You may see this recipe and think it’s a clafoutis. I, too, would have thought this prior to my recent research. As it turns out, French becomes more loveable than ever when referencing food terms. I’ve often tried explaining to friends how wonderful it is that French is very specific- for example, the word ‘tartiner’ refers to the spreading of a fairly thick substance (oft used to describe butter, jam, preserves, pesto, tapenade, etc) onto a bread-like substance. English has no such word, sadly, but French wins yet again in the culinary specificity department with flaugnarde.

Clafoutis, apparently, refers ONLY to when this dessert is made with black cherries- and purists will argue that the cherries must have their pits in for it to be traditional. For any other fruit, it must be a flaugnarde. There’s always something to learn about food :)

I had some lovely large, ripe (yes, there is such a thing as a ripe apple, oddly enough) pink lady apples from my mother and some organic heavy cream I had gotten on sale. I decided on flaugnarde- well, clafoutis, before I knew that to be the incorrect term- and searched for a recipe. I found Ina’s, adapted it, and was very happy with the results. As I had leftover batter, I made a few different sizes and shapes, and each was different! My favourite, I think, was the large tart-shaped one, but each was interesting. The souffle dish ones suffered from overbeaten eggs in the batter, resulting in a souffle-like consistency on bottom and a more flan-like consistency on top. If nothing else, it was an interesting study in texture!

Apple Flaugnarde

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Pear Clafouti

Ingredients:

• 2 large Pink Lady apples
• 2 tsp 2x extra strength vailla extract
• 7 tablespoons organic AP flour
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (cage-free!)
• 1 1/2 cups organic heavy cream (I used Horizon)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; butter dishes with room-temperature soy butter (I did two batches of batter- see below for ‘second attempt recipe’ and buttered 1 10-inch fluted tart pan, 2 souffle ramekins, and 1 4-inch rectangle ramekin); sprinkle 1 tablespoon (more or less) of the sugar around the sides of the dish(es)
2. Place the eggs and remaining sugar in a food processor (or, preferably, stand mixer) and beat together for 1-2 minutes until frothy and mouse-y on top and light in colour.
3. Add in the flour, cream, vanilla extract, and salt; mix together and set aside as you prepare the apples.
4. Peel, quarter, core, and slice the apples, having approximately 4-5 slices per apple fourth. Fan the slices lightly onto the dishes in whatever fashion you choose, so long as it’s aesthetically pleasing; then pour the batter on top and make sure the apples are well coated (it’s okay if they’re sticking out a bit- see the pictures below).
5. Bake your flaugnarde(s) until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm- this will take approximately 32-35 minutes for the large tart; 45-50 minutes for the deeper rectangular ramekin; 25-30 minutes for the souffle dishes. It all depends on the size!

For my second variant, I tried the following (the rectangular dish- which I really quite enjoyed- had this mix): 1/4 cup organic heavy cream; 2 large cage-free eggs; 4 heaping tablespoons organic AP flour; 2 large Pink Lady apples; 1.5 tablespoons 2x extra strength vanilla extract. The rest of the ingredients were the same. I also mixed this one far less- less overbeating and air meant a denser, thicker texture, which I prefered.

The texture reminded me a bit of the tarte au flan my father had at Sarafina’s on St. Maarten… gorgeous. Though, of course, theirs was larger and thicker. But this dessert is very simple, when made with the food processor, and very very very good. I’ll definitely be making this one again. I made the large tart and large ramekin to bring in to work for an intern event- bringing food makes for more attentive audiences, I’ve found- and they seemed to enjoy it… and the sister really liked it… so I’m counting it as a success! :)

I realize that may be a bit pompous to say, but honestly, this is a rather foolproof delicious pesto. I’ve been rather fed up with the pestos I’ve found as of late. They’re all ‘too’ something: too oil; too yellow; too spiced; too bland; too thin; and so on. Finding a pesto that’s got the proper taste, consistency, and colour is rather difficult, and I’m hard-pressed to find that combination. Sauces and Love has a wonderful pesto but unfortunately it’s quite pricey for a small quantity.

