Summer fruits from the farmers market are the supermodels of <\/p>\n Just in time for June’s bounty of stone fruits and berries Grist quizzed Schacht by phone this week about how she got How do you pronounce “Shacked,” like shacked up. Or “Shaq attack,” with a “t” at the end and without the In addition to My background is actually in social welfare—I am a At some point I realized I had raised around $20 million in When I realized I was able to persuade funders to give these So I went to Cornell for a summer and got a certificate in Farmers’ Market Desserts<\/em> is your first solo cookbook, right? Was Yes, it’s the first I’ve done entirely myself. It’s very I’ve always wondered I have files and files and notebooks of things I’ve cooked, Most Americans seem Well, I know even people who cook are intimidated by A lot of people are just busy and overtaxed, and they do Why the “Farmers’ Market” Dessert Cookbook<\/em>? Why First of all, I just love the farmers market. I love that With cooking, your outcome to a large degree is only as good You don’t talk much I prefer organic. But when I go up OK, so what’s your I don’t think I have one! I can honestly say I really don’t Strawberries From <\/em>Farmers’ Market Desserts<\/a> by Jennie Schacht<\/em> (Chronicle Books, May 2010)<\/em><\/p>\n This takeoff on Makes 8 servings<\/em><\/p>\n Filling<\/strong><\/p>\n 2 pints (about 4 Cake<\/strong><\/p>\n 5 large eggs, 1. To begin the 2. Preheat the oven 3. To make the cake, 4. In a large bowl, 5. Whisk the whites 6. Immediately pour 7. Run a thin knife 8. To complete the 9. Cut the berries 10. Position the 11. Starting at the 12. Sift confectioners’ Season to Taste:<\/strong> In place of the sliced strawberries, use Farm Journal:<\/strong> If you are accustomed to shopping in a supermarket, Chandler, Diamante, Chilled Plum Soup with Sour Cream <\/strong><\/p>\n From <\/em>Farmers’ Market Desserts<\/a> <\/em> by Jennie Schacht<\/em> (Chronicle Books, May 2010)<\/em><\/p>\n One Use Makes 4 1. Combine the 2. Remove from the 3. Puree the soup 4. Ladle the chilled Season to Taste<\/strong>: Try other stone <\/p>\n Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n I eat weeds<\/a><\/p>\n Ask Umbra on pasta, Clorox wipes, and a satisfied customer<\/a><\/p>\n Support Southern seafood with this Vietnamese-style caramelized catfish dish<\/a><\/p>\n
\nthe produce world. Just like Heidi Klum doesn’t need makeup to be beautiful<\/a>, a
\nsuper-fresh White Lady peach or Seascape strawberry doesn’t need extra
\nsweetening or seasoning to shine. But given the right recipe—one designed
\nexpressly for fruit and vegetables at their peak ripeness and flavor, not for their
\nwooden supermarket facsimiles—they can really<\/em> wow your tastebuds.<\/p>\n
\ncomes Farmers’ Market Desserts<\/a>. <\/em>Author
\nJennie Schacht and photographer Leo Gong visited dozens of farmers markets as
\nwell as farms in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Schacht lives; New York City
\nand the Hudson Valley; Wisconsin; Maui; and elsewhere to compile this visually
\nappetizing collection. Grouped according to the season, the recipes hit all the
\nright dessert notes, from familiar ones like sorbets and tarts to more exotic
\ngranitas and parfaits. And it’s not all strawberry fields forever—there’s a
\nsection for in-between seasons, using dried fruits and nuts and even winter
\nvegetables like squash. Suggestions for substitutions abound, and “Farm Journal”
\nboxes share tidbits from farms Schacht visited, such as Weston’s Antique Apple
\nOrchard, where a Wisconsin family grows some of the last remaining examples of
\ncertain apple varieties.<\/p>\n
\ninto food writing, why she prefers shopping at farmers markets to Safeway, and why
\nthe buzzword “organic” rates hardly a mention in her book. And in case you feel inspired to bake over this holiday weekend, she’s also shared her recipes for Strawberries
\n& Cream Cake Roll<\/strong><\/a> and Chilled Plum Soup with Sour Cream<\/strong><\/a> after the jump.<\/p>\n
