Gorgeous tart of fresh figs, goat/ricotta cheeses, honey, and proscuitto, all presented on a puff pastry sheet. I know my limits better these days than in my youth, although some who know me may beg to differ. I’ve always liked to push myself as far as I could– both physically and mentally, and have learned best by my own mistakes. It’s something I’m hard-wired for, and changing that ...
Artichokes Filled with Citrus-Raisin Couscous
Cooked artichokes scooped out to hold warm Israeli couscous simmered in orange juice and tossed with olives, apricots, raisins and pinenuts. Today, I'm a guest blogger over at The Badger Girl Learns to Cook as part of a great Healthy Blogger Thursday series. I met Kimberley, aka Badger Girl, on #lovebloghop, and have gotten to know her balanced style of cooking (and living) through her wonderful recipes. Just as I'm mostly vegetarian, she's mostly vegan and mostly wheat-free. Each ...
Strawberry Salsa
Refreshing salsa of strawberries, sweet onion, chocolate nibs, mint and a little lime juice - perfect with chevre and crackers. I thought I’d share some fun strawberry factoids today that you can toss around at your next cocktail party since this recipe is ALL about strawberries, and they’re quickly coming into season now in many parts of the country. The botanical name for strawberry is fragaria, which means fragrance. Fitting, don't you think? Strawberries belong to the rose family. ...
Spring Asparagus Quiche
Comforting quiche replacing heavy cream with ricotta cheese, plus asparagus, chives and chevre in a buttery crust. As each season rolls around, I wrap it around me like a blanket, thinking: ‘this is my favorite season’. Summer with overflowing abundance and sunshine. Fall with the smell of harvest in the air, a promise fulfilled. Winter, a time to pull back and quietly replenish. And now spring. From the unfurling of tender new leaves on stiff branches, to daffodils ...
Orange Ricotta Crepes & Kumquat Compote
Orange flavored dessert crepes filled with ricotta and cream cheese, topped with a candied kumquat compote, Lillet, and honey. When I was in school a few years ago, one of my favorite desserts that took me completely by surprise was a ricotta pie topped with a tangle of candied kumquats. It was that perfect balance of sweet and well, not so sweet, for me. So when I taught a class on making crepes last winter for the local Community College, I decided ...
Yosemite with Suzanne Goin: Young Broccoli with Burrata
Suzanne Goin's broccolini with burrata from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. If you've never attended the Chefs' Holidays® events hosted by The Ahwahnee® Hotel every winter, there's still time for 2012. It is the perfect little vacation after the madness of the holidays. The Ahwahnee is a magical place situated in the heart of Yosemite Valley, surrounded by the natural majesty of Half Dome and ...
Winter Citrus Salad & Maple Vinaigrette
Showcase colorful blood oranges and Satsuma tangerines in this easy, healthy winter salad dressed in a maple-orange juice vinaigrette. Swing by any market this month, and you'll find a startling variety of colorful, Rubenesque - plump oranges at their peak; heavy with natural juices, and sweet enough for a healthy, satisfying dessert . Here in California, we're lucky to have such a broad variety of oranges grown locally or nearby; so many kinds, in ...
Spicy Kale Chips
Healthy, delicious snack of spicy kale leaves baked until crisp. I hit a carb wall over the weekend. Not that I don’t love all the cake, cookies, candy, and scones I've been gorging on mind you. I can make a breakfast out of a swirl of warm cinnamon rolls draped with icing as eagerly as Paula Deen. But after a long weekend of traveling back east for a beautiful family wedding, I found ...
Pear-Rosemary Pâte de Fruit Jewels
Pâte de fruit candy jewels from rosemary infused pear juice. This past weekend, a group of 20+ of us gathered for a potluck at the lovely home of Lynda of TasteFood to celebrate the release of a cookbook featuring a number of us with our winning recipes. We’ve all competed against each other in recipe development contests on Food52 over the last 2 years, and have slowly evolved into a very ...
