the FL keys: cheeca lodge.

October 6, 2010 — 8 Comments

Welcome to my new favorite place.

The Florida Keys are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from us here in South Florida. And I’ve full-on decided that this is my favorite resort on Islamorada, my new favorite Key.

I swear to you that I’ve never been more relaxed in my entire life than I was on this weekend getaway. There is something in the stillness of the air that makes you feel you’re a world away from South Florida.

Perhaps it was the cocktails? Those agave margaritas pictured above were my favorite, and they were also the first drink we ordered upon arrival. I think Daniel and I have an unwritten rule that vacay doesn’t officially begin until a margarita has hit the lips.

And we all know I love a place with a great specialty cocktail menu. Also topping the list:  frozen coconut margaritas (I know it sounds strange, but it *totally* works).

How bad can it be when this is what you’re staring at from the bar as you drink delicious cocktails all afternoon? Or, all morning. That’s how we roll.

{The photos don’t do it justice – but stayed tuned, for that’s all about to change as soon as my new + improved camera arrives!}

The entire resort is right on the ocean, which is part of the whole relaxation effect.

It’s also a great place for photo ops. Whether you want to be goofy…

Or cute. Pick your poison. I see it as the perfect place to rock my ginormous derby hat.

Just make sure that on your way {if you’re driving, that is} down, you stop at the Key Largo Conch House for breakfast. It’s the best. Conch benedict. Fried conch + eggs benedict. It’s only my favorite breakfast of all time, duh.

Not to mention all of the delicious food you’ll get at the hotel bar, which is another huge-selling point for me. The fish sandwich was probably our favorite. It was the ultimate mish-mash of fresh flavors and complimentary textures. Perfection. But then again, we really loved this flatbread. It was so perfectly crisp, and there were several amazing versions available – our favorite was this spicy one topped with shrimp. And we can’t forget the conch fritters. I always have to order them when I’m on vacation, and these were honestly some of the best I’ve ever had – the crunch-factor was unbelievable.

You can’t even consider not trying the crazy-good sushi place the hotel has to offer. I am a huge sushi fan – it’s one of those things I always get a craving for. I’m so glad we tried it:  the quality of the sushi was amazing, and I absolutely fell in love with this place. You can sit outside at this low table with a couch, overlooking the bar area and ocean. It’s so beyond perfect, and you know we got our fix of unfiltered sake {our fave} while we were there – how cute is this serving bottle? There’s ice right in the center of the mini bottle to keep it cold. Love.

If you go, you *must* try the truffled escolar. It was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. You can opt for tuna instead of escolar, which I’m sure is equally amazing, but try the escolar if you’ve never had it. I’d never even heard of it, and in case you haven’t either, it’s a buttery, succulent white fish that you’re pretty much guaranteed to like.

There are also a ton of fabulous mom-and-pop eating options within about a mile on either side of the resort, which is what I love most about Islamorada in general. Bob’s Bunz is right across the street, and it’s a must for both the – you guessed it – cinnamon buns and all-around delicious homemade breakfasts. Daniel had this crazy egg/bacon/sausage/cheese/potato skillet that’s also a must-try.

Lazy Days was another favorite nearby restaurant. We ate right on the ocean, right at sunset – it was so gorgeous, relaxing, and perfect. This dish was my personal favorite:  the hogfish served “Lazy” style. This is something I’ve had before on trips to other parts of the Keys, and it’s absolutely delicious. It’s this buttery, cheesy, key-limey masterpiece of a sauce with tons of scallions and tons of flavor.

