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Caesar Salad With Shitake Mushrooms and Friday’s Favorites!

MontDauphin


This is the time of year when my family would usually travel a few hours to settle in the Alps for the summer and enjoy cooler temperatures and lots of hiking in the gorgeous of Les Alpes De Haute Provence.

These days, everytime I look at our pine trees and feel a whiff of a cool breeze, I just can’t help but smile wide and feel energized. I think about all the wonderful picnics, lunches on the graveled terrace and lots of hours spend at the community pool.

It was a time to spend with my mother hovering over her cooking magazine and cookbooks and pick dishes we would do together or techniques she thought I was ready for. This was my kind of summer school. We’d bookmark recipes, crafts, articles, discoveries.

Guillestre


Like many of you I use Pinterest, notepads, bookmarks, and lots of other devices to keep track of my favorite links. I have enjoyed doing a little round up last week and from the feedback I got, you guys enjoyed it too so I have decided to make this a weekly thing.

So…here what caught my eye this past week. Have a wonderful weekend!

~ This travel post on Helsinki by Pure Vegetarian by Lakshmi
~ Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream on Bliss With Tina Jeffers.
~ Roasted Baby Artichokes from Nicole Franzen at la Buena Vida.
~ Super refreshing Grapefruit, Fennel and Grilled Shrimp Salad by Camille Styles.
~ My life motto: The Holstee Manisfesto.
~ Sour Cherry Cooler by The Best Remedy.
~ I don’t wear lots of jewelry, but I’d wear anything my friend Angela makes, at Angela Hall Designs.
~ And because I have been drooling over it all week, this Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie, by my favorite food stylist and friend, Tami at Running With Tweezers.

– I am also adding one of my favorite salad this week, a Caesar Salad and Shitake Mushroom Salad I shot for Food & Wine Magazine. Recipe after the jump.

Caesar Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms



Caesar Salad With Shitake Mushrooms, with permission of Food & Wine Magazine:

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup cubed gluten free baguette (or your favorite bread, gluten free or not) (1-inch cubes)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 hard-cooked eggs
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste (or 2 anchovies, mashed with a fork)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 small heads romaine lettuce (about 1 pound each), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips

Directions:
– In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the cubed bread, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to coat the bread with the oil. Sauté the bread until crisp and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half the garlic. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
– In the same pan, heat the cooking oil over moderately high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add half the remaining garlic and the parsley and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Add the mushrooms to the croutons.
– Put the eggs, vinegar, anchovy paste, and the remaining garlic, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 5 tablespoons olive oil in a blender or food processor and whir until smooth. Add the lettuce to the mushrooms and croutons, sprinkle with Parmesan, and then add the dressing. Toss to coat.

Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches & Portuguese White Gazpacho

Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches


Starting this post with a little housekeeping note: one spot came available my workshop/retreat in Northern Ireland, July 19th – 23rd (details here) If you are interested, please email or call the Belle-Isle Cookery School where the workshop and retreat will be hosted, here.

Speaking of that workshop in Northern Ireland, we are finalizing the schedule of lessons, shoots, cooking and fun and I am getting so excited I can’t stop smiling all day! Really can’t wait to be there and meet everyone. I am also still pinching myself that I can do this with Bill and we are taking a few days before to explore both Scotland and Northern Ireland where is ancestors are from.

Tomato Heaven


We travel well together. We have a way of dividing planning tasks without even saying it. From the first time we crossed the English Channel on a super long, chaotic and loud ferry route, we knew we could travel together without wanting to throttle each other. He’s really the best companion.

I am realizing this post is turning into a public Thank You note to my husband….but he deserves it. For everytime I have been able to spend an hour geeking out on the photos for a post or taken another more time to write and edit recipes and words – he’s been behind me, supportive of this blog, intended at first to be nothing more than a fun creative outlet.

Portuguese White Gazpacho


That fun creative outlet turned out into a fun and amazingly rewarding life, creating stories through images. And he’s been my rock throughout the process. While my mom was complaining I was "still on the internet", he would gently tell her "give it a bit more time, she’s got a plan."

Did I? Have a plan? No, not really. My guts were telling me there was something there. My creative self was telling me not to let go. So I pushed through. With Bill by my side, never complaining. Many times a day I feel the urge to tell him thank you for this gift. I pick up the phone and send a text. A smiley face, a one liner. An extra hug. Something. Anything that shows him that I am mindful of what he’s doing.

