My Stepdad, Joe, would hover around the kitchen while this pie was baking and then pace around the house restless, waiting for it to set. Many a time it was served hot and messy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream over top because he just couldn’t wait.

My husband Ramin, does the same thing. I’m telling you this is a blue ribbon peach pie recipe! And yes, I’ll explain the “blossom” part (the SECRET ingredient) down below…

So what makes it so much better than the rest? A few things…

The peach is important. If your peaches are mealy and bland then your pie will be as well. I know, so obvious, but it needs to be repeated because there is a bit of effort to prepping peaches and it’s not worth the trouble if the main ingredient isn’t ripe, firm, and sweet-tart.

So bite into one before you blanch and peel and make sure it’s delicious! Or taste test at the farmer’s market before buying – that’s my favorite thing to do!

I always use a yellow variety because the white ones have sweetness overload with not enough acidity and tend to be a little softer. I love those white varieties too, especially for eating fresh, but not for pie.

I make this recipe with quick cooking tapioca but you can also just scratch the cream and tapioca part of this and mix the peaches with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch if you’re in a bind. Sometimes quick cooking tapioca is hard to find in the markets. Do not use regular tapioca – it takes waaaay to long to cook for this recipe. I do prefer quick cooking tapioca over cornstarch for this if you have a choice, the tapioca gives a little creaminess (along with the actual cream) which I love with peaches.

What is the blossom part of this? Orange blossom water! The combination of orange blossom and peach is truly magical. I am a purest when it comes to pie, I don’t often do mixed fruits. I never put raisins in my apple pies. I like blueberry as just blueberry and cherry as just cherry. But, there are exceptions and this is one of them. I strongly believe that peach and orange blossom flavors elevate each other to new foodgasm heights!

Layla and I made the first part of this recipe while Hettie Rose was napping. It’s so fun to have time with my big girl in the kitchen – the original wild child! – we don’t often get ‘just us’ time these days and cooking is one of the ways we get to bond. I love having a food project that we can work on together.

Both Layla and Hettie were gifted their own Japanese Misono kid’s knives with their names engraved by our long time family friends. If you are teaching a LIttle One to use a real knife I would highly suggest these. When I cooked for Le Bernardin in NYC I bought all my knives at Korin and they have an extensive and beautiful collection. In my years of teaching kids cooking, I have used many different knives and I think these are the best. They are perfect for small hands, nicely weighted and they have a rounded tip.

This Peach Blossom pie needs no extra help in the tasty department, but if you want to serve it with a scoop of vanilla or buttermilk ice cream overtop, while it’s still warm, I’m pretty sure you won’t regret it.

For my Flakey Pie Crust Recipe Go Here: Pâte Brisée

Yay for Summer!!! Enjoy!!! Don’t cry about it, just dig in and devour!!!

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Keep it light this weekend, keep it spicy, keep it tangy and tart with a sweet slice of juicy melon ripe enough to drip down your chin.

Keep it anything but heavy, no need to pretend happy, just keep it real, focus on the flavor, figure out the future any way but not today.

Keep that seat at the table open and ready for that Veteran who maybe wants a taste of home but wasn’t able to make it in time to dine…

To all who have served: Thank you for our freedom. You are heroes. We are grateful and we honor and remember those lost and living who have protected our country.

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I named my blog ‘Pommes d’Amour” twenty years ago after the tantalizing eye popping candy apples I would oogle in the Paris patisserie windows on my way to work. Now here I am, Stateside, a lifetime later, with two little girls and a garden filled with apple trees and I’m actually making the recipe! Full circle finally.

I grow a unique apple called Pink Pearl. No doubt if you’ve followed this blog for any length of time you have seen these pink fleshed beauties in my other recipes. It is my favorite. My Mother-in-Law says that these apples are called “blood apples” in Iran, so I find it quite fitting for Halloween.

This is an easy recipe and a fun one. But as a longtime cooking teacher, I must warn, making the candy part of this is not a job for little kids and I personally asked Layla to sit on the other side of our kitchen island and I did not make this recipe with my ever curious toddler Hettie, because she simply does not understand the word ‘No’ or ‘Danger’. In fact, those two words often have the exact opposite effect.

Layla and I picked the last of our Pink Pearls, trimmed our tree and cleaned some branches, we jammed those branches into the tops of our apples and measured our ingredients. I cooked the sugar concoction (alone) to 310˚F and then dipped the apples in as fast as possible before the sugar could set. Seriously easy!

There are options for the flavor and color. We made two batches: in one I used just red gel paste for eye popping scarlet magpie appeal. In the other batch I added a touch of black for a more wicked look. Aside from the lemon juice if you want a little more kick, you can add red hot candies for a bit of cinnamon heat!

Happy Halloween friends! Hope there’s more treats in your bag than tricks!

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Mother smeared the cake good with a browned butter frosting and gave Father a lick from her spoon before tossing. When they finally snuggled up tight for the night, Santa Claus came and gave them a fright! (Because, actually, it was a bad Santa, the kind that breaks a window instead of coming down the chimney).

A house full of chaos, needless to say, the Gingerbread Cake was at least here to stay….

And I’m not even going to tell you if that’s fact or fiction. Okay, it’s kind of both. We were robbed last Christmas and my kids really love rum brown butter cream cheese frosting. (Please let this frosting not be the gateway to hurricanes, daiquiris and mojitos.)

Anapestic tetrameter aside, even if you don’t like sweet spices (cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg) you will want to slather everything in this frosting. Yes, it is that good. I wouldn’t waste my time bragging about it, if it was just run of the mill prose. My husband smears the extra on toast in the morning.

To get ready for Christmas, the children would help, and then run to their laptops to watch Ariel in kelp. Exhausted, but happy, Mother, after lighting the tree (Yes, I put real candles on the tree, family tradition – we have an extinguisher nearby, don’t worry) sipped scotch and ate a big slice of cake happily. She passed out on the sofa with a belly warm and full, Father carried her upstairs – now that’s an ending so cool!

It does taste better when your Sous Chef doesn’t mix up cumin for cinnamon though. Happy Holidays Friends, wishing you a cozy and healthy Winter break – we are ALL in this together!

If you love the browned butter frosting, check out my Pumpkin Cupcakes here: http://www.amyglaze.com/spiced-pumpkin-cupcakes-with-brown-butter-cream-cheese-frosting/

And if you love the poached pears (they are delicious on their own or with a scoop of ice cream) check out my pear tart here, the poaching syrup makes gorgeous cocktails too – add a splash to champagne for a truly festive celebration: http://www.amyglaze.com/pear-and-almond-tart/

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I dug this recipe out of a 6-inch folder she kept with newspaper and magazine cut-outs. It’s a 1975 Sunset recipe that she adapted with all of her little notes and scribbles on it. Just seeing her handwriting…

I remember making this with her when I was little. I loved eating the tart dough because it was sweet with lemon zest and I loved poaching the pears because they were sweet with lemon zest and I loved whipping the cream cheese filling because it was sweet with lemon zest too!

This is a very simple recipe, but there is something so perfectly balanced between the lemony sugar shell, poached pears and not-too-sweet almond cream cheese filling. The lemons, almonds and pears really are their own trifecta of deliciousness.

I made this with Layla today. She loved it too! Every part of it, just like me when I was a kid. I think this might be a new tradition for our family. Or really, just an old one revisited and remembered with love.

Happy Thanksgiving friends! And P.S. the pear poaching liquid is excellent for Champagne cocktails!

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So, with my last enormous stunning magenta pink apple we decided to make an apple snack cake. Or rather, I decided to make a cake while my two little sous chefs decided to eat the cake before baking.

What is is a ‘snack cake’ you ask? Well, it’s a cake you can snack on throughout the day silly! One that is easy to whip up, perfect for any occasion and doesn’t require a holiday to enjoy. And, okay, I’ll be honest, it’s really just the new hip term for coffee cake.

This recipe should be in your repertoire because it has a million uses and it’s easy to add your own creativity to it. Maybe you don’t want to add apple, maybe you want a lemon glaze instead? Or you could add a crumb on top and cinnamon to the batter to make it a crumb cake. This is a basic sour cream coffee cake of epic proportions that is moist and delicious. It would make a lovely house warming gift, a delicious breakfast (with a nice cup of earl grey), or a sweet finish to a Fall meal served warm with a scoop of ice cream.

I made a simple glaze for the cake with powdered sugar, Meyer lemon and rose essence. I love the combination of apples and rose. To me, this is one of the most beautiful pairings in the world – the rose perfumes the apples in such a pretty way which enhances the flavor. I love rose essence in apple sauce too! I use the Carlo brand rose water and it can be found in most markets. Your local Middle Eastern market will carry it for sure.

For more pictures, especially of those chunky cheek squirrels, check out my Michelin Mom instagram page! https://www.instagram.com/michelin_mom

I’m not always able to post recipes these days, but I sure do love to post inspiration. And catch up on my last two issues of Michelin Mom Magazine with a slice of apple cake!

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What do I mean by salad-y side? Sometimes I get tired of plating protein with the usual cruciferous sides and I prefer to add a hearty salad that can take a little heat from the plate. Enter watercress. This super simple salad was meant to go with my Pink Peppercorn Pork Chop recipe. But, as my husband and I found out, it also goes well with a glass of champagne!

Pink Pearls apples are so pretty and so tasty: tart, sweet, pink, firm – the perfect apple. I add shaved fennel to a lot of my salad creations, I love that juicy anise flavor and it’s a great counterpoint for the peppery watercress. It also gives the salad nice structure.

Back to watercress – I do not buy the hydroponic kind because it’s flavor is mild and it does not create a stackable salad very well –it’s flat, very flat and it wilts easily. I love organic watercress, the curlicue crunchy kind that was probably growing in a swamp somewhere sucking up a ton of minerals; that’s the good stuff.

I kept this salad simple since I planned it as a side for the pork chop. Some toasted Macrona almonds could be added. Maybe a little shaved ricotta salata if desired. But I thought these three ingredients were awesome on their own.

If you are on the lookout for a new (or centuries old) antioxidant powerhouse that you don’t have to massage before eating, check out watercress! It’s on my top ten feel good greens!

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As a kid, any rice smothered in butter and salt tasted delicious, but it wasn’t until I went to work in South India in my mid twenties that I was introduced to extra, extra long grain Basmati rice in all its fluffy fragrant glory. And wow, I’m talking about heaping plates of gorgeous steaming long grained white rice that seemed to be endlessly replenished at every meal – I loved it, I craved it, I learned how to eat with my hands and mix rice and veg dishes with my finger tips on my plate scooping it into my mouth as elegantly as possible (and yes, food does actually taste better when you eat it with your hands). It was heavenly, so delicious, and the rice a perfect counterpoint to all the other intense flavors.

Later, in my forties, when I went to work for Chef Faz and his six restaurants, he taught me personally about the art of making this same beautiful long grain rice but in the Persian style. Chef Faz was absolute on his rice cooking technique. And considering that rice isn’t an easy dish to “hold” in a restaurant, I can say that he mastered and was deeply committed to serving only the best rice in quality and in preparation.

