Apple and Fennel Salad with Salted Caramel Pecans

When I made this recipe recently, I actually wasn't so sure I wanted to try it.  Caramelized pecans and apples seem so autumn-centric to me...and I'm in full-time spring mode lately.  However, when spring comes, I tend to eat much lighter, skipping the "entrée" and eating the salads and side dishes as main meals.  So this recipe actually began to seem just right for how I like to eat in April.

I found this salad in a Donna Hay magazine quite some time ago; after scouring her website, I can't find the issue number anywhere so, alas, no direct link - I've looked all over the web.  But I didn't change anything - the recipe I'm sharing here is hers exactly.

Lastly, apologies for the photos, which were taken with my phone.  That said...not bad for my phone, right?

Apple and Fennel Salad with Salted Caramel Pecans
Recipe from Donna Hay

Serves 6

12 slices prosciutto
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup superfine (caster) sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (kosher salt is fine too)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small red apples, thinly sliced
4 bulbs baby fennel, thinly sliced (regular fennel is fine too; just use 2 large bulbs)

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Place the prosciutto on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with maple syrup, and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside.

Place the pecans, sugar, water, and salt in a bowl and toss to coat.  Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Add the pecans and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally or until caramelized.  Set aside to cool.

Place the vinegar and oil in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Place the apple, fennel, prosciutto, and pecans in a bowl, drizzle with the dressing, and toss to coat.

NOTE: For presentation, I layered it.  Stack the apple slices, prosciutto, fennel; start again.  Add pecans on top and around plate as garnish.  I also saved some of the fennel fronds, chopped them, and sprinkled them on top last.  Finish with a fresh grind of pepper.

Eat, drink, and embrace lightness.

Photo experimentation: Panzanella

As you regular readers know (especially those on Instagram - follow me - "lauralutz"), I recently returned from a trip to Europe (Dublin, Zurich, and Hamburg).  We had some jetlag to deal with when we returned, of course, so I've been keeping my meals relatively simple.  One of those meals was Panzanella.  There are lots of recipes for Panzanella (here and here, for example), but I just did my own thing: bread, mozzarella, and tomatoes.  For the bread, I tossed the cubes in olive oil, salt, and pepper; I tossed the oil-saturated bread cubes in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until they were toasted: croutons!  (Note: croutons are not necessary for this recipe; in fact, this is the first time I've ever toasted the bread.  Usually, I just tear up old bread and that's it)  For the tomatoes, I tossed those in olive oil, salt, and pepper as well.  At which point, I plated the dish.

So here's the thing: I'm not a trained photographer (obviously), and I've never taken a single class.  I have recently acquired a bunch of lenses, plus a fancy flash, and I'm in full experimentation mode.  Add a huge chunk of non-blogging, non-photo-taking time...and I'm such a newbie with all this.

So for fun, here's a sample of my photos for this dish:

I didn't use a flash here.

No flash here either.

No flash.  Just kept changing the angle and F-stop.

I got my Greenmarket flowers into the action...

My particular favorite, of course...lordy...  Obviously, I introduced the flash here.

Less flash...

Even less flash...

I started playing with the flash angle.

I tried using less flash.

Still. Not. Right.

I'm unhappy with all of them, of course, but I kept the whole series as a learning experience. And it adds to the whole experience when Adam says over my shoulder, "Why are all your shots centered?  Try something off-centered!" and Bug says, "Mom!  Mom!  I can get the white board to bounce the light!  Can I be in the picture?  Can we just eat now?"  Lordy.

As for the Panzanella, it's such a lovely end-of-summer dish: simple, light, flavorful.  Normally, I dump all these ingredients into bowls, toss it around, and serve it as a bit of a mess.  This is the first time I've plated it this way and I thought it was pretty classy.

Between teaching at Pratt and our European vacation, this summer has gone by so much faster than I expected.  This was the perfect way to celebrate our return home (and our break from restaurant eating!) and the end of an incredible season.

Eat, drink, and enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Buvette's Brussels Sprout Salad

The Soul Twin (a.k.a. my best friend, Andrea) recently celebrated a birthday.  It's the first birthday I've actually shared with her in person in...years and years.  Maybe even since we graduated college?  So I was incredibly excited to take her out to Buvette for lunch this year to celebrate live and in-person.  I'd heard amazing things about Buvette, but I just never had the chance to go...it's in the West Village after all and, like most Manhattanites, I cry and whine about having to go to the opposite side of the island.