Ingredients For Portuguese White Gazpacho


To tell my husband "thank you" for his awesomeness, I know that the simple act of putting a nice lunch together will say just that. We never eat lunch together so when Summer rolls around, it’s a bit of a treat. Taking a few extra minutes to pack up a nice picnic and a bottle of cold lemonade to head out to the dock or the bench in the backyard is one way for me to say "I notice what you do".

From the first years that I moved to the US, I have always loved the idea of the "Sandwich and Soup" lunch combo one can find at restaurant. I’ve loved seeing how different years bring different favorites, from the elaborate "Salmon BLT and Vichyssoise" combo to the classic "Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup" one. Each chef, restaurant, region and era putting its own spin on it.

Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches


One of my favorite salade is Salade Nicoise, one of my favorite sandwiches is a Pan Bagnat and one of my favorite soup is gazpacho. I finally combined them all in one of our favorite picnic fares to date: Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches and Portuguese White Gazpacho.

The sandwiches are pretty straightforward, combining all the ingredients of a Salade Nicoise; tuna, oilves, green beans, eggs, tomatoes into a sandwich that needs to be made the night before, such as the Pan Bagnat, so that the bread can get all soft inside and the flavors meld together inside.

The gazpacho has been made three times since I made it first thing last week when I came back from New Hampshire. We just can’t get enough. A creamy blend of almonds, cucumber, fennel, oregano and garlic. If a soup ought to be called "sensual", it would be it. It made my toes curl. Which is always a pretty good indication I am happy… Thank you David Leite, author of The New Portuguese Table, for the recipe!

For dessert, the first cherries from our neighbors tree. A nice picnic indeed…
Sorry for the so-so polaroid, was in a hurry to eat them!

Cherries


Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches:

Makes 4 large sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 cup French green beans
4 large eggs
2 cans tuna in oil, drained, coarsely flaked
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup small black olives, pitted
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup torn and loosely packed basil leaves (no need to chop fine, just use your fingers)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 anchovy fillets, finely crushed with back of fork
1 garlic clove, minced
1 baguette (regular or gluten free)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and blanch the green beans in it for about 3 minutes. Drain them in a colander and place them in a bowl full of ice until they are completely cold. Drain again well and reserve. The goal is to cook the green beans just enough to remove the raw taste of their uncooked selves but still keep the vibrant color and nice crunch of their barely cooked selves.

Bring another large pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs to the boiling water, cook for 6 minutes (soft yolks). Remove them from the water and run them under cold water until they are cooled enough to peel. Once peeled, coarsely chop them up and add them to the green beans.

Add the tuna, tomatoes, olives, shallot and basil. Toss well to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, anchovy and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour this vinaigrette over the green bean and eggs. Toss well until everything is nicely seasoned with the vinaigrette.

Cut the baguette in half horizontally and spread the Salade Nicoise all along its bottom part. Wrap with a layer of parchment paper and then a layer of foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. The next day, cut the baguette into 4 pieces and serve.

***********************************************************************************

Portuguese White Gazpacho:
I am not reposting the recipe here since I made it ad verbatim from David’s site, Leite’s Culinaria.
I skipped the crab salad included in the recipe but I have no doubt it was as good as the gazpacho.
I used gluten free leftover bread that was going a bit stale but feel free to use regular bread.

**Mortar & Pestle from Le Creuset.

Scrambled Egg Tartines With Parsley & Garlic Mushrooms

Scrambled Egg Tartines


Hello everyone! I am on A Cup Of Jo today, sharing my favorite breakfast and recipe for Scrambled Eggs Tartines!

Thank you Joanna for having me again. It was a lot of fun to be participating in this series!

You can catch up on the first recipe I contributed, Roasted Tomato Soup With Parmesan Croutons, here.

Scrambled Egg Tartines


These tartines? They just feature my favorite way to eat mushrooms and eggs together. With plenty of parsley and garlic. Tender soft scrambled eggs and buttery warm toasts.

I am curious. What is your favorite way to eat eggs? I like scrambled but I prefer poached eggs to tell you the truth. You?

UPDATE: I have been told that due to a family emergency, one person had to cancel their spot in my workshop/retreat in Northern Ireland, July 19th – 23rd. If you want it, please email or call the Belle-Isle Cookery School where the workshop and retreat will be hosted, here.

