Madelyn goes to market

farmers market season has now ended in chicago (other than green city of course and now i hear logan square may stay open indoors?). i know, it’s sad. but before i said goodbye, i went to the independence park farmers market. i didn’t even know that independence park existed, but quickly found out what a gem the park and it’s neighborhood association are. it was likely one of the best farmers markets i’ve been to all year. some highlights include a vendor solely selling different varieties of garlic. there was a home-roasted coffee vendor (stiver’s coffee). an organic grains vendor (plapp family organics). a tamale vendor (elena’s tamales). several baked goods stands that i’ve only seen at this farmers market. an artisanal cheese stand (stamper cheese company) from wisconsin. this was the dreamboat of all farmers markets and i tried to take advantage while i could. my sister and i bought several heads of garlic and the garlic people gave us a recipe for a garlic soup. of course, i had to try it.

we also bought some pears for a dessert to accompany the soup. i ended up making a caramelized pear tart with some leftover puff pastry i had in the freezer. it turned out really well! here’s the recipe for the garlic soup, which i highly recommend, unless you have to talk to strangers in the 12 hours after eating the soup. i’ve also included the pear tart recipe below. bon appetit!

gourmet variety garlic soup
ingredients:
26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tblsp olive oil
2 tblsp butter
2  1/4 cups sliced onions
1  1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
18 garlic cloves, peeled
3  1/2 c vegetable stock (recipe calls for chicken stock but i substituted veggie stock for my veg hubby)
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c finely grated parmeggiano reggiano
4 lemon wedges
4 slices of bread (any kind)
1/2 c gruyere cheese

directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees f. place 26 unpeeled garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. add 2 tblsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 mins. cool. squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. transfer cloves to small bowl. melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 mins. add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 mins. add stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 mins. i used immersion blender to puree soup at this point until it was smooth, but you can use blender and work in batches until you have it all pureed if you don’t have an immersion blender. return soup to saucepan if using blender and bring to simmer. season with salt and pepper. (can be prepared one day ahead. cover and refrigerate. rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally. ) divide grated cheese among four bowls and ladle soup over. squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve. i served this with slices of bread, topped the bread with gruyere cheese and broiled for a few mins in the oven.

caramelized pear tarts with cardamom cream

ingredients:

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from a 17 1/4-oz package), thawed
2 firm-ripe pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cored
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 c plus 1 tblsp granulated sugar
2 tblsp unsalted butter
1/2 c chilled heavy whipping cream
1/8 tsp ground cardamom

directions:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Roll out pastry into a 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Brush off excess flour and cut out 4 (5-inch) rounds by tracing around an inverted plate or bowl with tip of a small sharp knife. Prick pastry rounds all over with a fork and transfer to baking sheet. Bake until rounds are puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool on baking sheet on a rack.

While pastry bakes, toss pear halves with lemon juice in a bowl. Cook 1/2 cup granulated sugar and a pinch of salt in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, swirling skillet (to help sugar melt evenly), until caramel is deep golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter with a wooden spoon (mixture will bubble vigorously). When bubbling begins to subside, immediately add pear halves, cut sides down, and cook over moderately low heat, covered, turning over once, until pears are tender when pierced with a small sharp knife, about 13 minutes total. Remove from heat.

Beat cream, cardamom, and remaining tablespoon granulated sugar in a bowl with a whisk or an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks.

Put each pastry round on a small plate. Spoon some of caramel sauce onto center of each round and top with a pear half, cut side down. Serve with cardamom cream on the side.

independence park farmers market
location: West Irving Park Road and Springfield Avenue
hours: saturdays, 9 am to 1 pm thru oct 11