Baked Goat Cheese with Raspberries and Thyme + A Trip to Pebble Beach Food & Wine with Driscoll’s

by sabrinamodel on May 16, 2012 · 3 comments

in Appetizers & Hors D'oeuvres, Recipe, Vegetarian

Raspberry Goat Cheese Appetizer Baked Goat Cheese Raspberries Thyme

Swirling the tawny-colored, hazlenut-scented, 150 year old port in my glass, I looked at my friend Irvin and thought “This cannot be my life.” One long slow sip of the honeyed elixir, poured from one only six remaining bottles on earth, confirmed that I was indeed awake. I couldn’t have dreamed anything that fantastic. My next thought was that I’d better remember every second of my weekend at Pebble Beach Food and Wine, because it was surely a once in a lifetime experience.

Fast forward to April 2012 and I’m waking at a truly obscene hour for a Saturday.  I don’t mind though, I’m off to hang out with some of my favorite bloggers and head to (you guessed it) Pebble Beach- courtesy of my friends at Driscoll’s Berries. This recipe, for simple baked goat cheese with raspberries, thyme, and walnuts is, in fact, inspired by our first stop on the trip: Driscoll’s organic raspberry farms, but more on that in a minute.

Food Bloggers with Cameras

Those who know me, know I’m always up for an adventure. Almost any kind- except the kind where I’m going to get carsick. I adore road trips, but our bus driver was on some sort of trip himself. It’s true, I should have known better than to skip breakfast, and facing backwards to chat nonstop with Kamran, my East Coast Boy Blogger BFF (ECBBBFFF for those in the know) may not have been so wise.  But about an hour into the trip I found myself eyeing the coffee cup that Irvin (my BBFF or blogger BFF) had graciously tossed onto the seat behind him. I love how he’s always looking out for me.  Luckily, I focused, breathed deeply, got very quiet, and mind over matter came into play. The thought of 10 blog posts featuring “That One Time The Tomato Tart Puked in A Coffee Cup” fixed me right up.  Tada! I didn’t toss my green tea back up into Irvin’s coffee cup.  Thankfully, the driver situation didn’t get really bad until after breakfast.

Breakfast of Berries at Driscoll's Berry Farm

At Driscoll’s headquarters the San Francisco Bay Area blogger crew Anita Chu of Desserts First and Stephanie Shih of Desserts for Breakfast (by the way, do you know about their upcoming magazine Sated), Shauna Sever of Piece of Cake,  Leslie Perryman and Nina Tabone from Food Beast, Irvin of Eat The Lov , Kamran (honorary SF blogger for the weekend) and I were joined by our great Los Angeles friends Pamela from My Man’s Belly and the ever amazing Greg of Sippity Sup (smooch). We sat down to a gorgeous breakfast of fresh berry and yogurt parfait, rustic quiches, berry scones, and more fresh berries with the best unsweetened whipped cream. What a treat!

Anita Chu Greg Henry of Sippity Sup Shauna Sever

The sun was shining bright and HOT, but we’d not been so lucky earlier in the week. We’d had serious thunderstorms, so Driscoll’s bought us all adorable muck boots for our trip out to the berry fields. Lucky me, I got the fab flowered ones, but poor Irvin had to squeeze into baby blue ones three sizes too small. Kamran, on the other hand, thought ahead and went to Barney’s and bought his own- spawning a fashion shoot in the fields.

Kamran of The Sophisticated Gourmet

Next stop, would be Pebble Beach Food and Wine, but here’s where the trip got an eensy bit dicey. Our driver—we’ll just call him Trip—he got lost. I can totally relate, Irvin and I got lost the first time, too. What we didn’t do, was almost go off a cliff turning around. We didn’t almost die when Irvin was behind the wheel.  Okay, so it wasn’t exactly a cliff, it was more like a six inch ledge, but the tailpipe did hit something and scrape really hard and I think we kind of hit a tree.

Irvin Lin of Eat the Love

Overjoyed from the survival of our harrowing ordeal, we emerged glistening with a dewy glow, from the van. We were bloggers, on a mission, and ready to eat.

