Citrus, Pomegranate and Mint Salad

Tu B’Shevat Citrus, Pomegranate, and Mint Salad

Serves 4-6 (recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed)

for the salad-

• 1 small head of lettuce, your favorite variety (Speckled, Romaine,Little Gem)
• 2 small Cara Cara oranges (or any available orange)
• 1 small blood orange (or any available orange)
• 2 tangerines
• ½ cup feta cheese, cubed small or crumbled
• ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

for the dressing-

• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Start by removing the peel and outer membrane from all of the citrus. Slice off the very top and bottom of the fruit. Next, cut the peel and outer membrane away from the flesh by standing the fruit on its bottom and carefully run the knife alongside the fruit, cutting away the peel one section at a time. Once you have cut away the peel, slice the citrus into half inch rounds. Alternatively, you can also fully supreme the fruit.

Lay the lettuce leaves down into your serving platter or bowl. If using large leaves of lettuce, slice the lettuce into smaller pieces. Lay the fruit on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and fresh mint. Season with a pinch of salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, honey and salt. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust according to your liking. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Chocolate Covered Cara Cara Oranges

This recipe is one of the easiest in my arsenal. It takes a modest investment of time and only 2 ingredients. You don't have to worry about exact measurements, and it's seasonally versatile.

Yes, these are simply oranges dipped in chocolate. That's it. However, when cut attractively, and when using the best possible fruit at the best possible time in that fruit's season with very very good chocolate, it's a stunning and delicious dessert. Also, it's always a crowd pleaser. Citrus is a great way to end a meal - especially in winter.

Cara cara oranges are at their peak right now. They're distinctively grapefruit-like in color on the inside, but with no bitterness and incredibly sweet and floral in flavor. I picked these up from Ken's Top Notch Produce stand at the Hollywood Farmers' market, but I've even seen Cara Cara's sold at Trader Joe's. Alternatively, you can use any citrus you like: tangerines, grapefruit (for that I omit the peel entirely when dipping in chocolate), pomelo, etc. You can also dip anything else in chocolate: strawberries, coconut, blackberries, pears, persimmons, and more.

The key is to be gentle with the chocolate when you heat it up - once it's melted take it off the heat and act fast. The second trick is to make sure the fruit isn't too damp or the chocolate won't stick. The third key is to lay the dipped chocolate flat on a lined baking sheet, and immediately chill the fruit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before you're ready to serve it.

Chocolate Covered Cara Cara Oranges

Serves 6

• 1-2 cups good quality dark or milk chocolate*

• 2 oranges, sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch thick circles and then into half moons

• flake salt, to taste**

Start by slicing your fruit. If you do not want to have your guests deal with the peel, you can also just peel and segment the orange, but I prefer the look of the slices. Lay the orange slices over a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Add the chocolate to a double boiler (or a metal bowl place on top of a pot of simmering water). Occasionally stir until chocolate is just melted. Turn off the heat, and carefully dip the orange slices so that they are halfway covered by the melted chocolate. Lay the dipped orange onto the lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt, if desired. Repeat until all of the oranges are dipped in chocolate.

* If using 2 cups of chocolate it will be easier to dip, but you might have extra chocolate at the end (sometimes I drizzle this over some cookies or other fruit). Also, for a glossier finish, you can add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the chocolate once it has just melted.
** I used Jacobsen Pinot Noir Flake Salt in this recipe. Alternatively you could sprinkle a little cayenne for heat, cinnamon for spice, or Turbinado sugar for extra sweetness

All Things Green Avocado Toast

Like many, I crave green fresh things at the start of the year. Even in LA it's dreary and cold, and fresh vegetables and leafy greens are very welcome after all of the rich food eaten over the holidays.

There are some food trends that are classics. I don't think I'll ever get tired of avocado toast. We're lucky to have so many good avocados in California year round. While I'm often homesick for the Pacific Northwest, avocados and other incredible produce are the things I love most about living here. Simple avocado on toast is perfect, but this is a gussied up version that takes little extra effort. Sometimes I like to start the day with a little extra time put into breakfast.

You don't really need a recipe, but here's one just in case. The idea is to add some fresh herbs, some protein in the form of pistachios, some spice with a little bit of thinly sliced jalapeno (optional), and a not of acid with lime zest and juice to this classic toast. There are endless variations and possibilities but I love the combo of creamy avocado paired with herbs, citrus, and nuts. Happy new year!

All Things Green Avocado Toast

Serves 1-2

• 2 large slices seeded multigrain or sprouted grain bread
• 1 avocado, sliced thin
• ¼ jalapeno, very thinly sliced
• 4 large basil leaves
• 4 chives
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons shelled roasted unsalted pistachio nuts, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lime zest, or to taste
• fresh lime juice, to taste
• extra virgin olive oil, drizzle to taste
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Start by toasting your bread slices. While the bread is toasting, prepare the other ingredients. Halve your avocado, and slice the avocado halves thin. Slice half a jalapeno pepper very thin. 

On a cutting board, pile the basil, chives, parsley and cilantro together. Roughly chop all of the herbs. Roughly chop the pistachios. 

Once your bread is toasted, top each slice with half of the avocado. Top the avocado with a few slices of jalapeno, if using. Top the jalapeno with your herb mixture. Top the herbs with chopped pistachios. Grate some fresh lime zest over each slice of toast. Squeeze lime juice over the toast.

Drizzle the olive oil over each slice. Finally, garnish the toast with salt and pepper, to taste.

Daikon and Potato Latke with Ponzu Dipping Sauce

My love of Japanese food led me to reconsider the traditional Hanukkah potato latke served with applesauce and sour cream. Don’t get me wrong, classic latkes are delicious, but sometimes I love a little variety on my holiday table. Traditional Japanese tempura is often served with citrusy Ponzu sauce and finely grated Daikon radish. The salty tangy Ponzu, accompanied with the fresh cool Daikon are as welcome to latkes as they are to lightly fried vegetables and fish. Adding Daikon to the batter as well makes these latkes a touch sweeter and lighter than their all-potato counterparts. Flavorful sharp scallion garnish the latkes and bring a touch of brightness to the final dish. 

The recipe can be halved, but you may want to even double it. These latkes will go fast!

Daikon and Potato Latkes with Ponzu Dipping Sauce

Makes 24-27 Latkes, Serves 8-10 (recipe can be easily halved or doubled)

for the latkes-

• 1½ lbs. (680 grams)  Russet potatoes, about 3-4 medium sized
• 1½  lbs. Daikon radish (680 grams)
• 1 large yellow or white onion
• 3 medium scallions, sliced fine
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup all purpose flour (can be substituted with all purpose gluten free flour)
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• peanut or vegetable oil, as needed

for the Ponzu sauce-

• ½ cup light soy sauce
• juice of 1 large orange, about ½ a cup
• juice of 1 lemon, about ¼ cup
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake, or to taste

for garnish-

• ½ lb. (230 grams) Daikon radish, peeled and finely grated
• sliced scallion, to taste

for the Ponzu sauce-

Start by making the Ponzu sauce. Add the soy sauce into a medium sized bowl. Juice the lemon and orange through a strainer over the bowl of soy sauce. Add the mirin and pepper flake, whisk until combined. Set aside and reserve.

Ponzu sauce can be made ahead and will keep up to 1 week in the fridge.

for the latkes-

Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C.

Peel and grate the potatoes, Daikon, and onion into a large bowl. Using a clean dish towel, squeeze the moisture out of the combined potatoes, Daikon and onion. This step ensures a crispy latke!

To a large bowl, add the potatoes, Daikon and onion. Add the sliced scallion, beaten eggs, flour and salt to the bowl. Mix until just combined.

Line a sheet pan with paper towels.

