NOURISH HEALTH + TASTE + STYLE

Food Lust :: The Concord Grape

What's the first teeny tiny sign that autumn's around the corner?  For me, it's most definitely the arrival of concord grapes at the greenmarket.  These little fall gems burst with sweetness like mini candy bombs on your taste buds (not to mention they're packed with fiber and antioxidants).  I'll confidently confirm they're my current gastronomic obsession and make a perfect afternoon snack, morning pick-me-up, a simple dessert.  Or get a bit more adventurous and turn those grapes into a gorgeous chutney with some port wine, a jammy reduction to drizzle over yogurt (or even over lamb or pork) or a icy smooth sorbet with lemon and thyme.  

And to take my obsession a tad further, I'm also loving the striped Japanese ceramic bowl pictured above -- a lucky find at Broome St. General Store in LA's Silver Lake neighborhood.  The bowl rocks, and so does the store.

In the Kitchen :: Figs Gone Wild

I was recently bestowed 4 entire flats of fresh figs.  We're talking a couple hundred figs, easy.  My first thought, send a massive thank you to the California Fig Board.  Second thought, what the hell to do with a bounty of beautiful figs ASAP before they go bad.  

1. Start the fall off with a lovely dose of generosity and give some away to a lucky few foodie friends.

2. Make a BIG batch of fig compote with vanilla bean and bourbon.  Perfect for making any number of dishes a little more exciting.  I've currently been spooning it into my morning yogurt along with chopped pecans.  

3. Serve up fresh and pretty on a cheese platter with proscuitto and gorgonzola or as a lovely little snack with black pepper yogurt, proscuitto and honey (disclaimer: that gorgeous pic below is via Tomas Curi, exec chef at Corsino, who was one of the lucky recipients).  

4. Bake up the rest in a series of fig tarts and distribute to friends, family, office mates, the coffee shop dude...really anyone who will take a few figs off my hands. The tarts were a winner, so I'm including the recipe below.  I played around with gorgonzola and goat cheese - both versions were delicious depending on your mood.  

Quinoa Pilaf with Dates, Pistachios & Caramelized Onions

Fall seems to be flying by at light speed.  I'm not quite sure where the past few weeks have gone, but they've been beyond hectic.  For good reason thankfully. More details to come in the next week or so....a little suspense builder for you.  Being busy has kept me physically from posting, but mentally, I've got at least half a dozen posts ready to go.  Sometimes I wish a little magic elf could jump into my brain and whip up a smashing blog post in a matter of minutes.  Alas, I'm attempting to catch up a bit on a gray autumn afternoon.  A good, long bike ride and a trip out to the Brooklyn Flea will have to wait until tomorrow or until better weather.  Instead, here's the quinoa recipe I've been wanting to post for over a week now.  I was pleasantly suprised having put it together without much thought - really just poking around my spice cabinet.  Bold flavors that make me feel like I'm off somewhere exotic and foreign, Marrakesh or Beirut come to mind.  Now to just pack my passport for real...