Pebble Beach Food and Wine 2012

Celebrity chefs buzzed all around. No kidding: Irvin sat on the arm of Michael Chiarrello’s sofa (much to Chef Chiarrello’s dismay). I accosted Nancy Silverton who was beyond gracious. I’ve included photos of some of my favorite dishes here and some of the most recognizable chefs, yes? Tim Love, Ann Burrell, Johnny Iuzzi, and of course the ever adorable Chef Casey Thomspson who found a way to make me devour liver and onions- barely cooked liver flash deep fried.   Casey, 70’s moms everywhere salute you.

Baked Goat Cheese with Raspberries and Thyme + Raspberry Sauce with Honey & Thyme

Raspberry Goat Cheese Appetizer Baked Goat Cheese Raspberries Thyme

Upon my return from Pebble Beach Food and Wine, I had raspberries on the brain for weeks. Unfortunately, our thunderstorms wiped out most of the organic raspberry crop in Driscoll’s fields. Finally last weekend, I saw some local Driscoll’s raspberries at small market near my house.  If raspberries are not in season, you can use any tart fruit that is in season (maybe not citrus). Try strawberries, apricots, apples, gooseberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, mango… get it? If you are desperate for raspberries, you could try frozen, but make sure the raspberries are completely frozen when you put the goat cheese in to bake.

In addition to playing with the fruit, you can play with the herbs, In addition to I used orange thyme from my garden which is thyme with a slight orange flavor (soo good), you can use French thyme or lemon thyme, but rosemary (a tiny bit),  lavender, fennel pollen,  oregano, or even mint would work beautifully here. If herbs in your garden have bolted (produced flowers)  be sure to put some on top for an extra beautiful and tasty presentation.

This appetizer is fabulous because it seems fancy- like Pebble Beach fancy. This appetizer is even more fabulous because it is easy like practically drive-thru easy. Your hands-on time should be less than ten minutes.   Serve this with bread, or crackers for dipping. You can also drizzle a bit of honey on top if you don’t want to make the extra raspberry sauce.

  • INGREDIENTS BAKED GOAT CHEESE WITH RASPBERRIES AND THYME

  • 6 OZ of Chevre (softened)
  • 1 package of organic raspberries – divided raspberry honey thyme sauce (6oz)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
  • ½ teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves + more for garnish.
  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 375º
  • In a small bowl, combine olive oil, walnuts, thyme, a pinch of salt and pepper
  • Fill a miniature tart dish with the chevre. Using a spoon or your finger, make 7-10 small indentations in the chevre- just the right size for raspberries. Try to make the indentations in a fairly random pattern. Place raspberries into the holes, then spoon the walnut and olive oil mixture on top.
  • Place mini tart dish on top of a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Chevre will puff up and start to drip over the sides. This is good, and sexy, and delicious.  You can even turn the broiler on for 5 more minutes to get a slight browning on top and increase the gooeyness- just make sure to watch it carefully.
  • Top with fresh cracked pepper and a bit more thyme for garnish.

 

  • INGREDIENTS RASPBERRY SAUCE WITH HONEY AND THYME

  • ¼ cup good local honey (I used blackberry honey)
  • 3 sprigs of thyme (again I used orange thyme)
  • the remainder of the basket of raspberries

  • INSTRUCTIONS

  • Warm honey and thyme in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add raspberries, stirring gently to coat with honey and thyme and bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • Serve alongside baked goat cheese with raspberries and thyme or with any cheese platters. Also try with chicken, pork, or baked seitan dishes.

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39 Recipes for Cinco De Mayo

by sabrinamodel on May 4, 2012 · 8 comments

in Recipe

CInco De Mayo Recipes

This week of blogging about Cinco De Mayo recipes has been a blast – the writing is almost as fun as the cooking and eating. Almost. In case you’re still wondering what to cook, I’ve collected a list of 39 recipes from some of my favorite bloggers. You won’t find your average enchilada on this list. This is a collection of some of the most unusual and beautiful recipes I’ve found for Latin-influenced foods. Happy Cinco De Mayo.

X
Sabrina

 

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Smoked Goat Cheddar Quesadillas with Green Garlic Crema (Gluten Free + Lactose Free)

by sabrinamodel on May 3, 2012 · 2 comments

in Main Course, Recipe, Sides, Vegetarian

Cinco De Mayo Spinach Shitake Goat Cheese Quesadilla Gluten Free

Last weekend, was one of the most joy-filled, sweet, beautiful, energetic, weekends I’ve had in a good long while. Thanks in no small part to Miss Maggy Keet of Three Many Cooks who organized a trip to Redwood Hill Farm with friends old and new. I’m feeling full of life (and goat cheese). I won’t talk too much, just yet, about my trip to the farm or the ADORABLE baby goats because, well, it’s day three of  Cinco De Mayo Week and we have recipes to get to, right?

