the petite pig

cravings: june 26, 2007 (fig & proscuitto bruschetta!)

it's summer.  and to the average person, the new season signals bathing suits, vacations, humidity & heat.  to the cook though, summer is the arrival of flavors we wait all year for: corn, peaches, figs, berries, melons, tomatoes, and much, much more.  as someone who cooks with the seasons, i look forward to the recipes i can only make during these few months.   for months i have been craving figs and to my delight, they have finally arrived in all their erotic sweetness and lushness.  i realize there are a lot of people out there who are still fig-virgins.  i think fig newtons probably ruined figs for a good many of us.  that processed paste is not what a fig is about.  one of the most erotic fruits i've encountered (adam and eve knew what they were doing with that fig leaf or not doing with that fig leaf), biting into a ripe fig evokes the fertile images of a georgia o'keefe painting and releases a subtle sweetness that just melts over my palate.  and this subtle sweetness blends so well with many other flavors that i couldn't resist building a new recipe around the fig, so i present to you my roasted fig and proscuitto bruschetta.  make it at your next party.  it'll be a hit.  i've already served it at two dinner parties, and with my fig craving still going strong, i'm sure i'll find an excuse to make it again soon.

roasted fig with vanilla sea salt and proscuitto bruschetta

1 loaf of ciabatta
2 tbs. of olive oil for brushing bread
6 ripe figs
1 tbs. of almond oil for brushing figs
1 tsp. vanilla sea salt (or sea salt)2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of marscapone cheese
12 slices of proscuitto
2 tbs. of balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. olive oil for vinaigrette
4 leaves of radicchio, sliced thinly (chiffonade)
4 leaves of basil, sliced thinly (chiffonade)

preheat oven to 425 degrees.  slice loaf of bread on the bias into 1/3rd inch thick slices and place on foil lined baking sheet.  lightly coat with olive oil.  cut figs in half and place on another foil lined baking sheet.  lightly coat with almond oil and then sprinkle with sea salt over open side of figs.  place both bread and figs in the oven and toast/roast for about 12 minutes.  cut garlic cloves in half and rub the sliced side against the toasts to produce a subtle garlic flavor.

lightly spread marscapone cheese onto the toasted bread.  drape a slice of proscuitto over each toast.  whisk olive oil and balsamic vinegar together.  use half of the balsamic vinaigrette to dress the radicchio.  sprinkle a few slivers of radicchio onto each piece of bruschetta.  top with roasted fig.  drizzle the remaining vinaigrette onto each fig and top with basil.

the saltiness of the proscuitto, creaminess of the marscapone, crispness of the bread, sweet lushness of the fig, spiciness of the radicchio, earthiness of the basil and the tartness of the balsamic vinaigrette  = a flavor combination you will crave forever and ever.

now you tell me what you're craving this summer (besides a hot beach bod) . . .

 

cravings: june 4, 2007

this weekend i threw a surprise baby shower for one of my dearest girlfriends who also happens to be one of the most wonderful women i know. seeing her mother-to-be glow and the slight belly-bump she was developing, it got me thinking about . . . food cravings (yes, sorry to disappoint, mom: it did not get me thinking about a baby of my own!). aside from the fact that i can still see my feet, don't need to pee every hour and well, don't have something growing inside of me, i can't imagine that i'm that different from a pregnant woman. hardly a day goes by where i'm not obsessively craving something. after all, there are so many treats which have left a lingering memory on my taste buds that i can't help but want more. here are my top three cravings of the moment:

number one: sprinkles cupcakes in beverly hills.

buttercream frosting does not get any better than this (setting my east coast loyalty aside, i say it definitely beats out crumbs and magnolia in nyc for the cupcake tiara). with over twenty flavors to choose from (including originals such as cinnamon sugar and lemon ginger), this is a cupcake lover's paradise. i constantly crave their red velvet. while they now offer cupcake mixes for sale and shipping, a retail shop might be coming soon to your neighborhood. with gas prices as high as they are, i'm thankful that i won't have to drive down to southern california to satisfy this craving anymore.

number two: the olive oil coppetta at mario batali's pizzeria e enoteca "otto" in nyc
this dessert is what dreams are made of, seriously. batali combines olive oil gelato with seasonal flavors (right now it's blood oranges and kumquats) with olive oil and maldon sea salt to create probably the best thing i've ever tasted.  i know you're thinking, "olive oil as the core ingredient to a sweet?" don't doubt. just eat. you'll never know what hit you. i scour tickets on kayak.com weekly to see if i can find an affordable ticket to get me to new york for the day (and remember, i live in northern california) just so i can re-experience this taste-gasm.

number three: the squid and aioli pizza at pizzaiolo in oakland
i have been on an epic quest to try the best pizza places in the bay area. i've checked off a16, pizzeria delfina, little star, patxi's, zachary's, pizzetta 211 pizzaiolo and all that's left on my list is the cheeseboard in berkeley (unless one of you readers has another to add to my list) and the pizza that has stood out the most was the squid and aioli pizza at pizzaiolo. an innovative combination with a perfectly thin, crisp and blistered crust, i still think about this pizza often with fond, fond memories.  sigh. it must have been love.

so, you know my most recent cravings. what are yours? i'm sure you can convince me to eat something new.