Fresh Apricot & Tarragon Scones

by Sarah Posted on June 12, 2013

Apricot Tarragon Scones

This spring, as soon as fresh apricots made an appearance at the grocery store, I made a salad with them and the first sprigs of tarragon from my garden.  The combination was good, day-dreamy good, and my mind wandered to familiar territory: butter, baking, and scones.

Do you remember a few weeks back when I shared an apricot and strawberry cobbler with you?  I told you how the apricots had actually been meant for a batch of scones but (because life happens) they wound up in a cobbler instead.  Don’t get me wrong, that cobbler was outstanding and if you haven’t tried it yet, or at least tried the combination of apricots and strawberries, you should.  Now.

Just because those apricots became a cobbler doesn’t mean I gave up on my dream of fresh apricot scones.  I finally got to them and they were as good in my real world as they were in my day-dreamy fantasy world.  Buttery baked goods and ripe stone fruits are always a winning combination in my book (uh, peach pie anyone?) and the presence of tarragon adds an air of intrigue.

Continue reading →

Posted in baked goods, bread, breakfast, dessert, spring, summer | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grilled Pork Chops with Rhubarb & Fig Compote

by Sarah Posted on June 4, 2013

Grilled Pork Chops with Rhubarb Fig CompoteGrilled Pork Chops with Rhubarb Fig Compote

This was an idea that started as a salad, grew butterfly wings, and transformed into something magical.

On the first go around, the idea was very vague–”hmm…pork would taste good with rhubarb and dried fruit”.  I pounded out  pieces of pork tenderloin, gave them a quick sear, and topped them with an arugula salad dressed with a rhubarb vinaigrette and a smattering of dried figs and pecans.  The flavors were good but it just didn’t pack as much punch as I’d imagined.  I wanted amazing, not meh.

Thankfully, I spotted a recipe on another food website that made me decide to give these ingredients a second shot together.  It was lamb chops with rhubarb-raisin agrodoloce.  Excellent, it was basically the flavors I had imagined working so well together made into a dish that made more sense.  I combined my ingredients list with the method used in the recipe and came out with a winner.  Meh?  No way!  I got the “amazing” I’d been after.

Continue reading →

Posted in dinner, side dish, spring, summer | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Orecchiette Pasta with Shiitake Mushrooms & Peas

by Sarah Posted on May 31, 2013

Orecchiette Pasta with Shiitake Mushrooms & Peas
This time of year, I always feel like I am just gasping for air, struggling to stay caught up, and trying to remember where I’m supposed to be and when.  And if you have kids, whew…I don’t, but I remember being one and this time of year was even crazier back then with all of the end of the school year stuff.

Somewhere in there, between the string of weddings and graduations and band concerts, you’ve got to find time to eat.  Just because we’re all busy doesn’t mean we want to compromise on flavor or trade a satisfying meal for garbage picked up in a drive-through.  Pasta dishes like this one are perfect endings to crazy days.  The orecchiette is dressed with a touch of Mascarpone so it feels a bit indulgent and completely comforting.  Nearly every piece of orecchiette cups a pea and there are plenty of sautéed mushrooms to keep that feeling of indulgence from transforming to guilt.  Best part?  It’s ready in the amount of time it takes to boil the pasta.  Nice.

Continue reading →

Posted in dinner, fall, lunch, spring, summer, winter | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Salmon with Morel Mushroom & Brandy Cream + Chicken & Morel Mushroom Fricassée

by Sarah Posted on May 29, 2013

The past week has been very mushroomy in my world.  It started with creamy orecchiette pasta with shiitake mushrooms and peas (look for that a little later this week!) and ended with an absurd amount of morel mushrooms served with salmon one night and in a chicken fricassée the next.

I only say absurd because if one were to buy as many morels as I’ve eaten in the past few days, they’d probably have to take out a second mortgage or sell a vital organ.  I priced them at the grocery store and they were $15.99 for 4 shrively mushrooms.  Yikes.  Thankfully, I’m lucky enough to have (future) in-laws that live on several wooded acres that are ripe with morel mushrooms most springs and a fiancé that loves hunting ‘em down.  This year, Matt wound up with enough for us to have 2 very mushroom heavy dinners plus a bag to share with my parents.  Here’ s a taste of what we came up with and, perhaps, a little cooking inspiration, should you also come into a heap of morels this spring.