Scrambled Egg Tartines



Saturday Scrambled Eggs With Parsley & Garlic Mushrooms

Serves 2

Ingredients:
For the mushrooms:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup mushrooms of your choice (we like shitake or chanterelles, but any earthy mushroom will do), chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

For the eggs:
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon olive oil or butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Remaining ingredient:
Fresh or toasted bread

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the mushrooms, with the garlic, until the mushrooms are just beginning to soften. Remove from heat, add the parsley and toss with a wooden spoon. Make sure not to burn the garlic or it will become really bitter.

Crack the eggs over a medium bowl and scramble them a few times with a fork. Mix in the crème fraiche (or sour cream). Season with salt and pepper. In a smaller sauté pan, heat the olive oil (or butter) over medium heat, add the scrambled eggs and gently stir them with a wooden spoon as they cook. You can decide to cook them until dry but we like them a bit soft and runny.

Serve the scrambled eggs over fresh or toasted bread and spoon a generous amount of sautéed mushrooms over each toast. Enjoy!

Squash Blossom Quiche With Feta & Basil

Squash Blossom Quiche

My voice is raspy. My eyelids are heavy. My clothes are still in a pile by my bed. And I still have to find my slippers. Yet, my heart is full, my memories wonderful and my mind is a big mumble jumble of pressure drop, happiness and everything that is good and wonderful.

Squash Blossoms

Clare and I held our first 3 day workshop together this passed weekend and I still have to process it all. To say we had a great time would not do it justice. We met one of the most wonderful group of women we had had the chance to instruct in everything food photography related. One word that I have used so far to describe the workshop and this weekend is "generosity". I will go back to that when I post more about the workshop in the next couple of days.

Eggs

As I mentioned, I still have to process the emotions and thoughts of this weekend. All wonderful. All making me completely aware that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. What I have set out to do and giving it my all everyday. Food photography allowed me to become my own. It is my responsibility to nurture that path.

Squash Blossoms

For Clare and myself, the workshop was both a way to nurture the attendees' interest and skills in food photography as it was a way to offer them the time and the place to unwind and focus for a few days. Something we don’t always have the opportunity to do in the midst of careers, families, children, etc… We wanted to take care of them. We made them work. We made them laugh. We fed and wined them.

Squash Blossom Quiche

One of the lunches we prepared consisted of several salads and quiches. One of them was a variation on the one I am posting here today, a Squash Blossom Quiche with Feta and Basil. Unusual and completely tasty. Squash blossoms are in season here right now and every where at the farmers market these past couple of weeks. I can’t get enough of them. Simply chopped and tossed in salads. Slightly grilled and sprinkled with sea salt. Filled and pan fried until crisp. It’s a love affair I hate to see end in a few weeks when they will disappear from the stalls.

Watermelon Radishes Salad

Another love affair of mine lately is with radishes. Watermelon radishes, heirloom French radishes (Jaune D’or radishes), French breakfast radishes, early Scarlet, Sicilian reds, etc… Raw with a sprinkle of salt, roasted with a sprig of rosemary. Or simply dressed with a drizzle of pungent olive oil, celtic salt and freshly ground pepper. I bought many bunches to use during the workshop and they were the perfect peppery or spicy touch to the giant salads that accompanied all our dinners.

Radishes

Lowland Farms, Farmers Market

We are very lucky to have the folks at Lowland Farms grow as many interesting varieties of radishes, greens, kales, etc…with that much care and passion. A simple radish salad was the perfect buttery-peppery partner to the soft and delicate squash blossom quiche.

Watermelon Radishes

Time to unwind, get myself situated again and get ready for the busy weeks ahead. All by nurturing creativity and self with good food and good people…

Squash Blossom Quiche



Squash Blossom Quiche With Feta And Basil:

Serves 6 to 8 (I used a 9.5-inch round Le Creuset pie pan and had plenty for 8)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or same amount of Jeanne’s gluten free flour mix)
generous pinch sea salt or kosher salt
1 stick (115gr) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/4 cup ice cold water, or enough to just hold together the pastry
1 egg wash – yolk, pinch salt, splash water, blended together

For the filling:

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

8 to 10 squash blossoms

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a plastic blade, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the cold butter all at once. Pulse until the flour is the size of tiny peas. Drizzle the ice water through the mouth of the food processor, while pulsing. Stop just when the pastry begins to come together. Empty the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disk using your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This can be done up to 2-3 days in advance. You can of course, do the whole thing by hand.

