Early Summer
One of the prettiest peonies at the MN Governor's Residence.
Those first greens taste great. I have a bunch of pretty tender young mustards from the farm this week. We ate some of them torn into a salad with the crisp radishes and the buttery lettuce.
For dinner I made a quick stir fry with the rest. Be sure to wash greens well to avoid any gritty bites. I like to swish the greens around in a big bowl of cold water. Then let them float to the top and the sand will settle to the bottom. I lift out the greens and pour out the sandy water then repeat one or two more times.
Noodles with Mustard Greens and Pork
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
1/2 lb. ground pork (or use chicken, beef, tempeh)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped
1 bunch young Japanese mustard greens
1 tsp. chile garlic sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
4 to 5 oz. plain ramen or rice noodles cooked and drained
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
In a large skillet, cook the pork over medium-high heat with the garlic and ginger until pork is no longer pink and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Lift the well washed greens onto a cutting board. Do not pat dry. Trim off the root ends and coarsely chop. Toss the green with the pork and cover. Cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted and the stems are tender.
Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
Makes 4 servings
Buttermilk Custard Filled Cornmeal Cake with Poached Rhubarb
I created this recipe for the lunch I made for Magnus Nilsson at Riverbend Farm in 2016.
Prep time: 1 1/2 hours
Ready in: 2 1/2 hours
Buttermilk Custard
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 cup cold whole milk
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. buttermilk
In a 1-quart saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk and egg yolks until completely smooth. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken. Cook and stir 1 minute, remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, butter, and buttermilk. Refrigerate 20 minutes, stirring once, until room temperature.
Cake
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine white cornmeal (yellow is OK too)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan.
Beat butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth.
Beat in eggs, one at a time until just blended, then beat on medium speed 2 minutes scraping bowl once. On low power, beat in flour, cornmeal, baking powder and vanilla until just blended.
Spread half of cake batter (about 2 cups) in bottom of prepared pan. Spoon custard evenly over batter, spread with the back of the spoon or an offset spatula to 1/2 inch edge of pan. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls around the edge of custard and pan. Spread batter evenly toward center to cover custard. Sprinkle hazelnuts over top.
Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until center is set, cake is firm to the touch and the top is a deep golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack at least an hour (center will sink slightly). Run a thin knife around side of cake; remove side of pan. Serve warm or cool with poached rhubarb on the side. Store covered in the refrigerator.
Makes 12 servings
Poached Rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup water
1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped out
2 cup diced rhubarb.
Stir together water and sugar in a small saucepan. Add vanilla and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add rhubarb and simmer over very low heat until just tender. Do not overcook. Pour into a container and chill until ready to use.
