time I blew out the side of his tire on a rock while gathering nettles, cattails, watercress and green gooseberries.  Expensive harvesting.  I had Ari Levaux from Outside magazine video me on this same road last year because he couldn't believe my car was rock hopping so well on it (I've driven it no less than a thousand times so i know just what spots to hit...except yesterday).

foragingtire.jpg

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
Posted (edited)

I use it in a number of dishes but my favorite is to coat and age local goat cheese as a sort of cheesemakers joke - yellow mold is not a good thing on cheese, so it just makes me laugh knowing that I'm serving yellow powder coated cheese. I forgot to add my pic earlier.

Cattailpollen.jpg

Edited by gfron1 (log)
  • Like 1

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have an oregano that is more of a ground cover (grows dense and low) than the oregano I cook with.  It puts out some showy blooms that have a nice oregano smell. In the past I have fried them along with zucchini blossoms and they were an enjoyable herbal crunch. I don't have zukes this year so I am thinking of tossing in olive oil and baking at high heat so I don't waste a bunch of olive oil which they taste great in.  I just scissored some into a chickpea mash that included among some oils and alliums,  tangerine juice and zest and a fruity dried and reconstituted ancho chile. It is a nice subtle but fresh tasting oregano note.  Grape vine trimming and then processing of leaves is next.

 

photo (79).JPG

Edited by heidih (log)
  • Like 1
dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

I'm pickling agave blossom right now.  Cattail pollen is pretty much done for the year which is too bad - its my favorite to gather.

 

What are you going to do with them?

 

dcarch

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

They're pickles (or they will be) and so they're a component in my tasting menu.  Not sure what they'll go with yet.

It looks like you're starting the pickling process with sprinkles of salt. Do I have that right? And then what...and what do they taste like?

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
Posted

I toss them with a bit of salt to get things started - an hour or so, then when the weeping begins, I rinse and put in a solution of boiled rice vin and salt 3:1 with some salt, tellicherry, and a stalk of cattail.  Let them pickle for about 2 weeks.  The crunch is what I'm going for - crisp outside with the baby petals inside which are crisp yet delicate.  The flavor is tannin and desert sweet - much from the dessert has this - its kind of like a sweet dust, which I find much more appealing than I describe it as.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

  • 1 month later...
Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

Finally got around to looking for chanterelles yesterday afternoon. A casual, unhurried hour walking in the woods yielded about 3 lbs. Looks like a pretty good year for them. The wild blueberries are booming as well.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

cyalexa

cyalexa

Posted
Posted

I have a bumper crop of sand plums on my property. I don't make jelly but have given some to a friend who does. I'm also snacking on them like they were cherries. The very ripe one are quite sweet.

  • Like 1
suzilightning

suzilightning

Posted
Posted

FINALLY was able to get about 2 pints of wineberries for steamed puddings.  It was so cool and wet this year they are about a full month behind schedule.

  • Like 2

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...