A Musician's Travels

Apple Cherry Cornmeal Torte and “Happy Trails” from Bray Road!

During the pandemic, one of our main activities was to go on road trips and explore properties for sale in the hill towns above Northampton, Massachusetts. We had great fun bushwhacking through land, all the while dreaming and imaging that we might someday move and build a new home. After looking at over thirty properties, we came upon land that immediately spoke to both of us, quickly made an offer and became the owners of over 70 acres!

The land is scruffy and at one time was logged, but at second glance, it is quite beautiful and full of potential! There are many old logging roads; one is lined with an old stone wall.

Years ago, most of the trees were cleared and the land was used for a sheep farm. When the land was abandoned, thick forests grew back.

The land was logged and a good deal of brush was left strewn haphazardly, creating an ideal environment for the growth of interesting fungi.

My husband Paul, along with his intrepid friends Peter and Caroline have been slowly clearing some of the brush on the old logging roads and creating an intricate system of hiking trails. I follow behind with a can of spray paint marking blazes on the trees.

We have started excavation for our new home, the driveway has been roughed in and the homesite is cleared. We saved wood from the trees that were cut and the lumber will be used for pine siding and for oak floors!

At the moment, we are the proud owners of two gigantic mounds of woodchips, that we like to call “The Monet Haystacks”!

Stay tuned for future progress as we embark on this exciting new chapter of our lives!

All of this planning, clearing and hiking on trails creates a powerful appetite. I wanted to think of a dessert that tasted rich and delicious but was also healthy.

I remembered a dessert that I had at the venerable restaurant Chez Panisse last March on my trip to California. The meal was incredible; details in another post!

The dessert that I had been looking forward to, sour cherry apple galette, looked picture perfect, but I was very disappointed with the flavor and texture. The flavor was bland, my slice had all of 3 cherries and the puff pastry was so tough that I could hardly cut it with a steak knife!

It got me thinking about interesting combinations of cherries and apple; here is my version- humble home cook that I am! This is more of a torte or cake with the same batter that I use for my peach cornmeal cake. I use no regular sugar , but a combination of low glycemic coconut sugar and monk fruit and the fruit has no sugar added to it. For a touch of extra flavor and sweetness, I made a glaze to drizzle over the top from honey and cinnamon. The batter also has cornmeal- I ran out of regular cornmeal and used a bit of coarse polenta. This gave the torte added flavor and texture.

Apple Cherry Cornmeal Torte

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup fine cornmeal (you can also use 1/4 cup of coarse polenta for addded flavor and texture)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup soy or almond milk

Topping:

1 1/2 cups sweet cherries pitted

2- 3 apples peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with small of amount of water to make a slurry.

1 teaspoon almond extract

Glaze:

1 heaping tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

To make filling:

Place apples and cherries in a medium size pot and cook until the fruit softens and starts to release it’s juices. Add cinnamon. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and remove from heat. Stir in almond extract.

To make cake batter:

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, monk fruit sweetener, coconut sugar and cinnamon.

Add egg, vanilla, canola oil, soy or almond milk and mix together just until the batter is smooth.

Make glaze:

Mix together honey and cinnamon. Microwave until mixture melts.

Assemble Torte:

Lightly butter a round pie dish. Pour in batter and spread evenly over pan.

Arrange apples and cherry mixture over top of batter.

Drizzle honey glaze over top of fruit.

Bake in middle of oven until fruit is bubbling and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean*, about 35 minutes.

* The fruit may be juicy, so a toothpick will come out clean only when inserted in the part of the torte where there is no fruit.

ENJOY!

HAPPY SUMMER! STAY COOL!

A Return to Iceland with Hevreh!

Last summer I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Iceland. Not knowing quite what to expect, I was delighted by the stunning scenery, warm welcoming people and the delicious food!

This year, my group Hevreh Ensemble was the recipient of a generous donation and along with grants from Hofstra University, we thought that another tour might be possible. Iceland came to mind and I started to reach out to various concert venues. Iceland has a total population of under 400,000; but I had discovered that the Icelandic people are art and music lovers.

We received an invitation to perform for a concert series in the far north of Iceland in the small fishing village of Seydisfjordur; The Blue Church Summer Concerts, and from this, the rest of the tour started to fall into place!

We started the tour in bustling Reykjavik; it was a pleasure to return to Iceland, to be able to show the group familiar places and to make new discoveries. Our accommodation at Hotel Reykjavik Centrum was just two blocks from our first concert at the Reykjavik City Library.

After a “restful” night on the plane….

We arrived early the next morning, much too soon to check into the hotel. I enjoyed watching the jet lagged faces of the other group members slowly light up with pleasure as we strolled down the quaint streets.

They remarked that this was quite unlike any other place they had ever been. I remembered a wonderful bakery called Bakabaka a few blocks away and it quickly became a group favorite. We happily tucked into plates of creamy scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms, fresh crusty sour dough bread with plenty of coffee and the Swedish cardamom buns that I dreamed about were still on the menu!

Over the next week, we embarked on a whirlwind tour of the entire country; our other concerts were in the northernmost section of Iceland and then on the other coast. We drove long distances, but were rewarded with spectacular scenery; including stunning glaciers.

As we drove through the countryside, there were few cars and many curious sheep!

The Blue Church in Seydisfjordur and the Skaholt Cathedral in Selfloss are both located on important historic and religious sites and as I entered these sacred buildings, I felt a deep sense of spirituality and peace.

