CSA Mixology 101

Photo via Green Thumb White Apron

I spend a lot of time working in the kitchen.  A lot.  Don't get me wrong, I love doing so, but eventually you reach the point of, "Enough!"  So, fellow fledgling chefs, let's kick back for some cocktails!

I've made two of the cucumber salads mentioned in our last post, but I've still got one more cucumber left.  Cukes just seem to say, "Refreshing."  There are a couple of cocktail recipes I've found that leverage that.  Adding in a little basil to reinforce the summer-iness and lime for even more refreshment, you can make an awesome gimlet.  Or, for something a bit more refined, how about a cognac cocktail?

Photo via Food.com

This week, we will have more blueberries and another awesome cantaloupe.  Obviously these two can pair up to make a colorful, delicious fruit salad, but how about another cocktail or two?  Fresh berries are an incredible bar ingredient.  Something refreshing with blueberries and mint, maybe?  Or, for the more serious mixologist, something with absinthe?

As for the cantaloupe, its gorgeous color can be brought to full bloom in a Fiery Torch.  Or how about a glowing orange cantaloupe martini?

In any case, hand off your keys, get the blender or the shaker, and let's have a few!

Photo via Rachel Ray Magazine

There's More to Life Than Eating Cantaloupe, Horatio

Oh, what a jewel you'll find in this week's box!  The first cantaloupes of the year.  And, trust me, this bears little resemblance to what you'll find in a supermarket.  Texture, taste, color, sweetness... it's a completely different animal.  Er, fruit.

So eat it.  Immediately.  Greedily.  As-is, although I would recommend not eating the peel.  Then, once you're done, go and get another one from the store.  Yes, while eating them straight is my preferred approach, there are more things you can do with cantaloupe.

Photo via Epicurious

A classic appetizer this time of year is sliced cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto. Get a good prosciutto, because what makes this work is the salty/sweet contrast.  There are a number of salads based on this pairing, too.

Photo via Foodess

The sweet/spicy contrast works great with cantaloupe, too.  Diced into a salsa (as simple as onion, tomatoes, your favorite chilies and lime juice), it's excellent over grilled chicken.  It goes great with salmon or shrimp as well.

Enjoy.  As unlikely as it sounds, cantaloupes are one of the true gems of the season.

Photo via Steamy Kitchen

Melon & Mint Salad and Bittersweet Goodbyes

Sometimes procrastination really pays off, because I waited until late this week to finally cut into the cantaloupe we got in the last share of the Early Spring Crop Share (which speaking of, are you registered for Spring yet, because if not, you should be!  Register online, as the Spring round kicks off on 5/9!), and oh holy night it was perfectly sweet and juicy.  Possibly one of the best cantaloupes I've never had and it's not even the peak of melon season yet!

Some friends were making shrimp kabobs at their place, so I contributed Quinoa Tabbouleh and then used up the rest of the mint to throw together this lovely Melon & Mint Salad.  While it was crazy juicy, I wanted some sort of added dressing that wasn't loaded with sugar, so I just whisked up 1 tsp each of local honey and lemon juice, and added some extra juice from the melon and ta-da, a perfectly fresh and fragrant melon salad.  Which good thing I added the mint since I also made garlic sauce, and we were all fire breathing dragons by the end of the meal!  So as we head into summer, make this your go to fruit salad base or any melon.  Mmm, mint and watermelon might actually get me over my watermelon phobia!

And now for the bittersweet part of this post's title...this is my last, official post at the helm of Nalls' Kitchen.  I'm still sticking in as a Crop Share member and I'll definitely still send the Nalls team guest posts when I come up with a winner, winner veggie dinner, but after today I'll be turning the reigns back over to Valerie and the rest of the Nalls Produce team.  I would have loved to continue this indefinitely, but any of you who've followed since my departure from Nalls, back into my family's business, know that the posts have been getting fewer and not coming as prompt as they once did.  That's not fair to you all or to the team at Nalls.  So gear up for a new round of Crop Share and a new voice here in Nalls Kitchen!

Now onto the food!

Melon & Mint Salad

Ingredients:

1 cantaloupe, skin removed, seeded and cubed (save any juice to use in dressing)

2 Tbsp mint, chopped

1 tsp local honey

1 tsp lemon juice

Toss cantaloupe and mint together in a large bowl.  Whisk honey and lemon juice, and any reserve juice from the cantaloupe in a separate bowl, then pour over fruit and toss to fully coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 1 hour to allow flavors to set up.

Alright folks, that's all she cooked!

Keep it fresh in your kitchens, and if you must "selfie" do it the foodie way and shove ignorant bits of delicious food into your mouth.  Because, it makes it classy.

Kale-ly Yours,

~Tara~

Feeling Loupy!

'Tis the season for melon, and by far my favorite has to be cantaloupe.  So Tasting Table had to have had received some Crop Share vibes about the cantaloupe in this week's boxes, because they've posted not one but TWO amazing, and creative cantaloupe recipes this week.  Normally I can't get past just slicing it up and devouring it, but I think I might just have to exercise some self control and try my hand at these two.  Especially the popsicles with coconut milk and almond milk substituted in for a refreshing dairy-free alternative!  So follow the links below to view the recipes on Tasting Table and get louped!

Creamy Roasted Cantaloupe Pops

Chilled Roasted Cantaloupe Soup with Ginger, Yogurt and Pomegranate Swirl 

Cantaloupe Popsicles

If this doesn't make you want to break down and buy some popsicle molds, nothing will. If you have an ice-cream maker, use the same recipe to make an equally refreshing sorbet. Don't have either of these? Use your ice cube trays!

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sweet mint leaves, crushed
Zest of 1 lime
3 cups cantaloupe, pureed
2 Tbsp white rum (optional)

To view the rest of the recipe click through to: http://tutti-dolci.com/2012/07/cantaloupe-popsicles/

Grilled Cantaloupe

After all the 4th of July barbecues, we got some great recipes for grilling! Thanks to a fellow neighbor, we came across this little gem. You can try this simple recipe with just about any fruit. We'll be doing this with pineapple slices!



Ingredients:
1 cantaloupe, cut into cubes or slices 1/2 inch thick
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Click through to view the rest of the recipe: https://coop.sandhillsfarm2table.com/recipes.php?id=238

Cantaloupe Smoothie

We love a good smoothie and the cantaloupes have been great this season! Their sweet fragrance makes this smoothie irresistible! 

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed cantaloupe [freeze for thicker texture]
3/4 to 1 cup milk1/3 cup cottage cheese/yogurt/8g protein powder
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 banana
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey 

Click through to view the rest of the recipe: http://www.edibleperspective.com/home/2011/8/18/seasonal-smoothie.html

Cantaloupe Meringue Pie

It is a real treat for us to have cantaloupes this early in the season! We figured we have to make the best of it by making this unique and great-looking pie!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups finely ground shortbread cookies (like Keebler Sandies)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 large very ripe cantaloupe
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar (increase up to 1/2 cup if your cantaloupe isn’t very sweet)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. water
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
6 tbsp. sugar



Click through to view the rest of the recipe: http://backtothecuttingboard.com/dessert/cantaloupe-meringue-pie/