Fresh Tart

I'll keep this simple.  I made this version of Salad Lyonnaise for dinner tonight, for John, for Father's Day, and it was sublime.  If you want to go to the recipe after the video, click on the "article" link.  If you take nothing else away from this demonstration, let it be how incredibly easy it is to poach eggs.  A breeze.  And oh my, so delicious, especially atop crispy bacon, pleasantly bitter greens, all cloaked in a warm, tart vinaigrette.  Thank you Mark Bittman.  Enjoy!

Or Arugula Salad with Walnuts, Apples, & Cheddar.  Or Frisee Salad with Almonds, Pears, & Gorgonzola.  You see where I'm going.  The recipe below can be altered, riffed on, adjusted endlessly.  Use what's in season, or your favorite combination, or whatever sounds perfect with your entree.  All that matters is that you end up with crunchy, creamy, salty, and sweet, all in the same salad, all in the same bite.  Yeah.  Pick a green, then toast some nuts, perhaps use a nut oil to match, perhaps a vinegar to match, include an aromatic (chives, scallions, or shallots), weave in a few bites of fresh or dried fruit, perhaps a cheese to complement, always salt and pepper, and it's good.  Have at it.

Mache Salad with Hazelnuts, Dried Cherries, & Goat Cheese

Serves 4

Salad

4 handfuls washed and carefully dried mache (or frisee, watercress, arugula...)

1/2 c. dried cherries (or fresh apple, pear, citrus...)

1/4 c. thinly sliced shallots (or chives, scallions, red onion...)

1/4 c. crumbled soft goat cheese (or cheddar, Parmesan, feta...)

1/4 c. toasted, coarsely chopped hazelnuts (or walnuts, pecans, pine nuts...)

Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. hazelnut oil (or walnut, almond, olive...)

1 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or champagne, apple cider, sherry...)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. honey or maple syrup

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients.  Pour just enough vinaigrette over salad to lightly coat (you might not use it all).  Sprinkle a little coarse salt and a few grinds of pepper over the salad.  Toss well, divide evenly among four plates, and serve immediately.

I lucked into a delicious dinner at Debbie & Stu the Wine Genius' on Sunday night.  After a dry, dusty afternoon spent watching Little League baseball, it was oh-so-nice to sit in their lovely, shady backyard and sip a cool glass of white wine, ahhh.  Bill & Karla Forsythe were there as well, with their dachshund Sophie, joining Williams' two dachshunds Margeaux and brand new Sophie (yes, two dachshund Sophie's, ha).  All three girls are darling, but Puppy Sophie stole the show with her round, pink belly and happy napping.

While Sophie played musical laps, Stu grilled bison tenderloin and ribeye steaks.  I've eaten a fair amount of bison in my day, and certainly enjoyed it, but this version (from Whole Foods) was positively divine - tender-yet-beefy-beefy-beefy (despite being, technically, not beef), I imagine it tastes the way steak is supposed to taste.  I absolutely loved it and can't wait to throw some on the grill, rarrr. Stu and Debbie plated the sizzling steaks alongside roasted potatoes and asparagus (I forgot my camera, and Stu hadn't pulled his out yet, so I missed the gorgeous pic of all three piled on the same huge platter, set down in the center of the table, shame).  Stu poured a delicious Cote du Rhone alongside, Andezon 2004 - get this, it's $10/bottle!

For dessert we dug into two pastries (pictured above) from divine Rustica Bakery - a chiffon cake and a berry tart, served with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream, so good.  Thanks to Debbe & Stu for another fab meal and evening!

Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times

On another note...you must check out this Mark Bittman article titled 101 Simple Salads for the Season which popped onto the NYTimes website this afternoon.  What a jewel!  Completely genius, do not miss it - in fact, print it out (I linked to the printable version) and get ready to hit your farmer's market this and every weekend for the rest of the summer.  Made my whole day - nice.