\nyour name?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n“attack” part.<\/p>\n
\nwriting about food, you also consult for food and hunger nonprofits and
\ngovernment agencies. Which came first? Cookbooks or grant proposals?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nlicensed clinical social worker, though currently on inactive status. I worked
\nin community-based health care, for example running a prenatal care program at
\na Native American health center. In January 1991, I started Schacht &
\nAssociates, which helps nonprofit and public organizations to
\ndevelop health care programs and get them funded.<\/p>\n
\ngrants, and that obviously my third-grade teacher was wrong—I could <\/em>write! I grew up being told I was
\na terrible writer. Even my parents, who were extraordinarily supportive, said
\nit wasn’t my strong suit.<\/p>\n
\ngroups large amounts of money, I decided to try and do some food writing, which
\nI had always wanted to do. I’ve always loved to cook. At a young age I’d tackle
\nstuff from Mastering the Art of French
\nCooking <\/em>or from the Julia Child TV show. Looking back now, I had a
\npredisposition toward math and science. One of the things I love about baking
\nand pastry are the marriage of art and science. It’s creative and artistic, so
\nmany scientific principles involved.<\/p>\n
\nfood and beverage management, because I thought it was good to have some
\nacademia behind me. I wrote a few food articles, and then one day I went to a chocolate
\ntasting with chef Mary Cech, who developed the pastry program at Greystone [the
\nCulinary Institute of America]. I handed her my business card and said, “If you
\never want to do a book, call me.” And she did! And that book was The Wine Lover’s Dessert Cookbook.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nthat hard?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\ntouching that Chronicle Books had faith in me, since I don’t have a culinary
\nbackground, no restaurant or catering company as a portfolio of work. I just
\nwent to farmers markets and bought stuff and brought it home and thought,
\n“OK, what would be fun to make with this?”<\/p>\n
\nhow people create recipes. Do you start with someone else’s and then modify it,
\nor make it up “from scratch”?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nnotes on what I’ve done so I can make it again if I like it, or a variation to
\ntry next time. The recipes I’ve developed are things that have worked with my
\nown kitchen experiments over the years. Also, I have a very strong mental taste
\ncapacity—a flavor imagination. Sometimes I can actually write a recipe on my
\ncomputer, print it out, and take it into the kitchen and more often than not it
\nworks exactly as I imagined it.<\/p>\n
\nto view cooking as a chore, something to be outsourced. With cookbooks on their
\nway to becoming anachronisms, how can we entice people to make their own ice
\ncream?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\ndesserts. I had someone tell me that making granita sounded too complicated
\nbecause you had to open the freezer and scratch it with a fork every 30
\nminutes or so. And granita is one of the easiest desserts to make, I think. So I
\ntried to have plenty of things in this book that are really simple, like
\navocado pudding, that would work even for people who are easily intimidated.<\/p>\n
\nrely on packaged foods. But there seems to be a new and increasing interest in
\nhome cooking, as evidenced by the growth in farmers markets, the Edible <\/em>publications, the Slow Food
\nmovement, and backyard gardening. So I am hopeful. I’ve noticed that
\nwhen people make something themselves and have the satisfaction of it coming
\nout edible—or better yet, fantastically delicious, better than something in
\na restaurant—it’s sort of self-igniting.<\/p>\n
\nnot the “Supermarket” Fruit Dessert
\nCookbook<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nyou can talk to and ask questions of the people who grow the food you’re
\neating. I love that you can see it, touch it, and taste it before you make it.
