Don't you wish May could stay longer? The markets are bursting with flowers, and the mosquitoes have not yet arrived at garden level. I bought a lush bunch of lilac this morning, and a nosegay of lily of the valley for the nostalgic Frenchman, who misses the annual muguet festivals of his childhood in Provence.
In the garden my garlic rows are growing luxuriant and I sneak the tender leaves into into good butter. For tomorrow's botanical drinks in our garden I will make a compound butter of the green garlic leaves and ramps, for radish-dipping. There will also be a milkweed, fava bean and mint pâté, mugwort crackers, thin cylinders of beet marinated in fir-apple vinegar and wrapped around goats' cheese, and a morsel of ramp-leaf oil marinated and grilled sirloin, cut thinly and served with peppery wintercress flowers..
And cocktails, of course, with a non alcoholic option. I have a very interesting rhubarb molasses that seems made for bourbon (or sparkly water), as well as a refreshing spruce tip and rhubarb ferment that is wonderful with gin. Juniper, fir and Meyer lemons will also make an appearance.
That menu sounds divine, wish I could be there to sample all your amazing concoctions!!
ReplyDeleteMarie, you genius. I never thought of simply adding herbs to butter in this way. Anytime we craved it, it involved food processing.
ReplyDeleteYears ago we had Krauterbutter in Europe and tried to replicate it.
Yes, the whole chop 'n mash works well! :-)
DeleteLilacs, Lily of the Valley and rhubarb...three of my all-time favorites delight us in May!
ReplyDelete