I should also note, that my Mother-in-Law is a phenomenal Persian cook and her rice dishes are among my daughter’s favorite (and mine too!). When Grandma Shahla shows up with a big pot of rice, we know we are going to eat well!

Making rice the Persian way, is not hard. Yes, there are more steps to it than simply measuring the rice and water and putting it on the stove top to steam, but the result is a fluffier, tastier and more fragrant side dish that you can dress up or down as desired.

Just about all Persian rice dishes (of which there are many) have the same basic foundation: wash rice until the water is clear of starch, soak rice in water that is as salty as the sea overnight or at least for 3 hours – it will swell and double in size, parboil rice on the stove top until al dente, drain in a colander and bake rice with a lot of butter in the oven or cook on the stove top with a dish towel wrapped around the lid. I personally prefer to bake it afterwards because the tahdig doesn’t burn as easily and I don’t have teflon cookware, but my Mom prefers to finish the rice on the stovetop.

And of course you’ve heard about the “tahdig” as it’s called, which is the crispy rice crust that forms on the bottom of the pan and is normally served on a separate plate from the rice. The coveted ‘tahdig‘ is an art form in itself and sometimes consists of sliced potato or lavash placed on the bottom of the rice pot in a decorative fashion.

The cherries in the recipe are the last ones from my secret Montmorency sour cherry tree (no, I am not going to tell you where it is!) but you can also use the sour cherries packed in a light sugar water by Sadaf or totally cheat and buy the Trader Joes sour cherries packed in syrup. You’re going to make a syrup anyway, so yes, you can use those in a pinch, but the cherries themselves are not as plump or as flavorful.

This rice dish is one of my favorites. The saffron, cherry and fragrant rice combo is just so beautiful. Traditionally I’ve seen this rice served alongside Cornish Game hens but it can also be served with just about any protein: chicken, beef, fish (sturgeon would be awesome!). We made saffron chicken kabobs to go alongside and koubideh, which I’ll include in the next recipes.

Layla certainly enjoyed pitting the cherries and because she was part of the process, she was more willing to try it too. Not that rice cooked with butter is a hard sell to a toddler, but anything new is intimidating and untrustworthy regardless.

I try to involve Layla with every meal that we make. Often I’m wearing Hettie Rose too so she can see and smell everything. Cooking is a language in itself, and when we grow up seeing, smelling and participating in that language we can speak it with fluency when we’re older…

I hope this sour cherry rice dish becomes a staple in your family! It certainly elevates the most mundane proteins to something festive!

Enjoy!

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So, where did I find these beauties? Well, my mother-in-law says I’m a Persian at heart because I have secret knowledge of free-for-all fruit trees in my neighborhood. I guess it’s a Persian thing. But also, sour cherries are a big deal in Iranian cooking and I’ll post some of my Mom’s recipes soon. Her eyes got very large and a little watery, when I showed her my secret sour cherry tree. “You are Persian, I knew it, don’t tell anyone about this tree…” Yeah, and here I am blabbing to the world…. sorry Mom….

This particular cherry tree overhangs a fence on a busy Oakland street and for years on my walks about town, I watched as no one touched it. Not even the birds – who normally descend on cherry trees like locust. For this reason, although I could tell it was some sort of cherry, I thought perhaps it was poisonous. Montmorency cherries are almost neon red in color and small compared to Bing or Ranier. They are sour too, but not so pucker-y that you can’t eat them fresh.

Toddlers are makers by nature and they love to learn how things work. Layla, my little three-year-old, enjoys ‘jobs’ in the kitchen that involve fine motor skills (use of hands) and pitting cherries was fun for her – which is great, because I hate it. Yay! Teach ’em young! She was super psyched to sit down with her bowl of just-picked cherries and figure out how to use the pitter. Little Ones gain a sense of independence and self-reliance when they can master a tool/appliance/tennis-shoe-with-laces/etc and anything involving food – specifically sweet food – is instantly exciting.

This recipe is straight forward: make pastry dough, pit cherries (and check and double check because nothing is worse than cracking a tooth on a pit), mix cherries with some cornstarch and sugar, shape tarts, fill, bake, put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and eat! Voilà! C’est facile!

I’ve included in the recipe how to make pie crust by hand without a Cuisinart or pastry cutter because it’s easy and fun for kids! Try it! It honestly doesn’t take me anymore time to make by hand and then I have one thing less to wash!

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With a prosciutto this delicious, I recommend serving as-is with something complimentary that accentuates it’s natural nuanced nutty flavors without overpowering. I’ve opted for a refreshing summer salad of juicy pluots & plums with mildly bitter frisée & wild arugula, a few ethereal curls of shaved sweet fennel lightly dressed in a puckery red wine vinaigrette. Throw in a little torn mint and some chives plus a handful of toasted hazelnuts and some crumbled blue cheese, and you’ve got a beautiful complimentary summer salad.

What elevates this dish from just another ho-hum light dinner (besides the Prosciutto) is the dukkah spiced flatbread. Whaaat!?!?!? You’ve never heard of dukkah??!!!! Oh my GAWD! Okay, so you need to add this little nutty spice mix to your repertoire because it is great on so many dishes including chicken and fish. And yes, you can buy it in stores (Trader Joe’s carries it) although I think homemade is the best. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend of nuts (including hazelnut which really picks up the nuanced acorn flavor of the prosciutto) plus a bunch of toasted spices, a pinch of red chili flake for heat and dry mint which is like a subtle cool breeze to the tastebuds.

This prosciutto find came my way when my Canadian bestie and foodie/chef friend, Ivan Shaw, treated me to a prosciutto tasting when visiting for Layla’s birthday. He of course had heard of La Quercia and I had not. But we were both surprised to see how it stood out against French and Italian products. The subtle acorn and delicate fennel really came through, especially in the fat, while the others were mostly one note.

Get out there and try some American prosciutto!

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I made this pistachio cardamom pound cake for Christmas brunch and it was delicious. Definitely a sweet treat, but in lieu of making pancakes or French toast à la minute, I wanted something pretty, nicely sugary and also something I could make a day or two beforehand.

At Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, poundcake is one of the first recipes you learn. The chefs always call it le gâteau pour le week-end pique-nique. Or: the cake for the weekend picnic. Why? Because it travels well (and keeps for days) and it can sit in a basket not get spoiled.

This is not a traditional pound cake recipe in the sense that it does use leavening, but I think it’s a great basic recipe to start with and make your own and it doesn’t require separating eggs and whipping up whites (although you can still do that and you will get an even lighter crumb).

The rose glaze is just a pretty touch at the end and the segmented Winter Citrus soaked in an orange blossom simple syrup adds a nice counterpoint.

Go get nutty….

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After 16 years of writing about food, you’d think I could at least get some recipes out before the actual event, but no, I just get too busy! I did do things different this Christmas and I want to share my revelation even though it’s after the fact.

I finally created a feast I could make the day before the event so I could spend more time with family and friends instead of running around like a headless chicken cooking everything à la minute. This year I just pulled platters out of my fridge, plopped them on the buffet table and reheated the foods that needed to be hot. It was wonderful! Glorious in fact! Long live the buffet table! 

Normally for the holidays, I do these crazy elaborate meals with hot and cold appetizers, a multiple coursed dinner and elaborate desserts for a crowd – anywhere from 15 to 30 people. I tent my backyard and decorate to the max and honestly, it’s just exhausting to prepare. The end result is always beautiful but it takes a physical and emotional toll on the whole family. By the time the actual celebration arrives, we can’t enjoy it because we’re tired. Maybe when we’re out of the toddler era and sleeping normally we’ll enjoy setting up that kind of party again.

Since I’m very pregnant and very uncomfortable and I also have a toddler running around, I decided to simplify things this year. And you know what? I think this was one of my best holiday menus yet! I did zero actual cooking on Christmas day which left a lot more time to enjoy our yearly White Elephant party and lounge around. And I thought the food looked and tasted beautiful.

The Holiday menu:

Deluxe Bloody Mary Bar

Roasted Whole Salmon with Niçoise Salad garnish

Pistachio Cardamom Poundcake with Winter Citrus Orange Blossom Salad

4-inch Quiche Lorraine

Clam Chowder Cups with Dill & Thyme

Rosemary and Garlic Roast Beef French Dip Sandwiches with Au Jus

Bedazzled Pistachio frangipane & Chocolate Tart with Soft Whipped Cream.

I hope to follow up with the recipes over the next few weeks. Wishing everyone a wonderful 2019 full of LOVE!

The post Do Ahead Holiday Brunch For a Crowd first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

The blue accents are rosemary flowers! And yes, you can eat them! And they taste just like the herb but even more intense with a touch of honey sweetness. I was looking for something colorful in my garden to add to the tomato plate and noticed the pretty little blue flowers with bees swarming all around. I tried one and then quickly googled it to make sure they weren’t poisonous – and they’re not! Hooray! They’re tasty and I’m still alive!

Can you believe, in all my years of cooking, and I never knew you could eat rosemary flowers? They are strong so use sparingly, but they add a neat surprise little bite.

I love using flowers to garnish plates. Some just add a little color pop with relatively no flavor (which is okay too), but others like: rosemary flowers, chive & garlic flowers, bee balm, anise hyssop and nasturtium (flowers and leaves) really pack a punch. I’m always looking for new edible flowers, so if you have a favorite please share!

There’s nothing much to this dish. Just really ripe and delicious tomatoes, some minced shallot, a few leaves of dill, a handful of salted capers (un-rinsed), a generous seasoning of crunchy sea salt and a squeeze of Meyer lemon over top plus a little olive oil for shine. A simple side dish or pretty picnic plate…

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Galette’s are my rustic go-to dessert for feeding a crowd. I can easily feed 10 with this galette and maybe 12 if I slice the wedges thin (and really, that’s all anybody needs after a big dinner). As far as most desserts go, this is low sugar. It’s the fruit that is the show stopper. Brown sugar and cardamom brown butter are sprinkled/drizzled over top before baking. The crust is a rich and flaky pâte brisée, similar to pie crust but with the addition of an egg yolk. 

I think galette’s should be rustic in appearance. Had I not been working on automatic, I wouldn’t have even peeled the apples. I made a crazy quilt design with the slices slightly overlapping the edges. I’ve seen pictures of well manicured galettes where each apple slice is perfectly arranged over the next (as in my old Pink Pearl recipe: Tarte Fin Aux Pommes), but I don’t think you need to go there – unless of course you want to – galettes are meant to be beautifully imperfect.

And if you happen to have a two-year-old hangin’ around and looking for something to do, this is a fun recipe. I know Layla really loves to roll dough out and she enjoys sprinkling sugar over everything and anything. She also helped pick the apples. For the longest time Layla didn’t like apples but the day she helped me harvest was the day she changed her mind about the fruit.

Oh, and another fun thing to do, if you have too many apples sliced up for this recipe and not enough surface space to use them all – throw them in a small sauce pot with a little water and a little of the brown butter and make apple sauce. It’s pretty on yogurt or just by itself and kids love it!

I’m not sure why pink pearls aren’t grown commercially because they are low maintenance and the flavor is superior. Maybe it’s because the growing season is short, about two weeks. Look for them at your farmer’s market… or plant one in your backyard!

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Shaker Lemon Pie made with whole lemon slices – rind, pith and all!

