A long drive in professional golf: (1) What she’s hoping for as she gazes down the fairway from the tee box, searching for that perfect landing spot; (2) The long stretch of road that often lies ahead after the weekend. When the tour was traveling …
Of all the highlights and “take-aways” from a week of Cooking at Home with Patricia Wells in Provence, the first thing I wanted to make after returning home was this fabulously refreshing fragrant rosemary infused sorbet. So delicious. So easy. Everyone around the table will …
We arrived late on a Friday night in Beaune, France, found a room at Hotel Le Cep, and a short walk up the cobble stone street led us to La Maison du Colombier Gastro-Bar and Gites Urbans. The outdoor seats are full but inside is cozy and buzzing with friends at bistro tables in the bar and down the steps into the cave like cellar, guests are nestled in corners on the low sofas enjoying exceptional food. The cute young German couple next to us order a baba au rhum – their anniversary trip rerouted to stay in Europe due to COVID travel restrictions. We order a charcuterie board, eggs poached in tangerine cream with caramelized onions and shaved truffles, and from the specials board, the butternut velouté with crème praline and cocoa. After we arrived home, I messaged chef Gauthier Laleure for the recipe. I made a few changes: roasted the butternut squash, used homemade chicken stock, added leeks and sautéed them with the onions in butter.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle sliced butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast 20 – 25 minutes (flipping halfway) until slightly browned.
In a large stock pot over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. Add the onions and leeks. Cook until soft and caramelized. Add diced apples and curry. Cook 5 minutes until apples brown.
Add roasted butternut squash, stock, and bouquet garni of sage, thyme and parsley and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
Remove bay leaves. Cool and purée in batches in a food processor. Add maple syrup.
Pour chilled heavy cream into a chilled mixing bowl and add the cocoa mix. Whip until soft peaks form.
Place a quenelle* of crème cocoa, a few roasted hazelnuts, a dusting of unsweetened cocoa and chopped chives, in the bottom of the bowl (or fried parsnips and a drizzle of barrel aged sherry). Pour the soup around the quenelle.
We head out through the German architecture influenced hotel courtyard the next morning for breakfast and then on to the Samedi marché. The cathedral bell chimes, a quartet clad in all white and flat top straw hats entertain the shoppers with the upbeat jazzy bluegrass sounds of horns and banjo, and the crowd of people with their baskets and push carts peruse the square filled with vendors displaying their fresh goods, looking for what they’ll take home to create their next meals.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring the meat and bones to room temperature and pat dry with a paper towel. Season flour with steak seasoning and lightly coat stew meat.** Heat a Dutch oven, add olive oil and butter. Sauté beef bones on all sides …
There are only 2 cucumber plants in the garden, however, they are producing almost more than we can eat, so I’m looking forward to exploring new ways to use them. Every day I marvel at the long reaching delicate tendrils that grasp and coil around …
The first time I planted Black Beauty eggplant, I thought she was the prettiest plant in the garden. Then, I grew her cousin, the fairy tale eggplant, and I thought she was the prettiest plant in the garden… with her petite purple and white stripes, tender creamy flesh, fewer seeds and delivering a less bitter taste.
Sometimes, when I have a beautiful vegetable, I want to keep it simple and enhance its natural flavor without any other competition: grilled eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper. Below, served with sautéed Sea Bass, peeled heirloom tomatoes, limas and a champagne vinaigrette. Remember, vinaigrette aren’t just for salad.
It’s also fun to incorporate flavors together for something extraordinary: a creamy roasted eggplant dressing – a recipe from my latest cookbook obsession – Yotam Ottolenghi’s Flavor.
Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.
Score the flesh, sprinkle with salt, and turn them upside down on a wire rack to rest for 10 minutes. The salt will extract the bitterness from the eggplant. Pat dry with paper towel. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with pepper. Roast in a pre heated 400 degree oven, flesh side up, for 35 – 40 minutes, or until nicely browned.
