Apricot & Almond Torrone Morbido

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Almond Torrone with ApricotsLast week, I spotted a really simple recipe for torrone and even though I thought I wasn’t a fan of the Italian candy, I just had to give it a try.

Torrone, if you’re unfamiliar, is a shiny white nougat dotted with nuts and dried fruits that makes an appearance in every Italian shop and household at Christmas time.  I’m sure my brothers and sister remember it as that weird white candy our Italian relatives would faithfully send every year.  We’d dare each other to try it after we finished our more palatable peanut butter balls and cut-out cookies…in other words, it may be an acquired taste for some.

Well, it’s a taste that I’ve now acquired!  This likely has to do with the fact that this is a softer, chewier torrone; the torrone of my childhood was torrone “duro”, a very hard candy that would split into crunchy shards when cut.  Torrone “morbido” is a soft, chewy torrone.  It’s made with whipped egg whites and honey, cooked together until they’re thick and sticky, then flavored with whatever nuts and dried fruit you like.  

Interested?  You should give it a try!  I’ll walk you through the process.

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Braised Chicken Legs with Prunes, Brandy & Dijon

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Braised Chicken Legs with Prunes & Brandy

You should see my freezer.  Wait, no, I definitely do not want you to see the inside of my freezer.  

Something I find really funny about having a blog is that people assume if I can make what goes on top of the 3 foot wide table where I take my pictures look nice,  I must have this lovely, well-organized kitchen.  Hmm…let’s see…haven’t had doors on my cupboards in going on a month, I may or may not have a shelf that is covered in honey and dotted with quinoa and various dried legumes, and my ever-exploding freezer looks like some sort of disassembled chicken graveyard.  A backbone here, roasted carcass in a ziplock bag there, and a few livers in a plastic container over to the side.  

But yesterday, I got a little spare time to spend in the kitchen and felt like I should accomplish more than just dinner.  I couldn’t quite bring myself to scrape up the honey-quinoa-lentil disaster though.  And the cupboard doors?  Eh.  I could deal with the chicken.  

The backbone and carcasses were easy (chicken stock), but what to do with those couple of livers?  They were thrown in there with the intent of making pâté, but I was hoping to come up with a full dinner, not just a tiny batch of pâté.  So instead of hoarding chicken livers until I had enough for a proper sized batch, I borrowed some of the flavors I would have used and made braised chicken legs with prunes, brandy, liver, and Dijon mustard.  Success!  A delicious dinner plus a little space carved out in the freezer.

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Salmon with Warm Potato, Mushroom & Celery Salad

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Salmon with Warm Potato, Mushroom, and Celery SaladIt’s hard to determine the best thing this dish has going on.  It’s a great combination of rich salmon and crème fraîche, cut with a squeeze of lemon, and paired with a warm potato salad.  Mushrooms for earthiness, celery for crunch, and totally worthy of being accompanied by candles and wine.  Oh, and once you have the potatoes are boiling, you’re about 15 minutes away from dinner.  Nice.

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Cauliflower Steak with Currant & Black Olive Gremolata

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Cauliflower Steak with Black Olive and Currant Gremolata

It’s amazing how good something as simple as roasted cauliflower can taste after you’ve been relegated to ordering takeout or eating a can of chickpeas and calling it dinner a few nights in a row.

You see, last weekend, I bit off a big kitchen project.  I’m not talking about a fun kitchen project; there were no homemade ravioli, certainly no baked goods, rather hours upon hours of scrubbing, sanding, taping, painting, and, naturally, a few bouts of insanity.  When I finally got things (mostly) back together, I couldn’t bear the thought of making anything that might splatter my newly grease-free, freshly painted walls, so I took it easy on myself and made the restaurant and culinary magazine vegetarian darling du jour: cauliflower steaks. 

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Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Pickled Red Onion

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Fennel & Rosemary Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Brown Sugar Crust

Every season, it seems you get 1 magical day that’s the epitome of the particular season; a day you get to do exactly what you want, everything goes as planned, and things are just…right.  For me, that day came last Sunday and this pork roast had plenty to do with it.

So what makes a perfect fall day?  For me, I’d say crunching leaves while taking a meandering walk, stopping off for an impromtu cappuccino, fussing over dinner preparations, and enjoying a meal in good company.  I hope whatever you’re up to this weekend, you get to do one or more of these activities.  And if it’s dinner you choose, I am here to help!

It might not be much to look at, but I’m convinced slow roasted pork shoulder is one of life’s greatest pleasures.  This one was particularly good, rubbed with rosemary and fennel, basted with apple cider, and finished with a dark brown sugar crust.  I served it over creamy polenta with pickled red onions and apples and it wound up being the fall dinner I’ll think back on when I envision ideal autumn eating .

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