I did a little online research to see what other people put in the filling because my French lemon tarte recipe adds crème fraîche and it’s one of my favorite recipes. One notable magazine adds butter. Don’t do this. I tried it and the filling turned out lumpy and somewhat curdled. Not sure why because I’m not a scientist. I was hoping it would give a lemon curd mouth feel, but it didn’t. Instead I use the same recipe my Grandmother used from her old out of date copy of Joy of Cooking (yes, the same one that tells you how to make a champagne tower out of tulip shaped glasses as well as how to skin and cook a squirrel – seriously interesting stuff) with a few contemporary tweaks.

I’ve also seen recipes that add over a half dozen eggs for one pie – again, not necessary – unless you want a lemon quiche and not a lemon pie. Adding extra egg whites won’t help either. What’s important is the type of lemon and the length of maceration depending on the lemon variety. If using Eureka lemons, use 2 large lemons to 2 cups of sugar and macerate for at least 6 hours (or more!). If using Meyer lemons use 4 medium lemons to the same amount of sugar and macerate for at least 2 hours.

Shaker Lemon Pie

The filling is nothing other than macerated lemons in sugar with some sea salt and whole eggs whipped up with a little flour then mixed into the lemon-sugar mixture. There’s no dairy believe it or not, even though it looks creamy and tastes creamy.

I don’t always bake this pie with the upper crust. Sometimes I just do the bottom and it’s really pretty because the lemons float to the top and make a beautiful lightly caramelized layer. Below are some pictures taken from a Pie bake class I gave at Pie Ranch last year where we used all ingredients from the farm including the flour that was grown and milled on site for the crust. We used a mixture of Meyer lemons and Bearss limes for the pie because that’s what was available, it worked out great. My students got creative with their lattice toppings as you can see. And I should add, they didn’t have time to let the lemons macerate more than 20 minutes in class – and nobody complained with the finished result. We baked the pies in a woodfire oven – talk about pioneering!

Pie Ranch Pie Bake Class: Shaker Lemon and Raspberry Rhubarb

I think a big dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream is the perfect garnish for this pie. If you’re a lemon dessert lover then you’ve got to try this one because you won’t find it in restaurants.

Ohio Shaker Lemon Pie Slice

The Shakers never wasted anything – not even lemon rind – and in this age of sinful waste I think we can all take a tasty lesson from that!

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Strawberry & Bibb Lettuce Salad for Spring!

Bibb lettuce is also called Butter lettuce, Butterhead and Boston lettuce and can often be found grown hydroponically at the market. I take off the outer dark green leaves and just use the light green to yellow. If you’re using baby Butterhead then figure one per person, the larger heads can easily be enough for 2-3 people or more depending on appetite.

Farm Fresh Spring Strawberries!

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By the way, you’ve got about 1 to 2 more weeks of Fuyu’s and then they’re gone…

Fuyu Persimmon, Little Gem Lettuces & Kefir Ranch Dressing

I prefer to add fresh garlic to the dressing as opposed to powdered which is in most Ranch dressing spice packets (along with about 100 miscellaneous ingredients), but I don’t like it to dominate the flavor in something as light as a salad. Powdered garlic always leaves a lingering aftertaste that I can’t seem to get rid of no matter what I do.

A trick I learned when adding garlic raw to recipes: remove the little tiny germ that’s inside of the clove. This part contains most of that garlicky chemical that upsets the stomach. Chop the garlic with a chef’s knife on a cutting board, then pour a teaspoon or two of kosher salt over it. Using a back and forth motion with the blade of the knife, mash the garlic with the salt into a fine purée. The salt helps to draw out the juice and break down the flesh of the garlic clove into a nice pulp that is easily added to sauces or dressings. I also think the salt cures the sharpness of the garlic flavor, but that could just be hearsay.

Fuyu Persimmon & Little Gem Lettuce Salad with Kefire Ranch Dressing

Toss the Little Gem Leaves with the dressing or just pour it over top –it’s up to you. Garnish with pomegrante or avocado or both! A sprinkle of chives and a twist of fresh cracked black pepper overtop is a must “out the gate”.

Some more fun and tasty Fuyu Persimmon Recipes from my website and others:

Kale and Fuyu Persimmon Salad with Blue Cheese Beignets

Persimmon Upside Down Spice Cake

Roast Pork with Persimmon and Mustard Greens

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Persimmon Upside Down Cake with Hachiya and Fuyu Persimmons

Especially the Hachiya persimmons; the heart-shaped flame colored fruit hangs heavy on thin black branches with giant hot copper leaves to protect them from the elements. And yet, people just don’t know what to do with these beauties! I’ve watched my next door neighbor auction off his Hachiyas to anyone and everyone that passes by – the Mail Man included!

The squat Fuyu persimmon tree that thrives two doors down from the Hachiya Neighbor, is equally heavy with eye popping orange candy. Oh how this makes my heart burn with desire, do I dare run up and grab some? I prefer the Fuyu because it’s easy to incorporate into sweet and savory dishes and it’s edible, like an apple, straight off the tree.

Fuyu Persimmon slices line the cake.

Yes, I know I should knock on their doors and introduce myself as the Chef next door. Ah, to be a new neighbor in a new city, and to be a little insecure about meeting and greeting. (Don’t they see me leaving in a pressed white Chef’s jacket every morning?!?!)

Thankfully my Father-in-law planted a Hachiya tree last year and he’s already reaping the benefits (and his neighbors are too because some one stripped the tree clean before he got the chance to pick the first one – the nerve!) Nonetheless, he managed to bring me a few from the tippy-top of his tree to work with. We order the Fuyus in the restaurants regularly but not the Hachiyas because they need to be extremely ripe.

The squat Fuyu Persimmon that does not have to be over ripe to eat like an apple!

The Hachiya persimmon (called Kaki in French – and they also don’t know what to do with them because I’ve seen many a French Madame admire the soft orange globes in the farmer’s markets and then move on to the poire d’anjou instead) tastes like a whole bottle of baby aspirin if you have the misfortunate to eat one that is not mushy-gushy over ripe.

In order to use the Hachiya it must be extremely soft – and this is no exaggeration. It’s got to feel like a water balloon that’s begging to be popped. Any other way and you’re going to be seriously disappointed. Even if you bake it unripe you will STILL experience the same chalky results.

Persimmon Upside Down Spice Cake

My upside down Persimmon spice cake uses Fuyu slices to decorate the top and Hachiya for flavor in the cake and cream cheese frosting.

Some chef’s notes: the fuyu slices on top should be sliced thin (1/4-inch) otherwise they add too much extra moisture while baking, and the cake should be eaten within 2 days because the slices turn grey with time. A thin layer of apricot jam on the top would probably slow the oxidation process, but I prefer it rustic as pictured above .

The recipe is a genuine Spice Cake recipe which uses mostly brown sugar as opposed to just granulated. I find that the crumb in Spice Cake is denser than normal because of this. The addition of the Hachiya purée makes the dense crumb a little moister. If you desire a dry-er crumb, then leave out the Hachiya purée and just add it in the cream cheese frosting for flavor & color.

I have tried many, many spice cake recipes and the one I’ve printed below with or without the Hachiya purée is the best. This recipe is adapted from Flo Braker and I’ve added a little more baking powder than her original recipe and different spices.

So, what are your favorite persimmon recipes? Do you pass them up in the markets, or take them home and whip up something creative?

And here’s some Persimmon Lore having to do with the upcoming weather forcast which I find facsinating: Check out the Winter for 2015 with the Persimmon Lady, Melissa Bunker http://farmersalmanac.com/blog/2014/09/26/persimmon-lady-winter-2015/

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I look forward to Winter salads in a way that few people do. Juicy winter citrus, specifically blood oranges, are gorgeous this time of year popping with raspberry overtones and sweet acidic flesh. And all the bitter chicories come into season including the many colorful types of radicchio, frisée and endive. I think it’s that bitter-sweet-sour-salty contrast I crave during the darker colder months along with more robust flavors.

Castelfranco Radicchio with varigated pale yellow and magenta leaves

This radicchio, Variegato di Castelfranco, is delicate with variegated pale yellow & magenta leaves. I don’t always find it in the markets because it’s more difficult to grow from what I’ve been told. (I would love some clarification on that if anybody is in the know?) Castelfranco is not quite as bitter as the more common deep burgundy radicchio, although the latter would be equally delicious with any sweet citrus and is easily substituted in this simple salad.

Shaved baby fennel, purple radish, & tiny mint leaves are all that’s missing from the choppy-chop list. Segment the blood orange and squeeze the pith for all the juice into a bowl, mix with a big splash of hazelnut oil, a dash of white wine vinegar, plus a generous pinch of sea salt – and that’s all there is to it – instant blood orange vinaigrette! Toss all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Blood Orange & Radicchio Salad with Fennel, Radish & Mint

For more blood orange recipes (yes, I love blood oranges!!!) check out these two recipes from last year…

Duck Tamarind  and Beet & Cara Cara Blood Orange Salad with Orange Blossom Vinaigrette

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Chef Faz calls me on a busy morning at our Oakland location to let me know (with effervescent excitement) that he has sourced a farm in the South Bay completely dedicated to growing this melon and, more importantly, that it has arrived. I immediately drive down to our Pleasanton restaurant after lunch service to see what all the fuss is about…

Hami Melon!

Although this melon is Chinese in origin, it is extremely popular in Iran. The taste of home is by far the sweetest nectar and Chef  Faz fondly remembers farming this melon and the pleasure of cutting one of the leash and carving into it for a refreshing slice of  warm, sweet, edible rehydration. These memories are crisp from youth…

Upon my arrival in our Pleasanton corporate office, Chef beckons me to the large hotel kitchen bustling with cooks preparing banquets and corporate events, not to mention line cooks fiercely whipping up late lunches for hotel guests and poolside snacks, to proudly show me his trophy.

Chef Faz with Hami Melon

And what a trophy it is! A gorgeous oversized heavy football, yellow and green with tan webbing. He politely pushes over the pantry cook to borrow his knife & cutting board and quickly slices the melon for us to taste. He doles our samples to the line cooks who are overheated from the mesquite woodfire open pit that is so outrageously hot my face turns a dark shade of crimson every time I walk in front of it. Smiles radiate from the cooks and nods of ‘this-is-soooo-good’ abound. This sweet melon is a breath of fresh air, a respite in the middle of organized chaos. Chef leaves the melon with the pantry cook and declares that we want melon for lunch and nothing else! Who am I to argue?

Like the other two great Chefs I’ve had the pleasure of working with, Chef Faz is passionate about the purity of the ingredient – the excitement of simplicity and rustic perfection in it’s natural form. I have a lot of respect for this no-fuss sort of attitude. There are some things in life that just don’t need improvement.

I have served this melon in a few different forms from this first initial encounter. Sometimes I slice it for an appetizer with proscuitto and burrata, or chop it up into a grilled and marinated calamari seafood salad with cucumber and red onion. Or serve it with a simple wild arugula, shaved fennel, cucumber and mint salad with a white balsamic vinaigrette – very refreshing.

