I had such fun shopping for flowers and cheese today and decided not to play favorites and selected a cheese from each animal — goat, sheep and cow. My daughter, Ella, helped put together this fun board for tonight’s festivities.
The first one is a Herve Mons 1924 Bleu which is both sheep and cow. Then I got a cow’s milk cheese from Whey Creamery, and a goat cheese, Midnight Moon, from Cypress Grove.
Placed everything on a board with parchment paper
Ella added macadamia nuts and dried figs
We added a Manchego, along with Spanish olives and two different types of fun crackers.
My next cozy winter dish is Beef Bourguignon from Burgundy, France. This dish has been around since the middle ages and originally was considered a peasant dish (typically my favorite type of dish) because it’s hearty, could feed many and you could use the cheaper cuts of meet.
THE INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 slices dry cured center cut bacon, cut into small pieces
*3 pounds stewing beef, cut into 2-inch chunks (I like to cut them into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes)
coarse salt + freshly ground black pepper
2 large carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
1 large white onion, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups red wine (I use almost a bottle. You can use chianti, Pinot Noir or a good red table wine)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cloves smashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf
12 small pearl onions, peeled and halved
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 pound fresh white mushrooms, quartered
STEPS
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a dutch oven (or heavy based pot with lid) and simmer bacon until lightly brown. When done, remove and set aside.
Pat dry beef with a paper towel and sear the beef on all sides and set aside with bacon.
Note: This time I seared whole pieces of brisket on the grill to speed up this process and then I cut the brisket into 1 1/2 inch cubes, and it worked out beautifully. Either way will work.
In the same dutch oven that you cooked the bacon (and the beef, if you didn’t use the grill) add your sliced carrots and onions and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.
Add the bacon and beef back to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Toss. Sprinkle with flour and toss once more. Add your pearl onions.
Add your beef stock and wine to cover the meat. Add the tomato paste, garlic and thyme. Bring to a light simmer. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
Note: a lot of recipes have you place it in an oven for part of the cooking but I prefer to just cook it on the stove for a very long time. Traditionally, this dish cooked for 2 days.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add your butter to a sauté pan and then your mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir to make sure all the mushrooms get coated with the butter.
Once stew is done add your sautéed mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes to combine.
Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes or bread. I like to grill my bread, but any fresh tasty bread would work beautifully.
Every French chef has their variation on this classic French dish. Mine is a version of Julia Child’s but Ina Garten and Anthony Bourdain also have great versions. This dish is delicious when done, but even better the next day.
I love tomatoes and I thought, with summer coming to a close, it was the perfect time to take advantage of some really gorgeous tomatoes.
TOMATO TART
from Mimi Thorisson’s, A Kitchen in France
Tart dough (see below)
All-purpose flour for rolling
A few sprigs of fresh basil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/4 pounds (550g) tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon honey
1 small ball buffalo mozzarella torn into small pieces
*Serves 4
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 12-inch round about 1/4 inch thick. Press into the base and sides of a 10-inch tart pan and trim the edges. Prick the base with a fork. Put the pan in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F
Combine the basil, mustard, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and pinch of salt in blender. Puree until smooth.
Spread the tomato paste over the base of the tart shell and then pour the basil oil over it. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a circular pattern, in one layer, in the tart shell. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the honey and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over the tomatoes.
Bake until the pastry is golden, about 35 minutes. Let the tart rest for 15 minutes.
Scatter the mozzarella and some basil over the tart before serving.
I went ahead and just bought the dough in the frozen section of my local supermarket but if you do have time, it’s easy enough just to make it from scratch. See recipe below.
TART DOUGH
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
9 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes and chilled
1 large egg
3 tablespoons cold water
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the butter and work it in with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Make a well in the center and add the egg and water. Mix until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a least 1 hour, or overnight. Makes enough for one 10 inch tart shell.
Stage 1: Peel the artichokes back to their pale, light leaves, then halve them and remove the hairy chokes with a teaspoon. Immerse the artichokes in water with half the lemon juice with a heavy lid or heat -resistant dish placed on top of them to keep them immersed and stop them from discoloring.
Stage 2: Heat the stock. Put the olive oil and butter into a separate pan, add the onion, garlic, and celery and cook very slowly for about 15 minutes without coloring. This is called a soffrito. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.
Stage 3: Drop your prepared artichoke halves into the simmering stock.