Cinco De Mayo Spinach Shitake Goat Cheese Quesadilla Gluten Free

So far, we’ve had Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa which was (of course) gluten free, vegan, and lactose free. Yesterday, we did DIY homemade lox with a Latin kick. I’m not exaggerating when I say they are the best lox ever and I’m never buying lox again unless it’s a lox emergency. I’ve been known to have those.

Cinco De Mayo Spinach Shitake Goat Cheese Quesadilla Gluten Free

Today’s recipe is inspired by my weekend; it’s a smoked goat cheddar quesadilla with shitake mushrooms and wilted spinach with green garlic and cilantro crema. Here’s where the inspiration comes in: I fell in love with Redwood Hill Farm’s smoked goat cheddar. I have rarely loved a smoked cheese this much- I often find them unpleasantly chewy. Also I was inspired by my people, this is a dish that is vegetarian, gluten free, and lactose free, I also didn’t add any salt after a conversation with my new friend Jess of Sodium Girl (the cutest ever) about how spinach can be salty.  Shauna of Gluten Free Girl and Lisa of With Style and Grace can eat it! And all of my veggie friends and those, like Irvin of Eat The Love, who try to steer clear of too much lactose can avoid it too . I feel like a culinary diplomat! A delicious diplomat!

Cinco De Mayo Spinach Shitake Goat Cheese Quesadilla Gluten Free

So, here’s another dish to make on Cinco De Mayo or on any day. I actually ate this with an egg for dinner the other night. So simple and delicious- it’s totally irresistible.

  • INGREDIENTS SMOKED GOAT CHEDDAR QUESADILLAS

  • 8 fresh corn tortillas (I use Primavera brand)
  • 4 oz smoked goat cheddar cheese (I used Redwood Hill Farms) Shredded.
  • ¼ lb shitake mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into ¼ inch pieces
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 3 tablespoons onion finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon grapeseed oil

Cinco De Mayo Spinach Shitake Goat Cheese Quesadilla Gluten Free

  • INSTRUCTIONS SMOKED GOAT CHEDDAR QUESADILLAS

  • Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add add  onions and mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms soften a bit and onions become translucent- about 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves and smoked paprika and cook for another minute or two until spinach is just wilted.  Transfer veggies to a plate.
  • Wipe pan clean and add a little oil to coat pan. Place two tortillas in the skillet with ½ oz of cheese on each. Fry open face until cheese begins to melt. Once cheese is melting add ¼ of veggie mix to one tortilla then top with the other tortilla and finish cooking together for another minute or so.
  • Serve with green garlic and & cilantro crema (recipe follows)

  • GREEN GARLIC AND CILANTRO CREMA

  • ½ cup lactose free sour cream (I use Green Valley Organics *)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped green garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked black pepper
  • Stir together all ingredients and serve with quesadillas

* A note, since January when I first tried Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Sour Cream, I have not bought any other sour cream. I am not lactose intolerant. This is simply the best sour cream I have ever eaten; it is almost like crème fraiche. The dairy is also certified humane YAY! PS, this is not a paid statement and even though Redwood Hill Farms and Green Valley Organics are both owned by the Bice family, I started buying their products long before I visited their farm. I totally love the Bice family even though I just met them. If they would adopt me and let me milk goats all the time, I would. I would gladly accept goat cheese, fresh peas, orange blossoms, goat snuggles, and lactose free sour cream as payment.

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DIY Latin Spiced Lox- Make This For Cinco De Mayo!

by sabrinamodel on May 2, 2012 · 1 comment

in Breakfast, Recipe

DIY Latin Spiced Lox

It’s day two of Cinco De Mayo Week at The Tomato Tart and I’m really excited to share this recipe with you. In the words of my husband it is “SOOOO GOOD” and then when he took some to work, it was “extremely popular” and then just “gone”.  I’m talking about Latin-spiced smoked salmon. It’s kind of like spicy fish candy- unless that sounds gross to you. Then it’s not like that at all.