\nYou can try three different kinds of strawberries, and one week one vendor will
\nhave the ones you like best and the next week it might be a different one. I love that
\nit’s shopping and community.<\/p>\n
\nas your inputs. It depends where you live. If you want to make dessert and the
\nfarmers market isn’t open, if you have a produce stand with good fresh local
\nproduce, use it. But if you buy products that have been flown from somewhere
\nfar away, they’ve likely been picked before they are ripe, or selected for their durability in shipping, and they’re just not going
\nto taste as good. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a farmers market or a
\nproduce stand, then just try to find a reliable source. Even our neighborhood
\nTrader Joe’s has organic produce, and it’s often local. Ask the produce person
\nin your supermarket if you can taste the fruit. They’ll usually let you.<\/p>\n
\nat all about the organic label in your book. <\/strong><\/p>\n
\nto someone’s booth and they say they haven’t gotten their certification
\nbecause they haven’t been doing it long enough, or it’s too expensive, but they
\ndon’t spray or use pesticides, then why shouldn’t I buy it? Why should they
\nbe penalized? I’m more interested in a combination of food that’s been grown
\nhealthfully, with respect to the environment, that’s good tasting, and local. I
\nam not an organic über-alles person.<\/p>\n
\nsecret junk-food weakness?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nlike processed food. Even when I was growing up, we ate home-cooked food
\nalways. We baked our own bread or got it from the local bakery. We used very
\nfew packaged products. I don’t think I have ever eaten a McDonald’s hamburger
\nin my life—I stopped eating meat in college. I eat dark chocolate. And I do
\nlike a pretzel. Maybe even the two together.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n& Cream Cake Roll <\/strong><\/p>\n
\nstrawberry shortcake is elegant enough for a dinner party and, despite a few
\nconstruction steps, not at all difficult to make. It can be made several hours
\nor even a day ahead, making it perfect for entertaining.<\/p>\n
\ncups) strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons
\ngranulated sugar
2 teaspoons orange
\nliqueur, such as Grand Marnier (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
1\/3 cup crème
\nfraîche or sour cream
1\/2 teaspoon pure
\nvanilla extract<\/p>\n
\nseparated cold, then left at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
2\/3 cup granulated
\nsugar
1 teaspoon pure
\nvanilla extract
1 cup cake flour,
\nsifted before measuring
1\/2 teaspoon kosher
\nsalt
Confectioners’
\nsugar, for rolling and finishing<\/p>\n
\nfilling, set aside 1 cup of the berries for garnish. Cut the remainder into
\n1\/2-inch-thick slices and toss with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the liqueur
\n(if using). Set aside at room temperature to get acquainted while you prepare
\nthe cake batter.<\/p>\n
\nto 400ºF, with a rack near the center. Oil a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet and
\nline with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Oil the mat or parchment.<\/p>\n
\nin the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a
\nhandheld mixer), beat the egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft
\npeaks. Add 1\/3 cup of the granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream, then
\nincrease the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the whites hold
\nmedium-firm peaks. Set aside.<\/p>\n
\nusing the mixer with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg yolks,
\nvanilla, and the remaining 1\/3 cup sugar on high speed until thick and pale,
\nabout 5 minutes with a standing mixer and a little longer with a handheld
\nmixer. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix
\nin the flour and salt just until combined.<\/p>\n
\nbriefly to bring them back to medium-firm peaks. Using a large spatula or whisk,
\ngently fold one-third of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then
\nfold in the remaining whites just until combined.<\/p>\n
\nthe batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the top feels
\ndry and springs back when you press it lightly with your finger near the
\ncenter, about 8 minutes. It should remain pale. Transfer the pan to a wire
\nrack, cover with a tea towel, and let cool for 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
\naround the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake sides. Using a fine-mesh
\nstrainer, dust the top of the cake lightly with confectioners’ sugar, re-cover
\nthe cake with the towel, and invert a rimless baking sheet on top. Invert the
\npans together, releasing the cake onto the towel and rimless sheet. Lift off
\nthe top pan and peel off the mat or parchment. Let the cake cool completely, 20
\nto 30 minutes longer.<\/p>\n
\nfilling, using a chilled bowl and beaters, whip the cream, crème fraîche,
\nvanilla, and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until the mixture holds firm
\npeaks. Strain the berries, capturing their juices in a bowl, and fold the
\ndrained berries into the cream.<\/p>\n
\nreserved for garnish in half, from top to tip. Mix them with the reserved berry
\njuices.<\/p>\n
\ncake with a long side parallel to the edge of the work surface, and place a
\nserving platter at the opposite long side. Spread the cream filling evenly over
\nthe cake, leaving a narrow border on the short sides and a 1-inch border along
\nboth long sides.<\/p>\n
\nlong side closest to you, fold the 1-inch border tightly over the filling, then
\nbegin to roll, using the towel to help form a compact roll and pulling it out
\nof the way as you go. Then, use the towel to help you transfer the cake, seam-side
\ndown, onto the serving platter. Use a thin or serrated sharp knife to trim just
\na bit from the ends of the cake to create a slight angle (baker’s snack!).