Add about ⅛-¼ inch of oil to a large heavy-bottomed skillet, cast iron is ideal. Over medium high heat, allow the oil to get hot. Test the oil with a small piece of potato. If it immediately starts to sizzle and bubble the oil is ready. Form the latkes into small thin patties. I make mine to fit the palm of my hand, but these can be as wide or small as you prefer.

Carefully add the latkes to the hot oil. Brown on one side for 2-3 minutes, flip and brown for another 2-3 minutes. Occasionally, rotate the pan or adjust the heat to ensure even browning and cooking. Like pancakes, the first batch is usually the worst, so don’t get discouraged. When browned and crispy on each side transfer the cooked latkes to the lined sheet pan and allow to rest.

Fry the latkes in batches, be careful not to crowd the pan. Add more oil as necessary to maintain a constant level. Adding more oil will drop the temperature, so adjust the heat as necessary.

Keep the latkes warm in the oven until ready to serve (remove paper towels from sheet pan). Serve warm and fresh!

for the garnish-

Using a microplane or the small size on a box grater, grate the Daikon radish. Thinly slice the scallion.

to serve-

Top each latke with the grated Daikon radish and sliced scallion. Serve alongside the Ponzu dipping sauce.

Tahini Cookies

I've been interested in these tahini cookies since I first saw them in Bon Appetit last November.  I love tahini, and I always keep a jar of the stuff on hand for dips and salad dressings. My personal favorite is the Whole Foods brand organic tahini; it runs about 6 dollars and lasts for many months in the fridge.

Having finally made these cookies, I think they're prettier looking, and nicer sounding than their actual taste. They're not bad, but they remind me a lot of Halvah (the sesame seed paste based dessert common across the Middle East). To be fair, I also tried to modify them a little. I used coconut oil instead of butter. I love the taste of butter, but I was interested to see if these cookies could be made vegan (they can). I also added some almond butter; I wanted more nut flavor and less flour. I think that modification actually worked pretty well, but it isn't necessary. 

Having said that, why am I posting them here? 1) To review it for the curious. 2) These are super easy cookies to make and bake 3) To suggest some un-tested modifications. At the end of the day, I love the idea of this. I love sesame seeds. I love a good nut-butter cookie. One of my favorites is a recipe my friend Kari showed me that is a flourless peanut butter cookie (peanut butter, eggs, sugar, that's about it). I am going to include the recipe below, but if I make these again I would probably make them with less flour and slightly less sugar, too.

If you don't like sesame flavor, skip this. These cookies live up to their name. They capture all that "tahini" taste and texture.

Tahini Cookies                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Recipe by Claire Saffitz for Bon Appetit (November, 2014) - With some very slight modifications

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (I omitted)

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup tahini

• 1/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter (or coconut oil)

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

• 1 tablespoons white sesame seeds (or substitute for all black sesame seeds)

• 2 tablespoons demerara or Turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Pulse flour, pine nuts, powdered sugar, tahini, butter, and salt in a food processor until dough forms a ball around blade. (I made this with my hands in a bowl.... it seemed to work totally fine).

Mix black sesame seeds and demerara sugar in a small bowl. Form dough into 1” balls and roll in sesame seed mixture. Place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spacing 2” apart, and flatten slightly. Bake cookies until lightly golden, 20–25 minutes.

Transfer to a rack and allow to fully cool before serving. Lasts 3-4 days in an air tight container. 

Cookbook Gift Guide

I have a long standing love affair with cookbooks. My first cookbook was a coloring cookbook for kids. It had simple recipes: hamburgers, spaghetti, eggs. I was obsessed with it. I wanted to try every recipe in the book. I colored in every page.

When I was in high school, a family friend knew how much I loved cooking and gifted me with some cookbooks she was getting rid of. I hit the jack pot. Her gift included Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking, The Professional Chef, The NY Times Cookbook, and more. 

That first gift was the start of an always growing and increasingly curated cookbook collection. I started to read cookbooks like novels, eagerly absorbing each recipe, image, personal anecdote, and cautionary tale. I love everything from old vintage cookbooks found at second hand stores and flea markets, to brand new books from chefs or authors I love and admire. My "cookbook bookshelf" is overflowing, and I have no problem with that. From Elizabeth David to Yotam Ottolenghi, from Dorie Greenspan to Suzanne Goin, from Nigella Lawson to Ina Garten, from James Beard to Julia Child - I love them all. 

Below is a list of some of my current favorites. These books have all been published in 2015, and I think they are great gifts for fellow cooks and/or cookbook lovers. There are many other cookbooks that came out in 2015 that I would like to read and haven't yet. I hope to soon, and may have to update this list accordingly. I'd also love to hear any cookbook suggestions (old or new!) 

Happy cooking!

Ruth Reichl - My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life

I LOVE this book. I already said I read cookbooks like novels, but this was never more true than when I read this book cover to cover over the course of a few days. I have always loved Reichl's prose, and I was a huge Gourmet fan, and this cookbook is the best of both worlds. The recipes are outstanding (I've already tried a few), and the writing that accompanies the recipes is equally compelling.

This book is an amazing gift for an avid home cook: someone that loves to be in the kitchen, discovering new techniques, flavors, and ideas.

Heidi Swanson - Near and Far

I've been a Heidi Swanson fan for years. She writes the beautiful blog, 101 Cookbooks, I covet every offering in her on-line store, her photography is outstanding, and her recipes inspire healthy cooking and seasonal eating. I love that her second cookbook is a travelogue - a glimpse into her worldly culinary discoveries, and the transformation of her pantry as a result. I was given this book by a dear friend, and am so grateful for the gift. 

This book is great for the healthy eater, the vegetarian/vegan, the world traveler, the farmers' market shopper, the friend that might splurge on a good bottle of olive oil or a Spanish-made pairing knife. That is all to say: this isn't for everyone, but for the right person this book is such a treat. 

Magnus Nilsson - The Nordic Cookbook

If you've ever watched Chef's Table on Netflix, or Mind of a Chef on PBS (also on Netflix), then you know about Magnus Nilsson and his incredible little restaurant in rural Sweden -Faviken. While I have never had the pleasure of eating his food, let alone traveling to Sweden, I became a big fan of Nilsson by hearing him talk about food, how he comes up with recipes, and his hyper-local and seasonal approach to cooking. It's clear that this is a person who is passionate about where he comes from, and the food that that place provides. He has a deep relationship to food as culture, and food as a means of connecting to land, family, and our own history. You may not think much about Nordic Cooking, you may not have a need for a nearly 800 page tome on the topic, but once you start delving into this book it's impossible not to become excited by the recipes. Mainly, this is a testament to Nilsson's writing. His voice comes through in every page. I have just begun reading the book, and I've already learned about how to cook an egg in a new way, the popularity of Tex Mex in Scandinavia, and the influence of Sephardic Jews on a particular kind of cookie, among other things. Nilsson is upfront: some recipes you will not be able to cook (they involve ingredients or techniques we might not have access to). Some recipes will not be bullet proof: cooking, even baking, is not an exact science - the same ingredients (eggs, milk, flour) differ wildly across countries and continents. This book is not trying to provide you with an easy cooking experience where every recipe is replicable. That's the not the point, and the book is better for it.

This book is excellent for the historian, the Nordic lover, the Chef's Table fan, the Magnus Nilsson fan, the cookbook collector, the hopeful adventurer, and the curious cook. This book is an investment at $50, but it's a generous stunning piece of research and writing.

Yotam Ottolenghi - Nopi: The Cookbook

If there's a such thing as a cookbook fan girl then I am one. Yotom Ottolenghi is at the very top of my list of greatest cookbook writers on the planet is. I own all of the his books, including the ones he co-authored with the equally admirable Sami Tamimi. His newest venture is co-authored with Ramael Scully, the chef of the London restaurant that offers the dishes documented in the book. Ottolenghi makes it clear from the start that this book includes recipes that are more ambitious than those written in his previous cookbooks: Plenty, Plenty More, Jerusalem, and Ottolenghi. The home cook still has a lot to work from, but many recipes require the kind of labor that most folks don't want to do outside of a professional set-up. That said, even if you're not cooking the recipes, they provide stunning inspiration. The photographs are incredible, the ideas are wholly original, and the writing is clear and accessible. I am already eagerly awaiting Ottolenghi's next cookbook. 

