I have a confession about Gourmet magazine. You could, perhaps, blame me, at least a little bit, for it’s financial ruin. See, last time my subscription was about to run out, I got notified that I could receive the “special renewal price” just for Conde Nast’s valued customers. That renewal price was actually higher than the new sign up price. So, I canceled my subscription, and started a new one instead, thereby saving myself a whole $3. I think I even tweeted about how I couldn’t understand why they didn’t give long time subscribers a better deal. Man, do I feel guilty now.

I won’t say that I’ve always loved Gourmet. In fact, I’m kind of new to appreciating what it has (had) to offer. Four years ago, I actually was not a fan of most of the photography (although I still subscribed). I remember one day, I picked up an issue, and suddenly loved almost every shot in it. As it turns out, that was the issue that featured Australia, and the images were all taken by some of my favorite photographers from down under. But all that changed the day I sat in on a talk given by some of the stylists and photographers at the 1st International Conference on Food Styling and Photography in Boston. These people were delightful and fascinating and I wanted to hear and see more from them. I became an avid Gourmet reader, and every year since, I found that the photography just got better and better (or at least, more and more to my liking). In fact, I almost was getting more excited about my Gourmet arrival than my Donna Hay. My inspiration board is filled with images torn from it’s pages. And photography in the A to Z issue simply killed me. That $3 I saved? I’d give it back tenfold to keep my subscription around now.

Last April, I turned 40, and good friends of mine got me a copy of Gourmet from my birth month. It’s full of very late 60s recipes. And oh, the photography. I want to scream at the photographers, what were you thinking?

[Gourmet from April 1969 with a recipe for Eggs with Peppers and Onions, with my take on the dish today]

But then, I start to wonder if I’ll look back on my recent photos in 40 years and want to scream at myself. Probably. Sometimes, I even want to scream at myself about photos I took 4 months ago. But the recent photos in Gourmet? Maybe I’ll prove myself wrong in the coming decades, but I think they’ll last. At least, those that don’t have a fork shot straight on with some random food bits (or non food bits) stuck in them.

But photography trends aside, the thing about Gourmet is that the stories are great and the recipes are inspiring. I’ve read a lot of poo-pooing about the magazine being too highbrow.. and perhaps, I’m out of touch… but I find every issue has just as many quick and simple dishes as complex and painstaking ones. The magazine has a diversity that many of the newer magazines lack. It’s true that most people won’t eat in the restaurants reviewed in its pages or even cook more than 1% of the recipes at home. But that isn’t about complexity or affluence… how many people actually get off the couch to make the dishes that they see on Food Network? And, I don’t see anyone claiming that it is too high brow for the average home cook. But, regardless, who cares? A magazine’s job is to entice and teach its readers to try, or at least dream about trying, something new. And that’s something Gourmet has always done exceedingly well.

Gourmet, I’ll miss you. And, well, sorry about that $3.

I’m afraid I left last week’s update of my Hunger Challenge with a whimper instead of a bang. That’s kind of how it felt too. Thursday night’s dinner did include a really tasty posole, but unfortunately I had to leave off all of the yummy toppings like avocado and homemade salsa to fit into the budget easily. Friday started all well and good with another round of oatmeal and a pear, but then, I have to be honest, I fell off the wagon. I had a bit of good news… really good news… and I decided that I didn’t want to miss the moment, and went out to celebrate with some friends. Obviously, that was well beyond the rules of the challenge… in that evening, we easily spent more than I had spent the entire week. As I said in my last post, I’m quite lucky. All in all though, I’m quite glad that I was able to participate, and I have found that day to day, it has affected me and how I think about food. I have started thinking about the costs of what I eat, and thinking about ways I can give back.

I’ve already been a big fan of programs like FareStart, a group that does a miraculous job of blending education, aid and delicious dining. But, now I’m thinking about other things I can do. And, I’m getting started by donating what I would have spent on meals last week (but saved by the $7 per day budget) to help fight local hunger. Rough guess is that on a typical week, I spend $25 to $30 per day. So, for the week, that’s about $100 that I saved, which can buy 180 pounds of rice or 240 cans of oj or groceries delivered to a couple of homebound people. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start.