Cooling the food jets today, power-down... It was a big, BIG food weekend, whew. And great fun, what with our Create Catering dinner on Friday, It's Greek to Me feast on Saturday, and last night, wine and coffeecake with my minxes at Susie's. Incredible coffeecake. Super-secret-recipe coffeecake, unforch, or I'd slap it up here in a flash. Streuselly, but not too heavy or rich, with a perfectly soft crumb... Rarrr. Hit the podcasting-shenanigans spot! Wish I had some right now!

But no. In fact, I declare today salad day. No matter what we end up with for dinner, it's going to include a giant, restorative salad. Chopped romaine and spinach, scallions, perhaps some crunchy prosciutto (bake paper thin slices of prosciutto in a hot oven until browned; cool and crumble), chopped fresh parsley or dill, perhaps chopped green pepper or radishes, few small pieces of soft goat cheese, sprinkle of coarse salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. All it needs is the most basic vinaigrette - 2/3 c. best olive oil, 1/3 c. red wine vinegar, 2 smashed garlic cloves, generous 1 tsp. salt, several grinds of pepper, 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme. Or tarragon. Whatever you like. Shake in a jar, dress the greens lightly, toss and toss and toss some more, store the rest in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Happy Salad!

How to lift the gloom off of life in a black-n-white photograph? Well, for starters, be very, very grateful that it's above 25 degrees outside. Big smiles there. I took advantage and went for a walk/run this morning, including some serious hills, which just a few weeks ago was a nice, invigorating workout but today, after weeks in the deep freeze, had me sucking wind like a 3-pack-a-day smoker (which I'm very much not), man, what a total bummer. I know I'll be back to normal in no time, but it is a bit humbling to know how quickly the ol' wind disappears now that I'm in my 40s. Nice little reminder, just in case the various sags, lines, and other disheartening signs of 'a life well-lived' didn't pack enough punch. Uff.

Well. A pretty Saturday Luncheon Salad lifts the gloom as well! When the only color out the window is the occasional red car (I'm unfortunately totally serious, blah), chop up some pale green lettuces, deep green spinach, a few ruby-cherry tomatoes, and set it all off with chalky-white goat cheese, cracked black pepper, rosy bacon, and crackling, roasted asparagus. A nice combo of warm/cool, soft/crunchy, salty/sweet. A little spring-y tasting. And filling but not filling. In other words, all good. A spot of hot green tea to finish, as well as a warm shower (I'm thinking a splash of Naturopathica lime shower gel/Thai herbal body lotion could lift the spirits by stirring fragrant memories of the heavenly Miraval Spa, sigh...) should have me cheered up a bit as well.

And if not, I'll be sure to complain about it. Wouldn't want to disappoint anyone by writing out of character, you know.

Okay. It's over. Not just 2007, but the parties, cocktails, appetizers, rich meals, excess good cheer - over! Enter ye moderation (in fact, a little deprivation wouldn't hurt at this point) and reside in thee for a spell. Please? At least until my birthday this weekend...

Hey, there's nothing wrong with risotto, cream puffs, chocolate mousse, prime rib, mashed potatoes, lobster, champagne, or caviar - a sip and a taste of something lovely can always fit into a healthy diet - it's just the all-in-the-same-week aspect that is a bit, uh, immoderate. Heck, often all in the same day! Egads but it's been a very Merry Christmas. Whew.

And so. It's a New Year and time for a slice of...cold, hard reality. Or at least a plate of pretty salad greens alongside a nice piece of fish. Or a bowl of brothy soup. A mug of hot tea. A lovely ripe pear. A handful of raw almonds. My go-to restorative, depuffing foods. In fact, several such meals in a row, followed by several long, brisk walks, and I'll be feeling like myself again in no time.

Right?

Happy Birthday (yesterday!) to my mother-in-law Dot!