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Cara Cara & beets salad with fennel, orange blossom vinaigrette, and Maldon salt

There are many types of blood oranges, but only two that are widely available in the U.S. – the Moro and the Cara Cara. The Moro blood orange is medium sized and thin-skinned with a purple blush both inside and out. The flesh (and juice) can range from purple to dark red with a raspberry-orange flavor. The juice looks a little like vampire blood but I love it for cocktails and juice pressé. They are great in salads too, but not so easy to segment. Cut or peel the outer skin away and slice into rounds instead of going through the agony of trying to cut out nice wedges.

Cara Cara blood oranges are big and the flesh is a delicate rose color (as pictured above). You might mistake them for Navel oranges because from the outside they look the same but on the inside, you can see and taste the difference. If Ocean Spray was describing the flavor of Cara Caras, I think they’d call it: CranOrange.

Chioggia beets are those magenta colored bulbous roots that have a pink n’ white bullseye if you cut out a cross section. They are super cool looking shaved thin and served raw in salads – or as a raw chip topped with a little goat cheese. I roasted them here, and they still kept their dramatic stripage. Neato! There’s no reason why you couldn’t use whatever color beet is available. Chioggias were growing at Pie Ranch for an event I catered, so I happily used them up!

I added a splash of orange blossom water to the white balsamic vinaigrette for fragrance. To me, orange blossom is just one of the most beautiful scents on earth and the distilled water pairs well with sweeter dishes and with a little acidity.

More recipes on Beets and Blood Oranges:

Duck Tamarind with Blood Orange Sunchoke Salad

Beet Salad: Raw, Roasted, & Pickled with Lavender Vinaigrette

Beet Leaf Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Grapefruit Glazed Scallops with Roasted Beets & Thyme

Beet & Poppyseed Goat Cheese Tartine with Nasturtium Petals

Chicken Pumpkin Mole (This post has a side salad with Moro Blood Oranges)

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Roast Pork Loin with Prickly Pear Guajillo Glaze

I slathered this pork roast with my go-to rub made up of toasted & ground: cumin, coriander, guajillo chili, and pasilla chili. Mid way through the cooking process I glazed it with a prickly pear gastrique (fruit purée reduced with vinegar & sugar) infused with fresh bay leaf. I strongly prefer fresh bay leaf if you happen to have a tree somewhere close – it is much stronger and more herbaceous than the dry version. To kick it up a notch I threw in a Thai red chili. But of course, that could be left out.

Prickly pear gastrique infused with fresh bay leaf

I like to provide options to my guests and on the side I served up my favorite Guajillo BBQ sauce along with pan jus which was oh so dunkable from the caramelized glaze and spices melding with the natural juices. This pork was raised on Pie Ranch and had wonderful flavor and texture from the incredible “slop” it was fed consisting of homegrown organic vegetables and extra cow & goat milk. I think some acorns were thrown into the mix too which pigs absolutely adore.

Spice rubbed pork loin roast

Pie Ranch Pork Loin

Just a reminder: prickly pears are actually VERY prickly (I found out the hard way).

They have tiny little hairs that will stick into your skin and they do not come out easily. Mostly because they are invisible so you can’t see them find them. Make sure to handle this fruit with gloves or a kitchen towel!

Prickly Pear syrup

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Cactus Pear Margarita with rose & lime…sublime

Yes, they are aptly named. Can you believe it? Well I couldn’t. I was too good for gloves. Too good for tongs. Too good for a regular ol’ kitchen towel. I picked ’em right off the ol’ cactus bare handed. Boy, was I stupid…

I didn’t immediately feel the teeny tiny invisible prickles so I continued to prep the prickly pears cutting away the thick outer skin and roughly chopping the gorgeous magenta flesh.

It was only when I washed my knife and the hot water hit my hands, that I felt the sting. Not just a sting, but a burn that ran through my fingers, through my palms, through my wrists. So let this be a lesson to you: wear gloves when you hold these bright pink flirtatiously sweet CACTUS pears! They are the Scorpians of dessert fruit.

I’m a little dismayed at the recipes I’ve read online for prickly pear syrup because most call for the fruit to be pulverized first in a blender. But this isn’t necessary. I think it’s better to cook the fruit down with some sugar then press the soft flesh through a chinois to catch all the crunchy little black seeds.

As for interesting ways to use this syrup there are many: as a garnish to guaijillo BBQ pulled pork tacos, on roasted chicken as a glaze, and also as a sweet elixir to mix with tequila in a margarita or rhum in a mojito. Check out  the blog: Hunter Angler Gardener Cook for a tasty prickly pear glazed pheasant recipe.

Prickly pears have a watermelon-like flavor that begs to be mixed with other fruits. Raspberry and Prickly pear is a great combo. I also like adding flower water essences (like rose & orange blossom) and spices such as: cumin, coriander, guajillo, pasilla, cayenne, and smoked paprika.

It is watery tasting when eaten raw in the same way a watermelon is, but when reduced into a syrup it is seriously sweet with little acidity. Keep this in mind. Lime is a natural balance for the prickly pear. Or if you are using this syrup in a savory dish as a meat glaze then add a little vinegar (sherry, red wine, or white wine) to balance the sugar and make it more of a gastrique.

Perhaps this isn’t the first fruit that comes to mind for Spring but I’m having a lot of fun using this pretty cactus pear on Pie Ranch right now. Stay tuned for a nopales (cactus) Quiche and a prickly pear glazed pork roast….

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Strawberry, rhubarb, raspberry jam jar cobblers

The best thing about making these for farm events is getting all the kids together to make the biscuit topping. While the cobblers are baking away, I teach the kiddos how to make whipped cream (yes, I suppose this is child labor). I had one little girl who got so excited about the whipped cream that she insisted on being the server as well so she could dole it out to our 60 guests and make sure that everyone would get the exact same amount. Very fair of her, I thought. She was kind enough to walk around the tables with a huge bowl of cream and deliver a perfect dollop on the cobblers. Very cute.

But this cobbler pictured below was hers. It still cracks me up to no end because it’s something I would do – look at that generous wollop of a dollop! The cobbler, obviously just a vehicle for extra thick rich lightly sweetened soft and fluffy whipped cream.

Whipped cream – a must for berry cobblers!

If you cook the filling in the jam jars with the biscuit dough on top there will be shrinkage as the berries soften and the biscuit topping won’t poof up and over the jar – which is the way I like them. Notmartha (Megan Reardon) makes these to sell and as gifts and she bakes the filling and biscuit topping below the top of the jar so she can screw the lid on afterwards, which is also a great idea. But I think the country looking puffy cobbler is more preferable as a plated dessert. I cook the berries in a large batch on the stovetop, then fill the jars up to the first ring.

My Mom helping out on at Tunitas Creek Kitchen on Potrero Nuevo Farm

Once the jars are filled and cooled, the lids can be screwed on and  refrigerated or frozen. When ready to cook, its best to heat ’em up in the oven first (with lid off of course) and adding a scoop of biscuit dough overtop once the filling is hot and bubbly – the biscuit topping will cook much better like this. I have never had any jars break in the oven and I’ve made these hundreds of times. Feel free to add a little cornmeal crunch on top of the biscuit dough or use some fancy crystal sugar.

Hope you have fun with this recipe! it’s a great way to showcase fruit at its peak and it’s so much fun to make kids!

And Happy Valentine’s Day! xoxxoo

For all my GF friends out there, the biscuit topping can be made with Cup4Cup  all-purpose gluten-free flour.

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Tarte au Citron, French Lemon Tart

Or you could just make Tarte au Citron

I go back and forth between what I love more – chocolate or lemon desserts. I think my “students” at Pie Ranch during our French cooking class were equally torn between the two. Sometimes it’s nice to have both! Pourquoi pas? We made strawberry, lemon, and chocolate tarts plus an extra strawberry-rhubarb lattice pie for fun. And we drank a lot of wine in the process (that’s my kind of cooking class). We thoroughly reveled in turning lemons into lemon pie!

Most people shy away from making tarts or pies that have a custard filling because they assume it’s going to be a lot of work. This one is very easy – there is no extra cooking over the stove top.

Notice how we are eating multiple types of tarts here! Fun!

Tarte au Citron, Tarte au Fraises, and Tarte au Chocolat at Pie Ranch

Crème fraîche adds a little extra tang which I love and it makes the filling creamier than a traditional buttery lemon curd. I thinly slice a lemon and place on top of filling for extra decoration. Using a mandoline works best for this. Don’t worry if they sink to the bottom they will float to the top while cooking.

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Grilled Apricot appetizer with herbed goat cheese and honey balsamic drizzle

Make sure you oil your hot grill before searing these apricots or they will stick to it and get mushy. I use an old rag and generously apply canola oil, then I ball it up and with the aid of tongs rub the grill grates to season. I’ve seen people use spray oil like Pam onto a hot BBQ but this can be dangerous and highly flammable (although it does get the job done fast).

Grilled Apricot Appetizer with Herbed Goat Cheese

Grill apricots for 30 seconds on the cut side, then flip onto the skin side and brush the faces liberally with honey balsamic sauce (I like to fill up the little indent where the seed was). After two more minutes remove apricots to a serving platter and fill with piped herbed goat cheese.

Pretty darned easy if you ask me. And tasty too. And summery….

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I know all you actors out there have a hard time separating this fibrous ruby-red stalk from a vocal warm up… rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb….me, me, me me, me, me….unique New York, unique New York, unique New York…

Sweet Tart Quick Pickled Rhubarb

Rhubarb has a marvelous puckery fruity flavor that makes it versatile as a white meat garnish or a dessert filling. But here’s the problem – it gets mushy, really mushy when cooked– and as a meat garnish this is not the desired consistency. Hence my newest version of quick pickled rhubarb that does not involve canning or boiling away that fabulous stalk to pink goo.

Quick pickling anything is as easy as making a brine or pickling liquid (a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar, and spices). Boiling it. And pouring it over the vegetables of desire and letting it stand until cool.  Then refrigerate for a few hours and eat up! Quick pickles can last up to a week in the refrigerator. For sweeter quick pickles add more sugar.

Quick Pickled Rhubarb with Star Anise, Clove, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, and Red Chili

Use the red-ist stalks you can find. Although ripe rhubarb can be green too (can it be called ‘ripe’? Somehow that doesn’t seem like the correct term here.) I think it makes for prettier presentation when red. I should also mention that the pickling liquid makes for a terrific vinaigrette. I like to serve this little pickle side dish along chicken or pork.

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Lollo Rosso, Red Romaine, Red Leaf, Shaved Fennel, Mint, Orange, and Sour Grass Flowers

My idea of sour grass as an edible plant changed to it being a really bad weed.

Much later as a young married adult in my very first house, I had an incredible garden. In my SF Mission garden I planted 5 fruit trees, annuals, perennials, roses, herbs, strawberries, vegetables – it was magical and a lot of work. That little sour grass plant tried several times to sneak its wild ways into my carefully crafted-to-look-whimsical garden. But I stamped it out quickly and mercilessly…

Sour Grass and Mustard Flower Fields Forever

Now my commute from San Francisco to Pescadero winds south along Highway 1. The freeway divides the rugged cliffs & ocean from the verdant mountains splashed with flourescent yellow. Mixed in with mustard flowers, the neon sour grass is untamed and glorious. I cannot get over how beautiful it is this Spring – truly breathtaking. Who would have thought?

