Be My Valentine?

So, I'm not entirely sold on the concept of Valentine's Day. The origins seem strange, I usually conjure up images of the St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago, and I generally believe it is a Hallmark holiday. 

On that note, whether you're making food for one person or two, here's a delightful English dessert: Eaton Mess. 


1 c. sliced strawberries
1 c. raspberries
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar (25-year aged)
1/2 c. whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
lots of vanilla meringue cookies  


Macerate 1/2 cup each of sliced strawberries and raspberries in about 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of aged balsamic vinegar for at least 30 minutes. (That just means mix the berries, sugar, and vinegar together; by the way you can omit the vinegar if you don't have it or like it.) Meanwhile, whip about 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Gently fold the berries into the whipped cream, plus an additional 1/2 cup each of sliced strawberries and raspberries. 

In a glass, crush vanilla meringue cookies into the bottom, top with the berry and cream mixture, and then more crushed meringue cookies. I promise that you'll love this easy and amazing dessert - particularly on Valentine's Day.

{I promise to add a picture later}

Roasted Beet Salad

We also picked up fresh beets at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. Todd was not convinced when I suggested that we buy some - but he admitted that he has only had pickled beets. Now that he tried this salad, he loves beets, and I think you will, too. They are deliciously sweet, and have a beautiful velvety texture. As you can see from the photo below - I think I'll stick with golden beets from now on. The red beets, while gorgeously pink, made everything pink - even my yummy oranges.

Roasted Beet Salad

• 6 medium golden beets

• 2 large oranges
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or pasted
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 2 Tablespoons toasted pecans, chopped
• 1 lb salad greens
  

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut off and discard stems from the beets, and wrap each beet in foil. Place beets directly on oven rack and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Once cool, peel the beets. Slice each beet into wedges. Place beets in medium bowl.

Zest one orange for the dressing, then supreme it: begin by cutting the ends off of the orange. Place the orange cut-side up, and cut the peel/white pith off the orange. Then, working over another bowl and using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments. If that confused you, see this video.* Add orange segments to the bowl with the beets.

Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic, and orange peel in small bowl to blend; add to beet mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Pile the mixture on top of a plate of salad greens. Enjoy!

Feel free to experiment with this - Todd added crumbled blue cheese to his salad, and it was delicious (but I thought it was too overpowering). Certainly goat cheese would be perfect here, if you like it (which I don't; not even a little). I personally might choose a ricotta salata in place of goat cheese.

*Please just take your time when you supreme an orange so that you do not waste as much of it as Ming Tsai does; I'm not a fan of his, but it shows you how to do it.

Bliss Can Be an Heirloom Tomato

I am almost ashamed to admit that this Saturday I went to my first farmer's market in Milwaukee. I KNOW - it's sick and wrong. Me - the girl who grew up on my honorary aunt and uncle's organic farm - Creekside Farm - during the summer, spending Saturday mornings peddling fruits, veggies, and flowers at THE farmer's market on the Capital Square in Madison, Wisconsin. Hell, the first thing I learned to drive was a tractor on their farm. Honest.

Though the South Shore Farmer's Market is very different from the Dane County Farmer's Market, the dog-friendly atmosphere, a priest making smoothies, a French man making crepes, and being on Lake Michigan in South Shore Park was wonderful. Next time, we will take our dog Max to meet all the dogs.

For dinner on Saturday, I made caprese salad - and it was THE most amazing salad ever! Imagine perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, and 25-year aged balsamic vinegar . . . so amazing!