It was a wonderful experience to bring our music to new audiences. I watched the fascinated faces of the eager and interested concert goers as they listened to the gentle sounds of the Native American Flutes that we play and the stirring and powerful Shofar.

Before our concert at the Blue Church, our pianist Adam Morrison warmed up on the magnificent Steinway B piano. He kindly gave me permission to include this video:

And then, of course, there was the food! I had asked our group members if they would like to visit a few of the restaurants that I had enjoyed on my last trip. The expected answer was one of quick approval!

The night we arrived in Selfloss, we went to a favorite restaurant that I had visited last summer; located in the oldest house in the village, Tryggvaskali is also purported to be haunted!

The atmosphere was charming and the food was just as delicious as I had remembered with the freshest fish possible. I enjoyed an artful presentation of roasted monkfish with carrot puree, crispy kale, roasted carrots and apricot chutney; the flavors a perfect blend of sweet and savory.

For dessert, we all shared not too sweet salted caramel mousse, topped with watermelon sorbet and crunchy bits of granola; perfect after a long day of driving! This being summer in Iceland, the sun was still high in the sky as we arrived at our hotel at 9:30 PM!

Part of the joy of traveling is discovering small off the beaten path restaurants and cafes, often quirky and eccentric. The Filling Station in the small fishing village of far north Seydisfjordjur was decorated with contemporary art, colorful tables and chairs and served hearty fresh organic food.

On the days of performances, I make sure to eat something light that will also give me energy and focus during concerts. After a morning concert for the local Seydisfjordur Retirement Home, I had an excellent bowl of coconut curry soup and avocado toast at the Filling Station.

Then, I had to make sure to have another light meal before our evening performance at the Blue Church. Just down the street from the church was a delightful small inn called the Hotel Aldan. I ordered a plate of grilled vegetables with goat cheese; along with fresh whole wheat bread and butter this was perfect. Ah, the life of a traveling foodie musician!

After concerts, we are usually starved and also ready for beer! Just across the street from our hotel The Blue Fagrilundar in Selfloss was a charming family run restaurant called Mika. This is where we went after our concert at the Skaholt Cathedral.

All of the group ordered wild mushroom risotto that was topped with succulent and crispy roasted chicken with a side salad of arugula lightly dressed with lemon. Along with tall glasses of local Icelandic beer, all was perfect in the world!

Our concerts were finished and there was one more major treat that I wanted to show everyone; a visit to the thermal hot springs; Krauma. Located about 1 1/2 hours from Reykjavik, it was un touristy and filled with hardy northern Europeans.

A heady artic blast of air met us as we stepped outside from the showers, but as we sank into a pool of hot mineral water, the warmth enveloped us and it was heavenly!

It’s never easy to travel and the added stress of concert tours can be challenging. As group members become collectively fatigued, tempers can flare. Somehow, all is managed, often by a calming comment by one of the others and then peace will prevail. After tours, what remains are fond memories of our shared experiences.

The last night in Reykjavik, I made a reservation at the Public House Gastro Pub, an excellent restaurant with small tapas like plates that can best be described as Icelandic with an Asian twist. It was one of my favorites from last summer. We ate our fill of delicious creative morsels that included pickled beet root on a cracker with goat cheese, truffle mayo, figs and pico de gallo and crispy Icelandic doughnuts filled with tender beef cheeks with apricot chutney. This dish was a play on a popular Icelandic dessert called Love Balls also known as asterpungar loosely translated as love testicles! An incredible meal that was the perfect ending to a wonderful tour!

*Midnight view from hotel room in Seydisfjordur!*

I hope that you enjoy our adventures! HAPPY SUMMER!

Blueberry Ginger Crumble Teacake and Summer Wildflowers at Ashintully Gardens

We first visited Ashintully Gardens during the throes of the pandemic in July 2020 and since then have returned many times. During the pandemic when we could not perform in public with others, I found a creative outlet where I would take my native American flute and recorders and play short improvisations in places of great natural beauty.

Here is the original blog that I wrote:

July 13, 2020

The gardens are the 30 year creation of the composer and musician John McLennan. He created a garden that combines several natural features:a rushing stream, native trees, a rounded knoll and gently rising meadows. He arranged this with formal gardens that include the Fountain Pond, Pine Park, Rams Head Terrace, Bowling Green, Regency Bridge and Trellis Triptych.

A short steep trail through the woods leads to the ruins of a Georgian Style Mansion. In 1903, Robb and Grace de Peyster Tytus discovered the Tryingham Valley on their honeymoon. They fell in love with the area and soon after purchased 1,000 acres of land that they named Ashintully (Gaelic for “on the brow of the hill”.)

DePeyster Tytus was an Egyptologist who worked at Luxor, where he helped to uncover the palace of King Amenhotep III, grandfather of King Tutankhamen. He and his wife built the large Georgian style mansion over looking the valley in 1910 that at the time cost over one million dollars! The main facade of the house had four Doric style columns that gleamed in the sun and in the moonlight. The building came to be known as the Marble Palace. The main facade held a two-story library and music room that was the heart of the house. Measuring 78 feet long by 28 feet wide and 32 feet high, it was built to match the dimensions of Amenhotep III’s great hall and was said to hold 12,000 volumes on its shelves. A fire in 1952, destroyed the house, but the front terrace, foundation and columns still stand today. There are some that say the house and family were cursed-https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/the-cottager-ashintully-a-mansion-cursed-by-egypts-pharaoh-kings,551420

From the fields, we came to a steep path that continued through the woods. As we neared the crest of the hill, four columns stood stoically alone on the hilltop and we could see bits of the old foundation.

