Four Course Fridays: Spring is in the Air
Marc Matsumoto
With all the great design blogs, craft blogs, and tech blogs to keep up with, who has time to spend drooling over all the food blogs out there? That’s where I come in. Each week I’ll be choosing a theme and subjecting myself to hunger pangs as I scour the web in search of tasty recipes that anyone can make.
The crocuses are blooming, daylight lasts a few extra hours and New Yorkers are smilier than usual. To commemorate the change in seasons and all the verdant bounty it brings, I've compiled a special menu of items that radiate happy spring vibes.
Course 1: Strawberry Basil Lemonade
I'm not sure if it's the warmer weather, or the 2 bottle of shochu I put down last night at a sushi bar, but I just wasn't feeling anything alcoholic this week. Gaby from What's Gaby Cooking kicks off this week's Four Course Fridays with a Strawberry Basil Lemonade. If Spring had a flavour it would taste like this gorgeous mocktail, but if you're really feeling the need to hit the bottle, you can always add a shot of vodka.
Course 2: Asparagus Pesto with Pasta
Allison of Local Lemons brings us this beautiful Asparagus Pesto with Pasta. She goes old school, eschewing the food processor for a mortar and pestle saying: "The food processor pulverizes and jumbles all the flavors, leaving you unable to distinguish the unique qualities of each ingredient." Tossed with some pasta, it makes for a light second course to our ode to Spring.
Course 3: Lamb Kebabs
Our main today comes courtesy of Mike from Another Pint Please. The money shot of the juicy meat grilling over red hot coals had me salivating like a stray dog. As primal as meat on a stick is, Mike's managed to do this Spring lamb up right with a rub made from cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and thyme.
Course 3: Strawberry Apple and Buckwheat Crumble
If you're not salivating already, this strawberry apple and buckwheat crumble should do the trick. Aran from Cannelle et Vanille is not only a talented baker, but an amazing photographer, who's capture of this stunning scene motivated me out of the apartment to go find some strawberries. The dark nutty buckwheat and almond flour crumble topping provides both a nice color and flavor contrast to the sweet fruit beneath.
