thank you shandaken bake. pie for dinner.

With Marty on his way to pick up Lula from the beach and Sam in Brooklyn for the evening, I see no reason why I should not eat this lovely little rhubarb pie that was so nicely given to me by Craig from Shandaken Bake at The New Amsterdam Market today. A little pie and some oregano tea, sometimes it just has to be dessert for dinner! ; )

 Our neighbors once in the Catskill's, Shandaken has moved to the city full time! We will miss them at the Round Barn. Don't miss their amazing seasonal pies and other treats at the New Amsterdam Market on Sundays! Keep your ears open for news of a retail venture soon!

sweet and sour

The cherries seem to have arrived a bit early this year. I always associate them with the Fourth of July not June!. We had a sour cherry tree in our backyard when I was growing up, so sour cherry jam made it into out winter pantry year after year. July marked the time of the year when our fingers would prune from pitting pounds of luscious red sour cherries. It was always a race to pick them before the birds ate every last one but don’t' worry, we left plenty for our feathered friends!

I was surprised to see cherries at the market this past Sunday. Maggie from Flying Fox was at The New Amsterdam Market with a gorgeous assortment of varieties both sweet and sour!  She was selling;

Summit, Chinook, Emperor Francis, Benton. Chorne  Višnja (Russian sour),  Sweetheart,  Montmorency ( sour), Tientou, Hartland and  Royalton.

She had a few quarts of tiny black sour Russian cherries, which are incredibly rare.  I am dreaming up all kinds of things to cook up with my bounty but for now, I just wanted to share these photos to inspire you to run out to the greenmarket yourself! Don't miss out on this short season!

Sour cherry jam and other recipes to come later this week! xx

 

 

sour sops and solstice.

Sunday marked the close of another great year at The New Amsterdam Market. The stalls were full of fish, oysters, smoked trout and eel. It was everything the market should be. The last thing I expected to see was a stall full of beautiful tropical fruits handpicked by Maggie Nescuir at Flying Fox. She ventured down to Holmstead Florida this past week to handpick an astonishing and magical assortment of fruits, some of which I had no idea grew anywhere in the United States. I was inspired by her pilgrimage. On this shortest day of the year, know that tomorrow the days begin to get longer and we are one step closer to the light. Happy Winter Solstice!

1.  Satsuma

2. Chinese Honey 

3. Longans

4. Canestel (Egg fruit)

5. Guanabana (Sour Sop) 

6. Sapodilla (chocolate fruit)

7. Kejaja Wild 

8.Ruby blush

9. Newhall Navel (a red fruited orange)

10. orlando tangelo

11. lemon guava

12. chinese honey 

13. murcott honey  

14. passion fruit

 

quince and medlars.

Medlars are a rather uncommon fruit one that most people have not heard of. They are native to the Mediterranean and are a close relative to the Hawthorne tree or pear tree.

A few weeks ago, Maggie Nesciur from Flying Fox had a few little boxes of Medlars at The New Amsterdam Market. They had been collected by Ezekiel Goodband of Scott Farm in Dummerston Vermont (whose name I just adore) where she had gone in search of heirloom apples. Though they are native to the Mediterranean, they somehow grow in Vermont where Goddband has some trees sprinkled throughout his orchard. Like the amazing fruitier that she is Maggie couldn't resist sharing some of these tiny gems at her stall at the market.

When I purchased the Medlars they were quite hard and very tart as they were not at all ripe. I kept them on my counter in a little bowl for a full two weeks until they began to soften. A Medlar is ripe when it is almost rotten and very soft and juicy quite like a persimmon and  when it is a beautiful orange red inside. I had a quince around and decided it was high time to make something of these uncommon beauties.

I decided since I had such a small amount to make a Medlar quince butter with a few apples thrown in for good measure.