DIY Latin Spiced Lox

Being a nice Jewish girl (eh, half), lox has been ubiquitous in my life, but I have never made my own.  I’ve read, bookmarked, ogled, and pinned, countless recipes, but it wasn’t until a week ago that I finally decided to make it. When I got home, I realized I’d forgotten the dill. Unwilling to go back out, I looked at the giant bunch of cilantro sitting in the glass on my butcher block, and the wheels began to turn.

DIY Latin Spiced Lox

What if I made a Latin-Spiced Lox? Could it be delicious? Would my grandmother turn in her grave? Is that the silliest expression of all time? In true rebel fashion, I bucked tradition & reached for the cumin seeds, hot smoked paprika, paper lantern chilies (aye papi those are hot), sea salt, brown sugar, white sugar, and cilantro. Two days later Latin Spiced Homemade Lox were born. Thank goodness.

I cut some of the lox into chunks, put them on homemade chips with avocado and ate them like cured salmon tartar. This is a new favorite smoked salmon appetizer! Again, with the chunks– a taco with more avocado, a tiny drizzle of crème fraiche, some chopped green onion, cilantro, and a warm corn tortilla. So so good. The rest of the lox, I sliced traditionally thin and ate them with nothing but a little shmear of chevre and cilantro- no bread, no bagel. I couldn’t have anything interfere with the lox. Too good.

DIY Latin Spiced Lox

Have you ever made lox or gravlax? What did you think?

  • INGREDIENTS LATIN SPICED LOX

  • ½ of a wild salmon, skin on, pin bones removed (roughly 2-2.5 lbs) I used Coho Salmon
  • 4 oz organic cane sugar (112.5 grams, 1/2 cup)
  • 4 oz muscavado sugar (112.5 grams, 1/2 cup packed)
  • 4 oz sea salt (112.5 grams, scant half cup)
  • one tablespoon cumin seeds
  • one half teaspoon hot smoked paprika
  • one quarter teaspoon hot ground chili (optional) I used paper lantern chili
  • a large handful of cilantro leaves and stems
DIY Latin Spiced Lox

  • INSTRUCTIONS DIY LATIN SPICED LOX

  • Mix together the cane sugar, muscavado, sea salt, cumin seeds, paprika, and chili powder (if using) until well combined. Spread over the skin and flesh of salmon. Pack with cilantro leaves. Wrap very tightly in plastic wrap.
  • Place the salmon inside of a baking dish just large enough to contain it. Then place another dish on top of the well-wrapped salmon. Top that with something heavy, I used two 28 oz cans of tomatoes. Then refrigerate.
  • In 24 hours, drain some of the liquid from the baking dish and flip the salmon, do not unwrap.
  • In another 24 hours, unwrap fish, and check for doneness. Fish should feel firm and have a bright orange to red color. If it feels ready, rinse the fish (gently) and get ready to slice. Otherwise, leave it for another 12-24 hours to intensify the flavor.
  • When ready to slice, run your knife parallel to the skin side of the fish, as close to the skin as possible, to skin it.  Then slice on the diagonal and serve.

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Cinco De Mayo Week! Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

by sabrinamodel on May 1, 2012 · 8 comments

in Recipe, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian

Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa

It’s Cinco De Mayo Week at The Tomato Tart, and I’m so excited to celebrate with friends and family and fantastic food like this strawberry rhubarb salsa. Cinco De Mayo or May 5th , is one of my favorite culinary holidays. Celebrated as Mexican Independence Day in the US, Cinco De Mayo is actually the date that the Mexicans beat the French in the battle of Puebla in 1882. If you’re questioning why a French girl loves this holiday so much, no need. Never question a French person’s passion for excellent food and a good party.

Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa

I’m also from California, so I’ve always been surrounded by friends and extended family of Mexican ethnicity. Which also means, I’ve been lucky enough to eat the food in authentic eateries and in the kitchens of talented home cooks for most of my life. Tacos, ceviche, sopa de tortilla, salsas, quesadillas, mariscos of every shape and size, soft and fluffy arroz, flan, cajeta, sopapillas, and pozole. I love Mexican and Latin food of every origin.

