Start of Spring Cooking

Upon my return to California, all I wanted to do was delve into the new veggies and fruits of spring. I returned to work and saw beautiful, vibrant strawberries for sale. I thought, "Strawberries in March?!" I also saw bundles of asparagus and marveled at the fact that I no longer have to wait for May to roast these babies. California continues to surprise me with its funky seasons.

Here's what I've been making lately:

Lemon Thyme Simple Syrup

Work has been getting this variety of thyme from Mariquita Farm and I just love taking a handful and burying my nose in it. I've never been much of a "thyme person," but this has won me over. As I packaged bundles of it for sale, I nibbled on loose leaves and knew I just had to infuse this into drinks. It's a very simple recipe and I suggest finding some new herb this spring and making your own syrup to add to lemonades, teas and cocktails!

A traditional simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar, but I find that too sweet for my taste. I prefer a 2:1 ratio.

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
a bundle of lemon thyme (about .03 lb or half an ounce)

1. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering. Stir to completely dissolve sugar.
2. Add lemon thyme and cut off the heat. Stir to immerse the herb completely in the syrup. Leave to steep for at least 30 minutes. I left mine to steep for longer because I was cooking other items, and just tasted until it reached the level of concentration I wanted.
   
3. Strain out thyme. Pour and store in a glass jar or bottle in the fridge. 

Iced Assam Tea with Lemon Thyme

While some iced tea recipes ask you to double the amount of leaves to water, then add ice to dilute, I prefer to brew at normal strength and wait for it to chill in the fridge. I reuse glass bottles (hello, House Kombucha bottles from my Sun Blossom habit) and remove the labels and replace with my own washi tape or leave blank. You might need a funnel, which is one of those items I never thought I'd need. I like making my own bottles of iced tea; it keeps me hydrated and keeps me away from buying pricey drinks at stores and markets (well, kinda). Take the time to do this on your day off and you'll have a stash for the work week.

This is only the first lemon thyme infused drink I've made, but I look forward to playing with other flavors and combinations. (Note to self: need to get some gin)

3 tsp loose leaf unflavored black tea (I currently have organic Assam tea from Blue Willow. It's smooth and a little malty)

2 cups hot water

1 tbsp lemon thyme simple syrup

fresh lemon thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Boil water in kettle. 
2. Steep tea leaves in water. I had leftover lemon thyme sprigs (or you can reuse the ones that were steeping in the syrup) and also tossed this into the infuser. I thought, why not? 
3. After steeping for 4-6 minutes, remove tea leaves and thyme. Using a funnel, pour the hot tea into the glass bottle. Seal and place in the fridge to cool.

Quinoa Sesame Salad with Asparagus and Radish

I recently browsed through Harold McGee's Keys to Good Cooking while at Alley Cat Books. I read that you could still use the woody ends of asparagus spears. Indeed, snapping them off was wasting some of the perfectly good part of this vegetable. Look closely at the ends you snap off and you can see that not all of it is overly wooden. Slice those ends into thin coins and eat them raw or saute them! 

1 cup of quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

1/3 cup sliced asparagus ends (from one typical bundle of asparagus)

1/3 cup radish, sliced into matchsticks (about two large or three small radishes)

2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or any neutral oil)

2 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil

2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar (seasoned rice vinegar is for making sushi, but I dislike not controlling how much salt or sugar I have in my recipe, so I always opt for starting from scratch)

1-2 tbsp white sesame seed

salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse and strain the quinoa. Boil the water in a small saucepan and stir in the quinoa. Lower heat to simmer and allow for quinoa to soak up the water and cook for about 10-15 min. Stir occasionally.
2. While quinoa is cooking, slice vegetables. With a quinoa salad, I wanted all pieces to be small and delicate, just like the quinoa. I sliced the asparagus ends on a diagonal, with slices about 1/8 inch thick. Slice until you can see or feel the stem become harder and woodier.
3. Wash radishes well and scrub off any stubborn dirt. I chose purple and red radishes for color contrast, but they all basically taste the same. I first used a mandoline to slice into coins, then stacked 4-5 coin slices and used my knife to make matchsticks. Be careful with mandoline, as they are super sharp. I bought a Japanese Benriner mandoline from an Asian grocery store years ago; it cost me about $25 and is a worthwhile tool for a home cook, especially if you enjoy uniformly, thinly cut vegetables. 
   
4. In the empty serving bowl, create the dressing. I made a 2:1 oil to vinegar vinaigrette, splitting the oil between toasted sesame seed and grapeseed. Whisk oils and vinegar together and taste. Add salt and pepper as desired.
5. Toss asparagus ends and radish into the dressing and set aside. The quinoa should be finished by now. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool to room temperature before adding to vegetables and dressing. 
   
6. In another small pan, add sesame seeds. Toast over medium heat and observe at all times. Sesame seed burns easily! Shake pan or stir to keep seeds moving frequently. Heat until you can smell the sesame fragrance, then cut off the heat and remove pan from stove. Shake the pan until the seeds cool, then add to vegetables, along with the cooled quinoa. Stir thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste.
   

Poached Egg with Frill Mustard Tartine

I love making tartines, which are open faced sandwiches or loaded toast. Two layers of bread in a traditional sandwich is too much bread for me; also I get to see every ingredient with a tartine and I love eating with my eyes. I also enjoy figuring out what foods in my kitchen complement one another in taste and color, as well as the puzzle of carefully stacking layers of food. 

Rule #1: Always start with good bread. It is your base and it has to hold up in flavor and in structure to what you put on top. Go for the freshly baked loaves at your grocery store and bypass the pre-sliced bagged stuff. Or if you're blessed to have bakeries churning out rustic loaves nearby, go for that! I'm not a fan of using baguettes for this, but you can use it if you want. I find baguettes too sweet for a hearty tartine, and I hate that it'll rock back and forth on your plate. Not a solid base!

Last year, I took a class on the basics and science of cooking with eggs. I volunteered to be the teacher's assistance, but also learned quite a lot. Due to my assistant duties, I missed out on practicing how to poach eggs in class, but I took home the write up and made plans to practice at home. I procrastinated. . . for a year. But! I finally did it. This is my first poached egg. If I can do it, so can you.

1 thick slice of rustic style bread, toasted

1 large egg (fresher eggs are ideal for poaching, whereas older eggs are best for boiling)

2 tbsp vinegar

a handful of frill mustard or any loose salad greens

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp mayo, aioli or mustard

1 tbsp sliced spring onion

salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice and toast bread. 
2. In a medium saucepan, fill 1/2 to 3/4 full with water over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, pour two tbsp vinegar and carefully crack an egg into the bowl, without breaking the yolk. I used apple cider vinegar because that's what was around, but you can use white or champagne vinegar. Not finishing vinegars like balsamic or sherry. Let egg sit.
3. While waiting for water to boil, wash greens. Toss frill mustard in a olive oil and season with salt. Slice onion thinly and set aside.
4. When water is bubbling, use a whisk and stir the water to create a vortex in the center of the pot. Don't stir too vigorously or else you'll splash water on yourself! Just get the water moving. Take the bowl with egg close to the center of the pot and pour directly into the vortex. Use the whisk and gently stir around the pot's edge to keep the water moving in a circular direction. Be careful to avoid the egg, which should float in the center. Cook the egg for 1-2 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to remove and place on a clean towel. Use scissors to trim any unappetizing trails of egg white. 
   
5. Remove toast from toaster and place on plate. Drizzle mayo, then mustard greens. Use your hands to move egg from towel to tartine. Sprinkle slices of onion on top. Salt and pepper to taste.