I’ve also been thinking how much I really hate to waste food (not digging in to my CSA box last week killed me!). So, a few nights ago, after making a little bit of broccoli blasted, I decided rather than chucking the left-over broccoli stems, I’d make them into a little soup. Chopped up into small, evenly sized pieces, slowly simmered in some chicken broth, along with a potato to give it some thickness, this soup came together beautifully (so beautifully, I couldn’t resist grabbing a few kale blossoms from the bolted kale in my garden). What a waste if I had thrown away those stems!

Speaking of garden… help! My chervil is taking over! Friends living near me be warned… I may be bringing big bags of it over to your house very, very soon!

And speaking of friends… If you didn’t get a chance to attend the amazing talk last night at the Palace Ballroom, where Shauna, Matthew, Molly, Kathleen, Erica and Maggie all chatted about writing about food, I thought I’d share a few of the photos. I quickly learned to have my camera up whenever Matthew said anything, because there were sure to be big smiles and laughs all around. If you ever get a chance to hear these folks do a reading… go! (And, of course… buy their books!) I said it on Twitter already, but bravo all you guys… and thanks Kim Ricketts for pulling together such a fun event.

Finally, here’s a little sneak of things to come:

Do you find yourself inexplicably drawn to tables of leafy greens or crates of winter squash? Do brussels sprouts on the stem raise your heart rate? Do bowls of heirloom apples and quince and Meyer lemons cover most of the surfaces in your kitchen? Do you ever unload your canvas bag after a trip to the market and not even remember buying that big bag of carrots or yet another bunch of radishes? Have you been known to secretly “borrow” fruits from a neighbor’s tree?

If you, or someone you love, has one or more of these symptoms, then you may be suffering from produce addiction. Addiction means a person has no control over whether he or she buys the fruits or vegetables. Someone who is addicted to delicata squash (one of the “starter” vegetables) has grown so used to the fresh produce that he or she has to have it. Long-term abuse can lead other addictions like specialty salts, oils and vinegars or even, in some dire cases blogging and tableware addictions.

Sadly, there is no known cure for produce addiction. If you think you’re addicted to fruits and vegetables, recognizing that you have a problem is the first step in taking control of your habit. With attention, there are ways to manage your condition to minimize the impact on your life and the lives of those around you.

Have a list and stick to it. There is no avoiding going to the grocery store, so when you do go, make sure you know exactly what you need to buy and only buy those things. Time yourself in the produce department, and get out of there as soon as you can. Lingering can only lead you down the wrong path.

Leave the canvas bags at home. Don’t let those canvas “enablers” persuade you to buy more. You can only carry so many heirloom tomatoes in two hands.

Have a plan about what you’ll do if you find yourself unexpectedly in a place with fruits and vegetables. The temptation will be there sometimes, but if you know how you’re going to handle it, you’ll be OK.

Ask your friends or family to be available when you need them, like on farmer’s market day. If you do fall back into old patterns a bit, talk to a friend or family member as soon as possible and hand over your stash. There’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it’s important to get help soon so that all of the hard work you put into your recovery is not lost.

Start a garden and plant your own fruit trees. There are many stories of addicts who have managed to kick their habit using the “overload method”. While there is little scientific data to back up these stories, there is certainly enough anecdotal evidence to support it as a possible means of addiction management. By growing your own produce, you not only save money, but the large quantities of fruits and vegetables you harvest may just put you off of them for good.

Make this tea cake. These little cakes use three different fruits and veggies, not to mention almond flour in case you also suffer from a specialty flour habit. The carrot and pumpkin make for an insanely moist crumb, and the poached quince slices, not only use up some of those quince you’ve had sitting around in bowls, but they also make your house smell “gee your house smells terrific” incredible.

Carrot Pumpkin Almond Tea Cakes with Quince

For the almond flour in this recipe, you can either buy it (Red Mill makes a good one) already made, or make your own. To make it yourself, buy blanched almonds (10 oz) and toast them until very lightly browned. Let them cool, and then grind, along with the sugar in the recipe until they are a fine powder (but not a paste).

You can use any kind of sweet winter squash in this recipe. I used delicata, but kabocha, butternut or any of the pumpkin varieties would work just as well. You want about 1 cup of roasted squash from whatever variety you are using. That will mean about 2 regular sized delicatas or kabochas, one butternut, one carving sized pumpkin, or three or so of the mini varieties. It’s best to roast more than you think you’ll need… if you have a bit of roasted squash left over, just drizzle it with some syrup, butter and a sprinkle of salt and dig in!

