Strawberry & Pistachio Cream Tart

When we were designing our spring dessert menu recently we came up with this French inspired creation. The combination of sweet-tart strawberries and pistachio pastry cream is heavenly and the colors are really beautiful together too. Decorating the tart with strawberries isn’t hard, and it always produces great results.

Total Time: 2 hours
Active Time: 1 hour
Serves 8 to 10
Special Equipment: 10-inch fluted tart shell with removable bottom

Ingredients

Tart Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ sticks (¾ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons ice water (roughly)

Pistachio Pastry Cream

1½ cups finely ground pistachios
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons almond extract
¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Strawberries

2 10-oz containers strawberries, tops trimmed off, thinly sliced
¼ cup honey
Mint sprigs for garnish

Preparation

Tart Dough

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Put flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. If you don’t have a food processor, whisk the flour and remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is the texture of small pebbles (if using your fingers, blend the butter and flour mixture until a moist crumb forms). Whisk the yolks, vanilla and ice water together and add it to the food processor. Pulse again until the dough just comes together. Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and kneed gently once or twice, until the dough and crumbs are combined. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Roll dough into a 12-inch circle and transfer to the tart pan. Press dough evenly into the pan and up the sides. Trim any excess dough from the edge and, using a fork, prick the bottom of the shell many times. Reserve any remaining dough for another use. Chill tart shell in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Line the shell with parchment paper or tin foil and add baking beans.
Bake tart until shell is golden at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the baking beans and cook the shell for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until bottom is lightly golden and cooked through. Cool.

Pistachio Pastry Cream

Whisk the pistachios, whole milk, heavy cream and ¼ cup sugar together in a saucepan until steaming. Turn off the heat and let the mixture steep for 15 minutes. In the mean time, whisk the remaining sugar, salt, egg yolks and cornstarch together in a bowl until pale yellow. Bring the pistachio cream back to a simmer over low heat and then gently whisk it into the egg mixture in the bowl. Return the whole mixture back to the saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking consistently so that clumps don’t form. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Place a sieve over a bowl and strain the pastry cream through it, pressing on the sieve with a rubber spatula to push the pastry cream through. Whisk in the crème fraîche or sour cream and cool slightly. Transfer the pastry cream to the tart shell, spreading it evenly.

Strawberries

Top the tart with strawberry slices, beginning at the outer edge with the tips facing out. Layer the slices in a fish scale pattern, overlapping each layer. Heat the honey in a small saucepan over low heat until loose. Brush a light layer of the honey over the strawberries and garnish with a mint sprig.

Asparagus Bisque with Crab

You know that spring is on its way when asparagus begin showing up at markets around San Francisco. Their bright green stalks are delicious in almost anything, including this bisque, which captures the delicate flavors of this quintessential spring vegetable. We’ve topped it with a little lemon crème fraîche and a spoonful of local Dungeness crab and the colors look beautiful together. Perfect for spring!

Active Time: 45 minutes
Serves 8 as a first course

Ingredients

Asparagus Bisque

2½ lbs asparagus
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 leek, whites and pale greens finely chopped
1½ celery stalks, diced
1 small russet potato, peeled and diced into ½” pieces
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 cups vegetable stock – we like Rapunzel Brand vegetable bouillon
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup crème fraîche

Lemon Crème Fraîche

½ cup crème fraîche
1 teaspoon lemon zest (use a Meyer lemon if possible)

Garnish

¼ lb Dungeness crab
1 bunch lemon thyme

Preparation

Asparagus Bisque

Snap the ends off of the asparagus and discard. Prepare an ice-water bath. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and set aside.

In another large heavy stockpot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, leeks and celery and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add potatoes, salt, pepper and vegetable stock, reserving 1 cup of the broth on the side. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the asparagus (reserve a few of the smallest stalks for garnish if you want to) and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until very smooth. Once all of the soup has been pureed, add more broth if it is too thick. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and crème fraîche and season with more salt if needed.

Lemon Crème Fraîche

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl until crème fraîche is slightly stiff – like whipped cream.

To Serve

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a spoonful of lemon crème fraîche in the center of each bowl. Drag the tip of a knife through the crème fraîche several times to achieve a spiderweb-like design. Place a spoonful of crab in the center of each soup. Garnish with a few asparagus stalks and a sprig of lemon thyme and serve.