Once the pastry has rested, preheat the oven to 350F. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/4″ thickness. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

In a food processor, pulse together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and basil leaves until the basil gives the filling a light green color. By hand, nutmeg and feta. Do not pulse but stir them in with a spoon. Pour at the bottom of the refrigerated pie crust and top with the squash blossoms in a circle all around the filling.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the quiche is golden brown. Let cool slightly before eating.

Creamy Polenta With Russian Kale & Shitake Mushrooms

Polenta With Russian Kale, Shitake Mushrooms

I just absolutely love this time of year. The temperatures may be higher than Spring feels like in other part of the world but we are still (and I insist on still) a few weeks away from scorching 100F (minimum) and 100% humidity (also a minimum). That means I can meander the farmers market without melting or rushing to get home once the milk and eggs find their way to my basket.

 

Russian Kale

Every Saturday that I am in town, from April to December you will find me right at opening hour at the market. I like to be able to talk to the vendors who have now become friends. Instead of "hey we’re back!" when the market opened again this season, it was hugs and stories shared all around. We had months to catch up on and lots of good news to share. New breeds for Jason at Meathouse. New lasagna and fresh pasta flavors for Brian at Rio Bertolini, new farmland for Ken and his crew. So proud to see so many young talents share their craft and passion with produce- intense people like me.

 

Shitake Mushrooms

They know my habits. I am not special. They know the habits of all their regulars. I am grateful for their enthusiasm and little extras they put in my basket once in a while. I love that they never mind my taking pictures as if they were about to disappear with their next breath. Charleston is lucky to have caring farmers and individuals. We are lucky to have this amount of gorgeousness so many months out of the year. I do my weekly shopping there and right now I am all about the greens, mushrooms and radishes. In a few weeks it will be heirloom tomatoes and squash that will be prominent.

 

Farmers' Market

Going with the rythm of the season is a treat. I am aware of it. If you have access to a farmers market or to a farm, make a trip there. There are fantastic passionate people working to get you the best produce possible. I like to honor them with photographs and still life shots. They make my work so much easy. Clients are always thrilled to see ingredients as fresh as these!

 

Polenta With Russian Kale, Shitake Mushrooms

It makes getting home after a long shoot and staring at the content of the fridge with a hungry stomach that much easier. I can look at the chalkboard pantry door and see what I can combine from both dry and fresh goods to make dinner. (Side note: when we built the house back in 2005, I took the pantry door off its hinges and painted it with a coat of chalkboard paint. It makes tracking one’s fridge and pantry content that much more efficient). Lately, I have renewed a love affair with soft and creamy polenta, topped with lots of greens and once in while with an egg or a few grilled shrimp. (season kick off here was a few weeks ago)

 

Shitake Mushrooms

Fresh, easy, quick and completely satisfying. I have to thank my mother for reminding me of the wonders of polenta. When they visited last and she was so sick the whole time, it was the only thing she could eat without being bothered much afterwards. Instead of making different meals for everyone, we would just make one big batch and partake. Months after, I still reach for the tin of polenta whenever I want something light, yet comforting.

Here is my favorite way to serve it at the moment: topped with sauteed Russian kale and shitake mushrooms, plenty of garlic and parsley and with a poached egg on top.

What is your favorite easy dinner to make?


Polenta With Russian Kale, Shitake Mushrooms & Poached Egg



Creamy Polenta with Russian Kale Shitake Mushrooms (with option to be topped with a poached egg):

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

For the kale and mushroom mix:

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 cups cleaned and roughly chopped Russian kale

1/2 pound fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup water or vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

For the polenta:

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup fine grain yellow polenta

dash of freshly ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

For the poached egg (optional) (but oh so tasty!)

I find that Elise’s post about poached eggs is the best one to date. You can check it out here.

Directions:

Start by preparing the kale and mushroom mix.

Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium high. Add the kale and mushrooms and sauteed for about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock (or water), salt and pepper, cook for another minute and remove from the heat. Let cool while you prepare the polenta.

In large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and polenta at once and stir quickly with a whisk or wooden spoon to prevent the polenta from clumping. Add the nutmeg. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the polenta cook, uncovered for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Check the seasoning once again.

