Category Archives: Recipes

Apple, Onion and Potato Tart

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This tart riffs on the popular dessert we make constantly at our house during apple season. Instead of the usual sweet version, this savory tart joins apples with onions and potatoes (in French called pommes de terre – literally apples of the earth). You could add or substitute peeled, sliced celery root, parsnips or carrots if you like.

Ingredients:

  • One medium apple
  • 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 medium onion
  • Olive oil
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • One sheet frozen puff pastry
  • Goat cheese, optional

Method:

  1. Defrost pastry in the fridge overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Thinly slice apple, potatoes and onion. Heat some oil in a sauté pan, then add onion and cook until just starting to brown. Add potatoes, thyme sprigs and a bit of salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes until onion is soft and potatoes are almost cooked. Add apples and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir gently so slices remain intact. Remove from heat. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary.
  3. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Lay out pastry on top of paper. Cut pastry sheet into 2 strips about 4-5 inches wide. Separate from one another by at least an inch.
  4. Lay potato-apple mixture on top of pastry in a thin layer. Leave at least ½ inch border of pastry uncovered around the perimeter of each rectangle (this allows the pastry to puff up). Crumble a bit of goat cheese over the top, if desired. Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
  5. Remove from oven, cool slightly, cut into slices.
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White Bean Spread with Leeks

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This is a favorite in our household (especially with the head cook when she’s had a hectic day and needs a truly simple menu). We often enjoy this spread on toasted crusty bread accompanied by a bowl of hot soup.

Ingredients:

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large leek (2 medium), white and lightest green parts, carefully rinsed to remove any grit, and thinly sliced cross-wise
  • 3-4 generous cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cans white beans, well rinsed and drained
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Method:

  1. Warm oil in a medium-sized skillet, over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and sauté until leek is very soft (about 5 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent the leek from turning brown or crisp.
  2. Add beans and about ¼ cup (or more) water. Stir and simmer gently over low heat until beans become soft and a bit squishy. Add some salt and pepper to taste after about 5 minutes of cooking. Remove from heat and mash the beans with a wooden spoon until partially smooth, or use a handheld immersion blender and partially blend. Leave some beans whole or partially intact so the spread has texture.
  3. Squeeze lemon juice on top, to taste and stir to mix. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
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Mushrooms a la Julia C.

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Recently we were reacquainted with the delightful movie, Julie and Julia, which features some of culinary grand dame Julia Child’s advice. As in, for proper browning, don’t crowd the mushrooms in the pan. Believe me, it makes all the difference. If you need to cook a bunch, do it in multiple batches. All you really need to enjoy these creamy morsels is a spoon to shovel them down, but serve them on toast or tucked inside a classic French omelette when company calls. Bon appétit.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons butter
  • Button mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Vermouth or sherry
  • Half and half
  • 2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and/or fresh chives

Method:

  1. Clean mushrooms with a brush or soft cloth to remove any bits of grit. Slice cleaned mushrooms until you have about 2 cups.
  2. Heat oil and butter in a wide sauté pan. Place mushrooms in the pan in a single layer, with room between them. After two minutes add the garlic and continue to cook. Initially the mushrooms will release a lot of moisture into the pan, but the liquid will eventually cook off allowing the mushrooms to brown. Watch closely at this stage and turn periodically so they brown on both sides.
  3. When most of the mushrooms are a bit golden brown, deglaze the pan by adding a healthy splash of vermouth. Stir and scrape browned bits off the side of the pan. Add a bit of half-and-half (a couple of Tablespoons or so) and stir to combine. Add some chopped herbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Peach and Raspberry Crisp

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Summer Fruit Crisp

My all-time favorite dessert is a fruit crisp topped with vanilla ice cream, and there’s no better filling than fresh peaches with bursts of sweet, red raspberries. Crisps are among the loosest, easiest desserts to pull off in a hurry, especially if you keep some of the topping ready in the fridge. It will store well in an air-tight container for a week or more.

Mixed Berry CrispThis crisp is easy to vary.  Try blueberries instead of raspberries.  Nectarines instead of peaches.  Or a mound of mixed berries, such as raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.

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Moroccan Carrot Salad

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Many Moroccan carrot salads rely on cooked veggies—I prefer using the raw roots. Try tossing in a few mint leaves too, if you have them. A trick for julienning:  use an OXO handheld julienne peeler.  The tool turns out long, thin strips like magic.  Otherwise, a sharp knife does the job as well.  To make the task easier, first cut peeled carrots lengthwise, into long, thin strips.  Then cut those slices lengthwise into thin, parallel strips.

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