Smitten Kitchen's Strawberry & Cream Biscuits

Strawberry & Cream Biscuits

It's hot in Los Angeles.
Like 91 F hot.
And our poor Dodgers get rained/snowed out in Minneapolis.
I wish I could send Minneapolis some of our heat. And they give us some of their snow pack for our drought!
(Don't get me started on the whole Clippers fiasco. I hope Oprah buys the team.)

These are like scones/biscuits. Cut up strawberries and fold in with the flour/butter mix. Be sure to coat the strawberries in flour before adding the cream.

I cut them into rounds. Next time, I would have thicker biscuits. I think these are a little too thin.

Nothing like a light biscuit filled with strawberries!

It's strawberry season in California now (well, we grow strawberries all year, but now they are crazy sweet good). Like "get 1/2 flat of strawberries (6 green plastic containers) for $9-11 at the Farmer's Market" strawberry season. Deliciousness.

When you get some strawberries (hopefully California grown!), make these Strawberry & Cream Biscuits from Smitten Kitchen.

RECIPE: Click here to go to Smitten Kitchen's blog and recipe

Fava Beans with Meyer Lemon, The Vegetable Diva

Fava Beans with Meyer Lemons

It's Fava Bean season! It's a bit early (the farmer's market vendor says it has been so hot in Central California that things are burning up and coming up early). The season is pretty short so get them when you see them.

And get them when you are full of peaceful zen and patience.

To me, Fava Beans are vegetable divas. They require TWO peelings. But there is a reason why Mother Nature gave it so much padding - to protect it's yummy center.

Russ Parson's of the Los Angeles Times recommends buying a POUND of fava beans PER PERSON. Serious. There is a lot of organic compostable waste in fava beans.

First, you remove the pods from the bean.

Then, blanch the pods in boiling water for a minute or so.

The pods look milky white. But you aren't done. You need to remove that white layer to grab the beautiful green fava bean.

 

To get the bean out, I split the white layer with my nail. You can't just pop it out. You need to peel/slit the outer cover. Dude, I warned you. DIVA VEGETABLE.

Finally, after getting to the fava, you might be exhausted. So go simple and saute the beans with some olive oil and Meyer lemon zest. Finish with some good sea salt and cracked pepper.

Here are some other pretty things I found at the Farmer's Market. I'll post something I made with these strawberries this week!

Recipe:
Fava Beans with Meyer Lemon

1. Listen to an audiobook and get the fava beans out of the pods.
2. Blanch beans for a minute or so.
3. Remove the outer milky layer to reveal a bright green bean.
4. Saute beans in olive oil.
5. Zest a lemon into the pan, to taste.
6. Top with sea salt and cracked pepper. Serve immediately (well, after you take a photo! :)

Here's some other recipes:
LA Times: 6 Recipes for Fava Beans
The Kitchn: 5 Ways to Cook Fava Beans