Divide into four portions, top with the kale and mushroom mix, adding a few tablespoons of the juice as you go along and top with a poached egg if desired.

Fig, Gorgonzola & Honey Tartines

Fig & Gorgonzola Tartines _ © Helene Dujardin 2012


I just sat down with a tartine and a glass of wine and thought out loud "I wish I could just take the weekend off and smell the roses". To which my husband sent me an inquisitive look similar to asking "really? you would?!" Ah! No. He got me there. I don’t wish that at all. Even in the craziest of times when everything comes together in one giant "ca passe ou ca casse" bawoop, I still would not change anything.

Figs


Being able to shoot for awesome and kind clients is pure heaven. I beam. I constantly beam inside. I jump up and down in my head more times than humanly right. Creating is the best drug ever. Being able to do a job that allows you to constantly push your own limits, be diverse, work with a client’s vision and be in contact with amazing creative minds is just…{imagine jumping up and down in your head}.

Fig & Gorgonzola Tartines


One perk of the job that my husband really appreciates is the leftovers from a day spent at the studio shooting lots of recipes. I also send my assistants home with care packages and figure out ways to recycle leftovers the next day’s work lunch. There are days however when I have stared long enough in the eyes of a whole fish to want it for dinner. When a plate of ribs has been mulled so many times over that I don’t even want to look at it. I save, package, label and store.

Fig & Gorgonzola Tartines _ © Helene Dujardin 2012


Fig & Gorgonzola Tartines _ © Helene Dujardin 2012


There will be a time when the craving for that coconut and butternut squash soup will come back. But when it does not, I scavenge some goods from the day’s shoot and make a "nibble plate". My pups by my side and my feet up on the ottoman. More times than not, I end up scrambling together some tasty tartines and a side salad that Bill and I can share. I am never without an appetite but I appreciate the simplicity of a light dinner and a minute of silence.

Last week was no different when I found myself putting together the leftover of a shoot for some a pre-dinner tartines while noodling on social media for a minute. I thought we would have a couple each, a glass of wine and chill while I’d tackle dinner. Well, dinner never happened but a few savory sweet tartines surely did. Piled with gorgonzola, figs, a sprinkle of thyme and broiled just until the cheese would start melting. Some honey drizzled on top, a dash of pepper and we were in business.

Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Fig & Gorgonzola Tartines _ © Helene Dujardin 2012



Fig, Gorgonzola and Honey Tartines:

Makes 8 tartines.

Note: for the gluten free baguette try this recipe. Anything my friend Jeanne Sauvage at Art Of Gluten Free Baking makes gluten free is AWESOME. She is the GF baking expert in my opinion. Her Gluten Free Baking For The Holidays cookbook is coming out this Fall and I can’t wait!

Ingredients:
8 slices of bread (your choice – I went for gluten free baguette)
1/2 cup (4 oz) crumbled gorgonzola
8 figs, halved
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Turn the oven to the broiler setting or 400F (my broiler has a tendency to start the fire alarm in the room so I usually turn the oven on its highest baking setting)

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the slices of bread in the pan. Top each slice with about a tablespoon of gogonzola. Top with two fig halves. Sprinkle a little thyme. Repeat for the remaining tartines. Salt and pepper to taste.
Bake or broil until the cheese starts to melt. Remove from the oven and drizzle each tartine with about a teaspoon of honey.
Serve at room temperature.

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisps – Spring In A Cup!

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisp


We have been stocking on the bounty of Spring produce left and right lately. Strawberries, peas, rhubarb, ronde de Nice, baby Vidalias, etc… The farmers market is in full swing and my mind is buzzing with photographs to take of all this beauty.

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisp


It was torture however these past two weeks to cook for two and only one could eat. Yes, I had mild complications from the tooth extraction and for two weeks I was barely able to finish a bowl of soup. I would make Bill a meal and send mine through the blender. Eating was problematic so I would set out a my soup and eat a few spoonfuls at a time throughout the day.

Rhubarb Still


Last Sunday I was finally able to eat my first solid meal. Little bites at a time. I have nothing against soups, I love them, and I became quite creative with mine but I am a chewer so it was getting old! Since we had friends coming over for dinner that Monday and my brain started going crazy happy on the meal planning!

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisp


I spent the day in the kitchen chopping, cooking, tasting, anticipating like a child the moment when we would all sit down and share a meal. A good meal. Imperfect, bountiful, mismatched, seasonal. With friends who made me laugh until I was about to burst.

