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Leek Parmesan Quiche
“If you can mock a leek, you can eat a leek.” – William Shakespeare, Henry V. Leeks? Love ’em. (Just like lemons, ginger, chocolate, and all the other beloved foods I’ve already mentioned.) Red onions, scallions, shallots, leeks – I pretty much love them all. Which is funny because as a kid, I hated anything at all piquant, like onions or mustard or peppers. I guess my taste buds have grown up, because I can seriously get down for spicy these days.
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Meyer Lemon Blood Orange Muffins with Candied Ginger
Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement’s. You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St. Martin’s. When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey. When I get rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch. – English Nursery Rhyme. A lovely friend from work keeps bringing in the most gorgeous Meyer lemons from her tree. Such a gift! I so love when people share food from their gardens and nothing tastes better than produce in season. It always reminds me of my beloved Grandma Evelyn, who was one of those people born with a green thumb, two open hands, and a giving heart.
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Lime Panna Cotta Tarts with Blueberry Glaze
What is all this juice and all this joy? – Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Spring.” Spring is finally here! Something about this time of year always makes me want to create. To try new things. And it was a long, cold, lonely winter, to paraphrase the Fab Four. We lost my father-in-law Pop at Christmas time, so we’re coming off a sad season. Even when loss is expected, it’s still loss – that ongoing process of remembering that the person you loved is gone forever.
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Easy Espresso Crème Brûlée
“Crème brûlée is the ultimate ‘guy’ dessert. Make it and he’ll follow you anywhere.” – Ina Garten. I’d follow anyone anywhere for this crème brûlée. I can’t get over how wonderful it is with the espresso flavor added. I had some freshly purchased powder for another recipe and thought I’d throw in a couple teaspoons. Oh my goodness. The coffee with the vanilla, the warm sugar and the cold custard, the soft and the hard textures…it is sublime.
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Chocolate Caramel Tart
Dark chocolate’s botanical name is Theobroma cacao, or “food of the gods.” Are you ready? Really ready? Because this chocolate caramel tart with flaked sea salt is going to rock your world. Prepare to be shook. In a good way. And it’s NOT THAT HARD. You just have to take your time.
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Meyer Lemon Custard Cakes
“…and then I decided I was a lemon for a couple of weeks.” Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything. Meyer lemons are in season! When I saw some at Trader Joe’s I snapped those babies right up, but then the question was, what to do with them? What recipe would feature the complex, gorgeous flavor of Meyer lemons? These delicious custard cakes were the answer. They’re a perfect blend of cake and pudding and make a most refreshing dessert.
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Fougasse
“The history of bread is the history of men and of all time.” – Gerard Auzet. Think focaccia by way of Provence and you have fougasse, a crusty, yeasted flatbread distinctive for its pretty cut-outs mimicking a wheat stalk. And like focaccia, fougasse’s origins go back to good ol’ ancient Rome and the panis focacius, or “bread of the focus” (hearth or fireplace), which were flatbreads cooked in the ashes of the fire.
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Gingerbread Scones
“An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread.” – Shakespeare, Love’s Labours Lost. To me, ginger is one of those substances that seems almost magical. Cure for nausea? Check. Anti-inflammatory? Check. Fragrant and delicious? Check. From its zingy presence in savory dishes to its aromatic spiciness in cookies and bread, what’s not to love?
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Sourdough Diaries – Meet Eustacia
“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” – Robert Browning. Dip even a toe into the sourdough bread-making pool and you’ll quickly be overwhelmed by a tidal wave of opinions. And advice. And rules. And myths, and traditions, and downright fallacies. Indeed, I could write a whole blog just on sourdough, as many have. (For one of my favorites, check out The Perfect Loaf.)
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Luscious Lemon Bars
Cutting the lemon / the knife / leaves a little cathedral: / alcoves unguessed by the eye / that open acidulous glass / to the light; topazes / riding the droplets, altars, / aromatic facades. – Pablo Neruda, A Lemon. What’s more beautiful than a bright, fragrant fresh lemon? And who better to somehow capture its very essence in words than Chilean poet Pablo Neruda? His ode poem A Lemon is like a song, a paean to this miraculous fruit. Give yourself a treat and read it. And should you want to continue immersing yourself in Neruda’s gorgeous language and celebration of the essence of things, I recommend splurging on All the…
