spaghetti with simple tomato basil sauce, meatballs and fresh peas

yields 4 servings

ingredients

olive oil 
sea salt
2/3 pound fresh peas in pods
1 pound spaghetti (such as barilla plus)
a block of parmesan reggiano, for serving

meatballs
1/2 bunch marjoram, leaves picked, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup good quality fine bread crumbs*
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan reggiano
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound ground sausage
1/2 pound ground beef

tomato basil sauce
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
1 – 28 oz. can good quality plum tomatoes
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
good quality balsamic vinegar

directions

Shell peas and set aside.

*For bread crumbs, tear half a crusty baguette (preferably day old) into small pieces and pulse until fine in a food processor.  Place in oven on low broil for 2 – 5 minutes, stirring as needed, until evenly browned.  Voila.  Instant bread crumbs.

meatballs
Combine first seven ingredients until well mixed.  With your hands, add ground beef and sausage to the mixture, breaking the meat into smaller chunks.  Claw at the meat rather than kneading it, being careful not to over mix as meat will easily become tough. 

Have a bowl of cold water nearby.  Dip hands in water before pinching off enough meat to gently form 1-1/2 inch balls.  Place meatballs on plate and set aside.

Place each meatball in the ‘cup’ of a cupcake tin, greased with olive oil.  Bake in the oven at 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until firm but not solid.  Cut into one meatball to be certain it is fully cooked.  This low-maintenance method eliminates the mess of cooking in the skillet and yields perfect meatballs with uniform color and shape.  For stovetop method, cook in two batches in a a large skillet with two glugs of olive oil, turning to brown evenly.  Once finished, transfer meatballs to a paper towel lined plate. 

At this point, place the spaghetti in a large pot of  boiling water and cook according to package directions, until al dente.

tomato sauce
Heat a medium saucepan and pour in a glug or two of olive oil.  Add sliced garlic and chopped basil stalks, stirring now and then until garlic begins to color.  Sprinkle 2/3 of the basil in the pan.  Add the tomatoes, sauce and all.  Bring to a simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.  Season to taste.  Add a splash of balsamic vinegar.  Stir and turn heat to medium-low to keep warm.

assembly
Warm meatballs in a large skillet over medium heat.  Divide pasta and meatballs between four plates or bowls.  Spoon over tomato sauce.  Sprinkle remaining basil and a handful of peas over each dish.  Finish with shaved parmesan.

Pairs well with a slightly sweet, fruit forward wine such as prosecco, rose or pinot grigio.

Recipe adapted from ‘Jamie at Home- Cook Your Way to the Good Life’ by Jamie Oliver.

arugula salad with chevre, fresh peas and lemon

yields 4 servings

ingredients

8 oz. arugula, baby or regular
1/2 pound fresh English peas in pods
Juice of 1/2 lemon or about 1 tablespoon
3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. crumbled chevre, such as Laura Chenel
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

Wash arugula carefully to remove any dirt or sand.  Gently pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.  Discard any wilted leaves.  Place in a bowl.  Shell peas.  Taste a pea or two.  If the peas are too starchy or not particularly sweet, blanch in a pot of boiling water and rinse with cold water.  Add half of the peas to the arugula.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Pour dressing over arugula and peas, tossing lightly, to combine.  Place salad on four small plates and sprinkle each with crumbled chevre and remaining peas.  Finish with a touch of fresh ground pepper.

Lovely with a crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc.

smashed fresh pea and fava bean bruschetta

yields 4 – 6 servings

ingredients

1 pound English peas in the pods
1-1/2 pounds fava beans in the pods
1 small bunch fresh mint, leaves picked
Maldon sea salt and fresh ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces fresh pecorino, such as Toscano Stagianato
12 – 1/2” slices good quality, chewy baguette
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled, cut in half
1 large ball buffalo mozzarella
1 handful pea shoots, if available

Directions 

Shell peas and fava beans into separate bowls.  In a small saucepan with a steamer basket, blanch fava beans for about three minutes.  Rinse in cold water.  Pinch one end to remove the bright green bean from its pale outer shell.  Set aside.  Finely grate pecorino cheese.  Tear mozzarella ball into 12 semi-flat ‘slices’ as opposed to chunks.  Set cheeses aside.