This book is for the ambitious chef, Yotam fan, lover of Asian and Middle Eastern fusion food, and serious cookbook collector.

Amelia Saltsman - The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen - A Fresh Take on Tradition

Amelia Satlsman lives here in Southern California, and is a long standing supporter and friend of local farmers' markets. In fact, she even wrote the wonderful Santa Moncia Farmers' Market Cookbook. This book is near and dear to my heart as it's about two of my favorite culinary topics. The recipes are inventive, colorful, bright, modern, and delicious. There are new takes on old dishes, and interesting ways to incorporate some unexpected produce and other ingredients (i.e. Tunisian Lemon Rind Salad). There are an abundance of vegetarian and even vegan options, and the recipes all feel easy and homey - perfect for entertaining during the holidays or otherwise. 

This book is wonderful for the modern Jewish cook, the farmers' market lover, the vegetarian, the Californian, the entertainer, the adventurous eater, and the welcoming home cook. 

Other books that deserve mentioning are: 

• NEW -  Crossroads - co-written by legendary cookbook author JoAnn Cianciulli. This is the cookbook from the beloved Los Angeles vegan restaurant. Great for any and all plant-based eaters.
• NEW-ISH -  Heritage - Sean Brock's masterpiece on Southern Cooking. This is a must-have for any cookbook lover.
• NEW CLASSIC - Plenty - If you only get one Yotam book, this should be it. I have given this book as a gift more times than I can count. All of the recipes are vegetarian, crowd-pleasers, well-written, and soooo good. 
• CLASSIC REMASTERED - At Elizabeth David's Table - Elizabeth David was/is as important to cooking in England as Julia Child was/is in America. I love her sassy voice, and clear recipe writing. So many gems in this book, not to mention gorgeous photography. 
• CLASSIC -  Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking  - Written by the incomparable Marcella Hazan. If you love cooking Italian food, this book IS essential. 

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart

Whether you're looking to make a substantial vegetarian dish for your Thanksgiving table, or whether you just love making savory tarts any time of year, this recipe is super easy, delicious, and endlessly modifiable.

Yes, it uses store bought puff pastry. In terms of pre-made things, puff pastry and phyllo dough are two of things I prefer to buy already made. They're complicated and time consuming pastry to make at home, and there are excellent versions of both at the market.

In the picture above I made the tart without egg and creme fraiche/sour cream. The egg and cream will bind the mushrooms a little better, but frankly, I didn't mind it with the mushrooms coming apart a bit. It tasted more mushroomy. If you do use the egg binder, then make sure you're mixture isn't too wet or your tart will get soggy.

If you're not a mushroom fan, you can take the same principles for making this tart, and make it with a combination of any other kind of filling: roasted squash and fennel, sautéed zucchini pepper and feta, potato leek... you get the idea. Basically, you want the filling to be mostly or partially cooked, so that you're really just putting the tart in the oven for the pastry's sake.

You can check out a video of this recipe on our Thanksgiving Pies series over at The Assembly Line . You can also follow us on Instagram or Facebook for weekly recipes and videos.

Mushroom Goat Cheese Tart

Makes one tart, serves 6-8

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced thin
• 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced thin (crimini, oyster, hen of the woods, chanterelles or
• whatever is available)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced fine
• splash of sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream (or creme fraiche)
• 1 medium egg
• ⅓ cup goat cheese, crumbled (or to taste)
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cold
• chopped chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, add the butter and olive oil. Add the sliced shallots to the butter and oil. Stir and let the shallots heat up for 2 minutes, until just fragrant and slightly softened. Add the mushrooms to the shallots, and cook until the mushrooms are softened and the moisture has evaporated, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and sherry vinegar to the pan and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and allow the mushrooms to fully cool.

In a small bowl combine the sour cream and egg until the egg is fully incorporated. Add the sour cream mixture to the cooled mushroom mixture in the bowl, stir until fully combined.

Roll out your puff pastry so that it is larger in size than a large dinner plate. Using the dinner plate upside down as a stencil, cut a circle out of the puff pastry. Using a smaller salad plate, gently score an inner circle inside of the larger puff pastry circle. Using a fork, gently poke the inner circle of the puff pastry.

To assemble the tart- Add the mushroom mixture to the inner circle of pastry. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms, any extra liquid can remain in the bowl. Top with goat cheese and thyme. Brush the outer edges of the pastry with egg wash.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is browned and fully cooked.  Once fully cooked, top with fresh chives. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pear, Rosemary and Goat Cheese Crostata

I never tire of making crostata's and galettes (as is obvious on this blog). I love that they can be sweet or savory, or walk the line between sweet or savory. I also love that the pastry is simple, with very little wait time. And most importantly, it's a great way to use up some extra ripe fruit.

This pear and goat cheese crostata walks the line between sweet and savory. It's great as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee (or glass of wine!), or sliced into small wedges as an appetizer at a dinner party. It could also be a dessert, if you're into serving something not too sweet. Also, add more sugar, it will be sweeter. Take away the goat cheese, it will be less savory. The rosemary adds such a nice hit of green and aromatic flavor with or without cheese. If you don't have rosemary, try something else: thyme, black pepper, tarragon, or maybe even marjoram. 

If you don't have a food processor, you can even make the crostata dough by hand (and it's arguably better that way). A food processor helps if you're nervous about mixing it all up evenly and well. Also, good butter helps. This is a good place to splurge on a nicer brand as there really aren't too many ingredients in this pastry. For flour, I prefe King Arthur brand, for its high protein content, but any kind will do. And if you don't want dairy, you could use a quality vegan margarine (like Earth Balance) in the dough; it will make the pastry a little saltier (so omit any additional salt), and it's not quite as great as butter, but it 100% works. 

And lastly, the pears. You want good pears. I like them in this dish when they're really ripe. Even a little bruised is ok. If they're too hard the tart doesn't bake as evenly. You use Bosc, Anjou, or whatever you can get your hands on that's good at the market. You don't need to peel them, and they add such a nice pop of color. 

Pear, Rosemary and Goat Cheese Crostata

Serves 4

For the pastry-

• 1¼  cup all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 3 tablespoons ice cold water

• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

• turbinado or raw sugar, for sprinkling

For the filling-

• 2 pears (about 1 lbs / 450 grams), ripe but still firm, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

• 2 tablespoons honey, plus more for garnish (local honey)

• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

• juice of ½ a lemon

• 4 oz. fresh goat cheese

To a food processor, add the flour sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to combine the mixture. Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients, pulse until pea-sized pieces of dough are formed. Alternatively, you can use your hands or a pastry cutter to combine the dry ingredients with the butter.

To the dough, add the apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Pulse until the dough comes together into a ball but is not too wet. It should stick together between your fingers when squeezed. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

While your dough is chilling, prepare the fruit and cheese. To a bowl, add the sliced pear, sugar, honey, rosemary, and lemon juice.

Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C)

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. The dough should roll out to about 12-13 inches in diameter, or about ½ an inch thick. The edges do not have to be perfect. Leaving a 1.5-2 inch border, pile the sliced pears into the middle of the crust. Dollop the goat cheese over the top of the pears. Fold the edges of dough over the pears.

Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle the Turbinado or raw sugar over the brushed dough. Transfer the crostata with the parchment paper onto a baking sheet.

