Ham & Gruyère Breakfast Buns

Ham & Gruyère Breakfast Buns
I might have a slight problem when it comes to brunching.  Whenever I go out for brunch or make a pre-meditated breakfast at home, I always land on a croque madame or a croque monsieur.  Boring, right?

Well, maybe a little, but how could anyone really get bored with melted gruyère and ham?  Then there’s the bread factor, which is important for people like me who don’t like to do their morning coffee without carbs.  And, of course, I wouldn’t dream of having my croque without a decent schmear of Dijon mustard. That’ll wake you up.  Yum.  Are you going to fault a girl for knowing what she likes?

A couple of weeks ago, I bought The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (and had the opportunity to meet the Deb Perelman!).  I leafed through the book for days, admiring the pictures and the writing, trying to decide which recipe to tackle first.  I would have happily made anything, but I kept coming back to the Cheddar & Onion Breakfast Buns.  I kept looking at these glorious buns, wondering how I could take the cheddar out and, instead, insert all the elements of a croque monsieur.  Like I said, I may have a problem.

Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

 

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Salmon Tartare with Avocado, Olives & Tarragon

Salmon Tartare with Avocado, Olives & Tarragon

I’ve been staring at my computer screen for far too long.  I’m supposed to be thinking of something clever to write about my latest rendition of salmon tartare, but my mind keeps wandering.

Looking at these tartare pictures, the only thing I can think about is when I’m going to make this again. Soon, it’s got to be soon.

This is my ideal salmon tartare.  It has enough going on to keep me interested, without overwhelming the delicacy of the fish.  This version has a luxurious base of creamy avocado and a spoonful of a tarragon oil to use as a garnish.  Bright lemon and green onions counter the richness of the salmon and a layer of minced black olives keeps the sweetness of the tarragon in check.  It’s indulgent, yet balanced, and, man, is it ever craveable.

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Braised Pork Shoulder with Fennel, Oranges & Olives

Orange, Olive & Fennel Braised Pork Shoulder

Sometimes, in life and on blog, I feel a little self-conscious about what I eat.  I get embarrassed over bringing my grocery basket to the register, wondering what the cashiers must think of me: the girl who grocery shops daily and almost always ends up with a bulb of fennel, citrus fruit, and a little something from the olive bar.  I worry that you all might be getting sick of recipes that call for lemon slices, orange zest, shaved fennel, and olives.  My cooking crutches are no secret.

This time around, I’m resisting the temptation to turn my crutch ingredients into a salad and instead I’m incorporating them into a braise.  We’re going to add pork shoulder to the grocery list and treat it to a long, slow simmer with my favorite ingredients.  The richness of the pork will be countered with the slight bitterness of orange peel, briny olives balanced with sweet fennel.  Hope you’re hungry; this is a good one.

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Blue Cheese & Walnut Cornmeal Crisps

Blue Cheese & Walnut Cornmeal Crisps

Last weekend, I was trying to sell my boyfriend on the idea of blue cheese and walnut cornbread.  I thought it was brilliant; he did not.  I even tried rebranding the idea as a gorgonzola- walnut polenta cake, but he still thought it sounded awful.

So naturally, I had to give it a whirl, out of spite.  The results were surprising.  Matt was way into it.

I, on the other hand, was not.

But I still had half a hunk of blue cheese, a bag of walnuts, and the urge to bake something awesome, so I decided to take another route and use the combination to make something I knew would be right up my alley: a crispy, crunchy batch of crackers.

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Cardamom, Orange & Honey Coffee Cake

Cardamom & Honey Coffee CakeA few months back, I went to a cabin with a group of friends.  Matt and I arrived a couple of days ahead of the gang, so we were put in charge of packing kitchen necessities.  You know, the basics: butter, oil, salt, pepper, flour, sugar…

“Uh, Sarah, did you really need to bring 3 different sources of cardamom for a long weekend?”

What can I say?  It’s true; I love it and I like to be prepared.  You never know which day you might find yourself needing a quick fix of cardamom.

Today was one of those days.  It was a cold, snowy, really-need-something-sweet-with-your-sixth-cup-of-Earl-Grey kind of day.  This is just the cake for those days.  It’s fast and easy and won’t make you feel too guilty.  Sure there’s a stick of butter in it, but there’s also yogurt. Yogurt is good for you.  The cake is full of the sweet, spicy cardamom you’ve been craving and you’ll have it around for breakfast all weekend. Do it.  Make it.  Just make the cake.  You’ll be back to whatever you’re supposed to be doing in no time.

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