Anyway, Buvette surpassed every expectation I had and more.  The ST and I nibbled and drank for three hours.  The restaurant folks didn't seem to care; it truly is the sort of place you can sit and enjoy as long as you want.  We had sandwiches...we had a gorgeous selection of cheeses...we had a bottle of wine...but the stand-out for us were the Brussels sprouts.  We ordered them on a bit of a whim - they were "just" a side dish and, even though we're deep into winter, we're still obsessed with trying everyone's variation on Brussels sprouts.

Buvette's were heavenly.  They were sliced very thin and tossed with walnuts and cheese.  The taste was so fresh and so light, and we desperately wanted to be able to recreate them at home.  So we asked the server how they were prepared: Brussels sprouts, Pecorino, walnuts, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  That. Is. It.  To quote Ina Garten, "how easy is that?"

So my variation is below.  Make sure to use a very dry, crumbly Pecorino, and you also want to salt liberally.  The key, though?  You need to keep tasting, tasting, tasting to make sure you have the seasoning right.  And don't skimp on the olive oil!

BUVETTE'S BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Serves 4 as a side dish


1 pound Brussels sprouts, sliced thinly
1/2 pound aged Pecorino, grated
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted 
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper


1. Trim off the dry ends of the Brussels sprouts and run them under some water.  The best way to slice them very thin is to use the slicing attachment on a food processor: feed the Brussels sprouts into the processor and they'll be finished in about a minute.  You could use a mandoline, but be careful of those fingers.  And I suppose you could slice them by hand but that'll be a long process.  Once finished, empty Brussels sprouts into a large bowl.


2. Add the grating attachment to your food processor.  Add Pecorino to grate.  Again, you can do this with a hand grater too.  Add cheese to Brussels Sprouts in the bowl.


3. Using a dry pan, toast walnuts over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darker.  Add to bowl.


4. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl and toss well to coat.  Taste for seasoning; add more olive oil, salt, and/or pepper, as needed.  Serve.


KID-FRIENDLINESS: Who are we kidding?  Bug would never eat this.


WINE NOTES: Usually, a crisp white is the way to go with Brussels sprouts, but the Pecorino makes them a bit more red wine friendly.  I had the Foris Pinot Noir with this and liked it.  


Eat, drink, and recreate your favorite restaurant dishes.

Jamie Oliver's Cauliflower Macaroni

I'm just going to say this now because I know it'll come through anyway as I keep talking: Jamie Oliver's recipes are, hands-down, the most frustrating that I follow.  With measurements like "a full wineglass of dry white wine", "a knob of butter", and a "glug of olive oil", don't expect a lot of guidance from him.  He's loosey-goosey, to say the least.

So why do I keep buying his cookbooks?  Well, for a couple reasons: 1) they're styled and designed beautifully and 2) I love his unique combination of flavors.  And the secret third reason is that he is one of the hot men of the cooking world.  With that, I happily bought a copy of his newest book MEALS IN MINUTES.

The book is laid out in a completely different way, and I haven't quite got used to it yet.  Oliver put together menus.  For instance, it's not just a recipe for Cauliflower Macaroni; instead, it's a menu of "Cauliflower Macaroni, Belgian Endive Salad with Insane Dressing, Lovely Stewed Fruit."  Then the instructions assume that you'll be making all three together: a step for the macaroni is followed by one for the fruit, then we're back to the macaroni; the salad follows behind.  For this recipe, I made the macaroni and the salad but I didn't make the fruit; I found it easy to just skip the fruit-related instructions and move forward with the rest.

That said, I had A LOT of other problems.  Oliver calls for "8 slices pancetta".  But it was like an itch I couldn't scratch: "HOW THICK?!?!"  When I buy pancetta at Eataly, they tend to slice it thin.  When I order it from Fresh Direct, they give me a choice of "standard" or "thick".  Which is it, Jamie?!  I went with Fresh Direct's standard slices, which are approximately 1/8" thick.

Another thing that I just didn't get was that, in both the macaroni and salad recipes, Oliver specifies that the garlic should be unpeeled.  But never does he say that the peel should be removed later.  So, with that in mind, he means that we just blend it in?  That we have peels floating around in the macaroni?  I couldn't get on board with that.  Could you?  I made the call and peeled them.  And I want you to have that confidence too: if it sounds "off" in a recipe, make your own decision.