A ray of sun shone through the woods and a delicate veil of mist lightly covered the stone foundation wall. It felt as if we were on a secret treasure hunt!

In front of us was a majestic view of the Tryingham Valley. I wondered what concerts and other events in the main facade would have been like in 1910. What music was played, were the guests dressed elegantly, were desserts served on fancy china? I wish I could have heard the conversations that people had as they stood on the terrace admiring the beautiful scenery.

This day I had brought along both my alto recorder and Native American flute. I originally thought that the recorder would be appropriate to play on the terrace of the foundation-perhaps an improvisation that was Gaelic in nature. As I started to play the Native flute while looking over the hills, it became clear that the resonant deep timbre of the flute was in harmony with the surroundings. I played a slow melody and as the sound drifted away towards the valley, I felt a profound sense of gratitude and joy to play music in this space.

This summer, I am about to depart to Iceland with my group Hevreh Ensemble to play live concerts! How things have changed!

We returned to Ashintully the other day and the wildflowers in the meadow walking up to the old ruins were beautiful!

*************

Fresh blueberries have reappeared in the markets and for Fourth of July this year, I decided to revamp my recipe for Strawberry Ginger Crumble Teacake using plump flavorful blueberries. This is a delicious cake that is also healthy! Sweetened lightly with monk fruit and coconut sugar and made with whole wheat pastry flour, it is great for dessert or also for breakfast.

ENJOY!!

Blueberry Ginger Crumble Teacake

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/3 cup canola oil

3/4 cup soy or almond milk

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping:

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)

1/4 cup toasted pecans

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger powder

1/4 cup coconut sugar

pinch salt

1/4 cup kefir (you can also use plain yogurt)

Make Crumble:

Place oats, flour, coconut sugar, pecans, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until nuts are in small pieces. Add kefir and pulse until mixture forms small clumps- you may need to add a bit more kefir. Add small bits at a time. Set mixture aside.

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees

Line a 5×9 loaf pan with parchment paper with the paper hanging over the sides. Butter the paper lightly.

To make cake batter:

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, monk fruit, coconut sugar and cinnamon.

Add egg, vanilla, canola oil, soy or almond milk and mix together just until the batter is smooth. Add fruit and stir to combine.

Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and then scatter the crumb topping over the top. Bake in the pre heated oven for about 15 minutes and then cover the top loosely with foil so the top will not brown too quickly. Bake for about an hour until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Lift cake out of pan leaving paper on the cake. Let cool completely on a rack before slicing with a serrated bread knife. This is a very soft crumbly cake, the longer you let it cool the easier it is to slice. This is hard to do, so enjoy the first very crumbly pieces if you can’t wait!

AND: Instead of a “Tree of the Week”, here is a clever fellow who stood up on his hind legs and deftly opened the door to Paul’s car and would not leave! We yelled and banged on pots; he left the car and then opened up the passenger door and got back in! The car alarm on my key finally did the trick. He got out slowly, looking annoyed and sauntered slowly down the driveway! Now we lock the car at night!!

HAPPY SUMMER!

California Foodie Adventure: Part 2 and The Montini Nature Preserve

It’s a while since I have posted a blog- it’s been a busy spring including planning for my group Hevreh Ensemble’s upcoming tour to Iceland. The itinerary is all set for an early July departure and I am finished with a busy semester of teaching- time to revisit my spring trip to California!

In early March, under a professional development grant from Hofstra University, I collaborated with the renowned jazz oboist Paul McCandless.

What a gift it was to have two days of incredible sessions together and then it was time for a foodie road tour; jam packed with lunch and dinner reservations, accompanied by my dear friend Carol.

Here is Part Two of our delicious foodie adventure:

After a few days of delicious, innovative and very rich food, a morning walk was in order. We stayed at the Seven Branches Inn, a lovely small boutique hotel in Sonoma, less than a mile away from the Montini Nature Preserve.

We enjoyed a light but filling breakfast Sunflower Cafe in Sonoma and then headed out to the trails.

Our delicious breakfast included chia pudding that was topped with fresh mango puree, slivered almonds, hazelnuts, raspberries and granola along with crusty slices of whole grain toast and chai lattes.

It was early spring in March and because of the extra rainfall California experienced, the landscape was lush and green and the hills were covered with brilliant yellow wildflowers.

At every turn on the Sonoma Overlook Trail the scenery was beautiful.

This being a trip for relaxation and stress reduction, we decided to treat ourselves to spa treatments at the nearby Spa at MacArthur that included both foot reflexology and lovely hot stone massages. Carol remarked that the massage therapist had hands like an octopus, she was everywhere at once; intuitively placing the hot stones in all of the places of tightness and tension- simply heavenly!

Feeling that for the moment that all was well with the world, we completed the day with dinner at Oenotri; a contemporary Italian restaurant in nearby Napa. We shared everything and enjoyed a delicious salad of roasted beets and creamy burrata cheese accompanied by crusty focaccia and grassy pungent California olive oil.

We savored crispy brussel sprouts with a balsamic glaze and pomengranite seeds along with homemade pasta with arugula pesto.

For dessert we shared a bittersweet chocolate pot de creme- a perfect ending to a memorable meal!

A few more restaurants will appear in the next installment where we ended our foodie adventure with a coveted reservation at Alice Water’s venerable restaurant Chez Panisse!

**********

If possible, I try to cook with fresh local organic produce; our trip to California reinforced my love of simple well prepared food with the best possible ingredients.

