Shaved Beet, Donut Peach And Cherry Tomato Salad

This combination of ripe fruits and vegetables is the work of mother nature. The only instruction needed here is to head to the market before the first frost!

Homemade Strawberry Popsicles

The trick is to grow up - not old! These strawberries, having survived relentless heat all week, are as sweet as can be.  To make popsicles simply hull berries and puree the fruit.  Add a touch of sweetness in the form of simple syrup if you think necessary - although we promise that it is not.  Freeze puree in a popsicles molds.  When frozen solid - remove from freezer, find a sunny rock and let the juices run from hand to elbow.  Happy summer. 

Berry Salad with Shiso and Umeboshi Plum

End of Summer has us feeling a little black and blue!

• 1 pint blackberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• large handful purple shiso (opal basil makes a good substitute) 
• 2 tablespoons umeboshi plum vinegar
• 3 - 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Combine berries and shiso in a serving bowl.  Douse with vinegar and olive oil and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Serve at once. 

Stracci Toscani with Garlic Scape Pesto and Fresh Peas

Stracci Toscani with Garlic Scape Pesto and Fresh Peas

8 garlic scapes, tough end trimmed and discarded, cut into small pieces

6 sprigs mint, leaves picked

1 large handful pea shoots, about 1 cup, plus a few more shoots for serving

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for pasta water and seasoning

1 pound Stracci Toscani, or pasta of choice

3/4 cup English peas

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Place scapes, mint leaves and pea shoots in a food processor.  Slowly add olive oil, pulsing as you go, until mixture forms a smooth paste.  Season with sea salt.  Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Add peas during the last minute or two of cooking. Remove from heat and drain.  Toss hot pasta with garlic scape pesto.  Serve with pea shoots, parmesan and an extra drizzle of olive oil. 

Coconut Rice Flour Crepes with Spring Greens and Black Garlic

Sometimes cravings beget creation.  Such is the case here.  The sudden desire for a particular savory pancake approximating a Banh Xeo resulted in this rice flour crepe.  The end product was so exciting and unexpected that there was no time to prepare a proper filling. Instead we sprinkled each crepe with the greens at hand and a smidgen of black garlic.   Black garlic is a new addition to our kitchen larder.  It is a familiar ingredient in Korean food ( so taking a culinary expansionist approach here ) and tastes both sweet and smokey.  The purported health benefits are big - anti cancer, pro digestion. Go get some. 

Coconut Rice Flour Crepes with Spring Greens and Black Garlic

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• A few cloves, black garlic, mashed to a paste
• A few handfuls Spring Greens and herbs such as chives, mustard and spicy arugula

Whisk together rice flour, coconut milk and water in a small bowl until batter is smooth and the consistency of pourable cream.  Stir in salt.  Let stand at room temperature one hour before using.  Alternatively batter can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated until needed. 

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot pan. Swirl, tilt and turn pan to spread batter to be as thin as possible.  Top with a bit of black garlic and a handful of greens.  Gently press down on greens.  Cook crépes a few minutes on each side until golden and crisp.  Serve immediately.  

Mango Lasse with Kaffir Lime

Mango Lasse with Kaffir Lime

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and flesh chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey, more or less to taste
• 1 handful ice
• 1 fresh or dry kaffir lime, zested

Combine all ingredients in the jar of a bar blender and blend until smooth and frothy.  Divide between serving glasses.  If using fresh kaffir lime - add a dash of juice as well. 

Yogurt Honey Bar

The world of flowers and honey is as complex and magical as grapes and wine.  Here we have gathered some of our favorite varieties - from comb to creamed.  We included bee pollen for immune bolstering crunch and gorgeous Boules au miel just to be French and fancy.  Use a thick rich decadent Greek style yogurt.  Our vote is full fat but ultimately that is your call.  

Bohemian Rapsody Seeded Yogurt

We could happily eat this everyday - a little tamari and miso mixed together - folded into plain yogurt and topped with toasted sunflower seeds, radish sprouts, pepper flakes and ever so bougie Moon Juice crackers - crumbled so to resemble savory granola. Then yoga! And a sauna. 

Yogurt With Turkish Delight, Pomegranate Seeds And Rose Water

Wanted to create a yogurt extravaganza full of hope and renewal - two themes inherently linked to Spring.  Just the colors alone make us happy.  The gorgeous vibrant cranberry powder and candied almonds are both available at sos-chefs.com - a shop worth exploring!  Bet you could find rosewater there too. 

Poached Chicken with Ginger and Mushrooms

Poached Chicken with Ginger and Mushrooms and Brown Rice

• 1 whole chicken, about 3 1/4 - 4 pounds
• 1 yellow onion, unpeeled, cut in halve
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 carrot
• 1 5 inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 head garlic, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 pound Maitake mushrooms, root ends trimmed and mushrooms cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 bunches scallions, root ends trimmed
• Ponzu, Soy or Tamari, to taste

Rinse chicken, inside and out, under cold running water.  Place in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover chicken by about 2 inches.  Add onion, bay leaves, carrot, ginger and garlic.  Set over high heat and bring liquid to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, water should be just barely simmering, and poach chicken until cooked through, about one hour. Add salt to stock.

Remove chicken from stock.  Strain stock and discard solids.  Use 3 cups of stock (instead of water) to cook rice according to package instructions.  Return remaining stock to pot and bring to a simmer.  Add scallions and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.  

Remove meat from chicken and shred into long tender pieces.  Mound cooked rice in serving bowls.  Add chicken and top with vegetables and hot stock.  Season to taste with ponzu, soy, or tamari. 

Candy Crush Cocktail

Crush candy not hearts!  Select an array of pretty pink sweets that range in flavor from bubble gum to passion fruit, smash to smithereens, mix with vodka, gin or bubbly and garnish to your heart's desire. 

Serbian Pita Pizza

Serbian Pita Pizza

Following the culinary orders of an inspired freight elevator operator we beelined it to a  grocery store in deepest brightest Queens in search of Ajvar - a Serbian red pepper extravaganza that makes you want to travel the world.  Toasted pita bread was our sauce vehicle of choice  - topped off with feta, olives, chilis and dried oregano.  We are calling it pizza just so you get the idea but wow - it is a whole other level. 

Cocktail Sour Cherries

Count down to 50! Game on.  Need these guys ready for end of summer festivities. Thank you Cindi for the inspiration. 

Cocktail Sour Cherries

• 3 pounds sour cherries
• 1 1/2 cups super fine sugar
• 3 cups brandy
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 8 cardamom pods

Wash and dry cherries on a kitchen towel.  Combine sugar, brandy, cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom in a large bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.  Add cherries and let stand about 1 hour.  Use a slotted spoon to lift cherries out of liquid and transfer to a clean quart size Mason jar.  Pour liquid into jar - making sure cherries are completely submerged. Seal jar with lid and store in a cool dark place for one month.  Give jar a shake every few days.  When the cherries turn a deep dark red they are ready.  Send out party invites.