Buttered Radishes with Poached Eggs
Tender radishes and shallots are topped with a silky poached egg for the perfect finish.
Ingredients:
1 bunch radishes
1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon assorted chopped herbs, such as parsley, chives and thyme
2 large slices of toasted bread
2 eggs
Sea salt
Method:
1. In a skillet, heat butter over medium low heat. Add in the shallots and let cook it begins to soften, 2-3 minutes. Slice radishes in half and add to butter. Season well with salt. Cover and let cook until radishes are tender, 5-6 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. While radishes cook, poach the eggs.
3. To serve, place toast on a plate, generously cover with radish mixture, then sprinkle with herbs and top with a poached egg each.
Grilled Cherry Salsa
This flavorful salsa is excellent on top of pork tenderloin, or served with crackers and whipped ricotta!
Ingredients:
1½ cups cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup diced shallot
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Method:
1. Heat the grill to high.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the cherries with oil until well coated. Carefully place the cherries onto the grill grates (or use a grilling basket) and grill until lightly charred in spots and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to return the cherries to the bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Once the cherries have cooled, add the onion, garlic, vinegar and cilantro. Mix well, then season with salt and pepper.
Potato-Leek Soup
This classic Julia Child recipe is always a home run; serve this with slices of this week’s Beecher’s cheese bread.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound baby red potatoes, peeled and cut in half if on the larger side
3 large leeks (1 pound), cleaned and thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup crème fraîche
â…“ cup minced parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large (6-plus quart) stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leek and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften and brown slightly, about 5-10 minutes (time will vary greatly depending on the surface area of the bottom of your pot).
2. Add the stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Blend until smooth, either using an immersion blender or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches.
4. Add the cream, and season to taste with salt and lemon juice.
5. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche and a healthy sprinkling of minced parsley.
Grilled Apricots with Almond Whipped Cream
Drizzled with honey and topped with toasted almonds, these apricots are simply stunning for dessert.
Ingredients:
4 apricots, halved
1 teaspoon melted butter
3 teaspoons honey, divided
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
â…“ cup whipping cream
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar
Method:
1. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.
2. In a small dish whisk together the melted butter and a teaspoon of honey. Cut the apricots in half and brush the melted honey butter on the cut side.
3. Place the apricots cut side down onto the heated grill pan. Grill the apricots for about 2 minutes until softened and just slightly charred, and then remove and place them cut side up onto a plate.
4. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, add the whipping cream, almond extract, and powdered sugar and beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form.
5. To serve, spoon about a tablespoon of the whipped cream on top of each apricot half, then sprinkle on the sliced almonds and drizzle on the remaining 2 teaspoons of honey.
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 Citrus & Fava Shoot Salad
This crisp, citrus-kissed salad is both bold in flavor and beautiful in presentation.
Ingredients:
1 blood orange
1 Navel orange
½ pound fava shoots
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, quartered, cored and thinly sliced, plus a handful of the fronds
Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, peeled and minced
â…“ cup freshly squeezed juice from an orange
â…“ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
¾ cup olive oil
Sea salt salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
- Spread the salad greens out on a large, round serving platter to make a bed.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut the tops and bottoms off the orange. Stand oranges up and slice to remove the peel and membrane. Then, slice oranges crosswise into thin wheels.
- Arrange the orange on top of the salad greens, overlapping the slices slightly. Then layer on the fennel slices. Scatter the onion slices on top of the salad.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and then season with ground pepper if desired.
How-To: Prep Fava Beans
Our quick guide to peeling and prepping fresh fava beans!
Ingredients:
1 pound fava beans
Method:
1. Peel: Pull off the top and “unzip” the seam of the bean pod. Open the pod and remove the beans. (There are usually 4 to 5 beans per pod.) The beans have a waxy outer coating, which you’ll need to remove.
2. Prep: Blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The waxy coating will slip then right off.
3. Cook: From here, steam the beans until tender in a steamer basket or covered in the microwave, 3-5 minutes.
Spicy Honey-Glazed Parsnips
Drizzled with chili-honey butter, this roasted parsnip recipe from Bon Appetit is a real winner.
Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-inch-long matchsticks
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
- Preheat oven to 450°. Toss parsnips and oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast parsnips, tossing occasionally, until tender and deep golden brown in spots, 35-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat red pepper flakes, butter, vinegar, and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted.
- Drizzle chili-honey butter over parsnips and toss to coat.