Meyer Lemon Limoncello Marmellata

Hot off the heels of a visit to San Francisco and a cooking class with renknowned jam-maker, June Taylor, I find myself standing in the kitchen with my copper jam pot and a big bundle of Meyer lemons. I hauled the precious produce home from the Ferry Plaza Market and generous pickings from a our foodie friends', Caryl + Ken, backyard tree.


Meyer lemons are an indigenous fruit typically grown in California. Different from the typical Eureka lemon, these lemons are bright yellow, have thinner skins, are much sweeter and aromatic with a slightly floral flavor.

I am no jam expert and baking+ making sweets is not what I do best, but I couldn't resist giving a go at making my own marmellata as a fun experiment. With a bit of trial, experimentation and error {the first batch burned!}, I finally I created a recipe that was worth eating and enjoying {and maybe even repeating}.



Slightly bitter and somewhat sweet, with an undetectable hint of home-made limoncello, the marmellata made a perfect pairing as an early evening appetizer with olive bread and a spread of goat cheese. Cue in the glass of white wine.........success! A day and two jars of jam later, I think it's fair to say that jam-making won't be in my regular repetoire anytime time soon, but it sure was fun to make {and eat} while meyer lemons are still around to enjoy.

If you have any recipe ideas you want to share, please do before I start recipe testing round two.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2010 Alisa Barry

Jammin' with June in the kitchen

June Taylor is an inspiration.  I have been enjoying her jams + preserves for many a year.   They're unusual, esoteric, exceptional...and expensive. As an artisan producer myself, I can certainly understand and appreciate why.  The fruit is of the finest quality, most of which comes directly from local growers and farmers. The method of preserving is one of painstaking labor. It's hands-on cutting, cooking, stirring, extracting and making of all natural pectin. Everything is made in small batches.  {Watch her video: how to make jam. Art in the making}.

Needless to say,  it was a great thrill for me to be to take a class with June.  She is British, which makes the class seem somehow more authentic at first blush. But, it is her gentle command of the kitchen that is most awe-inspiring.  She is deliberate, sometimes surprisingly delicate,  and clearly passionate about what and how she makes her beloved jams.  She is adamant about the science of her methods, and then in another breath, makes spontaneous decisions on the spot like an artist orchestrating a piece of art. 

My favorite lesson learned in the class was not how to make jam, but how to cut the fruit to make the jam.  Watching June remove the membranes to reveal glistening segments of citrus fruit was like seeing precious pearls being extracted from their protective shells.  There is so little fruit in the end, and every piece is treated like a piece of gold. And, rightly so.  We cut cups and cups of three kinds of fruit. We sliced and diced the pungent rinds.  We boiled and toiled until the fruit was reduced to a not-too sweet syrupy thick goodness. At the end of the day,  a mere 13 jars of jam were finally made. Precious gold, indeed. 

Isn't it sometimes the most simple of pleasures that make life easy to savor? Thanks, June. I will savor my memory of you often when I eat your jam, often.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2010 Alisa Barry

Pimenton Cheese Dip

This dip is a riff on the traditional Southern pimento cheese.  It might be blasphemy to say so, but I've never been a fan of pimento cheese....that is until now. 

I can't take credit for this one. Some of our best recipes come from the amazing + talented people who work with our artisan-made products everyday. This is one of those recipes that customers just ahhh over whenever they take the first a bite. It's been so popular, we recently added to our porta via take-away menu at the  Bella Cucina store in Virginia Highlands. 

The secret is in the ingredients. It's slightly off center traditional, and right on target for flavor. 

Pimenton, or Spanish sweet pepper paprika, gives it that final special touch. 

 Southern or not, chances are you're gonna love this easy appetizer spread. 

{sorry, no photo just yet. wanted to get this posted ASAP since we have had so many requests for the recipe.} 

PIMENTON CHEESE DIP 

2# sharp white cheddar cheese, grated 

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup Sweet Red Pepper Pesto

2 Tablespoon Chestnut Honey mustard {or honey mustard}* ps: plenty of stock even though the sites says sold out. 

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tablespoon Pimenton smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt 

* optional: 1 Teaspoon fresh chopped dill. 

