Okay, so I have a confession. I ripped this recipe out from the Vera Bradley catalog. If you know me, then you know that I am not a fan of the paisley wares Ms. Bradley is pushing. But you order one too many gifts for other people, start getting catalogs and before you know it, somehow it is downright impossible to get off a mailing list. I’ve been reading the catalogs recently because they include recipes. And I am a sucker for a new recipe.

However, upon doing some googling, this is not a new recipe! The original is from Bon Appetit magazine. Or from The Cake Bible. In true Internet form, there are dozens recipes, all variations on each other, with little or no cites to a source. Sigh.

So this is my variation on the theme. I added in vanilla, pumped up the lemon zest and increased the lemon juice. Which, according to my research, was not super original. But it does make for a tasty, perfect afternoon snack bread that will brighten your day. And that is really all I want from a recipe – old or new.

Lemon Blueberry Bread Recipe
Adapted from Vera Bradley
Serves 8-12/Makes one loaf

Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about one lemon)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For the glaze:
1/3 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, gently toss blueberries with lemon juice and then flour.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the bread is done, remove from oven. In a small saucepan, bring the 1/3 cup of sugar and the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Pierce the hot loaf all over with a fork and then pour the hot lemon glaze over the loaf. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. This bread is best served on the day it is made.

After reading some of my recent recipes searching for typos, I realized I have a lot of dessert recipes on here. Four of my past five recipes are desserts. And four out of five dentists would probably tell me that is no good. So chicken today!

I love mustard, which is good because this is a very mustard recipe! I added a tablespoon or two of whole grain mustard to this because I had the end of a jar in the fridge and as Ina Garten says, whole grain mustard just seems more mustard-y. I think chicken thighs are just perfect for this recipe – the original calls for legs, which just seems all wrong. A longer cooking time with simmering in liquid is built for thighs. Also chicken thighs are seriously cheap.

I know it seems very un-summer to bring back the dutch oven, but the chicken doesn’t cook that long and it is way better than turning on the oven. Also the result is so delicious that you will be totally sold, I promise!

P.S. Sorry about the lack of photos! Raw chicken is not particularly photogenic.

Dijon Chicken
Adapted from Serious Eats
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 pounds chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 shallots, diced
3/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
6 stems thyme, plus extra for garnish
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (optional)
1/2 cup cream

In a dutch oven or a wide, heavy-bottomed pan (that has a lid), heat 3 tablespoons light olive oil on medium-high heat.

Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper, and pat dry with paper towel. Sear in the hot oil until golden-brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.

Pour out the hot chicken oil, and lower the heat to low. Add 1 tablespoon fresh light olive oil to the pan. Add in the shallot, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until glassy. Add in garlic and sauté just until fragrant.

Pour in the white wine, and raise the heat to medium-high. Reduce the wine—it will bubble the chicken bits up from the bottom of the pan, and reduce by about half. Then add the chicken stock and 6 stems of thyme. Then, nestle the chicken back into the pan in a single layer. Chicken should be mostly submerged, but not totally covered. You may need extra stock. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and cover the pot, simmering for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the cover from the pot, and allow the chicken to simmer a further 5 to 10 minutes uncovered.

Take the pan off the heat. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Whisk in the cream and the mustard until the sauce is homogeneous and slightly thickened. Toss the chicken with the Dijon sauce and top with fresh thyme. Serve right away with crusty bread to sop up sauce.

Greetings to the two faithful readers I still have left! (Hi Mom!) I have taken an unintended hiatus from blogging, but I am back baby! I’ve still been cooking, so have a back log of recipes to post and I am starting with this gem. I tore it out a (typically) underwhelming issue of Bon Appetit because, well, just look at the ingredients. Rhubarb and creme fraiche? Check. And in galette form? Sign me up!

This easily the best thing I’ve done with rhubarb all summer. It is a very simple recipe – as the Resident Frechman said, “this doesn’t have enough ingredients for you to make it. Where is the heavy cream?” But the result is very delicious and really allows the rhubarb to shine. I think it was totally worth leaving the oven on for an hour when it was 90 degrees this weekend in a barely air conditioned house, which for a summer recipe is the highest possible praise.

I feel that it is my mission in life to make everyone eat this crème fraîche. It is so much better than your average whipped cream. Honestly, I don’t even want to eat whipped cream after this. You have to try it. If you don’t have a full vanilla bean, sweetened crème fraîche still tastes amazing, but the vanilla really elevates it to another level.

