I highly recommend this first course, it’s a light and summery morsel and a great starter for dinner parties. You can serve this at room temp or slightly chilled. Bea explained that Verrines are quite the thing in France – and there are many shops that sell verrine sets. Bea prepared this Crab, apple and avocado verrine with ginger and lime.
Our first course at the Mother’s Day Brunch was Granola, Yogurt and Roasted Plum – we topped it with coconut and a drizzle of homemade Orange Blossom Agave.
The granola is Christine’s favorite base recipe – to which you can add all your favorites – nuts, dried fruit etc.
The Plums were topped with brown sugar and coconut and roasted for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees
Turns out flavored agave is a super easy thing to do. We added 2 Tablespoons of Orange Blossom Water to Agave syrup.
This course was simple, bright and easy to prepare for guests. You can make the puree in advance and just sear the scallops right before serving.
Make sure to season the scallops well and sear them on a high heat setting for about 2 minutes on each side.
That pop of orange is pretty too.
I did not know how much I loved crispy salami until I ate this soup. The quinoa, herbs and salami are the perfect marriage of flavors and textures. Stacy served this as the first course at our Earth day Dinner. It was a rainy spring day and this was just right.
As guests arrived at our Earth Day dinner – we offered a little bite: dilly deviled egg, the dill + dijon really add a nice touch. Click recipe card for instructions.
For the next eight days we’ll be opening gifts and lighting candles – our first hannukah with S – it is sure to be special. We made these potato croquettes with a dandelion yogurt (a welcome change from the standard latkes).
We did a simple menorah on wood and these easy rustic gift packages below. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, with lots of love (Lizzy + Karen). Recipe enclosed in card below
We thought we’d share this delicious + simple soup with you — light enough for the slow change in seasons (spring is literally around the corner!) These earthy shiitake’s are the stars here, and we love their richness with a crusty sourdough bread. It is so very simple to prepare and it was the perfect sunny March afternoon lunch for us. We think it will be for you too.
We hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday and a happy new years celebration! Below is our homemade focaccia recipe (just click on the recipe tab). We served this as an appetizer, but decided to plate it individually per person. We set up a small station with pre-served plates and each guest came over to grab a portion. Kind of like an upgraded hors d’oeuvres set up. Next up, the burrata (yes kids homemade burrata!) and tomato jam.
Happy weekend everyone ! What are you all up to ?? We’re excited to check out “9”, a North African restaurant by Michael Berardino of the Dell’anima, ‘Inoteca, L’artusi empire (some of our favorites) in Hell’s Kitchen (53rd + 9th). Sounds so yummy. And Friday we might join the Feast Conference to celebrate what is local and good, and rub shoulders with some pretty cool people . We’re also excited to see NY Mag take over the Hester Street Fair with more than 40 restaurants and food trucks. Someone might need to roll us home… Hope to see you all out and about ! xo
Below is our recipe for Broccoli and Burrata with a warm anchovy & caper dressing (courtesy of Camille Becerra)…bon appetite !
Crab, apple, and avocado verrines with ginger and lime
For 8 small appetizer verrines (or 4 regular ones)
You need:
1 small red apple, cored and diced finely 1 avocado, diced finely Lime juice
Sea salt and pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or 1 tablespoon pistachio oil)
1 tablespoon olive oil (or 2 tablespoons olive oil)
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives 1 teaspoon finely chopped coriander
125 g (4 1/2 ounces) fresh crab meat, finely chopped 1 cup sprouted greens 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, dry toasted
Steps:
Dice the apple and avocado finely (same size) and squeeze a little lime juice on top.
In a small bowl, add sea salt and pepper. Add the ginger and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Add the oils and emulsify with a small whisk. Stir in the fresh herbs; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine ¾ of the crab, the apple, and avocado. Add ¾ of the dressing and toss gently.
Divide between glasses and top with the rest of the crab meat, sprouted greens, and sesame seeds.
Drizzle with a little more of the dressing, and serve.
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup (plus 2 Tbsp) dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (plus 2 Tbsp) honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 dgF. Combine oats, almonds, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Combine honey and olive oil in a separate bowl. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir to coat evenly. Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool completely before serving/storing.
Scallops with Spicy Carrot Puree
Serves 4
Appetizer Portions
For the scallops:
12 fresh sea scallops
Salt and pepper
Flour
Butter
Olive oil
For the carrot puree:
1/3 lb. carrots, peeled and trimmed, and coarsely chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half and half
Salt
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 to 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/8 tsp. fresh chopped habanero or scotch bonnet chili; or 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
Fresh tarragon, for garnish
Set the scallops on clean paper towels and pat dry; let sit at room temperature about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add the carrots, chicken broth and half and half (the liquid should fully cover the vegetables); season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until the carrots are fully tender but not mushy.
Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender, reserving the liquid from the pot. Add the butter, chile and about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to the blender; puree until very smooth, adding more liquid, butter and salt as you go to suit your taste and achieve the desired consistency. Transfer a few generous spoonfuls of the puree onto 4 plates, and smooth into a pretty circle using the back of a spoon.
Spoon some flour onto a large plate for coating the scallops. Season the scallops generously with salt and pepper on both sides, then lightly coat the flat ends in the flour.
