spring

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisps – Spring In A Cup!

12.04.2012 27 Comments

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 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.

Simplicity: Grilled Red Snapper With Roasted Mixed Peppers and Asparagus

26.03.2011 39 Comments

Growing up, many a family dinners were spent around a big plate of freshly blanched asparagus during Spring. When I saw the first asparagus at Boone Hall Farms, I could not resist. We’re eating lots of them! In salads with a lemon honey vinaigrette. In soups with a dab of creme fraiche. Charred with a sprinkle of sea salt and oregano. The farm also had the first strawberries of the season which is a good thing because I suspect a rabbit is eating the wild strawberries I planted last year.

I love Spring. Everything and everyone takes on a new attitude. It’s a rebirth. Since submitting the final book files to the printers last Monday, I have been experiencing my own rebirth so to speak. In a little over 5 weeks, four months of hard work will be coming together in a lovely binded package. So surreal. I gave it, I gave you my all. I have worked with the most wonderful team of editors and designers. So many emotions.

Elated, calm, sleepy. I gave myself an entire day of doing stuff. Walking downtown with the dogs, taking B. out for dinner. Just stuff. Then it was back to shoots and new clients. Normalcy in craziness suits me fine it seems. Just as Heidi very mentioned in a post, after the work day is over, I crave repetition to keep me grounded. By the way, her new cookbook is stunning! I can’t wait to start cooking from it!

Simple things. On repeat. Favorite songs. Baking cookies. Eating asparagus and grilling fish almost daily. Simple things are essential to my inner peace. Living on the water, going to the dock to check on our crab traps or to the marina to get freshly caught fish is one of my little pleasures. When the fish guy showed up with freshly caught red snapper, you can bet I put a couple in my basket!

Our evening ritual now that the days are longer and the temperatures appropriate for shorts and t-shirts is to sit on the back deck with a cold drink while we grill and make small plates of salads, grilled bread with tomatoes and garlic, crunchy carrots and aioli. Grilled snapper with oregano served with roasted baby mixed peppers and asparagus. This is a typical dinner for us. Nothing grand but everything fresh and accompanied by simple preparations.

If only around dinner time, we can enjoy time slow down a bit. I certainly hope you will be able to crank the grill soon and enjoy simple and fresh flavors such as these.

Ah! I keep forgetting an important update: the book title has changed from "Foodography" to "Plate To Pixel. Digital Food Photography and Styling" the cover has been redesigned a little (see here) but it’s taking some time for booksellers to update their data base. The book will be available online worldwide through your country’s amazon page around late April and on bookstores shelves early May. Yep. It’s coming up soon!

Grilled Red Snapper With Roasted Mixed Peppers and Asparagus:

serves 2

two small fresh red snappers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cups mixed baby peppers left whole (or 1 small red and 1 small yellow peppers sliced lengthwise)
1 pound asparagus

Prepare the fish:
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Brush the red snappers with olive oil and sprinkle them with the oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Place on the grill racks and cook 4-5 minutes on each side.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375F (you can prepare the veggies on the grill too). Wash the asparagus. Break the bottom stems off and discard. Toss the asparagus spears and peppers in some olive oil, then place them on a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables for 12-14 minutes, or until tender and cooked through.

Violet Macarons With Violet And Vanilla Bean Buttercream

20.03.2009 127 Comments

I know, in my last post I asked you what my mom should make as an upcoming guest blogger, ratatouille or apple tart and here I am giving you macarons! Remember discombobulated? We did make the ratatouille, … and ate it so it will have to wait for a redo.

Meyer Lemon Curd and Chamomille Vanilla Mousse Verrines

16.03.2009 112 Comments

Discombobulated…New favorite word. It’s always a bit of a struggle getting things organized with long term guests but there has been a lot of good work getting done. A lot of good meals and good times too. My parents are happily relaxing, talking walks in town, going to the beach, reading,.. with no particular agenda or schedule. Even the pupps are learning "discombulated". There is no telling who is going to walk them, feed them, play with them. All they know is that there are 4 more hands to pet them. Bliss…

Even here it is bit "sans queue ni tete", posting the raspberry mousse tarts with pink macarons before posting about the macarons first. Indeed, a couple days after my parents arrived I made a small batch of pink macarons to go along with a verrine of Meyer lemon curd and chamomille – vanilla bean mousse. Then with the leftover macarons, I made the tarts. I think the mud cake cookie sandwiches were in their right place though. Imagine that!! See…discombobulated again.

With one celiac at home right now, there have been a lot of cremes brulee, cremes caramel, macarons and mousses for desserts. Gluten does sneak everywhere but so far I have been able to keep everybody’s sweet tooth happy and healthy. We love citrus. We love colors. We love Spring. I especially love yellow if it is in the form of lemon curd. I am not sure Meyer lemons will be around here much longer so I have been juicing, zesting and freezing away!

Meyer lemons always have a slight cardamom note to me and the curd was very aromatic on its own, but took on a whole other dimension when layered with silky smooth mousse. The mousse itself starts with a pate a bombe which is lightly infused with chamomille leaves and vanilla bean seeds and lighten with some whipped cream. My lovely sister in law sent over a bottle of violet sugar pearls that I sprinkled on top of the verrines. It added a wonderful light flowery Spring note to the verrine and I am looking forward to using it again.

Meyer Lemon Curd and Chamomille Vanilla Mousse Verrine Recipe:

For the Meyer Lemon Curd:
½ cup (125 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon (4gr) lemon zest
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoon (28gr) butter

In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the lemon juice, zest and sugar and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to make sure the sugar is dissolved. In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl just until combined. Once the lemon mixture is hot, slowly pour it over the eggs to temper, continuously whisking to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the pan set over medium low heat and cook until thick. Do not let it come to a full boil or it might separate. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and whisk until it is fully melted. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and let cool to room temperature.

For the chamomille-vanilla bean mousse:

3 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1/4 cup (60ml) cold water, divided
1/2 cup (100gr)sugar
1/4 cup chamomille buds (flowers), chopped
1/2 vanilla bean, split open and seeded
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and the salt. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water, and let it sit while you make the syrup base of the mousse.
Combine the sugar, chamomille leaves and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat (prevents crystallization of the sugar on the side of the pan). Once the syrup comes to a boil, uncover and cook until the mixture reaches 238F.
Strain the leaves over a container with a spout, it will be easier to add to the yolks. Pour the syrup slowly and into a steady stream into the egg yolks with the machine running on medium high. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 10 seconds or until dissolved. Add it to the yolk mixture along with the seeds from the vanilla bean and continue to whisk on medium high until it triples in volume and cools to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add it to the mousse base and fold the two gently together. Pour the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (I use Ateco #807).
Layer the Meyer lemon curd and the mousse in jars or ramekins and refrigerate if not eaten right away.

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I almost forgot…My mom agreed to be a guest blogger here. Yeah! She is however hesitating on what to make. So, which recipe would you like her to make: her famous "ratatouille" or a tart?