Many of us held our breath this week, with one eye never leaving the thermometer and the other trained on the weather forecast. Each night promised frost, potentially devastating to fruit trees in their present stage of growth, and here we brought our trays of tender microgreens into the kitchen every night for warmth. At home, trays of seedlings crowded me from my dining table and occupied every available surface and light source. It seems we escaped the worst, however, and with a sigh of relief we can move on. The microgreens, by the way, were fine. They make their first appearance in our meal tomorrow. 

With this (hopefully) last gasp of winter behind us, we turn to lighter fare. Delicate flavors such as tarragon and chervil infuse our meal this week, along with that most quintessential of spring flavors...

Asparagus, of course. No vegetable more perfectly personifies the energy of spring more than Asparagus. Its first tender shoots, picked almost as soon as they've come up from the ground, are exactly what we envision when we talk about the Wood element of spring: not an inflexible, rigid understanding of wood, but rather a strong, supple, and upwardly reaching shoot. Growth energy abounds in this spring delicacy. 

As always, we thank our farmers, too numerous to count, and the bounty of the field and forest in this place we call home.

Rice and Beanly Yours,

The Macro Mamas

|| Menu for Saturday, May 13 2017 ||

Farmer Ground Polenta with Wild Ramps and Mushroom Ragu

Tarragon Black & French Lentils

Asparagus with French Sorrel Sauce

Sautéed Tender Kale Raab

Roasted Roorts with Lemon Zest, Rosemary Oil, & Nuts

Celeriac and Carrot Salad with Chervil

Field Greens with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

 

|| Desserts ||

Chocolate-Chocolate Cake with Raspberries (GF)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Almond Tartlets (GF)

Rhubarb-Apple Crisp With Currants & Orange Zest (GF)

Heavenly Tapioca (GF)

Strawberry-Rhubarb & Coconut Parfaits (GF)

Pistachio Chocolate Mousse (GF)

Wholesome Hazelnut Brownies with Chocolate Ganache (GF)

 

Small Treats

Mini Carrot Cupcakes

Black Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Cookies (GF)

Maple Peanut Butter Cookies (GF)