That's one thing that can be said for Oliver's cookbooks: they encourage improvisation.  Or thrust it upon you.

Okay, I'm done ranting.  So let's get on with it.  See below for my adaptation of Jamie's recipes.

CAULIFLOWER MACARONI
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's MEALS IN MINUTES
Serves 8

8 slices pancetta (about 1/8"thick)
1 large head of cauliflower
1 pound dried macaroni (or similar shaped pasta)
9 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese
4 thick slices of country bread
a few springs of fresh rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup crème fraîche
Parmesan cheese, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Fill a pasta pot with water and boil on high heat.  If you choose to grate the Cheddar cheese using a food processor, put the coarse grater attachment into the machine.

2. Lay the pancetta in a 9 x 13 roasting pan (I used a Pyrex dish).  Put into the oven and bake for about 8 minutes until slightly golden and turning up at the edges.

3. Trim off the tough base of the cauliflower stalk and quarter the head.  Put in the pasta pot with the pasta, on high heat.  The water should be just a few inches over the cauliflower and pasta; drain some water, if needed.  Season water with about a tablespoon of sea salt, drizzle over about a tablespoon of olive oil, then stir and cook following the instructions on the pasta package, with the pot lid askew.

4. Grate the Cheddar in the food processor and tip into a bowl (or you can grate coursely with a hand grater).  Fit the standard blade attachment, then get your pancetta out of the oven and blitz in the processor with the bread, rosemary leaves, and drizzle of olive oil (approx 1 tbsp) until you have a coarse breadcrumb consistency.

5. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.  Add the macaroni to the same roasting pan you cooked the pancetta in and add about 1 1/2 c. of the reserved pasta water.  Add finely chopped garlic cloves and mix in the crème fraîche and grated Cheddar, gently breaking up the cauliflower with tongs or a potato masher.  Taste for seasoning.  The pasta sauce should be loose and creamy; if not, add another splash of pasta water.

6. Spread the pasta out evenly in the dish and scatter over the breadcrumbs.  Put in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and the pasta is bubbly.

NOTE: See the photo below?  That's all our leftovers.  Jamie says this dish is for 6 servings but, with the salad, I think it's closer to 8 servings.

ENDIVE SALAD WITH "INSANE DRESSING"
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's MEALS IN MINUTES
Serves 6

2 heads red endive, or 1 large radicchio
2 large heads Belgian endive
a small bunch of fresh basil (about 12 leaves)
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 anchovies, drained from jar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons natural yogurt (such as Fage)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Trim the bases of the endives and thickly slice them; scatter in a salad bowl or over a platter.  Tear 3-4 basil leaves and scatter over the endives.

2. Put the remaining basil leaves into a blender or food processor.  Crush in the garlic clove, then add a pinch of salt and pepper, the anchovies, mustard, yogurt, vinegar, and olive oil.  Add a tablespoon of water and whiz until smooth.

3. Taste the dressing for acidity; add more olive oil if you want to mellow it out a bit.  Pour the dressing into a jug or glass for serving.

A NOTE ON KID-FRIENDLINESS: This macaroni dish is perfect for kids.  I mean, you can't go wrong with crunchy breadcrumbs and nearly a pound of Cheddar cheese.  That said, Bug still managed to eat around all the bits of cauliflower.  Of course.  And I substituted the salad with the tried-and-true apple slices.

My Idea of Heaven

Today was a Red Letter Day.

Why?  Because I was able to do something I have never been able to do: today I ran a dress rehearsal for a dinner I'm hosting tomorrow night for a few friends.

After the amuse-bouches I'm serving while Bug is still awake, this is the first course we'll be enjoying after she goes to bed: Fig and Walnut Salad with Manchego Crisps (inspired by The Improvisational Cook).  And since I've never tried it before, I worked on perfecting it at lunch today.

And truth be known, I also forced it on Adam last night too.

I know you what you guys are thinking: "Wednesday night rehearsal, Thursday lunch final dress, and then Friday night performance?  Aren't you tired of that thing yet?!"  And the answer is "Hell, no."  To have the time to do this is nothing short of pure decadence.

Eat, drink, and thank heavens for part-time work!


