The Earthy Delights Recipe Blog
Celebrating wild harvested, traditional & artisanal foods
The best things in life are often the simplest. Bread pudding is one of those things. Bread pudding is something of a blank canvas for the creative cook. Made from a handful of ingredients that are found in almost every kitchen – milk, eggs, butter, sugar and leftover bread – bread pudding is one of the most basic comfort foods that there is. With the addition of a few spices and flavorings, the variations are infinite. Easier to make than …
You might not immediately associate fresh cherries with burgers, but it can’t be a coincidence that Michigan cherry season comes right in the middle of summer, just when grilling season is at its peak. It’s an opportunity too tempting to resist! In this recipe, fresh cherries are paired with a classic flame-grilled burger in not just one, but two very different ways. But before we start cooking, let’s make something perfectly clear; it’s essential that you use the best quality …
From now on, whenever we cook artichokes, we’ll be finishing them on the grill. A quick trip to the grill transforms the prickly domesticated relative of the thistle into something altogether more subtle and flavorful, with a deep smokey intensity that soars above the simple steamed version. Grilled artichokes are easier to eat, too. Once the artichoke has been steamed, it’s a simple matter to quarter it and pull out the fuzzy inedible “choke” and inner leaves. After grilling, just …
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of tart cherries? Cherry pie? Cherry cobbler? Cherry jam? Think again; a juicy grilled tuna steak might not seem to be a likely pairing for fresh cherries, but the lively flavor of the Balaton cherry is big enough to take on the job. A meaty fish like tuna (or for that matter, salmon, halibut and cod) cries out for a generous dash of acidity to balance all that oily …
Cherries are the fruit of summer. First to appear are sweet cherries, large crisp globes of juicy flesh, perfect for eating fresh by the handful. A few weeks later, tart (or sour) cherries arrive, bringing with them a frenzy of pie-baking, canning and freezing. There are literally dozens (perhaps hundreds) of cultivars of both sweet and tart cherries, many well-known, others grown only in the small towns and hamlets where they’ve been nurtured in obscurity for centuries. Tart cherries are …
As deeply colored and glossy as black pearls, tiny uncooked black lentils have a flavor that is earthy, nutty and satisfying. Black lentils are very like lentilles du Puy, also known as French green lentils. Both varieties differ from common brown or green lentils in significant ways. Black and green lentils take less time to cook and they both hold their lens-like shape better, making them perfect for salads and side dishes (although they’re both wonderful in soups, too). Black lentils …
Recipes like this one are made for easy, no-fuss meals. It only takes a few minutes of prep and a very short cooking time – and the results are nothing short of phenomenal. To transform simple grilled skewers of chicken into an elegant center of the plate showpiece, we alternated tender chunks of moist chicken thigh meat with firm, fresh whole “button” chanterelle mushrooms – then brushed the whole thing with a finger-licking sticky glaze. Fragrant thyme is frequently paired …
You may be disappointed to learn that the whimsical name of this charmingly simple dessert has nothing to do with foolish persons. Instead, it comes from the French word foulé, meaning “to press,” a reference to the mashed fruit most often used to flavor it. The English claim the concoction as their own, although the French name implies that it may have started elsewhere. But the origin of the name is irrelevant; what’s important is the delightful combination of tangy fruit and …
As the seasons move from spring towards summer, the very thought of cooking and heating up the house becomes less and less appealing. Grilling is the perfect solution, but you can’t live on hot dogs, burgers and barbecued chicken forever. The answer? Grilled pizzettas. The dough is easy to make; the pizzas are small enough so everyone can have their own, and the toppings need little preparation. Best of all, there’s practically nothing to clean up. Grilled pizzettas are different from regular …
Strawberry. Just the word itself conjures up visions of warm spring afternoons and the sweet fragrance of gleaming, sun-ripened berries. Strawberries are the most familiar and best loved of berries. Pop one into your mouth whole and taste the succulent juice as you bite in. Fresh strawberries, sliced and stacked in layers between buttery-rich shortcakes, are nothing short of miraculous in their simplicity and homespun goodness. There are a couple of simple tricks to making the best shortcake. Real butter, …