My usual end tips: as I’ve said before, galettes are extremely forgiving. Don’t worry about rolling out the dough perfectly. It is supposed to look rustic (and therefore charming). My dough was somewhat shaped like France. Remember when you are adding the water to the dough that you may need more or less water – it depends on the humidity of your kitchen. The recipe calls for the rhubarb to be sliced into match stick strips, which I know sounds unforgivably picky. Don’t worry about getting the pieces super thin, these can be thick matchsticks. The important part is to keep them all the (relatively) same size, so they cook evenly. Finally, Bon Appetit directs you to arrange the rhubarb in concentric circles. How that is possible with strips, I am not really sure. So make up your own pattern! And if you get neat circles, let me know how you did it!

Rhubarb Galette with Vanilla Bean Crème Fraîche
Adapted from Bon Appetit – April 2010
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling
1 pound trimmed rhubarb
1/4 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend
1 8-ounce container crème fraîche
1 vanilla bean

First, make the crust:
Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and use a pastry blender or your fingers to blend until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; stir until dough clumps together, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 2 hours. Let dough soften 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling out.

Next, the filling:
Slice rhubarb into into 2-inch-long 1/4-inch-thick matchstick-size strips. Combine with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in medium bowl. Let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, stirring at the halfway mark.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place large sheet of parchment on work surface; sprinkle parchment with flour. Roll out dough on parchment to 12-inch round. Transfer dough on parchment to large baking sheet, trimming edges of parchment to fit sheet.

Starting in center of dough round, arrange rhubarb strips in a pretty design, leaving 1-inch plain border at edge. Gently fold dough border up over outer edge of rhubarb topping, folding and crimping dough to create decorative edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over rhubarb. Dot rhubarb with butter. Brush dough edges with beaten egg. Sprinkle edges with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake galette until rhubarb is tender and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Cool galette at least 30 minutes.

Finally, make the crème fraîche
Mix crème fraîche, 2 tablespoons sugar and the seeds of one vanilla bean in small bowl. Chill until ready to serve.

Cut galette into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with sweetened crème fraîche.

June is birthday month! It was my friend Jeanette’s birthday and she requested angel food cake. I have never made an angel food cake before, so I was pretty excited to use the pan hanging out in my Mom’s cabinet. Finally a use for a pan with legs! I had no idea that you needed to let the cake rest upside down, so I had a great time documenting this:

The cake is marvelous – it has a perfect sponge-y texture and I love Martha’s addition of raspberry layers. They add a nice fruity contrast to the cake. The layers are very easy to make – all those egg whites make the batter extremely stiff, so you can easily spread the raspberry mixture onto the batter without a problem, making you appear to be some sort of cake layering genius.

I rarely pay attention to recipes that tell you to sift, but I highly recommend it here. The batter is very light and fluffy and if there are any lumps in the sugar or flour, it will be readily apparent in the cake. So sift away! I used my Mom’s sifter, which is wonderfully old school and works far better than my newer one.

Finally, don’t toss those egg yolks! I am saving mine to make a super batch of ice cream that will be so creamy, I will probably die of happiness. I had a fantastic salted caramel ice cream a few weeks ago that I would love to replicate, so if you know of any good recipes, leave a comment. Otherwise I might make ice cream with my second favorite ingredient, creme fraiche!

Unfortunately for the purpose of blog photos, we ate the cake on a bar patio, lit by candlelight. Great for ambiance, terrible for photos. So this was the sole focused, best lit photo of the cake. It is a bit hard to tell, but check out how awesome the raspberry layers look! Very delicious, angel food cake is now officially in recipe circulation.

Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Layers
Adapted from Martha
Serves 12-16

Ingredients
Angel Food Cake
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/2 cups sugar, preferably powdered, sifted, plus 2 teaspoons
Pinch of salt
1 pint (12 ounces) fresh raspberries
1 3/4 cups egg whites, about 12 large eggs
2 teaspoons cream of tartar or lemon juice, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Super Whipped Creams
1 8 oz. container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lower third. Cut parchment to fit bottom of round 10-inch angel food cake pan with legs. Fit paper into pan. Do not grease pan.

Sift flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt together. Sift again into a bowl. In a medium bowl, using a fork, mash 1 rounded cup (or 1 8 oz. container) whole raspberries. Add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of sugar and mix well. Add more juice and/or sugar to taste. Set aside

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until whites are nearly stiff. Reduce speed to medium-low; beat in the remaining 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat until peaks are almost stiff but not at all dry. Transfer egg whites to large bowl.

Sift flour mixture over egg whites; fold in gently with large rubber spatula. Gently transfer 1/3 of batter to tube pan. Spoon 2 tablespoons mashed berries over egg whites. Spoon another 1/3 of batter into the pan; repeat with remaining mashed berries. Top with remaining batter. Run a knife through mixture, touching bottom of pan, to eliminate any air pockets. Leave the top very textured with peaks in the meringue; do not smooth.