Using a good size mortar and pestle or a shallow baking dish and a potato masher, bash the peas with half the mint leaves and a pinch of sea salt.  Add the fava beans a few at a time and crush to a thick green paste.

Add a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for a lovely consistency and to really bring it all together.  Mix in grated pecorino and two thirds of the lemon juice.  At this point, taste the mixture.  You want to balance the richness of the pecorino and olive oil with the freshness of the peas, beans and mint. Season with more salt and pepper, as needed.

Place the 12 baguette slices on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil.  Broil on low, 2-3 minutes on each side.  While still hot, rub each slice with a cut half of the garlic clove. 

Cover each slice of baguette with a thick layer of paste, not too evenly, to keep the presentation a bit rustic.  Top the pea mixture with a piece of buffalo mozzarella.  Mound a few pea shoots and some mint leaves atop each bruschetta.  Place on serving platter and drizzle with a mixture of remaining 1/3 lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Best served immediately with a glass of prosecco or pinot grigio.  Do not make more than an hour in advance. 

This mixture would work well tossed with pasta, pesto-style, or try adding a dollop atop grilled or broiled white fish.

Recipe adapted from ‘Jamie at Home – Cook Your Way to the Good Life’ by Jamie Oliver.

lemon lime cream tart with blackberries and blueberries

 

yields 8 – 10 servings

ingredients

sweet tart dough
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg, room temperature

egg wash
1 large egg
pinch salt

filling
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 3 limes

topping
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blackberries 
2 tablespoons black or red currant jelly

DIRECTIONS

crust
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar and salt, mixing on medium speed until smooth.  Add egg and mix until smooth.  Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add flour, all at once, and mix on low just until incorporated.  Shape dough into two equal balls, and shape each ball into 1/2” thick disks.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill two hours or overnight.*

To line a 9” tart pan, place chilled dough disk on a lightly floured surface (i.e. a silicone mat) and roll to 1/8” thick, rolling from center toward edges, in all directions.  Lift and rotate dough a quarter turn after every few strokes, dusting underneath with flour, as necessary, to discourage sticking.  Work quickly to prevent dough from becoming warm.  If dough has warmed, transfer to the refrigerator to firm up for a few minutes.  Otherwise, gently transfer dough to the tart pan, easing it into the bottom and sides and pressing carefully into place.  Do not stretch dough or side will shrink during baking.  Patch tears with extra dough, pressing firmly to adhere.  Trim dough to level with top of the pan using a sharp knife.  Place tart shell in freezer for about 15 minutes or until firm.  Freeze any scraps and the extra disk for future use.  Frozen dough keeps for up to three weeks.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Once the shell is firm, use a fork or the tip of a knife to dock (make small holes in) the bottom of the tart shell, 2” apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly colored, dry and opaque.  Check during baking and rotate pans as needed, for even color.  Beat egg with salt in a small bowl and lightly brush the bottom and sides of the shell with egg glaze, about two minutes before desired color is reached.  Return shells to oven and bake until lightly colored and egg glaze has set.

filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together sugar and eggs in a bowl.  When well mixed, slowly stir in cream, juices and zest.  Place the cooked tart shell on a rimmed baking sheet.  To reduce spillage, position the pan on the oven rack before pouring filling into the shell.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until the filling is set but still semi-wobbly in the center.  After cooling for one hour, the filling will set to a perfect consistency, soft and smooth.  Make sure to cool before cutting to avoid a gooey mess. 

topping
Once tart has cooled, remove sides from tart pan, using a small, sharp knife to loosen, if needed.  Place crust on a plate.  Carefully rinse blueberries and blackberries and gently pat dry with paper towels.  Arrange blackberries in two concentric circles, about 1” from inside edge of crust.   Mound blueberries in center of tart.  If there are extra blueberries, add another circle (see photo, above) around blackberries. 