After dinner that night, we headed across the street from our resort to Pierre’s/Morada Bay for the famous Full Moon Party. It’s basically two restaurants right on the beach next door to one another, and every time there’s a full moon they throw a huge party on the sand. There are live bands, lots of drinks and food, flame throwers, fun jugglers on stilts as pictured, etc. My favorite part? The drinks. They had two punches – a red and a blue – served in mason jars with glowsticks inside. How fun is that? They were super-sugary, which is usually not my favorite, but as they say – when in Rome…

The best part of the night was when we went inside the bar area at Pierre’s where there was a great dance party getting started {read:  people-watching at its finest}. But then, it got even better:  this awesome band came though the bar – tubas, saxophones, drums, the whole nine – and put on this crazy performance. The entire area was packed, the music was shaking the room, we were all covered in sweat…

It was fun. Possibly, too much fun.

On our last full day in Islamorada, we went to the world-famous Tiki Bar. This place has over the years become the number one stop for anyone driving down to Key West, or usually and perhaps more accurately, those driving back from Key West. Islamorada is basically the halfway point from the mainland to Key West, so it’s the perfect place to stop for a drink after a crazy weekend away. You know, for a pick-me-up.

For us, it was the perfect place to enjoy extra-chilled Patron shots after a long day of sweet tea vodka on the rocks.

So, yeah. I kinda want to go back. Like, this weekend.

Or move there. Whatever.

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pear-maple cobblers.

October 3, 2010 — 4 Comments

Some of you may have learned by now that I like to drink as I cook.

Usually, no one gets hurt. The food is always delicious, and sometimes I even like to think that the wine helps the cooking to flow together more perfectly. This time, however, our precious baby cobblers fell victim to my ways.

We had extra pears, and extra-hungry people – it’s how our family rolls – so I decided to double the recipe, or more precisely, to multiply it by 1.5 since that’s how many extra pears I had.

There is a lesson to be learned from this:  Drinking and re-calculating recipes do no go hand in hand.

Lucky for me, the only ingredient I really screwed up here was the butter. I think I added a whole extra stick to my cobbler topping, and somehow, these sweet little bowls of mapley-pear goodness turned out okay. The whole family seemed to think that they turned out even better – don’t be fooled, they’d had lots of wine, too – and everyone happily ate them up, as well as the leftover {extra-buttery} dough. I mean, it’s butter – how bad can it be?

The cobblers did still taste good, but without my mishap I know they would have been perfect, with a much crunchier and crispier topping. My favorite thing about the recipe was the fact that it calls for individual ramekins. Sure, you could easily use one big dish for a cobbler, and it would be equally as delicious – but I find the miniature portions to be so much more adorable. The pear and maple flavor combination was also a winner, and I loved the heavy hand with the nutmeg. It’s truly a perfect recipe for fall, and it all comes together in a snap – perfect for a dinner party.

I’ll definitely be making these again, only next time I’ll be sticking to the recipe.

{Because we all know the wine isn’t going anywhere}

For the recipe, please check out Josie’s beyond-fabulous blog – it’s one of my all-time favorites!

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fantasy friday: the LV speedy, jazzed up.

October 1, 2010 — Leave a comment

I have a trusty old Louis Vuitton Speedy bag hiding somewhere in my bag collection.

{image}

I haven’t worn it in ages. And now I want to wear it even less, because it isn’t covered in sequins.

This is the kind of thing that happens when Marc Jacobs is creative director of the company, and I’m not complaining. Sometimes messing with iconic pieces ends in disaster – beautiful things are cheapened, or made too trendy; it’s sort of like the theory that a sequel to a great movie never comes close to the success of the first. This rendition, however, I am totally and utterly into. Why? Because sequins will never go out of style – in fact, they may be as timeless as the Speedy itself.

Which is more than I can say for graffiti, cherries, and hot pink roses.

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{my first} roast chicken.

September 29, 2010 — 4 Comments

Perhaps I should change the name of this post to my last roast chicken.

Because I truly don’t know if I’ll ever bring myself to make another. I’m sure there are other delicious roast chickens out there – probably plenty, as most roast chickens are inherently delicious – but it can’t possibly get any better than this.

To start, there’s bacon.

See? That bacon cooks right on top of the whole party, injecting both the potatoes and the chicken with flavor.

