a five pound box of blueberries, zucchini, creole tomatoes, granola, soft shell crab, a basil plant, a mint plant, goat cheese cheddar curd from Ryals Goat Dairy in Tylertown, MS, quail from The Dobies of Briarhill Farms in Mt. Hermon, LA, and flowers from Capdeboscq Flower Farm in Amite, LA.
I have already put a dent in the box of incredibly sweet treasures of early summer. Leave a bowl out and they will disappear. I made blueberry popsicles with chopped blueberries, goats milk yogurt, blueberry juice and honey. I see a cobbler or a pie in my near future...Buy your fruit in bulk when it is in season, and freeze what is left for smoothies. I never throw out fruit, if it is about to go bad I slice it and drop it in a freezer bag, freeze it, then add it to a blender with yogurt and juice.
I have never prepared quail before, so I would love suggestions.
Tonight, I prepared a meatloaf using Alton Brown's recipe
6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and broken
3 whole cloves garlic
1/2 red bell pepper
18 ounces ground chuck
18 ounces ground sirloin
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
For the glaze:
1/2 cup catsup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon honey
Directions
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.
Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf. Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees.
Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.
I used ground beef and venison harvested from my backyard, and I made croutons with the leftover sundried tomato and garlic bread from Forte Farms. I cut the bread into cubes tossed them in mojo de ajo and put them in a 300 degree oven for 35 minutes. I also added some fresh oregano to my vegetable mixture (thanks, Jeremy!) I served the meatloaf with blackened green beans and macaroni and cheese and homemade blueberry popiscles for desert.
