MangiaMore: free-form PEAR tart

-->

RER 10.27.14

-->

It’s fall. And things are falling— temperatures, leaves, and pears. There is a pear tree near my boyfriend’s house, so in recent weeks he had accumulated a fair number of freshly fallen or plucked pears. Before long, we had more than we really knew what to do with, so we decided one free Monday, we would make a free-form pear tart.

Neither of us had any free-form tart experience other than gazing at all the beautiful fall galettes on Instagram, featuring perfect spirals of fruit and just browned edges. So this was an experiment.

RER 10.27.14

JAR 10.27.14

Experiments in my mind involve mixing, and as usual, we combined recipes in search of a delectable result. To make the crust, we took the base of this recipe as the ingredients were simple and readily available in the pantry. Our pear filling came from the Ellie Krieger’s Food Network Rustic Pear Tart guidelines. 

RER 10.27.14

RER 10.27.14

In the end, our tart looked just like our fresh pears- organic and imperfect. It was like a kindergartener got its hands on shapes and playdough. We didn’t put care into arranging our fruit filling into a lovely pattern or fit the pear pieces into idyllic moments. It was simple, fast, and to be euphemistic, rustic.

RER 10.27.14

RER 10.27.14

Despite its unpolished aesthetic, it was pretty tasty. The pears were just sweet enough, and still a little firm, holding up to the surprisingly buttery and flaky crust. It had hints of fall through cinnamon and brown sugar and made for a satisfying afternoon snack with warmed apple cider from Demarest Farms. #thisisfall

RER

10.27.14

RER 10.27.14

 

not just nourishment: fall fun with PUMPKIN(s)

RER 10.27.14

So we saw beautiful fall harvest foods when we went to Demarest Farms over the weekend. We ate some tasty snacks from the farm, and picked out a pumpkin from the patch to bring home with us. The next day was dedicated to carving that pumpkin of ours and roasting the seeds for a yummy treat, like we did last year.

RER 10.26.14

RER 10.27.14

RER 10.26.14

RER 10.26.14

Ok, we also ate more apple cider doughnuts and made a fall dessert of our own. Stay tuned for more fall fun and deliciousness. Don’t forget to follow on facebook, instagram, twitter, and yelp to keep up with all the food adventures.

RER

10.27.14

RER 10.26.14

it's a CELEBRATION : Flea Street Cafe

RER 8.24.14

We decided it was my “birthday,” so we ate like it was a celebration and devoured the seasonal menu at Flea Street Café in Menlo Park, California.

Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salad

Surprisingly enough, the title of the dish didn’t include sexy burrata (burrata makes everything better…or is that bacon?). This summer seasonal salad was light, buoyant and delicious. The pecan pesto made vibrant with sea salt added a little heartiness to combat the sweet and tangy fruits and the silky creamy burrata.

RER 8.24.14

Corn and Mushroom Agnolotti

The flavors were delicate, but at the same time pungent enough to hold their own. The sweet corn played to the fresh eggy pasta and the creamy, chewy mushrooms. Even the cheese brought punch, livening up the mellow moments.

RER 8.24.14

Ricotta and Chive Gnocchi

The dense gnocchi dotted with green chives, swam in a mess of delicious chaos, served with a canopy of a thin crispy round of pancetta. Silky chanterelle mushrooms mellowed the tomato sofrito, which was more intense and tangy.

RER 8.24.14

McFarland House-Smoked Trout

Pretty seasoned waffle potato chips were the perfect base for a flaky forkful of the smoky pink trout and a balanced pinch of the potato salad. The smoky bacon echoed the smoke in the trout bringing out the meatiness in the fish, while the salad –soft potatoes, salty bacon, pleasantly bitter frisee, and horseradish crème fraiche vinaigrette— added a complexity of flavors.

RER 8.24.14

Lamb and Buckwheat Crepes

The layers of flavor and expertise were exhibited in this second course. The lamb was meaty and tender, meeting perfectly with the nuttiness of the doughy buckwheat crepes. The sweet roasted beets played to the sweetness of both the meat and the crepes, while the little crown of bitter frisee added complexity and recalled the earthiness of each element.

RER 8.24.14

Which Came First?

This chicken entrée sounded complex complete with a poached egg and pork belly, but in the end felt like two separate dishes. One was comprised of sweet corn puree, smooth lobster mushrooms, mealy fava beans, salty pork belly, and the almost runny poached egg. The other was the filled rounds of chicken with crispy skin. It was a mishmash of freshness that encapsulated the season, but could have united more seamlessly.

RER 8.24.14

Meyer Lemon Beignets

The tiny filled beignets were extremely tart, banishing all saccharine and greasy effects. The crunchy granules of sugar that coated their exterior and the crunchies beneath the cream were welcomed and necessary. The seasonal huckleberry compote added more tang and shifted the balance even further to an uncomfortable tartness.

 RER

8.24.14

RER 8.24.14

organized CHAOS: Central Kitchen

RER 8.22.14

The room was like whispers— an intricate balance of indoors and outdoors, starlight streaming in, growing greens, silent water, and sturdy wooden feelings. The space belonged to fairies and twinkling lights, warm laughter and robust wine.

RER 8.22.14

At Central Kitchen in San Francisco, the flavors of fresh mingled with exquisite execution, local and seasonal ingredients and something a little too cool to utter. Each dish felt like a harvest of the best, misplaced and disoriented, redirected to produce an earthy perfection.

RER 8.22.14

The swirl of stone fruits of pinks, peaches and hushed purples, hugged the soft and sticky burrata, stretching. Earthy greens darkened the fruits tangy tenor, urging the burrata to hold the center. Crunchy fried bread felt sharp as thorns to the stone fruit flower— sharp and savory.

RER 8.22.14

A pyramid of pink triangles, thick with light green pistachios and white striations of fat and flavor, stood up proudly to delicate chips crisp with air and heat. The meaty pate longed for fall and wind and leaves, but was rich and rugged, here and now.

RER 8.22.14

Almost indistinguishable splotches arranged themselves on the plate, lopsided and lackadaisical. Smears of horseradish cream, imperceptibly spicy, cradled fat and juicy fresh figs dressed in slimy exotic lardo. The creaminess below was at odds with the crunch of the seeds and the liveliness of the fig, while the fatty and salty lardo unified both disparate fronts.

JAR 8.22.14

A ring of delicate green cucumber, rich and roasty potatoes and mini micro greens, danced around the plate, chasing after a salty, crunchy king salmon. It was light and playful, a song of earth and sea.

RER 8.22.14

Meat lay flat in multicolored rectangles, layered with heavy pork, luscious fat and crunchy skin, while a thick line of a mélange of yellow corn and wild rice divided the plate. Wisps of vibrant green herbed emulsion exclaimed, contrasting dark bittersweet blackberries and cream.

RER 8.22.14

A random smattering of odd shaped pastas, wheaty with fennel pollen, multiplied, like a colony of cells reproducing in warm weather. Sweet golden knobs of corn heightened the saltiness of each thick and almost crispy chunk of brown red pancetta, springing to life with artisan cheese and great green chives.

RER 8.22.14

Puzzle pieces of drenched peach slices, precarious crunchy cookie,  sweet peach compote and floral honeycomb bites fit together, textures playing a tug of war while warm and cold sweetness made jagged edges round.

The plates all were a pretty consortium of the most colorful and rich moments, laden with purpose and guidance—almost like an organized chaos.

RER

8.22.14