Bake the crostata for 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the pears are tender. If the crust starts to brown too much before the pears are cooked, cover the the exposed crust with foil. Drizzle a little honey over the hot crostata. Slice and serve warm or room temp.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie

I've recently been a part of  launching a new stop-motion digital How-To series called Assembly Line. We started out making sandwiches, and now we're  launching our Thanksgiving videos. We're doing a series on pies, both savory and sweet, to celebrate fall's best day.

I've never been the biggest fan of pumpkin pie, even though I love pumpkin and I love the spices that go into it. Most of the pumpkin pies I've had or made are a little too one-note or too bland for me. When we started thinking about doing a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, we knew we wanted to do something a little different.

The inspiration for this recipe is the beloved (controversially?) ubiquitous "Pumpkin Spice Latte." If people could love a drink this much, maybe coffee was this missing flavor in the pie? 

Adding just a small amount of espresso to the mix adds a note of depth and complexity to the pie. Have you ever added instant espresso to chocolate cake or brownies? It enriches the chocolate favor. Here, it enriches the overall flavor and you can taste a hint of the nutty bitter coffee been. I also add the espresso to the whipped cream. I love the flavor of coffee, and it definitely enhances the whipped cream, but it's not essential if you don't want too much coffee in your dessert. Although,  it helps liven things up after a rich heavy meal.

Different pumpkin pie recipes use different types of ingredients. A lot include sweetened condensed milk, but I often find those recipes too sweet. Some use just milk, some use cream, and here I'm using both milk and cream, in addition to some of the other familiar ingredients. The resulting texture is silky and smooth. For me, this pie has the right density; it's not too flimsy and not too firm. This is my new go-to pumpkin pie recipe, and I hope you enjoy it, too.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie

for the crust-

• 1¼ cup all purpose flour (I like King Arthur Brand)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons ice cold water

for the filling-

• 1¾ (15 oz.) cups pure unsweetened pumpkin purée
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1-2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (1 or 2 depending on desired intensity, I use Medaglia D'oro brand)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• few gratings of fresh nutmeg (about an ⅛ teaspoon)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ⅓ cup milk (I use whole, but any kind works)
• 3 large eggs

for the espresso whipped cream-

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).

for the crust- To a food processor, add the flour sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to combine the mixture. Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients, pulse until pea-sized pieces of dough are formed.  (You can use a pastry cutter or just your hands to combine the butter if you do not have a food processor).

To the dough, add the apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Pulse until the dough comes together but is still crumbly and not too wet. It should stick together between your fingers when squeezed, if it doesn’t add another tablespoon of water. Roll the dough into a disc that’s about an inch thick - this will make it easier to roll out into a circular shape. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.  

Onto a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough out until you have a 12-inch even circle. Carefully transfer the dough into a 9-inch pie tin. Lightly press the dough into the pan. Trim any overhanging crust. Decoratively crimp the edges of the crust with your fingers, or you can decorate the edges with the tines of a fork.

for the filling- Combine the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, granulated sugar, espresso powder, salt and spices in a large bowl. Whisk in the cream and milk, then whisk in the eggs. Pour filling into prepared pie crust.

bake the pie- Place the pie in the oven for 15 minutes at 400°F. After 15 minutes, lower the heat to 350°F and bake for 35-45 more minutes (it's super important to start off at a high temp and then lower - if you stay at 400 the crust will get burnt and the filling won't cook properly), or until a toothpick inserted into the batter comes out mostly pumpkin-free. A little pumpkin and dampness is fine, but you do not want super loose pumpkin batter on it. Also, you will be able to tell if the pumpkin is done by the amount it jiggles in the pan. You only want the slightest wobble in the center of the pie.

If the crust starts to get too brown, you can cover the crust edges with aluminum foil and continue to cook the filling.

Once cooked, let the pie cool on a rack completely. Refrigerate once the pie has cooled, and serve either cool or at room temp.

for the espresso whipped cream- While the pie is cooling, prepare the whipped cream. Combine all of the ingredients in a large cool bowl. Using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat everything together until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip your cream.

to serve- Top the pie with the espresso whipped cream. Garnish with ground cinnamon and/or more espresso powder. Slice and serve!

Quick Pickled Grapes

People often thinking of pickling as a daunting task. It can involve sterilizing mason jars, extended wait times, and washing and cutting huge batches of vegetables or fruits. I love pickled things, and I love the craft of food preservation. But one of the things I love most about pickles is their flavor: briny acidic notes that wake up your taste buds with tang and oomph. A quick pickling process can achieve great flavor when you don't as much time or patience.

I'll never say no to a classic dill pickle, but I've also fallen in love with pickled fruits.  Fruits are perfect for pickling; their sweetness allows for that sweet/sour combination of flavor that is so complex and satisfying. From watermelon to peaches, strawberries to plums, there are so many options. It all depends on the season and what's available. In fall, I love to quick pickle grapes. I'll serve them as an accompaniment to a cheese platter, or thinly sliced in a salad (with hearty greens, toasted almonds, ricotta salata, and a good vinaigrette). They're sweet and acidic, aromatic and crisp.

A few notes: You definitely taste the garlic in these grapes. If that's not a flavor you're into, skip the clove of garlic. If you can't get your hands on pink peppercorn, you can skip that ingredient or just add more black peppercorn. In fact, you can skip a lot of the spices. They key elements are vinegar, salt, and sugar - the rest is up to you. I use this brine for lots of pickles. Aside from grapes, I also love it for shallots or red onion. A pickled onion is a great addition to sandwiches, salads, or as a topping for grilled meats.

These quick pickled grapes are easy to make and look great on a plate. They're not for long-term preserving, but they'll do great in the fridge for a week or so (they'll develop more pickle flavor the longer they cure). And you can easily swap out the grapes for another fall fruit: like persimmon or late autumn plums

Quick Pickled Grapes

• 1 lb. red seedless grapes (about 4 cups)
• 1½  cups white wine vinegar
• ½ cup water
• juice of 1 orange
• 3 strips orange zest
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ tablespoon pink peppercorn
• ½ tablespoon black peppercorn
• 5 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 garlic clove

Trim the tops off of the grapes. This will allow the pickling brine to fully penetrate and flavor the grape. Place the grapes in a heatproof mason jar or bowl. 

In a small pot, bring the vinegar, water, orange juice and zest, salt, sugar, peppercorn, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick to a boil.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the salt and sugar has fully dissolved, and all of the flavors have melded together. Pour the brine mixture over the grapes.

Transfer the grapes to a jar or air tight container. Let the grapes marinade for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight in the fridge. Grapes will keep for up to one week in the fridge.

Warm Marinated Olives

It feels like it's officially the beginning of entertaining season. Between now and New Year's, and all of the holidays in between, there always seems to be a lot of getting together and sharing meals with friends.

When hosting parties big or small, I love to follow Ina Garten's entertaining advice. She always advocates serving appetizers or small bites that involve very little time to prepare and very little cooking. She recommends planning and hosting parties in a way in which you can actually enjoy the party without stressing about the food. Within this framework there are still lots of ways that you can satisfy your guests (and impress them - if that's what you're going for :) Ina will serve antipasto platters loaded with great store bough charcuterie and marinated vegetables of different sorts. I've seen her go as simple as serving up shards of good Parmesan cheese. For me, I am always a fan of a cheese plate. I like crudités and dips. I'll even keep it really simple and just do GOOD quality tortilla chips and great salsa. I might spend a little more money on a few very good items, as opposed to buying and making a wide variety of things.

One of my favorite appetizers are warm marinated olives. They take very little work, but still involve a small amount of special preparation and care, which makes them taste like something special.

Start by getting your favorite kind of olives. I like to get them from an olive bar as opposed to canned or jarred, if possible. Then you add them to a skillet with a little olive oil and your favorite flavorings. It doesn't take much - a clove of garlic, zests of lemon, a few chilies, thyme, a pinch of fennel seeds, a little rosemary... there are a lot of possibilities. I make them just before guests arrive and they can be served warm or room temp. The marinade brightens up the olives and takes some of their store-bought dullness away. The oil that's left over is great to dip a crusty baguette into, too.