Speaking of glorious, the lettuce in Pescadero right now is gorgeous. This salad is a mixture of ruffly red Lollo Rosso & deep purple Red Romaine from Del Sur farm and beautiful red leaf lettuce from Pie Ranch. I always love shaved fennel (Blue House Farm) with orange & mint. Navel oranges are at their peak and they’re inexpensive right now – even the organic ones.

Sour grass flowers just adds a little color and a little imagination. They do contain oxalic acid (as do turnip leaves) so I wouldn’t advise eating bushels of them, but they are hardly the weed I once thought them to be…

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Todd Parsons Photography at http://toddparsons.net

Walnuts, golden raisins, and Potrero Nuevo Farm heirloom tart-sweet mystery apples (Golden Delicious perhaps, nobody know for sure because the trees are very old) are cooked in a spiked sweet soup with: canela, star anise, rosemary, nutmeg, cardamom, orange peel, brown sugar, and honey – and whiskey.

Yes whiskey and a few bottles of rich barley wine from Cypress Brewing Company. Basically this is a cocktail in disguise as a very innocent dessert. Perfect for wrapping cold hands around while sitting on a hail bail and watching an outdoor movie at Potrero Nuevo Farm.

Hot Apple Pie Sundae: http://toddparsons.net/

Shortbread cookies are close in ratio and recipe to a pâte brisée (pie crust). With two major exceptions: there is extra salt and pie crust is often half fat to flour instead of one-third fat to flour. Traditional Scottish shortbread is salty and sweet. This combo is totally underplayed in my humble opinion. In terms of flavor profiles it should go: butter, flour, salt, then sugar even though the actual recipe actually uses a 1:2:3 ratio of sugar: butter: flour and leaves the salt to your discretion. Don’t be afraid to taste the dough and adjust!

The caramel drizzle is malt extract syrup for beer making which I’ve been using a lot lately in different ways. It has become a fantastic secret ingredient adding depth to winter stews, soups, extra maltiness to pizza crust, and as a fun sweet dessert topping.  It has the consistency of honey and a rich sweet malty hop flavor.

There’s nothing pretentious about this dessert. It’s easy. It tastes warm and comforting and it is meant to be held by the hands and warm you inside and out.

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One of the guests who I overheard saying with a distrustful tone: “Well, I’ve never tried chicken liver before…” was happily surprised with the combination and I didn’t see any go to waste. And no, I was NOT standing next to guests, glaring at them, with my extra large sharp chef’s knife in hand….

Add this with the pickled beet tartine previously posted and you have some nice easy farmhand casual starters that go with both red & white wine or even rosé! Or why not break the bank and bust out the Champagne? There’s got to be something to celebrate!

Although I love to can jams and make terrines, both of these were made for immediate consumption. This ‘terrine’ will last up to a week refrigerated and the jam will stay good for at least 2 weeks but they are not pasteurized.

Chicken livers are one of the last remaining butcher cuts that are still cheap. Remember 20 years when no one had heard of flank steak and it was around $3/pound? Ha! Not anymore! I guess people still are little squirmish about chicken liver since it is considered offal.

What to look for when buying liver: check that they are dark red to pale reddish-brown in color, firm but floppy in texture, and have a fresh smell. If you smell amonia then walk away quickly – that’s a bad thing. Also, if there is any greenish or yellowish liquid on them, this is normally a sign that the gall bladder has popped in the butchering process and comprimised the offal and potentially the meat too.

Cooked right liver is fantastic – all liver. Cooked wrong, they taste livery and disgusting. Luckily they are easy to cook right. Here’s how no matter what the type of animal: heat a non stick or seasoned cast iron pan with a tablespoon of canola oil (you can use olive oil too but it has a lower smoke point), when it begins to shimmer and smoke sear liver hard on both sides, then deglaze pan with the alchohol you are using (port, brandy, cognac, raspberry vinegar (my fav for veal liver), a combo, white wine, whatever).

If creating a cream sauce – as in this recipe – add cream straight to the pan right after the alchohol has burned off and let it reduce quickly. This should all happen in about 1 minute so keep that flame on high! The goal is not to boil the liver after searing it, but to infuse the sauce with some extra flavor before decanting.

Because this is a faux terrine and it is not cooked in a water bath or sealed with duck or chicken fat on top, as is the tradition in France; I sear my livers, make the cream-brandy pan sauce and, in a vita-prep blender, mix all until smooth with some extra chunks of cold butter. Then spoon it in a pretty jar and refrigerate.

Making quick jam takes about 10 minutes if that! I use 1 pint of strawberries to a 1/2 cup of sugar and let them cook down on the stove top on low. When the strawberry juice starts to run I crank up the heat to high and boil until desired consistency. A splash of sherry vinegar at the end adds acidity and works well with the chicken liver terrine.

If you have never had liver before. This is a good starter recipe. They are a great source of protein (one chicken liver containing around 25 grams) and also high in Iron. I don’t know if that makes them any more edible, but I find chicken liver to be mild in flavor and great with wine – a good appetizer!

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This was my finale for a dinner for Google Executive Chefs who flew from all over the world to lend their support to Pie Ranch and their mission to educate communities  & youth about food systems, sustainable agriculture, and land acquisition for new farmers.

Believe it or not Google has a strong committment to sustainable agriculture. They are extremely proactive about the produce and proteins they serve and they have created their own standards that are higher than the norm – including the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sustainable fish watch list. They will be hosting Pie Ranch’s upcoming Benefit Event if you are interested in tasting some Google haute cuisine, tickets are on sale (running low – hurry!) for $200 a pop. The event includes: food, wine, pie, barn dance, charity auction, fun – come!

ALL THE PROCEEDS GO TO PIE RANCH!

Pie Ranch is a huge working farm. It’s a very exciting place to be. It’s a great place for learning on many levels whether you are a farmer interning after college or a student from one of the Bay Area’s schools learning how to harvest, grow, and process food.

Okay, back to this pie – it was a huge hit. I got some fantastic reviews and one comment in particular that was most flattering and a little embarrassing: “This is better than my mother’s signature rhubarb pie and she is probably rolling in her grave for me saying this to you right now…”.

Now before you go thinking I’m bragging; the deliciousness of this pie had nothing to do with me. What makes pies at Pie Ranch special are a few things. For starters they grow and mill their own Sonora flour and it is low in gluten which is ideal for pastry. The whole wheat flour makes crisp flakey crust, and it has a wonderful subtle nutty flavor which I’ve never experienced even with the best organic flours. The flour was milled the day of – super fresh!

Secondly when I cook for there, I cook outdoors. (like camping – no joke here ).  I bake in a wood burning pizza oven that takes about two days to really get going. So, you can imagine all that wood-fire aroma just infusing right into that crust … yummm….

And thirdly, the farmers harvest the day I’m cooking. When I show up, the produce is waiting, picked at the peak of ripeness. Does it get any better? My job is easy – all I have to do is put a few simple ingredients together et voilà!

Chef’s notes: be light-handed with the thickening agent (arrowroot, cornstarch, tapioca, or whatever you prefer). I like this pie a little soup-y, almost like a cobbler. When you cut slice into it, a nice rich magenta juice should run at least a little bit.

The pie crust recipe is for Pie Ranch flour and it holds up well with a filling that is not overly gelatinous. If using regular all-purpose flour, the butter to flour ratio will be too high and you will probably end up with a ball of goo. In this case increase the amount of flour by 1/2 cup and the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons.

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“Um, no, how’s the new dish?” I ask with arms folded and one eyebrow raised.

“Clean. Crispy. Sauce is tasty. Great starter with champagne – is there champagne?”

(Hmmm…maybe he’s okay after all…)

What is a pomelo? It’s like a grapefruit on steroids but sweeter without the bitter aftertaste. Be forewarned the pith is about an inch thick. Veal sweetbreads are the thymus gland.They have a mild flavor with a slightly spongy interior. Cooked correctly they should melt in your mouth.

I found out how delicious sweetbreads were only after I started cooking them professionally.

During a promotional photo shoot for Guy Savoy’s website inbetween my cooking shifts, Guy himself sent me his ris de veau dish as a present (from my meat station, nonetheless). I couldn’t very well send them back – they were covered in truffles! Total life changing experience. There is something to be said for tasting your food.

I am picky about how they should be cooked and prepared. I like ’em extra crispy on the outside and tender inside. I do not like them roasted – too mushy for my taste.

Here’s the technique: soak the glands in ice water for at least three hours to draw out any impurities, changing the water twice. Blanch sweetbreads in a pot of simmering salted water for 45 seconds then shock in ice water to stop the cooking. Peel off the thin membrane that surrounds the gland. Cut into nice bite size pieces about 65g each. Store morsels wrapped in a slightly damp kitchen towel in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Season morsels with sea salt and sear in a cast iron pan with salted butter continuously basting. Add more salted butter to the pan when remaining butter begins to brown. Baste, baste, baste. The sweetbreads are done when they are brown on all sides.

For extra crispiness: drain sweetbreads on a paper towel when golden brown then cook one more time before serving in the same way.

The sauce is simply a reduction of veal stock and pomelo juice squeezed from the pith after segmenting. I finished the sauce with a little butter for a gloss. Easy! Place pomelo segments around sweetbread morsels and garnish with micro herbs and chives.

The post Crispy Sweetbreads, Pomelo, Citrus Veal Jus first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Persian Saffron Orange Cake

Why I am not a pastry chef is sort of a mystery in my family. My last name really is ‘Glaze’. My first spoken word was “cake” (the precursor to “hotdog”). And I’m probably borderline diabetic considering my insatiable sweet tooth.

What went wrong…

I was briefly thrown into pastry chefdom at the age of 21 when the now famous but then unknown pastry chef, Elizabeth Falkner, left Ristorante Ecco. I was only the nighttime Garde Mangé cook (cold apps, salads, and pastry assembly) with no cooking school degree and little knowledge of baking.

Left an anthology of recipes, I picked up the slack. I learned two things: I prefer to see food cooking in front of my face instead of hoping and praying it will turn out okay before dinner service and I have trouble not taste-testing everything I create.

Was it Shakespeare who wrote: “Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers”?

Saffron Orange Bundt Cake

Fold egg whites gently…

Even so, true to my first utterance, I love cake. Unadulterated. Fresh and fluffy. Although there is a time and place for buttercreams and Italian meringues, I prefer it “as is” with minimal frosting. Maybe with a dollop of barely sweetened vanilla bean whipped cream. Or maybe not.

I make cakes at home by hand, without electric aid, because it’s a great arm and ab workout and lessens the guilt factor when I devour half in one go.

It does take extra time, but then again, making cake is a labor of love…

Saffron Orange Cake

I wonder if his Persian Grandmother knew that saffron, cardamom, and orange scented fresh cake brings a lingering sultry fragrance to the kitchen and, well, romance to the table?

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The fleshless fruit imparts a lovely fragrant sweet lemon essence minus the furniture polish aftertaste. Use the zest in just the same way you would a lemon. It can be candied, blended up in vinaigrette (pith included- it’s sweet!), or displayed as a fragrant center piece on the dining room table. It also makes a sexy twist in a glass of champagne.

