Fearless Shopping

In an attempt to discourage its customers from falling into a culinary rut, a supermarket in England adopted the slogan, “Try something scary today.” This made me smile, but also got me thinking. It’s really not a bad way to approach shopping at the farmers’ market.

In February, do you automatically load up your market bag with apples and oranges? Perhaps tossing in a bag of lettuce or a head of broccoli every now and then? Ho-hum. It’s time to get out of that rut. Make this the year to explore new horizons and embrace the bounty of California’s top growing regions—all of which are represented at the Danville farmers’ market.

Have you ever tried cardoon? Pummelo? Carambola? How about that wild tangle of Asian greens you’ve walked by a dozen times? We’re talking produce here, folks. How scary could these things possibly be?

One of the many advantages of shopping at a certified farmers’ market is the person doing the selling is the same person doing the growing. So if anyone knows how to tackle a kohlrabi or choose a cherimoya, it’s your friendly local farmer. Here’s the challenge for 2014: when you come across anything unfamiliar at the market, just ask the person who grew it. Like most proud parents, they love to talk about their progeny. And their enthusiasm is often contagious.

This month at the farmers’ market, along with those “scary” items you vow to try, no doubt you’ll also want to pick up something sweet for Valentine’s Day. How about something comfortingly familiar, seemingly extravagant, and vaguely romantic? Nothing but farm-fresh strawberries will do.

After months of hiding underground, strawberries are now appearing at the market. Oh sure, they’ll probably get sweeter and cheaper as the season progresses; but for now, they are a colorful addition to the limited lineup of winter fruits. A hopeful sign that spring is on its way. And unlike the hard-as-rocks strawberries sold in most supermarkets, these little gems are the real deal, i.e., they actually smell and taste like berries. Imagine!

While sorting through a mountain of papers I had saved for one reason or another, I came across this long-forgotten recipe. It’s something that used to be served as a special dessert at the Four Seasons in New York City. I hadn’t made these for years. Maybe even decades. And I have no idea why I stopped. (Might it be because I couldn’t find the recipe?) Anyway, these shiny glazed strawberries are now back in rotation.

If you were once a devotee of candy apples—the carnival specialty consisting of an irresistibly crisp, tart apple encased in a crackly-sweet coating that shattered with each bite—think of these strawberries as their sophisticated cousins. The chic relatives who fly in from Paris for the weekend.

These glossy fruits are a welcome break from the ubiquitous chocolate-covered strawberry, yet every bit as delicious.And even though I may have gone overboard in my explanation of the candying process, it’s really quite simple to do. Just have everything set up before you get started, and it will be done in no time.

Best of all, unlike candy apples, these do not provoke the wrath of the American Dental Association. Since it’s only one teeny bite, your veneers should remain in place.

Candied Strawberries

2 baskets farm-fresh strawberries, stems and green caps left intact

2 cups granulated pure cane sugar

1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar

2/3 cup water

1. Rinse the strawberries in a large bowl of cold water. Drain well in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange the strawberries on an absorbent towel to air-dry.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat; or line with parchment or foil and spray with no-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and cream of tartar. Stir in the water until evenly moistened. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbles surface around the edges of the pan. Continue cooking, without stirring, watching carefully, until the mixture becomes a clear syrup that reaches the hard-crack stage (300 to 310 degrees F.) on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
4. Working one at a time, dip aberry into the sugar syrup by holding its long stem or by using a bamboo skewer. (Coat only the red part of the berry; not the green cap or stem.) Immediately transfer the berry to the prepared baking sheet to cool. (The syrup will harden as it cools.) Repeat with the remaining strawberries.
5. Oncecool, these are best served within 2 hours. Do not refrigerate.

Tips for Crackling-Good Success

1. Long-stemmed strawberries make for an especially showy presentation. Valentine’s Day comes only once a year, so you may as well look like a big spender. If long stems arenot available, stick a bamboo skewer securely into the cap of each strawberry to use as a “handle.”
2. Use only perfect—and perfectly dry—fruit. Any moisture left on the berries, or any nicks in the flesh that might leak moisture, will throw off the chemistry.
3. Don’t attempt to make these on a humid or rainy day. The sugar syrup may never harden. (It’s that moisture thing again.)
4. If you don’t own a candy thermometer, buy one. But if that’s out of the question, here’s the old-school way of checking the temperature: Drop a small spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of ice water. Remove the resulting candy from the water and try to bend it between your fingers. If the proper hard-crack stage has been reached, the syrup will form brittle threads in the water, and will crack if you try to mold it with your fingers.
5. You want to work fairly quickly, before the sugar syrup cools down and loses its crackling powers. You can prolong the proper temperature by carefully placing the pot of hot syrup inside a larger pot or bowl filled with a couple of inches of hot (not boiling) water.
6. This is NOT a project to do with young children. Or clumsy adults. In fact, have a bowl of ice water nearby, just in case any of the sugar syrup splatters; immediately submerge your hand in the ice water.

‘Looking for a few new recipes to liven up your entertaining repertoire? Check out Peggy Fallon’s upcoming class at Draeger’s Cooking School at the Blackhawk store on Wednesday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m. For more information go to www.draegerscookingschool.com, or call 1-800-642-9463 ext. 261.

 The Danville Certified Farmers’ Market, located at Railroad and Prospect, is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For specific crop information call the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association at 1-800-949-FARM, or visit their web site at www.pcfma.com. This market is made possible through the generous support of the Town of Danville. Please show your appreciation by patronizing the many fine shops and restaurants located in downtown Danville. Buy fresh. Buy local. Live well.