Continue reading →

Posted in dinner, spring | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Strawberry Apricot Cobbler

by Sarah Posted on May 24, 2013

Strawberry Apricot Cobbler

We’ve gotten to know each other well enough that I feel I can be completely honest with you.  Want a dose of full-disclosure truthfulness?

I don’t dream in chocolate.  You’re probably never going to find a brownie archive on my site.  Sure, I’ll choke down a chocolate chip cookie from time to time and I’m not above eating nutella by the spoonful, but a really good fresh fruit cobbler or pie is the kind of dessert that actually makes me weak in the knees.

Here’s a good one: warm, just-sweet-enough baked apricots and strawberries, with a rich biscuit topping, dolloped with a spoonful of whipped cream.  Ahhhh…it was my first cobbler of the season and I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed it.  Over the winter, you forget just how good ripe stone fruits and berries are.  Then you encounter a display of fruit you haven’t seen in almost a year, throw together a cobbler, and quickly remember.

This whole cobbler was sort of an accident.  I had thought the apricots were destined for Saturday morning scones, but Saturday morning turned into Saturday afternoon, turned into Sunday evening, turned into OMG–I better do something with these apricots before it’s too late.  I snapped into action and turned them into dessert.

Continue reading →

Posted in baked goods, dessert, spring, summer | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tuna & Asparagus Salade Niçoise

by Sarah Posted on May 21, 2013

Tuna & Asparagus Niçoise Salad

This month marks 15 years for me in the restaurant biz.  I doubt when I donned my apron and punched my time card for the first time my 14-year-old self would have ever imagined what the future would hold: all of the customers that would make me want to scream, all of the co-workers that would make me want to tear my hair out, all of the late nights, all of the dirty fingernails, and all the dang Niçoise salads.

15 years split between working for a Frenchman and some serious Francophiles, I’ve served more Niçoise salads than I dare estimate.  You’d think I’d be sick of the very sight them, but, shockingly, I’m not. There’s something so satisfying about looking at such a beautiful and abundant plate that when I came into a couple of beautiful tuna steaks over the weekend, I immediately knew I would use them to make the Rolls Royce of Niçoise salads.

Continue reading →

Posted in dinner, healthy, lunch, salad, spring, summer | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Braised Baby Artichokes with Creamy Polenta

by Sarah Posted on May 17, 2013

Braised Baby Artichokes with Creamy PolentaWhen the calendar turns to spring, my mind wanders from braising to grilling and I tend to stop day-dreaming about polenta all together.  But after this dinner, I think that’s going to change.

Spring evenings are actually an ideal time for a bowl of not too heavy polenta with saucy, braised artichokes.  The weather’s nice enough to eat outside, but come dusk, the air gets a bit brisk and a warm bowl of polenta is just what you need to remain al fresco.

Or scratch that theory.  How’s this for the perfect spring braising/polenta scenario?  Lunch on an incredibly gloomy, gray, drizzly Saturday afternoon.  It’s the kind of day when you eat lunch at the kitchen table and it ends up lasting for hours.  You light a candle, sip red wine, and let yourself become hypnotized by the pitter-patter of falling rain.  Dessert after a lunch like this?  Only the most decadent thing imaginable–a nice long nap.

Whatever the circumstances, I can find a way to make this meal work and you should too.  It’s simple, delicious, and the flavors and textures are supremely comforting.  The artichokes aren’t fussed with much, just cooked in white wine with leeks and garlic, brightened up with a handful of parsley and a squeeze of lemon.  The polenta is kept soft and loose, with a spoonful of Mascarpone cheese added for a touch of richness.

