I knew it had to be lemon curd. Usually I’m not this passionate about the sweet and tart, pudding-like dessert but with that lemon tree right outside the window (the same one of the Whiskey Sour fame) it was practically taunting me. With branches bending under the weight of the fruit and large vibrant leaves shining in the sun I swear I heard all the lemons say, “Use me, use me while you can. They don’t grow them like us in Seattle.” You’re right, lemons, they don’t but have you seen our rhubarb (it’s coming!)?

While I had the lemons and strawberries that flooded the rows of the farmers market with their floral scent, I was without a bain marie or any sort of bowl and pot situation that would make a suitable replacement. But I couldn’t let the lemons continue their taunting any longer and I already had the taste of tart curd alongside a fresh berry salad with mint and vanilla scented whipped cream. And once you get that idea inside your head there’s no telling what you would do to make it a reality. Like say, create a “bain marie” out of a frying pan and an oversized metal bowl. I did what I had to do.

Technically the bowl isn’t supposed to touch the bottom of the pan but it did. The curd survived – actually it did more than survive, it sang. I even attempted to strain it through a tiny tea strainer but I gave up and came to terms with the possibility that this batch might not be up to my usual standard of perfect, uninterrupted smoothness.

When I teach people how to cook and bake I show them the techniques I’ve learned while working in professional kitchens and cooking at home. Trying as best I can to get them as excited as I get when I see a beautiful brunoise or even layers of butter spread thin throughout a batch of puff pastry. I teach them how to make lemon curd using a legitimate bain marie. But more than that I try to teach them to be fearless in the kitchen. To be a bit of a rebel – bend the rules, try something new, to use their instincts and be resourceful. And most importantly, to not be afraid of making mistakes because they will happen. And you know what, I do a terrible job of telling you all about my mistakes. I mean they aren’t pretty and they show my insecurities so I’m not usually inclined to run here and share them but they happen, a lot and I should tell you about them because the beauty of mistakes is that if you push through the fear and doubt you’ll usually find something better than what you originally set for. Or you’ll have a soggy cake that you need to throw out but even with that you tried and learned and you’ll move on.

So if a recipe says use a bain marie and to be be sure the bowl doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan, as the recipe below says, then do it but if you don’t have a bain marie then keep on going because the lemon curd is worth it and the rules don’t mind a little stretching every now and again.

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Lemon Curd with Berries and Mint

adapted from epicurious.com

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter

Whisk the sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and yolks in medium metal bowl. Set the bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water - or just do the best you can). Whisk constantly until thickened like a warm pudding, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from over the water. Add butter, salt and vanilla; whisk until melted and combined. At this point I like to strain the curd to make sure no little bits of cooked eggs hinder the smooth texture. It is however, an optional step. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd. Chill. Will keep, refrigerated, for one week.

I served the lemon curd with fresh berries that were tossed with just a bit of raw sugar (less refined, more coarse) and mint leaves. The whipped cream was flavored with just a touch of vanilla extract.

In the weeks leading up to my trip to Morocco it was the tagines and fragrant spices that I anticipated. Thoughts of fatty, braised chunks of lamb studded with apricots and warming harissa made the days before I left move at a pace that would make a snail appear as a sprinter.

As one can expect, the food did not disappoint. There was couscous so perfectly prepared that my satisfaction in the store bought version has been crushed. A sweet and savory b’stilla laced with chicken and showered with cinnamon and powdered sugar and a chicken tagine with french fries – that’s right, FRENCH FRIES!! – sealed my love for this vibrant country. But it was the Moroccan breakfasts that I most long to recreate now that I’m home.

Fresh squeezed orange juice greeted me nearly every morning and woke me up more effectively than three children jumping on my bed ever can. Beyond the juice there was an assortment of breads. Some resembling airy pancakes, others seemed to enjoy a leisurely bath in hot oil before settling into their position of my breakfast. With the breads there was always Amlou, honey, and assorted fruit preserves. Speaking of fruit; the hot Moroccan sun does wonders to intensify the sweetness. Bananas are nearly half the size and twice as sweet, grapes taste of candy, and the citrus requires no additional sugar to tame its pucker.