(NOTE: Enormous apologies for the lack of a photo - and, believe me, I took a gorgeous one - but my laptop crashed and my temporary replacement won't allow me to download photos...drama, drama, drama...but you'll have photos soon!)

Weekday Meals, Part 2: Antipasti and Soft-Boiled Eggs

This is the conclusion to my week as a single parent.  I intentionally left the "easier" meals until last.  So on Wednesday, we had "antipasti."  I call it antipasti, but I do believe it's not the traditional sort.  Anyway, I made myself a little salad with a honey mustard vinaigrette (approximately 1/2 tsp. honey mustard, about 3 tbsp olive oil, approx 1/2 tsp. sherry vinegar**, kosher salt and pepper to taste). 

I cut up a pear for Bug, as well as sliced up some smoked mozzarella (she loves the stuff). 

For me, I included some buffalo mozzarella, which I sprinkled with flake salt, fresh pepper, and lemon zest.  I've also discovered the joys (seriously, it's near-ecstasy) of smoked duck, thanks to my local purveyors Hudson Valley Duck Farm at Fresh Direct. 

Add some salami, which Bug loves, and some triple cream Brie...you have a meal!  Not just any meal, but a rather - dare I say it? - decadent meal for two young ladies without their knight?  Who needs a man, right?

For Thursday, we made one of Bug's favorites: Soft-Boiled Eggs with Artichoke Bread Fingers*, courtesy of Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook:

Of course, I don't call them "artichoke bread fingers" - she'd never eat them.  So it becomes: "Hey, hon, how about eggs with dippers tonight?"  Enthusiastic choruses of hallelujah and Mom is a hero.

Adam came home around midnight on Friday so I had still had one more night to get through.  Friday night.  You know what I did?  I ordered a pizza to be delivered, like any normal human being.  And called the week a success.

Eat, drink, and don't just survive...THRIVE.



* The site this links to is the recipe...but gives no credit to Chocolate and Zucchini.  So I give it here.  That is where I got the recipe.


Note: This is fun.  All the photos of the antipasti meal posted here?  Taken by Bug (aka my 9yo daughter).  I was rushing around: opening wine, getting the table set...  And she asked if she could take photos.  And this is the result.  Am I proud?  Totally.

Dinner parties

There is a scene I love in the movie Father of the Bride (1991 version) where Steve Martin sees his wife walking down the stairs and he's remembering their wedding day. He says, "I'll probably never remember what Nina wore that day, but I'll always remember the way she looked." I love that and I often remember that line when I see our table post-dinner-party:

Ten, fifteen years from now I'll probably forget what we ate. But I'll always remember the good friends and good conversation. And the Guitar Hero that was played afterward.

Eat, drink, and enjoy the moment.

Note: For the record, here is what we ate -

Appetizer: Salami with Cucumbers

Main dish: Melon and Prosciutto Panini; Mesclun Salad with Fried Shallots and Gorgonzola

Dessert: Kathryn's fantastic Lemon Cake

Ode to Naan

This is my latest favorite recipe: White Bean and Pancetta Flatbread from Food and Wine (April 2010). It is Damn Good, which was unexpected because I thought it might be too dry. Somehow it works, though. I attribute it to the perfect ratio of melting cheese to beans. Take a look:

I used the exceptional naan that I get from my local market, but this same naan is available at Whole Foods (I usually use the plain naan). Barring that, you can try using a pita. (Check out my well-documented love of naan here and here)

Now, on a weekday, I would pair this with greens and a vinaigrette for simplicity. But I made this on a weekend so I went fancier and paired this with the Mesclun Salad with Fried Shallots and Blue Cheese, also from Food and Wine (April 2010):

Both were incredibly simple and, lest you think that you can't make something like this, I followed the recipe to a T. Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine!

So as I typed that - "just follow the instructions and you'll be fine" - I was quite suddenly reminded of 6th grade. We had an assignment where we each had to stand in front of the class and teach everyone how to do something step-by-step, like teach everyone origami...or how to play guitar...or something. Up until now, I had completely forgotten that I taught the class how to make brownies. (How portentous!) I mean, it's a recipe. You don't get more step-by-step than that! So if you're thinking that you can't make the sort of food I make here, just channel your inner sixth grader, follow the instructions...

Eat, drink, and you'll be fine.