In a small saucepan, warm jelly until melted.  Whisk, adding water if too thick.  Use a pastry brush to brush jelly over berries, careful to avoid dripping jelly on the filling.

Tart can be served at room temperature or chilled, according to preference.  Serve unaccompanied or with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Lemon lime cream filling adapted from ‘The Naked Chef’, by Jamie Oliver.  Sweet crust adapted from the ‘Tartine’ cookbook, by Elizabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson.

fresh figs with chevre, mint and prosciutto

yields 12 pieces

ingredients

1 pint (about 12)  fresh mission figs (skin should be bulging but not broken and slightly softer than a ripe peach)
1 – 4 oz. plain chevre at room temperature (i.e. Laura Chenel)
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma
1 small bunch fresh mint
Maldon sea salt or fleur de sel

directions

Gently rinse figs and pat dry.  Set aside.  Open goat cheese package and have a small spoon at the ready.  Slice or tear prosciutto into 12 one inch wide ribbons.  Wash and pat dry mint.  Pluck 12 mint leaves for garnish.  

With a paring knife, remove the figs’ tough tips.  Take a thin slice off the bottom, giving the figs a flat surface as stability for serving.  Cut figs crosswise, about halfway down, creating four points and a cavity in the center for the cheese.  

Using a teaspoon, fill center of each fig with chevre, 1-3 teaspoons depending on size of fig.  Sprinkle a pinch of Maldon or other coarse salt over chevre.  Place prosciutto in the center or each fig.  Garnish with mint leaf.

For best flavor, serve at room temperature or slightly cooler, not straight from the refrigerator. 

Recipe adapted from ‘The French Market’ by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde

crispy prosciutto wrapped bleu cheese dates with balsamic reduction

 

yields 4 – 6 appetizer portions

ingredients

12 Medjool dates
4-6 oz thinly sliced good quality prosciutto di parma
4 oz creamy French bleu cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert or Bleu de Basque
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Make a lengthwise incision in each date and remove the pits, leaving a 3/4” opening for cheese.  Generously fill each date with bleu cheese, pressing date around cheese to close.  Cut prosciutto slices into 12 – 1” strips.  These will vary in length, based on the size of the slices.  Wrap one strip around each date.  Place dates on a plate and set aside.

In a small pan, heat balsamic vinegar on medium-low, simmering until it thickens and about half the liquid is reduced, 5-10 minutes.

In another skillet, on medium heat, sear the prosciutto wrapped dates, turning to brown evenly.  Once browned, pour in the balsamic reduction and stir to coat.  Remove from heat and place dates on a serving dish.  Use a spoon to drizzle with remaining balsamic vinegar, in pan.  Garnish with herbs.  Rosemary sprigs may be used as rustic hors d’oeuvres toothpicks, if desired.

Serve immediately

whole wheat ham and cheddar pockets

 

yields 10 petite pockets or 5 meal-sized portions

Ingredients

whole wheat pizza dough*

1 cup wrist-temperature water
1 package active dry yeast (such as Fleischmann's)
1 T honey
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 – 1 cup organic unbleached flour (Gold Medal) 

filling

20 slices nitrite-free ham
1 1/2 cups shredded medium cheddar
1 cup cup shredded romano or parmesan cheese
olive oil for basting

DIRECTIONs

for crust

Combine yeast with water, olive oil, honey and salt.  Stir until dissolved.  Let the mixture sit for five minutes to proof.

Whisk in flour until it is too thick to whisk.  Use one hand to knead the dough in the bowl for about five minutes.  Add flour until it is no longer sticky.

Drizzle a little olive oil in the bowl and turn the dough once to coat.  Cover the bowl and place in a warm, draft-free place for about one hour or until dough has doubled in bulk.

assembly

Once dough has risen, cut in half and divide each half into five equal portions.  Roll each portion into round discs, about 6 inches across.  

