My Madison Bistro

This year, I’ve finally joined a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA). In the past, I usually started my search for one to join a bit too late, and they’d all be full. This year, on the other hand, I was ultra-prepared. In fact, I was the first person of the year to join my CSA.

I’m splitting a half share with B, as we both want a steady flow of produce and want to try new things we wouldn’t otherwise give a second glance to. At the top of the list for me? Radishes. I haven’t tried them in years, but I remember not liking them when I was younger. Probably not all that surprising, considering the bite they have; children often don’t like stronger-tasting vegetables. However, I haven’t been a child in a really, really long time, so it was time to act like the adult I am, and try something (mostly) new. I recall that sliced radishes are often served on buttered bread, and a quick search of the Internet confirmed this memory.

So for lunch one day, I picked up a demi baguette, packed up the radishes and some microgreens (also from our CSA), and headed over to B’s for a lunch of open-face radish sandwiches.

Continue reading “Open-face Radish Sandwich”

Tags: bread, microgreens, radish, Vegetables

As a kid, I didn’t like strawberry shortcake. Oh, I loved strawberries. But the shortcake, not so much.

You see, I’d only tried strawberry shortcake at my grandma’s house. She would always make her “baking powder biscuits,” which tasted like, well, baking powder. My grandma can make a mean pie, great cookies, and amazing pan-fried chicken…but those biscuits? Well, let’s just say they were not to my liking.

Next, I tried those little sponge cakes. Maybe you’ve seen them at the grocery store – they always come in packs of four. They were okay, but they really, really soaked up the strawberry juice and became a bit soggy. Better, but not something that would incite a craving.

Then I tried strawberries with angel food cake. Now that combination was magic, though not technically “shortcake”, as B has repeatedly pointed out to me.

He liked the shortcake recipe on the back of the Bisquick box (using – you guessed it – Bisquick), and talked me into trying it when he made some. Know what? It’s good. I’ve even made it a few times myself since then.

But a few years ago, as I flipped through the pages of Bon Appetit and spied a recipe for chocolate shortcakes, I was transfixed. I knew the time had come to try my hand at making strawberry shortcake, even if the shortcake included chocolate. Hey, it’s still a shortcake, so it counts, right? RIGHT?

Continue reading “Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes”

Tags: chocolate, strawberries, whipped cream, white chocolate

I’m always on the lookout for new cookie recipes. And while my mom’s soft molasses cookies, and my grandma’s molasses roll-out cookies are still my two favorite cookies to pair with an afternoon cup of coffee, I had been eyeing up Ina’s ginger cookies for a few years.

Continue reading “Ultimate Ginger Cookie”

Tags: Barefoot Contessa, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, molasses, nutmeg

I have to confess, I’ve inadvertently been holding out on you.

I first made these scones a couple of months ago, then made them again a few weeks later, and finally started thinking about them yet again. And I realized, oops, I never posted these. So, because I’m on the verge of celebrating the end of a heat wave, of which I haven’t been a fan, the dream of being able to comfortably use my oven again now not so far off in the future, I think it’s the perfect time to talk about these fantastic scones.

I suspect the use of sour cream is what makes them so absolutely delicious. They are flakey, tender, and moist – not always the easiest combination to achieve. Plus, scones have a mere fraction of the amount of sugar as muffins, so I feel better about enjoying one with my morning coffee or afternoon tea.

Continue reading “White Chocolate Cherry Scones”

Tags: cherries, scones, sour cream, white chocolate