Continue reading →

Posted in appetizer, dinner, lunch, side dish, spring | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Couscous Salad with Roasted Carrots, Mint & Olives

by Sarah Posted on May 15, 2013

Couscous Salad with Carrots, Mint & OlivesExcuse me for a moment while I shamelessly toot my own horn.

I’ve shared some pretty good food with you all in the last few months.  We’ve seen elaborate dishes like a caramelized fennel pork roulade, decadent gingersnap bread pudding, and painstakingly filled cauliflower ravioli.  You must think I always eat like a queen.

Well, I kind of do, but for every over-the-top concoction I share on the website, I make twice as many really easy, simple, big batch meals.  As much as I love to cook, I also love not having to cook.  When I work late and come home famished, sometimes all I want to do is walk through the front door, straight into the kitchen, and grab a bowl of something that’s all ready to go.

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you feel this way plenty of the time, too.  You want to eat well, you just don’t want to spend a lot of time working in the kitchen after you’ve already put in a full day elsewhere.  You don’t want to fuss, you just want to fill your belly, then kick your feet up and relax.

Making a big salad that will hold up well for a few days will let you do all that.  This couscous salad is packed with roasted carrots and onions, loaded with fresh mint, and jazzed up with olives and orange zest.  It’s supremely satisfying eaten straight out of the fridge on a giant serving spoon at midnight or beneath grilled lamb and eaten at a table like a civilized human.

Continue reading →

Posted in dinner, fall, healthy, lunch, salad, side dish, spring, summer, winter | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grilled Steak Salad with Italian Salsa Verde

by Sarah Posted on May 13, 2013

Grilled Steak Salad with Italian Salsa Verde

When you’re a kid,  spring and summer stretch out endlessly.  Each day is perfection, filled sunshine and free time.  But suddenly, you realize your childhood is long gone and perfect days like these have almost vanished with it.  I’m talking about days when the weather is gorgeous, there’s no where you absolutely have to be, and nothing you can’t put off doing until tomorrow.  When these gems of days (or even just an afternoon or evening) roll around, you’ve got to seize them–head to the backyard, grab a lawn chair, and fully soak up the perfection.

Now, obviously, we have to eat and days like this call for simplicity.  Delicious simplicity–nothing complicated and nothing that’s going to keep us standing in the kitchen when we should be kicking up our feet outside.  We want something inherently good, like a grilled steak.  We can dress it for perfection with a salsa verde that’ll be put together in less than 2 minutes.

Before we go on, I should remind you this an Italian salsa verde and not to be confused with a spicy Mexican green salsa.  No tomatillos or jalepeños, just a green sauce made with a bunch of fresh herbs, garlic, capers, and olive oil.  Think pesto with fewer rules.

Continue reading →

Posted in dinner, lunch, salad, spring, summer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Best-Ever No-Knead Pizza Dough

by Sarah Posted on May 10, 2013

No-Knead Pizza Dough

I’m the type of person who is, sometimes really annoyingly, resistant to change.  Even if it’s the kind of change that might enhance my everyday living, like trading in my old flip phone or upgrading my decade-old, leaky, stained $10 coffeemaker, I’ll insist that my old way is just fine.  So naturally, I never had much interest in trying Jim Lahey’s famous no-knead pizza dough recipe that has been sweeping the rest of the nation for the last couple of years.  What good was that for someone like me?  I like spending time in the kitchen, I like getting my hands dirty, and I like kneading my dough.

An unfortunate side effect of being resistant to change is the tendency to hoard.  My old magazines had finally stacked up to the point of bothering me, so I recently started weeding through old issues of Bon Appétit and came across the no-knead pizza dough recipe again.  Fine!  I gave in and decided to give this crust a shot.

Thank goodness I did–it’s amazing!  It’s like the pizza crust I seek out in restaurants, made at home, in my ordinary oven.  The center is thin and crisp, the edges chewy and bubbly.  Plus, if you make the full recipe, you can keep balls of dough in the freezer and have pizza whenever the mood strikes.  So daily.

Continue reading →

Posted in appetizer, baked goods, basics, bread, breakfast, dinner, fall, lunch, spring, summer, winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments