Persimmon Chutney

I just realized, 3 days shy of our 3rd blogiversary, that this post from 2012 hadn't yet seen the light of day. Oops! Let's travel back a few months, to the Thanksgiving holidays...

I was convinced that I had never seen nor tasted a persimmon prior to two years ago, when Cheryl Lee of Black Girl Chef's Whites made cookies with them and we noshed on them at Mudtown Farms. But my mother swears we had a persimmon tree  in our backyard growing up.

And that she hates them.

How could I have blocked that out of my memory? I remember the two lemon trees (we always tied our birthday piñatas to them), the pomegranate bush (and the many clothes I stained trying to eat the seeds), the water feature smack in the middle of the yard, and my tetherball setup. But no persimmons.

Despite not being as foreign as I thought they were, they suddenly started showing up in our weekly fruit delivery at work. Lots and lots of persimmons. They're great in cookies, but 'tis the season for LOTS of cookies, so what else can be done with them?

Make a chutney, take it to Thanksgiving dinner along with the roasted squash puree, and watch it become the first dish to completely disappear. Everyone assumed it was a sweet potato dish. They were wrong, and still devoured it.

Guess what they're all getting for Christmas? Even mom, who actually loved this dish. Yay, we converted her!

The original recipe comes from Epicurious. The only change was to use a few tablespoons of the menjurje tea combination of honey and lemons instead of sugar. It worked really well. 

Guess the Abstract Food

It's Friday. No one wants to tax their brains with words. Instead, tax your brain trying to figure out the subject of this abstract food art.

This was taken at a recent FBLA meeting, so if you were there you probably know what it is. Let's face it, this is pretty easy even for those who weren't.

Hint: I promise it's edible.

Winner gets...bragging rights!

Wordless Wednesday: Blackberry Scones Courtesy of FBLA's Adventures in the Kitchen

Wordless Wednesday: Chocolate Cake Courtesy of FBLA's Small Pleasures Catering

Creminelli Fine Meats & Eats at Food Bloggers LA

This month's meeting of the local food blogging crowd gathered, quite literally, In Erika's Kitchen. More like Erika's perfectly lit kitchen. Between the skylight and huge south-facing window, you can't take a bad shot of food. Absolutely lovely. (Thanks for hosting, Erika!)

Everyone brought tasty treats, like Shockingly Delicious' brown butter and rosemary rice krispie bars, and She's Cookin's wonton cups with mulberries. But the highlight was the charcuterie brought to us from Creminelli Fine Meats.

It's no secret we love the pork products here at G+F HQ. Having huge platters of salumi to choose from was as close to heaven as we were going to get on this particular day, since the end of the world didn't materialize.

And heavenly it was.

My personal favorite was the Sopressa, a fermented salami with flavors of wine and garlic. Suggested uses are on pizza or paired with aged Italian cheeses. I highly suggest simply stuffing your mouth hole with it until you can't eat anymore. Inelegant, sure, but delightfully satisfying nonetheless.*

An authentic Italian import, the artisan meats are rolling out to a local Whole Foods near you. Made without nitrates or nitrites, the meat is simply delicious. To learn more about Cristiano Creminelli and his company's philosophy, please see their website.

*I can't be held responsible if, while savoring the scrumptious meat, if your eyes roll into the back of your head and stay there.