Yes, it’s a party. Perfectly moist, juicy, and flavorful chicken + bacon + lemon-rosemary potatoes + roasted garlic = PARTY. Oh yes, that’s right – there’s roasted garlic. Can you see it in the first photo, rubbed all over the chicken? I.die. for roasted garlic.

But let’s get back to the bacon. Because after all is said and done, we’re going to take that bacon, and crumble it all over our potatoes. Our potatoes that have first par-boiled with lemon and garlic, and then roasted until perfection – covered in chicken juices, bacon drippings, and tons of fresh rosemary.

These potatoes are hands down the best I’ve ever had. I usually like to leave the skin on, because it makes me feel like I’m being healthy, you know – get more fiber, feel less guilty about eating half the pan. I put that {semi-ridiculous} theory aside here, and cooked them exactly the way Jamie told me to – and that’s what YOU must do. You really must. Because these potatoes are *so* unbelievably crispy, flavorful, and out-of-this world delish – you won’t be able to stop eating them.

Which actually may be a reason not to make them, depending on how you look at it.

Roast Chicken with Lemon, Rosemary, and Bacon Potatoes

Recipe via Jamie Oliver

  • 4½ lb free-range organic chicken
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4½ lbs potatoes, peeled
  • 1 large lemon
  • 1 whole bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
  • Handful of fresh thyme
  • Olive oil
  • Handful of fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
  • 8 slices of bacon

Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Do this as early as you can, and cover and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. You should do this with any meat – it makes it more flavorful.

Preheat your oven to 375ºF, and bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cut the potatoes into golf-ball-sized pieces, put them into the water with the whole lemon and the garlic cloves, and cook for 12 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for 1 minute {I like to place a clean kitchen towel over top – steaming ensures crispy potatoes}, then remove the lemon and garlic. Toss the potatoes in the pan while still hot, roughing them up a little bit. This will make your potatoes perfectly crispy and delicious.

While the lemon is still hot, carefully stab it about 10 times. Take the chicken out of the fridge, pat dry with paper towels, and rub generously with olive oil. Push the garlic cloves, the whole lemon, and the thyme into the cavity, then put the chicken into a roasting tray and cook in the preheated oven for around 45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Some lovely fat should have cooked out of it into the roasting tray, so toss the potatoes into this with the rosemary leaves. Shake the tray around, then make a gap in the middle of the potatoes and put the chicken back in, or if you have a pan with a tray like I do, you can place the chicken back on the rack. Place the bacon over the chicken and cook for a further 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are nice and golden.

Remove the bacon from the chicken and crumble it up over the potatoes. Then remove the lemon and garlic from inside the chicken, squeeze all the garlic flesh out of the skin, mush it up and smear it all over the chicken, discard the lemon and rosemary and carve the chicken at the table.

“Heaven!” Jamie says, and I couldn’t agree more.

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DVF dressing: fall 2010.

September 29, 2010 — 4 Comments

It’s no secret that every year, you can count on Diane to produce a line of perfectly chic and always wearable dresses. But this year – this year, she really killed it. I honestly had a hard time deciding which were my favorites, and there were so many other pieces {hello, leopard scarves and delicious leather gloves – but who am I kidding, I live in Florida} competing for my attention that I almost decided to open this post up beyond dresses.

I couldn’t quite do it, thought, because the dresses stood in a category of their own. I mean, we are talking about the woman who *invented* the wrap dress. Would you expect anything less?

She gives us the latest trends by way of leopard, velvet, and leather – and her color palette is divine. The cremes, the blacks, and the jades all complement each other so beautifully, and I love the vintage and slightly Moroccan feel the prints exude. It’s all very modern. And sexy. And easy. And I’ll take one of each, please.

{grano velvet wrap dress}

{davina dress}

{arita leather dress}

{julian mini wrap dress}

{beulah wrap gown}

{tabalah dress}

{noelle mini dress}

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{the pastry queen’s} favorite chocolate chip cookies.

