Posts Tagged: fruit

desserts — No Comments
12
Jul 10

Lemon Tart

I have a confession. Until 3 months ago, I had bought perhaps 15 lemons in my entire life. (I hear the cries already: “WHAT?! You’re lying. I see recipes for lemon chicken, cucumber lemonade, and lemon squares! You probably buy lemons all the time, you liar.”) But I’m not lying. I mostly used bottled lemon juice (gasp!). It was convenient. It did the trick when I needed it, and I was happy in my ignorance.

3 months ago today, I purchased a citrus juicer on impulse. My life would never be the same.


In truth, I bought my juicer primarily to make the perfect margarita with fresh squeezed lime juice, but I started using it for cooking. I could squeeze a lemon so easily that I didn’t think about it anymore. Suddenly everything tasted better. Inspired, I began using the lemon’s zest as well. I will never, ever go back.


This lemon tart is a perfect celebration of the beautiful vibrancy of lemons. The lemon curd filling is certainly rich, but the juicy tang of just-squeezed lemons bursts through with mouthwatering assertiveness. A tender, butter-loaded crust is an ideal foil. If you’re looking to shake things up a bit, garnish the tart with a sprig of basil, instead of the more traditional mint.


Recipe after the jump…

sandwiches — 6 Comments
16
Sep 09

Smoked Gouda and Apple Grilled Cheese

Apples and cheese are a classic combination, but you haven’t truly experienced it until you’ve eaten this sandwich. The melted, smoky-yet-salty cheese. The sweet, warm-but-still-crisp apples. All between two slices of hearty bread and fresh off the pan with beautiful, golden-brown grill marks. It fills a void in your life that you never knew you had.

This sandwich is simple and rustic, but it’s also elegant and unique. Smoked gouda isn’t an average cheese. Unlike standard Cheddars and pre-sliced American cheese, smoked gouda is subtle and nuanced. Melting it highlights every intricacy and allows them to shine.


Not to mention the apples. You don’t need Fuji apples, but make sure to use something crisp, because the sandwich relies heavily on the variety of textures you get when you bite into it. First, you have the crunchy grilled outside, followed by the chewy inside of the bread. Then the oozing, melted cheese. Fresh, crisp apples play beautifully against these textures, leaving you to enjoy the contrasts bite after bite.

Recipe after the jump…

main courses / sides — 2 Comments
31
Aug 09

Quinoa Salad with Mango and Mint

I must be perfectly honest when talking about quinoa (which, to the best of my knowledge is pronounced “keen-wa”): I usually find it pretty boring. I first heard of the stuff about two years ago, and everyone who had eaten it waxed philosophic about its wonders. First of all, it’s a grass, not a grain, but please don’t ask me what the difference is, because I couldn’t tell you to save my life. The only significance this has for me is that it’s kosher for Passover, which seemed like a big plus for a time when rice, pasta, and bread are pretty much off the menu. It’s also high in protein, which makes it a healthy, complete meal with just a few tweaks.

However, even in my grain-deprived Passover state, I was really quite underwhelmed by quinoa. It was mediocre at best, somewhat bitter, and otherwise not particularly flavorful. Somewhat disappointed, I decided that I would probably never make it again.

I lived quinoa-free until a couple weeks ago, when a coworker brought in a salad made with quinoa and tomatoes for a group lunch. It looked light and fresh and summery, and I was tempted enough to try it. Having had such mediocre experience with quinoa, I was surprised to find that it was actually incredibly delicious; the juicy tomato contrasted beautifully with slightly toothy quinoa, and the runoff from the tomatoes created a light dressing for the entire salad. She threw in a few herbs for good measure, and called it a day.

This experience got me thinking about what else could be done with quinoa, and I decided to put together this salad, which is merely a variation on the one she made. I substituted mango for the tomato, and used mint to bring out a cool, refreshing feeling. For a dressing, I mixed vinegar and brown sugar to get a sweet-and-sour kick with a little complexity. Whether made savory with tomatoes or sweet with mango, this salad made me understand why people fell in love with quinoa.

