I know I some time wax poetic about my love for farmers markets, but they really are a true inspiration for me. Wandering through the stalls marveling at all the fresh produce my wheels just begin to churn and my creative juices start flowing. And not only for the jam and preserves I obsessively put by, but for creative and fresh ways to dine from all the beautiful abundance. I … [Read more...] about Roasted Carrot Gnudi with Dill Beurre Blanc
Vegetables
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Loaded Dip
I completely stole this idea from a good friend. She brought crispy roasted fingerling potatoes with a creamy herb dip to a Christmas buffet, solving a problem we’d always had at that event in pairing a starchy finger food with the beef tenderloin. When she placed the lovely tray on the table, I just kicked myself that I’d never thought of the idea before. So I tucked it away, … [Read more...] about Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Loaded Dip
Carrot Coconut Cake
Carrot cake, I have found, is an intensely personal taste. There are those on the side of nuts, and those against. The pineapple people and the anti-pineapple people. The cream cheese frosting advocates and the buttercream brigade. I am not ambivalent in my preferences, but not nearly as persnickety as some. I like carrot cake that is moist and full of flavor, with carrots at … [Read more...] about Carrot Coconut Cake
Tarragon Mustard Velvet
Spring has always been a season of brunch for me. Easter, graduations, wedding showers. It’s a great way to entertain elegantly and with a little planning, pretty easy to do ahead. Center the affair around a ham with biscuits or rolls, a perfect platter of stuffed eggs, add some vegetables, a casserole (maybe this hash brown version) and a few indulgent treats and you … [Read more...] about Tarragon Mustard Velvet
Roasted Artichokes with Tarragon Vinaigrette
When I was a young teenager, my mother cooked some artichokes and sat my brother and I down for a lesson on how to eat them. Apparently, when she herself was a teen, she was invited home with a friend from her boarding school and served artichokes at an elegant dinner with the family. She had never seen one before and was a bit flummoxed, and embarrassed. She worked her way … [Read more...] about Roasted Artichokes with Tarragon Vinaigrette