Preheat a stainless steel, cast iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet, and coat with a thin layer of half butter and half olive oil. When the butter starts to bubble vigorously, add the scallops. Let cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip using tongs, and cook on the second side for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until scallops are browned on the ends and just cooked through in the center. Remove with tongs and place 3 scallops onto each plate atop the carrot puree. Garnish with a sprig of fresh tarragon; serve immediately.
Artichoke Soup with Crispy Salami and Lemon-Parsley Quinoa
Serves 4
For the soup:
2 (14-oz.) cans artichoke hearts, drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
For the quinoa:
1/2 cup dried quinoa
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tsp. lemon zest (from about 1 lemon), plus 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 large thin slices genoa salami
Preheat the oven to 350º. In a medium saucepan, add the artichoke hearts, the garlic, half of the chicken stock and half of the cream; cook over medium heat until warmed through. Add the fennel seeds and season generously with salt and pepper; turn off the heat. Using a hand blender, puree the mixture until almost smooth. Gradually add more stock and cream as needed to achieve the consistency you want, continuing to puree with the blender until the soup is very smooth.
Place the salami slices on a rimmed baking sheet and cook until crispy all over and browned on the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Once cooled, roughly chop.
Cook the quinoa according to package directions, or a little less than suggested for a crunchier consistency. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl, then mix in the lemon zest and juice, parsley leaves, and salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.
Quickly reheat the soup if needed. Ladle into 4 bowls, and top each with a generous spoonful of the quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with the crispy salami.
1 dozen eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 to 3 tsp. dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. capers packed in liquid
Fresh dill, for garnishing
Place the eggs in a medium pot, and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch; bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat. Immediately turn off the heat, and let eggs stand 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl of cold water to cool.
Peel the eggs, then use a sharp knife to carefully slice in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and place in a medium mixing bowl; coarsely mash with a fork. Set the whites aside.
To the mixing bowl, gradually add in about ¼ cup mayonnaise (or more if needed to smooth the consistency), 2 to 3 tsp. dijon mustard (or more to taste), about 2 tbsp. capers and salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the yolk mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe into the egg white halves (alternately, dollop the mixture into the egg white halves with a spoon). Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill, and more salt and pepper if desired.
Recipe courtesy of Stacy Adimando for Sunday Suppers
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
mashed potatoes (made from 6 yukon gold potatoes), chilled
Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
Roll 1 rounded tablespoon of the mashed potatoes into a ball (we used a little scooper for uniformity)
Roll the ball in the flour, eggs and bread crumbs, and place on a baking sheet
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1-1/2 inches olive oil over medium-high heat.
fry the potato croquettes in batches, turning gently, until golden, about 2 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; keep warm on a baking sheet in the oven and fry the remaining croquettes
Dandelion Yogurt
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 bunch dandelion greens
2 tbl olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
Chop dandelion greens in a food processor and stir into yogurt. Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small white onion diced
2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 box of organic chicken stock.
Equal parts water
1 parmesan rind
2 cans of white beans drained and rinsed
5 to 7 Shiitake mushrooms sliced very thinly
Salt + pepper to taste
mint
parsley
basil
meyer lemon
Sauté the garlic + onion in a stock pot with olive oil over a medium heat until the onion is translucent and fragrant. and the beans and sauté for a few minutes adding salt + pepper to taste. Add the broth, water + rind and raise heat slightly, allowing the soup to simmer for 20 minutes. For the last five minutes add the sliced shiitakes. Once you remove the soup from the heat, remove the rind before serving. To make the oil combine equal parts mint, parsley + basil in a food processor while drizzling in olive oil + a teaspoon of fresh meyer lemon juice. Chop until oil is thin enough to drizzle, but thick with herb bits. Drizzle oil over soup just before serving. Enjoy !
1 cup warm water
1 ¼ tsp yeast
1 tsp honey
1 ¾ cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla salt
olive oil
-dissolve yeast and honey in water.
-add flour and 2 tsp of salt.
-mix with a dough hook on medium speed for 10 minutes.
-transfer into an oiled bowl, cover and rest 1 ½ hours in a warm spot of your kitchen
-spread onto an oiled sheet pan
-rest for 30 minutes.
-spread dough to ends of sheet pan, drizzle with oil and cover loosely, rest for 1 ½ hours.
-preheat oven to 400 degrees
-sprinkle vanilla salt
-bake for 15 minutes, top shouldn’t have much color and bottom should be lightly golden
Adapted from Claudia Fleming’s Flatbread Recipe, tweaked by Camille Becerra
Broccoli & Burrata
with warm anchovy & caper dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
one sprig of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
one small chili
one clove of garlic, minced
one small onion, small dice
2-3 anchovy fillets
3 tbls capers
one lemon
bunch of broccoli
one round of burrata
high quality olive oil
Maldon salt
cracked black pepper
Gently heat olive oil with rosemary, thyme and chili slit in half. After 3 or 4 minutes add the garlic and onion, sauté on medium heat till onion is soft and slightly caramelized. Add anchovy fillets and mix till the heat melts them. Add the capers, mashing them a bit in the pan to release their liquid and allow them to be incorporate into the onions. After about 2 minutes turn heat off and add the juice and zest of one lemon. Remove the sprigs of thyme and rosemary.
Blanch broccoli in salted water till al dente, I like to add a little olive oil to the water as well, the broccoli becomes brighter from it. Toss the blanched broccoli in the warm vinaigrette and arrange on a platter. Cut the burrata into wedges and add to broccoli.
Finish off with some primo olive oil, Maldon salt and freshly cracked pepper.
pretty right ?