Bake until the top of the cake is lightly golden and the cake springs back when pressed lightly, 35 to 45 minutes. (If top darkens too quickly, tent with foil.)

While the cake is baking, make the whipped cream. In a large bowl, combine mascarpone, sugar, cream and vanilla. Beat until well combined and thick enough to spread. Do not over beat, as mixture will curdle. This can be done ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Once the cake is done, remove from oven and invert pan onto its legs; let cake stand, in the pan, until completely cool, about 1 hour. Run a knife around edges of the cake to loosen the sides. Unmold cake and allow to dry. Serve with a healthy spoonful of whipped cream and remaining whole raspberries.

I made this cake for the Resident Frenchman’s birthday and it was, if I do say so myself, pretty awesome. Nothing looks more impressive than a stack of crepes, with tangy lemon curd peeking through the layers.

Crepes may seem intimidating, but they are easy to master once you get going. You must accept that the first crepe will be terrible. The second crepe will be better and by the third, things will be going much smoother. The good thing about a gateau de crepes is that you can sneak in the odd shaped crepes into the middle of the stack and no one will notice!

This is a dessert that has several resting stages and therefore, is not easily done in one day. All crepe recipes I’ve read recommend resting the batter for several hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Do not skip this step – there are, of course, a variety of theories as to what resting does for the batter, but resting makes a huge impact on the taste and texture of the crepes. The good thing is that you can throw together a crepe batter in under fifteen minutes, stick it in the fridge and forget about it until you are ready to start making crepes. The other most crucial resting stage is at the end – the cake must be refrigerated after it is put together. Otherwise, when you try to slice through, the crepes will slide off each other and you will be very, very upset.

A few final thoughts on crepes. One, use a nonstick pan. You don’t need a specialized crepe pan, but for ease and less frustration, the pan must be nonstick. Two, use a metal spatula, or the stiffest silicon you have available. The firmer the spatula, the easier it will be to maneuver it with the crepes. Three, use a light hand when pouring the batter into the pan. Crepes should be thin – these aren’t pancakes. Finally, be sure to save your two best crepes to use as the base and the top. You will want a solid base and a pretty top.

Gateau de Crepes
Adapted from Martha
Serves 8-12

Ingredients
Crepes
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, melted

Lemon Mousse Curd
(Makes about 3 3/4 cups, which will be slightly more than you need)

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)
1 tablespoon cold water
4 large eggs plus 6 large yolks
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream

Whipped Cream
1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
Pinch of sugar

First, make the crepe batter
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Whisk in butter.

Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard lumps. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Second, make the lemon curd
Sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together eggs and yolks in a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Mixture will not thicken properly unless you are stirring.

Remove pan from heat; add gelatin, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves and mixture is slightly cool. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, stirring after each addition, until smooth.

Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to remove as much curd as possible; discard any undissolved bits of gelatin and egg. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until set, about 2-4 hours.

After curd has set, using a hand mixture, whip one cup of heavy cream. Remove curd from refrigerator, stir curd, and gently fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Stir before using.

Third, make the crepes

Lightly coat a 6-7 inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet with butter. Heat over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Remove from heat; pour about 2 tablespoons batter into center. Swirl to cover bottom. Reduce heat to medium-low; return pan to heat. Cook until edges are golden and center is dry, about 30 seconds per side.

Slide crepe onto an overturned plate. Repeat with remaining batter, coating pan with butter as needed, and stacking crepes. Crepes can be separated from each other using a small piece of parchment paper. Allow crepes cool. Recipe should result in about 15 crepes.

Finally, assemble the cake

Place 1 crepe on a flat serving dish (use a wide and fully formed crepe). Spread some lemon curd mousse onto crepe, going almost to the edge of the crepe. Top with 1 crepe. Continue layering crepes and mousse. (Use at least 15 crepes, ending with a crepe on top.) Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Using a hand mixture, whip 1/4 cup of heavy cream, with a pinch of sugar. Top cake with whipped cream. Serve.

I actually made this dish ages ago. Like in February. But I’m posting it because it is delicious and I’m not sure how it fell through the cracks. And also because my grand plans for fava beans went bust. Yes, that is fava beans as in fava beans and a nice chianti. (As an aside, that movie haunts my dreams. Who lets fourth graders at a sleep over watch that??) But unfortunately I ruined them with some bitter orange zest. Which is a shame, because fava beans photograph beautifully – I took some glorious photos and they are going to live on in a future fava beans post. But it is leeks for today!

