Cookbook Club

Instructions

Combine the thyme, parsley, tarragon, and mint leaves on a cutting board and chop them finely together.  Unwrap the log of goat cheese, and roll it in the chopped herbs, pressing the herbs to adhere.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the baguette into thin slices and drizzle them with a little extra-virgin olive oil.  Gently press slices into a muffin tray so they form a boat-like shape and bake for 5 to 7 minutes.  They should be lightly browned and crisp.  Let the baguette slices cool in the muffin tin.

Top each baguette slice with a slice of herbed goat cheese, top with the sun-dried tomato and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Instructions

To Prepare the Vinaigrette:

combine lemon juice and mustard in a large bowl.  Slowly pour in the oil, whisking until the mixture has emulsified. Season with sugar, about ½ t salt and black pepper.

Wash fennel bulb.  Using a mandolin or sharp knife, shave the fennel lengthwise so each piece is still held together by the root.  Drop shaved fennel pieces in a large bowl of ice water for 1 minute to crisp, drain and dry.

When ready to serve, toss fennel, arugula, grapes and cashews together in a large salad bowl.  Toss salad with the vinaigrette to coat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Instructions

Step 1: Rinse and drain the beans and pour into a large serving bowl and add corn

Step 2: Dice and add red onions

Step 3: Slice and add tomatoes

Step 4: Mince and add cilantro

Step 5: In a separate bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, and sand and pepper to taste

Step 6: Pour over the vegetables and stir to combine

Step 7: Lastly, carefully chop avocados into 1-inch pieces and gently stir them in.

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water and 1 t salt to boil over medium high heat, stirring the couscous and reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers.  Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the couscous is tender.  Drain and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

In the salad bowl whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, 1 t salt and ½ t pepper.  Add cold couscous, watermelon, feta and watercress or arugula.  Toss until all the ingredients are combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Tip: Make sure you coat the potatoes thoroughly in the oil so that when you turn them during cooking each side will brown.

Instructions

Place lentils and 1 t salt in bowl.  Cover with 4 cups warm water (about 110 degrees) and soak for 1 hour. Drain well. (Drained lentils can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking.)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.  Place drained lentils, 2 cups water, broth, garlic, bay leaf and ½ t salt in medium saucepan.  Cover and bake until lentils are tender but remain intact, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk oil and vinegar together in large bowl.

Drain lentils well, remove and discard garlic and bay leaf.  Add drained lentils, olives, mint, and shallot to dressing and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with feta and serve.

Instructions

In a small, lidded jar, place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, honey, salt and several grinds of pepper.  Cover and shake to combine.

Instructions

For the Dressing:

Place the ingredients, 4 tomatoes and a quarter of the long beans into a blender and pulse them together for about 5 seconds.  The dressing should be slightly chunky.  The amount of chilies used depends on how spicy you like your food.

For the Papaya Salad:

In a large bowl, toss the papaya, remaining long beans, remaining tomatoes and some of the peanuts together with the dressing to taste.  Make sure to aggressively mix the ingredients to slightly break up the tomatoes and beans.  Garnish the salad with the remaining peanuts.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

To make the Tahini dressing:

In a large bowl, combine the Tahini, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sugar and mix well. Gradually add 1 T water, mixing well to combine.  Add more water if the consistency is too thick. The dressing should be

To Make the soba noodle salad:

Add the soba noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer the noodles to the bowl of Tahini dressing and toss to combine.  Taste and season with salt, if desired.

Transfer the noodles to a large serving bowl or platter.  Top with the cucumber, radishes, baby spring mix, and cilantro leaves.

Instructions

For the Macerated Celery:

Using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, peel the celery ribs and cut into 4-inch lengths

Combine the apple cider, cider vinegar and salt into a bowl and add the celery.  Place in bowl and in the refrigerator and let macerate at least 2 hours.

For the Blue Cheese Cream:

Combine the cream and the blue cheese in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking until smooth. Strain the cream into a medium bowl and let cool.  Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

To Finish the Dish:

Drain the celery, reserving the macerating liquid, and pat dry.  Transfer the celery to a dish with a cover, and refrigerate.

Pour the macerating liquid into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes, until it has reduced to a syrupy consistency. Transfer to a small bowl and let stand at room temperature to cool.

Once the blue cheese cream has cooled, whip it with a hand mixer until fairly firm. Transfer the cream to a piping bag with a small plain tip or place in a sturdy plastic bag and snip off a small corner.

Arrange the celery smooth side down on a serving plate. Drizzle some of the apple syrup down the center of each piece and fill the centers with the blue cheese mixture. Garnish with nuts or celery leaves. Serve chilled.

Instructions

For the Scones:

Prepare the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or a fork.  Work until the butter pieces are all about the size of a pea.  Add the apple and pecan pieces and toss.  Place the bowl in the freezer to keep cold.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together until fully mixed.  Remove the bowl from the freezer and pour the wet ingredients over top.  Gently stir together until a shaggy dough forms.  Pour onto a clean counter and gently press the dough together.  For large scones, press into an 8-inch wide circle and cut into 8 triangles.  For small scones, divide the dough into two 5-inch circles and cut each into 6 scones.  Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with course sugar for some sparkle and texture.  Bake until the scone tops are light brown.  For large scones, bake for 18 to 20 minutes, and for smaller scones, bake for 16 to 18 minutes.  I always recommend bakingh a test scone to make sure the bake time is right.

For the Glaze:

While the scones are baking, make the glaze.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the browned butter (cook over medium heat until butter bubbles and takes on a golden brown color), powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add 1 to 2 T of milk to thin if necessary.  Drizzle the glaze over the hot scones to encourage the glaze to soak in, or wait until the scones have cooled more. Best served slightly warm.  These will keep in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days or can be frozen for 2 to 3 months.  Thaw and warm to serve.