Apple Rhubarb Pie

Abandoned Edibles

Rhubarb stalks; apples (abandoned)

Immaculate Baking Co. pie crust (on sale!)

(additional ingredients: brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, butter, spices, Greek Gods honey yogurt, etc.)

What I did: holy crow, I made a pie!  Well...kind of.  As those of you who know me realize, this is a BIG DEAL.  Folks, I do not bake.  I am so NOT a baker--I generally cower in fear at the sight of measuring spoons and flour sifters.  I feel totally off my game and perpetually ill-prepared when it comes to mastering eggs and flour and sugars in an oven.  However, in the span of 24 hours I received some rhubarb from a co-worker's home garden (thanks Amanda!) and about a dozen apples leftover from an event (long story), so I figured it was time to lay my fears to rest.  Plus, I was able to totally cheat by using a pre-made pie crust: it's baby steps, people.  And you know what?  Maybe next time I'll actually make my pie crust, instead of buying it for 2 bucks (on sale!) at the co-op.  Maybe.

However, for this round, I decided to keep it as simple as possible.  The general 'recipe' was easy: I simply peeled and sliced up about 10 apples, cubed the rhubarb into small pieces, and sauteed them both in butter, sugars, and spices.  I was worried that my filling was going to turn out runny, so I thickened my fruit filling with a little bit of cornstarch by making a slurry.  I followed the directions on the cheater pie crust box, rolled out my dough, filled it, and stuck it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

The Verdict
Okay, so although I totally cheated by buying a pre-made pie crust (hey!  it was on sale!), I DID use up both of my abandoned edible crops of rhubarb and apples, AND...the pie was delicious!  I was so worried it was going to be a total disaster, but alas, it was tasty.  I also feel as if this pie is perhaps the stepping stone to future baked goods: although my hand was held via the use of a pre-made pie crust, I now feel more empowered to try additional baked goods in the abandoned edibles sphere!  Well...maybe.

In closing, I will leave you with this: the secret ingredient to this dessert?  The deliciously awesome dollop of Greek Gods' honey yogurt on top of a slice!  Mmmm mmmmm, this stuff is dyn-o-mite, and I'm not even a yogurt fan!  (seriously, it grosses me out...I think I ate too much of it when I was a little girl, when my mother would pick up single-serving flavored Yoplaits on sale from the grocery store, 4 for $1...oh yes, I remember it vividly!)  At any rate, the Greek yogurt was the perfect contrast to the sweet apples and tart rhubarb.  Decedent and delicious.

Taste: 7
Appearance: 7
Creativity: 5

Improvements for next time: fine, fine...you all win...I'll try making my own crust.  Bah humbug!

Look What I Found at the Grocery Store!

I kid you not, folks, I found this in the meat cooler at the grocery store this past weekend (note: when I say 'grocery store', I am NOT referring to our beloved co-op). I did a double take...and immediately fished my camera out of my purse and took a picture.

Someone in the meat department obviously has a sense of humor.

Baked Whitefish with Mango & Avocado Salsa

Abandoned Edibles

1 avocado (bruised)

Local Food

Whitefish (and Trout!) fillets from Bodin Fisheries

(additional ingredients: lemon, onion, paprika, parsley, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, mango, vinegar, red onion, lemon pepper, dijon mustard, etc.)

I brought home a sad, bruised avocado from work the other day, and couldn't figure out what to do with it (you may have all guessed by now--although I no longer work for the co-op, my new job IS in the food service industry!) Then I remembered that I had a few whitefish fillets in the freezer, a mango in my fridge, and all the ingredients to make tartar sauce: I was inspired! Baked fish is super easy to make, too, which made ME super happy. To make the fish, I julienned onions, and made a bed of them on the baking sheet for the fish fillets to 'perch' on. (ha! See what I did there? I ♥ puns) I seasoned the fillets with spices on both sides, placed them on the onions and drizzled them with melted butter and olive oil. Thinly sliced pieces of lemon went on top of everything before I tented the baking sheet with tinfoil and placed it in the oven at 350 degrees.

After about 15 minutes, I took the fish out, set the oven to broil, sprinkled some paprika on, and popped them back in for a few more minutes. While the fish was in the oven, I made a quick lemon vinaigrette with lemon juice, olive oil, djion mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. I cubed up the mango and avocado, and mixed in my vinaigrette with the fruit. I also made tartar sauce for the side, which is, in my opinion, THE BEST tartar sauce I have ever had (more to come on that, later!)