\nRefrigerate the cake, tightly covered, until very cold, about 2 hours or up to
\n1 day.<\/p>\n
\nsugar over the top, and spoon the reserved berries around the base. Cut the
\ncake with a thin or serrated sharp knife at a slight angle, using a gentle
\nsawing motion.<\/p>\n
\nraspberries, olallieberries, or blackberries, coarsely chopped if very large.
\nIn the filling, substitute crème de cassis for the Grand Marnier with
\nblackberries, or raspberry liqueur with raspberries.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nyou may not know that many strawberry varieties are cultivated, each with its
\nown constellation of size, color, texture, and flavor. Don’t discriminate
\nagainst strawberries because of their size, shape, or color. Instead, follow
\nyour nose: fragrant berries are likely to be ripe and flavorful.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nDouglas, Ogallala, Seascape, Sequoia, and Sweet Charlie varieties are
\nparticularly flavorful, with the Ogallala combining the floral aroma and flavor
\nof wild strawberries with the larger size of domesticated (or farmed)
\nvarieties. Which are available at your market will depend on where you shop,
\nbut the farmers’ market gives you the perfect chance to taste and discover the
\nsweetest for yourself.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nchildhood role I had was to re-create my grandmother’s best hits for my dad.
\nPlum soup with sour cream, which he called by its Yiddish name, pomella, was one of his favorites. This
\ngrown-up version is every bit as satisfying, served in shot glasses as a sort
\nof dessert amuse-bouche, or in bowls
\naccompanied by crisp Hazelnut-Almond Biscotti, Lavender-Walnut Sandies, or
\nMarket Jam Gems, made with plum jam if you can find it. The soup is perfect for
\nmaking in advance because it needs time to chill. If you have leftover soup,
\ntake a tip from recipe tester Emily Lichtenstein: freeze it in Popsicle molds
\nfor a refreshing plum pop!<\/p>\n
\nflavorful, dark flesh plum varieties, such as Santa Rosa or Yummy Rosa, for the
\nsoup. The fruit should be quite ripe and soft but not bruised. This recipe is a
\ngreat way to use up plums about to go over the hill.<\/p>\n
\n6 to 8 servings<\/em><\/p>\n
\ncups water
2\/3
\ncup granulated sugar
1\/4
\nteaspoon kosher salt
Few
\ntwists of black pepper
2
\npounds firm-ripe plums, pitted and coarsely chopped
1
\nsprig lemon verbena, about 4 inches long (optional)
2
\ntablespoons crème de cassis or other berry liqueur
1\/2
\nteaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2
\nteaspoons fresh lemon juice
About
\n1\/2 cup sour cream or crème fraîche, for serving
6 to 8 small sprigs
\nmint or lemon verbena, for garnish<\/p>\n
\nwater, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan over
\nmedium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
\nAdd the plums, bring back to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a gentle
\nsimmer. Skim off any foam that rises to the top, stirring occasionally, until
\nthe fruit is very soft and falling apart, about 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
\nheat and stir in the lemon verbena sprig (if using). Let cool for about 20
\nminutes, tasting occasionally and removing the lemon verbena when its flavor
\nhas perfumed the soup to your liking. It should be a delicate background note,
\nnot a predominant flavor.<\/p>\n
\nuntil smooth using an immersion blender, standard blender, or food processor.
\nStir in the crème de cassis and lemon zest and juice. Cover and refrigerate
\nuntil very cold, about 4 hours or up to 4 days.<\/p>\n
\nsoup into shallow bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a
\nmint sprig.<\/p>\n
\nfruits, such as peaches, nectarines, or cherries. Strawberries or blackberries
\nalso make a delicious soup, though you may want to strain out the seeds. Omit
\nthe cassis or substitute a complementary light-colored liqueur for
\nlight-colored fruits.<\/em><\/p>\n
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