Little Spanish Meatballs

These little meatballs are very common in tapas bars throughout Spain. They’re usually served in casuelas, and come to your table bubbling hot with grilled bread on the side. The Spanish term for meatball is albondiga and comes from the Arabic term al bundaq or “round.” The southern tip of Spain is very close to Northern Africa, and as a result they use some of the same spices in their dishes. These meatballs have tons of flavor, but aren’t that spicy-hot. You can add more of one spice or omit another to make the recipe fit your own taste. If you can’t find urfa biber, the ground sun-dried Turkish pepper we use in the meatball mixture and sauce, you can always add a bit of smoked paprika in it’s place.

Active Time: 1¼ hours
Makes 70 little meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

½ cup onion, very finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
1½ lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon urfa biber* (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper

1½ cups all-purpose flour for dredging
1 cup olive oil for frying

Spiced Tomato Sauce

1 cup onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon urfa biber* (optional)
1 teaspoon sumac** (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon honey
1 28-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

*urfa biber is a sun-dried, ground Turkish pepper that gives these meatballs a sweet, richly spicy quality. You can find it at specialty food stores and online at www.worldspice.com.

**sumac is a deep reddish-purple spice that is commonly used in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine, and as a result, can be found in dishes in southern Spain. It has a bright, tart flavor and is slightly floral. If you can’t find sumac, just squeeze half a lemon into the sauce. You can buy sumac at www.thespicehouse.com.

Garnish

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup shaved Manchego cheese (we use a vegetable peeler to produce nice shavings).
1 sliced baguette, drizzled with olive oil and grilled until crispy. If you don’t have a grill or stove-top grill pan, toast the bread in a sauté pan.

Preparation

Meatballs

In a bowl, combine the onion, garlic, meat, parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, spices, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix to combine – try not to overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough.

Dampen hands. Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon measuring spoon, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch balls. Spread the flour in a shallow bowl. One at a time, roll the meatballs in the flour, coating evenly and then shaking off any excess.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the meatballs and sear until golden on all sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate. If the pan becomes too dry as you’re cooking the meatballs, add more olive oil.

Spiced Tomato Sauce

Add onion and garlic to the frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the red wine and simmer until reduced by half, scraping up all of the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Next add the honey, tomato sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Return the meatballs to the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the meatballs are fully cooked in the sauce, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

To Serve

Transfer the meatballs to a serving bowl and top with the shaved Manchego and chopped parsley. Serve with grilled bread on the side.

Meyer Lemon Hummus

It’s hard not to love Meyer lemons. Their floral skin and sweet-tart juice make them so much better than the standard lemon. It’s citrus season in northern California, and Meyer lemons are in every market. Meghan and I both have Meyer lemon trees in our back yards too, so we always end up using them in our recipes when lemon zest or juice is needed. This hummus comes together in minutes with the help of a food processor. If you don’t have one, you can make a similar version with a hand-held beater. The pita chips are simple too, and the seeds make them feel especially healthy. We used a combination of white and whole wheat pitas when making our chips because the two-tone chips look prettier, and because whole wheat is good for you!

Active Time: 45 minutes
Makes about 3 cups of hummus and 1 large bowl of chips

Ingredients

Meyer Lemon Hummus

½ cup olive oil – divided
2 cups thinly sliced shallots
¼ cup white wine
2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 cloves garlic, smashed with the back of a knife
3 tablespoons tahini sesame paste
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
½ cup Meyer lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
l teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Seeded Pita Chips

1 rounded tablespoon nigella seeds*
2 rounded tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 rounded tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 rounded tablespoons green pumpkin seeds, or pepitas
1 package small white pita chips
1 package small whole wheat pita chips
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ cup honey

*Nigella seeds are common in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines and give the chips an added punch of flavor, similar to cumin. If you can’t find nigella seeds, substitute black sesame seeds instead. They won’t offer the same flavor, but they will make the chips look good.

Preparation

Meyer Lemon Hummus

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup olive oil and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add the white wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Sauté for another 8 to 10 minutes over low heat until shallots are deep golden brown. Cool slightly, then transfer the caramelized shallots to the food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy. If using a hand-help beater, whip ingredients in a bowl until creamy.

Seeded Pita Chips

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Mix the seeds together in a small bowl and set aside. Cut the pitas into 2 disks, and then stack them. Cut the disks into 6 wedges each and place the wedges on a parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet. You will need about 4 baking sheets to make all of the chips. Drizzle each sheet of pitas with ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bake the pitas for 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly golden at the edges but still a little bit soft. Drizzle each sheet with 2 tablespoons honey, and then sprinkle the seed mixture evenly over the pitas – you will use about 2 tablespoons per baking sheet. Bake for another 4 to 6 minutes, or until the chips are golden brown and crispy. Cool before transferring to a serving platter.

