Making Scrumptious Brunch Dishes for Mother’s Day

In 2012, I wrote a book called Sunday Brunch that included a collection of recipes for that popular mid-morning meal. Whenever I am asked to pick a favorite recipe from this book (or any other, for that matter), I typically respond that I love them all! Many readers, however, make their favorites well known to me, and for this book, the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Sauce as well as the Gratin of Leeks Eggs, Bacon and St André Cheese were the recipes they liked best. So, with a Mother’s Day brunch in mind, I’ve included the directions for both.

Ricotta cheese gives the golden pancakes their rich, smooth texture, while a generous addition of lemon zest provides a light, citrus accent. The scrumptious blueberry sauce that accompanies these griddlecakes is easy to assemble, and can be prepared three days ahead and reheated at serving time. (By now, most of you who follow my blog must have figured out that I love lemon and blueberry combinations. See recipe for No Bake Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce here.) Continue reading

A Thirty-Minute Supper for the Chilly Beginning of Spring

Grilled Sausages, Savoy Cabbage and Bacon, Apples with Caraway SeedsLooking at my calendar I notice that this is the first day of spring, but peering out my window I view mounds of snow in our yard while the thermometer hovers in the 40s. So, as much as I am ready for a seasonal change, it’s still cold here in New England, and I’m craving foods to stave off the chill.

Grilled sausages served with pan-sautéed cabbage and bacon plus apple wedges sautéed in butter with caraway seeds is just the sort of no-fuss menu I love in this blustery weather. For the sausages choose a favorite cooked one (I always opt for kielbasa) and slice it into 3- to 4- inch lengths before grilling in a stove top grill pan or skillet until lightly charred. The two side dishes featured here, though, are the real stars of this meal. Each calls for only three primary ingredients and takes only minutes to prep and cook. Continue reading

A Great Salad for Winter Entertaining

Frisée Salad with Scallops, Haricots Verts, and BaconI’ve hosted two meals since arriving in Paris a few weeks ago. The first was a festive New Year’s Eve dinner that included several courses, while the second was a casual soup and salad supper for three millenials in Paris for studies or work. On both occasions, our meal began with a delicious winter salad prepared with frisée, scallops, haricots verts, and bacon lardons–so versatile it fit easily into each of these distinctly different menus.

Ron and our young guests in ParThe recipe is based on Salade Lyonnaise, a celebrated French dish in which bitter greens are combined with bacon lardons, tossed in warm vinaigrette, and then topped with a poached egg. For my version I added blanched haricots verts and sautéed sea scallops to frisée (curly endive), and replaced the egg with a little cream in the vinaigrette. Continue reading

Lobster in a Starring Sandwich Role

Lobster BLTs 1This summer the price of lobster in my local supermarket reached an all-time low of $5.99 a pound, prompting me to add this popular crustacean to menus on more than one occasion. For two family birthday dinners we steamed lobsters, and served them with pots of melted butter and sides of corn on the cob and salad.

Then I got more creative when one local grocery chain started cooking lobsters, removing their succulent meat, and selling it fresh or frozen. I bought home a small container to use for—lobster BLTs! My first attempts were good, but not stellar. I prepared a delectable mixture of lobster, mayo, lemon, and tarragon as a base for the sandwiches. But then I overwhelmed it with too much bacon and an unnecessary addition of sliced avocados. Continue reading

BLT Summer Salad

For this simple salad, heirloom tomatoes (choose red, green, yellow, deep purple, whatever your markets and farm stands have on hand) are marinated in a vinaigrette dressing and arranged on a platter or on individual plates. Mixed greens tossed in more of the dressing are added next. Crumbled blue cheese and bits of bacon are sprinkled over the salad as final flourishes. Offer this salad as a first course for a summer supper or use it as a side dish for a backyard barbecue. Or, pair it with some crusty bread and a chilled soup for a light luncheon entree. This BLT variation is as good as the sandwiches and just as addictive.

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Apricot, Bacon and Blue Cheese Toasts

Okay, if you’re like me, appetizers are the last thing on your mind when planning a Thanksgiving menu. After all, there’s the big bird in the oven, the dressing to tend to, plus all those sides and desserts.

But those little nibbles we offer with glasses of wine do set the tone for the parade of dishes to come. My golden rule: appetizers served on Turkey Day should be simple to make, tasty, and not too filling. Apricot, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Toasts deliver with panache. Continue reading