IN-SEASON RECIPES

My parents have been temporarily living next door to us for a year and a half. Most evenings, my son checks in with my mother, Barbara, in person or by text: "Is there breakfast tomorrow?" The answer is usually a very enthusiastic "Yes!" Cal wakes up early and walks over to their house before we're even up and moving. My mom's dream job is cooking for her most food-loving and very sweet grandchild. There is some kind of potatoes every single day (homegrown in summer) and then an endless variety of eggs, omelets, avocado toasts on my dad's homemade bread, his cheese bread toast, and — when they want to lure my daughter out of bed — pancakes with berries and whipped cream. Cal's Signature Breakfast Serves one This is one of my mother's signature dishes for Cal. We love the Washington Post's food writing and highly recommend it as a source of inspiration. Lisa Steele is a food writer and blogger focusing on eggs, and she is the sharer of this great fried egg method. Hash Browns ½ pound potatoes, peeled or unpeeled and cut in very fine julienne a few very thin slices of onion ¼ teaspoon salt, Good grinding black pepper vegetable oil In a small bowl, mix potato, onion, salt and pepper. Heat a ¼ inch layer of oil in a small skillet until quite hot. Add potato mixture and spread into a thin layer. Cook for several minutes without stirring until potatoes start to brown. Flip with a spatula. Repeat several times until nicely browned. Strain oil into a heat-proof container for future use. Fried Eggs in Cream ¼ cup cream 2 farm fresh eggs Salt Pepper Chili crisp (store-bought or homemade). Bring cream to a simmer in a small non-stick skillet. Add salt and pepper. In one minute, crack in two eggs. Cook until cream breaks into butter and the edges of eggs are brown and crispy. Turn off heat and cover for two minutes. Serve atop the hash brown potatoes and with chile crisp on the side. Local ingredients: eggs, cream, potatoes, onion ================================== Creamy Lemon Dressing from Patricia Wells Makes about one and a half cups We've been immersed in a salad dressing project and have several winners. This is great on a platter of steamed or roasted asparagus. 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 tablespoon honey 1 cup cream 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup finely minced chives 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 2 pounds of prepared asparagus Immersion blend lemon juice, salt, honey, cream and olive oil. Stir in chives and lemon zest. Platter asparagus and serve with dressing on the side or drizzled over and garnished with more chives. Adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use. Local ingredients: asparagus, honey, cream, chives ============================= Rhubarb Pate De Fruit I love rhubarb so much. When the time comes, we buy cases and cases to chop up and freeze for cakes, pies, chutneys and cocktails year-round. I wanted an easy project to let my daughter enjoy the magic of candy making. This is perfect: fast, pretty, and not too sweet. ¾ cup rhubarb juice (puree and strain rhubarb) 2 cups sugar 3 ounces Certo liquid pectin Using two pieces of parchment 8" wide and at least 14" long, line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper overlapping the pan so you can easily pull the candy out of the pan. Heat rhubarb juice, ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice over medium heat in a saucepan. When mixture reaches 113 degrees F., add the remaining 1 ½ cup sugar. Heat until 238 degrees F. and add the Certo. Cook at a boil for two minutes and pour into prepared pan. In about 10 minutes, sprinkle the top with granulated sugar. After two or more hours, cut into squares or rectangles and roll in granulated sugar. Keep for several weeks in an airtight container. Make a great gift! Local Ingredients: rhubarb