In the summer, in our neck of the woods, we are blessed with farm markets and excellent organic farms. Inspired by the local bounty surrounding me, I decided to make a summer salad along with spicy crispy shrimp for our dinner. With a base of organic mesclun, I added boiled new baby potatoes and fresh asparagus with cherry tomatoes, toasted pecans and feta cheese and chives from my herb garden. I drizzled this with a dressing that I made with live oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, garlic and shallots.

Summer Salad

I marinated shrimp with lemon juice, olive oil, plenty of chopped shallots and garlic, dried thyme, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt and freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes.

I heated a cast iron pan with a glug of olive oil in the broiler until the pan was very hot and smoking and then placed the shrimp with all of the marinade into the pan. It made a loud and satisfying sizzling sound! I cooked the mixture until the shrimp was crispy and the bits of shallots and garlic were dark brown- almost on the side of being overdone- all delicious with crusty French bread!

ENJOY!!

Summer Salad

Ingredients:

Organic Mesclun Mix (I used about 1/2 of a package)

6 red baby potatoes

6-8 stalks asparagus

handful toasted pecans

2 or 3 chives finely minced

6 cherry tomatoes cut in half

small piece feta crumbled

Place mesclun in salad spinner, wash and spin dry.

Boil potatoes until soft, let cool and then slice thinly.

Wash asparagus and cut on the diagonal into medium sized pieces. Place in a small pot of cold water, bring to a boil and cook briefly. Rinse under cold water.

Place mesclun in a large bowl, add other ingredients and pour on dressing- mix lightly and serve immediately.

Dressing:

Lemon juice from about 1/2 lemon (I did not measure the ingredients for the dressing, so feel free to adjust according to taste)

dijon mustard

extra virgin oilve oil

one garlic clove finely chopped

1 small shallot finely chopped

Mix together ingredients and let sit for about one hour to let marinate.

Spicy Crispy Shrimp

Ingredients:

8 medium wild caught shrimp, peeled and deveined- keep tails on

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

fresh lemon juice- about 1/4 cup or more is also fine

3 shallots finely chopped

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground pepper

To Make Shrimp:

Mix all marinade ingredients in a medium size bowl.

Peel and devein shrimp leaving tails on.

Place shrimp in marinade and refrigerate about one hour.

Turn broiler to high.

Place a cast iron pan in oven with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Heat pan until almost smoking (put on exhaust fan!)

Add shrimp and marinade to pan. Cook until shrimp are browned and garlic and shallots are well done.

Enjoy!

AND: Here’s the “Tree of the Week”

*” I practiced my giraffe stretch and now I am stuck!”*

HAPPY SUMMER!

Late Afternoon Light at the Joffe Preserve and Venetian Stuffed Chicken

I had just finished playing an inspiring faculty chamber music concert at Simons Rock of Bard College. The performance ended in the late afternoon; just enough time to enjoy the late afternoon light at nearby Joffe Preserve in New Marlborough, MA. Melodies from the concert were pleasantly dancing around in my head and as we entered the tiny marshland that surrounds the Joffe Preserve, we encountered another performance. Thousands of frogs were creating an antiphonal early spring concert with bright colorful back and forth calls; we stood still and listened, enchanted by the sounds.

Joffe Preserve- New Marlborough, MA

The late day light created beautiful reflections and patterns on the water.

Planning the menu for a dinner with friends, I thought about a recipe that we recently saw on America’s Test Kitchen for turkey breast stuffed with a filling of sage, garlic, fennel, rosemary, parsley and black peppercorns; a normal seasoning used for Italian Porchetta.

As we sat musing about the delicious sounding filling, we concocted a slightly plausible story about how a Jewish Venetian recipe might have been created in the 1500’s:

In 1555, Jews were ordered to live in a section of Venice next to a foundry that made cannons. The Italian word for cannon is giotto and some think that this may be the derivation of the word ghetto.

On a chilly early spring day, an elderly Jewish woman was hurrying through recently restricted Venice. She drew her woolen scarf closely around her shoulders and face to stay warm and at the same time trying not to attract attention to herself. She had been visiting a friend who had been in ill health and was anxious to get home. From a high window of a house on a crowded narrow street, an enticing aroma wafted through the air; fennel, garlic, herbs and spices mixed with the delicious smell of roasting pork.

According to Kosher law, eating pork was strictly forbidden but thinking about the rich and heady smells made her mouth water. When she returned home, she started to prepare Sabbath dinner and looked in her meager larder to see what was available. They had been lucky enough to have money to get a freshly slaughtered kosher chicken and she found fennel seeds, parsley and garlic. She took a few branches of rosemary from a pot on her window sill and pounded this together with olive oil in her worn and ancient mortar and pestle. She spread the mixture over the chicken and lit a fire in her wood burning oven. As the chicken roasted, the same smell she had happened upon earlier filled the air; a new dish was born!

Here is our version of Venetian Stuffed Chicken! Paul remembered the Italian roast chicken and potatoes that his mother and grandmother made with plenty of garlic, black pepper and lemon…. this was a starting point for our creation.

I marinated boneless chicken breasts overnight with minced garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper, dried thyme and chopped fresh rosemary. I whirred together fennel seeds, dried thyme and plenty of black peppercorns in a small coffee grinder and then I placed the ground spices in a food processor with fresh sage leaves, parsley, garlic, salt and enough olive oil to make a loose pesto like mixture.

I cut the chicken breasts open and spread generous amounts of the mixture over the chicken and then rolled them up into neat packages. I let them marinate in the fridge for a few hours and then roasted them in a hot oven; the result was heavenly! I hope you enjoy making our invention: Jewish Venetian Stuffed Chicken! We served the chicken with roasted baby potatoes and fresh fennel along with bright green asparagus that a friend contributed to the dinner.