Warm Marinated Olives

• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 big sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 large strips of lemon zest (removed with a vegetable peeler, avoiding the bitter white pith)
• pinch of chili flakes (optional)
• 2 cups olives

Over medium-low heat, slowly heat up the rosemary, lemon and chili flakes in a sauté pan. After a few minutes, or once you can start smelling the lemon and rosemary release their oils, add the olives to the pan. Gently toss or stir the olives in the pan, and heat them completely through, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Skillet Rosemary Flatbread with Pan-Roasted Grapes, Burrata, and Saba

Grapes are at their peak in fall, and in California they're still abundant at the farmers' markets. From Concord, to Crimson seedless, to Red Globe, and more. 

I love incorporating grapes into my cooking, particularly in savory dishes: adding them to pan-seared and roasted chicken dishes, or braises of sausages in the oven. They are also great quick pickled as a side for cheeses (recipe coming soon). And they're really lovely baked into different kinds of breads.

In the homemade bread category, flatbread is one of the easiest recipes. The rising time is an hour or less, you don't need any fancy machines or gadgetry, and the cook time is under 10 minutes. This flatbread gets topped with skillet pan-roasted grapes, buttery burrata, and rich syrupy saba. 

Burrata is a fresh cheese made of mozzarella and cream; you can find it pretty easily now, and they even carry it at Trader Joe's. It can be a little pricier than mozzarella (which is a perfectly good substitute if you can't find burrata), but it's also richer, creamier and arguably more delicious. For me, it's a special occasion cheese, and one I like to serve when I'm entertaining.

Saba is an Italian syrup made out of cooked down grape must. It's sweet, dark, molasses-y and still has the acidic quality of a very good vinegar. I have been able to find it at Whole Foods and gourmet food stores, but if you can't find it, balsamic reduction (which you can make or by) is a perfectly great substitute. If all else fails, a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar will do, too. Pomegranate molasses could be lovely as well. 

You can also top your flatbread with any other kind of topping you like (tomatoes and basil, pesto and pine nuts, etc.) Or you can serve it plain with a dip. 

I originally developed this recipe for a project about vineyards around the country during harvest season. We were working on dishes that would pair well with wines, and that might be nice for casual entertaining. All of the dishes were made simple enough that they could even be prepared outdoors (over a portable butane burner). This dish felt especially perfect for fall, as an appetizer or afternoon treat with a good glass of wine. Enjoy!

Skillet Rosemary Flatbread with Pan-Roasted Grapes, Burrata, and Saba

Makes 2 large flatbreads

for the flatbread-

• 1 packet dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup warm water (no more than 115°F)
• 3½ cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided plus more for the pan
• 1 egg, beaten

for the topping-

• olive oil
• 2 cups grapes, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed from stem
• kosher salt
• 2 balls of burrata
• saba, for drizzling (or you can substitute with balsamic vinegar reduction)

Dissolve 1 packet of yeast, and 1 teaspoon of  sugar in 1 cup of warm water. Let the water and yeast mixture stand for 10 minutes, until bubbly and frothy. Add 3½ cups of bread flour to a large bowl. To the flour add 2 tablespoons sugar,1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary. Combine everything together. 

Make a well in the flour. Into the well add 1 beaten egg, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the yeast mixture. Combine the dough together with your hands until everything is incorporated. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a bowl, place the dough into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, prepare the pan-roasted grapes.

To a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat, add a generous drizzle of olive oil. To the oil add the halved grapes, smashed garlic, fresh rosemary, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook the grapes, stirring occasionally as they cook, until they are browned and softened, about 10 minutes.

Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch down the dough a few times. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out each half of dough into a thin circle, about ¼-inch thick.

On medium heat, heat the same cast-iron pan. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is hot, place the rolled-out dough into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until both sides are golden brown.

Repeat the process with the second half of the dough.

When both flatbreads are browned, top them with the pan-roasted grapes, fresh burrata, and a drizzle of saba. Slice and serve!

Peach and Plum Crostata

I never get tired of making crostatas (also sometimes called galettes). They're basically pies... except they're free-form, less dense, and require no blind baking or much fuss.

Due to the warm and dry winter, stone fruit season arrived early in Southern California. I want to take full advantage of everything peach, plum, pluot, apricot and cherry while the season is still here. Of course, the fruit is perfect to eat just as it is... but somehow when I use stone fruit for baking I feel like I'm really doing the season justice.

This recipe makes really flaky not too sweet pastry. The fruit is great, but honestly the crust is my favorite part of the dessert (but I am a pastry and baked-good fiend). I don't like my filling too sweet, but if you prefer a sweeter fruit you can add 1/4 cup of sugar instead of 2-3 tablespoons. Also, taste your fruit. Some stone fruit is sweeter, some is pretty tart. Mine were on the sour side, and I don't mind that too much, but next time I want a slightly sweeter fruit to start with. The natural flavor of the fruit can't be masked when it is baked: a sweet fruit will be sweeter, and a sour fruit will stay pretty tart. Also, if you find that you have those dry mealy flavorless peaches and plums they won't really get much better when they are baked. This is a simple dish so each ingredient should be the best it can be.

This is the perfect sweet thing to serve on a day when summer is coming, but it's still not too hot to bake. Or... suffer the heat, just make sure to serve yourself a slice with a big scoop of cold vanilla ice cream.

Peach and Plum Crostata

makes 2 crostatas

recipe can be halved - each crostata serves 6-8 (depending on slice size preference)

for the crust-

2½ cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks), very cold diced into cubes

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, very cold

4-6 tablespoons ice water

1 egg yolk

1 splash of water

for the fruit filling-

1½ lbs. (about 9-10 small) plums or pluots, pitted and cut into equal sized slices

1 lb. peaches (about 4 medium) peaches, pitted and cut into equal sized sliced

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2-3 tablespoons turbinado sugar plus more for garnish, depending on preference and how sweet the fruit is

1 tablespoon honey, plus more for garnish

zest of 1 organic lemon (if you're using the zest, organic is important)

juice of ½ a lemon

2 tablespoons butter, divided

for the crust-

In a food processor or using a whisk and a bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar together. To the dry ingredients add

the cubed butter, pulse until pea-sized pieces of dough are formed. Or, use a pastry cutter and combine the butter and flour mixture until the same pea-sized pieces of dough are formed.

To the dough, add the apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Pulse in the food processor, or mix with your hands, until the dough comes together but is not too wet. It should look kind of crumbly but will easily stick together between your fingers when squeezed. Transfer the dough onto a lightly flour dusted clean flat surface. Divide the dough in half. Form the dough into two equal-sized disks (flatter disks are easier to roll out than balls of dough). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour (two to three hours is ideal). 

for the filling-

Slice the stone fruit so that they are all roughly the same thickness. Transfer the fruit to a large bowl and add the flour, sugar, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Lightly toss the mixture; be careful not to break the fruit.

assemble and bake-

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the racks on the top and bottom third parts of the oven.

Place parchment paper on a flat surface and lightly dust it with flour (the parchment paper will help you transfer the dough onto a baking sheet - I usually do this and forgot this time and it was fine just trickier). Roll out one of your disks into a large circle about 13-14 inches in diameter, and about 1/2 an inch thick. The edges do not have to be perfectly round. It can actually be prettier if the edges are slightly broken and uneven.

Fill the center of the rolled out dough with half of the fruit filling mixture. Dot the top of the fruit mixture with little bits of butter (about 1 tablespoon per crostata). Leave a 2-3 inch border of dough around the fruit.

Fold the border of dough over the fruit (see below). Again, this doesn't have to be perfect... you just want the dough to fold over and cover part of the fruit. Transfer the finished crostata onto a baking sheet (line with parchment paper if you didn't roll the dough out onto to begin with). Repeat the process with the second disc of dough, and the rest of the fruit filling. Transfer the crostata onto a second baking sheet.

