The Pig and I

Here's the blackberry-bergamot. If you don't have access to bergamot, feel free to use a regular sour orange. It will change the flavor but will still be tasty. Hope you enjoy! 2 pounds blackberries 2 cups bergamot sugar pinch salt 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons bergamot juice Combine and macerate 1-2 hours. Boil to the gel-point and water bath process 15 minutes. Makes 4 half-pints.

I didn't get around to making breakfast pastries this morning, and since my intention is to sleep in tomorrow, I know I won't do them in the morning then either. So I decided to go ahead and throw together some bergamot-cranberry muffins so Ross will have foods to take with him for breakfast. It's a pretty standard muffin set-up, with a little extra. Hope you enjoy! 1 cup milk (I only had soy milk for some reason, which is weird since neither of us drink soy milk, so I used that) 1 large egg 1/2 cup bergamot juice (you could use lemon, or any other citrus for this) 1/4 vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar (reduce this if using a sweet citrus) 2-ish cups flour (I admit, I did not measure very carefully, so it was somewhere between 2 and 2 1/4 cups) 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder (see flour measuring above) 1 cup whole frozen (and thawed if you have time) cranberries Whisk together everything in the first group of ingredients. Add flour and baking pow...

I really wanted some Madeleines. For a while, I've been wanting some. But since I have these bergamots, I thought I should use some of them for it. Unfortunately I didn't have a pan, and I didn't really want to buy one. Aside from a clutter issue, there's also the unitasker issue as well as the "how often will I really make these? Enough to warrant the cabinet space?" question. So, instead of going out and finding a pan, I asked my Facebook friends if anyone had a pan I could borrow (and return with a batch of fresh pastries). Not surprisingly, no one actually had this specialty pan (or if they did, I guess they just didn't want to share it?). So I went out to find one, ultimately deciding that I will simply make sure I use it often enough to warrant the space it'll take up. I remembered seeing some old tin ones in thrift shops lately. I mostly remember it because I saw a bunch, and I thought it was odd, and I also had to talk myself out of getting o...

Lisa very, very kindly has sent me a new batch of bergamots! I have a lot of plans for these guys. Perhaps too many plans, since I might actually need a tree of my very own to have enough fruit to make as much stuff as I'm interested in. But I'm going to roll through as much of my list (which I'm keeping a surprise!) as I can, so we all have new ways to play with bergamot. So, feel no surprise if you see nothing BUT bergamot from me for a little bit. This only happens once a year, so I figure y'all can be entertained by it instead of annoyed. Also, feel free to make any of these recipes with another citrus fruit than bergamot. Y'all should also expect to see a lot of adapted pastry recipes, because pastry is what I'm particularly interested in right now. Which is kind of weird, considering I don't have much of a sweet tooth. The original scone recipe I adapted this from can be found here, at Rock Recipes . The original recipe has raisins in it, and stuff l...

This comes from page 121 of Martha Stewart's Cookie Book , where the recipe is titled Lime Meltaways. When I first made these, I rolled the dough up and the first roll was dipped into sugar, like the recipe states. But then I was eating them and I saw a Dane who's in one of my classes, and I was reminded that if the extra sugar is taken away, they're very similar to Denmark's Jutlander cookies that are eaten over Christmas. So the next roll did not get the extra sugar. I liked them both ways. Y'all will have to decide for yourselves if you like them better with more sugar or less. But here's the recipe, regardless. Hope you enjoy! "3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup confectioners' sugar finely grated zest of 2 limes ( 1 bergamot for me ) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice ( bergamot ) 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract ( I left this out entirely and replaced it with an extra tablespoon bergamot juice) 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tabl...

Well, this is interesting. Today is Friday. I thought yesterday was Friday. So you got Food Waste Friday yesterday, and today you get the recipe I wanted to post on Thursday. I'm not entirely sure why I thought yesterday was Friday, given that I fully knew I had a class to go to (and I did go). I guess I've been confused a lot lately. What I'm not confused about, however, is this cake. It's really amazing. I think it's the best cake I've ever made. When I first started out, I thought I was going to make a Williamsburg Orange Cake we used to make a lot when I was a kid. Except, y'know, with bergamot. But then I was, once again, laying in bed and I thought about how I'd like semolina in there, and olive oil. So I started thinking about the recipe and changing it all around. I suppose it vaguely resembles the old one, in that it's a citrus cake, but that's where the similarities end. I will probably make this next time with lemon, since I'm ne...

Still going through the bergamots, and it's wonderful. When I made the bars, it necessarily left a lot of rind behind, and of course I couldn't let it go to waste. I cannot imagine the horror I'd feel if I actually had to say I wasted a single part of the most precious fruit in the world. So... Yeah. I thought about it, and I was considering doing the spoon sweets, but I just didn't feel I had enough rind for this (since it was rind from only 3-4 oranges), although I've since changed my mind. Small jars of spoon sweets would be better for me to make anyway, I believe, since I tend to treat them in an addict sort of manner. I thought it'd be nice to make another candy, but I didn't want to really mess with standard candy making this weekend. I am simply drowning in homework. Drowning. Really. Like, as I understand it, Ross misses me. Y'all probably get more communication out of me right now than even my neighbours do. So I thought candied peels would be t...