Rhubarb & Strawberry


I had prepared dessert thinking we’d be too full for it but I had forgotten about the crew at the table. Gourmands, epicureans, bon vivants. They would not pass on dessert. Especially Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp. True Summer in a cup. I served them with a creme fraiche ice cream I must make again and blog about soon. Unfortunately there was none left for the photoshoot. That good.

We had the leftover crisps with a little heavy cream whisked just until it gets thick, no whipped and it was just as perfect. Every bit of sunshine on a spoon.

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisp



Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisps:

Makes enough for 6 to 8 depending on your ramekins

Ingredients:
For the topping:

1 cup sugar, divided (1/2 and 1/2)
1/2 cup all purpose flour or gluten free flour of your choice (I used millet flour here)
1/2 cup gluten free oats or quinoa flakes
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
zest of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

For the filling:
juice of one lemon
3 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons kirsch or brandy

Crème fraîche, thick cream or ice cream, to serve with (if desired)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle. Lightly butter the inside of 6-8 ramekins and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the sugar, flour, oats, brown sugar, lemon zest, salt and the cardamom. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until crumbly. Cover the cover and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
In a large bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice with the chopped rhubarb and strawberries. Add the cornstarch and liqueur and fold well with a wooden spatula.
Divide the fruit mixture in between the prepared ramekins. Divide the crisps topping equally over each portion. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the topping is browned. Top each crisp with a dollop of crème fraîche, thick cream of ice cream if desired.

Roasted Tomato Soup & Tomato Parmesan Croutons

Roasted Tomato Soup


One of the things I always try to have on hand is a batch of soup. Does not matter the kind, but there is always one in the freezer, or one in the refrigerator or one simmering on the stove. This is my cure for everything. From being homesick to missing tooth.

Tomatoes


The latter is me today. After a painful molar extraction yesterday, the only thing I wanted to eat last night was soup. Smooth tomato soup. I was too drugged up to even want to thaw the batch I had in the freezer so my dear honey brought me some home from the local eatery.

Roasted Tomato Parmesan Croutons


Today, in between two rounds of painkillers, I am putting this Roasted Tomato Soup on the stove. It is my drug of choice to nourish me while I can’t have solid foods and to calm down the sounds coming from my stomach. A girl’s got to eat and even beaten to a pulp, I will try to make something tasty.

I am really honored to be sharing this recipe with the reader of Joanna at Cup Of Jo today in her "Best Simple Recipes" series, here. I also wrote a bit of my long love story with soup for her readers.

Thank you Joanna for having me!

Roasted Tomato Soup



Roasted Tomato Soup With Tomato Parmesan Croutons
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh tomatoes
4 garlic cloves (skin on)
4 small Vidalia onions, cut in half (or 2 regular onions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
2-4 cups water (depending on how thin/thick you like your soup)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the tomato parmesan croutons:
8 to 12 large cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon grated parmesan
Fresh oregano to garnish

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Slice the tomatoes in halves and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Place the garlic cloves and onion halves on a separate baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Place both baking sheets in the oven and roast the vegetables until soft, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
Peel the skin off the garlic cloves and place with the rest of the vegetables, in a food processor. Add about 2 cups of water and puree until smooth. Add more water to reach your preferred consistency. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.

For the tomato parmesan croutons:
Turn your oven broiler on high.
Thinly slice the cherry tomatoes (I usually get 3 slices per tomato) and layer on a baking sheet line with parchment paper. Sprinkle evenly with the dried oregano and parmesan. Broil for about 1 minute or until the parmesan starts to get golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
To serve, place the soup in a large saucepan and re-heat quickly over medium heat right before serving. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the tomato parmesan croutons. Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato Galette & Feeling At Home

Heirloom Tomato Galette


I was going to start this by saying that I had not married into a typical Southern family but to tell you the truth, I can’t think of one typical Southern home. Here in the South you can be from the Lowcountry, the Midlands or the Mountains. Three different ways of life, three different Southern twang lingering after each word. Three different ways of seeing the sun shine bright and to make a tomato pie.

