New cheese and gourmet shop

Our very dear friends, Robert and Mary Gonsalvez, have just opened Bloomy Rind - a much anticipated and universally welcome addition to Hingham Square. There are so many things I love about this shop - including its energetic and completely charming owners!

First of all, Robert is an excellent chef, who is an alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America, where our Drake goes to school. He creates salads, sandwiches, pates and other divine comestibles in the kitchen at the back of the store/restaurant.

Mary is a cheese curator extraordinaire, and between them, they have chosen an outstanding selection of cheeses - mostly focusing on American artisanal cheeses that are every bit as interesting as the imported cheeses they also carry. Many of their cheeses are award winners, quite a few of which are relatively local, coming from Massachusetts and our surrounding states ...and you KNOW how I love local foods!

Since Mary and Robert are special friends of ours, we and some other friends and family helped out getting the shop ready to open - so many hours of painting, laughter, moving furniture around, more laughter, sampling cheeses, more laughter.... you get the idea. "It takes a village," was the catch phrase for a few months.

C'est moi painting the new sandwich board.

I also painted words that describe cheeses at the top of one wall, and savory foods on the opposite wall. 
We had such fun coming up with all the descriptions!

Every cheese has a story...

Mary and Robert holding up a first, small version of their new sign, designed by Jack.
The logo (above) was also done by Jack - especially for this incredible duo.

 A few nights before the shop was due to open to the public, Robert, with Mary, prepared a delicious thank you meal for Lisa, Dan, Jack and me.

Lisa and I attempted making potato gnocchi, with much

assistance from the chef (and even more wine).

OPENING DAY coincided with the annual Taste of Hingham.

Madeleine and I labeled cheeses. 

Drake made paper cones to hold the cheese curds.

Jack manned the fried cheese curd station, 

along with Mary's relatives.

Mary's sisters and brothers were there pitching in and generally keeping everyone smiling.

A selection of their cheese offerings

One of my favorite cheeses they offer is Winnemere (right), 

handmade at Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont.

They offer imported olive oils, capers, jams, etc., as well as many American artisan-made products.

Bloomy Rind has now been open a couple of weeks, and already has a burgeoning fan club! Today, Jack and I treated ourselves to lunch there, with our friend, Marge.

The delectable selection of goodies pictured above, which Jack called his French picnic, included Aged Beemster Gouda (from Holland), Crottin de Champcol (French goat cheese), Bridgid's Abbey (raw cow's milk cheese from Connecticut), quince paste, dried cranberries, Marcona almonds (from Spain), three veggie sides created by Robert, Volpi salame (hand made in St. Louis), sourdough bread and Castleton artisan crackers (from Vermont).

The communal table is a terrific gathering place for friends as well as for meeting new people.
After the Hingham Farmers Market opened for it's Wednesday summer hours in Hingham Square yesterday, Robert was inspired by the locally grown strawberries he bought there, and created these lemon cupcakes with fresh strawberry buttercream frosting - out of this world!

Their coffee is hand-poured one cup at a time.

Le chef in his domain.

Rebecca making my grilled BLB - 

hand crafted smoky bacon, 

lettuce and brie sandwich

on dark pumpernickel, with 

peach butter.

The deli case features Robert's salads and pates, various imported olives, cured meats and much more. The selection changes daily.

Mary is constantly handing out cheese tastings and explaining what makes each cheese so special.... since every cheese has a story!

This shop is such a needed and welcome addition to Boston's South Shore. Visit Bloomy Rind to eat in or take away your goodies. I know you'll fall in love with the shop!

Sunny Forecast for Farm Day - This Sunday

(Photo by Sofia Piel, 2007)

As I mentioned in a recent post, Slowfood Seacoast Farm Day 2009 will be held this Sunday, June 12, at Osprey Cove Organic Farm, the farm/home of my sister- and brother-in-law, in Madbury, NH.

The weather forecast looks terrific, so do plan to visit if you're in the area (don't forget your picnic!) Click here for the schedule of events, plus directions.

Drake and I are planning our entry to the pie baking contest. I can't tell you what it will be, yet, as that will depend on what is most fresh and tempting-looking at the Hingham Farmers Market this weekend.

See you down on the farm!

Hingham Farmers Market - Get Fresh Twice a Week

It feels like a little bit of Europe in New England. The growing (no pun intended) Hingham Farmers Market is now open for business twice a week - on Saturdays in their traditional location at the Hingham bathing beach, and now also, on Wednesdays in Hingham Square, just outside the door of my shop.

Nothing beats the look, taste and smell of locally grown produce, freshly picked just hours before, at the height of its ripeness. And it's so much more satisfying to buy from the people who produced it, than to purchase at the supermarket, the "same thing" which came from Peru or some other place half way around the world, and was picked weeks before when it wasn't ripe, and is therefore relatively flavorless.

Some pictures of the Saturday Market (last September):

Kathleen Looney sells annuals and perennials

Sheila Augusta with her tapenade, pesto and other homemade sauces/dips

The taste of her tapenade brings me right back to Provence!

Lovely Lissa buying fresh corn and beans

Mary & Fran check out the gorgeous cauliflower

Some photos of the Wednesday Market (last week):

Produce and smiles from Freitas Farms

Fresh baked goods from Big Sky Bakery

Lipinski Farm Stand

Strawberries that would later go into my tarte (recipe below)

Happy and healthy shoppers

Sheila's basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, traditional tapenade and olive/fig tapenade

I bought a number of items at the market last Wednesday and ended up making a divine strawberry tarte the next night, combining berries from two farmers (not for additional flavor, but just to support both stands).

The finished tarte tasted like summer!

MARKET FRESH STRAWBERRY TARTE

Start with this quick and easy Pastry Crust recipe from David Lebovitz.

While the crust is cooking, make the Creme Patissiere:

In a heavy saucepan, stir until scalding: 2 cups milk (whole milk or mixture of light milk and cream) with the seeds scraped from 1/2 a vanilla bean

In the top of a double boiler (I like to use a copper bowl over a pot of boiling water - the bowl is easier to whisk in with its sloping sides), whisk together until thick and very pale yellow: 5 egg yolks and 1/2 cup superfine sugar

Into the eggs, whisk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, followed by the hot milk in steady, slow stream. Continue whisking over medium high heat, until the mixture is thick and smooth. then lower the flame and continue whisking for another minute.

Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbls. unsalted butter

Cover with plastic to prevent a skin from forming and chill.

Slice the tops off the 1 pint strawberries and lightly toss with superfine sugar (and if desired, a light dousing of Grand Marnier, Eau de Peche or other liqueur), which will give the assembled tarte a nice glistening finish.

After the crust has baked and cooled, spoon the Pastry Creme into the shell, smooth with a spatula and top with the strawberries. Serve within a few hours.

Over the next months, I'll be sharing recipes from the various farmers, bakers and other local food vendors who make the Hingham Farmers Market such a bountiful place to shop.

The HFM logo - designed by my husband, Jack Dickerson