Recipes

Citrus & Almond Salad

Citrus & Almond Salad

This winter salad is not only good-looking and easy to make, but it also showcases one of my biggest food obsessions: citrus. You can use almost any citrus (even limes and lemons in small quantities), as long as they’re ripe and juicy. If you can’t find frisée, thinly slice a fennel bulb as a substitute.
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Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 1 blood orange
  • 2 oranges I like Cara Cara
  • 1 grapefruit I like Oro Blanco
  • 1 head frisée
  • 1 jalapeño halved
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly squeezed juice from ½ lemon
  • Freshly squeezed juice from ½ lime
  • 2 tablespoons whole blanched almonds lightly toasted (see this page)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish
  • Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano

Instructions

  • Peel the oranges and grapefruit using a sharp knife, then thinly slice each horizontally, discarding any large seeds.
  • Discard the tough outer leaves of the frisée until you’re left with the delicate white heart.
  • Tear the heart into bite-size pieces, rinse with cold water, and pat dry.
  • Rub your serving dish with the jalapeño.
  • Arrange the citrus across the platter, alternating between the oranges and the grapefruit, then top with the frisée.
  • Drizzle with the olive oil, lemon juice, and lime juice, then cover the platter with plastic wrap and set in your refrigerator to marinate in its own juices for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
  • Once the citrus has marinated, top it with the almonds, parsley, and Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste.
  • Serve, scooping up the juices and oil that have gathered at the bottom of the platter.
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Course; Fruit / Nuts / Salad

Persimmon, Pomegranate & Roquefort Salad

Persimmon, Pomegranate & Roquefort Salad

There’s a lot to praise in this vibrant winter salad. The bright orange persimmons and sharp blue cheese combined with crisp green endives make a beautifully colorful, flavorful, and texture-rich dish. What’s more, it’s always such a welcome pleasure to have a ripe fruit in the colder months. Be sure to use Fuyu persimmons (the shorter, rounder variety), as they don’t have the tannic quality of their cousins.
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Ingredients

Serves 4

Instructions

  • Remove the outer brown leaves from the endives.
  • Slice off the tops and stems and break the spears apart into cups.
  • Using a mortar and pestle, the bottom of a wine bottle, end of a rolling pin, or anything you have on hand that’s sturdy and has a flat bottom, crush about half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl, mashing them enough to release their juices but keeping about half of the seeds intact.
  • Add the olive oil and lime juice and whisk to combine.
  • Arrange the endives and persimmon slices on your serving dish.
  • Top with the pomegranate seed and olive oil mixture, then the cheese.
  • Serve.
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Course; Cheese / Salad

Tomato & Strawberry Salad with Feta & Olives

Tomato & Strawberry Salad with Feta & Olives

As with my Strawberry Gazpacho “Smoothie” (this page), this dish highlights my attraction to the affinity a tomato shares with a strawberry, and how they can be used interchangeably. Here, I mix them together for a simple summer tomato salad with a small surprise. I like spitting out the pits when I eat olives (I make sure to warn my guests), but you can also buy them pitted—it’s just not as much fun in my opinion.
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Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

Instructions

  • Cut the tomatoes to be roughly the same size as the halved strawberries.
  • If you’re using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half.
  • If you’re using another small tomato variety, quarter them.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar and olive oil with 1 tablespoon of the brine from the feta.
  • Spread the tomatoes on a serving plate.
  • Top with the strawberries, olives, and feta.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the top and finish with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve immediately.
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Course; Fruit / Salad

Tomato Salad with Anchovy & Basil

Tomato Salad with Anchovy & Basil

This dish is best served during the height of summer, when tomatoes speak for themselves with very little embellishment. Salt draws out the tomato’s juices, combining with the burrata’s cream and the olive oil to make its own dressing. All this salad needs is the smallest touch of vinegar. You could leave it at that, sure, but in my opinion, this is infinitely better when garnished with basil and—best of all—little fish.
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Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

Instructions

  • Spread the tomato slices across your serving platter.
  • Use a tablespoon to scoop the burrata and spread it attractively on top of and in between the tomato slices.
  • Stack the basil leaves.
  • Use kitchen scissors to cut bite-size pieces of basil over the top of the dish, scattering the pieces across the tomatoes and burrata.
  • Drizzle everything with the olive oil, then sprinkle with the salt.
  • Cover the platter loosely with plastic wrap and set it aside to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
  • Lay the anchovies on top of the tomatoes.
  • Use a spoon to very lightly drizzle the vinegar on top: about 1 drop per tomato slice.
  • Season with pepper to taste and serve, scooping up the juices that pool at the bottom of the serving dish.
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Course; Salad