Another aspect of being from California means that I’m sensitive to my friends’ dietary restrictions and preferences.  This week, I’ll be offering a menu of foods that you can prepare for Cinco de Mayo for everyone- whether gluten free, vegan, lactose-intolerant, pescatarian, or omni.  We’ll start off with this vegan, gluten-free, strawberry-rhubarb salsa.

Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa

I love this fresh and perfectly seasonal spring salsa for a few reasons- not the least of which is the inclusion of tart and crisp raw rhubarb. Now, the rhubarb gets a 24-48 hour soak in a cilantro simple syrup to take away some of the bracing sourness. I happen to like that flavor, but I understand that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I also like the balance of sweet and hot- the strawberries and rhubarb are totally offset by the smoky sea salt and spicy serrano chili.  Some things just beg for a big bowl of chips. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled for a crowd, just make sure to make extra syrup for the rhubarb if you’re doing so.

Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa

  • INGREDIENTS STRAWBERRY RHUBARB SALSA

  • 2 stalks of rhubarb (toxic leaves and roots discarded!) thinly sliced
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾  cup water
  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • zest of 1 lime
  • 4 cups of organic strawberries (I used sweet tart chandler strawberries)
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 serrano chili
  • smoked sea salt
Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa

  • INSTRUCTIONS STRAWBERRY RHUBARB SALSA

  • Bring sugar and water to a boil over medium high heat. Stir gently to dissolve sugar, and boil for five minutes.  Add a large handful of cilantro and the lime zest and boil for five more minutes.
  • Strain the cilantro lime syrup into a mason jar and add sliced rhubarb.  Cool for at least one hour before refrigerating- then refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
  • Remove tops from well-rinsed berries. Finely dice the strawberries into ¼ inch pieces and add to a bowl.
  • Drain the rhubarb and dice into 1/8 inch pieces, and add to the strawberries.
  • To the strawberry & rhubarb mix, add 3 tablespoons finely minced shallot, 1 finely diced serrano chili (seeds removed if you want to avoid the heat), one large handful finely chopped cilantro, and mix well. Add smoked sea salt to taste and serve with crispy tortilla chips.

PS- I like salt free organic chips so I can salt my salsa, and never have to worry that my chips will make it taste too salty!

{ 8 comments }

My Mom’s Roasted Potatoes with Fennel Pollen + Saying Goodbye to An Old Friend

by sabrinamodel on April 24, 2012 · 2 comments

in Breakfast, Recipe, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian

Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Polllen- put an egg on it

On Sunday, we sold my parent’s dining set. Though I knew we wouldn’t have it on our home, we held onto it for a number of years after my mother passed. The big French table, straw covered seats, and carved oak buffet were an almost perfect match, not like “something out of the Sears catalog” as my mother used to say.

Elisabeth and John bought the dining set; we met on Craigslist. At some point I realized I may have been treating the sale as more of an adoption, I really wanted it to go to a good home- not to some dealer who planned to split it up. I chose Elisabeth and John because in her emails,Elisabeth sounded like she really loved furniture. She mentioned that she just couldn’t part with a bedroom set that John’s great grandfather had made, but most importantly, she wanted to put the set in their big kitchen/family room where it would see many family dinners.

On the day of the sale, I pulled out the leaves of the table and the evidence of nearly 100 years of dinners and celebrations- the ever so slight ring from the time my mom forgot to put down a trivet. I added a bit of oil to a cloth and I wiped the table, the chairs, and the buffet for the last time.

Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Polllen

Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Polllen

Mom’s Roasted Potatoes (With Fennel Pollen)

These are roasted potatoes just like my mom used to make and like her mother made before her. My great aunt and her daughter makes them too. I always think of them as my mom’s or as French roasted potatoes.  The only difference is a very simple addition of fennel pollen. I love them on their own, with roast chicken, or my favorite is to leave them in the oven overnight (while it’s off) and then have them with a poached egg for breakfast.

