You've probably heard of the miracle herb, ginkgo biloba, believed to have memory-enhancing powers, but have you heard of ginkgo nuts? In the photo above, camouflaged by the ginkgo leaves are clusters of small round green fruits. Hundreds of these ginkgo trees line the streets of Manhattan, and are probably never given much thought by the millions of people who pass them each day. I certainly never noticed.
Fresh ripe avocados spread over a crisp baguette and drizzled with truffle oil, a combination so simple that everyone can enjoy this lavish delicacy at home. The avocado fruit offers a rich, buttery and nutty flavor that works wonders to enhance the truffle oil's potent, savory and complex earthy taste. Added are layers of fresh slices of sweet dry-farmed tomatoes, and whole basil leaves to give a refreshing flair and balance the richness of this sandwich.
This is a huge Florida grown avocado that I picked up from the local market. I purchased it for its novelty, but after reading a few bad reviews of the Florida avocado, this might be my last time I bring one home. One person says that the Florida avocado is all flash and no flavor. I hope not.
I do enjoy a good hass avocado, but we'll give this one a whirl.
Follow-up:
I just ate a bite of this avocado, and I hate to give a negative review, but I thought it was watery and flavorless. Unfortunately, this will probably be the last time I purchase this type of avocado.
Festive, satisfying, and at times fiery, guacamole is a simple crowd pleaser that incorporates several fresh, bold and exciting flavors onto a thin crispy chip. There are several different versions of guacamole, this one is a chunky-style dip that integrates several big flavors while allowing each ingredient to remain distinguishable.
I've been very fortunate to have been blessed with many good friends over the years. One in particular that I wanted to recognize is my dear friend Gloria Wilder. I met Gloria several years ago when she, her husband and two teenage sons moved into my old San Francisco neighborhood.
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Juliet may have been talking about Romeo, but this statement might as well have been applied to the quince. This dense, pithy and astringent fruit is similar in appearance to a golden delicious apple, tastes like a bitter intersection of apples and pears, but is related to neither fruit. Believe it or not, the quince is related to the well-loved and thorny rose.
Quince is rarely eaten raw because of its bitter, astringent and dry flesh. However, knowing this didn't keep me from stopping my husband when he took a large bite out of curiosity. He spat it out immediately, and looked at me incredulously. I rather thought it was funny.
I just finished reading Julia Child's book My Life in France, and I am inspired by so many aspects of her life. In this book, Julia Child provides a vivid historical perspective of both France and America during the 1950s through intelligent commentary on culture, politics and of course, food. Fun, shocking at times, but always sharp and interesting, it is truly a beautiful chronicle of how Julia celebrated life.
If you have not heard of purslane, you may be missing out on one of the most nutritious greens you can eat. This prolific succulent packs a big nutritional punch offering the highest level of Omega-3 fatty acids as compared with other vegetables, and is chock full of vitamins A and C.
Tender, sweet and delicate, garlic chive blossoms are a great way to enhance dishes with a subtle garlic flavor and add an artistic flair. These flower buds are harvested from garlic chive plants, and commonly used in Asian cuisine, where can be found stir-fried, added to egg dishes or mixed and stuffed into dumplings.
This has been a heart-breaking year for tomato growers in the northeastern region of the United States, where an unusually rainy summer has helped to propagate infection of tomato blight. Typically at this time of year, my pop's garden would have so many ripe tomatoes that he wouldn't be able to give all of it away. This year the harvest was severely anemic, and of the tomatoes that survived, they were so cosmetically challenged that all you could do is throw them into a tomato sauce.
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