When it comes to recipes shared among friends, I tend to picture everything written out in a Moosewood Cookbook copperplate.
I don’t posses this writing; my angular chicken scratch has only devolved with age. And truth be told, this recipe is a pain in the ass to follow—you’re constantly referring back to the left-hand page while half-trying to sight read the tune at the bottom. The bread, however, is delicious. And I’m most in love with the idea—that any given recipe is but a piece of a larger conversation that assumes history, and back referencing, and someone’s willingness to share their take on what might be easily looked up in a standard reference work.
Tonight I made Ruth Reichl’s Fresh Apricot Jam, substituting in peaches from Licking Creek Bend Farm at the Brookland market. Brookland’s been high on my list since I started my column; it’s a grey market (meaning that it’s not fully licensed and regulated).
I fudged the amount of peaches and cut the sugar down to a cup. It didn’t turn out perfect, but the making cheered me up none the less. RSS is the new copperplate, I only wish Reichl had given me a tune.
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