September 26, 2010 — 5 Comments

They look good, don’t they?

I must admit – I sort of cheated on this week’s edition of Project Pastry Queen. I made these cookies for a Labor Day celebration just a few short weeks ago. I couldn’t help myself. Chocolate chip cookies are just the quintessential American dessert – and thus perfect for a Labor Day picnic at the pool with friends. I considered other classics – like s’mores or whoopie pies, or s’more-whoopie pies, perhaps – but finally settled on these cookies, figuring someone in the group was bound to pick them for the Project.

I, of course, was right. How could you not want to know what the Pastry Queen herself deems to be her *favorite* chocolate chip cookies? I know I was curious.

As it turns out, they were good. Really good. The best I’ve ever had? I can’t be entirely sure of that, but they were definitely up there. What I can tell you is that everyone who came near these little mounds of goodness devoured them – each person eating 3 or 4, at a minimum – and no one could seem to stop raving about them. The cookies stole the show.

Rebecca didn’t specify which type of chocolate chips to use, and so I took the liberty of using both milk chocolate and semi-sweet, which is something I always like to do when given the choice. I like to keep a dangerous amount of various chips in my cabinet – dark, milk, mini, semi-sweet – so that no matter what, I can always whip up some kind of chocolatey treat.

The real stars in these cookies are the {3 cups of} nuts – both walnuts and pecans, toasted, of course. They add crunch, and they give the cookies that homemade quality that may make you wonder if Grandma is hiding somewhere around the corner. The cookies are crunchy themselves, but the great part is that there’s still some chewiness going on. I really liked the texture, but I’m venturing to say that some people who prefer a softer cookie – and there are a lot of people who do – wouldn’t call this cookie their favorite.

Me, on the other hand – I don’t think I could pigeonhole myself into liking one type of cookie best. Chewy, crunchy, tender, crispy, soft – I don’t discriminate. I like ‘em all.

Be sure to check out Kalyna’s fabulous blog for the recipe!

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fantasy friday: my kind of hiking boots.

September 24, 2010 — Leave a comment

{tractor-sole “hiking” boot by azzedine alaïa}

In all seriousness, I actually do enjoy hiking.

But these?

These go beyond enjoyment. These go beyond, well, anything.

I mean, all you need here is a pair of skinny jeans and a white tee and you’re off to the races. Why try to even compete with these boots? I wouldn’t dare get in the way of these – these things will totally kick your ass.

I think they would also be great with a shorts look like this, and this silky military green romper would be totally on-point. These boots have that perfect tough-meets-sexy factor that would complement so many of the trends we’re seeing for fall right now.

What do YOU say, dolls – shall we hit the mountains?

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late summer farmstand menu.

September 21, 2010 — 9 Comments

The last day of summer has finally come upon us, and with it comes the start of a new category on 20something cupcakes. Welcome to Complete Menus: my attempt at making stylish dinner party menus more accessible, less stressful, and – hopefully – more fun.

{images via coco + kelley}

Throwing dinner parties can be intimidating – they can appear to be a crazy amount of work, and who wants to be busy in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove, while all of your besties are out mingling and enjoying tasty cocktails without you? You may also be scared away by the idea of trying to get everything out on time and at once – anyone who’s ever cooked a meal before is aware of the great challenge of timing. Maybe you feel like you couldn’t put a menu together to save your life. And how exactly do you know what can be prepared in advance, and what must be done the night of? I may not have all the answers, but my hope is that showing you what I do and how I think about things will help take some of the guesswork out of the equation, and show you that dinner parties shouldn’t be difficult – they should be fun, and they should be fabulous. If you’re not enjoying yourself, what’s the point?

I’m also sure that many of you have your own fabulous ideas and tricks you’ve learned along the way – I’d love to hear them! One of my favorite things about cooking and food is that it’s a constant learning process – no matter what level you’re at, there’s always more to learn.

