Ramp and Mushroom Toast

Eric and I returned home on Sunday to find a note left by my mom. "I love you," it said. "We had a wonderful time in your beautiful and warm home." Somehow she'd found a way to tuck this in our office without us noticing. It was a lovely message to receive after a fantastic weekend. I'd been anxiously awaiting this visit from my parents. For one thing, they hadn't seen the house. Yes, we sent photos and videos and did our best to describe things in as much detail as we could. But that isn't the same as experiencing it.  They got to walk around the garden and see all the flowers that have started to crop up these last couple of weeks. They got to meet our neighbors and see what a charming street we're on.

There was a lot accomplished this weekend, especially in the way of decorating. They brought up furniture that came from my grandmother, who passed away a few months ago. I didn't know how it'd fit in the house, but I'm beyond thrilled with how it's all turned out.  It's nice to have a piece of my grandparents here... especially the two brown leather recliners that now reside in our living room. They were their favorite chairs and every time I sit in one, I'll remember the hours they spent in them, working on crossword puzzles, reading, or watching basketball games.

My parents took us to get some lamps and pillows and treated us to new sheets and a comforter and a throw to lay on top of the bed (you know... grown up things). And my mom, with her incredible eye, helped us figure out what art to hang on the walls.  In addition to all the errands, we did dinner with Eric's mom and dad and their partners.  On Friday, I cooked up a storm, even going so far as to make an appetizer for everyone to nosh on before the meal (again... so grown up).  There was wine and scotch and wonderful conversation. And, most importantly, we got to just be together in our home.

Ramp and Mushroom Toast

Servings 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1/4 lb ramps, ends trimmed, green parts coarsely chopped, white parts reserved 1/2 lb button and wild mushrooms (such as oyster, cremini, chanterelle, and shiitake), cleaned, trimmed and sliced thinly 1 garlic clove, minced 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (but not melted) 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons lemon zest 2 teaspoons fresh (or dried) dill Kosher salt Black pepper

1 baguette or a similar crusty bread, cut into 1/4 inch slices on a bias Olive oil

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms for 2 minutes, or until they start to brown slightly. Add ramps and garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Mix in Herbs de Provence, balsamic vinegar, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

3. To prepare the toast, brush both sides of the sliced bread with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet (you may need two). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake in the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown brown.

4. To make the ramp butter, finely chop the reserved white parts of the ramps. In a bowl, stir the remaining softened butter with the ramps and dill and season with Kosher salt.

5. Spread the ramp butter on the toast and then top with cooked mushrooms. Sprinkle a little coarse sea salt over each before serving.

Fiddlehead and Tomato Salad with Pecorino

I'm finally getting a feel for the light in the house. I know a lot of folks assumed that this was the first thing I investigated when we initially looked at it, but, really, it was one of the last.  In fact, I didn't realize how good it was until I actually started playing around. Yes, the kitchen is a bit limited, but I do have two small patches that seem to work nicely. And that's significantly better than our apartment. I didn't tell a lot of people this, but I rarely photographed food in our old kitchen. The light just wasn't very good. So I'd do a lot of the chopping and ingredient shots in the living room, head into the kitchen to cook, and then bring it all back into the living room. It was very challenging and I'm so glad those days are behind me.

In our new place, I get most of my shots in the dining room. There are three large windows that fill the room with just the right amount of light. I'm still getting a sense of the best places to shoot and it's really exciting when I find a new area to work in.

So, I freaked out a little when I saw fiddleheads in the store. I can't remember what I went in for. Whatever it was became insignificant as soon as I saw these. For some strange reason, I'm obsessed when I get my hands on them. Maybe it's their unique shape or that they taste like asparagus, but with a slight grassy note. Whatever it is, I had to buy a bag. I often do a sauté with butter and garlic and will throw them on pasta or grits. This time, I wanted something different. Because they are potentially toxic, it's a good idea to cook them first, which is what I did. And then I tossed them into an ice bath before throwing them into a bowl with chopped tomato and a light, lemony dressing. That may have been satisfying enough, but a salad doesn't really hit the spot without the addition of cheese. I'm pretty sure the pecorino brings this whole dish together.

Fiddlehead and Tomato Salad with Pecorino

Source 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 lb fiddleheads, rinsed 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half Thinly sliced red onion (I did about an 1/8 of a cup) Juice of half a lemon 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil Kosher salt and ground black pepper Pecorino

Instructions 

1. To prepare the fiddleheads, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the fiddleheads. While they're cooking, prepare an ice bath. After 6-10 minutes, use a slotted spoon to transfer the fiddleheads to the ice bath. Once chilled, drain the liquid.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon, pumpkin seed oil, grapeseed oil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer tomatoes, fiddleheads, and thinly sliced red onion to a serving bowl.  Pour dressing over and toss to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.

4. Before serving, shave pecorino cheese over the salad. Season with Kosher salt and black pepper.

The Big Traveling Potluck 2014

It's hard to find the words to express what an amazing experience this last Potluck was. For those who have never attended, I like to describe it as a non-conference conference. Yes, there are keynote speakers. Incredible ones, in fact. The topics, however, are not traditional. Instead of covering SEO and monetization, the themes at the Big Traveling Potluck are much bigger, forcing us to look at ways to improve our lives, and, thus, our writing and photography.

I had the pleasure of being the official photographer for the Potluck. This was the third I've photographed and it was such a wonderful experience. I hope these pictures illustrate the love, the passion, and all the incredible food.