Divide 3/4 cup shredded cheddar amongst the discs, leaving a 1/2” border and reserving half of the dough for folding over the filling.  Next, add one slice ham, folded or torn to fit.  Divide and sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheddar over ham.  Finish with the shredded romano or parmesan.
Gently stretch 1/2 of the dough over the filling, sealing the edges by folding over and crimping.  If dough begins to dry, lightly brush edges with lukewarm water before sealing.  Brush pockets with olive oil.  Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly golden on top. 
 
Serve hot or at room temperature.

*The pizza dough is quite versatile and works well for pizzas and calzones with any variation of toppings or filling.

organic whole wheat banana muffins or bread

 

yields 5-6 dozen miniature muffins or 6 petite loaves 

ingredients

7 organic ripe bananas, mashed with a potato masher or fork
3/4 C melted organic butter
3 organic eggs, beaten with fork
1 1/2 C dark brown sugar
generous splash of good vanilla
3 C organic whole wheat pastry flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 C organic unbleached wheat flour (Gold Medal)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 – 12 oz. bag chocolate chips (mini, dark, etc…), optional

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients until incorporated but do not over mix.  Add one bag of mini or regular chocolate chips, if desired. 

   
For miniature muffins*, fill paper lined tins 3/4 full and bake  for 15-20 minutes.  For regular muffins, fill lined tins 2/3 full and bake for 25-30 minutes.  For mini loaves, grease and flour six miniature loaf pans and fill each about 2/3 full.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Place pans on a rimmed baking sheet for easier transport in and out of the oven.  The loaves freeze well, wrapped in waxed paper and foil.  Bread is as good when still slightly frozen. 

 
*An easy way to fill the muffin tins:  spoon batter into a clear plastic sandwich bag, seal and snip off one corner. 

chewy chocolate chip granola bars

yields approximately 36 bars

ingredients

1 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups organic brown rice syrup
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
4 cups organic old fashioned rolled oats (not thick*)
4 cups organic crispy brown rice cereal(Erewhon or Barbara’s)
1/2 cup organic ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla
2/3 cup + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
nonstick cooking spray

directions

Spray a 12 X 17 rimmed baking sheet with non stick spray and set aside.  Combine the brown sugar and rice syrup in a medium bowl.  Microwave on high for 2 – 1/2 minutes.  Stir.  Microwave for 2 – 1/2 more minutes.  Add the vanilla and stir until blended. 

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut, oats, rice cereal and flaxseed.  Add the rice syrup mixture to the dry ingredients.  Stir until combined.  Add 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips.  Stir to incorporate. 

Transfer the granola mixture to the prepared baking sheet.  Place a piece of waxed paper over the top and press the mixture firmly and evenly into the baking sheet.

Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips over mixture, pressing to adhere chips to bars.   Let firm for about one hour.  Cut into 1-1/4” x 3” bars.  Wrap bars individually in waxed paper and store in an airtight container.  Or just make one giant granola bar and call it a day.

*Thick oats do not work in this recipe.  I once used them by mistake and learned the hard way. The thick oats do not absorb enough moisture; resulting in granola bars with a chalky, raw oat texture. 

crispy squash blossoms with fromage blanc and fresh mint

 

serves 2-4 starters

6 oz. fromage blanc, fresh ricotta or chevre
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grated parmesan reggiano
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 small bunch of finely chopped fresh mint, leaves only
1 red chili or jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and finely chopped
coarse sea salt (maldon or fleur de sel work well)
1/2 cup flour
1 cup white wine such as pinot gris
8 fresh squash blossoms, also called zucchini flowers
canola oil or extra light olive oil
1 lemon (can be same one used for zest)

 

In a small bowl, combine first six ingredients, reserving a bit of mint for garnish.  Taste and season carefully with coarse sea salt.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, wine and a pinch of salt until thick like heavy cream.  If it’s too thick, add more wine.  If too thin, add more water.  If you dip your finger in the batter, it should nicely coat it.

