The best part of August is the explosion of all things in the garden. I love receiving my own personal CSA grocery bags of tomatoes (my heirloom tomato plants are spindly this year, not doing well at all), plums, peaches, zucchini (yes, give me those tired, those neglected zucchini and I will create wonders!), and whatever else is in excess in friends’ gardens. Friends and neighbors know I will do justice to anything left behind my back door. And of course I then share the prepared dish with the generous donors.
When my friend, neighbor and student, Terry, brought a bag of beautiful Italian plums and peaches to class last night, I knew immediately I had to create one of my favorite summertime, easy as pie but not one, recipe - Italian Almond Plum Cake. This recipe is so versatile. Don’t have plums? Use peaches. Or raspberries, or cherries, or any berry your heart desires. You will love its silky cakey texture and crunchy almond topping. It’s a winner.
Also, this time of the year is the beginning of the anticipated fig season. My 18th South 3rd West SLC Costco started stocking cartons of 20 large fresh brown turkey figs from California for $6.99/2 pounds. I literally jumped for joy when I spotted them, hidden in the frigid produce room in the corner next to some non-descript carrots. It’s almost like discovering a Judith Leiber sequined and crystal evening bag amongst the donations at the second-hand clothing store, but more delicious. I’m teaching a class called “Figalicious” in a few weeks. All things figs- even the plates and tablecloths. Obsessed? Yes. And you know that figs are in my logo.
Medley of baby heirloom tomatoes is bursting at the markets also. Green, yellow, red, orange, purple, deep pink. What a color wheel selection! To be used on an appetizer plate for color or halved in a feta, peach and tomato salad with mint dressing. Grapes are also in season – large purple seedless, red seedless and lime green seedless.
For my class this week, I made an antipasti platter incorporating some of the produce finds. Here are a few tips to creating an eye-catching platter of delectables. I always line my serving platter with some type of leaf from the garden (edible, please). I use fig leaves, grape leaves, magnolia leaves, anything large that has not be sprayed. Then I place the cheeses on the plate, pointed end out so guests can easily start sliced from small end to large, about 2-3 cheeses per platter, depending on size of group. I buy a combo pack of Italian sliced Salumi – prosciutto, salami, sopressata, etc. and place them near each of the cheeses, rolled or folded for more texture. Leave spaces in between for fruit. Fresh figs, halved, go next (I work according to size – large items to smaller items) again placed in a pattern around the plate, not all in one area. Grapes fill in the center. Heirloom tomatoes, whether left whole or halved, go well with cheeses and meats. Place a few almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc. in any of the empty areas. Garnish, garnish garnish. I used fennel fronds for the platter shown here. Use parsley, mint, sage leaves, chives and their blossoms, tarragon sprigs, rosemary, etc. Garnishes add a finishing touch. I made this platter in 15 minutes. Impressive, seasonal and oh so lavish.
Also this week, I roasted pig. Not a whole pig, but a good portion of a pig. In my class “All About the Pig” I grilled on LOW heat for five hours, two large, about 7 pounds each, pork shoulder butt roasts. To ensure I had pork ready to be pulled for use in the class at 6 pm, I placed the pork roasts on the grill at 1 pm. For 5 hours the neighborhood was awash in the aroma of well- seasoned pork on the grill. It was quite lovely.
With the close to 14 pounds of pork which I shredded into a large hotel pan, I created four entrees. The first was bbq pork sandwiches with homemade coleslaw and Eastern North Carolina BBQ Sauce with two vinegars, mustard, cayenne and hot sauce as its base, piled in seeded burger buns with coleslaw. Note: If you don’t want to make your own Carolina BBQ Sauce, Trader Joes sells a decent bottle. Then there were tacos with pork carnitas and salsa in soft flour tortillas. Pasta with fresh tomatoes and shredded pork sprinkled with garden basil and shaved Parmesan cheese was third, and finally, something so distinctive, it was almost everyone’s favorite – star anise and soy sauce creation with shredded pork over jasmine rice. One monstrosity of a package of pork – about 14 pounds – transformed in to four completely different dishes. And if you are serving a crowd of 20 or so, make the pulled pork, drench it in your favorite bbq sauce, put out a bowl of coleslaw and a basket of buns, and for less than $35, you can feed a gaggle of folks. No exaggeration. Labor Day, maybe?
Fresh fruits in season, lovely arrangements of an antipasti platter, along with a massive amount of pork for a crowd scream AUGUST! I see a party in the making in the next few weeks of this glorious summer. It’s fool proof. Trust me.
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