Proving that point was this salad. A simple salad made up of no more than four ingredients in stunning jewel tones and sweet, slivered dates. Its beauty drew me in but the taste left me pining for its presence during the days that followed.

Segmented grapefruit sat next to bright bites of lemon. The tartness took me by surprise as I had never simply eaten a bite of lemon, except maybe as a child to somehow impress other with my sustainability against the harsh sourness. With the addition of the dates, the entire bowl was perfectly sweet.

And then there’s mint. The herb that I had once relegated to tea and little else. Even refusing to allow it to be a final course garnish as it never made sense to me to add something for the color when the flavor was not wanted. Now there is rarely a day that goes buy when I don’t reach for the emerald leaves.

I’m home now and citrus season is in full swing along with the desire to enjoy a bit more fruits and vegetables ridding myself of nearly an entire month where sugar and butter made up the bulk of my diet. No regrets here, but it did leave me longing for the freshness of a salad such as this one.

The sweet milk granita is purely optional but turns this salad into a stunning, and healthful dessert. I love the ease of turning this sweet cream into a granita. After stirring the ingredients together I add it to a metal cake pan and pop the whole thing in the freezer. Every thirty minutes, or whenever I remember, I simply give the mix a quick stir with a fork to break up any large ice chunks, until the mixture is well-frozen. The resulting granita is flecked with vanilla beans, light ice crystals and a soft texture that melts into the crevices of the segmented citrus that it’s scooped over. You can also churn this mix in an ice cream maker if you want a smoother texture. The choice is yours.

When the presence of fry bread and fresh squeezed orange juice are missing from my mornings, this salad fills the void and reminds me of what Morocco tasted of.

Grapefruit Salad with Sweet Milk Granita

Grapefruit Salad

Inspired by a salad enjoyed at Heure Bleue Hotel in Essaouira, Morocco

Makes 4 smallish servings.

While I loved the puckering tang of the lemon in this salad I do prefer the much gentler sourness that comes from a Meyer lemon, so I've used that here instead.

2 large grapefruits, segmented

1 meyer lemon, segmented

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh mint

1/4 cup thinly sliced dates

Combine the citrus segments and the mint. Add the dates just before serving.

Finish with a small scoop of Sweet Milk Granita if you desire.

Sweet Milk Granita

adapted from pastrychefonline.com

I love the simplicity of this granita and the fact that it doesn't need an ice cream maker. The resulting texture is light, with flaky ice crystals that melt freely into the citrus. Usually I would oppose this texture when cream is involved but for this it works. If you prefer a perfectly creamy texture feel free to churn in an ice cream maker.

1 cup  (9 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cups (9 oz) hot water

1/2 vanilla bean, split

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and stir well. If you are using an ice cream maker, chill this mixture completely before churning.

If turning into a granita add mixture to a metal pan (I used a 9" square cake pan - the bigger the pan the faster it will freeze). Let sit in the freezer for about an hour initially then break up mixture and any formed ice crystals with a fork every 30 minutes until completely frozen. This process will give the desired light texture with uniform ice crystals - the mark of a well-made granita.

Best served the day it's made.

*If you happen to forget about the granita and it freezes solid you can either remelt and start again or you can process in the mix in a food processor to break up ice crystals.

Today is the kind of day where chocolate tastes sweeter, silence feels more poignant, and laughter makes me ache with even more joy. Today is the sort where the mess can wait, craft projects pile on top of one another, layered with empty cups of hot cocoa and sticky fingerprints. It’s the kind of day where the daily blips seem small and the silly stresses seem to pale in comparison to the overwhelming blessings. Today is a rare day where I sense a correct perspective and see this day for the gift it it (well, most of the day).

A nudge of self-pity would try and creep it and I would sternly ask it to leave. A pang of insecurity and twinge of inadequacy longed to invade but the reminder of life’s fragility and the choice to focus on what I have here and now was stronger. Feelings of anxiety and fear didn’t have a chance to settle before I turned them into prayer and made their vain existence useful. It was a constant choice and a continual battle that I fought valiantly.

There will be days I lose, where the feelings of doubt win and my perspective is lost, but today I won.

