Midweek Check In

+ Peach Lemongrass Granita + Julie & Julia, Viet style + Better than a G&T cocktail + Food in the land of Oz

Last week’s lemongrass discussion got lots of us thinking about growing and using the intriguing baton-like aromatic. Just so you know, the stalk that I harvested to show you has now sprouted rootlets!

It’s been warm and I let the stalk be a dinner table floral arrangement of sorts. It’s not ready to plant. A few more weeks are needed to let the roots go from baby teeth size to canines.

I continue to have lemongrass on my mind, including a peach lemongrass granita. It’s peach season, and over the weekend, I picked up some stellar, fragrant peaches from the Farmers Market Store in Watsonville. You may not know Watsonville but you may have purchased produce harvested from its rich soil. The area is responsible for Driscoll strawberries, Martinelli’s apple cider, and Lakeside organic produce, just to name some of the things harvested from the area. There are many small farmers too.

The peaches didn’t come from Watsonville but the store knows how to get fruit that’s ripe — not rock hard like what supermarkets will sell you. Right by the store’s doors was a pile of gorgeous peaches for $1.99 a pound. Here are just two that remain. I want to drive out there for more before they run out!

They smelled fantastic and had just a bit of give — a sign of ripeness that I learned from Mas Masumoto, the renowned peach farmer and author based in Central California. Years ago, I participated in the Masumoto Family Farm’s Adopt-a-Tree program and we drove out to his farm to pick luscious fruit, once it had ripened to perfection.

We ate lots of peaches, but I also used some of them in the Masumoto’s peach and lemongrass granita. It’s a refreshing combination of flavors that I just returned to this week.

You want gushy fruit for the granita so let your fruit ripen well for good flavor. That’s to say, slightly over-ripe fruit is good. It doesn't need to be perfect. Make the Masumoto’s peach-lemongrass granita! It’s low-tech simple and doesn’t require a machine.

Julie & Julia, Viet Style

I’m also thinking about revisiting a lemongrass ice cream recipe from my first cookbook. It’s been a while since I made that recipe and it’s delicious. What got me nostalgic was a woman on Tik Tok and Instagram who is cooking through Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, one recipe at a time, Julie & Julia [Child] style. Lily Cousins was adopted from Vietnam and currently has career in food. She is using the cookbook as a way to explore her culinary heritage. I was practically gobsmacked. 🥹 Keep up with Lily via @lilycousins.

author

Lily Cousins on Instagram: ”“Julie & Julia-ing” a Vietnamese cookbook. Recipe 1 complete!”

August 24, 2023

Better than a Gin and Tonic

Yesterday, on the verge of completing a proposal for a new project, I needed a celebratory drink — but not too heavy of a drink because I had to keep working after dinner. I like gin for its aromatic qualities but don’t care for the quinine bitterness of tonic. Instead I made a Foghorn — which is a Moscow Mule but made with gin. It hit the spot.

Cock n’ Bull is the ginger beer originally used for Moscow Mules. I’m not one for precedence but it is not too sweet and has a good gingery-sweet balance. Bundaberg ginger beer is good too.

Foghorn Cocktail

It’s gauche to present cocktail recipes with regular measuring spoon and cup measurements but heck, you don’t need to be a mixologist to get this one right.

• 1 to 2 oz / 2 to 4 Tbsp dry gin (use maximum for a full-strength cocktail)

• 1/2 oz / 1 Tbsp freshly squeeze lime juice

• 4 oz / 1/2 cup ginger beer

Fill an old fashioned (rocks) glass with ice. Add the gin and lime juice, then stir well. Fill with the ginger beer and stir gently to blend. Drink up!

What I’ve Been Reading

In Sunday’s New York Times T magazine, Ligaya Mishan wrote a piece about the history and symbolism of ice. I read her story all the way through in one sitting. (Free gift link)

I’ve often thought about how cheap imported goods have continued to be and well, that era may be over. The pandemic is one factor but there are others to consider. This article published at the Wall Street Journal, looks specifically at factory workers in Vietnam. (Free gift link)

Who’s behind 99 Ranch — the O.G. of pan-Asian supermarket chains in America? Clarissa Wei reported on the remarkable family business for the Los Angeles Times. Know where your food comes from. Know who sells it too!

And, thanks to

emily nunn

, I got to reading and subscribing to this Substack by

Jolene Handy

. The post that hooked me? I learned lots, including how Dorothy enjoyed peaches!

What Did Dorothy Eat?

I’ll be back on Sunday with something delicious to consider!