Roast Fig & Pancetta Salad with Goat Cheese

Roast Fig & Pancetta Salad with Goat Cheese

This cooked fruit and lettuce salad is sweet and salty and creamy and delicious. It goes well with roast or grilled meat in the summertime, or, since it’s fairly filling by itself, alongside a simple arugula salad with a classic dressing for a double-salad kind of night.
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Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F.
  • Slice the radicchio in half and remove and discard its core.
  • Vertically slice each half into ½-inch slices.
  • Place the radicchio in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch each of salt and pepper until combined.
  • Spread the radicchio evenly on the bottom of an ovenproof casserole dish large enough to hold all of the figs in a single layer.
  • Set aside.
  • Wrap the figs in the pancetta slices, then set them on top of the radicchio.
  • Bake until the pancetta begins to crisp, 9 to 11 minutes.
  • Remove the dish from your oven and set the goat cheese slices on top of each fig.
  • Return the dish to your oven and bake until the cheese has softened and warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Serve immediately.
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Course; Cheese / Salad

Petit Aioli with Canned Tuna

Petit Aioli with Canned Tuna

I love this dish because it’s a fresh, light way to start a meal, but also because it’s pretty: the olives, rainbow carrots, and varying vegetables arrange themselves into interesting shapes and pockets to show off their natural vibrancy. It’s also an easy way to serve a lot of people, and it can be made in advance. Serve this on a big platter family style, ideally outdoors, with a bottle or two of rosé.
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Ingredients

Serves 6

Instructions

  • Cover the potatoes in cold water in a large pot.
  • Add the salt and turn the heat to medium.
  • Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
  • Drain and let the potatoes cool, setting one aside for the aioli.
  • Once cooled to room temperature, cut them in half lengthwise.
  • Meanwhile, blanch the carrots and fennel.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat and set a large bowl of cold water next to your stove.
  • Once boiling, add a pinch of salt.
  • Dunk the carrots and fennel in the boiling water for 30 seconds, then use a large slotted spoon to immediately plunge them into the cold water.
  • The cold water stops the vegetables from cooking and keeps their bright, raw color.
  • Leave the carrots whole and quarter the fennel.
  • Set aside.
  • Cook the garlic in the boiling water for 2 minutes.
  • Drain and run cold water over the garlic to halt the cooking process.
  • Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again to make wedges.
  • Cut the bell pepper into quarters.
  • Discard the zucchini’s end, cut it into 2-inch lengths, then cut the pieces into quarters.
  • Set aside.
  • Peel the skin from the reserved fingerling potato (don’t use a warm potato or it will cook the egg).
  • Using a mortar and pestle, smash the softened garlic to form a paste.
  • (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a hand whisk, but finely chop the softened garlic and smash the cooked potato with a fork before you begin.
  • ) Add the potato and continue to smash until combined.
  • Add the egg yolk and continue to smash and stir.
  • Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, continuing to stir aggressively.
  • Add a few drops at a time at first, being careful not to add too much oil at once or the sauce will break.
  • When the sauce becomes too thick to stir, add a few drops of cold water.
  • Continue with this process, adding cold water as necessary to thin, until all of the oil has been incorporated.
  • Season with salt to taste, and then stir in the lemon juice.
  • To serve, arrange the tomatoes, vegetables, eggs, and olives attractively in a large bowl or serving dish.
  • Sometimes I layer the vegetables randomly, sometimes I group like things together.
  • Get creative and have fun.
  • Use your hands to break up the tuna into large pieces and evenly spread it on top of the vegetables.
  • Very lightly salt and pepper the entire dish.
  • Serve alongside small bowls of the aioli and your best olive oil.
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Course; Fish

A Riviera Salad

A Riviera Salad

The Niçoise salad comes with its own baggage: people have a lot of opinions about what should (and shouldn’t) be included. This is my take, which veers from tradition but keeps the summer flavors of the Riviera that have made the Niçoise such a classic.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Spread the tomatoes on a plate in a single layer.
  • Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and set aside for at least 30 minutes as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  • Cover the potatoes with cold water in a large pot.
  • Add 1 tablespoon salt and turn the heat to medium.
  • Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
  • Drain and set aside to cool.
  • Once cool, cut them in half lengthwise.
  • Blanch the fava beans by dunking them in boiling water for 30 seconds.
  • Drain and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.
  • Pop the beans out of their pod and use a knife to peel and discard the outer skin.
  • Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce and trim the very bottom stem, being careful not to trim off too much or they’ll break apart.
  • Cut each head in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise once more to make wedges.
  • Tear half of the basil leaves into bite-size pieces.
  • To assemble the salad, rub the cut side of the garlic clove over your serving platter’s surface.
  • Scatter the Little Gems, fingerlings, fava beans, bell peppers, onion, cucumbers, and olives over the platter, finding space in all the gaps.
  • Add the tuna, breaking it into bite-size pieces.
  • Top with the eggs, torn basil, the tomatoes, and a healthy pinch of black pepper.
  • Cover the platter with plastic wrap and chill in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
  • Finely chop the remaining basil leaves.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the basil into the olive oil, cover, and chill in your refrigerator along with the salad.
  • Just before serving, drizzle with the dressing and a pinch of salt.
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Course; Salad

Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon

Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon

These corn crêpes are savory meets sweet meets breakfast meets good-all-day-long—you really can’t go wrong with smoked fish on a pancake.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • It helps to know: This recipe requires a 4- to 5-inch pan (ideally, a crêpe pan) and a blender.
  • Preheat your oven to 375°F.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche and Dijon mustard.
  • Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs into the flour.
  • Whisk in the cream and Tabasco until combined.
  • Stir in the corn and a couple pinches of salt.
  • Add the mixture to a blender and blend minimally on low speed, ensuring some whole kernels remain.
  • In a small ovenproof pan on medium heat, warm about 1 tablespoon of the butter, tilting to coat the pan as it melts.
  • Pour enough batter into the pan so it reaches the edges and makes a ¾-inch-thick pancake.
  • Let it sit until the batter starts to bubble around the edges.
  • Once bubbling, put the pan in your oven and bake until the pancake is cooked through, about 4 minutes.
  • Trace a spatula along the edges of the pan to loosen up the pancake’s perimeter.
  • Set a plate on top of the pan, then turn the pan over so the pancake flips onto the plate with the bottom side facing up.
  • Slide the pancake back into the pan, with the bottom side still facing up, and return the pan to the stove on medium heat.
  • Continue cooking until both sides are golden brown, about 4 minutes more.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Repeat with the remaining batter, replenishing the butter as necessary.
  • Top the corn cakes with a dollop of the crème fraîche and Dijon mixture, and some salmon, red onion, and green onions.
  • Serve immediately.
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Course; Cake / Fish

Savory Strawberry Biscuits

Savory Strawberry Biscuits

I’m not sure whether these biscuits should be considered breakfast, lunch, or a snack, but they’re delicious at any time of day. My advice is to work quickly with the dough: it will get more difficult to handle as it warms up. I like a few different combinations for the inside of the biscuit sandwich, but feel free to get creative. Just look for something fatty, something salty, and something sweet—a meat, a cheese, and a jam.
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Ingredients

Makes 9 to 12 sandwiches

BISCUITS

FILLINGS

  • Jam of your choice I like rhubarb, strawberry, or apricot
  • Manchego cheese with prosciutto Gouda with Serrano ham, or Brie with boiled ham

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 450°F.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put it in your freezer to chill.
  • Sift the flour into a large bowl to remove any clumps.
  • Sift in the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt and stir to combine.
  • Using the large side of a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture.
  • Stir in the lemon zest, then the crème fraîche.
  • Don’t worry—the mixture will be chunky and not dough-like at this point.
  • Stir in the strawberries and begin working the mixture with your hands, pinching and turning as the butter melts and the strawberries burst, until everything eventually comes together to form a dough.
  • Be patient; it will take some time for the butter to melt and may feel for a few minutes like it’s not working.
  • Form the dough into a ball and dust a large work surface and rolling pin with flour.
  • Set the dough on your work surface and use your palm to flatten its top.
  • Dust the dough with more flour, then roll it into a rough square about 1½ inches thick.
  • Cut the dough into 2-inch squares, and space the squares evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Brush the tops of the squares with the melted butter and bake until they’re nicely browned and cooked through, about 22 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from your oven and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
  • Slice the biscuits in half.
  • Spread the jam on one side and put the cheese on the other.
  • Push a couple of slices of ham into the jam and push the two halves together to make a sandwich.
  • Serve.
  • Pairs well with “I Love What You Do to Me” by Ike & Tina Turner
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Course; Coockies / Biscuit / Fruit

Mushrooms al Horno with Crusty Bread

Mushrooms al Horno with Crusty Bread

These baked (“al horno”) mushrooms are inspired by a Basque dish. The mushrooms kick out their water, which combines with the wine, garlic, vinegar, and herbs to make a very flavorful sauce. This dish is super straightforward (just mix some things together and throw them in your oven); my only advice: don’t soak the mushrooms in water to clean them or they’ll soak up too much liquid and ruin the rich, mushroomy sauce.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  • Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and cut them into bite-size pieces.
  • Put the mushrooms in a large bowl and stir in the garlic, parsley, white wine, olive oil, and two healthy pinches of salt until combined.
  • Pour the mixture into a baking dish large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the dish from your oven and stir in the sherry vinegar.
  • Divide the toasted bread among serving plates.
  • Spoon the mushrooms and their juices over the bread and serve.
  • Pairs well with “Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson
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Course; Side Dish