Fresh Tart

Given that everything is better fried - everything - it will come as no surpirse that root vegetables make utterly dreamy latkes. I like celery root in particular for its slightly sweet flavor.

These latkes are delicious as is, fresh out of the fat with a dab of sour cream, but my favorite way to eat them is topped with a poached egg. I know: Everything is Better Fried and Just Put an Egg On It, two of my favorite food credos, together in the same post? Out of control.

This same technique works nicely with zucchini as well. I particularly like a mix of zucchini and green pepper, in the summer when both are abundant, topped with Greek yogurt and scallions. Or a fresh tomato sauce. Or ooh, with Molly Herrmann's tomato jam! So lovely. We'll have to wait a few more months to play around with all that fun, however.

For now, fry your root vegetables and be very happy.

And then join the Minnesota Food Bloggers for a Saturday, January 21, viewing of TEDxManhattan: Changing the Way We Eat webcast, 9:00 am, at the Minnesota History Center. The webcast will be followed by a discussion and reception sponsored by Minnesota Monthly Magazine. The event is free of charge.

And join Jason DeRusha and me next Monday evening, January 23, as we assist Chef Scott Pampuch for Chef's Night Off cooking class at Kitchen in the Market. I hope that you can be there with us for food, hands-on cooking, wine, and FUN!

Recipe for Celery Root Latkes at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Coconut milk and a cashew butter finish make this gorgeous stew irresistible. This is everything I want to eat right now, after the holidays, when it's biting cold outside.

Recipe for Brazilian Fish, Shrimp & Mussel Stew at Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures/Food & Wine Magazine.

These may look like ordinary white beans but they're actually the cool-girl beans in town, swooned over on Twitter, gossiped about on Facebook, photographed and copied and seriously in demand. I'd love to take credit for the fabulous recipe but no, these are via Chef Adam Vickerman of Cafe Levain, who now has the lady food bloggers in town batting their eyelashes over beans.

The flirtation began last spring, at a California Olive Ranch-sponsored dinner at Levain. As the beans were served, an audible murmur went through the room as the ladies realized that the delicious dish was not only vegetarian but vegan. I myself was inspired and without asking Adam for his recipe, made my own version of braised beans with rosemary and arugula when I wrote about the event.

When word got around that Adam was cooking for our lady food blogger gathering in December, requests showered in for the beans! And so he obliged, and then shared the recipe, which is beautifully simple and a perfect example of how coaxing maximum flavor from a few good ingredients is how we should all be cooking.

Adam Vickerman's recipe for Braised White Beans at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Note: The lovely bowl in the photo was made by Fred Yerich of Frogtown Pottery. The fork I snagged - with permission, of course! - from Corner Table.

Somehow on my trip to Provence this summer I completely missed socca, or chickpea flour pancakes. I'm a little bit obsessed with them at the moment, hot off the griddle, topped with nothing more than a grind of black pepper. That's how they're served in Provence, as a snack, wrapped in paper, meant to be washed down with ice-cold rosé.

OK!

But they make terrific breakfast/brunch food as well, served as a savory pancake topped with a fried egg and garlicky spinach. Last year I posted a recipe for just one pancake as the perfect base for a fast lunch of leftovers. I declare that a crispy, savory pancake can transform any ho hum leftovers into something sublime.

And then, if you're home late from a holiday party, craving a new twist on grilled cheese, do this: Smear two pancakes with harissa, press haloumi cheese into the middle, and griddle for a few minutes to warm through. Seriously the most perfect after-celebration food ever.

Recipe for Socca (Chickpea Flour Pancakes) with Fried Eggs & Spinach at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Two days until Thanksgiving! I'm freaking out a little bit! I do have a turkey, yes. And a loose plan for filling out the rest of the meal, including generous family members bringing a good number of dishes. But if you're sitting at your desk today, sweating a little at the thought of how much there is to do before sitting down on Thursday...I am too.

I suggest not sweating the appetizers, however. To me, Thanksgiving is about the meal, not loading up on heavy snacks, so I'll be offering these nuts, which are massively addictive, and nice to nibble with drinks, but are not appetite-killing.