This particular menu was planned for two very good friends of ours, K + B. They are very frequent guests at our house for dinner, and though B is a very picky eater, I actually enjoy that aspect of the planning. I like the challenge; it’s fun to think of what kind of salad I will serve to the person who doesn’t like vegetables, or what type of dessert will work for the person who doesn’t like chocolate. Yes, that’s right – I enjoy it. I also enjoy spending *far* too much time making sure all of the items on the menu complement one another perfectly, and occasionally even making up names like, “Late Summer Farmstand Menu” that no one will ever see. Well, guess what? My silly little menu names will finally have a home.

Cheers to that.

Blackberry Thyme Margaritas

A signature cocktail is a must for me: It’s the perfect way to welcome your guests and let them know it’s going to be a great night. These particular cocktails may have been what spawned the whole idea for my “late summer” menu. To me, they seemed so perfect with the theme – the blackberries brought the summer-factor, and the thyme gave them the rustic quality that seemed to fit in so well with the approach of autumn.

Timing:  I made these the day of in the pitcher. My always-gracious guests brought the tequila, so when they arrived I just poured it right in and poured away.

Spiced Cocktail Nuts

If I’m doing a lot of food as far as everything else goes, I like to keep the appetizers light. Since I decided to do a soup, salad, and corn muffins to start, I only did one appetizer – and a simple one, at that. This is my new favorite go-to recipe for a quick and easy appetizer. Just keep mixed nuts on hand (along with the appropriate spices), and you can pull this out of your back pocket anytime.

Timing:  You can do these nuts completely ahead of time. I did them the morning of, but you could do also them the day before. Be warned – they’re highly addicting. Make them too far in advance and you may be in danger of eating them all.

Watermelon Gazpacho

For whatever reason, I felt an urge to make gazpacho. Perhaps because it was the end of the season, and gazpacho feels like a recipe that belongs in the summer. I also wanted to keep my starters light as I knew the chicken and potatoes, and corn muffins, would be a bit heavier. This was the perfect gazpacho recipe because it combined the salty, the sweet, and the spicy. The basil oil on top also make it look glamorous.

Timing:  Can be done ahead of time. I made it the morning of – you could also do it the day before.

Corn Muffins

Normally I wouldn’t choose to make corn muffins in addition to all of this food, especially with the heavy potatoes that come with the chicken. This was a special case, as these corn muffins were on my agenda for Project Pastry Queen, and I think they really added to the summer-themed menu. They would also be great with any type of BBQ menu, or better yet – alongside your favorite chili for football season.

Timing:  To eliminate having yet another item to make around start-time, I used half the batter in the morning, and saved half for the evening. This way, we could enjoy fresh corn muffins for breakfast and when my guests arrived, I could drop the batter into the muffin tin and they could enjoy fresh, hot muffins out of the oven.

Arugula + Peach Salad with Creamy Chive Vinaigrette

This salad was specially chosen for my favorite picky eater, B. B doesn’t like tomatoes, and he doesn’t like many vegetables, though he will eat a salad. When I found out B loves him some peaches, I was sold on this salad. They loved it so much that K asked for the recipe and made it later that same week!

Timing:  You can make the dressing ahead of time, and throw everything together when you’re ready to eat.

Roast Chicken + Bacon Rosemary Potatoes

This roast chicken will change your life. It changed mine, at least. I’ve made it twice in the last month or so since I’ve discovered it, and I can’t wait to make it again. A roast chicken is the perfect thing to serve at a dinner party, as you can let it do it’s thing while you hang with your company. And this roast chicken is even more fabulous thanks to the addition of bacon (which makes everything better – duh), and the most perfect lemon-rosemary potatoes you’ve ever had.

Timing:  About 20 minutes before my guests’ arrival, I cooked the potatoes. You can plan on eating about an hour-and-a-half after arrival this way, which I think is the perfect amount of time for plenty of drinks, appetizers, and starters. You will have to put the potatoes in the pan about halfway through, which is no big deal.