I recently purchased an adorable basil plant- local and organic- at the grocery store for $3 and was very excited about the prospect of my indoor fresh herbs… but the lack of direct sunlight meant this was an unsuccessful attempt. Oh, no! Dying basil plant! Clearly there was only one thing I could do: emergency pesto. Luckily, it turned out completely and utterly delicious. I know this is a recipe I’ll be following again- and soon- because that first batch is almost gone already :). It’s terrific with some plain fresh capellini and a light drizzle of olive oil. Perfecto!

The Perfect Pesto

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup chopped basil (coarse)
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Reggianito cheese
• 1 heaping tablespoon fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt, sprinkling of pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup salted cashews, coarsely chopped

Process:

• Place all ingredients in food processor
• Process on low until all elements are combined and a thick paste-like consistency is formed; do not overprocess to where all the cheese and nut bits are gone- keep a bit of coarseness!
• Spread onto some freshly toasted ciabatta or mix into hot pasta with a bit of extra olive oil for a yummy, delicious time

So simple! So good! So sure to be making this one again soon! Actually, I’m tempted to get a ton of basil, some cute jars, and jar some of this as christmas or holiday gifts… nice packaging will make this have the perfect touch. Seriously, make some. It’s so much cheaper than buying t at the store, and likely to be more delicious, as well! Pine nuts are the traditional nut for pesto, but I almost like it better this way :).

Recently, H and I made a delicious Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart, using David Lebovitz’s recipe. It was so good- and so simple to make- that I was determined to make it again and- of course- experiment with it a bit (general rule: make it once more-or-less as described, then start having fun with it).

I wanted to try a whole wheat crust, putting some herbs into it (Kerbey Lane Cafe here in Austin has a tomato tart with an herbed crust that I really enjoy, and thus wanted to try getting something to be similar) and trying a different cheese. My mother had kindly given me a large piece of Reggianito (the Argentine version of Parmigiano Reggiano)… clearly, it was a sign.

This turned out very well, and was just as easy as the first one to make! I took a hint from some comments I read on David’s recipe page and made two major adjustments: 1) using rice at the bottom (I know, it sounds absolutely insane, but hear me out), and 2) drying the tomato slices.

Rice: An issue I had with the tart our first time around was that after removing it from the oven, there was quite a bit of moisture hanging about at the bottom of the crust and it made the bottom crust a bit moist. To remedy this, I sprinkled a bit of jasmine rice along the bottom (see pictures below) to soak in the moisture. The commentors on David’s blog say you can use it for both savoury and sweet tarts. Neat!

Tomato drying: I placed the tomato slices within paper towels and pressed down, to remove some of the moisture (but did not carve out the seeds and seed-holding gel, as H tells me this is where the nutrients live!). The result: dyer tomatoes, without the loss of nutrients.

And thus- here’s adaption number two of this yummy and tasty treat!

Tomato and Reggianito Tart with Whole Wheat Herb Crust

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato Tart, which is in turn adapted from A Culinary Journey in Gascony

Ingredients (variation of original):

• 1 cup organic AP flour
• 1/2 heaping cup organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• slightly under 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon each of dried basil, thyme, and rosemary
• 8 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 large egg, cage-free
• 3 tablespoons cool water
• 3 tablesppons Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons jasmine rice
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 8 large shavings of reggianito
• 8 large roma tomatoes, ripe (quantity will vary based on tomato size and your tomato preferences)
• Sea salt (large grain) for sprinkling on top

Process:

Visit David! (Recipe at the very bottom). Only changes I made were:

• using a food processor for mixing the dough
• adding the dried herbs to the dough mixture (and using both types of flour)
• no honey this time!
• reggianito cheese in stead of goat cheese

And that’s that! It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s delicious… and with the whole wheat crust and added herbs, better than before in terms of health! Try it out and make your own changes. I’ll probably keep changing this ever time I make it. Hah.

If you’re like me, you’re a fan of Jamba Juice. For those who haven’t the luxury of having a Jamba near them, it’s your standard juice/smoothie bar/stop with a variety of healthy, thick smoothies (try their peanut butter and granola ones… now that is THICK!). They’re yummy, and being a creature of habit, I get the same one every time (I’ve experimented with a few others over the years, but always come back to this one)- the Banana Berry. It’s a delicious smoothie, full of banana and blueberries and who knows what else (their recipes are, of course, secret). Oddly, I’m not a big banana fan, but something about the taste, texture, and viscosity of this smoothie makes me happy. So, naturally, I sought to recreate this happiness at home.

