New cookbook reflects on 50 years of Davis Farmers Market with seasonal recipes
The Sacramento region loves a farmers market; we have dozens throughout the area. Among the most prominent and historic is the Davis Farmers Market, which marks its 50th anniversary this year.
To commemorate the occasion, market manager Randii MacNear reached out to market cofounder and former Davis mayor Ann M. Evans with the prospect of revamping The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook, which she co-authored with fellow writer Georgeanne Brennan in 2012. Instead, the two wrote an entirely new book.
Market Memories is in equal parts a cookbook and a reflection on the history and impact of the iconic market. Peppered throughout the book are anecdotes from founding and existing farms and vendors, market shoppers, local politicians and other Yolo County luminaries. Local ceramic artist Susan Shelton recounts how her Oaxaca-born grandmother adored the market.
“After choosing from the glorious produce, coming home to unpack her treasures, and excited to start cooking, Abuelita would exclaim, ‘¡Ahora sí tengo tela de donde cortar!’ Literal translations very seldom cut it, and there isn’t really a comparable expression in English, but it translates as: ‘Now I really have fabric to cut from!’”
That speaks to the heart of the book. It’s organized by season, which is appropriate since farmers markets are the epitome of seasonality, and the recipes are grouped by key ingredient. If you’ve ever come home from the farmers market with an embarrassment of produce because you were dazzled by the seasonal abundance, this is the ideal toolkit.
Each chapter also includes a list of seasonal flowers, another mainstay of farmers markets, offering a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
In lieu of photography, the book is charmingly filled with illustrations of produce by the two authors; Evans created the line drawings, and Brennan is a watercolorist. It brings to mind the canon of Chez Panisse cookbooks, in more ways than one.
Toward the back of the book is a historic timeline of the market and related programs in the region, highlighting its legacy. They also include canning instructions for suitable recipes.
Market Memories drops June 26 and will be available at the Davis Farmers Market and Davis Food Coop, UC Davis stores, Ace Hardware and other locations.
With tomatoes, one of our most seminal ingredients, coming into season, the authors have helpfully shared one of the recipes from the book.
Savory Tomato Tart
Serves 4 to 6
For the crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem, minced 6 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter
4 tablespoons chilled, all-vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For the filling
5 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
3 to 4 oz goat cheese
3 tablespoons whole milk
Sea or kosher salt to taste
To make the crust
In a bowl, combine flour, salt and thyme and whisk to mix. Using a grater, grate the butter into pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter. Cut butter into flour with your hands or a pastry blender. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas.
Sprinkle flour mixture with 3 tablespoons of ice water. Press down on dough with a rubber spatula until dough sticks together, adding rest of ice water if dough will not come together. Using your hands, shape dough into a ball, then flatten into a 4-inch disc. Dust with flour, wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
To make the tart
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Lightly flour a smooth, non-stick surface such as marble or wood. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in the shape of a circle, about 14-inches in diameter. Using a cake spatula under the dough, gently lift it, scooting flour underneath if needed, to make sure dough will not stick to the surface. Roll dough onto a rolling pin for easy placement on a baking sheet, then roll it off the rolling pin onto the baking sheet.
Starting from the center of the crust, place the tomatoes going round in a circle until all the tomatoes are used. Leave a 3-inch space around the edges. Place small portions of the goat cheese, about 1 teaspoon, over the tomatoes through-out the galette.
Fold the 3-inch “lip” of the crust over the filling allowing it to fold in on itself where necessary to create a circle. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 350° and bake another 20 minutes. Remove galette from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.