Yikes, where did this week go? Crrraaazy around here, as I'm sure it is for all of you too, wow. It's nice to finally see that gorgeous October sun! (Rain much?!) And all of the leaves slowly turning. I keep trying to remember to look around - and SEE - and enjoy that the leaves and birds are still here, that the grass is still green, that flowers are still blooming. In such a short time we will be living in a black-n-white photograph and I will miss all these beautiful colors. Sniff. Sigh.

I've actually been too busy to do much cooking and for me, that's pretty damn busy. I did get a solid (simple) meal on the table last night - crispy roasted chicken drummies, asparagus, and rice. Before that, it was a bit of catch-as-catch-can from our various leftovers. Which is fine too, hey, I feel like we didn't waste a thing. But I'm getting ready to fire up the ol' stove again. Or tonight, the ol' grill as it were, since I'm throwing on some lamb chops. Mmmm, nothing like crusty, garlicky lamb chops for a perfect (easy!) Thursday night dinner (I smear 'em with minced garlic, olive oil, and a generous sprinkle of coarse salt about an hour before grilling. Grill until just-pink in the center. Baaa voilaaa.) I actually have a few good tomatoes left, from my pots on the deck, so my plan is a big salad, chock full o' said tomatoes with lots of dill and feta. Perhaps some grilled pita (rub uncut pita on both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt, grill briefly until hot and lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes total) as well, yum. Can't wait!

Oh, a fabulously restorative dose of Cooper Cuteness this weekend, Mr. Busy himself, in a constant state of motion-giggle-chat. John, Nathan, my dad, and I settled into my sister Stacey's (check out her new website!) lovely home this evening for an early Summer Sunday Dinner. Stace and I put the low-maintenance menu together via email and it worked out beautifully. I brought a salad, full of as many veggie-share veggies as I could cram in there, ha - mixed greens topped with roasted green beans and tomatoes, fresh dill, thinly sliced kohlrabi, sauteed corn, chopped onion and green pepper, and a crumble of feta cheese. Pretty and tasty. Stace made Cucumber-Mint Raita, I brought garlic bread, and we borrowed a genius page from my in-laws, Dot and John, by purchasing deli fried chicken (in this case, theKowalski's version, delicious) earlier in the day and then grilling it for a few minutes just before serving, to re-crisp and warm it...works like a charm. Stuffed, we somehow made room for brownies topped with Blue Sky CreameryDouble Chocolate ice cream (incredible stuff). Yeah. Uff.

After a a bit of digestif swinging on the picture-perfect, front-porch swing, Cooper was ready to run again, wearing his Birthday Party Hat, no less, for maximum cuteness. And then...when his (and Nathan's) running reached the edge of almost-frantic-silliness, we took our exit cue. (Why is it that the more tired children grow, the more energy they expel? So not fair...) After clear-as-a-bell "bu-bye" and "nigh nigh" wishes, we moseyed on home and left Coop to his soft jammies and cozy crib and a Good. Night's. Sleep.

Double the pleasure, double the fun! With...two salads for lunch (sorry, not all that titillating, ha). First up a fresh plate o'bounty thanks to my LaFinca CSA veggie share - salad greens and arugula studded with chopped kohlrabi, onion, pea pods (love 'em raw) plus peppers and avocado from the grocery store.

Followed by a fruit version, nothing more than a bowl of gorgeous berries (LaFinca raspberries) and ripe peach drizzled with just a bit of cream (yum). Colorful, filling, and delicious. I figured after pizza, beer, and sweet potato fries for dinner last night - ha! - I'd better moderate my bad self right on back to plenty of fruits and veggies today. Done!

Later: uff I'm tired, bone tired, too many late nights for me again, ack. Even after my uber-healthy lunch, I had to drag my sorry ass through a few kettlebell exercises and a walk through Lowry Hill. I came home and lay around watching Sex and the City (on demand) until I finally forced myself into the shower to perk up enough for tonight's hijinxing with my minxes. Man, it's been way too long! We're all just so busy! Not even cackling with Kim & Suz could wake me up (they're wiped too, what a trio we are, ha) so here I am, going to BED! G'night!