how to eat like a bird: How to Pick a Peach

I never would have thought to buy this book, or even check it out from the library. Not because I already know how to select fruits and vegetables at the height of ripeness, but because I'm unaccustomed to being vested in my produce. When faced with something inscrutable like a cantaloupe, I tend to take a wild guess or rely on the advice of discriminating older ladies at the store.

Thankfully, I won a free copy from Serious Eats, just as I am trying to make a regular habit out of actually eating fresh food rather than letting it decay in the fridge (which often happens to my great relief because then I can order nachos and not, you know, have to wash anything).

How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table is more than a series of recipes and a handful of pointers on what to look for when you're doing your shopping. What that is, I couldn't tell you, as I'm incredibly short term-minded, will think "I need avocados!" and turn to the page on avocados before dashing out with my newfound knowledge. --But I believe it has something to do with organic farming, where food comes from, and why things are the way they are, i.e., why it's okay to pay a couple dollars more at the farmers' market as the produce there likely has some flavor to it. Russ Parsons writes regularly for the food section of The L.A. Times and covers the harvest report, so he should know.

He also knows what to look for in search of great flavor. A good rule of thumb seems to be that good produce should seem heavy for its size. But he also gets into specifics such as looking to the neck of a pear to check for ripeness. As long as it's soft just below the stem, nevermind color, with the exception of Bartletts which will go from green to golden. Parsons covers which fruits (like pear, avocado, and cantaloupe) will continue to ripen at home, and how to store and prepare a plethora of produce, from brussel sprouts to quinces.

This is neither a diet book nor a book to convince you that vegetables can taste like bacon. Have you ever noticed how many of the 4-star-reviewed recipes on Epicurious rely on some amount of heavy cream? I find it kind of gratuitous. Okay, Parsons does turn cauliflower into a custard and there are plenty of dishes, mainly desserts, that contain heavy cream. But there are also simply prepared salads, soups, sides, and main dishes that would evoke little or no guilt. Overall, I felt I was in good hands--that the recipes were chosen to highlight the best of each main ingredient.

Some recipes I look forward to trying (in rough order of decadence): Duxelle-Stuffed Savoy Cabbage; Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Tuna; Artichokes Stuffed with Ham and Pine Nuts; Sweet Potato and Prosciutto Soufflé; Potato and Green Bean Salad with Green Goddess Dressing; Asian Pear Crisp with Walnut Topping; Fig and Honey Gelato; Old Fashioned Orange Cake; and Ole's Swedish Hotcakes with Quick Strawberry Compote. Doesn't that all sound good?

I did try the Seared Scallops with Tomato Butter, and I'll post about that in a day or two.