I’ve attempted to get this recipe down many a time and am happy to say I’ve finally got it. This may not be the perfect way- and you may find a variant you like better (not everyone happens to have raspberry sorbet on hand)- but this tastes really, really close to the Jamba version, so why not make it yourself at home and save?

Banana Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 small to medium-sized, incredibly ripe banana (so ripe it won’t hold its shape. THAT ripe.)
• 1 tablespoon raspberry sorbet
• 2/3 cup natural vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup frozen strawberries, chopped coarsely
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup organic skim milk
• 1 tsp clover honey
• sprinkling of sea salt

Process:

To quote Selena Gomez in her Borden Milk commercials, it’s “seriously delicious”. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative, substitute the ice cream for low-fat vanilla yogurt and cut down a bit on the milk (unless if you like it to be thinner, in which case by all means keep the liquidyness!). Yum yum yum.

I have to admit that I did some research before writing this post. I was curious as to whether the ‘Veronique’  in this salad was of Ina Garten’s choosing (whose recipe we followed in making this (and if so, after which Veronique was the dish named?)) or if this was a common dish. Apparently it’s the latter- or at least, to the extent that Ina can not be credited with the naming of the salad (though with the originality of its ingredients, yes- love the tarragon). However, the lack of a wikipedia page on the subject leads me to believe that this is not a dish rooted in history but rather someone came up with the first, named it after her cousin Veronica, published it, and all others henceforth are variations off of that first.

H and I had another cooking date planned and when deciding what to make, she suggested this crisp summertime chicken salad, and who am I to refuse the idea of something crisp and fresh? I was unsure about the tarragon as I know it has an anise taste and I tend to not be crazy about anise, but I must say, it works wonders in this recipe. We served it on some toasty 12-grain ciabatta-style bread and had a delightfully crunchy time.

Chicken Salad Veronique

Following Ina Garten’s Chicken Salad Veronique

Rather than re-post her recipe and steal hits away frmo the food network website, I’ll simply post a few notes on how our preparation differed- because, really, we followed it quite closely:

• We used Helman’s low-fat mayonnaise with olive oil (no HFCS!)- and at a bit under 1/2 a cup, it was even a bit too much. I’d start with 1/3 of a cup and see how that goes- with mayo, once it’s too much, you can’t go back!
• We halved the chicken amount and used 2 chicken breasts instead of four
• We used 3 stalks, rather than 2, for the celery, as we both like things to be crunchy :)
• We had closer to 2 tablespoons tarragon… maybe nearing 3…. hey, you know, fresh herbs don’t last forever, it’s best to use them when they’re in good shape, right?

It was very yummy, very fresh (have I said that enough yet?) and a really lovely summer dish. It’s a great take-with-you lunch, for picnics, office parties, what have you. Easy to cart around and easy to make in larger quantities- especially with the chicken baking in the oven (which, by the way, took as (exactly as H extimated) 20 minutes and no more) it’s even hands-off! Excellent.

Lemonade seems to be one of the defining items of summer, does it not? When you think of summer, one can feel this thirst for lemonade… as well as a desire for the crunch of fresh fruit. Strawberries and lemons make for fabulous partners. Vitamin C + ascorbic acid = amazing conservation. This cupcake was one that immensly appealed to those who usually dislike sweets- and love fruit. I’m glad to say they were the recipients of some excellent feedback- “I usually don’t like cakes or sweet things but these were pretty darn fantastic!” “I loved them. Those strawberry cupcakes were the best!” “I usually hate icing- but that was some really good icing.” If that’s not enough to convince you, I don’t know what is :)

The cupcake itself is very low fat- using all canola oil in favour of butter, and with plain low-fat yogurt. Yum! The icing, however… well… let’s pretend that’s equally healthy, shall we?