I really like lemon bars, but I never make them. Never. I'm really not sure why, given that my love of sour citrus is not something unknown to be a routine feature in my recipes. Ross has been asking me for months to please make some lemon bars, and I've just been putting it off for some reason. But then, of course, the bergamots arrived and that changed everything. I'd actually forgotten about the usual lemon bar request, until Ross wisely asked if I'd be interested in bergamot bars. Well, of course I am. So, I was looking through the Martha Stewart cookie book to see if there was a recipe in there (there wasn't). I know, I said it. Martha Stewart. I know so many people hate her, but I just can't dislike her one bit, regardless of her legal actions or personality. The woman can cook . So I love her, and I'm okay with that. I can't imagine why there would be a lemon bar recipe, since they're not cookies, but nonetheless I looked. Perhaps I just need...

So, bergamade. It's basically the same as lemonade, except, well... with bergamot. Of course. Because what isn't better with bergamot (if you know the answer, don't tell me; I'll think you're telling fibs anyway)? It's sweet. It's sour. It's musky. It's wonderful. I like to drink it a lot, though I normally only drink it when I've got fresh oranges. I have fresh oranges, so.... :) Hope you enjoy! 1/2 cup bergamot juice (this for me was two oranges) - reserve peels for another use 1/2 cup sugar (or... bergamot sugar!) 2 quarts water Mix well. Chill. Drink. Serves one, unless you're generous. Picture coming later. Also, it'll be a few days until my next post, as I need to read a couple books this week which really cuts into my cooking/posting time.

In my quest to enjoy all these bergamots in new-to-me ways, I've come up with this little ditty. The base of it comes from my mother's (her mother's?) pineapple-upside down cake. But then, due to some ingredient issues (no ap-flour, no milk, etc.), it's become something quite different. So next time I make the actual pineapple upside down cake, I'll post that recipe separately. 1 bergamot orange, sliced into slices no more than 1mm thick, pips (seeds) removed (save the ends to squeeze juice out of for cake part of the recipe, then blend up the rinds to make more bergamot sugar) 6 tablespoons each: butter, dark brown sugar heaping 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup butter, room temperature 2/3 cups bergamot sugar 1 egg 1 tablespoon-ish bergamot juice 1/2 cup sour cream candied oranges from above In a skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter and sugar. When melted, stir until sugar is somewhat (mostly) dissolved. A...

Okay, this is the simplest of recipes, and since it's tea, I won't be giving a picture. Plus, I'm already out of town camping by the time y'all get this, so there's that. Have a great weekend! 3-4 teaspoons black tea (I've been using osmanthus for this) 20-25 ounces water heated to between 190F and 200F 1-2 tablespoons bergamot sugar Heat water, and pour it over tea. Put sugar in your teapot (not the one you're steeping in, but the one you're pouring your cups from). Wait three minutes, then drain tea from spent leaves into pot that has sugar in it. Stir, portion out, drink. Serves 2.

I've always thought that bergamot and lavender are pretty good friends. Every time I see them hanging out together, something good comes of it. So of course, now that I've got bergamot to play with, I wanted to get those buddies together and give them a chance to do something good for me. Enter shortbread. I've been making my own Earl Grey blend since the oranges came in (yes, that will be posted too, although it'll be tomorrow that it happens), and really, with tea one must have shortbread. Am I the only one who thinks that? I hope not, but maybe I am. Anyway, these are pretty simple. They use the standard 1:2:4 ratio, of sugar:butter:flour construction. I'm embarrassed to say that the last time I baked shortbread is when I was mailing it to New Orleans (along with 30 pounds of other goodies) for a friend who stayed after Katrina to rebuild. This time I made them to take to school with me. My Monday class is three hours, and I personally think that three hour lon...

Alright, so y'all know where I'm at right now with the bergamots, yes? In heaven. That's where. So yesterday we did the bergamot sugar, which was important because we need it for these caramels and such. Today, we use that sugar in these caramels. The basis of this recipe is the ever-so-popular (and for good reason; it's an excellent recipe) 2004 Gourmet Fleur de Sel caramels (y'all will have to google for the original recipe, since I printed it ages ago and didn't save the link), with some differences. I made quite a lot of changes to the recipe, but I still like to give credit where it's due so I wanted to mention where the base came from. I had some little adventures while making this caramel. The adventure was in that I am sometimes cursed with an utter lack of forethought. This was one of those times. It's been raining for days (okay, I'm writing this the Saturday before this goes up, so... I don't know if it's still be raining for day...

Alright, so I've decided to post this as a separate recipe, since y'all are going to see it in a few things. It's nice to have on hand, anyway. This method works really well with pretty much anything from herbs to all other citruses. I made a lot, because I have a lot of plans. It's good for baking, and also nice if you have some black tea that you want to turn into sweetened Earl Grey. I'm planning to take some iced Earl Grey made with this stuff to class when I bring them the upcoming shortbreads. Hope you enjoy! 2 pounds sugar Rind (but not pith) of 1 bergamot orange Put the sugar and the peel in a food processor or blender. Pulse/blend/whatever, until the bergamot is finely grated and fully integrated into the sugar. Put in a jar and use in all your bergamot-flavoured recipes. Makes 2 pounds. Note: When you're done, you will have caster, or superfine, sugar. Therefore, if you opt to use it in baking, I'd recommend weighing the sugar instead of mea...