Roasted Potatoes With Fennel PolllenRoasted Potatoes With Fennel Polllen- put an egg on it

  • INGREDIENTS Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Pollen

  • 1 ½ lbs small yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (try smoked sea salt)
  • ½ tablespoon fennel pollen
  • ½ tablespoon pepper

Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Polllen- put an egg on it

  • INSTRUCTIONS Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Pollen

  • preheat the oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • wash and dry potatoes very well- they MUST be dry
  • slice the potatoes in half and toss with olive oil and half of the salt
  • place face down on the baking sheet- be careful not to crowd, use two sheets if you have to- crowded potatoes won’t get crispy skins
  • cook for 25 minutes and test for doneness (will depend on the size of your potatoes) if using two baking sheets, switch positions if they’re not done.
  • When potatoes are done, turn broiler to high and cook for 5 minutes under broiler, watching carefully, the whole time.
  • Remove from oven, toss with fennel pollen, cracked pepper, and more salt if needed. Enjoy.

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Quotable Friday- Kurt Vonnegut, Enjoy The Little Things

by sabrinamodel on April 20, 2012 · 4 comments

in Recipe

Kurt Vonnegut Quote Poster Enjoy the little things in life

Today’s Quotable Friday comes from Kurt Vonnegut. It was inspired by another famous quote. Poet John Greenleaf Whittier said “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been”. When that quote came up on NPR, it reminded me of something Kurt Vonnegut once said, and I knew it had to be a Quotable Friday poster.

Kurt Vonnegut was one of my favorite authors, I’ve read nearly everything he ever wrote with Sirens of Titan being one of my favorite books of all time. Like his hero Mark Twain, he was full of wit and wisdom.

This Vonnegut quote speaks to me as a reminder of being present, of living fully in each moment, and cherishing the people and the beauty around me. I am so fortunate to be living where I do amongst the friends and family that I have. As one of my teachers, Vinny Ferraro says, to have been born in the US, where it is unlikely that we will suffer famine or war on our soil, we have hit the karmic jackpot. So it’s important to be grateful for even that. The rest, folks is gravy and frosting. I, for the record. Love both.

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realize they were big things.”
― Kurt Vonnegut

So, if you’re loving this poster, click the picture to download the high-res version. Also, please pin-it if you dig it! Oh, and if you have a favorite quote, add it to the comments, It might become a Quotable Friday post!

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Citrus & Avocado Salad with Tangy Tarragon Vinaigrette & Herbed Buttermilk Croutons (PS, I’m a Klutz)

by sabrinamodel on April 18, 2012 · 5 comments

in Recipe, Salad, Vegetarian

How to Make a Supreme of Citrus

I wouldn’t be a good ER doctor if I didn’t ask, “Are you safe at home?” I chuckled & winced a little. Of course, physical abuse is far from funny, but this is not the first time I’ve been asked.

Long before I knew my husband, a doctor asked me if I was safe from my parents. I guess the story that my baby brother had broken my foot with a hammer seemed a little improbable. My chart may have had some red flags, especially considering that the year before I’d sprained my ankle and broken my pinkie in the span of one week.  My story? I was tackled while playing flag football (the pinkie) and I fell off a curb while walking home from school (the ankle).

How to Make a Supreme of Citrus

As I had all those years ago, I assured the doctor that I was, indeed, safe. I told the handsome young doc that Joshua actually rushed home from work when I called in hysterics to tell him I’d broken my foot. I reassured him that the marks on my chest were actually burn scars from hot butter, not bruises. He smiled, gave a little wink, and said, “I figured, he seems really great.”.

Handsome young doc, had no idea how great. There, in the ER, it was well-past midnight, and not the kind of place I’d like to ring in my 40th birthday, but Joshua never complained. He smiled and joked and took good care of me.

Joshua's 40th Birthday

I promised that I would not get sick on his birthday this year. I have had some bad luck in the past. In 2003, I had strep throat with a fever so high that I hallucinated someone trying to break into our house.  It turned out, my assailant was the reflection of the pampas grass outside and a dinner plate in our dish drainer. One year, I had horrible stomach flu, which I passed on to him as a lovely present. Last year, I nearly cut off my finger 10 days before his birthday and the Bake Sale for Japan had major technical difficulties, which forced me to extend it an extra day—to the day past his birthday.

But not this year, it was the big 40! I promised NOTHING would go wrong. We decided against a party; he wanted a little dinner, drinking, and dancing like when we were kids.  But birthday plans took a second seat when we heard the heart shattering news that our friend Eric Trifilo had been killed in a car wreck. His memorial was set for Saturday March 31st, Joshua’s birthday. We decided to drive to Healdsburg (in the Wine Country) for the mid-morning service and make our way back slowly. We’d do our drinking and dancing later in the evening making a big toast for Eric. It would all be okay. We could handle this.  We had a plan.