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Adapted from Lemon Yogurt Cupcake @ Smells Like Bean Spirit

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/3 cups King Arthur organic cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp Sicilian sea salt, large grain
• 3 large cage-free eggs
• 1 cup plain low-fat Stonyfield organic yogurt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• zest of 1 small orange
• 1/8 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely-chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup organic canola oil

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together briskly the eggs, vanilla, zest, juices (lemon + orange), and sugar in a large bowl; set aside.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder into a small bowl.
4. Mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture in two batches, mixing briskly and thoroughly but not overmixing.
5. Pour in the oil and mix this in as well, still briskly. Then fold in the strawberry bits.
6. Pour into baking cups (small, large, both, you pick!) and bake for 18-20 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven). Then let cool in a wire rack while you prepare the icing!

Icing Ingredients:

• 7 tablespoons soy butter, softened
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 2-3 large strawberries, finely chopped
• about 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar

The ‘about’ in reference to the powdered sugar is because this depends on the consistency you’re going for. I wanted a thick, creamy icing that would pipe easily and hold its shape; but if you’re going for runnier, then add less sugar, and for a more thick icing, add more, and so forth. It’s not overly sweet, surprisingly, but that’s thanks to the lemon. It’s very rich, and goes very nicely with the airy cake.

This one’s a cupcake for friends and family who claim they aren’t dessert people. Make a batch of these and prove them wrong! :)

SPECIAL NOTE: The one complaint I had concerning these- and it was the same excat complaint every time- was regarding the texture of the cupcake around the strawberry bits, which sort of melted into the cake during baking. The cupcake became rather gooey around these parts, mostly due to the excess moisture being thrown out by the berry pieces. To combat this, try either a) drying them on a paper towel for 1-2 hours prior to baking (thanks, Jon!); or b) masserating them in sugar to ‘sweat out’ the moisture, then dry on a paper towel. It all depends on the sweetness level you would like your cupcake to have! Another alternative is to use method b but then rinse the berries thoroughly to remove the added sugar which has not been absorbed- this may reduce the sweetness by a bit.

It’s my take on red velvet, and it’s not red, but I do believe all the other necessary elements are there. Right? I mean, for a cake to be red velvet, from what I understand, it needs to:

• -be a moist, midway-density chocolate cake
• -be adorned with a thick and creamy cream cheese icing
• -be red

…two out of three! Clearly, this is a red velvet cake. So, now that we’ve discussed the formalities of the naming conventions, we can discuss the making, baking, and eating of this thing. These were a HIT. I hadn’t realized the passion Southerners have for red velvet prior to this day but, goodness, they really do love it. And the best part is that, all in all, it was fairly simple: a chocolate cake with creme brulee coffee, chocolate chips, some icing and cocoa powder and voila, you’re set. I have only one in-production picture of this one because the chocolate made it SO DARK in colour that the camera had trouble focusing on the mixture. I’d consider that to be a good thing :).

Triple Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (whole)
• 1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 & 1/4 cups organic AP flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup organic canola oil
• 1/2 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 2/3 overflowing cup Folgers Selects creme brulee coffee
• 2/3 cup cool water
• 4 large eggs (cage-free!)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt chocolate by pouring the hot coffee into a bowl containing the chocolate chips, and stir slowly until melted. Add canola oil, water, and vanilla extract; set aside.
3. Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, coacoa powder) in another bowl; set aside.
4. Beat eggs lightly together for about 45 seconds, until slightly thickened. Add sugar slowly while continually beating. Add in the melted chocolate mixture and mix slowly but thoroughly. Then add in the flour and briskly mix together, being sure not to overmix.
5. Add in the chocolate chips (remaining, not to be melted) and mix briskly.
6. Pour into baking cups (small or large or both!) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18-20 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven).

Icing Ingredients:

• 1 package Neufchatel cream cheese (reduced fat)
• 1 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons soy butter
• 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar

Process all of that together in your food processor until it reaches a thick, creamy, smooth consistency, and then place in a ‘poor man’s piping bag’ (a ziplock). Then cut a tiny corner and pipe it onto the tops of the completed cupcakes. For decoration, sprinkle on some cocoa powder.

And there you have it! A bit of a variation on your typical red velvet cupcake. Yum yum yum yum. :) Moist, chocolate-y, flavoured, and rich.