Take the ingredients of this salad and use them simply or, if you feel like spending an hour on a dish that will be eaten in less than thirty seconds, you can follow my lead!?! I’ve sugared the walnuts with maple syrup, fried Cambozola blue cheese in beignet beer batter, and served the persimmon roasted in honey and sliced raw. Either way the flavor profiles hit all the right notes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter plus the varying textures make for an exciting first course.

Blue cheese beignets are a guilty pleasure. If you’re not a salad lover they also taste good with a juicy steak. But, it’s hard to resist a crunchy beignet oozing salty blue gooeyness all over a sweet roasted perimmon…

I like kale raw, it’s so much healthier that way. And if I’m popping fried cheese balls in my mouth I favor the idea of a cleansing antioxidant chaser. Here’s farmer Jessica with a fresh picked bunch of curly kale at Echo Valley Farm…

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I think this recipe could be called: The Lost Stuffing due to its somewhat obscure yet once popular ingredients. At Guy Savoy we had a dish called des légumes oubliés, meaning ‘forgotten vegetables’ consisting of salsify, crosnes and…well….I forget what else…hmmmmm….

I’m a stuffing person. I normally eat half of it raw (egg yolk and everything) before I even get it in the oven. Other people pass out on the couch because they’ve eaten too much turkey on Thanksgiving day, I pass out because the bread is expanding in my stomach with every sip of Champagne.

I use a mixture of bread crumbs: cornbread, sourdough, and whatever artisanal bread I have on hand. Why choose between cornbread or white bread? I know there are purists who would go to war over this notion. I say let there be peace in the kitchen. Mix them, it only adds flavor. I also add a whole stick of melted butter, grated fresh Asiago cheese, and two eggs – it makes for a richer stuffing.

I moisten the stuffing with turkey stock simmered with giblets. THIS IS WHAT MAKES THE DISH! If you do not have time to make turkey stock (and Michael Ruhlman has an excellent turkey stock post) then check out Savory Choice liquid turkey broth concentrate sold in Whole Foods and other specialty shops.

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Apple cider is not easy to make. It takes a small army to do this right. One would think there was nothing to it. Ha!

A single ingredient anything (meal, dessert, beverage, etc) is one of those most complicated things to make right because if that one ingredient isn’t outstanding then the labor, effort, and enjoyment is worthless. Don’t believe me? Go ask Alice. I ate at Chez Panisse once and they served me a perfectly sweet peach for dessert – nothing else! And I still remember it.

Recipe: plant apple seeds in good soil, grow apple orchard if you’re planning on making enough juice to supply a county (easy?), nuture the trees and stay away from chemical sprays.

At Echo Valley Farm the apple trees are over one hundred years old and no one knows exactly what variety they are. We do know they are tart sweet and make killer tangy juice.

When the apples are at the hight of ripeness round up everyone in town to shake trees, pick, harvest, stand on ladders and grab. Core apples. Then get two insanely strong farmers to hand press them the old fashioned way.

This is not a job for wimps. This is a two day upper body work-out. (blow-out, might be a more accurate description.)

Strain out the yellow jackets that have dive bombed into the juice who are sugar drunk and a little cranky. 

Pour into 200 pint jars. Freeze. Take out jars in the morning before the 200 guests arrive for lunch and let them partially thaw so they are slushy.

Watch men, women, and children bring jars to mouth holding carefully with two hands.

Listen for lip smacking and satisfaction sounds.

Pescadero grown, Echo Valley Farm picked and pressed.

It’s the ‘simple’ things in life that bring so much joy.

(Thank you Lars for capturing the day)

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Thursday, Pescadero Farmer’s Market day, is our Echo Valley Farm lunch. Where the team gets a chance to gather around the table to refuel, rehydrate, and share a few stories before packing up the day’s bounty and carting it into town.

I like feeding farmers. Mostly because they are starving from working all morning and will happily try anything and also because they appreciate seeing their hard labor utilized and transformed.

Here’s a beautiful recipe for rhubarb. It goes great with grilled pork chops slathered in mustard & rosemary served alongside yukon-gold mashed potatoes with freshly grated horseradish.

Be cautious with rhubarb, the leaves are poisonous and should be thrown away and the stalks cook fast. Rhubarb can go from tender-crisp to mush in ten seconds. Despite it’s murderess rap, I love rhubarb’s tartliness and the way it pairs with savory and sweet ingredients so unexpectedly.

Celery, often misunderstood as a vegetable put on earth to simply escort peanut butter to mouth, is actually quite tasty when braised. At Le Bernardin we braised celery with pata negra for one of the signature black bass dishes. So it can be braised and eaten in long stalks like this – just in case there was any doubt?

I like this side dish warm, but it can be served cold too. Continue reading for recipe.

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There’s only two ingredients that really matter: the berries and the butter. Wild blackberries are mouth puckering tart and lip smacking sweet with less moisture content than store bought. And they are free, because you stop at the side of the road and pick them yourself or sneak into your neighbor’s back forty and harvest. (Don’t get caught.)

Check out this butter that Farmer Kate made at Echo Valley farm! And the color! I have never tasted butter with such Incredible depth of flavor – not even in France. If homemade butter is not a possibility look for European styles like Plugra or Strauss.

Of course the flour matters too; I use organic when possible. We are not milling flour on the farm but Pie Ranch is down the road. And, by the way, they are hosting a farm to table dinner with a barn dance this Saturday. Lots of pie for dessert if you’re in town.

I adapted an old recipe from Bon Appetit for the pie crust. It’s the only one I know that is flaky, all butter, and does not get soggy with a juicy filling. This pie should be juicy. The coagulated cornstarch amorphous blackberry blob just doesn’t cut it.

Correction: I was forced to “adapt” the recipe due to the available selection.

Normally the crust is a combination of cake and all-purpose flour. But when I asked at the local store for cake flour the response was: “Honey, we just don’t get that specialized around here.” Jeez, was it my Lulu Lemon yoga outfit and freshly coiffed hair-do that misconstrued my normal free spirit for some snooty high falutin’ city girl? Honestly, I didn’t miss it. The crust was great.

I’ll leave you the unadapted pie crust recipe. Or you can do what I did and sub the cake flour for all-purpose – if you’re not feelin’ too specialized!

The post Wild Blackberry Pie first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Yes, it’s definitely no fuss, no heat gazpacho and ceviche weather. Why not combine them? This gazpacho is simply watermelon blended with a little sea salt, sherry vinegar, and olive oil. It’s salty, tangy, sweet and just as good on it’s own as it is with the ceviche.

The bay scallop ceviche, cooked in the the acids from lime juice, gets a kick from a few pinches of allspice (a Cuban interpretation) plus some ginger, red onion, and cubanelle pepper. Cucumbers slices and mint chiffonade add on another refreshing layer. So here’s my ultimate cool-down recipe for the summer. What’s yours? (Pouring a bucket of ice over your head doesn’t count).

Related recipes around the blogoshpere:

Karina’s Kitchen Watermelon Gazpacho

Eating Well Watermelon Gazpacho

Eating / SF Watermelon Gazpacho

The post Watermelon Gazpacho & Bay Scallop Ceviche first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

 I'm not sure what all she put in it and we only had it on the menu for one night, but here's my rendition spruced up with some blanched cilantro (to keep it bright green) and lime juice. It's easy to blend together and extremely versatile. It could easily go with fish, chicken, or pork dishes.

The pineapple salsa is straightforward: pineapple chunks, red onion thinly sliced, brunoised jalapenos, and chiffonaded cilantro and mint. The sweetness of the salsa pairs nicely with the avocado cream that is not overly sugary. The shrimp are skewered and sprinkled with a pinch of smoked sweet Hungarian paprika – it adds a certain smokey je ne sais quoi to the dish. Don't leave out any of the ingredients, they all work harmoniously together!

BBQ Shrimp Brochettes, Pineapple Salsa, and Avocado Coconut Cream

Serves 4 

1 lb cleaned, deveined large or jumbo shrimp

1/2 pineapple, diced (why not buy it already cubed and then cut smaller?)

3 jalapenos, brunoised

1/4 small red onion, sliced paper thin

6-7 mint leaves, chiffonaded

8-10 cilantro leaves, chiffonaded

2 ripe avocados

1 can coconut milk

3-4 limes, juiced

1/4 bunch cilantro, blanched (put in boiling salted water 30 sec. then straight into an icebath)

salt, pepper

1 T smoked sweet Hungarian paprika

Wooden skewers soaked in water to prevent burning 

Skewer shrimp – 3 per stick. You might need to cut sticks in half. Refrigerate until ready to grill or broil. Blanch cilantro bunch in boiling salted water for 30 seconds or until bright green and fragrant. Immediately transfer to an ice bath.

In a blender add coconut cream, avocados, blanched cilantro, juice of 3 limes, and a hefty pinch of salt. Blend on high until cilantro is pulverized. Add more salt and lime juice if necessary. Remember the sweetness of the pineapple salsa will balance the cream. Refrigerate. Make salsa: combine pineapple, jalapenos, red onion, and mint & cilantro in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Sprinkle shrimp with smoked Hungarian paprika on both sides. Grill on BBQ or broil for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp is pink (but not rubbery) Plate with a spoonful of avocado cream and pineapple salsa with shrimp brochette over the top.

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Tarte fine is just what it sounds like: fine tart. It is made with puff pastry and thin layers of fruit spiraling around the top. The pink pearl apples I bought from Dave Hale, owner of the famous Hale’s Apple Farm in Sebastopol, California.

Dave sells his apples (in person) at the Palo Alto farmer’s market on Saturdays and the Marin Civic Center Market on Thursdays and Sundays. If you want to keep him on your sweet side then bring by samples of your apple creations. He really enjoys seeing what people do with his produce and he carries many varieties of apples, not just the pink pearls.

I made a video on how to make puff pastry a few years ago with my friend Tselani who writes the popular blog Chez Tse. Check it out if you want a few laughs along with your pastry lesson. It was a very hot day and we polished off a bottle of champagne before filming. Moral of the story? If we can make puff pastry inebriated in 100˚F weather, then so can anyone!

My Dad says this apple tart needs a scoop of soft vanilla ice cream to go alongside. I think he’s just looking for excuses to polish of the Ben & Jerry’s. And he keeps insisting that he needs another slice to see if he “really likes it”. Excuses, excuses. (sigh)

Dave Hale’s Apple Ranch 1526 Gravenstein Hwy North in Sebastopol. About 1 mile north of the city limits on State Hwy 116 (Gravenstein Hwy); open daily 9 to 5 during apple season. Phone 707-823-4613

The post Tarte Fine Aux Pommes: Pink Apple Tart first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

I used to have a Pink Pearl apple tree in my backyard and that's the only reason I even know about them. The trees are just as striking as the fruit with bright pink blossoms that attract lots of bees. These fuchsia fleshed beauties have an extremely short growing period (mid August through early September) so if you're lucky enough to find them, buy a whole bushel.

Pink pearl's are sweet and mouth puckering tart at the same time. Even more so than granny smith and pippin so they are fantastic for making PINK apple tarts, apple sauce, and apple appetizers.

