Bright & Fresh Recipes
This week’s box is packed with the vibrant flavors of the season, found in the forms of vibrant chicories like Treviso radicchio, winter citrus such as lemons, and harder-to-find favorites like persimmons. Perfect for winter salads, these seasonal beauties arrive alongside locally-made wine vinegar, farm-fresh eggs from our heritage breed hens, fragrant herbs, a bottle of French rosé, and nutty Gruyère cheese bread; enjoy!
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Winter Persimmon Salad with Greens and Goat Cheese
This salad is a lovely balance of sweet, tart, and creamy, with a pop of crunch from the nuts.
Fresh Radicchio, Fennel & Apple Salad
Tart, crunchy and crisp, this cool salad celebrates the classic combination of fennel and radicchio.
Baked Fennel
This classic Italian finocchi gratinati is simply sublime.
Fennel & Lemon Relish
This crisp slaw from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food II is excellent tossed with roasted vegetables, or even served as part of a charcuterie board.
Persimmon Cake
This homey, warm spice cake is fragrant with nutmeg, ginger and ripe persimmon.
Colorful Cornucopia Recipes
Bright orange carrots, striped and yellow zucchini, rainbow tomatoes and pretty purple eggplant—this week’s box greets the official start of fall with a riot of color that also includes such highlights as Delicata squash, mixed sweet peppers, microgreens, juicy nectarines and Italian prunes. Also starring farm-fresh eggs from our heritage breed hens, hearty and healthy garbanzo beans, citrus-fennel sea salt and fragrant heirloom garlic, as well as a bold Columbia Valley Cabernet, this lineup sings with the flavors of the new season. Enjoy!
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Pan-Fried Peppers with Lemon & Garlic
Seasoned with slivered garlic, this Bon Appetit recipe is a favorite for enjoying fresh peppers.
Zucchini Ribbons with Lemon & Basil
This incredibly fresh side from Alice Waters’ Art of Simple Food II is seasoned with just the right amount of fragrant basil and zesty lemon.
Caramelized Delicata Squash
Glazed in brown sugar and white wine vinegar, this squash from The Glorious Vegetables of Italy is a wonderful balance of sweet and sour.
Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
A simple, easy and incredibly flavorful salad vinaigrette to add to your arsenal!
Polenta Cake with Italian Prunes
This luscious cake is kissed with juicy Italian plums and citrus peel.
Polenta Cake with Italian Prunes
This luscious cake is kissed with juicy Italian plums and citrus peel.
Ingredients:
4 Italian prunes, pitted and cut into wedges
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks, plus 2 full eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon or orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
Crème fraîche for serving (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan; line bottom with a 9-inch circle of parchment paper. Arrange prunes on parchment in pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the plums. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and beat until light. Add egg yolks and eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add lemon peel and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Spoon batter over plums in pan and spread evenly.
4. Bake about 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool cake completely. Invert cake onto serving platter; remove bottom of pan and parchment. If desired, serve with crème fraîche.