Warm Sausage Dip

This sausage dip was inspired by my husband, Mike, who makes a version of this dish for every important football viewing event. He likes it because there are very few ingredients, it’s quick and easy to prepare, and it ALWAYS elicits great feedback. Make sure to cook the sausage until it is fully cooked through and well crumbled. Mike likes to serve his dip with Fritos Scoops, but you can select your choice of potato, corn or tortilla chip.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

2 hot Italian sausage links
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 garlic clove, grated
14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
small pinch red pepper flakes
8 oz mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup grated pecorino

Preparation

Remove the sausage meat from the casing. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sausage meat until browned and well-crumbled, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to bowl. Add the olive oil to the same pan. Turn the heat to medium and add the diced onion and ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.

Return the sausage to the pan, along with the canned tomatoes, red pepper flakes mascarpone, sour cream, and pecorino. Stir to combine and cook for a minute or two to blend the flavors.

Transfer the dip to a small fondue pot or little cast iron cauldron. Serve immediately with potato, corn or tortilla chips.

Mint Pesto Crusted Lamb Lollipops

If you are looking for a last minute holiday hors d’oeuvre, this is it! We’ve had these Lamb Lollipops on our catering menu for the past few months and people love them. The nice thing is that they’re really simple to prepare and come together in minutes. This means that you will have more time to spend with family and friends and less time in the kitchen. The combination of mint and basil in the pesto is perfect with the lamb, and instead of pine nuts we added pistachios, which help give this pesto is extremely bright green hue. Look for thin, shorter wooden skewers for the lollipop sticks – the long ones look kind of silly.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: up to 6 hours
Serves 12 as an hors d’oeuvre

Ingredients

Mint Pesto

1 bunch mint leaves
½ large bunch basil leaves
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup grated pecorino cheese
2 large garlic cloves, smashed with the back of a knife
¼ cup roasted and salted pistachios
½ cup olive oil

Lamb

4 lamb tenderloins
Olive oil
Thin wooden skewers
Micro greens for garnish

Preparation

Mint Pesto

Process all ingredients in a blender or food processor until almost smooth with pebble size pieces of pistachios. Rub the lamb with ½ of the pesto and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.

Lamb

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb, rotating every minute or so, until all sides are golden brown – 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the tenderloins.
Place the lamb on a cutting board and spread some of the extra pesto over the top of each tenderloin. Let the meat rest for a few minutes before slicing into ½-inch thick rounds.

Drizzle the remaining pesto over a serving platter. Place each piece of lamb on a wooden skewer and lay the lollipops on top of the pesto on the serving platter. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and garnish with micro greens. Serve warm.

Citrus Holiday Centerpiece

The inspiration from this came from a recent article in California Style magazine. An interior designer mentioned how easy it is to decorate your home in California in the winter because of our growing season. We realized that this is true for your holiday table as well. So, we ran to the Farmers Market on Tuesday and purchased a variety of oranges and tangerines with leaves still on them. We used Meyer lemons from Meghan’s back yard tree and put this arrangement together in less than 5 minutes. The greenery and red berries around the silver tray make it feel more like Christmas. The deep silver platter for the centerpiece was purchased at Past Perfect on Union St. They have a great selection of vintage silver and silverplate platters and bowls, and other holiday nicknacks that you can use to decorate your table. Sue Fisher king also sells beautiful tableware and has an array of white platters and bowls that would be perfect for this type of tablescape.

Even though the weather is turning colder, there are still traces of summer in the markets throughout the city. I made this dish for some friends last Sunday after they came home from Santa Cruz with 60 lbs of heirloom tomatoes. They had so many tomatoes; we were struggling to find uses for them all. We made a Golden Tomato Soup to freeze for easy weeknight meals, a simple, but delicious Caprese Salad, and this scallop dish. This is the tail end of the corn season and nothing goes better with corn than really good tomatoes. I’ve been crazy about creamed corn since I was a little girl, and it was the perfect base for the crispy, sweet scallops and bright, smoky salsa. I added a bit of red onion, a little garlic and some fresh basil to the salsa and it came together in minutes. The whole dish looks beautiful and is really simple to prepare – a blender for the creamed corn helps, too. This is probably my last summer recipe before I concentrate on squash, apples and all of the flavors of fall, so enjoy it with me. I’ll be excited to make this recipe again next summer when corn and tomatoes come back into our lives again.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4 as a First Course

Ingredients

Creamed Corn

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced (about 2 cups)
2 large cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
4 ears of yellow corn, kernels cut off
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup grated pecorino cheese

Tomato & Bacon Salsa

½ lb thick cut bacon, cut into ¼-inch strips
¼ cup finely diced red onion
1½ cups diced heirloom tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Scallops

4 large fresh sea scallops, catch mussel removed, rinsed and patted dry
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Preparation

Creamed Corn

Melt the butter and olive oil together in a sauté pan over medium heat until the butter is bubbling. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the corn and lemon zest. Sauté corn for 2, stirring frequently. Add the white wine and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the corn is plump and cooked through and any liquid has evaporated. Add the milk, cream and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture has thickened slightly. Transfer to a blender and pulse until corn has a slightly chunky texture. Pour the mixture back into the sauté pan and stir in the pecorino. Keep the mixture warm until serving.

