Fulton Stall Market - Part 2

Well, those chocolate-chocolate chip cookies from last weekend didn't last very long. Of the couple dozen or so that were left over from my picnic, they were polished off at the office on the following business day. People shamelessly admitted as I was trying to pawn off the last few to have an empty container to take home that they'd had more than a few samples (three seemed to be the average number).

The rest of the produce that I picked up at the Fulton Stall Market last weekend was polished off as well during the course of the week, but this time by me. The fresh asparagus prodded me to try a recipe that Mark Bittman had published in the New York Times: Asparagus with Morels and Tarragon. I was dreaming of gorgeous green spears teamed up with the meaty flavor of the morels (another springtime delicacy) and the sharp, licorice-like snap of tarragon all enrobed in a lovely cream and shallot bath. This kind of French-inspired rich food is something that I don't make very often but that which I thoroughly enjoy eating. See how gorgeous this looks bubbling away in the pan:

Fulton Stall Market - Part 1

Having been through the worse episode in Lower Manhattan's recent history, I'm always very happy to hear about developments that bring new life to the area. This weekend, across the street from the former site of the Fulton Fish Market a row of food stalls opened (www.fultonstallmarket.com), featuring locally grown and sourced produce. Yesterday, I decided to take the M15 bus all the way from my Upper East Side neighborhood downtown. After an hour, I arrived at my destination.

Seems I wasn't the only one who thought it was a great day to go to market.

Chassons aux Pommes - Apple Turnovers

Yesterday, I ran into someone in my class at the gym when I was at the grocery store picking up the ingredients for this recipe. She said to me, as we were bemoaning our mutual attempts to drop a few pounds for health reasons, that she'd not been cooking at home very much lately. She'd just not been able to get herself motivated and couldn't figure out what to do about it or how to get over this hump.

What struck me, and it directly relates to this blog, is that this is not a unique point of view. I've heard this same sentiment from several people, and at least one fellow blogger has admitted to the same thing. Is there some major culinary slump going on? I don't think that this has to do with the economy, as good cooks and those who love to muck about in the kitchen will do so no matter how much or little they have to spend on ingredients. It just seems as though there's some type of long dry spell taking place at the moment. I can plead guilty to have fallen victim to this same malaise (I just like to use that word.).

With spring and all the great green produce coming out, I'm hoping to pull myself out of this slump. Actually, truthfully, I've been trying the past few weeks to bake my way out of it. This, of course, runs counter to what I was trying to accomplish by watching what I eat more carefully and not to over-indulge. So, where is the balance? I'm not sure.