Make an egg wash by beating together 1 large egg yolk with a splash of water. Brush the egg yolk onto the dough. Sprinkle more turbinado sugar (or any coarse sugar) onto the the brushed dough.

Place both sheet pans into the oven. After 20 minutes, rotate and switch the sheet pans so the top crostata moves to the bottom and the bottom crostata bakes at the top. Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the crostatas are golden brown and the fruit is tender. If the crust starts to brown too much before the fruit is cooked, cover the the exposed crust with foil. 

Once baked, drizzle a little honey over the fruit-exposed part of the hot crostata. Slice and serve warm or at room temp.

Roasted Cauliflower Leaves

Can we talk about cauliflower leaves for a second?

Historically, I've thrown them out, or when I'm mindful added them to a stock pot. I've never been served them at a restaurant. I've never had a friend cook them for me. But a while back after reading enough Dan Barber, Tamar Adler, Deborah Madison, and Alice Waters I started to think about cooking cauliflower leaves.

One of the women who worked at the farmers market stand where I buy cauliflower and I talked about roasting the leaves... she always does it and she described how they turn kind of "marshmallowy" when cooked. The thick stems do have this amazing soft texture when roasted, and they are rich and sweet in flavor. But the leaves! They get crispy, peppery, and brown and taste better than any kale "chip" I've ever had.

You can roast them alongside the cauliflower (I like cutting the cauliflower into neat flat cross-sections about 1/4-1/2-inch thick, as opposed to florets... they caramelize beautifully and evenly this way - see above photo). Or you can roast them separately. If roasted together you should keep an eye on the leafy parts... the leaves cook more quickly than the florets. You may need to remove them from the pan while the rest of the cauliflower cooks... but also burnt leaves are kind of the best.

For these to taste delicious all they need is salt, pepper, and a generous amount of oil.

Roasted Cauliflower & Roasted Cauliflower Leaves

however much cauliflower you like, leaves still on heads

or

cauliflower leaves independently of the cauliflower they hailed from

generous drizzles of olive oil or melted coconut oil

generous sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut up your cauliflower and cauliflower leaves into even-sized pieces. You can do these at any thickness or size... but you want them as even as possible so that they all roast at the same rate.

On a parchment lined-sheet pan (or two) evenly spread out the cauliflower/cauliflower leaves. Make sure they are not too crowded and they'll brown better that way. Generously drizzle them with your preferred oil. Toss with your hands. You want them to be evenly coated with the oil, glistening. Generously season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Check on them, flip them over, rotate the pan and let them roast until they are golden brown, roughly another 5-10 minutes (it depends on your cauliflower so check on it every 5 minutes or so. Serve immediately or even at room temp.

Simple Salted Butter Cookies

Remember those Danish sugar cookies that come in the blue tins? I haven't had them in forever, but they were THE staple cookie of my childhood. My parents and my grandparents often had them on hand for a sweet treat and their tins were always repurposed into excellent storage containers. I liked the crinkly paper that contained the different shapes of cookies that all tasted exactly the same. I never thought much of them because they were so unassuming and plain, but before I'd know it I'd eat ten of them. They were addictively satisfying in their simplicity.

That's the inspiration for these cookies. I just wanted to make a cookie that had almost no frills and tasted mostly of butter. Good butter.

If you've made pie crust from scratch then this recipe will feel familiar. If you have never made pie dough, this recipe is still on the easy end of the baking spectrum. A food processor helps the cause, but a pastry cutter or hands will work too.

The key for simple dishes is that all of the ingredients should be great. For these cookies you'll want to invest in very good butter above all else. A nice fleur de sel, sel gris, or flake salt would be helpful, too. And that's it... anyway, there are only about 5 ingredients in this cookie. It's the perfect recipe for when you're in a baking mood but not in a going-to-the-store-to-get-what-you-need mood.

These buttery crumbly crisp things are especially perfect dunked into a hot beverage. Good strong black tea or coffee with a drop of cream.

Salted Butter Cookies

Adapted from

Dorie Greenspan's

Salted Butter Breakups

 recipe

Makes 22-24 cookies, depending on size (or one sheet-pan's worth)

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup vanilla sugar or regular granulated sugar (I throw discarded vanilla bean pods into a jar and fill it with sugar. Voila! Vanilla sugar is born and used all the time)

• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (I like the texture of this - it's usually coarser - and I like it in baking. You can use 100% vanilla sugar, 100% cane sugar, 100% regular sugar)

• 1 teaspoon flake salt or sel gris (gray salt), or flake salt, or 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold good quality unsalted butter, small cubed

• 3-5 tablespoons ice cold water

• 1 cold egg yolk + a few drops of cold water beaten together

• Turbinado sugar to sprinkle on in the end (optional)

In a food processor (or using a whisk), pulse the flour, sugars, and salt together.

Cube the butter into small chunks and drop them into the processor. Pulse a few times until the pea-sized clusters form. You want this pretty coarse so that you don't overwork the butter. Small chunks of butter will be visible in the finished dough. If you don't have a food processor, you can combine the butter and flour mixture using a pastry cutter, or you can even use your hands.

Add the cold water to the food processor one tablespoon at a time and pulse again. Pulse until the mixture sticks together when you press it with your hands (or using your hands to combine if you're skipping the FP). Only pulse to combine everything. Again, don't overmix or your dough will be tough and gross instead of crumbly and wonderful.

Transfer your mixture to a flat surface. Form it into a large disc or ball (flatter round disks are easier to roll out later). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Here's where patience is a virtue: refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You could keep it in the fridge for hours before you're ready to use it, but definitely you need at least one solid hour of chilling.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly dust a flat surface with flour. Roll the dough out until it is 1/4-1/3-inch in thickness. Using a fork, run the tines of the fork into long stripes in the dough. I go in one direction and then I do the second direction after. I like a crisscross shape (see cookie above). This step is so optional... it's mostly for aesthetics but it is also nice texturally. You can go pretty deep, the dough will rise and the lines fade as it bakes.

Cut out the cookies and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. I used a square cookie cutter, but you can use any size/shape/style cookie cutter you'd like. Alternatively, you could cut it into squares using a knife.

Beat together one cold egg yolk with a few cold drops of water. Using a pastry brush, lightly (!) brush the tops of the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle the cookies with Turbinado sugar (or coarse sugar) if you like that kind of thing. You can skip this step and it will be fine. You can also sprinkle with a tiny bit more salt if you're into saltier cookies.

Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch carefully, ovens vary and you don't want them to get too dark/browned. Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack and let them fully cool. The texture will be better once they're room temp.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days (or longer if you can make them last that long).

Easy Homemade Vegetable Stock

There's nothing like homemade stock. That boxed kind from the store is certainly useful, and can be a necessary evil, but it usually just makes me disappointed with its sad, dull and muted flavors. Of the store bought stocks I've often found that veg stock is the worst in terms of flavor. The brands wildly differ in taste, and some of them are just straight up bad.

I think making stock seems daunting, but while it take a few hours of simmering it's pretty much one of the easiest things to make and the pay off is huge.

The other bonus of stock is that it can utilize a lot of the odds and ends of veggies that you normally throw out (or compost?). I hate seeing bags of green things go into the trash. When I'm prepping veggies during the week, I keep a bag of trimmings and stuff I know I won't use: leek tops, cauliflower ends (not the leaves which are great to eat), carrot ends, parsley stems without the leaves, green onion roots, celery leaves, veggies that are a little wilted and past their prime. I keep a lot of those guys in one bag and at the end of the week I fill a pot with water and dump the veggies into the pot. I also usually add a few whole onions or shallots with the skin still on too. Onion skin gives stocks a lovely rich brown color.

