I don’t want to brag and I don’t like throwing the word “perfect” around too much, especially when I’m talking about my own work, so let’s just call these Sarah’s “really, really good” roasted potatoes.
But you know what I’m thinking.
(They’re the best! Perfect! Spectacular! To-die-for! Amazing! Life-changing!)
This is my favorite way to roast potatoes and if it isn’t yours already, it might be very soon.
When 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.
Thanks for stopping by to help celebrate strawberryplum’s 1 month anniversary! I know a month is not long in the world of food blogging but in just a month I’ve learned an awful lot and I am anxious to continue sharing my cooking adventures and recipes. That’s worthy of a little celebration, wouldn’t you say?
Here’s a run-down of the top 10 most valuable lessons I’ve learned while blogging.
+ How to upload pictures without breaking the computer (Sorry, sweetie, I swear those days are behind us)
+ How to spell carAmelize (So tempting to leave out that second a)
+ What on earth a widget is (They’re these handy little apps you download to help organize the blog and hopefully make it easier for you to navigate)
+ That you really shouldn’t try to take pictures of food if you don’t have much time (Sorry again, sweetheart. Have I told you how nice you look today?)
+ Blogging about cooking and eating takes waaaaaay more time than the actual cooking and eating
+ “Just Enough” is not a real measurement and people will never bother with my recipes if I continuously call for pinches, bits, glugs, and splashes
+ How to turn certain phrases into links to lead readers around my blog and beyond
+ Writing can be really fun when you aren’t doing it for a professor or boss
+ Writing can be really difficult sometimes (Like when you’re a career server and haven’t written more than a casual email in the five years since you’ve been out of school…)
+ Family, friends, and Internet acquaintances are more encouraging and supportive than I ever thought possible (Thanks for the comments- I love reading them and knowing you’re out there!)
That’s enough to celebrate. I’ll grab the bubbly. Thanks for being here, for your advice, your encouragement. Here’s to 1 month and to many more. See you soon!
To be perfectly honest, kohlrabi is not a vegetable I have a lot of experience with. Sure, I’ve been seeing it at the farmer’s market for as long as I can remember, but its pale green, alien-ish appearance has always scared me away.
At some point, I had it in a restaurant and determined that’s its appearance is the only “weird” thing about it and its flavor couldn’t be more pedestrian–it tastes exactly like green cabbage you’ve been eating all your life. The advantage kohlrabi has over cabbage though is its intense crunch. When eaten raw, it’s amazingly crisp and refreshing, especially when paired with julienned apples and a zippy vinaigrette as it is in this slaw.
If you recall, I spent last fall on the hunt for an apple cake recipe to call my own. I tried a French apple cake and served it with caramel sauce; I made another that was packed with apples and loaded with an obscene amount of crumb topping. And this September, as soon as the stone fruits and berries gave way to apples at the grocery store, I picked up right where I left off in my quest for apple cake perfection. This year I was thinking walnuts and cinnamon, butter and maple.
My persistence is paying off–this cake’s a keeper. It’s a lightly spiced tube cake, with a moist, tender crumb. You hit an apple chunk in most bites, a walnut in every other. All of that goodness is sealed in with a maple and brown butter glaze that is the literal and figurative icing on the cake. It’s decadent but homey, easy yet impressive, and definitely a cake I’ll make over and over.