Venetian Stuffed Chicken

Serves Six

Ingredients:

6 split boneless chicken breasts with skin left on

Marinade for chicken breasts:

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt and freshly ground pepper

Pesto Mixture:

4 cloves garlic

small bunch Italian parsley

8 sprigs fresh sage

2 teaspoons dried fennel seeds

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns (more to taste)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

To Prepare Chicken Breasts:

Pre-heat oven to 380 degrees

Place chicken in a large bowl and add rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Make pesto filling:

Place black pepper mixture from spice grinder into bowl of food processor along with parley, sage, 1 tablespoon rosemary, garlic cloves, olive oil and salt. Process until mixture is finely chopped- add a bit more olive oil if needed to make mixture thinner and smoother.

Cut chicken breasts open and spread mixture on the inside of the chicken. Fold up the chicken into packages and lay seam side down in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle tops with the remaining chopped rosemary and more olive oil.

You can roast the chicken right away, but if you can let the chicken marinate for a few hours, this is even better!

Roast chicken about 45 minutes until the center of the chicken reaches 170 degrees. Place under a broiler for a few minutes to crisp up and brown skin. Let chicken rest a few minutes before serving. ENJOY!!

AND, Here is the “Tree of the Week“!

“Not sure what to think here!”

HAPPY SPRING!!

Spring in Sonoma/ Music and Foodie Explorations: Part 1

Under the auspices of a generous Professional Development Grant from Hofstra University, I recently traveled to California to meet with the legendary jazz oboist, Paul McCandless. I have listened to his lyrical and soaring improvisations for many years with the group Oregon, The Paul Winter Consort and countless other groups. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet together in person.

Reed maker extraordinaire Chris Philpotts and excellent English Hornist with the Cincinnati Symphony had given me Paul’s contact info.

Not sure what to expect or how our sessions would develop, I took a deep breath and decided to plunge into the experience with an open mind and much humility.

I was accompanied for the sessions with my dear friend Carol who is a gifted and talented visual artist. She offered to take pictures and videos and to take notes. As Paul opened the door to his beautiful warm home, I immediately sensed his gentle and intelligent nature. He had set up two chairs next to his bass clarinet and soprano sax and I realized that his intention was to share his knowledge with me. I took out my oboe and he asked me to improvise a simple melody. Over the next two days, he offered tips and advise on the art of improvisation and how he envisioned the use of the oboe as a jazz instrument. His comments were always carefully phrased, insightful and full of useful intention. I came away from our sessions together invigorated and motivated. I will always treasure this short time that we spent together.

I also enjoyed greatly talking to Paul; discussing our careers in music and sharing stories about teachers from our past. It turns out that we both studied with the legendary oboist Robert Bloom. He played tracks from some of his favorite improvisations, including a piece from a recording that he made with The Paul Winter Consort and the exquisite Brazilian singer, Renato Braz. Listening to Paul’s lyrical and soaring lines along with the singer’s soulful voice was moving and inspirational beyond words.

At some point, almost inevitably, the conversation turned to food. Paul asked where we had dinner the night before and we described the excellent Butternut Squash Gnocchi with sage brown butter topped with crushed Amaretti cookie crumbs that we had a cozy small restaurant in Healdsburg called Spinster Sisters.

As we described the flavor and texture of the dish, Paul’s eyes lit up in recognition. His group Oregon had been on a tour to Italy, traveling through the part of the alps that borders Austria and Italy. A local restaurant owner was a fan of their group. To honor the group, he created an entire menu with dishes inspired by some of his favorite compositions; one of the entrees was butternut squash ravioli; a magical blend of music and food!

After our all too short time together, Carol and I set off on a planned foodie exploration in the surrounding Napa Valley.

Our base was the small unpretentious town of Santa Rosa; home of Charles Schultz, the creator of the Peanut’s comic strip. We flew into the tiny Santa Rosa airport, nick named the “Snoopy Airport”; the bathrooms walls were lined with Peanut themed mosaics!

Statues from the Peanuts comic strip were placed throughout the town of Santa Rosa.

One of our favorite lunch spots was a charming plant-based restaurant Little Saint in Healdsburg. We shared an artfully arranged salad dressed with winter citrus and herbs and dressed with a delicate Meyer lemon vinaigrette.

Along with a mug of frothy hot chocolate made with almond milk, I enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich made with cashew cheddar on crunchy sour dough bread flecked with sea salt; with a side of marinated carrots and spicy home made whole grain mustard it was a perfect combination of tastes and textures!

Carol had an equally delicious black bean burger, but it was the dessert that was the unexpected star of the day. We shared a small vegan chocolate tart made with whipped ganache, almond paste and candied orange. It tasted rich and decadent; hard to believe that no butter, cream or eggs were involved. I asked if it might be possible to get the recipe, the answer was the expected polite “sorry, but, no”!

After lunch we had a short rest at our lovely small hotel, the historic Hotel La Rose built in 1907. The staff was friendly and helpful, the building was charming and full of character, the rooms spacious and clean with the price of the rooms surprisingly affordable.

*Courtyard Hotel La Rose- Santa Rosa, CA*

And then, it was time to head out to our dinner destination, the Glen Ellen Star in the idyllic small town of Glen Ellen which is nestled in the hills of Sonoma Valley. Glen Ellen is the home of the American novelist Jack London, who wrote Call of the Wild. He lived there from 1905 until his death in 1916.

On the way to Glen Ellen, we stopped often to take pictures and to admire the stunning landscape. Because of the long drought that California has endured, the hills would normally be rusty brown. This year in early March, as a result of the abnormal rainfall, the landscape was a verdant green.

The Glen Ellen Star Restaurant was a little gem, with an excellent farm to table menu. We started the meal with a round of freshly baked sour dough bread topped with grated parmesan and served with herb butter.

This along with roasted cauliflower with a sauce of tahini, dukkah (an Egyptian spice blend of nuts,sesame seeds, coriande and cumin) and sunflower seeds would have made a complete meal!

But the menu was too tempting, so we soldiered on and ordered tender roast chicken served over creamy polenta made with sweet red cornmeal.

We managed to find the room to share one dessert; delicate Panna Cotta with salted caramel sauce. It was cool, smooth and not too sweet- a perfect ending to a beautiful day!

I did find a few California candidates for “Tree of the Week. This is one of my very reptilian like favorites!

Part 2 of our California Foodie Exploration coming soon!

HAPPY SPRING!!

Hamlin Bear Trail and Colombian Empanadas!

I am back from my trip to California where I collaborated with the legendary jazz oboist Paul McCandless. It was an amazing and life changing experience and now I am happily sorting through pictures and notes. While I am getting everything organized into what will probably be a two or three part blog, here is a shorter post from this past week.

After my usual Friday commute to teach at Hofstra, I stay over in Manhattan; the next morning I decided to find a new neighborhood to explore. I thought that the Morris Park neighborhood in the Bronx might be interesting. First, I headed up to Columbia University for a delicious breakfast treat at one of my favorite haunts, Community on Broadway between 112th and 113th Streets. I enjoyed the Veggie Scramble: egg whites, market vegetables, with avocado wedges and 7-grain toast served with crunchy home fried potatoes mixed with shredded carrots along with a steaming mug of Earl Grey tea.

Across the street, with views of the imposing Cathedral of Saint John the Devine, is a branch of the excellent bookstore, Book Culture. I was looking for a copy of MFK Fisher’s classic, How to Cook a Wolf and ended up buying sale copies of a collection of short stories by Edith Wharton and Tocqueville’s classic, Democracy in America. At the corner of West 113th is a tiny bubble tea cafe. I ordered a lightly sweetened Chai Bubble Tea with almond milk for later in the day. Fortified, I was ready for my exploration!

Several years ago I traveled on small tours with a flute, oboe and guitar ensemble called Trio Sonata; the group had an old style manager who always offered this sage advice: “When you arrive at your destination, before you go to your hotel or eat anything, make sure that you secure the location!” This directive has served me well, and on this day, the location I wanted to secure was an empanada restaurant in Morris Park that I had read about called La Masa. I found the restaurant and parked my car nearby.

Whenever I go to a new area, I like to walk slowly around and see what catches my eye. The side streets were filled with tidy one and two story homes with a feeling of a solidly working class neighborhood. The main street was lined with small mom and pop businesses; I entered the tiny Morris Park Meat Market and enjoyed listening to the heavy thick New York accents in the easy going banter between the owner/butcher and longtime customers. When the butcher saw me looking at the display case he asked me what I would like to purchase. I was curious about the coils of parley flecked sausages. He described the different kinds of sausage and I said I would return in the near future with my cooler, he said, “Smart Lady”- or as I heard it- it sounded like “Smat laydee!”

Across the street, I saw an Italian bakery that looked inviting; Faglione Brothers.

In the display case, I saw some curious looking crackers; the counter person told me they were called Taralli. I had never seen this particular cracker and asked what part of Italy they were from; they were not sure. I found out later that Taralli is a peculiar Italian bread from the region of Puglia. They were created in the 8th century by poor workers in Puglia from leftover scraps of dough. The crunchy cracker is typically made from just flour, salt, olive oil and white wine. I bought a few to take home and also could not resist a delicious crispy sfogliatelle pastry filled with lemony ricotta- one almost made it home intact!

*Taralli and Breadsticks- Faglione Brothers Bakery*

My next stop was for Columbian Empanadas from the restaurant La Masa. I entered the bright and welcoming space and was greeted by the effusive owner.

I ordered several different empanadas to eat on my way home; chicken lime cilantro, roasted vegetables and shrimp salteados (onions, green pepper and pureed potato). The covering for Columbian empanadas are made from masa corn flour; called masarepa and are deep fried. I took a bag of piping hot empanadas and enjoyed them as I headed home. The cornmeal covering was light, not at all greasy and was crunchy and slightly chewy inside. All of the fillings were delicate and delicious. Just 2 1/2 miles from the New York Botanical Gardens and 2 minutes from the Hutchinson Parkway North, this is a place that I will definitely return to many more times. A great discovery and a few empanadas did make it home for my husband to try!

This particular day, it was sunny with a bright blue sky; spring was in the air! As I neared home, it was late afternoon and there were beautiful clouds- maybe time for a short walk? I turned onto a dirt road that leads to the Hamlin Bear Trail in Sharon, CT and luckily I had my waterproof hiking boots in the car.

I headed down the muddy, very slushy trail, hoping that I would not end the day slipping and coming home covered in mud! After sitting in the car for a few hours, I was rewarded by the fresh cold air, brilliant blue sky and billowy clouds.

A perfect ending for this day!

AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week” which I am proud to say that my husband Paul found this one!

*” I do have a lot to say on the subject”*

California blog coming soon!

HAPPY SPRING!

