The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook
The bounty at farmers’ markets in northern California gets ridiculous in late spring. Organic strawberries, sweet English peas, and purple artichokes already appeared on the stands here in San Francisco. Going to the market and selecting beautiful produce is no problem–the challenge is being overwhelmed by the options.
That’s where The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook
Saturday I bought cherries to make sweet cherry-sour plum jam and had about two pounds left over. I flipped to the cherry section and found recipes for cherry clafouti and roasted duck legs in cherry sauce. Hey, why not both?Both recipes were straightforward and easy to follow, with handy substitutions noted (like subbing in figs or pitted plums in the clafouti). The taste? There were no leftovers, so I’d say my guests give a big thumbs-up.
Conventional and less familiar produce and meats are covered with equal creativity. Gingery carrot soup, raspberry lemon tarts, braised beet greens and cardoon gratin are high on my to-try list. The recipe section, which constitutes the bulk of the 300-page book, would prove useful for cooks from Albania to Zimbabwe (as long as you can find zucchini blossoms in Zimbabwe). The final section, on California-based products like Della Fattoria bread and Bariani olive oil, is probably less compelling for out-of-towners. If you frequent a farmers’ market or a well-stocked grocery store, this cookbook may prove an excellent addition to your arsenal.
Roast Duck Legs Smothered in Cherries
4 whole duck legs, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and pepper
1 tbls minced fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 lb cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 c port
Rinse, pat dry, and season the duck legs with salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to room temperature and heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it is very hot. This will take a couple of minutes. Add the legs, skin side down, and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn over and brown on second side, 3 to 5 minutes longer, pouring off excess fat as you go.
Arrange the onion and garlic in a baking dish large enough to hold the legs. When the legs are browned, place them, skin side up, on top of the onion and garlic. Roast, turning once at the midway point, about 11/4 hours. If the fat begins to brown and smoke during roasting, pour it off. Agitate the onion mixture from time to time to keep it from burning.
At the same time you add the legs to the oven, combine the cherries and port in a small nonreactive saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until the cherries are soft and the port has reduced, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
During the last 15 minutes of cooking the duck, pour the cherry mixture over the top. When the duck is done, the meat should fall easily from the bone.
Serve and enjoy.