Tomato & Bacon Salsa

Heat a small sauté pan over high heat, and add the bacon. Cook bacon until browned and crispy. Transfer the bacon to a medium bowl and keep the sauté pan with bacon fat to sear the scallops in.
Add the red onion, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and basil to the bowl with the bacon and toss.

Scallops

Heat the sauté pan with bacon fat over high heat. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot add the scallops. Sear for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, depending on the size, until a golden crust has formed. Turn the pan off and pour the lemon juice over the scallops.
While the scallops are searing, divide the creamed corn between shallow bowls. Place a large spoonful of salsa in the center of each bowl. Once scallops are seared, place scallops on top of the salsa and garnish with a fresh basil leaf.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Clafoutis Batter

4 large eggs
1 cup half & half
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for ramekins
4 5¼-inch crème brulee ramekins

Plums & Cognac

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 to 5 assorted plums and pluots, pitted and sliced into ¾-inch thick wedges
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Cognac

Cinnamon Crème Fraîche

¾ cup crème fraîche
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Mint sprigs for garnish

Preparation

Clafoutis Batter

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Put all ingredients except the melted butter into a blender and puree until smooth. Let the mixture rest in the blender while you sauté the plums.
Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of each ramekin with melted butter and set them on a baking sheet.

Plums & Cognac

Heat butter in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat until melted and bubbling. Add the plums and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the salt and sugar over the plums swirl in the pan. Add the Cognac – be careful, the mixture will steam. Using rubber coated tongs, gently turn the plum slices over and cook for another 15 seconds. Turn the pan off.
Divide the clafoutis batter between the 4 ramekins. Gently place the plum slices on top of the batter (they will sink down slightly). To make the top look pretty, make sure that all of the slices are facing the same direction in a pinwheel pattern. Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Crème Fraîche

Whip the chilled cream or crème fraîche in a bowl until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon and whip until blended. Chill until ready to use. Before serving, garnish with a mint sprig for color.

To Serve

Serve the clafoutis warm with the whipped cream or crème fraîche along side.

The key to this salad is the grilled peaches. The combination of the caramelized grill marks on the outside and the crisp, sweet fruit inside is fantastic. Combining the farmer’s market fruit with bitter arugula, creamy fior di latte mozzarella and a light moscato vinaigrette makes for a perfect balance of textures, flavors and brilliant color. Moscato vinegar is made from Italian moscato grapes, which are often used to make dessert wine. It is the color of honey and has a sweeter, more floral flavor than traditional white wine vinegar. To finish the salad, I sprinkled flakes of British sea salt and edible wildflowers over the top, which really makes the bright orange color in the peaches pop!

Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 8 as a First Course or Side Dish

Ingredients

Salad

4 peaches, cut into 6 to 8 slices each
2 large balls fior di latte mozzarella, drained and sliced into ½-inch thick rounds
6 cups baby arugula
1 cup packed basil leaves
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Moscato Vinaigrette

½ cup moscato vinegar
¾ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic, grated or finely chopped
¼ cup shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon honey
1¼ teaspoons salt
½ cup olive oil

Garnish

½ teaspoon Maldon sea salt
Edible wildflowers

Preparation

Moscato Vinaigrette

Whisk all ingredients except olive oil together in a bowl. Slowly add olive oil, while you whisk. This helps to blend the dressing.

Peaches

Heat your grill until very hot and then brush generously with olive oil. To get nice X grill marks, place the peaches on the grill with the top of the peach pointing at 10 o’clock and grill for 30 seconds. Lift the peach up and turn top towards 2 o’clock, grilling for 30 seconds. Turn the peach slices over and repeat. Transfer the peaches to a plate to cool slightly.

To Serve

Put the arugula and basil leaves in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour ½ of the vinaigrette over the greens and toss until lightly coated, and then transfer to a serving platter.
Layer the peaches and mozzarella on top of the arugula and drizzle with remaining dressing. Sprinkle the Maldon sea salt and flowers over the salad and serve.