To end the week simply and cheesily: A lovely wedge of Ader Kase Reserve from Seymour Dairy Products over in eastern Wisconsin, Outagamie County. Salty, tangy, rich and creamy. Nice cheese. Accompanying, pickled crab and ramp chutney, a snap to make if you have the pickles.
Here's how you do the ramps.
And here the crabs.
We'll be back in the woods harvesting ramps again in no time. The crabs will be a bit longer. Pruning is on tap for this weekend; tapping is on tap, too, as it's maple syrup time.
Sappily yours,
Brett
Pickled Crab & Ramp Chutney
Makes one half-cup
Treasure from the larder. Excellent with a wedge of blue cheese at meal's end, as consort to a grilled cheese sandwich, or alongside pork any way.
5 or 6 pickled ramp bulbs, rinsed, cut in half the long way, sliced 1/4-inch thick (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon canola or sunflower oil
4 or 5 pickled crabapples, cored and chopped, 1/2 cup
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons liquid from the pickled crabapples
2 teaspoons liquid from the pickled ramps
Cook the ramps very gently, without browning, until they start to soften, four to five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer very gently, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the chutney thickens, three to five minutes. Remove to a small bowl, cool, cover, and refrigerate. Best if it sits for a few hours before serving.
Text and photo copyright 2011 by Brett Laidlaw
4 comments:
Oh, man, I love Ader Kase. It's mellow and creamy; it's a great gateway blue put off by the strong, sometimes ammoniated taste of traditional English/French-style blues.
Yum all around. I envy you your access to ramps!
Hi Jim: Yes, that cheese was a delightful surprise to me, picked it up at Seward. My cheese plate is entirely domestic these days, and mostly Wisconsin. All I can think when I behold the wealth of fine local fromage, is "So much cheese, so little time..."!
Hey, El. It still puzzles me that you don't have ramps where you are. I thought they were common from here right on east to the coast, practically. They may be headed your way.
Cheers~ Brett
Could be I just am not looking in the right place. Now that I have land of my own, my need to forage wide and far has been limited (mainly by the time I need to spend tending this land, ironically). But! I can just picture you getting some lovely watercress right now and making a huge batch of zippy scrambled eggs with it.
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