Gently, open the squash blossoms, taking care to keep them as intact as possible.  Pinch off the stamen, inside, as it tastes bitter.

Carefully fill the flowers with the cheese mixture, pressing the petals back together to form a seal around the filling.

Heat about two inches of oil to 350 degrees, using a thermometer to gauge temperature.  Turn on the kitchen fan and have a plate nearby with a layer of paper towels. 

Use tongs to dip the stuffed blossoms in the batter, one at a time, allowing the excess to drip off.  Use the tongs to place them in the hot oil.  Never drop them into the oil.  Watch for the edges to turn golden and turn once, using tongs.  Remove from oil with tongs and place on paper towels.  Repeat.  Two may be fried at the same time but be careful so they don’t stick together.  I prefer frying one at a time.  Place on serving plate and finish a squeeze of lemon, remaining chopped mint and coarse sea salt.  Eat them while they’re hot!

Delicious paired with a crisp, fruity white such as pinot gris

adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver

salmon nicoise

Serves 4

1 1/2 – 2 lbs wild king salmon filets
(I recommend looking for filets with plenty of white marbling as the fat is good for you and adds flavor and moisture to the fish)
1 1/2 lbs fresh haricots verts or green beans 
1 pint organic cherry tomatoes
1 large handful nicoise olives
1 small bunch organic basil
1/2  large lemon
unsalted butter
canola or extra light olive oil
good quality extra virgin olive oil
Maldon sea salt

First, rinse the salmon and pat dry with paper towels.  Check the fish carefully for bones and remove any that you find.  Cut salmon four pieces.  Season with salt.  Set aside.  

Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes, depending on size.  Pit and quarter the nicoise olives.  Chop the basil into confetti-like strips.  Cut half a lemon into two wedges.  Wash and trim the haricots verts.  Blanch haricots verts for a few minutes in a steamer basket.  Do not overcook.  They should be bright green and still fairly firm.  Try one.  If it tastes raw, give it an extra minute or two.  Rinse beans with cold water and set aside.

Turn a large skillet on medium high.  Add 1 T unsalted butter and 1 T canola or extra light olive oil.  Once the butter begins to bubble but not quite brown, add the salmon, skin side up.  If the butter browns too quickly, turn the burner down to medium.  Leave the fish to sear for 3-5 minutes.  Using tongs, turn thicker chunks on each side to sear.  Once the exterior is nicely browned, turn the fish skin side down and allow to cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove fish from pan with tongs and set on a plate.  

Using the same pan, adjust heat to medium and add the haricots verts, tossing with any remaining juices in the pan.  Add tomatoes and olives tossing again to combine.  Squeeze lemon juice from 2 wedges over the mixture and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Mix in the chopped basil.   Season with salt.    Place the salmon in the pan, on top of the haricots verts mixture, and broil in the oven on low for 2-4 minutes, keeping a close eye on the fish. 

Divide the haricots verts between four dinner plates and place a salmon filet in the center of each plate.  Evenly distribute any remaining juices and serve with slightly sour crusty bread such as the rosemary diamante from Essential Baking Company.

Salmon pairs beautifully with red wine.  Try it with the Firehouse Red from Tamarack Cellars, a Columbia Valley red blend.

eggs benedict

Saturday is brunch day at our house.

There are three rotating brunch menus from which I rarely stray.  Whole wheat buttermilk pancakes and Great Aunt Vi’s golden butter waffles are par for the course.  When feeling ambitious, I might whip up crepes with assorted fillings, including ham and gruyere, mushroom béchamel, lemon and sugar, nutella with strawberries, nutella with bananas and whipped cream…  Essentially, crepes are a thinly veiled excuse to justify nutella consumption.

Although my family was perfectly happy with my ‘repertoire a trois’, I decided that it was time for something new. 

