The Perils of Cherry Picking

Have you noticed that the rules and regulations pertaining to cherry picking are getting more and more stringent every summer?

When we moved to the Pacific Northwest about a dozen years ago and first sought out u-pick cherries, we were able to do practically whatever we wanted on the farm. We would wander through the orchards and our dog was welcome too, no leash required. Then one year, dogs were banned altogether. The owner told us that liability insurance was becoming too expensive.

A slightly more off the beaten path cherry grower that we frequent surprised us this year with news that the use of ladders was no longer permitted. Imagine that—cherry picking without cherry ladders!

And I know of one farm whose unsmiling employees do nothing but bark orders at visitors. “No open-toed shoes on ladders!” “No mixing cherry varieties!” Doubtless they were drill sergeants in a previous life. They go so far as to make you fill out a liability waiver before they let you climb their ladders. The visit to that particular farm didn’t exactly meet my expectations for an idyllic country outing. Needless to say we never went back.

Of course it’s the insurance companies who are responsible for this proliferation of rules. They know cherry picking is perilous, and they’re just looking out for your well-being. They wouldn’t want you to fall off a ladder and break your neck.

They have yet to eliminate all of the perils, however, like the porta potty positioned on a hill. I can tell you from personal experience that the precarious angle of the facility makes falling in when answering the call of nature a real and credible threat. And the most serious peril of all, which is that they would allow you off the premises at all with over ten pounds of cherries per person. The endless gastrointestinal distress brought on when you can’t stop eating those cherries, now that’s a serious peril indeed.

Before I get to the recipe I created using this year’s cherries, I have to thank Nici for including me in this HCP Dishes! post about her favorite food-related internet resources. I know since she works for my publisher she’s biased, but her support still made my day! Also, thanks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for spreading the word about Flavored Butters.

Cherry Hand Pies
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, shredded
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons, or more, cold water
1 ¼ pounds cherries, pitted and quartered
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water and stir until just combined. Test the dough by squeezing a small amount together with your fingertips. If the dough holds together, it’s ready. If it’s crumbly, stir in up to 1 more tablespoon of water. Transfer to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough just holds together. Bring the dough together into a ball and then flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 13×17-inch, 1/8-inch thick rectangle. Trim the edges of the dough and cut it into 6 5 ½×6-inch rectangles. Transfer the rectangles to a parchment-lined baking tray and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Toss together the cherries, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Using a fingertip, lightly moisten the edges of each dough rectangle with water. Divide the cherry mixture among the dough rectangles, mounding it over half of each one and leaving a 1-inch border at the edge. Fold the other half of each dough rectangle over the filling, forming a smaller rectangle, and lightly crimp the edges together with the back of the tines of a fork to seal. Pierce the top of each hand pie several times with the fork. Refrigerate for another 10 minutes.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the hand pies to a rack and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla and drizzle over the hand pies.

Makes 6 hand pies. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting.

Oregon Berry Festival and a Guest Post

It’s berry season, the very best time of year! Do you love berries as much as I love berries? Then join me at the Oregon Berry Festival to celebrate the luscious little fruit. I’m thrilled to be one of the presenters this year! At noon on Saturday, July 13, I’ll be on the main stage demoing and sampling berry recipes from Flavored Butters. Then I’ll be signing books and answering your cooking questions from 1PM to 2PM at the Healthy Berry Booth. Hope to see you there!

I’m also excited to be featured on Plum Deluxe! My guest post is all about how you can use flavored butters to effortlessly wow your guests at your 4th of July cookout. It includes the Gorgonzola-Chive Butter and Whipped Chocolate Butter recipes from the book. Please check it out!

Here’s wishing everybody a fun and delicious Independence Day!

Frying a Better Razor Clam

Hubby would not be discouraged by previous unsuccessful clamming expeditions. And his perseverance finally paid off this spring.

It took him only an hour to reach the legal limit of 15 clams.

If I wasn’t so busy working on my next cookbook Marinades, I would’ve gone with him and bagged another 15 in no time at all.

The usual way to prepare razor clams is to coat them whole in breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs and then pan-fry them, like this. It’s quite delicious. But after trying it, I reasoned that deep-fried clams would be even more delicious. Clams have a tendency to be chewy no matter how expertly they’re cooked, and submerging them completely in hot fat would minimize the cooking time, thereby lessening any chance they’d get tough. Cutting the clams into strips would further ensure tenderness. But it would also expose a lot more surface area, and that much breading would have been heavy and overwhelmed the clam meat. Switching to a light flour coating would create a nice balance of clam to crust. Finally, adding a bit of cornstarch to the flour would make for a super-crisp coating. All that reasoning proved to be correct—the result was the best fried clams ever, even if I do say so myself.

But before I get to the recipe, Flavored Butters continues to get positive mentions in the press. I have to thank Food Republic for endorsing it and featuring the Caramelized Onion Butter, the Red Chile Butter, and the Caviar Butter. Thanks to Mommypage for the interview about the book and BND.com for featuring the Tarragon Butter. I’m ever so grateful to The Spokesman-Review for calling the book a “mouth-watering gem” and featuring the Bed & Breakfast Butter. And finally, thanks to Mother Earth Living for sharing the lessons on how to form a log of butter and how to shape compound butter and featuring the Gorgonzola-Chive Butter, the Radish Butter, and the Whipped Vanilla Bean Butter. I love that so many are getting on the butter bandwagon—it feels amazing!

Deep-Fried Razor Clam Strips with Buffalo Dipping Sauce
Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Generous pinch celery seeds, ground
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for frying
5 razor clams, cleaned, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 3/8-inch wide pieces

Blend together the mayonnaise, Tabasco, and Worcestershire in a small bowl and refrigerate.

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, celery seed, cayenne, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a large, shallow dish. Add enough oil to a large, heavy pot to come to a depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil to 375°F. Meanwhile, add the clams to the flour mixture and toss to coat, separating any pieces that stick together. Shaking off any excess flour mixture, add the clams to the oil and fry, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a skimmer, remove to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season to taste with salt. Arrange the clams on individual plates and serve immediately with the buffalo dipping sauce.

Serves 2. When frying, be sure to use a pot that's large enough to accommodate the displacement of the oil from the clams and also the bubbling of the oil. Serve with Classic Coleslaw and corn on the cob or fries.

Fifth Blogiversary!

Hungry Cravings is celebrating its fifth blogiversary this month. Back when I started it, I never would’ve guessed that I’d still be at it five years later. This little blog has seen me go from aspiring writer to published cookbook author, and it has taught me a thing or two about the art of food photography. Though work keeps me busy and posts here are less frequent than they once were, I look forward to each opportunity to check in more than ever.

So I dug through the freezer for the last of the huckleberries we gathered last summer. I’d been saving them for a special occasion…a special occasion just like this one!

Lemony Huckleberry Crumb Bars
Printable Recipe

6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, shredded, plus more for greasing the baking dish
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup powdered sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen huckleberries
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish and line with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer about half of the dough to the baking dish and press into an even layer. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Toss together the huckleberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Spread the huckleberry mixture evenly over the crust and then spread the remaining half of the dough evenly over the huckleberry layer. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

Using the parchment paper, lift the bars out of the pan and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into portions and serve.

Makes 12 bars. Huckleberries have a short summer season. Use frozen huckleberries the rest of the year, but do not thaw them. Small blueberries make a fine substitute if huckleberries are unavailable. These bars are best on the day they’re made.