First Supper

You might think that I come back from conferences wanting to get into the kitchen and make something rather fancy, something show off-y. But when I'm at conferences, I eat out every meal so when I come home, I prefer to get back to the basics, to cleanse my system, to keep things simple. So my first meal back from the IRA conference was Ina Garten's Mâche* with Warm Brie and Apples (which I also made here):


It was exactly what I needed. I also found some ramps at the store so I fried those up in bacon fat ('cause that's how I roll):

But it's not just about food. It's about being in my home, about conversation, about sharing with my family and friends - that's what I miss most when I'm away. So let me set the scene for you and let you in on what sort of things the Lutz family talks about at the table after I've been gone for a week:

A family sits around the table eating dinner: a man and a woman, in their 30's and rather dashing, and a darling young girl, about 8 years old. The young girl has studied some art at school, which informs the family's conversation.

Woman: There was a Matisse exhibit at the Art Institute during my conference. It was torture! Every day I drove by the museum on my way to the convention center and the Matisse signs just taunted me. But you know how conferences are...

Man: But don't you think it'll come to New York?

Woman: Maybe. I'll keep an eye out.

Man: Which reminds me, I still want to see that Picasso exhibit before it leaves the Met.

Girl: I want to see it! I love Picasso. He's my third favorite.

Woman: Your third favorite?

Man: Who are number 1 and 2?

Girl: My first is Eric Carle. My second is Mo Willems - I love him. And then Picasso.

And there you have it, folks. Carle, Mo...and Picasso.

Eat, drink, and do both en famille.


NOTE: Unlike my previous attempt, I was actually able to find mâche this time. It was really wonderful - super delicate and light - and I highly recommend that you snatch it up immediately if you see it at the store.

We've Got Company!

My parents are visiting from California this week. With the kids out of school, it's a great time for them to gallivant all over NYC with Bug (while Adam and I still work, alas).

Here's the thing, though: I have a difficult time cooking for my parents when they visit. My dad is diabetic...with high blood pressure...and he's usually trying to lose some weight. This will give you a mental image: he's an ex-football player for UCLA. Likewise, my mom is often off carbs and she really doesn't eat all that much anyway.

So I had to go with one my tried-and-true standbys: Ina Garten's Herb-Baked Eggs (this is a link to the recipe, which I follow to a T - why mess with genius?). I can make it on a weekday with no hassle, but there's still something elegant about the dish. With a green salad and some toasted bread, it's completely satisfying.

Here's the key, though: don't give away the secret! Don't go telling your dinner guests how easy it was, how it was no problem. Take credit, smile graciously, and thank them. Then raise your glass and tell them you love when they visit from California! They'll never be the wiser!

Eat, drink, and don't sweat it when houseguests come knocking!

Recipe: Savory Waffled French Toast

When I saw this recipe for Savory Waffled French Toast stuffed with bacon and Brie over at Elly Says Opa, I knew I had to try it. Despite appearances, this is exactly the sort of unfussy, kid-friendly, easy meal I favor on weeknights.

Here is Elly's recipe, verbatim:

4 thick slices of bacon, cut into a few pieces each
4 slices day-old sourdough bread
4ish slices of brie
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or half and half
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
freshly ground pepper

Preheat your waffle iron or griddle. Cook and drain the bacon and for extra deliciousness/fattiness, reserve a little bit of the fat to brush onto the waffle iron.

Make two sandwiches with the sourdough bread, using the bacon and the brie. In a baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, parmesan, thyme and pepper. Place the sandwiches into the dish and let them soak for a minute or two. Flip and let them soak another couple minutes.

Grease the waffle iron or griddle with a little oil, butter, or bacon grease. Place the sandwiches on the iron, close, and cook until golden brown (or, if using a griddle, just cook for a couple minutes per side, or until golden).

For the record, I used bacon grease for my waffle iron. I debated putting mustard on the sandwiches and went along with Adam who declared he didn't like bacon and mustard together. But I thought it a tad bland without it - next time I'll try some honey mustard.

I just cut up an apple for Bug's plate, and I made a walnut salad for me and Adam. I take salad greens (in this case, arugula) and sprinkle with walnuts. For the dressing, I use walnut oil, white wine vinegar, a dash of sherry vinegar, about a teaspoon of mustard, salt, and pepper. Super simple, super flavorful.

A buttery Chardonnay was the perfect accompaniment. Adam had some beer he liked with it, but it doesn't matter - my wine was waaaay better.

