A Plate Full

Not very attractive, huh?  They don’t look much like flowers do they?  All twisted and crooked, hardly what you’d want to take time to cook, never-mind put in your mouth!  But wait, there’s more!  There’s more than meets the eye here.  These are squash blossoms, lovingly picked early in the morning by a grower who understands their charm and value.  And there are legions of fans of squash blossoms out there, scouting the markets and stalls to find them.  You will most often see them stuffed and fried, and they are so good prepared like that.  But I wanted something different when I got these.  I have been thinking about making a sauce with them, and when I checked the Internet, low and behold, a dozen or more recipes popped up.  So I studied them, consulted the pantry, and came as close to the sauces I read about as I wanted to.  I’ll link the ones I consulted below, so you can check them out for yourself.

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I love peaches.  I’m so happy when they come into season, and Colorado peaches are truly wonderful.  I’ve been known to stand over the sink eating them with the juice running down my arm and a blissful look on my face.  I buy pounds at a time, trying to get them in varying degrees of ripeness so that I always have a perfectly ripe peach to scarf down.  What?  They’re only here for a short time, you need to eat them almost every day.  As much fun as eating them over the sink is, I’m also always looking for things to do with them or put them into.  So when I stumbled upon this recipe I knew I had to try it.

I put it all together, baked it off, and impatiently waited for it to cool to cut into it.  My first impression?  Not so much.  The streusel on the top seemed a bit too crunchy, and it was a little too soft for my taste inside.  Almost like it wasn’t set enough, but I knew that I had baked it for more than the time called for.  The flavor seemed a bit muted and I was disappointed.  I was hoping for a slam dunk that I could rave about.  Oh well, I put it in the refrigerator, not even covered, and thought I’d deal with it the next day.  

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For some unknown reason, it had never occurred to me to eat asparagus raw.  I’ve been eating it for most of my life and loving it, in every preparation I’ve had. But raw just never happened, and now that I know better I’m both delighted and sad.  I’ve been missing out on this for how long?  That is so sad.  But happy days are here now!  This salad is everything you want in a salad.  Fresh, simple and sublime.  I’m not kidding, you need to make this.  In season, out of season, grab the next bunch you see and make this salad!

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Roasted vegetables are a passion of mine.  I don’t think I’ve met a roasted veggie that I didn’t like.  A really hot oven does magical, mystical things, a crisp exterior, a bit of caramelized crunch and intensified flavor.  A few minutes in the oven and you’ve got something very yummy on your plate.

I was entertaining friends and family one evening, and while they were all drinking wine and getting excited about the pasta that was cooking, I was chopping vegetables.  Bread was being piled into baskets, a warm tomato and garlic scent swirled through the air, and I was excited about the veggies on the baking sheet.  Not one whit of attention was being paid to my lovely vegetables.  I drizzled them with oil, and tossed them with spices while guests were inspecting desserts and sneaking fingers through icing.

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Panettone has become the holiday fruitcake.  Often given, received with hearty thanks and then forgotten, dust covered in a closet.  It’s not really cake, not really bread, what do you do with it?  Well, I know what to do with it, and I’m going to tell you the first of several recipes.  I’ll also tell you how it came into my life.

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I love this dish. I make it so often. It’s easy, comforting, pretty enough for company, and sturdy enough to be reheated. It’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It should be on your table.

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Leek confit is one of those things that once you make it and use, you’ll want to have it around all the time. It takes very little effort, not a lot of time, and it gives back, and gives back, and gives back! I stir it into vegetables sauteing on the stove, warm it and scoop it onto crostini with dots of baked tomato and slivers of parmesan for unexpected company, and mix it with gruyere for yummy tartlets. The places you can use this are only limited by your imagination. Molly of Orangette wrote a wonderful article on Leek confit that you can read here. The method is so simple you’re not going to believe it. Here’s mine.

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