Leeks and shallots really just seem to go together. It is one of those classic pairings that just scream French food and Julia Child to me. This is a great simple side dish that could compliment any chicken dish or stand alone, perhaps with a poached egg and hunk of baguette. I think it also would be great dressed up with a dollop of sharp mustard mixed into the shallots and some panko bread crumbs on top. I love simple recipes like this because they are great bases on which you can build more complicated variations.

My only tip for this recipe is to carefully clean the leeks! I’ve included specific directions in the recipe text. The first time I made this dish, I was in a serious rush and I didn’t clean the leeks fully. Things were a little gritty, which is not exactly the texture I was going for.

Braised Leeks
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 6

Ingredients
6 large leeks
About 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced shallots
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Remove any bruised outer layers from the leeks. Trim off to the roots, leaving the root end intact. Trim the tops of the leeks on the diagonal, leaving 2 inches of the green part attached. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, and submerge in a large bowl of cold water to clean them. Shake the leeks well to dislodge the dirt stuck inside. Let them sit a few minutes, to allow any grit inside the layers to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Repeat the process until the water is clean. Place the leeks, cut side down, on a towel and pat dry completely.

Turn the leeks over so their cut sides are facing up, and season with salt and a few grindings of black pepper.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil, and wait 1 minute. Place the leeks in the pan, cut side down, being careful not to crowd them. (you will probably need to saute them in batches or in two pans. Add more olive oil to the pan as needed, for each batch.) S ear them 4 to 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. Season the backs of the leeks with salt and pepper, and turn them over to cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer them to a large gratin dish, preferably 9×12, lining them up, cut sides facing up.

Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the shallots, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, until the shallots are just beginning to look glassy. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add 1 1/2 cups stock, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Pour the liquid over the leeks. The stock should not quite cover them; add more stock if necessary.

Braise in the oven 30 minutes, until the leeks are tender when pierced. Serve warm.

My mom bought me the last (sob) Gourmet cookbook and it is amazing. Seriously. This is why I miss Gourmet. I have been reading through it and literally marking down every other page. This is the first recipe I made from the book and now, I want to marry this cookbook.

This tart is delicious. The berries get soft and delicious, but not mushy. The crumble topping adds a satisfying crunch of pecan and sugar sweetness. And the contrast of the tart berries to the sweet topping is out of this world. It took way too much effort not to sneak extra bites of berries topped with extra crumble raked from the top. If this recipe is representative of Gourmet Today, this blog is going to evolve into one of those annoying (well I think so) blogs where an entire cookbook is cooked through.

The crust calls for shortening, which I have never actually used before. I substituted butter, but have any of you gentle readers used shortening in a crust? Leave me a comment and tell me why I should be using shortening! And where does one purchase it? I did use a pastry blender to make the crust. I have become a devoted fan of pastry blenders since I purchased one about a year ago. The Oxo is nice, but I purchased mine at TJ Maxx and it is perfectly fine. The beauty of the blender is that you can get perfect pea sized clumps of butter, but with a lot less work than doing it by hand and with a lot more precision than if you used a food processor.

P.S. Since this cookbook was a Ruth Reichl production, Aushak made it in! Check it out!

Blackberry Crumble Tart
Adapted from Gourmet Today, online at Epicurious
Serves 8

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free) or 1/2 stick cold unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
3/4 cup whole pecans (3 ounces), roughly chopped
3/4 cup sugar
4 (6-ounces) containers fresh blackberries (6 cups)

Make dough:
Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Transfer 2 cups mixture to a bowl and drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water evenly over it (reserve remaining mixture). Stir gently with a fork until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)

Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with pastry scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make topping while dough chills:
Add pecans and sugar to reserved dough mixture in a bowl and rub together until some large clumps form. Place in fridge until ready for use.

Assemble pie:
Put a large baking sheet on oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out disk of dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a tart pan with a removable bottom and fold excess dough into the sides to reinforce the edge. Fill shell with berries and sprinkle evenly with crumble topping, pressing gently to adhere. Bake tart in pan on baking sheet until topping and crust are golden and filling is bubbling, about 55 to 60 minutes (loosely cover with a sheet of foil after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning, if necessary).

Cool in pan on a rack 20 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool tart completely, about 45 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Puff pastry is back! I eased up on it after my puff pastry filled beginning of the year, but I still had some in the freezer and it was calling to me. It was saying it felt unloved after all this time. And so, here we are again. I learned a new tip for puff pastry this time around. For once, I thought ahead and defrosted the puff pastry ahead of time. However, it should be noted, you should really unfold the puff pastry while it is defrosting. Not only does it speed up the defrosting, then the folds don’t stick to each other. I had a truly interesting time trying to un-stick the pieces to each other!

