Dark Chocolate Balsamic Glazed Vegetables
We know. This sounds crazy. But the sweetness of Dark Chocolate Balsamic vinegar is the perfect compliment to savory, roasted veggies.
1 lb carrots
1 lb beets
2 diced sweet potatoes or winter squash
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Toss vegetables in olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast 25-30 minutes, stirring every so often to ensure even baking.
- While vegetables roast, reduce Chocolate Balsamic over medium low heat.
- When vegetables are done, drizzle with Chocolate Balsamic glaze and toss to coat evenly. Don’t knock it before you try it!
Lavender-Infused Lemonade
This cool beverage is fragrant with summer lavender.
Ingredients:
Small handful lavender flowers, rinsed and cut from stem
1 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
2-3 cups ice water
1½ cups freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Method:
1. Place lavender flowers in a medium bowl. Pour the sugar over the flowers and use your fingers to gently rub the flowers into the sugar. Pour the boiling water over the lavender sugar and stir with a spoon until the sugar has melted. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes (or up to several hours).
2. Strain the lavender-infused simple syrup and pour into a serving carafe or pitcher. Stir in the lemon juice. Add another two cups of water. Taste and adjust for tartness. Add more lemon juice if too sweet, or add more sugar if too tart. Add ice and more water to desired level of concentration.
Apple Cider French Toast with Honey & Meyer Lemon Glaze
The rosemary sea salt bread gives a subtle savory note that balances perfectly with the sweet-tart apple cider and honey glaze—don’t skip it!
Ingredients:
6 slices New Day Baking Rosemary Sea Salt Bread
3 large farm-fresh eggs
¾ cup Sauk Farm Honeycrisp apple cider
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for the pan
2 tablespoons Bella Luna Wildflower Honey, plus more for drizzling
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
Optional: toasted nuts or fresh fruit for topping
Method:
1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, apple cider, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, letting it soak for 20–30 seconds per side so it absorbs but doesn’t fall apart.
2. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the soaked bread slices and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2–3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining slices, adding more butter as needed.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the honey and Meyer lemon juice. Stir until smooth and slightly warmed.
4. Stack the French toast slices on plates, drizzle generously with the honey-lemon glaze, and top with toasted nuts or fresh fruit if desired.Â
Warm Radicchio & Pear Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
This elegant warm salad celebrates fall’s sweetest contrasts: caramelized pears, toasty nuts, and the gentle bite of radicchio drizzled in honey.
Ingredients:
1 head radicchio, cut into 6 wedges through the core
2 ripe pears, cored and sliced into thick wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Bella Luna wildflower honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup toasted walnuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup shaved Gruyère (or blue cheese, if preferred)
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Arrange radicchio and pear wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 12–15 minutes, turning once, until the edges caramelize and the pears are tender.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, Dijon, and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Arrange the warm radicchio and pears on a serving platter. Drizzle generously with the honey vinaigrette, then top with toasted nuts and shaved Gruyère. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a hunk of Gruyère bread or alongside your favorite fall main.
Sunflower Shoot Salad with Radishes & Hazelnuts
This stellar salad from Food & Wine is beautifully balanced with peppery greens and radishes and sweet pea shoots.
Ingredients:
½ cup hazelnuts
1½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon minced shallot
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups peppery greens, such as arugula or shiso
2 cups sunflower shoots
2-3 Pink radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, cored and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate and toast until they are fragrant and the skins blister, about 14 minutes. Transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and let cool slightly, then vigorously rub the nuts together to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the Champagne vinegar with the Dijon mustard, honey and minced shallot. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and whisk until blended. Season the vinaigrette with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the arugula, sunflower shoots, radishes, fennel and chopped hazelnuts and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Winter Salad of Radicchio, Endive, Cara Cara & Apple
Bright citrus, crisp apples, and gently bitter winter greens make this refreshing salad the perfect companion to rich risotto.
Ingredients:
2 cups radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
2 Belgian endive, sliced lengthwise
1 Cara Cara orange, peeled and segmented
½ Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
¼ small yellow onion, shaved thin
Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh Cara Cara orange juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Pinch sea salt
Method:
1. Whisk together dressing ingredients until emulsified.
2. In a large bowl, gently toss radicchio, endive, apple, onion, and orange segments with dressing. Serve immediately so the greens stay crisp.
Roasted Endive with Dijon-Walnut Vinaigrette
This elegant roasted endive with walnut vinaigrette makes a beautifully unexpected Thanksgiving side, adding warmth, texture, and just the right touch of holiday sophistication.
Ingredients:
12 Belgian endive
Olive oil
Sea salt
For vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons walnut oil
¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Trim the bottoms off the endive and cut each in half lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to evenly coat and arrange the endive cut-side down. Roast until tender and browned in spots, about 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Slowly whisk in the walnut oil to emulsify. Stir in the toasted walnuts and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Transfer the endive to a serving platter and spoon vinaigrette over top.
Potatoes à la Robuchon
Of all the haute cuisine in legendary chef Joël Robuchon’s repertoire, he was best known for these super-silky potatoes.
Ingredients:
2½ pounds fingerling potatoes, all of a similar size
1 pound unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
¼ cup milk
Sea salt, to taste
Method:
1. Place unpeeled potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender. Drain and peel. Transfer to a bowl and let potatoes cool slightly.
2. Turn potatoes through a food mill on the finest setting, back into the cooking pot. Heat pot over medium heat stirring until heated through and steam begins to come off the bottom of the pot. Add butter in 5 additions, allowing each addition of butter to be almost melted before adding the next until it all has been incorporated.
3. Stir in warm milk until combined. Using a whisk, vigorously stir potatoes until fluffy. Season with salt. Transfer to a serving dish and smooth the top of the potatoes with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.
Spring Pasta with Morels, Ramps & Fromage Blanc
Earthy morels, wild ramps, and creamy fromage blanc come together in this springtime pasta that’s as elegant as it is easy.
Ingredients:
8 ounces Lagana Vesuvio pasta (or similar curly shape)
1 cup fresh morel mushrooms, cleaned and halved lengthwise
1 bunch ramps (bulbs and greens), cleaned and chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
â…“ cup dry white wine (optional)
½ cup fromage blanc
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon zest, to finish
Fresh herbs like tarragon or parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook Vesuvio pasta until just al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain and set aside.
2. In a wide skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add morels and cook for about 5 minutes until they’re tender and lightly browned. Add ramp bulbs and cook for another 2 minutes, then stir in ramp greens and cook just until wilted.
3. Add the white wine to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Let it reduce for 1–2 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and stir in the fromage blanc until it melts into a creamy sauce. Add a splash of reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce slightly.
4. Toss in the cooked pasta and gently fold to coat with the sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of lemon zest for brightness. Serve warm, garnished with chopped herbs.
Salami, Apple & Endive Bites
Fresh, savory, and just a touch sweet—this simple, no-cook appetizer is perfect for grazing before the Thanksgiving meal.
Ingredients:
1 Belgian endive, leaves separated
1 crisp apple, cored and sliced into wedges
8–12 thin slices Norcino salami
Honey, for drizzling
Freshly cracked black pepper
Method:
1. Arrange endive leaves on a serving platter. Add an apple wedge to each leaf. Fold or cut salami slices into bite-size pieces and place one on top of each apple slice. Drizzle lightly with honey and finish with black pepper if desired.