This past week (Tuesday, to be precise) marked my one-year anniversary of working at, well, the company at which I work :). It’s been a really wonderful year- I’m blessed to have some amazing coworkers (incredibly sweet, humours, caring people, and I’m surrounded by nerds, which is wonderful), many of whom have a sweet tooth. I had promised baked goods for my anniversary (my new hobby is finding excuses to bring baked goods in to work, so birthdays, anniversaries, etc) and decided to make it a cupcake extravaganza. I decided upon three (well, actually four, but unfortunately due to a rather untimely migraine I was unable to make the fourth) batches, the first of which was this one. The sister and I had sampled some new nut varieties (they’re always coming up with new coatings and flavourings for them, it seems!) and we really enjoyed these white-chocolate-covered pecans. Mmh. Clearly, it was a sign- they were meant to be mashed into brownies, right? Right. So, herein lies the secret to making your own. NOTE: my brownies do not usually rise, but for some odd reason (I blame the pecans) these did… therefore, underfill your cups (mine were a little over 3/4 of the way up and that was too much) just in case! At the worst, you can just add extra frosting. No one will mind this. Just be wary, because spilled cupcake is usually no big deal, but spilled brownie hardens. I had many coworkers resigning themselves to eating ‘extra fiber’, aka the paper wrapping. Oops. Learned my lesson!

White Chocolate Pecan Fudge Brownie Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate (chips, baker’s chocolate, you pick!)
• 1/2 cup soy butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons organic canola oil
• 3 teaspoons 2x vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs (cage-free!)
• 1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup (slightly heaping) AP flour (preferably organic)
• 1 cup white-chocolate covered pecans, chopped chunkily
• 2-3 tablespoons cold water (based on your texture preference)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt chocolate using a double-boiler with salt and soy butter (or, if you’re trying to cheat, go ahead and use the microwave).
3. Once smooth, take off the heat, and slowly beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add in the vanilla and sugar and stir quickly- don’t worry about not mixing it perfectly. 
4. Add in the oil and water and stir again, then pour the flour in and mix until just combined. Lastly, add in the pecans, slowly mixing and do be careful not to overmix, this will ruin the texture of the brownies.
5. Gently pour the battle (slightly over 1/2 cup full) into brownie cups lined with papers (I did minis, you can do any size) and place in oven for approximately 15 minutes (or until firm and giving only slightly to the touch).
6. For the icing, I did the following: take half a package of betty crocker vanilla rich and creamy frosting (migraine = not enough time to make all my icings = sad), and place in the food processor. Add 1/8 tsp 2x vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp peach fondant gel colour (or none at all, or any colour), and a heaping cup of confectioner’s sugar. Mix until just combined.
7. Ice the cupcakes by piping on the frosting (once chilled), then add on fruit and coconut shavings for decoration.

These were the least popular of the three, but then again, it’s all up to choice. They were by far the sister’s favourite- which just goes to show that when it comes to cupcakes, we all have wildly different tastes! This one’s a tried-and-true happy one, easy to make, and oh so delicious.

I’m putting this one in the accident category because the sister and I were not huge fans- we’re adding ‘white sauces’ to the list of ‘things Odile has trouble cooking’… but the boyfriend rather enjoyed it and H thought that it looked good (did not get to taste), so this may be another white-sauce-that-actually-worked-I-just-didn’t-think-so. Alas, we’ll most likely never know because as I did not like it, I’m not likely to try it again. :) You’ll have to give it a shot and let me know your thoughts!

I believe its taste may have been altered by the fact that I used a very sweet wine for the sauce (the boyfriend gave the sister a bottle of Muscat Canneli for her 21st and she opted to choose that night for its opening… it had a lovely flavour, but very, very sweet) whereas something a bit more dry might have been a better choice. Should you experiment with it and experience different results, please do let me know- it’d be nice to hear someone else’s thoughts on this one!