Homemade Ricotta


I married into a Southern family with history and well, more history. My family is nomad in comparison with a history of adaptation, made colorful by the people in it and the countries we come from. I married a guy with a keen ability to retain only the goodness of the past to move into the present. He understands that I will adapt both our traditions to keep connected to my family and call his, my home. The Lowcountry does feel like home to me now. I have embraced its food, its ingredients, the seasons (sort of) that bring picnics at the beach in December and ripe juicy tomatoes in March. And tomato pies.

Heirloom Tomato Galette


I had never had a tomato pie until I met my mother in law. Actually, I met the pie first. Bill brought it to a picnic date and I also fell in love with my future family that day. If she wanted to tie me up to South Carolina through its culinary traditions, she had me at "another slice honey?" Juicy tomato slices in a buttery crust, happily nested in a creamy filling with plenty of basil, garlic and topped with a generous handful of sharp cheddar.

Heirloom Tomato Galette


Nothing that my doctor would be thrilled about. Nothing that my brain, deeply anchored in its own culinary ways, could compute. Nothing that I would admit craving as soon as Spring rolls around. And yet, I could not control my will power and had another generous slice. I felt completely and utterly happy, satisfied and calm. Giddy from my brain to my toes. From a tomato pie. Alright…and from the man before me.

Heirloom Tomato Galette


That very same day, I vowed to do something my grandmother and mother had advised years before: never ever, under any circumstance try to replicate that pie. I had now entered the potential "it’s not quite like when my mom makes it" territory. I ain’t no fool…Instead I decided to create my own version. The one adapting ingredients we have here to flavors and tastes from back home. A different approach to the same theme. A Tomato galette with homemade ricotta and plenty of oregano. A drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Heirloom Tomato Galette



Heirloom Tomato Galette:

Serves 4 to 6:

Ingredients:
For the crust
:
1 1/4 cup Jeanne’s all purpose gluten free flour mix (or regular all purpose flour if not gluten free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
110 gr cold butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup icy cold water

For the ricotta filling:
1 cup ricotta (I use this recipe to make homemade ricotta)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

Topping:
3 to 4 heirloom tomatoes
1 tablespoon parmesan
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:
Prepare the crust:

In the bowl of a food processor, (or follow the same instructions if doing by hand), pulse together the flour, salt and oregano until incorporated. Add the butter and pulse until the butter resembles small peas and is evenly incorporated. Gradually, stream in the cold water until the flour just comes together. Turn the mixture out onto your work surface and form into a 2-inch thick, round disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or overnight) before rolling out.

Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.

Prepare the filling:
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Slice the tomatoes and spread them out on layers of paper towels to drain some of their moisture out while you roll out the pastry.

On a large surface area, well floured, roll out the pastry dough to a 10-inch circle, spread the ricotta filling but not all the way to the edge. Leave a 2-inch border of pastry all around. Layer the tomatoes on top. Gather the edges of the pastry dough, pleating as you go with your fingertips (don’t worry about being even – these are free form. Imperfections are wonderful anyways…). Sprinkle the tomatoes with parmesan. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, drizzle with the olive oil, some more oregano and serve.

Lemon, Chicken and Orzo Soup

Lemon, Chicken & Orzo Soup


It looks like the bout of bronchitis going around town has find a way to sneak into our house and beat me to pulp. Or at least it feels like it. I can’t complain though. We each get sick about once a year and thankfully not at the same time. That would be miserable for everyone around us…and we would drive each other crazy.

Meyer Lemons


While B. tends to crave fruits and juice when he is sick, I tune in to hot, energizing, shock-full-of-good-for-you ingredients soups. As soon as I feel I am about to get sick, and it always settles on my throat and chest, I make a huge pot of chicken broth and creates a couple of soups to have on hand. I may feel like a lion is coughing up a storm in my bronchi but at least, I have hot and nutritious liquids to navigate through it.

And it’s good for the soul too. Which always makes one heal faster.

Taking the next couple of days off and staying under the cover to get better.

Lemon, Chicken & Orzo Soup



Lemon, Chicken & Orzo Soup:

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks (or diced)
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh spinach
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 cup gluten free orzo
salt and pepper
8 cups chicken broth (or water if you prefer)
Zest and juice of a lemon

Directions:
In a large pot (4 quart or more), heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the carrot, celery and onion pieces. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken breast, the spinach, oregano, orzo, broth and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, half covered for about 30 minutes or until the orzo is al dented.
Remove the chicken breast from the soup. Let cool enough to handle and shred it into pieces. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Add the lemon juice and zest, stir and serve.