Get Thee To A Grocery

I've been trying to drum up some enthusiasm to post about this prior weekend's big Chicago event: the airshow. One weekend every August, all along the lakeshore just north of downtown, a pretty impressive collection of vintage and state-of-the art aircraft are demonstrated for masses of Chicagoans who collect at North Avenue Beach to watch not only the planes, but also such special goodies as hometown native Bill Murray making a parachute entrance (no kidding!) and a performance of the local band fronted by Steppenwolf Theater member (and CSI:NY lead), Gary Sinise. That's Lieutenant Dan to you.


But the truth is, I just couldn't get too enthusiastic about it. I didn't make it down to North Avenue Beach, and I was sort of infected by the local malaise that comes from the sound of constant jet screams disturbing the seemingly perfect summer skies.


I did have one cool encounter with the airshow. While driving KKagogo home from brunch on Saturday (Cafe Selmarie in Lincoln Square, scrambled egg whites, home fries, chocolate raspberry tart, yum), we were heading east, toward the lake, on Lawrence, when we heard one of those massive roars. I looked up directly in front of us to see a B-2 stealth bomber, making a turn to head back toward the crowds. Just as it crossed Lawrence, it banked away from us, from full massive bat-winged profile to the littlest sliver of a line in the sky, then sped away. Stealth, indeed.


So, multi-million dollar cutting edge military technology couldn't move me to write, but today, fruit did.


With the scooter, I've been taking smaller and more frequent shopping trips, which means I've been spending more time in various local groceries. I've also been more conscious of the quality of produce since visting the green market at Lincoln Park the weekend before last. I'm a food lover and amateur chef, so this is the kind of stuff that gets my attention. While at the green market, I had picked up some white peaches just to finish of my allocated $10 budget and they later proved to be the highlight of my carry-in lunches for the first two days of work last week. Subsequent shopping trips seconded the general quality of not only the peaches available, but also some eat-all-but-the-pits super-sweet nectarines. Add to that the beauty (and cheap prices) of late-summer strawberries and tomatoes, and it's a great time to be a fresh food lover.


When I first reformatted this blog, I said I was going to try to expand its content beyond resident tourism, but haven't been too successful so far. But moreso than any city exploration these past few weeks, I've been most excited about stuff like the great seasonal food I've been finding and a successful run at a classic french chicken stew.


Like it or not, you're about to get more flavor from Chiblogo.


Really, these white peaches are not to be missed. Run out to your local grocer and pick up a couple. They should have just a slight give under the skin, and, like most all ripe fruit, at least a little aroma when you sniff them. For best results, an additional 24 hours in a brown paper bag should bring them right about to perfect.


My favorite way to enjoy them is sliced real thin, in a bowl, with a couple of quartered ripe strawberries. The white peaches have a clean, bright, subtle sweetness that pairs well with the more broad sweetness of the strawberries. To really deepen the flavor, drizzle lightly with a good quality balsamic vinegar and just a little honey, then give a toss. I say load up now, it's the perfect way to end what has been a beautiful summer with a minimum of missed-opportunity regrets.