Sherry-Glazed Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, and Whole Wheat Penne in White Wine Yogurt Sauce

Adapted from Chicken in White Wine and Yogurt Sauce from Cooks.com (for the sauce)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, skinned, cleaned (no fat! preferably organic!)
• 1/2 cup dry dessert cream sherry
• 2 large stalks fresh broccoli
• 1/2 box whole wheat penne pasta
• 3 tblspn soy butter (1 for chicken, 2 for sauce)
• 3 tblspn AP organic flour
• 1 cup low-fat organic plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield- mom gave some to me :) )
• 1/4 cup white wine (I used Muscat Canneli)
• Sea salt & freshly-cracked black pepper
• Olive oil, for tossing pasta + pasta water

Process:

1. Boil water for pasta as directed on pasta box. Add a bit of soy butter or olive oil + salt to the water when putting it on the heat to avoid sticking. Cook as directed (I like it just slightly al dente), drain (but save about 1/3 cup pasta water for later), and place in a large bowl. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and set aside with a warm towel on top to keep in the heat.
2. Rinse broccoli stalks, then cut into small chunks and place on a plate. Take a very damp paper towel, place on top of the place so it is fully covered (no problem if it’s hanging off the sides!) and place in microwave for 2-3 minutes, until the broccoli turns very bright green. Leave outside with the paper towel on for an additional minute, then discard the towel and toss the broccoli in with the pasta.
3. Place 1 tblspn soy butter in a small sautee pan with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Once it begins to bubble, put in the chicken breasts and sear on all sides, until a nice brown colour emerges. Then add in the sherry and let sit, keeping the chicken on medium heat and turning it over every 2-3 minutes to even the glaze. It should begin to caramelize and bubble. Once the chicken is fully cooked (press down on it gently with your tongs to check. If there’s any squishyness or give, it’s not done; if it feels firm, take it off the heat!) and place on a cutting board. Keep reducing the sauce until it’s a thick, bubbling glaze, and pour slowly over the chicken. Let sit for a minute or two so it can absorb the glaze. Then, cut the chicken into 3/4-inch cubes and add to pasta and toss.
4. For the sauce, melt the remaining 2 tblspns of soy butter in another pan (a larger saucier this time). Once it begins to bubble a bit, add the flour, and slowly mix it, then add the broth in a slow and steady stream, and continue to mix all the while pouring. Then add the yogurt, wine, salt, and pepper, turn off the heat, and stir until it’s a thick, smooth sauce. Pour onto the pasta and toss lightly so that everything is evenly coated. Serve with fresh herbs on top for garnish, and keep that pasta water handy in case the sauce continues to thicken while on the pasta.

And there you have it! Give it a go and let me know how it works out for you- I’m sure you’ll do a better job of it than I did :). And as for the chicken, there’s no specific need for the glaze (especially if you go with a more dry wine, you could match it with something less sweet on the chicken) but it’s a bit of a tradition at my house. And you can switch around the broccoli for some other vegetable, switch the chicken for another meat… really, a rather fluid dish. Oh, and mushrooms are a classic with this one, but mushrooms scare me, hence their absence… feel free to add them back in for your variations!

I’ve always adored lemonade. I see it as being the patron drink of summer, and the idea of a tall, cold glass of lemonade coupled with a good read makes for my idea of summer heaven (added bonus: abundant sunshine). Last week when the sister and I were grocery shopping I saw lemons on sale and immediately began sorting through them. Sister shook her head, as this happens often:

Sister: “So, what are you doing?”

Me: “Lemons! The lemons! They’re on sale! And look how pretty they are!”

Sister: “…And do you know what you plan to do with them?”

Me: “Oh, well, I hadn’t thought of that yet. But something. Oh! Lemonade. I’m making lemonade.”

Sister: “Do you really need so many of them, though!?”

She worries about my culinary sanity, I think, for I often get over-excited at the store over ingredients without set plans on how or when to use them. It’s always been an issue (“Elle a les yeux plus grands que l’estomac!” was often said of my by my parents) in that I tend to prefer the picture or the idea of the food rather than the food itself. This must explain my early-on interest in food styling. :)

Elise at SimplyRecipe’s is another culinary idol/favourite of mine, so I opted to follow her wisdom in this recipe. I learned the lemonade basics: simple syrup is what gets out that grainyness (if you watch Food Network, Giada’s a simple syrup obsessor, it seems) but I can now truly see the merit in this process (its slight resemblance to caramel frightens me, but I shall ignore this and pretend I’m a whiz at caramel). Therefore, ‘lo and behold this very yummy (but rather sweet- will definitely reduce sugar next time) recipe for something delightfully cool and crisp:

Home-Made Lemonade

Following Elise’s Perfect Lemonade Recipe at SimpleRecipes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (even this was too sweet for me, so feel free to go down to 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup room-temp water (for the simple syrup- more later for the actual lemonade)
• 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (took me about 8 lemons, small-to-medium-sized)
• 5 cups cold water (to dilute; could have even gone with a 6th)
• 1 lemon cut into slices for deocration and too add extra lemon-y-ness

Process:

1. Get out a small pot and place in sugar and simple syrup water, and heat together on medium or so until the sugar is fully dissolved into the water.
2. While the simple syrup is heating, juice your lemons into your jug (I used one with a lid so I could shake it well. If you haven’t a lid, then you may want to juice into a lidded container before placing in your jug/bottle/etc)
3. Add the simple syrup to the lemon juice. Then add in about 5 (or even 6, depending on how you like your lemonade) cups of water to dilute it. I’d suggest tasting a tiny bit after every added cup to make sure you don’t go over and hit the point of no (lemonade) return.

And that’s it! Super simple (syrup) and easy to make, and oh-so-delicious on a hot summer day. And considering the fact that lemons are about 6 to a dollar in most stores at the moment, this comes out far cheaper than purchasing your own (which is probably ladden with HFCS and waiting to destroy your health, anyway)- so why not make yourself a pitcher? It’s a terrific excuse to go vintage glass bottle shopping, if nothing else…

Oh, goodness, this was a yummy one. H and I were searching through potential victims for our weekly cooking date and I had happened upon this one on David Lebovitz (he’s one of my culinary idols, for his post on the boiled tart crust, if nothing else) earlier that week and was in love. (sorry, boyfriend, but no worries, I’m not leaving you for tomato and goat cheese!) Plus, this was a fabulous opportunity to break out three birthday presents- the food processor from the boyfried (!!!), the silpat from H; and the lovely ceramic tart dish from my parents. :) Opportunities to use exciting new gifts? Yes, please!

We followed it really quite precisely according to the recipe, and it was delicious. We had leftover ingredients and thus used the silpat to line the bottom of a sheet pan with the leftover dough made free-galette style, basil-less because the sister tends to not be too crazy about fresh basil and I didn’t want her missing out on the tart. Because, really, no one should miss out on this sort of thing. Mmmmh.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

Following David Lebovitz’s French Tomato Tart, adapted from A Culinary Journey in Gascony

Ingredients (because ours differed slightly):

• 1 1/2 cups organic AP flour
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, cage-free, brown
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
• 1.5-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (we used Grey Poupon)
• 8 large roma tomatoes, ripe (quantity will vary based on tomato size and your tomato preferences
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• a large amount of fresh basil (we chopped it, came out to probably around 4 tablespoons)
• 8 ounces fresh goat cheese, sliced into rounds about 3/4-inch thick (we used Montchevre)
• 2 tablespoons clover honey for drizzling
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Process:

Visit David! (Recipe at the very bottom- we followed the same process, save for using the food processor to mix the tart dough; adding basil in stead of other herbs (both below and on top of the goat cheese- see pictures below for process); etc.

We glazed both tarts- the galette and the traditional one- with clover honey prior to baking. We also greatly abused the large one with fresh basil, throwing on gobs of it (I adore basil, and definitely got this from my mother. Best herb ever, hands-down) so feel free to switch it up (David used thyme and a few other herbs in its stead). The sister keeps asking for a repeat performance of this one and the boyfriend didn’t get to taste since he wasn’t hanging out with us that night, which means this one is very likely to happen again in the near-future (as in today or tomorrow… which means I’ll be 7 behind for here, I think…. aye.)

In other news, I’ve discovered that there’s a large, bountiful rosemary plant right outside my building, on the corner. I have plans to go down sneakily around midnight, clad fully in black, and secretly snip a sprig or two to use in my next night of culinary inspiration…or to use for making rosemary skewers… just don’t tell anyone, please. Shhhhhhh.

