RADIO KITCHEN

August 7, 2012  #1050  An Abundance of Melons

One of the greatest thrills of the summer is to see the incredible variety of melons that are available to us here in Maryland.   In particular, the Eastern Shore is prime melon country, and growers are constantly coming up with new varieties for our dining pleasure.  So to help our listeners, here's a scorecard to keep track of what's out there.

July 31st, 2012     #1049 - Clafoutis

This has been a fabulous year for plums here in Maryland.  I've had a blast going to the market every week to see what's coming in next.   I've tried the yellow Shiro, the red Santa Rosa, the dusky Moyer and the early arriving Methley.   Although I love eating them right out of my hand, I must admit that I am very fond of another way of making use of seasonal pit fruits.   And here at Radio Kitchen, we think the clafoutis seems to have been invented for just this very reason.

If you haven't heard, this is the summer of Old Bay seasoning, the quintessential mélange of spices, herbs, salts and peppers that is major must-have when you're talking about steamed crabs.   Those of us who keep a can of Old Bay in their cupboard know verify well how versatile it is, and it makes me chuckle to think how often I reach for it… and how unexpectedly, too. 

If all goes well with your personal time management efforts, you should be able to spend a few hours a week down at the pool.   Making the poolside experience perfect is important, and along with sunscreen and good reading material, the right poolside food is really critical.   Our good friend Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen has made an exhaustive study of poolside culture, and he has added some refinements to his approach that deserve to be widely known.   One recent discovery is the "carnita," a Mexican handheld snack that is perfect for poolside.

One of the most commonly encountered terms in cooking is the phrase "caramelizing," which is a sort of alchemy that converts savory ingredients into something with a touch of sweetness.   You'll hear caramelizing often when you're talking about onions,  but we feel that not all that many people actually know how to go about the process.

With our big national holiday looming tomorrow, it's more or less a given that our national 4th of July meal will be cooked on the grill.  A lot of you will be throwing some burgers, steaks and corn on the cob onto the grill, but there is ample reason to give another American mainstay a shot.   And that would be the Pizza!   Jerry loves making pizzas for the grill and has the technique down pat.

Grilling season is fully underway, and each year we try to shed a little more light on the subject talking about recipes, techniques or hardware.   This year, with the 4th of July looming, we thought we'd trot out some of the newest gadgets to help you through your barbecue sessions.   Oddly enough, one place you can find the latest in grilling equipment is Best Buy, which has teamed up with cooking.com to get into the gadget  business.   Check out their website at kitchen.bestbuy.com.

When it comes to eating, the world has gotten to be a pretty small place.   For example, a popular Japanese snack has become a totally familiar part of our repertoire… and that of course would be sushi.   Jerry thinks the entire key to sushi is not the raw fish (which is actually just one of many options), but the rice.   The word "sushi" can be broken into two smaller words: "su" which means rice vinegar, and "shi" which means handcraft.   The object of this manual dexterity and savory condiment is the rice, which resembles classic risotto's arborio:

Several weeks ago we were talking about High Tea as served at Downton Abbey, the popular BBC show, and the subject of scones and crumpets came up.   We thought this might warrant a show of its own since English muffins, scones and crumpets are delicious to eat and also, quite easy to make

English muffins are made from a yeasty dough, scones and crumpets from a batter.   In fact, the scone resembles quick bread in many respects, while the crumpet is very similar to a pancake. 

The English Muffin

Those of us who follow the eat local movement are dedicated to the seasonal harvest of produce from all over Maryland.   But there is a lot of local food that doesn't come from a farmer's field.   A lot of good things are swimming in our beloved Chesapeake Bay, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen has been getting to know them.