Boxcar Kitchen

a big dinner from small onions

Fruit and nothing but the fruit

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Tuesday, May 15 2007

Poire pressée à la menthe

By esther on Tuesday, May 15 2007, 10:33

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In my opinion, Paris is one of the easiest cities to escape. Just a ten minute walk from my house in the 16th is the Bois de Boulogne where I'm surrounded by green. And with just a little bit more motivation and a ten minute drive, the Parc de St Cloud is at your fingertips.

We headed out there a few weekends ago for the afternoon and after a few hours in the gardens, we stopped at one of the many cafés that are hidden throughout the park. And lucky for us, we happened to picked the right one. After tasting the some of smoothest fresh squeezed orange juice, our waiter advised to try the fresh pear juice. The first sip was a revelation and before I knew it my frothy ice cold nectar was gone. With a final audacious slurp of my straw, I let out a sigh of happiness which persuaded the two elderly ladies sitting at the table next to us to giggle and ask what it was that we were drinking.

Needless to say, as soon as we got home I got out my never been used juicer attachment and hooked it up to the food processor. I added a little bit of mint from the window box and pressed it with the fruit. Last week I was still able to find some nice firm organic pears from Argentine but it looks like my new favorite habit will have to wait until this fall.

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Tuesday, October 31 2006

Harvest time

By esther on Tuesday, October 31 2006, 16:26

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At the start of the month, I made myself a birthday mascarpone cheesecake and piled it high with raspberries and red and white currents. (The pictures didn't come out all too good so I will spare you the creamy looking mess.) I think the fruit vs. other ingredients cost ratio was just a little bit off but my rational was that it was my birthday and that the berries were the last of the season. At least that is what I thought.

Continuing my one year old tradition, last weekend I dragged my baskets and husband out to Gally for some apple picking. I think I have mentioned my love of gathering apples. I love tromping through the muddy fields chomping on different varieties to the point of almost sickness. There is always the crisp smell of decaying leaves and the chilly autumn breeze making for a postcard experience.

So after grabbing our stuff, I ran to check the board of ripe fruit and vegetables. Raspberries were settled smugly at the top of the list and I couldn't help but doubt the validity of the board. I had already tried to get raspberries this past summer but the July heat wave had wiped everything out. Talk about dashed dreams; move over ''Raisin in the Sun''.

I followed the signs leading back to the patch, stopping along the way to eat some fresh green beans dirt and all. Dirt is good; I'm sorry. I love me an earthy carrot every now and then. Long story short, the farmer had not been lying. The raspberry bushes were packed with big juicy abundant berries and apparently the other picker's mothers never clued them in on the secret of lifting up the branches to get the best hidden sweet ones.

In under a half hour I had 2 quarts and a sunburn (well almost). The chilly breeze was nowhere to be found and our wooly sweaters were just a memory- a rumpled pile on the ground. Our hands bursting with red fruit, we headed off to the orchard in search of more treasures.

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