I only recently started to like asparagus (am still trying to broaden my veggie horizons). Like any weird person, I prefer the stalks. I really like my veggies crunchy and all that fiber makes me feel extra veggie virtuous. But, yes I am aware that the tips are supposed to be the best part. Really though, any vegetable tastes awesome on a bed of goat cheese on puff pastry. Maybe even broccoli rabe. (Which, frankly, blech to! So bitter! Is this an acquired taste I am missing or what? How do people eat that?)

So yes, this recipe. Delicious. Easy. Elegant. Everything looks better in tart form. That is the motto of my cooking. And also, puff pastry makes everything better.

Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart
Adapted from Martha
Serves 6

Ingredients
Flour, for work surface
1 sheet thawed puff pastry
6-8 ounces goat cheese
1 pound medium or thick asparagus (about 16-20 spears)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper/lemon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 10×13 inch rectangle. Either fit into an 8×11 inch tart plan or place pastry on a baking sheet. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. If using a baking sheet, with a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove pastry shell from oven and gently push down with a fork if pastry has puffed too much. In a small bowl, combine goat cheese with salt and pepper (or lemon pepper) to taste until well combined. Spread over tart shell. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over goat cheese, alternating ends and tips.

Using a pastry brush, spread olive oil evenly over spears and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

I cooked this at my parent’s house, which was wonderful. Everything looks super elegant on Blue and White plates!

This is one of my classic, go-to recipes for when I am cooking for myself. It is very light and it doesn’t take forever to put together, which is nice when you just want to eat already. This dish basically takes all that I love in the world – cooked onions, lemon and thyme – and marries them together. And it is one of those amazing dishes where the side and main are combined.

A few notes. One, the original recipe doesn’t call for potatoes, but I like to add in a few sometimes to add some more substance to the dish. Also because not everyone loves eating piles of cooked onions the way I do. Two, feel free to spice the fish something other than just salt and pepper. I recently bought McCormick’s Perfect Pinch Lemon Herb and it is amazing on fish. Finally, you can use any thin white fish for this dish. Martha recommends flounder, but any delicate fish will work well.

Baked Fish with Onion and Lemon
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 lemons, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced into very thin rounds (8 ounces each)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup dry white wine or water
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme, plus several sprigs more
Salt and freshly ground pepper, and/or lemon pepper, lemon herb mix
Four 6-ounce flounder or tilapia fillets
4 small red potatoes, sliced in 1/4 inch thick (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange lemons, onions and potatoes (if using) in alternating layers in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dot with butter; add wine and 1/4 cup cold water. Sprinkle with chopped thyme; season with salt and pepper. Bake until onions are translucent and the potatoes are soft, about 40-50 minutes.

Remove baking dish from oven. Arrange fish fillets over lemons and onions. Season fillets with salt and pepper and/or lemon pepper or a lemon herb mix. Scatter fresh thyme sprigs over fish. Baste fish with a little cooking liquid. Bake until fish is just opaque and cooked through, 16 to 18 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Serve immediately.

So when I mentioned to a few people I was going to post a cupcakes recipe, I received some less than enthusiastic responses. Cupcakes are not gourmet enough anymore. But I love these cupcakes! Simple and delicious! They are easy baking, no fussy ingredients or challenging doughs. Also the icing gives me a hyper boost like nothing else.

I am a little late to this bandwagon though, apparently the cupcake craze is over. Macarons are the new cupcakes. But macarons are hard. They are delicate, complex and temperamental. The slightest mistake – or even too much humidity in the kitchen – leads to disaster. Even if they are the next big thing, I’m sticking with cupcakes. Specifically Magnolia cupcakes. Just call me a 2001 nostalgist.

I actually borrowed muffin tins from my mom to make these since I don’t have any of my own. Hers are awesome vintage ones. I think this one looks almost Art Deco. I love Art Deco! Vintage bake ware so cool, I wish I had a bigger kitchen to start collecting it.

I have very few tips for this recipe. I generally only (ha!) add 6 of the 8 cups of sugar to the icing. That is usually more than enough. I always have trouble filling the wrappers 3/4s of the way, but try not to overfill too much – these rise a decent amount. Finally, enjoy! Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Adapted from More From Magnolia
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour or 1 cup flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers, or set up 24 silicon baking cups on 2 rimmed baking trays.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Vanilla Frosting
Adapted from More From Magnolia
Makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sanding sugar or sprinkles

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. Usually 6 cups is enough.

Frost cupcakes generously using a flat spatula. Top with sprinkles or sanding sugar. You may have leftover frosting. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.