Stage 4: The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the wine and keep stirring — it will smell amazing. Once the wine was cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a pinch of salt. Turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly and the outside. Keep adding ladle full of stock, stirring and massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around *15 minutes. Taste the rice to check if it’s cooked. If not, carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite.
Stage 6: Remove the artichokes from the stock pan and add to the risotto. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan, artichokes, toss with lemon zest and mint. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Salt if needed.
*Cook’s note: This recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s book Jamie’s Italy. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. I’ve been using it forever and everything I make from this book is excellent! This is a very simple recipe but it always takes me longer than 15 minutes to make. From start to finish, I would allow an hour. I made it last night and it took me a while but I’m a slow cook because I always like to enjoy conversation and a glass of wine while cooking.
Happy Thursday! With tomatoes in season, one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is by making this simple yet extremely flavorful sandwich. This is my all-time favorite sandwich.
A baguette is perfect for this sandwich, but if it’s not easily available then any thick country bread would work.
Spread the pesto on both sides of baguette. Add the sliced tomatoes, salt the tomatoes. Stack the sliced buffalo mozzarella on top and add a little salt to the mozzarella. If you don’t have pesto then you can use a good olive oil.
One thing that I didn’t have on hand but would have been fantastic with this sandwich is fresh basil or arugula. Served with a fresh green salad and a small glass of chilled white wine and it’s the perfect lunch.
Usually, when times get stressful, I like to invite friends and family over and enjoy food and conversation. However, in light of recent events, this is now sadly, not possible. It’s difficult to know how to navigate through these uncertain times. How do we comfort our family, as well as ourselves? How do we try and make our lives as “normal” and enjoyable as possible? Besides work and daily chores, I’m finding comfort in gardening and spending a nice amount of time cooking. Yesterday, I decided to try out a recipe I’ve had forever but never attempted. In the end it turned out to be super easy and delicious — the perfect afternoon distraction.
The apples cooking in butter
Adding the batter to the apples
BIG APPLE PANCAKE
Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min
1/2 stick unsalted butter
*1 large sweet apple such as Gala or Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide wedges
1/2 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Special equipment: a well-seasoned 10 to 11-inch heavy cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet
Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450F
Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat, then transfer 2 tablespoons to a blender. Add apple wedges to skillet and cook, turning over once, until beginning to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
While apple is cooking, add milk, flour, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt to butter in blender and blend until smooth.
Pour batter over apple and transfer skillet to oven. Bake until pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve immediately.
*Note: I used fuji apples because that’s what I had and it was perfect. So use whatever apple you can get your hands on, and if they aren’t super sweet then you can add a little more sugar if you’d like.
Happy Sunday! Today, I’m making homemade pesto because as the holidays get busier, it’s something I can grab from the fridge and easily put together. Add to your favorite pasta and you have a wonderful homemade meal in minutes. The recipe, so super simple, is below.
I also love using pesto with Caprese salad. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top for more moisture. Also, excellent on sandwiches.
THE RECIPE
3 cups (packed) basil leaves
4 gloves garlic
1/4c pine nuts
1/4c walnuts
1c parmesan cheese
1/2c olive oil + a little more
salt
I just throw it all in a food processor and pulse until it reaches the consistency I like. This recipe serves four.
Last week my good friend and fellow designer, Lisa Woolley, and I hosted a garden party in the courtyard of her San Antonio home. We had just completed the exterior of her home and thought there’s no better way to celebrate than to host an intimate get-together in her newly designed garden.
With the holidays around the corner, the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing super easy tips for decorating and entertaining during the season.
There aren’t many times when I pause during a meal and wish time would stand still; when the stars align and you take note of everything. The moment is perfect. This is how I felt when I experienced lunch in the mountains of Majorca. Surrounded by hundred year old olive trees, with views of the countryside, I enjoyed typical Majorcan food with family and friends…perfection.
My daughter walking Poncho up the mountain.
One of the very old and beautiful olive trees.
Love the stone wall and gate!
The view
Flavored salts
The fireplace in the old shepherd’s hut where the food was prepared.
I want one of these!
My sister and I with the man responsible for putting together all this wonderful food.
Every French chef has their variation on this classic French dish. Mine is a version of Julia Child’s but Ina Garten and Anthony Bourdain also have great versions. This dish is delicious when done, but even better the next day.
The Long Table 