I have always loved Eggs Benedict but had never before attempted to make them at home.  Last fall, I was inspired by a version at the darling restaurant, Jen’s Garden, while visiting my mom, in Sisters, Oregon.  It was by far the best interpretation I have encountered and I intended do my best to replicate it.

Rather than the traditional english muffin, I baked rosemary parmesan scones, modified from a recipe for a cheddar chive version.  I cut half the dough into triangles and the other half into circles.  The triangular scones came out better and provided a better visual contrast to the roundness of the poached eggs. 

I recently discovered a flavorful, smoked ham at Bill the Butcher, the new neighborhood butcher shop, in Madison Valley.  I grilled 1/4” slices of ham using my All-Clad grill pan, which makes authentic-looking grill lines on whatever you cook in it.  I love this pan for burgers and sandwiches, as well.

From the deep recesses of a kitchen cupboard, I retrieved my fancy, underused Belgian egg poacher, from Sur la Table.  One of our friends, who is a chef, mocked the ridiculousness of my having an egg poacher when it is apparently quite simple to poach eggs without one.  I admit, the final result ended up looking like something you would get from room service at a fancy hotel.  Not exactly rustic cuisine but pretty.  I used local, organic eggs from Stiebrs Farms.

For the hollandaise, I decided that Julia Child’s recipe in ‘The Way To Cook’ was the way to go.  I was terribly nervous about cooking the egg yolk and curdling the sauce but tried to remain calm as I whisked the eggs, lemon and butter into an emulsion.  Julia Child’s recipe has a stopping point at which you can chill the mixture and then add in the remaining butter when you are ready to use the sauce.  This was a great time saver and had no adverse affect on the finished product.  In fact, it came out beautifully and tasted as good as any I’ve had in a restaurant.  One suggestion that worked to keep the sauce from becoming too thick was to add 1-2 ice cubes while warming it on the burner.  For seasoning, I used white pepper to avoid those pesky black flecks in the pale yellow sauce. 

After splitting the scones in half, I placed grilled slices of ham on the halves and then perched the poached eggs atop the ham.  The eggs were blanketed with hollandaise and a delicate dusting of paprika.  They were postively picture perfect.

Organic strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries were mixed with fresh squeezed lime juice, a touch of superfine sugar and a sprinkle of fragrant chopped mint.  I am not a fan of flavors mingling on my plate unless they were intended to and the brulee cups were the ideal solution.

Using a vintage French Mouli shredder, I shredded organic russet potatoes for hash browns.  You can’t hurry hash browns, which I did, by turning them too often and using the wrong pan.  The crispy brown part that was supposed to make them hash browns, as opposed to just ‘hash’, would not budge from the bottom of the pan.  In the end, they were alright; but decidedly more of a cross between hash browns and mashed potatoes.  I called them ‘mash browns’.  I may be on to something…

I found that the trickiest part was keeping everything warm while assembling each of the plates.  With guests joining us for brunch, I was frantically trying to get five plates ready at the same time.  This is precisely why they put everything under a warmer in restaurants.

Brunch is a great excuse to drink in the middle of the day.  With this meal, I served our favorite Prosecco, called Jeio. 

The eggs benedict were delicious and a welcome departure from the typical Saturday fare but they were also a lot of work.  Next Saturday, it’s pancakes and bacon, all the way.

fresh alaskan halibut with asparagus, morels, sweet corn and fingerling potatoes, two ways

Spring had sprung and the time came to do something new with halibut.  Morels, with their short season, were calling my name.  Local asparagus had reared its pointy head.  The fish would happily bed down upon Russian banana fingerlings.  Sweet yellow corn was a shoo in; the ideal counterpart to an otherwise savory compilation. 

I began by slicing the potatoes in 1/4” thick ‘coins’.  Half were tossed with Maldon sea salt and olive oil and roasted in the oven on low broil; the other half were parboiled and set aside.  
Leeks pair beautifully with halibut.  I sliced two of them in half, horizontally, up to the pale green part and then cut those into 1/4”  half moons.  I then caramelized the leeks with light olive oil in my Le Creuset, at medium heat. 