I cut them up and threw them all in to a pot (seeds and all) with two cups of water, the juice of one whole lemon and let them cook down to a veritable mush. I put them through the Foley food mill; one my favorite kitchen tools and discarded the remaining solids. I ran it through a fine sieve after the food mill just to make sure the texture was very smooth and there were no remaining bits of pulp or seeds. 

I returned the mixture to the stove added one more cup of water and a cup of sugar and let it cook down until it was thickened.

The result is something akin to apple butter but with a subtle quince and pear flavor. The color is a beautiful pink and the three little Weck jars lined up on the counter were incredibly satisfying. I canned two of the jars in a water bath so I could save them for long-term storage.

So far we have been eating it on toast with a little slice of Harpersfield Tilsit cheese from Upstate New York that has been aged with a smoky Lapsang Souchong black tea. The smokiness of the cheese and the tart sweetness of the Medlar is the perfect combination.

The New Amsterdam Market

The New Amsterdam Market which opens today for the 2011 season, is one of my favorite New York Markets to have popped up in the past several years. It takes place under the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan side, down at the Seaport. I love it for the highly curated group of vendors, the focus on regional, local, sustainably produced foods and for the simple fact that it takes place on a Sunday and I can lazily make my way down there and shop for the weeks meals. Like the Brooklyn Flea or the Smorgasburg they have prepared food ( Luke's Lobster, Porchetta, and People's Pops and Bellocq just to name a few) to eat on the spot. Come hungry and with a big basket!

The Market is Every Sunday from 11-4.

Some of the  vendors rotate and change weekly. Look at the NAM site each week for a current list of that weeks vendors.

The Market is constantly having special events like The Oyster Festival or last year's popular Smorrbrod Festival. They often have events for kids as well, so keep your eyes on their ever changing calendar and get yourself down to the Seaport where you will feel like  you have truly stepped back in time. It is one of the most special locations in the city.

June 5 Market Vendors:

FRESH PRODUCE, FRUIT & GROCERY
Do Re Me Farm
Flying Fox
Terra Firma Farm
Toigo Orchards
Z Farm

GRAINS, BREADS, CEREALS
Bambino's Ravioli 
Hot Bread Kitchen
Nordic Breads
Orwasher's Bakery
Sullivan Street Bakery

MEATS & POULTRY
Brooklyn Cured
Hudson Valley Duck Farm
Kings County Jerky
Mosefund Farm

MILK, CHEESE, DAIRY
Cellars at Jasper Hill

WINE, MEAD, & CIDER
Benmarl Winery

PRODUCTS OF THE REGION
Kombucha Brooklyn
La Newyorkina
Ledgenear Farm
Liddabit Sweets
Mother-in-Law Kimchi
North Winds Farm
P&H Soda
Pie Corps
Red Bee
SchoolHouse Kitchen
Sour Puss Pickles
Vermont Bean Crafters

MARKET FARE
Blue Bottle
Luke's Lobster
National Crab
People's Pops
Table Tales

SELECTED IMPORTS
Bellocq Tea Atelier
Mast Brothers Chocolate
Nuts+ Nuts
Taza Chocolate

FRIENDS, ADVOCATES & OTHERS
Brooklyn Butcher Blocks
Bowery Lane Bicycles 
Green Mountain Energy
Grill-A-Chef

New Amsterdam Market will be held every Sunday from 11am to 4pm beginning SUNDAY JUNE 5, 2011 at the old Fulton Fish Market which is located on South Street and Beekman Street in Lower Manhattan click here for directions Market Hours: 11am-4pm *note: Markets will not be held on Sunday July 3 Sunday September 4 Sunday November 27 New Amsterdam Market is held outdoors and under cover, and meets rain or shine.  Mushrooms from Vermont Wildcrafters and Market regular's Nova Kim and Les Hook, http://www.wildgourmetfood.com/   All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved A Smorrebrod interpretation from Caroline Fidanza and crew of Saltie (formerly of Marlow and Diner). These ladies collaborate to make some of the tastiest sandwiches in town!