Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Cake with basil, cream, roasted strawberries, ladyfingers, and pistachios
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: I made this icebox cake out of Middlewest magazine for the Fourth of July and it was a hit. While the whole process was a bit time-consuming, the intense flavors were completely worth it. Layers of basil-infused whipped cream and soft, caramelized strawberries soaked into the spongy ladyfingers, with sweet and crunchy pistachios to top everything off.
Here is an awesome step-by-step video – made by Middlewest, not me! – if you want to see how the cake is assembled.
Middlewest pea pâté: as shown in the magazine & my version
I’ve been waiting to blog about the final Fête event that I attended a few weeks ago (see previous Fête coverage here and here): the official launch of Middlewest magazine. Middlewest was created by David Tamarkin and Erica Gannett, both formerly of Time Out Chicago and well-known for food writing and photography, respectively. They worked with design team Sonnenzimmer to produce a new kind of food magazine, meant as a complete departure from tradition. Aesthetically, it’s striking: 10 seasonal recipes on 10 double-sided cards, plus a fold out literary supplement, all inside a white envelope. The images of each recipe are intricately layered for a look that’s undeniably unique. At the event, the creators discussed their bold intentions with Middlewest and how the process unfolded with this inaugural issue. It was really interesting to hear how they ended up with the deconstructed look, the three-word recipe headlines, and other features of the final product.
Middlewest magazines and totebagsServed at the event: editor David Tamarkin’s coffee cake (one of the recipes in the magazine) and pourover coffee from Gaslight Coffee Roasters
So, when it came time to decide which recipe to make first, this brilliant green pea pâté practically leapt off its artful page. I subbed in sage for tarragon (out of availability and personal preference), but stuck closely to the rest of the recipe: toasting, then grinding the fennel; sweating down the shallots; blanching, then shocking the peas; and carefully processing it all together with garlic and salt. The result was bright, springy, and basically addictive. Turns out peas and fennel are great together! I tried it spread on both toasted baguette and seedy cracker, and served it with roasted radishes. I have a feeling the other Middlewest recipes will be just as successful, and can’t wait to explore more of these seasonal flavor pairings.
Toasting the fennel seedsPeas chillin’ in the ice bathWhirling it together in the food processorPea pâté and roasted radishes
The details:For this and other recipes, buy the magazine’s first issue here.
