Plant Garlic Cloves,
now, to Get Ahead
This weeks edition of Ken Druse REAL DIRT focuses on
opposite ends of the culinary spectrum – garlic and pecan pie.
Trading on garlic futures in China
reminds me of Tulipomania when the stock market of Holland crashed because
speculators were investing in Tulip futures. Garlic is very popular in China,
which produces 75% of the world’s supply of the bulb. Due to the economic slow
down, farmers planted less garlic last year, but perhaps because of the belief that
garlic may ward off the H1N1 virus, demand is outstripping supply. In any
event, it is probably true that garlic will be more expensive next year. So why
not plant your own? It is so easy and sustainable. Simply peel off one clove of
garlic and plant it two inches deep, and four inches apart. Tradition tells us
to plant on the shortest day of the year (if the ground isn’t frozen). Each
clove will become one entire head by summer’s end.
Sources for garlic cloves are Nichols Garden Nursery and
Henry Field’s.
Now for Something
Completely Sweeter
Recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie
One nine-inch homemade or store-bought pie shell, uncooked
4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened baking)
chocolate bar (60% to 70% cacao), chopped
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup pecan pieces, lightly toasted
1/2 to 1 cup (around fifty) pecan halves, lightly
toasted
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan
over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk brown sugar, eggs and salt in
large bowl. Whisk in corn syrup, and then chocolate mixture. Sprinkle pecans
over unbaked crust. Pour filling over pecans. Arrange pecan halves in
concentric circles around the top. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Lower
temperature to 325°F, and cook about another 20 minutes. The crust should be
golden, and the pie filling puffed considerably. If the crust begins to brown
too much, cover with aluminum foil.
Cool pie completely on a rack.
Serve
at room temperature or slightly warmed — with whipped cream.
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