The idea for the apple cups came from Chef François Payard who often finds creative ways to present mini bites. Every time I have made these cups, whether with regular apples or pink pearl's, I get rave reviews. They just dissolve magically when you bite into them. To make the cups slice the apples thin on a mandoline, dip in simple syrup, and dry out in the oven until they feel like leather.

While they are still warm from the oven, press the slices gently into a mini muffin pan and voilà you have a little cute cup to stuff with whatever tickles you pink. (I used fromage blanc and crème fraîche with a little brunoise of pink pearl apples, celery, and proscuitto)

Pink Pearl Apple Cups with Fromage Blanc

Ingredients

3 pink pearl apples

8 ounces fromage blanc

2 ounces crème fraîche

2 celery stalks with some extra light green leaves for garnish

3 sheets of proscuitto

2 pinches dried thyme

1 lemon

salt and pepper

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 160˚F and use convection if possible. Make simple syrup by adding water and sugar to a small pot, place on medium-high heat and simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Using a mandoline slice 2 whole apples (don't core or peel) horizontally and paper thin, about 1/8-inch or even less if you can. The thinner the slice the easier it is to mold later.

Dip slices into simple syrup and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for an hour or until the apples are no longer wet and sticky. They should feel like leather and be dry. Once apples have dried remove them from the oven. While still warm press the slices gently into a mini muffin tin.  

In a small bowl mix the fromage blanc, crème fraîche, dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate. 6. Brunoise (cut into tiny, tiny cubes) the celery and the remaining apple. Mix the two together and squeeze a little lemon over to keep the apple from discoloring. Chop the proscuitto and fry in a small pan until crisp and brown. Remove from heat and chop into even smaller bits.

Fill the apple cups with a small dollop of the cheese mixture and garnish with the proscuitto, apple & celery brunoise, and a little celery leaf.

The post Pink Pearl Apple Cups with Fromage Blanc first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

I asked him "why" because to me pastry cream is just pastry cream. Disappointed in my lack of appreciation, he told me: "Every pastry chef makes pastry cream, but how he makes it and what he flavors it with is his signature".

The Chef went on to explain how the texture should be creamy not grainy or lumpy, sweet but not overpowering, and flavored with the essence that most pleases the chef. He liked to put rum in his pastry cream – a lot of rum. Not entirely a rum fan (too many mojitos over the years, and too many nights over the toilet bowl)

I asked what else I could flavor the cream with. He suggested: fleur d'orange, an exotic vanilla, amaretto, cointreau, or lemon. I chose lemon to be my "signature" because I think it pairs nicely with fruit. And I prefer fruit desserts to everything except maybe a really decadent chocolate cake. Figs are in season and they are one of the sexiest fruits on the planet – fleshy and sweet with an intoxicating perfume. Pair them with creamy lemon-y pastry cream and you have kama sutra on a plate.

Crème Pâtissière: Tart aux Fiques

 Makes 6 small tarts or one big tart

  Ingredients

Sweet Short Pastry Dough 200g all-purpose flour, sifted

100g unsalted butter

4g salt

20g sugar

1 egg

5 ml cold water (or around 1-3 Tablespoons, depending on dough)

Pastry Cream

1 liter whole milk (4 cups)

1 vanilla bean

250g sugar

8 egg yolks

40 g cornstarch

50 g flour

Zest of 1 lemon

Ripe figs

Pre-heat oven to 350˚F

Short Pastry: Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a whisk to incorporate. Cut in cold butter – you can use your finger tips to do this – pretend like you're counting money and squishing the butter and flour together to form a sand-like dough. Add egg and continue to cut in. Then add water, little by little, just until the dough comes together. Knead the dough a few times inside the bowl to make sure all is incorporated. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 10 – 15 minutes.

On a floured surface roll out dough to 1/4- inch and place in desired tart mold. Blind bake on 350˚F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown with baking beads. Dough will shrink a lot unless you use baking beans.

Pastry Cream: In a medium pot put the milk, 1/2 the sugar, and vanilla bean (split and seeds scraped). Scald on medium high heat. While milk is scalding add the other 1/2 sugar to the egg yolks in a big bowl and beat by hand or with a hand mixer until tripled in volume, light in color, and ribbons form in the batter. Mix the flour and cornstarch into egg batter on low speed or by hand until smooth – no lumps.

Remove the vanilla bean from the scaled milk and pour into the egg mixture little by little. Add lemon zest. Strain back into the pot used to scald the milk and cook pastry cream on medium heat until it begins to boil, stirring with a whisk constantly. When bubbles make a "blub, blub" sound, it's done.

Remove from heat and pour into a shallow pan and spread out so it can cool quickly. Press a sheet of plastic wrap on top so no 'skin' will form. Chill. Spread or pipe pastry cream into tart shell and top with figs!

The post Tart aux Figues (Fig Tart with Pastry Cream) first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Burritos, oh lordy, I don't even want to tell you what I'd do for a properly made steak burrito with a real margarita. And, just so you know, cocktails count as comfort food according to Wikipedia. Yes, I actually checked on that one. I know this is heresy, but sometimes I find Big Macs comforting too because I can get them anywhere in the world. (Except that year I lived in Southern India). And in France I can get my Big Mac with a beer too. Why they don't ask me if I want the beer supersized, is a mystery.

But my all time favorite comfort food is tomato soup. Especially with a grilled cheese sandwich that I can dip into the bowl. Or better yet, tomato soup with a tuna melt. I'd probably self-combust out of pure delight if I saw that on the menu here.

For better or worse, soups are not sold in the can in France. Rather, they are sold by Knorr in powdered form. Sometimes the powdered soup is premixed and put in a box for quicker consumption. I find that most of these just taste like flavored glue. And speaking of flavored glue, we don't have Campbell's out here. Campbell's doesn't even "taste like homemade" as their labels imply. However, it could be a close second for a person living in a country that doesn't revere tomato soup the way American culture does.

Afterall, there are no Renoir paintings of tomato soup cans in the Musée D'Orsay. Taking the cue from so many French home cooks, I make my own. And my tomato soup is easy and ten times more nourishing then Knorr and Campbell's put together. It also has no cream, butter, high fructose, corn syrup, bizarre thickeners, wheat or wheat derivative, dehydrated vegetables, or reconstituted beef. I'll slurp to that! Note: I've roasted two different colors of tomatoes for fun. However, using one type still provides the same happy effect that all good comfort food does.

Roasted Tomato Soup

 2 pounds yellow tomatoes

2 pounds red tomatoes

1 whole bulb of garlic

1 yellow onion

1 medium shallot

4 to 5 cups chicken stock depending on how thick you want it

2 small bay leaves

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Slice tomatoes in half top to bottom and place in a baking pan. Take one bulb of garlic (about 10 cloves) and break up. Scatter cloves around pan leaving them in the skin. Season tomatoes generously with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roll everything around to coat, but turn tomatoes cut side up to cook. Roast until they begin to slightly brown, about 35 minutes. (I baste the tomatoes with the pan juices half way through.)  

Chop onion and shallot. In two separate medium sized pots heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in each. Divide the onions and shallots between the two pots and sweat on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and a bay leaf to each. Add roasted tomatoes, garlic removed from skin, and pan juices (split tomatoes between the 2 pots separating the red and yellow) and bring to a lively simmer. Season with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaf from each pot. Purée yellow and red tomatoes separately in a cuisinart. Strain tomato purée back into pots, removing skins & seeds. Add more chicken stock until the consistency it to your liking. The flavor will deepen while it rests.

Note: if you wish to make the yellow soup more yellow-er add a few dashes of tumeric. It will not change the flavor in small quantities but will brighten the color.

The post In the Soup, Roasted Tomato Soup first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Thankfully, Italian desserts are less complicated than French ones. And, I'm pretty adept at following instructions. I did, however, mix up the various flours a few times (the bins weren't labeled) which made for some interesting interpretations. The most difficult part of the job was forcing myself not to taste everything all of the time. I came up and down off sugar highs like a yo-yo swinging around-the-world.

Biscotti batter tastes awfully good raw and so does cheesecake batter, tuille cookie batter, chocolate molten cake batter, homemade vanilla ice cream, and proseco sorbet. Oh yes, and rhubarb compote is pretty darn delicious too. We made a meyer lemon polenta cake with a rhubarb compote in the Spring. The original recipe is long gone and the restaurant closed years ago (too bad, it was well loved) but this is the closest approximation to what I remember.

Coarse stone ground polenta will give this cake a slightly crunchy crumb. If you want a finer crumb use cornmeal or finely ground polenta. It can be imbibed with syrup (lemon or orange) for extra moistness or left plain as in this recipe.

The rhubarb ribbon is an easy trick I picked up in France. It makes for pretty presentation and shows off rhubarb's delicate pink and green shiny layers. And then of course there's the obligatory blackberry kir royal. Well, why not? It looks pretty with the cake. (and tastes good too)

Polenta Cake with Rhubarb Blackberry Compote and Rhubarb Ribbons Ingredients

Cake:

1 1/4 cups cake flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

Marscapone or plain yogurt to top

Rhubarb Compote:

5 stalks rhubarb, chopped

1/2" 3 Tablespoons sugar (or more depending on your taste, I like 'em tart)

1 basket blackberries

Rhubarb Ribbons:

2 rhubarb stalks

Sugar for dusting

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper circle and butter the top of it. In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour with the cornmeal, baking powder and salt. If you're feeling really adventurous sift it all together. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar with a hand held mixer or standing mixer. I let the butter and sugar cream for at least 3 minutes until it has doubled in volume. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Beat in the dry ingredients in three installments on low speed alternating with buttermilk, until just blended but uniform in texture.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool. While the cake is warm, invert it onto the rack and peel off the paper.

Compote: Chop rhubarb into 1/2" pieces and place in a small pot. Sprinkle sugar over and cook on medium-low heat until rhubarb is cooked through but not totally mushy. About 5 minutes. There will be a lot of juice that makes a nice sauce for the cake. Mix in some blackberries after the compote has cooled.

Rhubarb Ribbons: Cut rhubarb stalks into 4 to 5-inch pieces. With a mandonline slice the rhubarb segments extra thin, about 1/8-inch thick. Place slices on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Generously sprinkle sugar over both sides of the slices. Bake in a low temperature oven of 200˚F until slices are stiff and glossy. They should not brown. About 20 minutes, but keep your eye on them.

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But, every name has a history and the grapefruit is no exception. According to Wikipedia it was originally documented first in Barbados. It had developed as a hybrid from the even larger citrus bowling ball, pomelo.

Perhaps the French named it pamplemousse because it was a mouse sized pomelo? No. That can’t be right.

In the U.S. the fruit was called shaddock or shattuck until the 1800’s. Wikipedia gives no reason as to why or how the name was changed to grapefruit, but one can speculate that it’s current alias alludes to the grape-like clusters it grows in.

Regardless, it’s a terrificly refreshing fruit.

The idea of this recipe came as I was pondering over what to do with fresh scallops. The egg sack, known as the corail in French, is a beautiful shell pink color. Just about the same color of grapefruit – violà! Inspiration! – grapefruit glazed scallops!

Using grapefruit can be tricky as I found out, because it has a way of over powering everything. Like a bowling ball, it knocks down all the other pins. Some tips: use very small pieces of grapefruit in the garnish so as not to upstage the beets or scallops, and leave out the zest or just add a tiny little piece for decoration.

