Summer Peaches Are Not Just for Desserts—Try Them in Salsas!

Posted on August 5, 2012 by bloggerimport

This past week, while teaching two cooking classes, one in Massachusetts and the other in Maine, I featured cumin-scented pork tenderloins topped with fresh peach salsa from Sunday Roasts as the centerpiece for each menu. My students loved the refreshing taste of peaches used in a savory instead of a sweet role.

For the salsa, diced peaches are combined with chopped red onions, minced jalapeno peppers, and both lime juice and zest. Some chopped cilantro adds more color and rounds out the flavors. The pork tenderloins are rubbed with a mixture of ground cumin, coarse salt, and pepper, and then roasted for a mere 20 minutes.

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Summer Vegetable Galettes

Posted on August 4, 2012 by brosbottom

Mid to late summer is the season for exquisite produce at my local farmers’ market. There are bins at each stand brimming with vegetables in vibrant hues. This irresistible produce was the inspiration for the following recipe for savory vegetable tarts. The tart shells are made with purchased puff pastry sheets that are cut into squares. A creamy spread of goat cheese and Parmesan is smoothed over Continue reading →

The Perfect Side Dish—Summer Tomatoes with a Provencal Stuffing

Posted on July 24, 2012 by bloggerimport

Grocery shopping at my neighborhood market this summer in Paris, I noticed a bin of tomatoes labeled “tomates pour rôtir,” which means “tomatoes for roasting.” I put several of the deep red orbs in my cart, imagining that they would be delicious stuffed.

Back in my small apartment kitchen, I scooped out the seeds and flesh, and filled the cavities with a mixture of homemade breadcrumbs, sautéed shallots, bits of creamy goat cheese, and herbs. Then I popped the tomatoes into the oven for less than half an hour until they were hot and the cheese had melted. The tomatoes held up beautifully in the oven and were indeed perfect for roasting. For serving each tomato was garnished simply with a fresh basil sprig.

Back home in New England, I was surprised to find similar tomatoes at a nearby Whole Foods.

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Japanese Chefs and Glorious French Food in Paris

Posted on July 15, 2012 by bloggerimport

The small kitchen at Table d’Aki

Several years ago I went to a fabulous new restaurant in Paris called Hiromatsu, a small, intimate place lauded for the inventive French cooking of its Japanese chef. The day of our visit I savored course after course of artfully presented dishes, and was wowed by the talent of Hirotoshi Hiromatsu. In fact, I was so enamored of French fare prepared with subtle Japanese accents that my husband and I returned to the restaurant when it moved across town to larger quarters in the 16^th arrondissement.

Last winter when two different friends, both enthusiastic food lovers, mentioned that I should try Sola, a new Left Bank place headed by another Japanese chef, Hiroki Yoshitake, I didn’t waste any time reserving for lunch. The meal was so special that I featured the restaurant in the Out and About section on my website in February.

This summer while in the French capital, a young American couple who live and work in Paris and who adore the Japanese chefs there, suggested that we book at La Table d’Aki, a recently opened spot

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Sunday Brunch by Betty Rosbottom

Posted on July 15, 2012 by brosbottom

Guess what’s in my basket this month—my newest book, Sunday Brunch, published by the wonderful people at Chronicle Books. This is the third in a series and follows Sunday Soup and Sunday Roasts. You’ll find a cornucopia of delectable dishes in this collection that should make you rush to the kitchen and invite friends over for brunch. There’s a chapter devoted to eggs–scrambled, pan-fried, poached, baked, or in omelets—and another that features Continue reading →

Salmon Burgers with Easy Remoulade Sauce and Watercress

Posted on July 11, 2012 by brosbottom

When July arrives, cooks everywhere know that it’s prime time for burger cooking. My husband, a devoted fan of any type of ground meat or fish patty cooked over an open fire, refers to this season as “burger heaven!”

Although I prepare my share of classic ground beef rounds and top them with grilled onions and good melting cheeses, I also love to try new creations like the delicious salmon burgers featured here.

Created by my friend and talented chef, Matt Sunderland, these burgers are especially light in taste since they are prepared with fresh salmon fillets that are roasted quickly, then Continue reading →

Blauw, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Posted on July 8, 2012 by brosbottom

Blauw Amstelveenseweg 158-160, Amsterdam 1075 XN, The Netherlands, 020 – 675 50 00

Rijstaffel at Blauw in Amsterdam

I’ve been to Amsterdam at least a half dozen times, and although the Dutch capital now has a cornucopia of note-worthy Dutch and ethnic restaurants, I always opt for Indonesian fare. My husband and I adore rijstaffel (that translates as rice table), a spread of Indonesian dishes all served with rice. During a brief two-day visit last month, we went with several friends to a new Indonesian place called Blauw. Continue reading →

The 10- Minute Summer Fruit and Cheese Dessert

Posted on July 8, 2012 by bloggerimport

The French take their fruits and vegetables seriously so in each neighborhood you’ll find several “primeurs,” specialized stores that sell these products exclusively. I am crazy about these outposts and often go in and talk to the helpful sales people—“les vendeurs et les vendeuses.” If I want to serve fresh melon with mint, they’ll smell and touch a dozen before handing me the perfectly ripe one for my dinner that night. If I can’t decide between white and yellow peaches, they’ll give me the heads up, and when I say I need some basil for a food photo, they’ll offer me the prettiest bunch.

The other day at one of my local “primeurs,” the staff was abuzz about the figs. The first of the season had arrived and were “français,” not from some exotic land. I bought a small bagful and prepared them simply.

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Potato Salad with Chorizo and Chives

Posted on July 4, 2012 by brosbottom

This potato salad is a new and delicious twist on tradition. Small red skin potatoes, boiled in their skins, then quartered, and chopped hard-boiled eggs form the base, and are accented by bits of chorizo, a smoked Spanish sausage available in many supermarkets. It is the chorizo with its subtle smokiness that makes this potato salad so distinctive. These three ingredients are tossed together in a mustard and shallot vinaigrette, then sprinkled with snipped chives. Continue reading →

A Great Opener for July 4th Celebrations!

Posted on July 1, 2012 by bloggerimport

Although parades, band concerts, and fireworks all define July 4^th, it’s the food that many of us anticipate most. Whether special burgers, smoked ribs, barbecued chicken, corn on the cob slathered with seasoned butter, spicy baked beans, or fresh strawberry shortcakes, a big spread is the way everyone loves to celebrate America’s birthday. Typically, cooks focus on the entrees, sides, and sweets, but starters are important too. You don’t have to resort to a bowl of chips served with a purchased dip when you can make Grilled Shrimp with Cumin Mayo in only a matter of minutes.

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