Basically, stock is about throwing a bunch of stuff in a pot, letting it simmer in a lot of water for hours, or until the stock reduces by half so that the flavor gets concentrated and yummy, and then you strain it using a mesh strainer (or cheese cloth if you're fancy).

Once the stock is done, I store some in the fridge for immediate use, but I also like to keep mine in pint size freezer-safe glass mason jars labeled with the type of stock and the date. Then I take them out and defrost as necessary. Stock keeps for about 3-4 months in the freezer and about 1 week in the fridge.

Also, while you're making stock, if there are some veggies you want to blanch that day, you can throw them into the pot too. They'll add extra flavor to the stock, and the stock will add extra flavor to them. It's a win a win for all the veggies involved (see pic of cabbage below).

And, the smell of simmering stock on the stove always makes everything feel cozier and like delicious things are on their way...

Easy Way to Clean Out the Fridge and Use Up Veg Scraps Stock
Makes half of whatever amount of water you add

• 1-2 onions, cut in half with peel still on
• 1-2 shallots (if you have them), cut in half with peel still on
• 2-3 celery stalks with leaves
• 2 carrots, or a bunch of carrot ends 
• Any of the following: fennel outside layers (or whole fennel), leek tops (or whole leeks), parsley or parsley stems, dill stems, garlic, cabbage, 10-12 crimini or shitake mushrooms (will make richer browner stock), green beans (in moderation), parsnip ends (or whole)... pretty much any veggie you like... beets will make everything pink so I usually don't use that. Also broccoli florets are too strong of a taste for me, but sometimes I include the stalk which I find doesn't have the same broccoli-ish taste...  but play around and see what you like...
• 3-4 quarts water
• salt to taste - I only throw in a few big  pinches so that I can control sodium levels later when I use the stock

Fill a large stock pot with water (at least 3 quarts/12 cups). Throw all of your vegetables into the pot.
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1.5-2 hours, or until the liquid reduces by half. Once simmered and reduced, strain the stock through a fine-meshed sieve, or a cheesecloth-lined sieve.

Use immediately or store for later use.

Baklava

I first learned to make baklava my freshman year of college. It was spring. It was Portland. The days were starting to get longer and warmer, and I was head over heels for a guy I had just started dating.

He was a senior and he lived off-campus in a one bedroom apartment in an old building in the heart of SE Portland. His apartment had hardwood floors, vintage furniture, and string instruments hanging on the walls like art. Compared to my dorm room, his home seemed like a dream. This was 2001 and hipster, foodie and Portlandia weren't things people talked about yet, but he may or may not have embodied all three.

The first night he invited me over to his place he played a record with Yusef Lateef’s cover of Eric Satie's First Gymnopedie. I had never heard of either musician. The room, the music, and the easy conversation seduced me. We sat late into the night talking and playing records and at some point he asked me if I wanted a hibiscus tea. He brewed the tea in a small pot on the stove, mixing dried hibiscus flowers, tea leaves, honey and then pouring it into two mugs topped with a little vodka. At that point in my 18 years of limited worldly experiences I had never met anyone quite like him.

One night, he asked me if I would help him make baklava. Even then, I never turned down an opportunity to cook. We chopped up a mix of almonds and walnuts, we blended together cinnamon and sugar, we melted butter and carefully brushed it over individual layers of phyllo dough, and then we made a syrup to pour onto the baklava when it came out of the oven. The kitchen smelled like toasted buttery pastry, cinnamon and sweetness.

Soon after that night he graduated and moved away. We lost touch. I never wrote down the recipe and I have no idea who gave the recipe to him. But somehow, I always remembered how to make baklava and made it many times from that day on.

A few months ago a friend asked me to bring some baklava back from Israel and I told him I could just make him some instead. I hadn't made baklava in 5 or 6 years, but the important parts of the recipe easily came back to me and the rest I figured out or changed to my liking. This time I wrote the recipe down.

...

About baklava... it's hard to mess up, but it does has a lot of little steps. It's similar to making lasagna; it's all about layering. Traditionally baklava is made with some combination of almonds, pistachios and or walnuts. I'm using a mix of almonds and pecans because I love both of their flavors. Almonds are crunchier and pecans have a caramel-like nuttiness and softer texture that I love. You can use any combination you like.

Baklava

for the baklava-

1 16 oz. package phyllo dough, (also spelled filo and fillo), defrosted*

1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted

1½ cups almonds, chopped fine

1½ cups pecans (or walnuts or pistachios), chopped fine

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice (optional)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

pinch of salt

for the syrup-

1 cup of sugar

⅓ cup of water

1 cinnamon stick

pinch of salt

¼ teaspoon of rosewater (optional -it's a very strong flavor, but often used in the Middle East)

¼ cup honey

Note about the dough - Phyllo dough is generally sold frozen in 1 lb. boxes. You can find it at most grocery stores near the frozen pie crusts. Allow the dough to fully defrost before using. I do this by leaving it on the kitchen counter for 5-8 hours before using (depending on how hot it is that day). If you are an amazing superstar cook and make phyllo from scratch I am humbled and impressed... but this is one of those things I feel ok about buying pre-made.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a 9" x 13" baking dish with parchment paper.

Prepare all of the ingredients for assembling the baklava:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.

2. Chop the nuts. These should be chopped pretty fine but it doesn't have to be perfect. If you chop by hand the baklava will be less heavy/dense. If you don't feel like chopping that much you can use a food processor to break up the nuts into small pieces by pulsing a bunch of times until the nuts are chopped fine. Transfer the nuts to a bowl.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and a generous pinch of salt.

4. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture to the nut mixture. Stir until combined.

5. Lay out the phyllo dough on a clean surface. Cut it into two halves crosswise (each half will be about the dimensions of your baking dish). Stack the two halves on top of each other and cover them with a slightly damp towel. Phyllo dries out fast, and a damp towel will prevent this. Keep the phyllo covered between layers so that it never dries out as you assemble the dish.

Now you are ready to assemble:

1. Using a pastry brush, brush the parchment with melted butter. Place a piece of phyllo into the bottom of the dish. Brush that piece with butter. Remember to keep the stack of phyllo covered with the damp towel as you're doing this.

2. Place another layer of phyllo on top of the first buttered layer. Brush the second layer with butter. Repeat the process until you have stacked 10 buttered layers of phyllo.

3. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture over the top layer of phyllo dough.

4. Sprinkle a cup of the nut mixture over the sugar.

5. Drizzle a few tablespoons of butter over the nut layer.

6. Place another piece of phyllo dough over the nuts and brush with butter. Layer that piece of phyllo with 3 more layers (4 total).

7. Add 2-3 more tablespoons of sugar mixture and 1 more cup of nuts. Drizzle with butter. Add 4 more layers of buttered phyllo.

8. Add 2-3 more tablespoons of the sugar mixture and the last cup of nuts. Top with 6 final layers of individually buttered phyllo.

9. Cut the phyllo before placing it in the oven. Make sure the knife goes through every layer. It's very important to cut at this stage because after it's baked the phyllo will become crumbly, paper thin, and difficult to cut cleanly. Here is how I cut mine:

Place the baklava in the oven on the center rack and bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.

While the baklava is baking, make the syrup.

1. Add the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of salt to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the sugar has fully melted. 

2. Once the sugar has melted take the syrup off the stove. Add the rosewater (a little goes a lonnnng way) and honey to the syrup. Stir and reserve until the baklava is fully baked.

Finish the baklava..

1. Drizzle the syrup evenly over the baklava while it is still hot. Once the baklava cools down to room temp, cover the baking dish.

2. Let the finished baklava rest at room temp for at least 8 hours or overnight. The longer it sits the better... it needs time to soak up the syrup.

3. To serve, I like to place each piece into a muffin tin liner... it makes it easier to eat and serve the sticky triangles (see photo above).