Caramelized Shallots

And we can’t forget about the shallots. They are also slightly life-changing, for me at least. I discovered the recipe on my beloved Smitten Kitchen, and I knew they would be perfect. These were an especially great choice to serve to my guest who is very particular about his veggies – as in, he hates most of them! These can’t be hated by anyone, I’m quite sure of it. Everyone loves caramelized onions, and using the same process on shallots just takes it to another level. I will also say that another side at this point is unnecessary – if you wanted to stop with the chicken and potatoes, you would be fine doing so.

Timing:  Start these about 30-40 minutes from when you’d like to eat.

Assorted Individual Fruit Crostatas: Peaches, Plums, and Berries

I had planned on serving these lovely individual fruit crostatas, inspired by a recipe from my Pastry Queen cookbook – but our guests somehow managed to pass on dessert, if you can believe it! In their defense, there was *a lot* of food, as I’m sure you can tell from this menu. I loved this idea for a dinner party, as you can lay out a variety of fruits, and let your guests choose which combination they’d like. I plan on making these again soon, and in the meantime, you can check out this similar recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Annie’s Eats.

Timing: You would make the dough before, and prep any fruits as necessary – berries can be left whole, larger fruits should be cut up. After dinner, everyone can choose their ingredients, you can quickly assemble – it’s easy, I promise – and throw them in the oven. Just make sure to have the vanilla ice cream waiting.

What do YOU think, lovelies? Do you like this new type of post? Any comments/suggestions/thoughts? I’d love to know!

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zucchini, three ways.

September 20, 2010 — 2 Comments

One of my favorite ways to serve an appetizer is to pick a theme and do a couple of variations on it.

I served this at a dinner party I hosted earlier in the summer, but lately I’ve been reading about how many of you have been seeing zucchini in abundance at your farmers’ markets and CSAs.

Zucchini: it’s the summer squash, and wouldn’t you know that I am just realizing how many summery recipes and photos I’ve still yet to post, with only a few days of summer left. I’ve only started getting into seasonal cooking since I’ve started this blog, because in Florida, we don’t really do seasonal cooking. I’d never eaten rhubarb – let alone seen it at the grocery store – and I’d definitely never thought of zucchini as only available in the summer.

And now, I’m *positively* addicted to seasonal cooking. Whether or not I can get something in the grocery store year-round or not, I love the idea of cooking season by season. It’s sort of like themes for your food – no wonder I love it. Pumpkin belongs in the fall, winter should be full of roasted root vegetables and pot pies, spring is all about tender asparagus and juicy strawberries, and everything tomato, corn, and zucchini related just screams summer.

{I realize pot pies are not produce, but I had to throw them in there for Daniel – you see, he’s been begging me for pot pies all summer long, and I have to keep reminding him that their time is coming}

And so, just in time for the end of summer, here is a fabulous way to serve up the last of your precious – and hopefully abundant – summer squash.


Zucchini Pancakes

Fritters, latkes, pancakes – no matter what you like to call them, they’re undeniably delicious. The only trick here is getting the moisture out of the zucchini and onion mixture, but once you have that down, you’re home free. I’m pretty sure even the pickiest eaters will be willing to finish their greens when they’ve been stuffed into pancakes and fried to a crispy golden-brown, as we’ve done here. I also made a lemon crème fraiche to dip the pancakes into, which was made with crème fraiche, and – you guessed it – lemon zest. So easy, and you know everyone always likes to something to dip.

Adapted via Ina Garten

  • 2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 pound)
  • 1 large Vidalia onion, grated
  • 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Unsalted butter and vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Grate the zucchini and onion using the large grating side of a box grater, and place into a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle kosher salt over the mixture, and allow to sit for as long as possible, at least 30 minutes. The salt will draw out the moisture so that it falls right into the bowl. You can also use a cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel to squeeze the liquid out of the vegetables – this is probably the most effective. When you’ve gotten the mixture as dry as possible, add the eggs. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper. You can always add more flour if you think the mixture is too wet.