A Frosty Winter Walk and Spiced Apple/Sour Cherry Cobbler

It’s hard to believe that three years have gone by since the beginning of the pandemic, when we searched for places to walk where we would encounter few other people. My husband Paul had come across an article in an old New Yorker magazine that was about to join the recycle pile. The writer Alan Weisman, who wrote the book: The World Without Us, was waiting out the pandemic at his home in rural Cummington, Massachusetts. He took daily inspiration from his walks at the bucolic William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Cummington.

We decided to seek out the site and discovered a place of great natural beauty; it had a timeless air of peace and solitude. Since then, we have returned countless times during all of the seasons. One of our favorite trails is the Sugar Bush Trail that winds through an old maple sugaring farm. A few weeks ago, we bundled up to take a walk there on a cold and frosty day. At the beginning of the trail one of Bryant’s poems is posted- “Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs no school of long experience, that the world is full of guilt and misery and hast seen enough of all its sorrows, crimes and cares. To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood and view the haunts of nature. The calm shade shall bring a kindred calm.”

So fitting for our time with the devastation in Turkey and Ukraine and our current climate of political divide and mistrust. Nature continues to be a balm for the soul!

Make a cup of hot tea and join us on a virtual walk through the woods!

And as always, thinking about food and particularly cooking and dreaming up delicious combinations of flavors is centering and calming.

I have been using a vegan recipe for spelt biscuits from Erin McKennas’s Baby Cakes Cookbook for several years; the biscuits make a great topping for either savory potpies or fruit cobblers.

We enjoy fruit cobblers with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and peaches, whatever is in season. Recently Paul asked about mixing cherries and apples and at first, I admit that I turned up my nose at the idea. But, we had a bag of frozen sour cherries in the freezer and I decided to give it a try. I placed the frozen cherries and a few peeled and sliced apples in a medium pot. We have gotten used to desserts without any added sugar, but if you desire a sweeter taste, feel free to add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar to the fruit as it cooks. I thought that some warming spices might be nice; cinnamon and a pinch each of allspice and ground cloves. I cooked down the mixture until the fruit softened and added a slurry of cornstarch mixed with water. The mixture quickly thickened and bubbled up with a lovely aroma and with the addition of vanilla extract it smelled even better. And, it turns out that the combination of cherries and apples was delicious!

Next week I travel to California for a collaboration with the jazz oboist Paul McCandless. I will be accompanied by my intrepid travel buddy Carol and after the sessions with Paul McCandless, we are going on a foodie road trip to nearby Sonoma county; we were lucky enough to snare a reservation at the famous restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley! I have been eagerly reading the menu and lo and behold, a featured dessert is apple and sour cherry Galette! Much more to come from our California culinary adventures…..

Spiced Apple and Sour Cherry Cobbler

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees

Biscuits:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup whole grain spelt flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup hot water

To Make Biscuits:

In a large bowl, combine flours, salt, baking powder. Mix well.

Add oil and hot water, stir to combine and knead mixture gently a few times with your hands.

Filling:

Ingredients:

3-4 large apples peeled and thinly sliced

8 ounces frozen sour cherries (a mixture of sweet or sour cherries is fine)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with about 2 teaspoons water- more if needed.

Make the Filling:

Place frozen cherries in a medium sized pot and cook over a low heat until cherries soften and start to release a bit of their juice.

Add apples and cook mixture until apples start to soften slightly.

Add cornstarch mixture and whisk mixture until it thickens and the cornstarch turns clear. Stir in vanilla.

Place mixture in bottom of a baking dish and form biscuits on top.

Bake about 40 minutes until filling bubbles up and biscuits brown nicely.

Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

ENJOY!!

AND: Here’s the Tree of the Week

“It’s really cold out here, but the sun does feel good!!”

STAY WARM AND SAFE!

“Joyful Mountain Landscape” and Lemon Curd/Chia Pudding Parfaits!

*“Heiterre Gebirgslandschaft”- “Joyful Mountain Landscape”: Paul Klee- Swiss 1879-1940*
*Yale University Art Gallery*

The holidays are past us and as we start the new year, I am looking forward to my group Hevreh Ensemble‘s album release concert in February at the Soapbox Gallery in Brooklyn. I realize that I need to get into shape with a regular practice routine. And, if all goes well, I am scheduled to travel to California at the beginning of March for a collaboration with the iconic jazz oboist Paul McCandless; made possible by a professional development grant from Hofstra University- all very exciting! This is made all the more fun because McCandless lives in the middle of wine country in Sonoma County and I will be accompanied by my intrepid travel companion Carol!

Not bad things to have plans on the horizon as we slog through the rest of the winter. And, on a particularly gray, cold and raw Sunday, we thought of a trip to New Haven and the Yale University Art Gallery and maybe takeout from the wonderful ramen restaurant Mecha Noodle Bar!

The Yale University Art Gallery is one of our favorite places to visit. The collection and special exhibits are excellent, the size of the museum is perfect; not too large, but big enough that you leave feeling full and satisfied and there is always free admission.

For this visit, we headed up to the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection. As were entered the large gallery our eyes were drawn immediately to a beautiful and familiar work by Pierre Bonnard- “Interior at Le Cannet”.

*Pierre Bonnard- “Interior at Le Cannet”*

I often become visually overwhelmed when visiting art museums and have found it helps if I stroll slowly through the galleries, not trying to see everything at once, my eyes become accustomed to all of the richness and beauty of the art; then I am drawn into a few works that I can focus on.

This particular day after a few minutes of walking together, we took off in opposite directions. I enjoyed the bold lines and brilliant colors of works by Kadinsky, Pollack and Picasso.

