Summer slaws are the classic side for BBQ’s, salads with staying power. Shaved Brussels sprouts and kale are dressed with a non-dairy creamy sweet-spicy dressing. Sweet & Spicy Summer Slaw is a simple little jewel for the summer.
Category: Almonds
Spice Roasted Pumpkin, Chickpeas, Harissa and Millet
Orange is the on-trend color for food this season. Healthy bright orange spice roasted pumpkin is tossed with rich rosey harissa infused chickpeas, fresh herbs and millet, making this a grain free bowl. Caliente, yes this is not a whimpy salad, a warming winter little jewel.
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Bread & Jam Tart
Bread & Jam, a classic combination turned into a sweet tart. This recipe features a yeasted pie crust filled with a simple Everyday Jam to create classic ‘bread and jam.” The recipe uses the quick Bijouxs Everyday Strawberry Jam recipe from the blog for the filling, keeping things simple, always a little jewel. Continue reading Bread & Jam Tart
French Fresh Grape Tart
French Fruit Tart, now that sounds complicated, but actually they are very easy to prepare and use the summer’s bounty of fresh fruit. Here, a French Fresh Grape Tart is on the menu, sparkling with glistening grapes, another little jewel from the kitchen.
These French tarts have a wonderful lineage. These tarts originated with a legend in pastry, Michel Richard. I began cooking classes at 21, and was very lucky to have cooked with classically trained chefs in Pasadena at the Inner Gourmet Cooking School. My instructors had worked with Micheal Richard on a project. He ran a lovely pastry shop in Beverly Hills. After working with him on the project, they got his recipe for French Fruit Tarts and passed it along in their cookbook, which accompanied their cooking classes.
These classes are so memorable for me, with guest chefs like Paula Wolfert and wine pairings from Joe Columbo (Yes,Trader Joe).
Really the right time, the right place to begin my cooking career. Armed with a strong start I set out into the culinary world. At that time I was was doing Food & Wine coordination aboard a corporate private jet. The skills and the “unbasics”, as the recipes were known, stay with me, and I go back to these classic French & Italian recipes frequently.
This French Fresh Grape Tart is flexible. I was lucky to find these small Champagne Grapes (despite the name they are not used to make Champagne). Use quality all butter frozen puff pastry, like Dufour brand), berries or 4 cups of your favorite fresh summer fruit and change out the grape jam glaze to apple jelly and there you are, French Fresh Fruit Tarts, always a little jewel in the kitchen.
Herb Salad with Jicama & Cherries
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”~ Margaret Atwood.
The delight of stepping out into the garden and snipping fresh herbs, is one of the best garden investments a cook can make. No. 362 Herb Salad with Jicama & Cherries, a salad looking to summer and another little jewel from the kitchen. Continue reading Herb Salad with Jicama & Cherries
