There are only 2 cucumber plants in the garden, however, they are producing almost more than we can eat, so I’m looking forward to exploring new ways to use them. Every day I marvel at the long reaching delicate tendrils that grasp and coil around …
The first time I planted Black Beauty eggplant, I thought she was the prettiest plant in the garden. Then I grew her cousin, the Fairy Tale eggplant, I thought she was the prettiest – with petite purple-and-white stripes, tender creamy flesh, and hardly any bitterness. …
A cast iron skillet. So important in the south, the coveted perfectly seasoned ones are passed down for generations, like the small one I have that reliably makes perfectly crisp golden cornbread every time.
Lodge Cast Iron is made just over the state line in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, about an hour northeast from us. Their National cornbread Festival is held there every spring, and if you don’t have an old family skillet waiting in the cabinet, the factory store is a good place to start. Great for making this roasted lemon rosemary chicken.
For this chicken, I use a large cast iron skillet so there’s plenty of room for the pieces to brown rather than steam. Lemon, rosemary, garlic and shallots roast alongside the chicken, and all those browned bits left behind become the base for a quick white wine pan sauce. Add lemon-parsley rice and you have a meal.
Pat the chicken dry and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Place the chicken skin-side down and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown. Turn the chicken and add the garlic, lemon, shallot, bay leaf and rosemary around it.
Transfer the skillet to a 350 degree oven and roast until the thickest part reaches 165 degrees.
Transfer the chicken to a platter and discard the rosemary and bay leaf.
Bring pan juices to a simmer and over medium-high heat and reduce slightly.
Add the wine and scrap up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce by half.
Add the chicken stock and reduce again until slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in the room temperature cream.
Strain, if desired.
Never throw away flavor. The fond in your skillet after you cook meat or chicken is the beginning of a great sauce. This is where homemade stock in the freezer really comes into play – it’s on hand and ready when you need it. A little wine, some stock, shallots or garlic, and a finish of cream, butter or fresh herbs from the garden will all turn an ordinary dinner into something special. The basic formula is simple: pan dripping + wine + stock + finish.
Lightly coat the bottom of a dutch oven with oil. Sauté the shallots a minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add 3 cups os water and simmer until absorbed. Using a fork, add in the zest and parsley while “fluffing” the rice.
Heat a sauté pan and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Sauté squash over medium high heat until browned, flipping as they cook. Add thyme, salt and pepper.
Whatever is blooming in the yard seems to be my current favorite flower obsession. I added another variety of hellebore this year: Tropical sunset honeymoon series lenten rose. It will be fantastic arranged with daffodils, ranunculus and forsythia. I use these little versatile vases for making simple arrangements and keeping cut herbs in the refrigerator. I like the clear glass ones and have them in all different sizes. Cluster them together on a tray for a beautiful table centerpiece.
Risotto is one of those dishes that can be made all year, changing what goes into it with whatever is coming from the garden or looks best at the market. The method stays the same. What changes is everything around it. In the winter months, …
Chocolate Lava Cake Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 4 ramekins. Blend butter and sugar, slowly add eggs and then flour, cocoa and at the end the cream. Fill greased ramekins. Bake approximately 12 minutes. Run knife around the edges and invert onto …
Deep dark blood oranges, bright sweet meyer lemons, tart limes, the first appearance in the short season of young peppery water cress, juicy sumo oranges and earthy golden beets. It’s February and the colors and citrus flavors are spectacular!
Combine lemon juice, orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar and bourbon. Pour marinade over salmon and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bring salmon back to room temperature before cooking. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Place the fillets, skin side up, in the skillet and cook 3 minutes. Turn the salmon and finish cooking in a preheated 350 degree for 5 minutes or until the salmon changes color and is cooked medium or to your liking.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the stems off the beets and wash them. Lay beets (keeping the red and gold separate) on a sheets of foil and drizzle with a little olive oil, splash of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Close up the foil and roast for one hour or until a knife is inserted without resistance. When cool enough to touch, rub the skin off with a paper towel and cut into quarters.
Freshly squeeze 1 cup of orange juice. In a sauce pan over medium heat reduce to 1/4 cup. Add zest of 1 orange. Cool. Whisk in a fresh squeeze each of lemon and lime juice, 1 minced shallot, and one sprig of fresh minced thyme. Slowly whisk in 3 tbs olive oil and 3 tablespoons EVOO, salt and pepper.
Cut off a sliver from the top and bottom of the orange. Then place the orange on a flat end and cut away the peel and pith. Cut one into slices and one into supremes (made by cutting between the membranes to release the segments).
Arrange the roasted beets and oranges slices and segments on the plate and top with salmon. Serve with a generous portion of water cress and garnish with chopped pistachios and a charred lemon. Pour on the citrus vinaigrette.
The sun is already beginning to set as we pull into the driveway. It’s been a fun weekend at the lake with football and friends. There’s a little leftover ground beef and I’m sure I have a few pantry staples to pull something together. Sunday …
I first cam across this idea in Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s book A Life in 12 Recipes. He makes a remarkably light mushroom broth with water, then balances with honey, vinegar, lemon and soy. I love the idea that something so simple could have that much flavor. …
This is the finale – the last of the holiday box of Harry & David pears. Best of all, nearly everything can be made-ahead, a simple dessert that’s anything but. Bosc or Anjou work nicely and keep their shape well. I like it for a cozy stay at home Valentine dinner too.
In a sauce pan, over low heat, combine water, sugar, lemon juice, cloves, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean.
Peel the pears, pole to pole, using a vegetable peeler. Cut in half lengthwise, leaving the stem intact. Using a melon baller or small spoon, remove the core.
Immediately place the pears in the poaching liquid and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning the pears occasionally, until tender but still holding their shape.
Remove from the heat and let cool. Refrigerate the pears and syrup together in an air tight container until ready to serve.
In a small sauce pan combine water, cocoa, sugar and syrup, and bring to a low boil. Remove from heat and add bittersweet chocolate. Stir to melt. Cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a sauce pan over low heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes.
Sift in flour, mixing a little at at time. Add lemon juice. Mix.
Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between them. Sprinkle lightly with shredded coconut.
Bake 8 -10 minutes, until lacy and golden around the edges.
Cool briefly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. While still warm, the crisps can be gently rolled or shaped if desired.
Place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream in a shallow bowl. Lean a pear half up against the ice cream and spoon several tablespoons of syrup over the pear and let pool in the bowl. Drizzle with warm chocolate sauce and place a coconut crips into the scoop of ice cream for height. Finish with a sprig of fresh mint.
The pears, chocolate sauce and coconut crisps can all be made the day before. Store the pears in their poaching liquid and gently warm the chocolate sauce before serving.
We’re a few weeks past the winter solstice. The skies are still cold and gray, the trees are bare, and by late afternoon the light is already beginning to fade. But every now and then, the clouds break long enough to make us believe spring …
