The Art of Eating In - Cathy Erway [59]
I looked down at the container of berries I had just picked and scooped up a small handful. Their beads were full and shiny black in the sun. One of them made a smear of bright purple on my palm as I turned it over. I held out my hand for the boy.
“See? Want some?”
But the teenager scoffed at my offering, jumping back and making a face as if he had seen a putrefied maggot.
“No, thanks,” he said. He went back to the bench and sat down beside the girl, who instantly started laughing.
Gee whiz, did these kids not know their asses from their elbows? I thought. These were raspberries, beautiful, black raspberries—and here they were free, free for the taking!
For the next few minutes I continued to search for the ripest berries to take home with me, but my quiet little reverie on raspberry picking had been broken. I could hear the girl and boy making cracks about me, being none too careful to go unheard. Giggling in spastic waves, they talked about how they would never, not in a million years, eat something they had picked from a bush.
“Like, not if I were dying, like starving in a desert, like not even then,” the boy loudly cracked.
Back to reality. I was definitely in the twenty-first century, that was for sure.
Wild Dandelion and Pecan Turnovers with Lemon Béchamel
Wild dandelion has a sharp, peppery bite when raw and retains its bitterness when sautéed. The flavor of this vitamin-rich leaf, however, makes a refreshing alternative to bland spinach when stuffed inside a savory pastry crust. Best part: These turnovers are great to freeze and reheat in the oven whenever you want a quick “hot pocket.”
(MAKES 6)
FOR THE PASTRY:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1-2 tablespoons cold water
Egg wash or milk for brushing (optional)
FOR THE FILLING:
6-8 ounces fresh dandelion greens, trimmed of long stems, soaked in cold water, and rinsed
⅓ cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon flour
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
FOR THE LEMON BÉCHAMEL:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Make the pastry: Sift flour and salt and cut in butter in a food processor or with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs no larger than a pea. Add cold water a small spoonful at a time, just until moist enough to form a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and chill while making the filling.
Make the filling: Heat up a large pot of water and prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl. Once pot of water is boiling, add the dandelion greens and cook for 1 minute. Remove with tongs and immediately place into the ice bath for another minute. Drain and squeeze excess water from dandelion greens. Chop roughly.
Cook the onions and butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat for about 4 minutes, until softened. Add the flour and stir thoroughly. Add the dandelions and stir. Add the cream and cook, stirring about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pinch of nutmeg. Taste, adjusting seasoning as desired. Remove from heat and let cool.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide chilled pastry into 6 equal balls and roll each one out to about a 6-inch oval. Fill one side of each oval with an equal allotment of the filling. Fold over the other side of the pastry, and crimp the edges shut with a fork. Brush tops of pastries with optional egg wash or milk (for a golden color). Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Make the sauce: Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and stir constantly for about 2 minutes to make a roux. Add the milk, increase heat to high, and stir constantly, being sure to scrape around the sides and the bottom of the pan, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt to taste and add the lemon juice. Drizzle