Eat, drink, and simplify.

My fickle friend, the summer wind

I don't like summer.

There. I said it.

Sure, I like the sun. Of course I love all the great produce. I'm all about the beach reads. But is summer my preferred season? Absolutely not.

This wasn't always the case: when we lived in Oregon and Washington I lived for summer. Then we moved to Arizona. Seems like a weird place for a gal who dislikes summer, right? Not really. It's only 3 months of the whole year that you're totally miserable and the rest of the year is incredible. Not to mention that summer brings entire weekends spent in the pool and monsoons that shake your house and thrill you to your fingertips. No, I really liked summers in Arizona.

The Northeast did me in. That's because I can honestly say I never experienced autumn until I moved here. It seems to me the world is really alive - with color, with flavor, with texture. My reading tastes change and I open up my cozier books - a good example of this was when I read Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse. It came out in August 2007, and I was reading it on the train in summer, reading all about the rain in Oregon. It was moody and atmospheric...just not the kind of book for a summer day. I got about 20 pages in and realized I needed to wait until November, at which point I read it and swooned. Among other books, right now I'm re-reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. It's a horrible summer read (for me, anyway), but I am reading it in anticipation for the cooler weather to come soon.

Most importantly, though, I loathe summer here in New York because I don't cook. My kitchen isn't air-conditioned and it gets no airflow through its window. I made paninis for lunch yesterday and I was a sweating lunatic by the time it got to the table, the heat in my kitchen driving me to the brink. I'm all about the no-cook, no-heat, no-effort meals in the summer. Last night I made Berry, Goat Cheese, and Pistachio Salad (Bon Appètit, 2007) for dinner. It had phenomenal flavor...but I also felt dissatisfied by it because I didn't do anything other than assemble parts. That's what it comes down to: I'm tired of assembling parts. I want to cook, to create!

Tonight, the same lack-of-drama ensued. I made Patricia Wells' Cucumber, Spring Onion, and Goat Cheese Salad Le Cinq-Mars. It was fresh, crisp, and lovely. But for heaven's sake, I wanted to COOK. I loved it, I did. But is summer over yet? What's a gal got to do to roast some root vegetables???

Cucumber, Spring Onion, and Goat Cheese Salad Le Cinq-Mars

Adapted from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells (William Morrow, 2007)

1 cucumber, scrubbed and trimmed

3 scallions, trimmed and peeled

Several tablespoons Creamy Lemon-Chive Dressing

2 thick slices of bucheron (you can also use 1 goat cheese crottin and split lengthwise in two)

1. Score the skin of the cucumber all along the vegetable, using a fork or (in my case) this zester. This just makes it pretty. Cut the cucumber lengthwise in half. With a grapefruit spoon or (again, in my case) this deseeder. Discard the seeds. Cut each half into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in medium bowl.

2. Cut the onions crosswise into very thin slices. Separate into rings and drop into the bowl. Add just enough dressing to lightly coat the cucumbers and onions.

3. Arrange the salad on individual salad plates. Place a slice of goat cheese on top of each salad.

Some notes: I served this salad with slices of ciabatta bread and dipping oil. Additionally, I made the full amount of dressing, which is way too much for this salad. But I thought I'd use it for another salad this week. So feel free to halve the dressing recipe.

Eat, drink, and dream about my wool sweaters, waiting to keep me cozy and warm!

Cleaning up Bloglines: the Food Edition

So I was completely off on my Bloglines count…I had about 200 in my “Children’s Literature” section and almost 400 in my “Food” section…most of them as a result of Mr. Ruhlman who had 140 posts or so alone (which I think might have been a mistake...because when I went to his site, there were only 2 posts I hadn't read). Phew! But this concentrated, fast reading of all the posts has been rather fun…though I will try in the future not to repeat it.

On one hand, I know I’m not the most consistent, most articulate blogger out there, or even remotely close for that matter. However, in my sassier moments, I satisfy myself knowing that the biggest reason I’m not a blogging star is because I totally have a life away from the computer. So…um….there. Yeah.

Here are the standout foodie posts:

-- Book Club Girl has a post about Bastille Day and some book recommendations for Francophiles (though it’s a very brief list…I’d like to add Gastronomical Me, Paris to the Moon, From Here You Can’t See Paris, among many others…). You have ONE MORE DAY to take advantage of wine.com’s 1-cent shipping on French wines, in celebration of Bastille Day.