Remove and let cool. Scrape out the flesh and combine with all ingredients in a food processor and mix until creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use. Dizzle generously over salad ingredients.
To toast almonds: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place slivered almonds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 4-5 minutes or until golden. Set a timer and watch closely – they can easily burn. Use all your senses in the kitchen! You’ll smell their nutty aroma as they start to roast
A cast iron skillet. So important in the south, the coveted perfectly seasoned ones are passed down for generations, like the small one I have that reliably makes perfectly crisp golden cornbread every time. Today, however, you can purchase pre-seasoned ones with the hard work …
Rainbow carrots, vibrant green asparagus and purple cauliflower brighten up this winter plate. Add in some melt-in-your-mouth creamy parmesan risotto and you have a hearty meatless comfort meal. Roasted Winter Vegetables Ingredients On a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle asparagus and carrots with olive oil. …
The droopy headed purple, green and white hellebores, with their delicate necks and happily painted petals are filling up the side yard, and bright citrus in every form is demanding your attention at the market. Tiny little orange kumquats turn into this chewy tart sweet delight when cooked in a simple syrup. Pair them with a chocolate lava cake, top it with orange mascarpone cream, and pour over the cinnamon vanilla syrup from the poached petite fruit…WOW!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 4 ramekins.
Blend butter and sugar, slowly add eggs and then flour, cocoa and at the end the cream. Fill greased ramekins. Bake approximately 12 minutes. Run knife around the edges and invert onto a dessert plate.
Prick the kumquats all over with a toothpick. In a shallow pot, add water to cover and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let cool (about 30 minute) then drain. Repeat this step 2 more times. The fourth time, cover with 1 cup water. Add sugar, salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil and immediately lower to a simmer for 1 hour uncovered. Cool. Your kitchen will be filled with the sweet aroma of orange cinnamon vanilla.
The kumquats should be a translucent dark amber. Remove them from the syrup with a slotted spoon onto a cooling rack to drain. When completely cooled, roll them in sugar. Refrigerate the syrup.
In a stand mixer, whip mascarpone cheese and heavy cream until light and fluffy. Add sugar and cooled orange syrup. Refrigerate.
The cooking class was a short distance from the wine estate in a small Tuscan farmhouse kitchen. We were joined by a lovely jovial couple from Wales, in the pharmaceutical business, that had recently sold their chateau and vineyard in Bordeaux. As we’re all getting acquainted, the chef made his way over to me, and murmured in his rhythmic Italian accent, “I am sawray for whatd ‘appened tu you”. Looking nonplussed, I replied, “Pardon?” He continued, “you are de one, no? Wit de truffle ri-so-tto?” With a growing grin, I suddenly understood… “yes, yes, that was me!”
We’d had dinner the night before in the Michelin ristorante. It was a beautiful menu and I started out with the truffle risotto and a glass of Banfi Fontanelle Chardonnay, to be followed by the salt crusted turbot. The fragrant creamy risotto was piled high with truffles. Each bite melting in my mouth. When unexpectedly, the delectable third bite gave way to a hidden object, a metal object! Thankfully, there was no harm done, but what manifest itself from the risotto was a screw! As if that weren’t enough excitement for one meal, the branch like house-made breadsticks that reached high above the taper candles from their parmesan vase, caught fire.
The kitchen was shut down and a thorough investigative search done for the culprit! The mystery was solved – the guilty offender – the truffle shaver.
Case closed. Kitchen reopened. Molta bene, molta molta bene!
This chocolate lava cake recipe is from our cooking class. We made macerated strawberries and topped it with whipped cream and a light crunchy rice topping. I highly recommend the Castello Banfi vineyard estate, and don’t worry about the truffle shaver, I’m sure there will never be another loose screw in that kitchen!
Deep dark blood oranges, bright sweet meyer lemons, tart limes, the first appearance in the short season of young peppery water cress, juicy sumo oranges and earthy golden beets. It’s February and the colors and citrus flavors are spectacular! Bourbon Citrus Salmon 2 salmon fillets …