Recipe after the jump…

breakfast — 1 Comment
15
Aug 09

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I swear I’m not on a buttermilk kick lately, I just have a lot leftover from when I had to buy a quart just to use 3 tablespoons for blue cheese dressing.


As much as I’ve had trouble using up buttermilk, this pancake recipe might just be perfect enough for me to go out and buy it again. I’ve had buttermilk pancakes before, but not like this. They’re thinner than most, and because of the reaction between the slightly acidic buttermilk and baking soda/baking powder (think of 2nd grade science experiments with vinegar and baking soda), they come out impossibly light and airy. Warm, juicy blueberries pop in your mouth just as the pancake melts away into nothingness. These pancakes are not sweet, but you can increase the sugar if that’s your style. Whatever you put on them, be it maple syrup, butter, or (God forbid) Aunt Jemima, these pancakes will shine through with their own complex, utterly delicious flavor.

Make sure not to mix the batter too much, and let it sit for about 5 minutes before you start cooking the pancakes to make sure they get their lighter-than-air texture.

Recipe after the jump…

desserts — 3 Comments
3
Aug 09

Watermelon Nectarine Granita

Making a granita is a legitimate excuse to stick your head in the freezer for a few seconds in the summertime. It’s also a chance to relive your childhood snow cone days while pretending to be classy and sophisticated. This was the first granita I’d ever made, and it was so simple and refreshing that there will definitely be more to come. All there is to do is blend some fruit together, pour it into a pan and freeze it. No special equipment or skills necessary.


Most recipes call for adding sugar to the blended fruit juice for added sweetness. Instead, I opted to add a couple nectarines to the watermelon, which really brightened the flavor and amped up the fruity, summery feeling of the dish.

Recipe after the jump…

drinks — 7 Comments
2
Aug 09

Cucumber Lemonade

Lemonade is a summer classic. On a hot day, drinking a glass of cool, refreshing lemonade is like being transported straight to heaven. The best thing about lemonade is that it only needs to meet three criteria to be great. It has to be

  1. tart,
  2. sweet, and
  3. cold.

Beyond this, lemonade is infinitely flexible; it can tolerate any number of additions from fruits to alcohol, it can be frozen, served with ice, or on its own. It can be strong or weak. Perhaps that’s what made lemonade stands such a staple of childhood; it’s easy, fast, cheap, and it always hits the spot.

When I went to Mexico recently, I was served a glass of cucumber lemonade layered with with grenadine on the bottom. It was such a delicious and unexpected treat that when I found myself with extra grenadine on hand, I decided to try it at home. The result: cool, classic lemonade with a bright, refreshing twist.

Recipe after the jump…

desserts — 2 Comments
23
Jul 09

Lemon Squares

Every recipe has a story, and the important one here is not how it came to my family (a tale that involves a bassoon and m&ms among other characters), but how it changed me.

This was the first recipe I ever made, and it has all of the elements that conspire to get a little kid excited about cooking and baking. First, it’s sweet but lemony, so you know it’s going to be tasty. Second, it involves getting your hands dirty (which may not be fun for the adult who has to clean up after a messy child has left greasy fingerprints all over the kitchen, but is certainly fun for the kid). Third, it’s easy. Lastly, it’s a crowd pleaser, so you get that kind of “ooh, ahh, yum” feedback that makes you want to go back into the kitchen to make it again.

Oh, and they freeze beautifully, and are best eaten straight out of the freezer, so they’re a great thing to make on a rainy day and keep on hand in case of company (or, more likely, in case of sudden lemon square cravings).

Clearly, my mom knew what she was doing on that fateful day when she said to me “Josh, honey, if you want lemon squares, I need you to help me make the crust.”

Recipe after the jump…