Friday night, I was sprucing up the house in anticipation of my honey’s birthday. So I was cleaning, and our recently adopted Chihuahua, Bruno, marked in the house, AGAIN. So I washed the floors, AGAIN. I returned to cleaning; picked up the basket of laundry I’d been about to carry down the stairs and very carefully went down, but as soon as I stepped on the wet tile, I fell.  Hard. With a wet bum and a face full of tears, I dragged myself upstairs and I called Joshua.

“I think I broke my foot”

6 hours in the ER, and they didn’t know if it was broken. We missed Eric’s memorial. No drinks or dancing. I wasn’t even able to walk until I got this awesome boot a week later.

Das Boot

When I finally was able to walk, that meant I was able to cook, and the very next night, we attended a pot luck. My contribution was one of my favorite salads, a citrus, avocado, and escarole concoction with homemade croutons. I included suprémes of grapefruit, tangerine, meyer lemon, and cara cara orange. The dressing is a citrus and tarragon vinaigrette with just a bit of avocado honey. If a salad could be “Sooo me” this salad would be soooo me.

All said and done, I had I segmented three grapefruits, four oranges, six tangerines, and two lemons. I worked on that salad. Our friends came to get us and my husband got me into their car. As soon as we got half way to the Golden Gate Bridge, I asked Joshua where the salad was. He’d forgotten it. Guess what we had for breakfast.

How to Make a Supreme of Citrus

As for Bruno, well, I actually gave up trying to “make fetch happen”. Most people would have given up after he peed on them in bed. I did not. Not even after the second time. Bruno went back to the no kill shelter. It wasn’t easy to give up on dog- especially considering how hard we worked with Ruby. Aside from the marking, we just couldn’t bond with poor little Bruno. I know he’ll find the right family, a place where he won’t pee like a little miniature stallion. Or maybe, he’ll just meet someone less accident-prone.

How to Make a Supreme of Citrus

  • Ingredients Citrus and Avocado Salad

  • Zest of ½ of 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 tangerine, and 1 Meyer lemon
  • Two Red Grapefruits (I used Texas Stars)
  • Two White Grapefruits (I used Oro Blancos)
  • Four Oranges (I used gorgeous, pink Cara Caras)
  • Six Tangerines (here, I chose pixies)
  • 3 Meyer Lemons
  • 1 regular lemon
  • 4 Haas avocados
  • 1 head of escarole

  • Ingredients  Croutons

  • 1 eight inch section of day old baguette, cut into half inch chunks
  • 3 tablespoons buttermilk powder
  • small handful of fresh chervil
  • small handful of fresh tarragon
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • ¼ cup of olive oil

  • Ingredients Dressing

  • All of the juice from the citrus supremes
  • 2 tablepoons sauvingnon blanc vinegar
  • 1 sprig fresh tarragon (leaves only), finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon avocado honey
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 small fresh shallot, very finely chopped
  • ¼ cup olive oil
How to Make a Supreme of Citrus

  • Croutons Instructions

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and heat oven to 325º
  • Add buttermilk powder, chervil, tarragon, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a mini food proceesor and process until well combined. Add garlic and olive oil and process until garlic is in small pieces.
  • Toss bread chunks with buttermilk, herb, and olive oil mixture until well coated. Lay on baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 7-10 minutes until crisp. Turn once during cooking.

  • Dressing Instructions

  • Make the dressing, whisk citrus juice, vinegar, tarragon, honey, shallot and salt until well-combined. Add olive oil and whisk again. Adjust seasonings to taste.

  • Salad Instructions

  • Make the suprémes of citrus over a large bowl- to ensure that you’ll capture all of the juice. If you’ve never made suprémes of citrus before, check out this awesome video on chow.com featuring Michael Symon (I recommend using a paring knife)
  • Wash and dry your escarole and tear it into bite-sized pieces.
  •  Just before ready to serve, slice avocados very thinly and place in a bowl of lemon juice.
  • To serve, layer escarole, then top with avocado, top the avocado slices with citrus. This is extremely important as it will keep your avocado from browning. Top with croutons and citrus zest. Dress at the tableside.
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