In a large mixing bowl,  add  the cheese, mayonnaise, pesto and garlic. Fold all the ingredients just until blended. Add the paprika and salt,  and stir just until incorporated. Taste for seasoning, adjusting the paprika and salt as you like. 

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer with dipping crackers. 

* Try it stuffed under the skin of chicken breasts and baked in the oven. 

Buon appetito!
copyright 2010 Alisa Barry

Artful Entertainers Announced

In our search to find the most Artful Entertainers and hear their stories, we found so many wonderful new friends and learned so much about how you truly make entertaining a personal and memorable experience.

Though it was hard to select just one, today we proudly announce the winning Artful Entertainer: Tracy Bosworth Page! What we love most about Tracy's entertaining is the fact that it's a way of life, something that has been shared and passed along for several generations.

I love listening to my 95 year old Sicilian grandmother talk about her family. My great grandfather would make sauces and sausage in the cellar of their 4 story brownstone while small snippets of opera from his phonograph would drift upstairs. I've learned the art of sharing my food from both my grandmother and my mother and it will continue to pass generations through my daughters. Memories of growing up in her kitchen are very distinct and influential to who I am today.


Due to the overwhelming response of entertaining stories we received, we just couldn't stop at just one winner! Honorable Mention this year goes Kathleen Delgado for her beautiful story below. What we love most about Kathleen is that artful entertaining means it's not only about how you feed people's appetites, but also how you feed their souls.

Artful Entertaining: As an antique dealer, I incorporate lots of the old with the new.... I start with a table set with a layering of beautiful French hemp linens in natural and white. Tabletop is Arte Italica white w/chrome lining dishes coupled with antique (circa 1880's) and depression (circa 1920's) stemware. My artful signature is a minimum of 60 mercury tealight candles, placed at varying heights around the dining room, thus insuring that from whatever place one sits, they are basked in candlelight. The dining room is chandelier is lit very, very low. With a Mexican/Italian heritage, the bounty of food is immense...all bowls and platters MUST overflow so that there is something to nibble on later or take home packages. EVERY dinner gathering includes a small party favor, usually a small burlap bag filled with lavendar (harvested from my garden) or a small gathering of lemons and limes (also from my garden. Often these items will include a stenciled initial, thus also serving as a place card. I rarely use store bought flowers, but instead focus on items from my garden...a bunch of parsley or cilantro look GREAT in vintage depression glass "spooners" dispersed around the table. Lemons off my tree are always artful additions. My most important artful factor is to include friends+family who love to laugh, and laugh loudly! The wine flows as does the background music: both absolute musts! Tonight we're celebrating a birthday and we'll set a place for you!


Grazie to all who participated and shared the artful stories with us. Wishing you all a new year filled with family, friends + good food.



Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Grazie + Gratitude

As the year comes to a close, I'm taking time out for a bit of rest and relaxation, quiet and contemplation, gratitude + thanks.

Giving thanks for abundance is sweeter than the abundance itself.
- rumi

It has been an amazing year in so many ways.
It's also been a challenging year- for me, for many.
In spite of all and because of it all, I feel ever so grateful.
Alchemy works its magic in many strange ways.

So many lessons learned this year.

I've traveled less, and discovered more.
I've surrendered gracefully and fought with fierce grace.
I've learned that passion, purpose + perseverance do pay off.

I've learned adversity is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
It's about living with a spirit of adventure and knowing that our circumstances do not define who we are.

I've been inspired by the beauty, brilliance and generosity of others.
It has left me speechless in awe and appreciation.

I've been surrounded by art and artists who create a bewilderment of beauty. The spirit always prevails.

There's been reorganizing and reigniting.
I've seen people leave and lose jobs, and then unexpectedly find their soul.
It's about knowing that finding our true calling trumps keeping a career.

I've connected with so many passionate people, both new and refound after many years lost, through my writing. Thank you for supporting what feeds my soul. What greater gift is there than to live your passionate purpose?

I am blessed to be able to afford an abundance of good food, and pray that all may be able to have that good fortune in their lifetime.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for an amazing year.
You have given me so many reasons to celebrate and give thanks.

I wish all of you the very best of life's blessings in the coming year.
May your New Year be filled with great things and big dreams.

with love + thanks,
alisa



Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry