Apple Gems
Apples! Everyone’s got a favorite variety, no? True to form, and complete with many eyerolls from members of my family, mine is a ridiculously obscure variety known as “Calville Blanc.” I’d not seen them in Oregon until a few years ago, recognizing them at the Old World Apples stand at PSU Farmer’s Market. I got excited, to say the least. Cut into these pale green wonders to reveal a brilliant white, crunchy, tart flesh. This variety is my favorite for both eating and baking. Like many heirloom varieties, this is a biennial producer. This, unfortunately, was a light year. One case was all I could get. So after making a massive batch of apple butter one Sunday, we began to experiment with a means of delivering that spicy tart goodness in cookie form. Here’s what we came up with; a gem shaped apple cookie made with vanilla bean shortbread. Mmmm… fragrant vanilla and bright apple. Damn.
|
|
|
People and Places We Love: Tastebud Bagels
 Tastebud bagels fuel our bellies and our souls. It doesn’t hurt that Whitney and I have a giant “food crush” on Mark as well. As my husband well knows, I have fantasies (of the completely innocent sort,) of Mark preparing wood-fired dishes for me and me alone. Each Saturday morning, Tastebud Farms hauls a giant wood-fired oven to the PSU market, turning out smallish, chewy Montreal style bagels and seasonal pizza.
But get this… Tastebud is starting a bagel CSA! Perfect bagels made by a giant teddy bear of a baker, delivered fresh to a central location in your neighborhood? Yes please.
|
|
So, as a teaser in our last email, I mentioned that we would once againg be baking up a storm of Thanksgiving pies. 