Heat a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil together in the pan. When the butter is hot but not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and drop heaping soup spoons of batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place the pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil to the pan, and continue to fry the pancakes until all the batter is used. The pancakes can stay warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with English Peas + Fresh Parmesan

This is a super-easy salad that I was inspired to make after seeing similar versions of it all over the web this summer. It’s so light and refreshing – and the perfect companion to the rest of this trio.

  • 1-2 medium zucchini
  • Handful fresh English peas
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

Ribbon your zucchini, using a potato peeler, and pile them on top of a plate. Blanch your fresh English peas in a pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then put them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. If the peas are really fresh, you can blanch them for 30 seconds, or not at all, if you like. Scatter the peas over the zucchini, and lightly dress in lemon juice and olive oil. Finish by grating some Parmigiano-Reggiano over the salad, and season with salt and pepper.


Oven “Fried” Zucchini

I’ve been making this as an appetizer for a very long time, probably since way before I ever considered myself to be anything close to a good cook. I love ordering fried zucchini when I’m out at a restaurant, and this oven “fried” version gets you surprisingly similar results for far less fat and calories. In fact, each 3/4 cup serving is only 60 calories! The higher quality cheese you use the better, and it’s also delicious served with a side of marinara. Here, we dipped them into the same lemon crème fraiche we used for the pancakes.

Recipe adapted via Cooking Light

  • 1/4 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs {I normally like fresh, but in this case the breadcrumbs stick better when you use the dry kind}
  • 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
  • 1-2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
  • Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. The rack is really important because it allows the zucchini to get nice and crispy. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

{As a follow-up to my thoughts on seasonal cooking, I’m going to start tagging recipes according to their season, so that you view categories for “Summer Recipes, Winter Recipes,” etc.}

What do YOU think about seasonal cooking?

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lemon-champagne bars with strawberry brûlée topping.

September 19, 2010 — 5 Comments

I had a lot of fun making this spin on the classic lemon bar for Project Pastry Queen this week.

DSC03818.JPG

Possibly too much fun.

Partly because champagne being a key ingredient inspired me to buy several bottles of champagne yesterday. There was breakfast pizzas all day long. There were heaping plates of prosciutto, figs, and cheese. And there was what felt like an unlimited supply of bubbly. It was a pretty fabulous day – but more on that, later.

I decided to start the bars last night, which was a great idea because – as I’ve found with many of the Pastry Queen recipes – they require a step where they need to be refrigerated for two hours or overnight. It’s a very simple recipe: all you need to do is make an easy pie crust bottom, bake it for a few, then make your lemon filling, and bake that overtop of the crust. The lemon filling is a bit more time consuming because it takes about 30 minutes to cook in total; you have to first let it thicken, then whisk in your chilled butter one tablespoon at a time – there are 12 total – and then let it thicken about 10 minutes more. The end result is a sweet, lightly lemony, pudding-like filling, with just the slightest hint of champagne.

I woke up this morning very excited, because today was the day I first got to use my new kitchen torch. I put Daniel to work on getting the butane all set up for me while I sliced my strawberries and laid them out over the dessert. I then covered them in an even layer of sugar, and got to work with the torch. I’d never used one before, and I was surprised to see that you had to really spend some time on each section of the dessert – I kind of thought one little motion would set the whole thing in flames. The sugar didn’t quite crystallize like I thought it would, and this may have been because there was too much moisture. I tried sticking them in the freezer for about 20 minutes, but there was still a layer of moisture laying on the top so I ended up just pouring it right off. The end result was a little messy – but undeniably delicious.

I then may or may not have eaten an entire vat of it for breakfast. And there may or may not have been a glass of champagne involved.

Be sure to check our Ginny’s lovely blog, Just Get Floury, for the full recipe – and see how all of the other fabulous members fared here!

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