Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

As works continues towards the re-opening of our Bed and Breakfast in Newnan, I hardly have time to type out a quick note, much less cook! But eat and blog we must! We are eating a simple meal of Fig Hot Sauce-infused Chicken Wings for dinner, served with crispy celery and homemade Bleu Cheese Sauce. The hot sauce was the result of the bag of peppers I blogged about earlier in the month. Over the weekend I taught my hubby how to make an oven-roasted version of Chicken Wings that would omit most of the fat and quite a bit of the calories. I start the process in an electric Meyer pot so that I can easily adjust the temperature through-out the first step. Before placing the wings in the hot pot, I coat the wings lightly with olive oil and sea salt. I start them on a temperature of 350 degrees and toss them regularly to prevent sticking. Once cooked through they are tossed in the fig-hot sauce with a little traditional hot sauce and garlic and allowed to marinade for at least twenty...

This year was the first year I begged for tomatoes and anything fresh from the garden. Fortunately for me, friends were generous. One of the best surprises were a minature hybrid beefstake. Looking more like oversized cherry tomatoes, these flabbergasted me with their sweet, robust tomato flavor! So much so, that I am fermenting the seeds to dry for next season. It will be a challenge to sprout the hybrids but I am about to begin the drying process. I will report back on the progress. The second picture is of the Kadota figs I found at one of the local homestores. And I am happy to report they love their new locations and are bearing fruit, already. I am planning to place the bushes around the pool to keep a close eye on them. I intend to grow them as a bush. (My mother remember fig bushes in Louisiana - not trees.) I happened to catch Walter Reeves on PBS this past weekend doing these exact two processes. I learned a lot about planting figs and can confidently proceed. Th...

    I created a syrup of Black Mission Figs (3 pints) by covering the figs with sparkling white grape juice and adding about a cup of chopped Mamey Fruit. I added 1/4 cup of sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of very good vanilla. I cooked the fruit until the liquid was a beautiful burgundy color and strained off the first batch of syrup. I added another 1/4 cup of white grape juice and 2 tbsp of grenadine syrup and allowed the fruit to cook for another ten minutes. I put the fruit into a strainer fitted inside another strainer. I mashed the fruit with the back of a spoon through the strainer, allowing the liquid to flow from the fruit into a large bowl. Out of the three pints of figs and cup of Mamey fruit I extracted 4 cups of syrup. For the Protein Shake: 1 large skinned peach, chopped 1 small blueberry yogurt 1/2 cup 2 percent milk 2 tbsp Fig and Mamey syrup 3 scoops of Vanilla Soy Protein Powder 1 cup of ice Blend ingredients until smooth. Serves 2

      Just like the conquistidors and early adventurers arriving in the New World I have stumbled upon the Mamey Fruit,(pronounced ma-Mey), the national fruit of Cuba. Silken like soft pudding, the fruit has a complex layer of flavors, reminiscent of mango and figs. (Some say apricots but I tasted figs.) I have two plans for my Mamey fruit. The sauce (pictured here)will top a grilled Grouper Sandwich. I paired the Mamey with ripe banana, unsweetened coconut cream, fresh chives, hot chili oil, mayo and wasabi. The second recipe will be a conserve of Black Mission Figs and Mamey Fruit for grilled breakfast breads and cheese!