Frank Picchione

The Evolution of the Coral Charm Peony

My friend Audrey Campigotto, the floral designer at Winston Flowers in Greenwich, sent me these lovely photos over the course of a week to show how Coral Charm peonies fade over time, ultimately becoming nearly white. I think every stage is equally beautiful. The above picture shows the deepest coral color on the first day's tightly closed blooms. Below is one day later - still quite dark, and just beginning to open. Then a day after that... Followed by another day... The next day...The sixth day.And after one week, almost pure white, the last remaining blossom in the shop adorns Audrey's desk.

Gli Gnocchi

I have always been crazy for gnocchi. One of the first things I learned when I started studying Italian is that the word gnocchi is plural for many gnoccho. And many is what you need to make in order to feed a crowd - even if the crowd is only three, as it was for this batch. While the project may seem daunting, it is in fact quite simple once you get the feel for it.

Gnocchi may be made either with or without eggs. I do not know why someone would choose to add saturated fat, cholesterol, calories and cruelty unnecessarily. This dough was a simple combination of potatoes and flour. The key to light gnocchi is to incorporate as little flour as possible. Therefore, it is best to bake the potatoes in order to avoid excess water that will only need to be absorbed by the addition of more flour.

After baking four starchy potatoes I pressed through a ricer while still hot. Using a ricer is the only way to keep the potatoes, and the resulting dough and gnocci, fluffy and light. I did not measure the flour, but kept adding it, a small scoop at a time, until the dough just held together. I think it turned out to be about two cups. This photo shows the dough before I turned it out and kneaded it on the counter. Gnocchi dough is warm and puffy and easy to work with. Using my hands, I broke off small pieces and rolled them into ropes about a half inch thick. Then I them cut crosswise into 3/4 inch pillows. While I was working I had a large pot of salted water boiling on the stove. I'll admit that I tried to press ridges into the dumplings against the back of a fork and nearly had a nervous breakdown. Even with my mother's help this small detail would have doubled the time of the entire project. So we scrapped that idea until I purchase a gnocchi board.I cooked the gnocchi in batches until they rose to the surface of the water, and using a spider, removed them to the simmering sauce. I kept the sauce simple so I could analyze the taste and texture of the gnocchi. After pureeing tomatoes in my Vitamix I reduced them down for several hours along with a very aged balsamic vinegar.

Ajabu, The Tiniest Orphan

Early on Thursday 4th April a tiny female elephant calf was spotted by tour operators in Tsavo East National Park about three kilometres from Msinga Hill and the Trust’s Voi stockades. The baby was desperate for company and had taken to following the tour vans that were watching her. No wild elephants could be seen in the vicinity and the calf was very close to a large water pan notorious for lions which come to ambush the animals drinking there. Having watched the desperate scene for some time one of the tour operators reported the baby to the Kenya Wildlife Service who then contacted the Trust’s keepers at Voi stockades.

A Vegan Cheese Course

Yesterday I briefly explained how to make healthy, tasty cheese by culturing cashews and rejuvelac. Here is a selection of three different cashew cheeses I served together as a "cheese course" to show the varying textures and flavors it is possible to achieve. From left to right are a brie, a chèvre with cracked pepper, and a sharp cheddar. The brie gets its semi-softness from the addition of coconut oil, and the cheddar gets its color from a combination of mild brown miso and nutritional yeast. I served these speads with a crustly loaf of gluten-free sunflower seed bread.

Cashew Chèvre

Cashew cream is a healthy, nutrient-packed, versatile ingredient. After soaking raw, organic cashews they can be pureed in a high powered blender until silky-smooth. The resulting "cream" can then be sweetened into a decadent confection, or turned into a savory sauce for vegetables and pastas, as I did here and here. The amount of water you add determines the thickness of the sauce. And unlike dairy cream, cashew cream is totally cholesterol, trans fat and cruelty free.

Lately I have been experimenting with making "cheeses" and spreads out of cashew cream by adding rejuvelac to it. Rejuvelac is a fermented beverage made by soaking sprouted grains in water. It is loaded with enzymes and probiotics. Here you can see the tiny sprouts just emerging from the quinoa.When fully fermented, the rejuvelac is a cloudy liquid with a nutty flavor. I poured the mixture of cashew cream and rejuvelac into cheesecloth-lined ramekins and allowed it to culture at room temperature for several days, which brings about a sharpness and depth of flavor similar to dairy cheese. After that I stored it in the refigerator until ready to serve. So far, I have made four different cheeses using cashew cream, including this fresh mozzarella style. Tomorrow I will post the photos of a cheese course I served over the weekend.

Grilled Corn Chowder

This soup was creamy and rich tasting, but obviously had no dairy products added to it. After grilling six ears of corn I sliced off the kernels and pureed most of them in my Vitamix with a small amount of vegetable stock, cumin, salt and pepper. Then I stirred in the remaining grilled kernels for added texture.

Dudley

Dudley looked so handsome after his spring haircut I shot a couple portraits that show off his stately beard.

Chocolate-Glazed Vanilla Donuts

I just got myself a donut pan so I can make homemade donuts. These are gluten free and vegan, obviously. I made two dozen, and they were so good I could have eaten all 24 at once. I found the easiest way to load the batter was with a piping bag. The creative possibilites for donuts are endless. I dipped this batch in melted chocolate to which I had added a touch of coconut oil so they'd be glossy when dry.

Fabio Tulips on Park Avenue

Les Haricots Verts & Rosemary New Potatoes.

About to roast les haricots verts and new potatoes with rosemary. Not such a thrilling post, but I like the colors in the photo.