Want to know the #1 thing I look for at a farm stand or farmer's market? Honeycomb. A beautiful block of "made by the bees" honeycomb. A marvel of nature that I don't think gets the admiration it deserves. The structure is beautiful, the contents delicious and it is made by instinct - fascinating.
I bought one of these clear boxes of honeycomb (above) at the Shadowland Seed booth within the Sara Hardy Farmer's Market in Traverse City. It was of the highest quality and I served it several times with cheeses and roasted grapes on an appetizer tray.
Roasted grapes, you say? Yes, a new favorite of mine to keep appetizer hour interesting. This particular night, I roasted seedless red grapes on the vine. Placed a piece of nonstick aluminum foil on a rimmed cookie sheet, wash and then drape the grape clusters onto the tray, drizzled them with a touch of olive oil and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and roast the grapes at 450 degrees for approx 8-10 min - watching closely.
The grapes were delicious - very lush and sweet; they took on the flavor of a roasted apple, believe it or not. I did find that "plucking" the roasted grape from the stem often resulted in loosing the inside of the grape - the skin came off but the flesh clung.
Now I remove most of the grapes from the vine and roast them scattered on a cookie sheet, with just one small clump left on the vine for effect. That makes the grapes much easier to pick up and eat.
The next time you are hosting a party, try roasting grapes! Thanksgiving, perhaps?
When I see a pastry like this and know that the baker must have been up late the night before baking them, I have a hard time resisting. Blueberries were in season and this simple shortbread crust masterpiece had to be mine. It was made by Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery in Traverse City and sold at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market.
What's funny is that while I took this beautiful photo to show you, I actually ate it "on the fly" over two days. A bite when I passed by it on the way to do laundry; another bite as I headed back to take a shower. Then I covered it and put it in the fridge. The next day it was much of the same. A bite here and there until it was finished and I enjoyed every bit of it.
It became like a box of 6 chocolates, that I ate over time. Do you know what I mean? Sometimes when you each a gorgeous dessert stem-to-stern, you talk and chew and miss how delicious it is. Every time I took a bite and moved on, I was happy that I had splurged on a blueberry tart. You don't always need embroidered napkins and monogrammed silver to eat something this beautiful. Enjoy it in a way that works for you.
I made the immediate gratification of a French pastry last. That is delight!
There is nothing like stumbling upon a new culinary delight a few hours before you need to bring something to a picnic!
I was finally able to visit the Sara Hardy Farmers Market in Traverse City last Saturday. Traverse City is becoming quite a mecca for foodies and I knew that I would be able to find the best-of-the-best from local growers and purveyors.
My favorite find was this simple but delicious combination of fresh lemon curd topped with spreadable goat cheese from Idyll Farms. Yum! It has a sweetness from the lemon curd and a cool tang from the goat cheese that was perfect for a picnic. I simply opened the container and put it on a bamboo plate with nasturtiums and crackers.
It was a perfect light and fresh start to the annual Bar-B-Cruise picnic held by the Leland Yacht Club. Every year members decorate their boats in a theme and parade past the judges for points and a chance at winning the Mermaid flag. At night, 700+ people come together for a casual picnic dinner of ribs, meat, corn on the cob and more meat all cooked on site. This is summer fun.