Recipe for Maple Roasted Almonds at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Last Thanksgiving was my first since giving up gluten, so to keep things easy, I just skipped eating my favorite part of my favorite meal...the dressing. Boo! I really missed it, as much as I dig turkey and mashed potatoes.

Which is very, very much.

This year, particularly since I'm hosting, I decided to play around a bit and see if I could come up with a gluten-free dressing. Even though it's not my family's tradition, I'm a big fan of cornbread dressing, loaded with sausage and fresh sage; given that cornbread can be made gluten-free quite nicely, it seemed a particularly tasty place to start.

The beauty of this dressing - and all dressing - is that you can add in whatever you like. Apples, nuts, wild rice, cheese, mushrooms, oysters, pork in any form, any herb, on and on.

Recipe for Cornbread Dressing at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

My son Nathan and I spent our summer Sundays eating our way through Kingfield Farmers Market. We did it last summer too and got in such a fun groove of eating together, visiting with friends, and stocking up on all of our favorite treats for the week.

It's worth noting that it was a much less expensive endeavor last year, when Nathan was around my height and was satisifed with a Chef Shack hot dog. Uh, not this year, not at 6'4" and counting, when he still ate a Chef Shack hot dog, but added their soft-shell crab sandwich, mini-donuts, and Arnie Palmer; Gai Gai Thai curry; Cafe Palmira iced coffee; Foxy Falafel curry falafel with a load of perfect pickles, extra hummus to go; Sun Street Bakery turnovers and sourdough loaf; and Bogart Loves maple-bacon donuts.

I scored plenty of bites, of course, and a good portion of it all we brought home to share with John...but I'm telling you, Sunday became a day for feasting.

So damn cool.

One of my favorites toward the end of the season was Gai Gai's Thai omelet served in a curry broth. On a chilly morning, perhaps after being out too late the night before, that crispy omelet in creamy coconut broth tasted spicy-sublime.

I was out too late last night, in fact - hey! - and could think of nothing but that omelet around lunchtime today. So I made up a fast one, nowhere near the beauty of Kris' lovely coconut curries, but flavorful enough to feed the beast. I made one for John for dinner. His conclusion: I'm dying.

See you in the spring, Kingfield.

Thai Omelet in Coconut Curry Broth
Inspired by Gai Gai Thai
Serves 4

1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. + 4 tsp. Thai fish sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
handful of finely chopped vegetables, optional (I had cabbage and mushrooms on hand)
juice of 1/2 lime
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. chopped scallions
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro or basil
4 Tbsp. peanut oil

more chopped scallions & herbs for garnish
hot rice (optional)

Open the can of coconut milk and spoon some of the fat off into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. When the fat is hot, stir in the Thai curry paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the can of coconut milk, chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. of the fish sauce, brown sugar, and vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Set aside and keep warm.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with 4 tsp. of fish sauce, scallions, and cilantro. Set a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp. of oil. When the oil is very hot, add 1/2 c. of the egg mixture to the pan. Swirl the egg around in the pan and when the edges start to brown, which will be pretty quickly, use a spatula to fold the omelet in half and then in half again. Cook for a few more minutes then transfer to a bowl. Ladle some broth over the top.

Repeat the process with the remaining egg mixture. Serve hot, with rice if desired, topped with more chopped herbs.

It's chowder season, yay! I'm a bit maniacal about chowder and all its briny, creamy glory.

Recipe for Montauk Oyster & Scallop Pan Roast at Food & Wine Magazine/Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures.

Recipe for Pan-Roasted Cornish Hens with Calvados & Apples at Food & Wine Magazine/Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures.

This dish is inspired by a roasted squash dish I had at 112 Eatery a few years back.

If you love butternut squash as much as I do, I suggest planning to have this as an entree, perhaps with a salad. It is not a light dish, although it doesn't have to be heavy if you go easy on the duck fat and blue cheese. Ha! I loved writing that sentence.

Or go for broke and serve it alongside a braised roast for a cold night's hearty fare. It definitely works both ways.

Recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese & Sage at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.