It's February. Y'all knew that though, so why am I telling you? I'm telling you because the bergamot, my favourite citrus and object of my undying devotion, is in season right now. These little guys have such a short season, but they're in my thoughts pretty much year round, as you also knew. Today, the FedEx guy came with a package. I was expecting this package, though I didn't know what was in it. Lisa, from Meadowood Designs , had gotten my address recently and said she was sending me something, but was delightfully silent about what this something was. I've spent several days waiting while I tried to ignore my insatiable curiosity, to find out what was coming. So while I sat waiting for the package, reading Kitzhaber for one of my classes, the FedEx guy has spent his day making the rounds of delivering treasures to people all over Houston. And finally, he arrived at my apartment. I heard the first knock and started making my way to the front door as the s...

So I have you sauces, but I didn't give you the chicken. That was rude of me, wasn't it? I think y'all have figured out that I'm kind of a lazy procrastinator, so it's probably not much of a surprise to you. Well, I'm a lazy procrastinator on a normal day; during a period of time where I'm recovering from a kidney infection as I prepare for midterms, I don't even have a proper label for how sloth-like I really do become. Regardless, here's the chicken. This recipe is listed as a kebab recipe, and that's really how it should be. But y'all should know I didn't actually MAKE this properly. I was lazy and tired and so I just grilled the chicken before cutting it up, and I certainly didn't skewer it. But the concept is the same, and y'all will do it properly so each little succulent bit of chicken (and how often do I call chicken succulent?) is individually spiced and seared. Right? Well, maybe you won't. So I'll put down bot...

You all know by now how I feel about the bergamot orange. It's my most beloved of the citrus, and next to the olive, my most loved fruit in general. The only thing the bergamot could do to make me happier would be increased availability. For years, I've longed for the day that other people started seeing this beautiful little guy and embracing the wonderful flavours bergamot can bring to nearly anything. I am, of course, always scouring the internet for new bergamot recipes. One thing I love the most about the "blogosphere" is that you have the opportunity to read and use recipes that simply never would have occurred to you to make otherwise. Recently, this happened to me when I was reading through my favourite food blogs. Lo and behold, a DUO of bergamot recipes on Hungry Cravings ! Initially, I thought I would make her custard , but I am always so lazy about going to the store that the cream got in the way of me making these. Someday, someday. Instead, I chose to ma...

In keeping with my bergamot theme (the rest of you should use the juice from either lemon or Seville orange), I bring you these stems. If you are not of the mindset to save the stems of your bunches of beets, rhubarb would be an acceptable substitute, though you will want to reduce the citrus by half. Enjoy! 1 tablespoon each: olive and vegetable oil 1 small sprig dill 2 cups beet stems, cut into 2" strips 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 4 radishes sliced thickly 1 sliced carrot 1 cup cooked black beans (I do them from dry and cook them w/ a bay leaf) salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons bergamot juice Add dill and oils to a small pan. Heat over very low heat and allow to infuse for 20 or so minutes. Remove dill and discard. Add all remaining except beans and bergamot juice and cook over medium or medium-low heat until somewhat softer. Add citrus and beans and cook the rest of the way through. Serves 2 (as a side).

Okay... I've decided to stop being secretive. I'm going to share the recipe. Mind you, it's 500 calories a slice (and everyone eats at least 2), but it's worth it. I can't believe I'm finally sharing this recipe. I first made this pie because I had a dream that I was sitting at my old prep table, eating a slice of this pie. I woke up from the dream, determined to write down what I could remember of the pie. Since I needed to really think on it to break down the flavours in my head, I took a long bath and scribbled on the tile walls in crayons. It took me somewhere between 30-50 pies (possibly more) before it tasted exactly like it was in my dream (let's call it a 15 pound weight gain before it was perfect). For some reason, people seem to have trouble getting this pie right without actually participating in the making first, but I think you guys can do it. If in some parts of this recipe, I sound a little nutty, don't be alarmed. I have a deep, deep ...

I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen . Originally, it's a lemon and cranberry recipe. What initially caught my eye was Deb's mention of how disappointing it is that fresh cranberries get so little use (outside of sauce for the holiday table) in favour of the little dried bits. I could not agree more with her, and I am always trying to find ways to incorporate real cranberries into my baked goods. These scones were perfect not only for that, but for the substitution of bergamot in lieu of meyer lemon. I don’t think I froze enough rounds (I decided to bake 3 per person, which was too many - 3 would've been plenty for the two of us), but these are really, really wonderful. Slightly sweet and delightfully tart when you bite into one of the cranberries. They’re soft inside, slightly crispy on the outside and just wonderful little pillows of happiness. I’m putting curd on them when I want a sweeter bite and eating them solo when I want a sweet-tart bite. And happily, I have t...