*Wassily Kadinsky-“Abstract Interpretation”*

*Pablo Picasso- “The Painter in His Studio”*

I was most taken with works created by artists that I was not familiar with including Dora Bromberger’s Village Street.

Dora Bromberger born in 1881, was a German artist who painted expressionist landscapes. She was born in Germany into a Jewish family and in 1941 was deported to a concentration camp where she was killed in 1942.

I was most taken by a work by the American painter Sam Gilliam (1953-2022) titled “Haystack”.

I sat on a nearby bench and was mesmerized by the beautiful intricate patterns and rich imagery.

Paul and I met up and we showed each other some of our favorite paintings. We both were taken by Paul Klee’s “Joyful Mountain Landscape”.

Perhaps it brought to mind the joy that we have experienced surrounded by the beauty of nature during our walks.

Recently, dear friends from Toronto stopped through on their way to their daughter’s wedding in Boston. We had not seen them since the beginning of the pandemic. After their long drive, we wanted to make something nice for dinner. For dessert, I was thinking of something light but satisfying; lemon curd came to mind. Combined with chia pudding and fresh fruit, it looked pretty and after the holidays, was a guilt free pleasure. This could easily be enjoyed for breakfast!

Lemon Curd/ Chia Pudding Parfaits

Yield: 5 servings

Low fat Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

1 large egg
2 large egg whites
¾ cup granulated monk fruit sweetener ( I used 1/4 cup for a very tart flavor, you could also use regular sugar)
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
⅔ cup lemon juice

To prepare lemon curd: Whisk whole egg, 2 egg whites, granulated sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough that drawing your finger across a coated spoon leaves a mark, 5 to 12 minutes. Do not let the sauce come to a simmer. Pour the hot curd through a fine-meshed sieve into a small bowl, pressing on the solids. Let cool slightly and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours.

Chia Pudding

2cups unsweetened almond milk
½cup coconut milk
85grams chia seeds (½ cup)
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (or to taste)

In a quart container with a lid, combine almond and coconut milks, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Stir thoroughly so that seeds are evenly hydrated. Let rest at least 20 minutes or until pudding has a rich, creamy texture. Seeds should be fully hydrated. (Pudding will keep for up to 3 days but may require rehydrating with more almond or coconut milk as the seeds continue to absorb liquid.

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried on a paper towel

1 cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried on a paper towel

Assemble Parfaits

Place 1/2 of the chia pudding at the bottom of 5 wine goblets or clear glasses

Layer raspberries on top.

Place lemon curd on top.

Add a layer of blueberries.

Finish with a layer of the remaining chia pudding.

Refrigerate for a few hours .

ENJOY!

AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week”!

STAY WARM!!

A Snowy Day at the Killarney Bridge and Warming Red Curry Thai Chicken Stew

Extreme weather dominated the holiday season with catastrophic amounts of snow and disrupted travel plans. Just a few days before, we experienced a normal amount of snow- the kind that softly blankets everything, muffles sound and makes one want to walk slowly through the woods, breath in the cold fresh air and enjoy the pristine surroundings.

We drove to nearby Barbour Woods in Norfolk, Connecticut with trails that wind through old carriage roads, one of which leads to an old stone arch bridge built in 1908. The Killarney Bridge built by Norfolk resident Frederick Shepard, takes it’s name from a similar bridge in Killarney, Ireland.

The woods were peaceful and perfectly still with the snow weighing down the branches and with the trail a bit slippery in spots, I trod carefully. Through the trees, we could see the crumbling foundation of the abandoned bridge and it felt as if we were on a treasure hunt. In 1908, this area of Norfolk was a bustling industrial center manufacturing knitting cotton and included several tanneries and an iron works. Broad swaths of the forest were cleared and the lumber produced charcoal to smelt iron ore.

When we return in the summer, it will be possible to walk almost underneath the bridge. For now, the path down to the edge of the bridge was icy and slippery; the day raw and chilly. It was time to return home for hot chocolate and start to put together the ingredients for a warming Red Curry Thai Chicken Stew!

The dish is based on a recipe from NYT Cooking, Brothy Thai Curry with Silken Tofu. I swapped out boneless chicken thighs for the tofu and the dish was the perfect thing for a cold winter’s night. We served it over brown rice, sprinkled with chopped peanuts and it was aromatic, piping hot and delicious!

Red Curry Thai Chicken Stew

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2shallots, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1(1-inch) piece ginger, scrubbed and grated
3 tablespoons red curry paste
1(14-ounce) can cherry tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes
1 quart water
1(13.5-ounce) can low-fat coconut milk
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1½cups mixed fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil.
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges, for squeezing

PREPARATION

Heat a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high.

Add the oil and shallots, and stir until softened, 2 minutes. Add chicken and brown on all sides.

Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste, stir, and cook until fragrant and the paste turns deep red, 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomato juices thicken slightly, 4 minutes.

Add the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook about 1 hour until chicken is very tender.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in cilantro and basil.

Serve with lime wedges.

ENJOY!!

AND: Here is the first “Tree of the Week” for the New Year! For those new to my blog, I love photographing old trees and greatly enjoy imagining various facial expressions. A definition of the word pareidolia recently featured in the Word of the Day aptly described my fixation: “the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one sees an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none.” This may be more common then I might have thought. Last spring, I was strolling through Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, New York. I had stopped by an old gnarly cherry tree and was looking closely at it. An elderly Asian woman walking by, observed me and said softly: “Do you see the smile?” Case in point!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! STAY WARM AND SAFE!