-- Confections of a Foodie Bride has a queso dip recipe that sounds like the perfect thing to eat on my balcony on a hot summer day. With a mojito.

-- Cream Puffs in Venice pimps her new favorite cookbook: Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden by Jeanne Kelley. I have bumped this cookbook to the top of my list – I’m such a sucker for beautiful food photography.

-- Speaking of beautiful food photography, La Tartine Gourmande wins my award (the one I just made up) for Most Beautiful Food Photograph Posted in my Absence. Click on the link and feel your blood pressure immediately go down and feel yourself whisked away to simpler days when your only plans for the day were to ride your bike and sell some lemonade. Aaaaah…

-- I’ve been obsessed with MFK Fisher lately, but I missed her birthday. Check out Cooked Books' great post on her…and be envious that you don’t work at NYPL. I might give up children’s to be able to work with NYPL’s culinary archives. Even if I’m not qualified for an archival job…

-- Need yet another reason to buy local produce?

-- For the Love of Food has a recipe for Baked Sweet Potato with Maple Jalapeño Sour Cream that looks yummers and sounds so weird that it probably tastes awesome. She also has a recipe for Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad. Rachael Ray also has a very similar recipe that I really like: Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders and Salad with Tangy Maple Dressing. Nevertheless, I won’t be working either of these recipes until summer is over and my kitchen gets some ventilation from those 30-degree winds…

-- We Are Never Full, once again, has me in stitches…even when asking a legitimate ethical question about our food and humanity. And who says there's no wildlife or nature in the Big City?

-- This isn’t necessarily food-related, but I’m in love with Simple Things Made Great. Amy talks about two things we could all use more of: great summer music and improved life quality. I'm madly in love with anyone who names their playlists "The Sky is Open" and "My Heart is Bursting."

Last but not least, the kiddo is being delivered by my mom to JFK airport tonight and I am ecstatic. Even if that means I now have to give an explanation for every speck of green in every dish I make.

Eat, drink, and be thankful for time with your family.

Knife Skills class and Ham, Asparagus, and Pecan Salad

I had the best time last night - the best! I took the Knife Skills 1 class at the Institute of Culinary Education, the first culinary class I've ever taken. Naturally, I was intimidated as hell walking up to the building but, as you can guess, my worries were completely unfounded. The school was gorgeous: shiny stainless steel countertops, intoxicating smells wafting around every corner, everyone wearing aprons... It was love at first sight, I tell you.

The professor was Norman Weinstein, which was hilarious because he is the author of the knife skills book (Mastering Knife Skills) I was eyeing in Barnes and Noble last weekend. I had no idea when I was browsing through the book he'd be the instructor. It was a small class, and there wasn't a single person over 35. Coincidence? Or is culinary passion becoming a generational thing?

On a side note, a former colleague told me that "knife skills" sounds an awful lot like "life skills". So true. Two important things to remember when using your knives? No pressure and follow-through. Indeed, those are life lessons. Not to mention that Norman Weinstein said these two principles apply to golf and tennis - he has had students come back to the class to thank him for helping them improve their game.

We worked with Wüsthof knives and they were so beautiful. Chills. Chills. The instructor complimented my form during carrots and celery...but I really struggled with onions. It was a whole new experience to cut vegetables with a perfect knife, using little to no effort in my arm. I had to concentrate, I had to remember not to tense my shoulders, I had to remember to breathe. A few people in the class, after three hours of being told that how they did it before was wrong, were mildly irritated by the end. But I could have stood there for hours longer, chanting "ohm" and "teach me, Obi-Wan." If you have a culinary school nearby, I highly recommend indulging in a class. Needless to say, I also walked out of class with two new knives, purchased at 50% off from the school - a steal.