So when I made the apricot danish cake, I thought, hmm, this could be pretty cute- and convenient- as mini cakes… but I wonder if they’d turn out the same way. And indeed, like a sign, they did not! I do have to admit that it was not fully the result of having switched to a smaller size- I changed several elements at once. Low-fat/light sour cream was replaced by fat-free; the egg whites were fresher and therefore more firm (and with more air), and more apricot puree was inserted into the creamy batter (which weighed it down a bit more). That said, it was a fascinating experiment, and the only way to describe them, really, is as being some sort of hybrid between a danish and a souffle, with a slight cheesecake-like texture near the fruit. And the jelly was a complete accident! I was yet again- in vain- attempting to make a caramel sauce to top the cakes and out came jelly. Go figure- I think I’m just not meant to get caramel right.

Mini Apricot Cream Cakes with Home-Made Apricot-Pear Jelly

Adapted from Bill Granger’s Apricot Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients (for the jelly/ fresh fruit topping):

• 1/3 cup Kerns pear nectar
• 1/3 cup apricot juice
• 1/8 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 can fresh apricot halves in juice (keep the juice!)
• 2-3 additional fresh apricots, halved (and rinsed, de-seeded)
• 1 tsp 2x-concentrated vanilla extract

Ingredients (cake):

• 5 tblspn soy butter
• 4 + 6 oz fat-free sour cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 apricots, pureed
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 separated eggs
• 1 tsp 2x-concentrated vanilla extract

Process:

1. Heat oven to 355 degrees F and butter a large muffin pan (I had leftover batter from doing 12 muffin-size cakes and therefore buttered a pan to make a long, flat cake. you can try making mini cakes in a mini muffin pan with your extra batter)
2. Heat together pear nectar, apricot juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, soy butter,and  vanilla extract over medium heat until it begins to bubble slightly; then add in apricot halves and reduce heat slightly. Keep flipping over the apricots so that they’re fully coated with the mixture, until they are soft and cooked through but not falling apart, and the sauce has caramelized. Then, pour apricots slowly and evenly into pan and set aside.
3. Pour caramelized sauce into a small, fairly flat bowl and set aside. This will become a jelly (I’m told pear probably has pectin, which triggers this. My pear netar is also a bit on the old side, which may have contributed to this texture in some fashion)
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Put soy butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix slowly until the mixture has a creamy texture. Then gently mix in the first 4 oz of the sour cream. Whisk in the egg yolks in two batches (2 at a time), then add in the pureed apricots (just halve them, chop into small pieces, and place in blender or food processor) and mix slowly.
6. Add the sifted flour in two batches, stirring slowly and only until just mixed in. If there are a few small tufts of unmixed flour, don’t worry about them! Then add in the remaining half of the sour cream, again mixing slowly.
7. Take a chilled bowl (preerably metal) and place egg whites and 1/2 tsp salt inside. Beat with an electric mixer on 1 or lowest speed for 3-60 seconds, then slowly raise speed until stiff, white peaks are formed. Be careful not to overbeat, or the whites will begin falling back down.
8. Fold the egg whites in 3-4 batches, being careful to fold and not mix so as to get all the air into the cake. Pour mixture slowly and evenly over the apricots in your muffin pan.
9. Place in oven on top rack for approximately 20-25 minutes, then remove and check with a toothpick. Let side 5 minutes to cool, then flip over onto a plate (or carefully remove each mini cake individually- or flip onto a cookie sheet, as my visiting friend suggested) and allow to continue cooling for 30 minutes. Eat warm with vanilla ice cream and heated jelly or cool as a Danish (as it cools, the cake will compress and compact into a thicker, creamier texture, especially near the fruit)
10. For the jelly, it ought to have jelly-itized by now. If it hasn’t, try going the conventional method and re-heating and adding pectin. Once your jelly has set, scoop out tiny pieces and place on top of the cakes. Serve with a leaf of fresh basil or mint and a warm scoop of vanilla ice cream with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

…and if you serve it with the serving suggestion in step 10, prepare yourself by getting some more ice cream, because it will be eaten so quickly that you won’t realize it happened until it’s too late. Warm cake with oozingly caramelized fruit + melting ice cream = mmmmh. Now I’m tempted to go make a batch of these again :). They’re portable, rather simple, and make a great gift or are perfect for your next entertaining event!