art and hunger

Gorgeous Summer Berries End Up in Our Mixed Berry Tart

We happened to go to the Farmer's Market the other day, as we do every week, but this time we were about to have one of those sudden, tropical New York City summer downpours. (If you live here, you know what we mean.) When at the Farmer's Market, this means you are at the right place at the right time. Desperate to close up shop and go home before the rain, one farmer gave us a berry special where we could buy 8 boxes of juicy raspberries, blackberries and black currants for ten dollars. 

Like a woman visiting the animal shelter who goes home with two cats instead of one, we bought up all these beautiful summer berries. 

In order not to waste, we spontaneously made some of them into a quick mixed berry tart. Yes, you can make a spontaneous tart! It is actually one of the easiest things to make. If you are in a hurry, just use a quality frozen pie crust. If you have a little more time, there is a wonderful baking blog called The Boastful Baker where you can learn how to make more complex tarts with homemade crusts. We followed the Boastful Baker Melissa McKelvey's simple berry filling recipe to make a tart in a hurry:

Quick Berry Tart

Ingredients (for an 11″ tart)

• 4 1/2 cups mixed berries (use any combination you like)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar (I prefer to cut this by half so it isn't too sweet)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Frozen pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pre-bake the frozen crust for ten minutes or less, remove from oven before it overcooks.

2. Make the filling. Stir together sugar and flour until mixed. Stir in the berries, lemon rind and juice. Pour the mixture over pre-baked pie crust.

3. Place tart in the oven on a cookie sheet or pizza pan large enough to catch any juices that might bubble over. Bake until tart edges are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

4. Cool to room temperature before slicing and eating.

Thanks Melissa!

Finding the Ideal Cheese

Tucked away on an otherwise unremarkable stretch of 1st Avenue between 51st and 52nd, there is a veritable cheese utopia. It is a tiny store only locals know about, aptly named the "Ideal Cheese Shop." The exterior is plain, but the instant you open the door your nose is hit with the most fragrant, pungent mix of cheesy odors. At the counter, an overwhelming variety of cheeses from all over the world sits before you. But never fear, there is a staff of friendly, expert, cheese-loving men waiting to assist.

"What kind of cheese are you looking for?" one of the shopkeepers quickly asked, as if I was supposed to have thought about this long and hard before coming in. It brought to mind those perennial questions New Yorkers are always asking each other over drinks, such as "what do you really want out of life?" and "what kind of (wo)man are you looking for?" etc. etc. Quick on my feet, I requested an aged cheese from Spain. With so many aged cheeses from Spain, or maybe because he knows too well how ridiculously picky New Yorkers all are, he insisted I try something before buying.

I spotted the "Drunken Goat" cheese, which I had in the past but thought was a little boring. This time around, I decided to give the Drunken Goat a second chance, so the shopkeeper handed me a large slice. Turns out it was too mild, so I asked for something sharper. He delicately commented that they do sell more interesting cheeses from Spain. Next, I tasted the "Puente del Esca" from Roncal, which had a wonderful rich, tarty response on your tongue. Delicious! The shopkeeper then asked if I like rosemary. Who doesn't? He gave me a generous slice of an artisanal cheese with a rosemary rind. Also delicious! Maybe there isn't an ideal cheese, I thought. Maybe you can eat all the cheese you want, as long as you don't do it all at once? I bought both.

The shopkeeper advised that if I intend to serve the cheese tomorrow evening, I should take it out of the fridge at dawn. "You cannot taste refrigerated cheese" he said. "Leave it on the kitchen counter for at least 12 hours before serving."

On my way out I also picked up some juicy green Italian Cerignola olives and mixed them with French black oil-cured olives to accompany the cheese. The Ideal Cheese Shop sells everything you need to serve with your cheese, like those quaint cheese shops in France that sell a small shelf of wines in the corner to customers who ask for good cheese-wine pairings.

If you can't make it to New York, the Ideal Cheese Shop ships anywhere in the U.S. and has the best website cheese-sorting tool allowing you to sort cheeses by type, rating, country of origin or price.

Wine-flavored Sorbet

Mmmmm! We discoverd this sorbet recently at a party and highly recommend it. It is one dessert you can serve while still finishing your red wine. The packaging design is pleasant and clear as well. For more information, visit www.winecellarsorbet.com

Delicious Avocados from California

Six most delicious Hass avocados arrived in the mail- we ordered them online from the Circle T Ranch in California. They arrived in only 2 days, perfectly fresh and hand-picked from the tree. Enclosed was a personal, hand-written note from Pastor Fred thanking us for supporting their mission. A couple days after arrival the avocados were ripe enough to slice and put in tacos and on salads. They were perfect! We'll eat tacos for a good cause anytime.

Order these avocados or other natural foods directly from the farm at: Local Harvest