Thirsty For - Sangria and More

Really happy to share recent work I did for Tastemade's Thirsty For:

*Best viewed in full-screen mode

The series features a wide range of beverages from around the world... I have been a big fan since its inception, and was really excited to contribute to its 3rd season. For the episodes I work on, I write and develop the recipes and food style on set. The director writes the scripts and shoots the series (among other things). It's been really fun to collaborate...

Other recently aired episodes include one we did for Sachlav and one for Citron Pressé. Next week they'll premiere our episode for Loomi Tea... a middle eastern tea made out of dried limes that we shot in the desert.

One of my favorites in the series was styled by my close friend Kari, who has some upcoming episodes this season, too:

Also, check out the episode for Tibetan yak butter tea... it's the drink that is the inspiration behind all the butter coffee everyone is drinking (without getting into the controversy of whether butter coffee is good/bad)...

Brown Butter, Salted, Chocolate Chip Cookies - Part 2

I'm not sure that I'll ever have enough chocolate chip cookie recipes.

. For me, the chocolate chip cookie platonic ideal has remained unchanged: crisped on the outside, soft on the inside, with lots of caramel flavor and a touch of salt.

Each time I make a batch of cookies I learn something new. The other day I was helping my friend cater a small event and we were serving chocolate chip cookies as part of the desert. I am always picking up great tips from her, and she often figures out how to make recipes as simple as possible. She said she uses 3 sticks of 100% browned butter, and she mixes everything up without a mixer. I took a cue from her, and revisited my cookie recipe.  I used more butter (but also more flour), cut out any electric mixers, and I added some molasses (just a touch) to the batter to add another layer of caramel flavor. 

Here's a few things I've learned about making soft/crispy cookies:

1. The darkness of the sheet pan matters. I prefer a lighter pan because it will keep the cookies from getting too hard/crisp. Darker pans make darker cookies (seriously).

2. Don't over bake. Take these guys out as soon as they start to color but still look a little underdone.

3. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for a few minutes, but not for too long... 5 minutes max.

4. Using more brown sugar than white sugar helps with the gooey texture/caramel flavor. Molasses helps, too.

5. Use really good chocolate... I like 60-70% dark or bittersweet chocolate Guittard or Guirardelli for chips... You could use a good quality dark chocolate if you want to do chunks instead.

I'm sure this won't be my last round of chocolate chip cookie testing... but for the time being this recipe will definitely do the trick.

Brown Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies

• 1½ cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)

• 1 cup light brown sugar

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 2¾ cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon table salt

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons molasses

• 2 eggs

• 1 10-12 oz. bag chocolate chips (238-340 grams)

• flake salt to sprinkle at the end

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the racks in the top 1/3 and lower 1/3 of the oven. Line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. This recipe will make about 4 sheets worth of cookies.

In a saucepan that is light in color (like stainless steel or ceramic... you want to make sure you can see the color of the butter) make the brown butter. Start by melting the butter over low heat. Once the butter is melted you can raise the heat to medium. The butter will start to get foamy, swirl it around or stir; this will help make sure all the moisture and bubbles get released. Watch the butter closely, once it turns brown with little sand-like flecks you have brown butter. It will smell very nutty and aromatic. Remove it from the heat, transfer it into a heat-proof mixing bowl and add the sugar to the brown butter. Stir and let the mixture cool a bit while you prepare the other ingredients. 

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Once the butter-sugar mixture has cooled slightly, add the vanilla and molasses. Stir until incorporated. Add two eggs. Stir until the eggs are fully incorporated. Slowly add in the the flour mixture. Stir until the batter just comes together, be careful not to over mix. Add the chocolate chips and stir until they are evenly distributed. Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or even overnight. You can also scoop out the dough, freeze it on the tray, transfer it to the bag, and save for when you're ready to bake cookies.

Using a 1½ tablespoon ice cream scoop, or using a heaping tablespoon, scoop out the dough onto the parchment-lined sheet pan. Make sure each scoop is at about 2 inches apart from each other. The cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle the dough with flake salt.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the cookies just start to turn golden but still appear soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheet pan for 3 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool.

Eat warm or at room temp and enjoy!

Roasted Chickpeas and Sweet Potato Spinach Salad

My dear friend and business partner and I are teaching a class on vegetarian cooking, and for the class we wanted to share a recipe for roasted chickpeas. Roasted chickpeas are super easy to make and are a great snack all on their own. They are satisfying, crunchy, and they can be flavored a bunch of different ways.

Melissa Clark recipe and made it for an outdoor BBQ the other weekend. I fell in love with this salad, and I knew that I had to put it into my salad repertoire ASAP. Yes, I'm posting two salad recipes in a row... but this salad is more of a meal than a salad. It's addictive and has

one of the best dressings ever. It's one of those salads that really surprises you with how good it actually tastes.

I've adapted the recipe slightly to fit my own preferences. I'm using plain whole milk yogurt instead of Greek; I find it creamier and smoother. I also added a generous amount of za'atar to my dressing. Za'atar is a generic name for a family of Middle Eastern herbs, and it is also the name of a common spice mixture frequently used in the Middle East. The spice mix usually involves some combo of ground thyme, oregano, marjoram and sesame seeds. If you can't find za'atar you can substitute any type of herb (dried or fresh) that you like. Dill or parsley would be nice here. A mix of ground thyme and oregano would be good, too. You can also just omit the herbs entirely; the dressing is good with just the yogurt, oil, lemon juice and garlic. 

Roasted Chickpeas

2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 15 oz. can or from 1 cup dried chickpeas)

1-2 teaspoons of your favorite spice (paprika, cumin, coriander, chili powder, or a combo of any)

pinch of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

If you are using canned chickpeas, start by rinsing and draining the the chickpeas.

If you are starting with dried chickpeas, soak them in cold water overnight or  for at least 8 hours. Drain them then add them to a pot, and fill the pot with water (at least 4 cups of water for every 1 cup of chickpeas). Let the chickpeas and water come up to a boil then simmer until the chickpeas are tender and fully cooked. Timing varies depending on the chickpea, but if they are presoaked the chickpeas should cook in about an hour and a half.

Spread the chickpeas in an even layer over clean kitchen towel or over paper towels. Pat the chickpeas dry. Transfer the dried chickpeas to a sheet pan and add the the spice, salt, pepper and oil to the chickpeas. Toss until the chickpeas are evenly coated in oil.

Roast the chickpeas for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  If you are making these chickpeas for the salad recipe below, you can roast them at the same time that you roast the sweet potatoes.

In a small bowl or mason jar, combine the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk the ingredients together or shake the jar until they are fully incorporated. Add the dressing to the salad and lightly toss everything together until all of the ingredients are well coated. The salad can be dressed up to 1 hour before serving.

Roasted Chickpea and Sweet Potato Spinach Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Adapted from Melissa Clark of

The New York Times

Serves 4-6

for the salad-

2 cups roasted chickpeas (see recipe above)

1½ lbs.  or 3-4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces

drizzle of oil

salt and pepper, to taste

6-8 cups spinach

4-5 green onions, thinly sliced

for the dressing-

¾ cup plain whole milk yogurt (European-style)

1 garlic clove, finely minced

juice of ½ a lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon za’atar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Place the cubed sweet potato onto a baking sheet and drizzle with oil (about 2-3 tablespoons). Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast the sweet potatoes for 25-30 minutes or until browned, tender and cooked through. The sweet potatoes can be made at the same time as you roast the chickpeas. Once cooked, allow the sweet potatoes to cool slightly.

Add the spinach to a large salad bowl. To the spinach add the cooled roasted chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Top with sliced green onion.

In a small bowl or mason jar, combine the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk the ingredients together or shake the jar until they are fully incorporated. Add the dressing to the salad and lightly toss everything together until all of the ingredients are well coated. The salad can be dressed up to 1 hour before serving.