BRATTLEBORO — July is the very definition of “high summer,” that time of year when the green is just at its lush peak, the veeries are in full song, and life is wonderful. We have had lots of very hot weather and lots of rain. Tomatoes are happy. Beans are ecstatic. Garlic is in heaven.
I love garlic. In years long past I grew it, but now my garden patch is small, my ambitions lean more toward the kitchen, and my home is near Lilac Ridge Farm, where garlic is gorgeous and abundant. In July, garlic becomes my obsession and my delight.
Garlic is a species of the onion genus, allium. Other common edible alliums are shallots, leeks, and chives.
Many gorgeous ornamental alliums can be grown in perennial gardens. Both edible and ornamental alliums grow from bulbs that produce scapes, or flower stems.
In the case of ornamentals, these scapes are the most important part. In the case of garlic, the scapes [The Commons, May 18] don't count as much as the bulb and actually must be cut off for the bulb - the bulb that we call garlic - to thrive.
There are two main types of garlic: hard-neck and soft-neck.
And yes, that's the difference: hard-neck garlic does have a hard neck. Its bulb is characterized by individual cloves growing around this rather hard center stalk. Hard-neck garlic is the variety that produces those exquisitely sensual scapes that are still available at the farmers' market.
Soft-neck garlic produces a scape that droops and a bulb with larger cloves on the outside and smaller, irregularly shaped ones closer to the middle. Soft-neck garlic in the one that is braided into long chains.
Elephant garlic is not true garlic, but closer to the leek species. I also think it has almost no garlic flavor and a texture that more closely resembles mashed potatoes.
The entire Allium genus has more than 400 varieties but within the edible garlic variety there are five main types of hard-neck and three of soft-neck. Within those types, more than 600 sub-varieties grow all over the world.
The garlic I buy this time of year at Lilac Ridge is not yet cured, or dried. It is the fully grown version of the green garlic one finds at the market in May.
Garlic can actually be harvested three times: in its scallion-like youth in the spring, in its adolescent scape stage, and starting in mid-July as a grown-up fully formed bulb.
Amanda Thurber grows hard-neck garlic, and one buys it with the entire stem still attached, unlike the lopped-off heads you find at the store. The neck of hard-neck garlic is very hard indeed, and I urge you to be careful when cutting it off!
Once you have the bulb free, you need to separate the cloves. I usually trim off a thin slice on the root end, which exposes the cloves nicely. The dry, papery covering that we peel from dried garlic is sturdier and more uniform in young bulbs.
First, I break down the bulb into individual cloves. I take a small knife and make a slice through the covering, then peel it off in strips with my fingers until the beautiful, moist, and flavorful clove is fully undressed.
If I wish to age and store the garlic, I merely brush off the most obvious dirt and hang each stalk, bulbs not touching one another, in a dark, warm attic that has good circulation.
After three or four weeks, the stalk and the bulb should be dry and the outer covering hardened into a protective coat. I then cut off the stalk with sturdy garden pruners and store the bulbs in the cellar, where it is dark and cool.
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How to use this gorgeous stuff? We all have a bulb or two of garlic in the kitchen, and we mince it up with some onions at the start of most dishes. This is a centuries-old use of garlic, and a good one at that.
But I believe that garlic is too delicious an object to be relegated to the chorus.
Here are three classic, totally fabulous recipes that highlight garlic as the star of the kitchen, a role it fully deserves. Some of these you may already know, or at least recognize, but I urge you to try them all. They will make you another of garlic's adoring fans.
Aioli is nothing more than homemade mayonnaise with garlic. If you have never made your own mayonnaise, here is the reason to do it, and it is easy.
This stuff is one of the most delicious and versatile sauces you will find; it is as great on grilled fish, chicken, and vegetables as it is in sandwiches or potato salads.
Find a medium bowl that will fit snugly inside a larger pot lined with a dish towel, so you can whisk like crazy and the bowl will remain stable.
To make 1 cup, measure 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1 egg yolk into the medium bowl. Take 1 large clove of garlic and mince it well, then smash it into a paste. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the minced pieces and mash them with the flat side of a chef's knife, or use a mortar and pestle if you have one.
Add the garlic to the bowl. Whisk this mixture until well combined. Pour ¾ cup of neutral high-quality oil like grapeseed or safflower and ¼ cup of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil into a glass measure with a pourer.
Secure the bowl and begin whisking, drizzling a few drops of oil at a time into the mixture until it begins to get thick and emulsifies. Continue adding the oil, whisking vigorously until everything is smooth, yellow, and like mayonnaise! Add salt to taste.
Individual garlic custards may sound strange at first, but they are actually delicate, in part because the garlic is simmered in the milk until all its harshness has been transformed into sweetness. It's the same principle as steeping a vanilla bean when making dessert custard.
Young garlic is by its nature sweeter and works perfectly in this recipe. These custards are delicious eaten at room temperature, so you can make them in the morning and serve them with a grilled steak that evening.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, butter four 4-ounce ramekins, and place them in a baking dish. Add all the peeled cloves from one head of garlic to ¾ cup of whole milk and ¾ cup of heavy cream in a medium-heavy saucepan. Add a bay leaf and a sprig of fresh thyme.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook slowly, lowering the heat and covering the pan, until the garlic is completely soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Purée this mixture in the bowl of a food processor.
In a medium bowl, whisk 2 large eggs and 3 egg yolks with a dash of salt.
Strain the garlic mixture through a sieve directly into the eggs, and whisk to mix well. Divide this mixture evenly among the ramekins. Add enough very hot water to the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the custards are set but still a bit jiggly.
Remove the ramekins from the water, and cool on a rack. When ready to serve, run a sharp knife around the edges of each ramekin and boldly invert onto a plate.
The custard is creamy and rich, filled with the subtle yet pervasive flavor of garlic and a tiny hint of thyme. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some local chanterelle mushrooms this time of year, saute them in a few tablespoons of butter, spoon them over the custard, and dust with minced parsley. You will have created one the the great meals of July.
This last recipe for garlic soup is from Richard Olney's The French Menu Cookbook. Olney was a difficult, eccentric, wonderful man from Iowa who ended up living in France for decades, wandering his property in worn espadrilles and tattered shorts, wine glass ever in hand, creating some of the best food in the world.
Olney's garlic soup is a classic and should be made by everyone at least once before they join him in heaven's kitchen. This recipe will serve 4 to 6 people.
Bring a quart of water to a boil and add 1 bay leaf, 3 sage leaves, 1 spring of thyme, and 10 to 15 peeled and crudely crushed garlic cloves. Cook, covered, at a gentle boil for 40 minutes.
Strain this liquid into another saucepan and discard the herbs but push as much of the garlic as possible through the sieve into the liquid. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks, 1½ ounces of grated high-quality Parmesan cheese and some freshly ground pepper. Beat with a whisk until creamy.
Slowly pour in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil while continually whisking, then add a ladleful of the reserved garlic water, also while whisking. Pour this egg-and-cheese mixture into the remaining liquid in the saucepan and whisk over low to medium heat until slightly thickened - just enough to no longer be watery.
Ladle the result into soup bowls that have pieces of broken-up day-old bread in the bottom. It is truly incredible.
I recommend eating this soup outdoors on the deck or, better yet, at a long wooden table underneath some shady trees. A soft summer breeze, of course, the sounds of birds, the company of old friends, and lots of rosé would provide the perfect accompaniment.
With each delectable spoonful, think of how lucky we are to live here in a garden paradise of green where garlic grows to make this soup.
Don't forget your espadrilles.