Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: apple cider, black dog, cipollina, fiore's deli, gelato, logan square, malted vanilla, mexican hot chocolate, piccolo, provenance
a couple of weekends ago i went to the logan square farmers market, one of the better farmers markets in chicago. every vendor brings only high quality produce and goods. you can easily figure out what is in season when you go to this market.
well, on this particular trip, i stumbled upon the black dog gelato booth. i know it’s a little late in the year to be talking about frozen treats but this is worth knowing about. in fact, i’ve decided to devote this entire post to black dog. it’s that good. i have to admit, having lived in san francisco where there are ice cream shops like bi-rite creamery and now humphrey slocombe, i’ve been a little disappointed with the frozen offerings in chicago. until now.
at the farmers market, black dog was serving apple cider sorbet (to die for), malted vanilla and mexican hot chocolate. later in the week, i went to cipollina in wicker park, and they had black dog on their menu. this time, the flavors included strawberry balsamic, goat cheese cashew caramel, and sesame olive oil (i think). it’s one thing to take on these wacky combinations in an ice cream, but it’s quite another to actually make them taste good.
apparently black dog gelato is also sold at other chicago retailers (see list below) so when farmers market season is over, i can still get my fix.
black dog gelato retailers:
– cipollina
– provenance
– piccolo
– fiore’s deli
logan square farmers market
sundays, 10 am to 3 pm
3107 w. logan blvd.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: edgewater, leek and potato soup, lincoln park, nichols farm, pears, recipes
after a hiatus due to wedding planning, wedding and honeymoon, i’m now in full-force farmers market mode. especially now that there’s less than a month left in the season!
this past weekend i went to two farmers markets. the first was the edgewater farmers market. i actually forgot that i had been here before and was bummed because this is probably my least favorite of all the farmers markets. it’s really small, which is fine as long as the quality holds up, but in this case it’s not true. the produce is fine but it’s really expensive. there’s one booth that sells heirloom tomatoes for $5/lb which is unheard of even at farmers markets. they aren’t very friendly either which makes me feel okay about ragging on them, although i won’t name names. there aren’t any particularly good or interesting bakers either. there are other farmers markets somewhat nearby (north center, lincoln square or lincoln park for instance) that are much more worth your while. i did, however, pick up some leeks and made a very tasty leek and potato soup (potage parmentier) courtesy of julia child (i’m on a huge kick right now!). i made a few changes to the recipe below because it seemed that the soup would be way too thin made the way she suggested.
leek and potato soup
ingredients
1 lb. peeled potatoes, diced
1 lb. thinly sliced leeks
2 quarts water
1 tblsp salt
4-6 tblsp whipping cream
2 tblsp minced chives
directions
simmer the vegetables, water and salt together, partially covered for 40 mins until the vegetables are tender. mash the vegetables with a fork or through a food mill for a finer soup. set aside uncovered until just before serving, then reheat to the simmer. off heat and just before serving, stir in the cream by sponnfuls. pour into soup bowls and decorate with chives.
the second market we went to this weekend was the lincoln park farmers market, not to be confused with green city. in contrast to edgewater, this one was great and really got me in the mood for fall. it was the largest nichols farm stand i’ve ever come across. they had so many kinds of potatoes and apples, it was crazy (see pics below)! i picked up some pumpkins on a stick… no really, that’s their name, some free range eggs and some beautiful pears that we ate last night with cheddar as an appetizer. i’m now ready for all the football, chillier weather and leaves changing that seem to be forced upon us.
nichols farm selection of potatoes... all different kinds!
edgewater green market
saturday through october, 7 am to 1 pm
6034 n. broadway
lincoln park farmers market
saturdays through october, 7 am to 2 pm
lincoln park high school parking lot
armitage ave. & orchard st.
Madelyn goes to market 