After rinsing the morels to remove unwanted grime and possible insects (par for the course), I patted them dry with paper towels, quartered them and added them to the pan with the leeks, allowing the mushrooms to cook for a few minutes.  The asparagus were cut into 1/2” pieces and added to the pan with the leeks and morels. 

After a couple of minutes, I added around 1/2 cup pinot grigio and let it cook down a bit before stirring in 1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream.  Once the mixture began to simmer and thicken slightly, I removed the pan from the heat and strained the sauce, through a sieve, into a medium-sized bowl.

I poured the strained liquid into a new pan, on medium low heat.  Rather than cook the corn, I sliced the starchy sweet kernels right off the cob and into the pan, then added the parboiled potato ‘coins’ and left that mixture to warm on medium low, seasoning with salt, to taste.  The strained morel/leek/asparagus mixture went into another pan, on low heat to keep warm.

Equal parts butter and extra light olive or canola oil are ideal for searing fish, creating a perfect golden exterior, and this was the method used to cook the halibut.  I heated about 1 tablespoon of each, on medium-high, and seared small fist-sized chunks of halibut, skin off, for 2-3 minutes on each side.  When the fish is flipped too soon, it sticks.  If it resists the spatula, I wait, turning down the burner, if needed.

Once the fish was ready, I assembled the dish, starting with a base of the cream/potato/corn mixture.  I placed the seared halibut over  that and spooned the asparagus/leek/morel mixture around the fish with a mound of asparagus and morels atop the fish.  I then added a smattering of roasted potato ‘coins’ and the dish was ready to serve.  Lemon could easily be incorporated in this dish by adding a small amount of zest to the cream mixture or to finish the dish. 

This recipe is loosely based on an entree I fell in love with two summers ago at Seratto in Portland, OR. 

chicken pot pie

in loving memory of my stepmom georgina who loved chicken pot pie best of all.

One afternoon, I stood in front of my favorite produce stand, in the Pike Place Market and awaited my turn while simultaneously awaiting divine inspiration for dinner.  I soon overlooked divinity in favor of eavesdropping as the woman ahead of me shared her dinner plans:  chicken pot pie with bacon, marjoram and crème fraiche.  You had me at bacon.

It was an “I’ll have what she’s having” moment.  Of course, no recipe is complete without a few personal touches. 

As the woman in front of me rattled off her list of ingredients, which included carrots, green beans and onions, I omitted onions in favor of leeks and tacked on fingerling potatoes, which I planned to slice in 1/4 inch rounds and parboiled to insure doneness.  I opted for organic bunch carrots rather than the suggested baby carrots, which was a minor detail.  The original recipe called for an already roasted deli chicken.  I decided to buy free range chicken breasts, rub them with olive oil and sea salt and broil them in the oven.  I increased the amount of crème fraiche, to make a thicker sauce, and I added white wine, a sauvignon blanc.

Puff pastry is to chicken pot pie what icing is to cake and I like to gussy mine up with petite hearts, crimped edges and an egg wash.  The little hearts puff up adorably when they bake.  Puff pastry is something that I have not attempted to make myself but I generally find the grocery store varieties disappoint.  They contain hydrogenated fat among other unpronounceable ingredients.  As luck would have it, there is an outstanding puff pastry called Dufour, available at gourmet grocery stores, nationwide, such as Metropolitan Market, in Seattle.  It is award winning and with good reason.  The ingredient which puts the Dufour dough on its pedestal is high quality European butter, sorely lacking in its hydrogenated counterparts.  The price tag will set you back about triple what you pay for the other brands but it is worth every penny.

I love making this chicken pot pie for new moms and I usually tuck a few extras in our freezer for evenings when inspiration proves elusive.

When I wearily utter the words, “What should I make for dinner?” 

My daughter, Annabelle will often reply, “My, oh my, chicken pot pie!”