Today is a gift.

Roasted Potatoes with Minted Spinach Pesto

Serves 6-8 as a side

A stunning box of produce found its way to my door via the kind folks of GiltTaste. I opened the box and immediately pulled it out of the reach of a certain toddler’s less than delicate grip for fear the flawless micro greens and edible flowers would meet their demise before they had a chance to be enjoyed by me.

I couldn’t resist the spinach. Tight curly leaves in the most vibrant of greens, each bundled in a cluster with similarly beautiful leaves. Next I was hit with a sudden punch of fresh herbs, what lingered in my mind was the cooling scent of mint.

This pesto warms and satisfies as a Winter side dish should but without the heavy cheese or cream coat that accompanies so many. It’s confident enough to stand its own next to a holiday roast and plenty satisfying so you won’t hear the longing moans for gratin.

2 lbs new potatoes*, halved

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ tsp kosher salt

Pre-heat your oven to 400*F. Place potatoes on a parchment lined sheet tray. Drizzle olive oil and salt over top and sprinkle salt. Stir the potatoes to evenly coat.Roast for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through and deep golden in parts. Stir a couple times during the cooking process to ensure even cooking.

Pesto

2 garlic cloves*

½ cup toasted almonds

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

4 cups spinach leaves, packed*

½ cup mint leaves*

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1 cup grated Parmesan

¼ - ½ teaspoon kosher salt

In the bowl of a food processor add the garlic, almonds and zest. Process until finely minced. Add to that the spinach, mint and lemon juice. Process until greens are chopped fine. While the machine is running add the olive oil and water, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Lastly, pulse in the Parmesan. Taste and add salt to your preference.

While the potatoes are still warm toss with pesto. You may have leftover pesto or you may decide to use it all, either way is fine with me. Garnish with more Parmesan and serve warm.

*produce from the Chef's Garden Assorted produce found on GiltTaste.com

*Full Disclosure: GiltTaste.com provided me with this incredible produce and asked me to have fun with it. That's just what I did.

Our days are filled this time of year. So much extra activity and traditions to cross off the list I’m finding myself more than ever longing for days that extend to 36 hours rather than 24. I’m not complaining one bit. When the activities include; Eating, Christmas tree acquiring, cookie decorating, eating, hot chocolate drinking, Christmas light seeing, party go-ing, eating, marshmallow making, etc., there really is nothing to complain about.

But in the back of my mind amid the chaos of the holiday planning I feel the mounting of a fresh start.

A friend recently said to me that her favorite holiday is New Years. I was shocked by this as I thought I wasn’t alone in the feelings of disdain for this holiday. My expectations of attending a fancy party and drinking champagne while ringing in the new year are often smashed with the reality of the near impossibility of finding a babysitter on December 31st, I’m no good at partying hard and late into the night, and I’m still tired from the previous week’s holidays to pay much attention to another party.

But what made this holiday a favorite for my friend wasn’t the fancy dresses, champagne and late night, it was the chance to start fresh. A time to reflect on all that had happened the previous year and to anticipate what is yet to come. It is a day to start clean with high hopes, new beginnings, and more insight from another year lived.

Last year my husband and I made some very lofty visions for our family at the start of the year. We made specific goals and wrote out the steps needed to happen in order for those goals to be reached. Each day of this past year had more focus and more drive because of the time we spent at the start of it. I felt closer to him as we were working together to accomplish something big. And now as we begin to reflect on the past year we can look back over those goals made nearly 365 days ago and see how far we’ve come and how incredibly blessed we are.

I don’t want to rush through this season. I’m savoring every peppermint scented minute of it but I really am looking forward to spending some time alone and with my husband to focus on what we hope for in the coming year.

What are you hoping for in 2012? Do you make resolutions or goals at the start of the new year?

Fresh Mint Hot Chocolate

I am on a mint kick these days. If it's acceptable to add mint to it, I will. Even hot chocolate isn't safe. What I love about this version is the mint is from fresh mint. It tastes clean and unlike the candy mint - which I also love - fresh mint gives a clean earthy punch that really suits the chocolate well.

If you have more will power than I, bottle up some of this mix and give it as a gift. It will be well received - I assure you.