The Verdict
Yum, what a perfect dinner for a summer day!  I must confess, as the picture above so obviously points out, that in addition to my whitefish, I ALSO made a side salad, corn muffins, and some carrot-ginger soup to go with my fish. (note: I didn't actually 'make' the soup...I actually purchased this, and added in leftover mashed potatoes from the night prior to make it thicker.)  My lovah was having a bad day at work, so this was my attempt to turn that frown upside down with a delicious--and gorgeous!--plate of food.  Everything seemed to compliment each other quite nicely, but I must confess something here: the key to this meal, the star of the show, the scene-stealer, the Big Cheese, was NOT the whitefish...it was the tartar sauce!  I swear to god, I make a damn good tartar sauce, one that makes even the blandest fish (like whitefish, let's face it) taste absolutely delicious.  And you know what?  For the first time ever, I'm providing an actual recipe, in case anyone wants to give it a whirl.  It's easy to make, but please, for the LOVE OF GOD, do NOT substitute pickle relish in lieu of the diced dill pickles.  That.  Shit.  Is.  Nasty!  It will NOT taste the same!

Taste: 9
Appearance: 9
Creativity: 5

Improvements for next time: none, that I can think of at the moment.  I used up my abandoned avocado AND had some delicious whitefish from Lake Superior for dinner.  Score!

Tangy Tartar Sauce
6-8 servings

3/4 cup Sour Cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 medium sized dill pickles (brunoise)
1/2 small red onion (diced)
1 tbsp dried dill
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar (or pickle brine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
Additional salt and pepper to taste

Brunoise the pickles and dice the red onion (brunoise is just a fancy term for a small dice!) and set aside. Mix together sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and lemon juice. Mix in pickles, onion, dill, salt and lemon pepper. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with whitefish, on the side. Leftover tartar sauce can be stored in refrigerator for approximately 7 days.

The CIA

Last non-abandoned-edibles related post for a while, I promise! But I just HAVE to share my visit to the Culinary Institute of America's 'Greystone' restaurant in St. Helena, CA...LOOK how frickin' adorable their desert sampler was:


Is that not the cutest thing ever? Uncle Joe took us out to the Greystone while we were visiting, and it was a blast! I felt very much like a Japanese tourist in Hawai'i taking a picture of my food at a restaurant. We did an olive oil taste test as well, which was incredibly interesting...and tasty. Hot tip: if you go to the Greystone during the week, during 'happy hour', there are some great deals to be had, like this one. 5 bites and a glass of wine for $10?! Can't beat it!

Deep Fried Pickles?

Okay, I'll confess: technically, 'officially', this isn't really an Abandoned Edibles post...I suppose it doesn't qualify. This project stems from a recent trip to visit family in California that I took with my significant other: while tucked away inside a gay dive bar in Arcata, waiting out a sudden thunderstorm, the two of us were treated to rum (with a dash of coke) and deep fried pickles (seriously amazing) by Aunt Lynn. They. Were. DELICIOUS! Ever since then, I have been craving these tasty, fried, vinegar-y vittles. I decided to embark on an experiment to make The Best Deep Fried Pickle Ever while at home the other night, and I documented my adventure. Here we go...


Having lived in Hawai'i for five years--Land of Tempura Batter--I will admit, I am somewhat partial to this particular mode of frying. So, naturally, I decided to dunk my cukes in tempura. First I dredged them in seasoned flour (S&P only), then the tempura, then into the vat of scalding hot canola oil. It should be noted that I tried two sizes/types of pickles: spears, and those tiny little adorable baby dills. I wanted to see if there would be a difference in taste/texture/fry-ability--and indeed there was. I also attempted to pat dry the pickles as best I could before I dredged them...'attempted' being the key word here.


The verdict? Although the wee cukes were surely cute, the spears tasted much better. And the tempura batter worked wonders! Of COURSE we had to have ranch dressing with our fried pickles (ranch dressing = "the best thing Americans have ever contributed to the world", according to my favorite Englishman), which perfectly complimented the fried deliciousness.


Although my tempura-fried pickles were good, they weren't nearly as good as the bar pickles I had eaten a month prior in Northern California. Maybe it was my selection of pickle brand; I just grabbed whatever was in my refrigerator. I'm sure my mother's home-canned pickles would have been WAY better. But you know what? I think I know the most important variable here, one that stands out above the rest. Two words: ranch. dressing. That little dive bar made homemade, buttermilk ranch dressing in their tiny little kitchen behind the bar, and I'm pretty sure it made all the difference. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I could've drank a glass of that instead of my rum. Note to self: LEARN HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE RANCH SALAD DRESSING!