Truffle Mutt

Prune Plums

For as far back as I can remember I've been excited by food.  I have vivid memories of the coffee ice cream on summer vacations, the escargot and onion soup when we eat on our Easter break fishing trips, the rouladen, sauerkraut and smoked pork hocks from family dinners and the endless links of pork on sausage making day.

And it was one such memory that inspired me to bring home a bounty of prune plums from the market.  My Grandma used to make a dense, lightly sweet cake that was layered with juicy plums and sprinkled with sugar.  I haven't had her cake for years, but my taste buds, which can't tell time, remember it like it was yesterday.

This version was closer to a pastry than cake, but after one bite the juicy slightly sour plums and carmalized sugar took me right back.  

Simply Delicious

Such a handsome little artichoke don't you think?  Or maybe it's more pretty than handsome.  Either way, I can assure you that it was yu-ummy.

This little veg puts a lot into looking tough with it's prehistoric exterior and prickly choke, but it's really painless to make.  Not everyone at the table was brave enough to get over the appearance though.  Jason, after watching me peel away layer after layer just to arrive at the prickly choke- gave up and passed his to me.  No argument here - the more for me the merrier.

The recipe was a simple mixture of herbs, garlic and lemon rubbed generously over the trimmed artichoke globes.  It was so simple I almost decided to skip it and find something more exciting.  I'm glad I didn't.   

Ravi-nous

I think it's evident from this picture that I should stick with my day job and abandon any dreams of food presentation and photography.  Look, I took a picture of ravioli treading water.  Do you like it?

Sometimes it's too bad that pictures are worth 1,000 words, wouldn't it be better if they were worth 999 words and just 1 little taste?  That one taste would have revealed the delicate ricotta and Parmesan filling and the wonderful experience of the fresh pasta. 

I also got to use my new ravioli form and roller.  What fun!