1 cup cream

1/2 cup whole milk

5 sprigs fresh mint (more or less depending on desired mint flavor - this will give a pronounced flavor but not overpowering)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (about 9 oz) chopped dark chocolate

Bring the cream and milk to a simmer. Add the mint, turn off the heat then let sit for 30 minutes. With the back of a wooden spoon carefully bruise the mint in the cream mixture to release some of the essential oils.

Add the chocolate to a medium bowl.

Stir the salt into the cream then bring back up to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove the mint.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for one minute. Whisk the cream and the chocolate together. If some chocolate remains unmelted, simply place the bowl over a bain marie or gently microwave at 15-30 second intervals. Stirring after each heating.

Add the ganache (chocolate and cream mixture) to a container and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.

When ready for a cup of hot chocolate add a couple of spoonfuls of ganache to a cup of heated milk. The amount is really based on taste. I like mine nice and rich so I add roughly 2 tablespoons to 6 oz of milk.

Serve with a homemade marshmallow if you so desire.

(Recipe for marshmallows)

*Here's another great idea - By simply adding a bit more milk and cream and having marshmallows and sugar cookies on hand you have the makings of a fine fondue. Check out Artazza.com for the recipe.

Here are a few other Film Fridays to peruse at your leisure.

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All images were shot using Kodak Portra 400 using a Canon A1 50mm 1.4. Digital images at the bottom of this post were taken with a 5d Mark II using a 50mm macro.

I have a favorite spot in Seattle that is quickly becoming favorite spot for many thanks to the attention of The New York Times and Bon Appetit. Of course the food and drinks have a lot to do with it as well.

The Walrus and the Carpenter is marked with a little blue cloud that hangs over the door that leads down a dark hall surrounded by reclaimed wood, exposed brick and eerie yet intriguing portraits. The ominous hall opens up to a bright scene flooded with people, cocktails and oysters. Buckets and buckets of oysters.

The interior is clean, modern with enough farmhouse rustic touches that allows you in sit comfortably. The space is tight, particularly in the kitchen. Yet they manage to produce plate after plate with such ease and grace it’s hard not to watch in awe.

Chef Renee Erickson’s (also of Boat Street Kitchen) food causes me to ignite with passion and inspiration with each visit. Although the menu is heavy on seafood and I have yet to embrace the beauty of eating things found in the sea I am still overwhelmed by the options. Her food is simple and inventive. The kind of food that causes one to stop talking, close your eyes and simply enjoy the bite.

The menu is arranged in categories of oysters, vegetables, seafood, meat, cheese and sweets. The plates are small and created for sharing. Allowing everyone to enjoy several tastes of many dishes with each visit.

On this particular night I was forced to rush out to my car and retrieve my camera to snap a few shots of tomatoes. Not JUST tomatoes but Billy’s tomatoes bathed in olive oil and vanilla bean. Tomatoes and vanilla, did you know they were friends? They really are.

Vanilla beans are suspended in a fruity olive oil and cause the sweetness of the tomatoes to play the starring role it so deserves. Behind the scenes the vanilla adds a floral perfume that gently reminds you that tomatoes are indeed a fruit (or are they a vegetable?). The soft acidic bite puts them back in their savory place. Crusty bread provides the perfect sponge to soak up the remaining soup of tomato juices, olive oil and vanilla bean.

If you do find yourself at the Walrus be sure to order a cocktail. I haven’t met one there that I don’t like. Also, it is a rare visit when I don’t order the chicken liver mousse.

One more thing. If you do go, call me. I’ll meet you there in a instant.

Happy Weekend.

Tomatoes with Vanilla and Mint

inspired by The Walrus and the Carpenter

3 perfect tomatoes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 vanilla bean

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

sea salt

Slice the tomatoes in 1/4" rounds.

Combine the olive oil and vanilla bean.

Arrange the tomatoes on a platter. Cover the tomatoes with the oil. Let sit for at least an hour before serving allowing time for the tomatoes to marinate. Just before serving sprinkle with salt and fresh mint.

Serve with bread.

Also, I imagine a cool, tangy chevre would suit this nicely.