The Importance of Ingredients, Plus Some Pie

If you have farms in your area and a car, I highly recommend getting something, even if it’s not immediately edible like apples. If you can get basil, it will make anything you eat taste better, though you might want to keep it off your cake . It’s been said before, but the most important part of any dish is the ingredients. Good ingredients are healthier and better tasting, and if you buy them locally you’re supporting your local farmers.
Caprese is a great example of the importance of ingredients. It is one of the most basic dishes you can make: sliced tomatoes layered with sliced mozzarella cheese topped with basil leaves. But it’s easy to do it badly; because it’s so simple, the ingredients will make or break the dish. My ideal is mozzarella di bufala (mozzarella made with buffalo milk), local organic heirloom tomatoes, and fresh organic basil. If you can get any of these without breaking the bank, do so. It will show you more than anything I can write that every dish starts before cooking even begins, with the ingredients.

I visited a local orchard today and picked a nice selection of apples; unfortunately I didn’t get more since they were $2/lb. Sadly no honeycrisp apples, but I did get some nice Jonagolds, as well as some Asian pears:

Pictures of pies after the jump.