So I get out of class at 9:00 pm, and the school is at W. 23rd St. So it's going to take me almost an hour to get home. I hadn't had dinner yet and forgot that I was going to finally make a fellow blogger's recipe (being a relatively new blogger, I haven't tried anyone else's recipe yet). So I call up Adam and told him I needed him to get started on For the Love of Food's Ham, Asparagus, and Pecan Salad. With his newfound confidence lately, he readily agreed. By the time I got home, he was finished and this is what he created:

Here is the recipe per FTLOF:

Ingredients:

200 grams (I used 1/2 lb.) deli-sliced Ham, cut into think strips and chopped
250 grams Asparagus (I used 1/2 lb.), dry ends removed
2 Cups Pecans
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Chicken BullionSaltPepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to broil/grill.
In a medium-sized casserole dish, lay the asparagus out in a single layer. Pour olive oil over them and sprinkle with chicken bullion, and salt and pepper to taste. Place them in the oven and broil for 5 minutes, mix them with a fork, and broil for another 5 minutes. If the spears are really really thick, you may need to broil them longer. Just remember you want them roasted and not burnt!

In the mean time, place the pecans on a baking sheet and place them in the oven under the rack with the asparagus on them to warm them up. Once you pull out the asparagus, move the pecan baking sheet up to the top and toast for 1 minute.

Place ham pieces in a large salad bowl; add the pecans. Once asparagus are done, carefully move them to a cutting board and cut the spears into pieces. Place the pieces in the salad bowl. Then, drizzle the oil mixture from the roasted asparagus over the salad.*

Makes 3-4 main dish servings.

Oh, you have to try this! It is the ideal late spring dinner (or lunch) - salty, sweet, green, substantial, flavorful. You might not normally think of these three things going together (I didn't) but the combination is surprising and interesting. And, yes, we ate this as our main dish...in fact, our only dish. It was the perfect light dinner at 10-friggin-o'clock at night, and the leftovers made a wonderful lunch for me at work today (even if the pecans had softened a bit...). Not to mention that it was one more dish Adam made that satisfied his debt to me. Thanks to For the Love of Food for the lovely dish.

Note: we also drank a luscious Pinot Blanc that paired well with this, and it's not always easy to find something that'll pair with asparagus. Unfortunately, I don't have the name available to me now - I'll edit this post later with the name. (Edit: it was the 2005 Leon Beyer Pinot Blanc from Alsace, which I bought from my local wine shop for $12. It was fruity, but crisp with a dry finish. It'll be a go-to wine for me this summer.)

*2nd Note: Adam didn't broil the asparagus, per the recipe. He grilled it on our stovetop grill instead and drizzled fresh olive oil at the end.

Eat, drink, and learn how to use your knives

A phoenix rising from the ashes

So here were the ashes last night:


This pathetic mess is the Cabbage Galette recipe from My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde. Based on the photo in the book, I expected soft green cabbage and a golden crust. So I kept looking through the window of the oven, wondering what the hell was going on. Then I realized: CRAP! I forgot to add two eggs to the crust mixture!!!! No wonder I didn't have enough to cover the top of the galette! No wonder I wasn't getting a golden crust! But with only 10 minutes left on the timer, I decided to keep it in the oven. When time was up, I took it out and noticed the cabbage was still raw and crunchy. Wha...?!?! I checked the recipe... CRAP! I forgot to blanche the cabbage first! It was just SO BAD that I laughed and told the husband to just dump it. Wanna hear why this happened? Because I was actually home by myself when I was making it versus the usual mid-week madness of my kiddo's homework and a schedule to stick to. I actually had time. So I leisurely prepared it, drinking wine and singing along to music. I got lazy. I wasn't vigilant. And this is what happens. I always knew I worked better under pressure but I learned last night just how true that is.

And here's the phoenix:


Instead I made the dinner I originally had planned for this evening: Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Christmas Salad. It was the first time I had made it (also the first time I tried the Cabbage Galette), and I can't even express to you how simple it is, yet how rich it is in flavor. First you start off with the mozzarella di bufala, which is on the bottom, and you sprinkle salt, pepper, and freshly grated lemon zest on it (Layer 1). Then the recipe calls for clementine slices next, but I used peeled cara cara oranges (Layer 2). Then you dress some salad greens in lemon-oil dressing and wrap them in some speck (smoked proscuitto, Layer 3). Then the recipe calls for shaved Parmigiano Reggiano on top, but I used pecorino romano, which didn't work so well - use Parmigiano Reggiano like Jamie says (Layer 4). Last, finish with a sprinkling of aged balsamic vinegar (Layer 5). It was textured, rich, and simple. It tasted decadent but was still surprisingly light on its feet. And it paired splendidly with the Bridlewood Viognier I had already poured. The best part? It took me about 20 minutes to pull together after my cabbage galette debacle.

Bon appètit!