A Photo Tour: Springtime Feast in the Country
Oh my goodness, can my mom cook! We went down to visit my folks in the country this weekend. Here’s a peek at what we ate. Give a holler if you’d like a specific recipe.
Oh, and “springtime feast” is not quite accurate. It was upwards of 90 degrees on Saturday!
Springtime Feast in the Country: Appetizers & nibbles
For starters, she put out a good bottle of wine, a bunch of cheese, and a handful of nibble-y things.
There was a bowl of good, mixed olives.
A cream cheese spread with pecans, dried cranberries, and concentrated orange juice.
I also got to taste a batch of Guinness mustard she made recently. She used a mixture of powdered mustard and mustard seeds, so it’s hot, hot, hot!
Springtime Feast in the Country: Roasted Beef Ribs
So you probably know by now that I come from a long line of carnivores. Mom made a giant batch of roasted beef back ribs, which her butcher cut just for her. They’re some of the meatiest ribs I’ve seen lately. (And that’s coming from the gal who does a semi-regular Rib of the Week.)
She drizzled them with a little olive oil:
And sprinkled them with a little homemade rub.
Then roasted them in the oven for about an hour (15 minutes at 450, then about 45 minutes at 350).
And man, they were just divine:
Springtime Feast in the Country: Garlic & herb bread
She spread a loaf of fresh ciabatta thickly with a garlic and fresh herb compound butter.
This was one of the first things I attacked when it came out of the oven.
Springtime Feast in the Country: Simple roasted shrimp with two sauces
My mom also managed to snatch up some gigantic shrimp.
She roasted them in the oven, a la the Barefoot Contessa.
This is a fabulous, no-fuss way to cook shrimp for a crowd without making a giant mess on the stove.
When they were done, she heaped them on a platter and whipped up two sauces.
One was a rouille—a sauce with roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic, fresh bread crumbs, oregano, egg yolk, and hot pepper sauce—that’s often served with seafood or fish stew.
The other was a homemade tartare sauce.
There was also some steamed asparagus on the side, dripping with loads of butter.
Springtime Feast in the Country: Ah, dessert
And it wouldn’t be dinner at my folks’ house without a few desserts. Mom made a double ginger bundt cake (with powdered and crystallized ginger).
It made a little too much batter for her bundt cake pan, so used the extra to make two cupcakes.
Here’s the inside of the cake, dotted with chunks of crystallized ginger.
She also made a French cheesecake from an old friend’s recipe. It has a short crust instead of a graham cracker crumb crust.
It was creamy and absolutely divine. (At this point, I was so stuffed that I was getting sleepy.)
Last but not least, we sampled her homemade almond nougat candy. It was kind of more like taffy than traditional nougat, because it didn’t have honey in it. She and my dad likened it to Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy. It was really, really good.
As always, we headed back to Boston feeling just a little fatter—and very, very happy.
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30 Comments
I want the cheesecake recipe – looks fab!
Done and done! I’ll get it and post about it.
Give me a little bit.
Thanks so much!
+Jessie
Oh I second on the cheesecake recipe as well! Your mom is an awesome cook, just like you :-p
I wish I could have been there, everything looks delicious. I feel a food coma coming on heheh
Hehe, I will ask her for it.
Thanks so much, honey!
+Jessie
Hey,you have made my mouth water.These are so many of my favorites!The taffy- makes me homesick.My gramma makes taffy like that.I can remember pulling it.So good.
I am craving ribs for a week now.
Thanks, Bunny! Oh, we’ll have to talk taffy pull sometime. I’ve always wanted to do that! I believe this taffy was beaten, not pulled.
+Jessie
Everything looks simply divine, I am still drooling over the bundt cake, if it tasted even half as good as it looks…*queue Homer simpson drool noise*
Hehehe, thank you! Yeah, that cake was a-ma-zing.
+Jessie
This is TOO MUCH! That cream cheese spread is screaming for a bagel or a piece of toast or something! Soooooooo gooooood.
Wheee! Thanks so much, guys!
+Jessie
What a culinary bacchanal!
Thank you, thank you! It was, indeed!
+Jessie
That Guinness Mustard went to my heart! Absolutely fabulous and I WILL try it!
I know your Mom is a serious cook, Jessie – I remember the post you wrote about her sublime dishes when you visited her for Christmas 08!!
Can you by any chance get the recipe for that Rouille????
Thanks!!
GAbi @ Mamaliga.
Thanks, Gabi, honey. I’ll make the mustard soon and post about it. Mom was going to give me a jar before we left, but we totally forgot. So now I have an excuse! (And you know how I like to cook with Guinness…)
And I’ll get the rouille recipe for ya!
+Jessie
Thanks Jessie! Send it my way when you have it. Hey we still need to do that sourdough starter exchange – mine goes like krazy! I am baking two loaves per week with it.
Very active.
Gab
I love the asparagus photo, and if they are super fresh, that is all they need, just a touch of butter!
Hehe, totally! Super fresh veggies + butter = yum!
+Jessie
wow! looked amazing, everything! esp the asparagus *drool* (hard to come by nice ones where I live in China for the time being. Would love to know the cheesecake recipe as well!
Thanks so much, Kai! (And thanks for stopping by!)
Love asparagus, too! Sorry it’s hard to find where you are. :/ I’ll definitely be posting about the cheesecake soon!
+Jessie
I’m also going for the cheesecake. It looks beautiful.
And I adore Ina Garten. She’s make favorite on FN. Her food is always simple and beautiful.
Thanks, Zena, honey! We love Ina, too. Simple food is just the best. And cheesecake, incoming!
+Jessie
Wow, beef ribs and shrimp! Sounds like a luxurious meal!
Hehe, thanks! It was totally fabulous.
+Jessie
Wow, what a feast! It’s easy to see why you’re such a fabulous cook. I’m looking forward to the cheesecake recipe, but would also love to make homemade mustard. Any chance you will be posting that recipe?
Thanks so much! I’ll definitely be doing the cheesecake soon. And for the mustard, I’ve been dying to make it, too. So…done and done!
+Jessie
Oh my Goodness Your Mother is the bomb. Everything she prepared lookes simply divine.
God bless her sweet heart. Wish I could have been there
Will your mother adopt me? If I ask really nicely? My mother is an excellent cook, but doesn’t much like cooking, so it’s usually me, myself, and I when I go home. (Unless I can convince her to make her lemon meringue pie). Any chance of that ginger cake recipe?
SO much YUM!!!!
Mmm… I love that cranberry cream cheese spread. I think I must have the same recipe! All of the food looks so amazing.
Hi Jessie,
Wow! This feast looks amazing – you must really miss coming home to meals like that everyday! I’d really love to get the Cheesecake recipe from you and your Mom – this looked so delicious. I’ve never been a big fan of graham cracker crust. Thanks so much for the recipe.