1 – 3 winter squashes, about 3 pounds
1 t butter or vegetable oil
10 oz almond flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
Salt
3 large carrots (10 ounces)
3 large eggs, separated
poached quince (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare your squash by cutting them in half, and scooping out the seeds. Light coat them in butter or oil, and place them cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake until very soft, 1 to 2 hours depending on the size of the squash. Let cool, and scoop out the roasted pumpkin.

Line a loaf pan (or several mini loaf pans) with parchment (a swipe of butter in the pan will help the parchment stick).

In a large mixing bowl, using a fork, blend both flours with the baking powder, lemon zest, sugar and a pinch of salt.

Finely grate the carrots in a food processor or with a box grater and add them to the flour mixture.

In a blender or food processor, puree about 1 cup of squash until smooth. Then, blend in the egg yolks. Add this to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.

In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, stir one-third of the egg whites into the batter to loosen it, then gently fold in the remaining whites until the batter is just blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Line the top with the poached quince slices and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cake is just set. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool slightly in the pan. Unmold the cake onto a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Simple Poached Quince

This recipe (and the quince garnish on these tea cakes) was inspired by this wonderful spiced-quince brown butter cake recipe on Chefs Gone Wild… a recent discovery that is packed with some amazing sounding recipes.

3 quince, peeled, cored, and each cut into 16 slices
3/4 cups sugar
1 whole clove
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
orange peel from one orange
10 or so peppercorns (of the color of your choice. I used red)
3 cups water

Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer for about an hour, checking on the fruit every so often to make sure it is still submerged in the liquid and not getting overly mushy. Once the quince is fork tender, turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid. You can use the quince with the liquid over ice cream (yum), or drain it and gently dry the quince with a towel (paper or otherwise) for use on the tea cake.

I have to confess, I’ve been on a bit of a binge lately. There was the taco truck extravaganza. But, I’ve also been bingeing on cookbooks. I can’t quite explain it, but suddenly, I find that I’ve acquired a ridiculous number in the past few weeks. Of course, I came home with a few from Italy, but since then, I’ve also picked up a [cough] few more:

“The River Cottage Meat Book”
(Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

“The Flavor Bible”
(Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg)

“A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes”
(David Tanis)

“delicious days”
(Nicole Stich)

“The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor”
(Jerry Traunfeld)

“Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing”
(Michael Ruhlman, Brian Polcyn)

“Modern Classics Book 1″
(Donna Hay)

“Modern Classics Book 2″
(Donna Hay)

“Bills Food”
(Bill Granger)

The last three came from a trip down to Portland which of course means a trip to Powells books and I got at ridiculously good prices. I guess I have a bit of work cut out for me over the next few weeks.

The good news is that I have been finding a renewed excitement about getting into the kitchen. This week, I baked and baked. I’m trying out a local flour by Stone Buhr that a friend of mine sent my way. Yesterday, I made a batch of orange madelines, a variation on the lemon madeline recipe in Bills Food, which were amazing, and I love the fact that the wheat as local as you can get.

I haven’t even cracked some of the cookbooks yet, but I have managed to dig in and make two recipes from A Platter of Figs. It’s an amazing book. It is beautifully shot by Christopher Hersheimer (so of course, I couldn’t resist it), and the recipes seem to have that hard to describe quality that as you read through them, you just can’t help but want to drop everything, run to the store, and get cooking. The slow beef recipe is quintessential cold weather comfort food and I know it will be on our dinner table quite a few times this winter. The other recipe that I couldn’t resist are the little New Mexican cookies, Bizchochitos. These cookies are made with lard and are little flakey discs of yumminess. Take his warning seriously… they are very addictive. Let the bingeing begin.

It’s Sugar High Friday time again! Yes, I know it’s not Friday yet… but when I saw that the theme was truffles, hosted this month by The Passionate Cook, I decided that if I was going go, I’d go big. It’s just no fun to only have one flavor of truffle, so I made five. That’s right, five different flavors, a whole weeks worth. So, in celebration of Sugar High Friday, I’m dedicating the entire week to truffles!
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