I'm totally crazy for fiddleheads in spring.  Growing up in Vermont we would forage for them in the woods that surrounded our house and freeze them for the year.  I have not found any hidden in Manhattan lately, or near our house on Long Island for that matter, so I buck up at Whole Foods and indulge my fetish.  I usually blanch them in salt water and fry them in butter and that's perfect.  For this salad I decided to try something a little different.  I pickled the fiddleheads and tossed them with escarole, pickled lemon, shaved spring asparagus and ricotta salata.  The salty lemon and creamy ricotta perfectly balanced the bitter zing of the fiddleheads and brought out all the springiness of the asparagus.  Yum!

Recipe:

Escarole, thoroughly cleaned and trimmed

Pickled fiddleheads

Pickled lemons

Ricotta Salata cut into small cubes

Shaved raw asparagus

Toss all the ingredients in a bowl with a generous splash of good quality olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt and cracked pepper.  You can whisk the dressing in a separate bowl if you like, or save a dish and toss it all in the same bowl.  I generally choose the latter and it works just fine.

Lemon Pickles:

1 Organic lemon sliced into small triangles with the rind

Salt

Mix the lemon pieces and salt in a jar and let sit for an hour or a few days.

Pickled Fiddleheads:

Clean fiddleheads and blanch in a pot of boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes or until tender, but not soft.  Drain water and put them in a jar with red wine vinegar, water, salt and a clove of garlic.  Refrigerate for a few days or until pickled to taste.

It's a dreary day...I found myself poking around my office uninspired.  Then I found this old box of slides and started dreaming of summer, sunshine and kodachrome.  It was so beautiful.  Maybe Instagram could send Kodak a few dollars to bring it back.  I've still got a roll that I can't get developed....but I'm thinking if I hold on long enough they'll make an app for that. 

When I first met Katya and Vasken I remember thinking they were fabulous.  They strolled in fresh from a date at Ciprianis Soho full of excitement and a general aura of class and European sophistication.  I was a little worried my raw loft and the unbridled attention from our Rhodesian ridgeback would not appeal to them....but they hired me on the spot to photograph their wedding.  They said they loved my work, but actually our dog really won them over.

Their wedding was an amazingly beautiful event at the Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown... full of love, warmth and fun.  I was honored to be there.  I've done some cool things as a photographer but witnessing true love truly is one of the coolest.  We have stayed in touch over the years and now I know how fabulous Katya and Vasken really are.  They have created a beautiful family and life and their sweet affection and general enthusiasm seems only to have grown.  It is an incredible pleasure to be invited back into a couple's life and see their dreams have become reality. 

Check out Vasken's salon in Westchester...

http://www.vaskendemirjian.com/

It feels like summer and that is cause for celebration....as well as the fact that my kids went back to school after a very long vacation during which we visited museums, parks and the zoo, along with every other family on the planet. Friendly suggestion ...never go to The Natural History Museum during a school break.  It will surely drive you to drink.  With that on my mind I snipped a bunch of mint, muddled it with vodka and lime,  poured the mixture over ice, added a shot of St. Germaine and a splash of club soda.  Delicious!  I feel inspired to throw a party, sans the kids....who's coming? xxz