The glaze is infused with thyme and you can slather it on generously because the grapefruit juice is greatly reduced and has a fabulous sweet tangy flavor without the bite. Also the thyme really brings the dish together.

I seared the scallops with walnut oil and added some to the vinaigrette for the beet garnish. It adds depth and nuttiness – two of my favorite human characteristics, so don’t leave them out either.

Seared scallops with Grapefruit Thyme Glaze and Roasted Beets

serves 2 people as an entrée, or about 5-6 people as an amuse bouche

Ingredients
1 red grapefruit. As red as red can be.
2 cups grapefruit juice
2 teaspoons honey
4 sprigs time
1/2 pound fresh or dry packed scallops. Not frozen.
2 yellow beets
2 red beets
1 head frisée lettuce
Walut oil
Olive oil
1 lemon
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 350˚F or 175˚C. Wash the beets and cut the tops off. Place the beets in a roasting pan and liberally douse with olive oil. Roll them around in it. Make sure to keep the yellow beets on one side of the pan and the red on the other. Season with salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Roast until the beets can be easily pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool in the pan. Peel beets when cool enough to handle with a pairing knife. Dice and store colors separately until ready to use.

In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, add 2 cups of grapefruit juice, 3 sprigs of thyme, and one teaspoon of honey. Reduce to 1 cup. Taste the juice, if it is still extra sour then add the second teaspoon of honey. Skim off any foam on the top and let the juice cool with the thyme sprigs. Once cool remove the thyme.

Section the grapefruit into whole segments without pith. The easiest way to do this is to cut off both the top and bottom of the grapefruit. Then slice down, following the curve of the fruit, from top to bottom to remove the thick skin. Cut each segment out from the pith individually and reserve.

To make the vinaigrette for the lettuce and beets: whisk 2 tablespoons of grapefruit juice with 4 tablespoons of walnut oil and a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. The vinaigrette should taste a little more puckery than the glaze, so add a few drops of lemon juice to add acidity. Reserve.

Season scallops with salt and freshly ground pepper. To Sear: heat a small nonstick skillet on high heat that will fit the amount of scallops without any of them touching. Once the pan is hot add 2 tablespoons walnut oil. Walnut oil has a medium-high smoke point which means you can sauté nicely with it (but avoid deep frying). Once the oil is hot enough to sizzle a small drop of water (but before it starts to smoke) add the scallops and don’t move them for at least 30 seconds.

If you move them constantly they won’t brown or form that nice crust. Turn down heat to medium and continue to cook for another minute. Turn scallops and cook for another 1 1/2 on the other side. The cooking time will depend greatly on the size of the scallops. I like my scallops al dente in the middle and they will cook further with the following step:

Turn heat up to high and add 1/3 cup of the reduced grapefruit juice. The juice will bubble up like crazy and turn into a glaze almost instantly. Once the glaze has thickened, remove scallops to a plate and take the skillet off the heat to stop the glaze reducing further.

Dress beets separately with vinaigrette and lettuce too. Place scallops on the plate and spoon over glaze. Garnish with flecks of grapefruit and a few grinds of pepper.

The post Grapefruit Glazed Scallops with Roasted Beets and Thyme first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Pear desserts can often be too sweet and that is where the red wine syrup adds a rich earthy acidic counterpoint. It also helps to caramelize the skin of the pear during baking giving it a stained glass look. This effect turns the fruit from a bottom heavy little squat bell to quite the stunning brightly faceted jewel – pear shaped diamonds are always on my holiday list.

As if homemade diamonds weren’t enough reason to make this dish, the practicality of it for entertaining is fabulous. There is no need to peel or core the pears and it can be made ahead of time and kept in a warm place. Simply put the pears in a baking dish, pour the red wine over, sprinkle sugar over pears and wine, bake and baste for 45 minutes. They can stay in a warm oven while dinner is being enjoyed and then served.

For recipe Click on “continue reading…”

Technorati Tags: baked, baked pears, pear, poire, dessert, recipe, roasted pears

Poires Rôties Avec Syrop de Vin Rouge
Serves 4 people (can be doubled)

Ingredients
4 firm-ripe medium sized Bosc pears or Bartlett
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup sugar
Optional: orange or lemon rind, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, 3-4 cloves, 1 bay leaf

Instructions
1. Trim the bottoms of the pears so they stand up straight. Put them upright in a shallow baking dish that fits the amount of pears used. Pour wine over pears then sprinkle with half the sugar. The sugar will stick to the pears coating it like snow. If adding spices, place them around the pears in the wine.
2. Bake in oven at 425˚F for 45 minutes. Baste pears with wine syrup and sprinkling with more sugar every fifteen minutes. This will give that stained glass look.
3. They are done when pears are tender and have a reddish brown stained glass appearance.
4. Serve pears whole with syrup poured over and a dollop of vanilla ice cream

Note: I have made this dish in a hurry before where I haven’t had the time to sprinkle the pears with sugar every fifteen minutes. If you’re pressed for time pour the wine over the pears and then sprinkle on all the sugar. Continue to baste with the wine syrup every fifteen minutes. They will still come out like stained glass just not quite as crackle-y.

Tips
1. This dish is easy to make while preparing dinner and can be kept in the oven (turned off, but still warm) until ready to serve for dessert.
2. I prefer Bosc pears because the skin crackles better and the flesh is a little firmer

The post Poires Rôties Avec Syrop de Vin Rouge first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Smoked duck is a good substitute for bacon. It’s salty and smokey in the same way with an added meaty-woodsy flavor and it’s leaner. The baby radicchio is a terrific match for smoked duck and they both pair nicely with the sweetness of orange. I also tried a variation on Eggs Benedict substituting smoked duck for Canadian Bacon (I’ll print that recipe next).

Inspired by the old French recipe Duck a l’Orange, I came up with a lighter variation. The smoked duck is quickly pan fried to render the little bit of duck fat on the slices. Then orange juice is added to the pan and reduced. Whole raddiccio is braised lightly in the duck-orange sauce and served alongside the duck slices with some fresh orange segments. Any remaining warm duck-orange sauce is mixed with a little tarragon vinegar and olive oil to create a tangy warm vinaigrette. Add a few herbs et Voilà!

Smoked duck can be served raw too (like smoked salmon or trout) but I like it warm with the fat crisped up. If it’s overcooked it will loose it’s beautiful red color and some of it’s flavor. Duck does not taste good over cooked. Most wild fowl doesnt, for that matter, it turns livery and leathery.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and can find smoked duck slices in the super market!?!? For the recipe click on “Continue Reading Salade de Carmine….”

Technorati Tags: carmine, duck, orange, radicchio, recipe, salad

Salade de Carmine Braisée à l’Orange et Canard Fumé
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 baby raddicchio or carmine
2 oranges
1 package smoked duck slices
2 tablespoons tarragon or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Herbs to garnish
Fleur de sel
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions
1. With one orange create segments. Take the peel off carefully with a pairing knife by cutting around the orange like a corckscrew, starting at the top and working down to the bottom. Make sure all the skin is removed without any white skin remaining. With the same knife cut the segments out of the whole orange inbetween the pith.
2. Juice the second orange and reserve.
3. Heat a small nonstick skillet on high and quickly pan fry the duck slices. Remove slices and reserve in a warm place until ready to serve. If a lot of duck fat remains in the skillet keep two teaspoons and throw away the rest. Add the orange juice and reduce by one third.
4. Slice the baby radicchio in half vertically. do not cut the stem out until after or the leaves will fall apart in the pan. Braise for one minute each side in the duck-orange sauce. Radicchio should be warm and al dente. If it is braised too long it will loose it’s color.
5. Plate the radicchio, duck, and orange segments. Mix the vinegar and olive oil into the remaining duck-orange sauce and drizzle over the salad.
6. Sprinkle a tiny bit of fleur de sel over the radicchio and freshly ground pepper.

The post Salade de Carmine Braisée à l’Orange et Canard Fumé first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

After a quick trip to to the farmers market we decided that gazpacho or cold tomato soup would be perfect for an entrée. How could we resist with a sign like this….

We started our BBQ meal off with some ice cold gazpacho. Actually we started our BBQ off with some ice cold Coronas and then had gazpacho.

The soup is simple to make (less than 6 minutes), refreshing, and a beautiful way to begin any hot summertime meal. I’m a purist when in comes to ingredients and only use ripe juicy tomatoes, sherry vinegar, sea salt, and good quality olive oil for the soup. I like it pleasantly salty and tart balanced with the sweetness of tomato.

We experimented with some fancy wine glasses first, but then decided they were too much hassle for the terrace. First, fill the bowl or glass with a small salad of cucumber, green pepper, and red onion and pour the gazpacho over right before serving. I added a little brochette of shrimp and mussels too. Other additions could include crab or garlic croutons
Recipe to follow…

Technorati Tags: gazpacho, soup, tomato

Gazpacho

Ingredients
12 medium size ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
4 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 teaspoons salt (I add more because I like it salty)

Optional Salad
1/2 cucumber diced
1/2 green pepper diced
1/2 red onion diced
1/4 tomato diced

Instructions
1. Quarter tomatoes and throw into a cusinart or blender. Puree the whole tomato until liquified. Strain and reserve the juice and throw away the seeds and skin that didn’t get pulverised.
2. Put tomato juice back in blender and add olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Blend and taste. Add more vinegar and salt to your liking – it should be pleasantly salty and vinegary enough to get your saliva glands going.
3. Chill until ready to serve
4. Dice vegetables for salad and serve in bowl or cup desired. Pour gazpacho over when ready to serve.

The post Summertime Gazpacho first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

 It shows off the fruit without too much sugar and it's easy to prepare for a crowd. We're serving this at Guy Savoy right now in Paris and people can't get enough of it. The real trick is to start with good quality firm, juicy, meaty cherries.

Traditionally the pit is left in the fruit. This is supposed to give flavor  and it also makes the prep time shorter (double yippeee!). It keeps the cake-like batter from turning pink too. You can pit them if you're afraid of cracking a tooth, but half the fun is spitting out the seeds.

I often substitute apricots or other stone fruit when in season. At Guy Savoy we adust the copper pan to the size of the table and present it whole. A waiter scoops it out at the table for the diners.

Guy Savoy's Cherry Clafoutis

400g / 1lb cherries

15 ml / 1 tablesppon kirsch

15 ml / 1 tbsp icing sugar

45 g / 3 tablespoon granulated sugar

30 g / 3 Tablespoon flour

170 ml / 3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 lemon rind grated Nutmeg (optional) 

Mix cherries with kirsh and icing sugar and let sit for 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 190 C/ 375 F. Butter an 11-12 inch oval dish or a shallow pan. Sift flour and add sugar together. Whisk in milk until smooth. Whisk eggs, vanilla, lemon rind, and nutmeg.

Pack cherries on bottom of oval dish and pour batter over. Bake for 45 min or until set. Insert knife into center, if it comes out clean it is done. Serve warm in dish! Note: sometimes I substitute half of the flour for almond powder because I like cherry and almonds together.

The post Cherry Clafoutis first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.