Here is just a sampling of the recipes on the new site – click on any of the links to take you directly to the blog post and recipe.

Blackberry Lime Pudding Cakes

Summer Fruit Crumble

Lemon Cake

Lemon Tarts with Raspberries

Weekends with Julia: Brown-Braised Onions

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream, aka the best cupcake I’ve ever had in my life!

Weekends with Julia: Beef Braised in Red Wine

Summer Fruit Tart

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Lemon Risotto with Spring Vegetables

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

You can buy vanilla sugar, but I don’t really see the point when making your own is so easy and cost efficient.

Growing up, I was a fairly picky eater. It wasn’t until I reached my late 20’s that I began to go beyond my comfort zone when it came to food. I told my mom I was making this soup, and I think she was a little shocked. Then again, she’s surprised that I now occasionally eat pork, chickpeas, and a host of other foods. Soup may actually be on that list, as well.

I’m a big fan of Michael Pollan, and having read both In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I’ve been making efforts to expand my culinary horizons and venture into the world of plant-based proteins. That brought me to lentils. I have to say, the lentils in my pantry have only served one purpose before today: pie weights. But, lentils are high in protein and fiber, and enough people seem to like them that I thought I’d give them a try.

I came across a highly rated soup recipe that seemed perfect for my experiment. So I embarked on a new culinary adventure. I do admit that I’m not sure what I think of it yet, but I am willing to experiment a little more with lentils.

Lentil & Tomato Soup
adapted from cooking light

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/3 c water
2 1/3 c dried lentils
1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro
5 1/2 c chicken stock
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
chopped fresh tomatoes (optional)
cilantro sprig (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion; sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Add the turmeric and the next 6 ingredients (turmeric through garlic); sauté for 1 minute. Add water and next 4 ingredients (water through diced tomatoes); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour.

Reserve 2 cups lentil mixture. Place half of remaining mixture in blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with other half of remaining mixture. Stir in reserved 2 cups lentil mixture. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and a cilantro sprig, if desired.

Notes: The soup is okay. I think it needs more salt, but that could be because I used homemade stock instead of canned broth. I increased the black pepper a bit, as well. Next time I make it, I will make sure I have some turmeric on hand, so I can actually follow the recipe. Otherwise, it’s a nice change, it’s very filling, and I have a freezer loaded with soup for those days I run out of food and there’s yet another blizzard or ice storm.

I have a confession. I pretty much refused to eat mac and cheese until I got to college. Yes, I was such a picky eater when I was young that I refused to eat what was a staple to most kids. And when I say mac and cheese, I refer to the stuff that comes out of a box labeled Kraft.

My love of cheese took me beyond the box of Kraft, though Kraft still has its place every now and then. This particular Barefoot Contessa recipe is excellent, though you may want to ignore the “serves 2″ part of the recipe, or you will likely be clutching your stomach in pain after dinner. However, for presentation purposes, I do still love to make it in the individual gratin dishes.

The blue cheese really makes this dish pop. If you don’t like blue cheese, you could always use something else, but it will be a pity to miss those little bursts of flavor.

Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Directions
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes. (At this point, you can refrigerate and bake at a later time.)

Sprinkle panko and thyme over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

I realized from early on the importance of separating eggs when it comes to waffles. Betty Crocker didn’t separate her eggs. Her waffles stunk. Trust me, I made them not once, but twice. I made the Better Homes and Gardens waffles, the Family Circle waffles…none of them reminded me of home. Bisquick probably made better waffles than these impostors. I know I’m spoiled because I grew up with waffles made from scratch, from a recipe that doesn’t just throw eggs into the batter, but actually has you take the time to beat the egg whites so you end up with a proper waffle…but shouldn’t we be spoiled when it comes to our special breakfast food? Or in my case, occasional dinner food? I think so.

Old-Fashioned Waffles
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 c milk
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
2 c flour, sifted*
3 tsp baking powder
4 T melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. In a large bowl, beat sugar, salt and milk until smooth. Add yolks to the milk and beat until creamy. Mix in flour and baking powder (batter will be lumpy…be careful not to overmix or the waffles will end up tough). Fold in the egg whites. Add the melted butter and vanilla, fold until combined.

Preheat the waffle iron (regular, Belgian, it doesn’t matter). Pour in enough batter to cover the bottom, bake until brown or the waffle stops steaming.

*A side note for you healthy people out there…you can substitute 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour for 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. The end result won’t be quite as delicious, but it’s still better than the impostors I mentioned above.

My fascination with this bread was very sudden, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. I’m not really concerned with the origin of my fascination; I’m happy that it hit me over the head that fateful day, because it is now one of my favorite breads. It’s great on its own with a little jam and a steaming mug of coffee, or as a weekend breakfast of French toast, or even as croutons or bread pudding to use up stale bread. Of course, due to the richness of the bread, it’s not one I make often, but it is such a treat to have now and then.

When I first made brioche, I didn’t have a stand mixer. I tried making the dough with my hand-held mixer. As I started adding that third cup of flour, the motor began to smoke, and the mixer managed to inhale bread dough before it sputtered and died.

So I switched to my hands.

I’ve always thought making bread by hand to be a rewarding experience, as well as a nice little escape from reality. Angry with your husband? Knead some dough. Irritated with your kids? Slap the dough against the board a few times. Stressed out at work? Make several loaves of bread – you’ll relieve some stress and tire yourself out so you sleep well that night.

Of course, making brioche by hand is a little more difficult than other breads, because you have to knead in all of that butter. It’s messy, and even your fingernails will hurt the following day. However, you will become very tuned in to how bread dough behaves during the various stages of mixing and kneading. You may not need to pay much attention to the instructions with a recipe after that point, because you’ll know what to do based on how the dough is behaving. It’s a nice feeling, and it takes a lot of the worry out of bread making.

For this particular recipe, I’m giving instructions for making the bread both with a stand mixer, and by hand.

Brioche

1/3 c warm water (about 110 F)
1 package yeast
2 T sugar
6 large eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp orange extract
4 c bread flour, divided*
2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)
1 large egg + 1 T water for egg wash

Stand Mixer Instructions
In a large mixer bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar, mix with fingers and let sit for 10 min. If the mixture doesn’t foam up, toss it and start over b/c the yeast was bad.

Add six eggs and orange extract, mix with paddle attachment until well blended. Add two cups flour, mix on low for about five minutes.

Add remaining 2 cups of flour and salt, mix for about another 5 minutes on low. With mixer on low, add softened butter 1 T at a time. Switch to dough hook and mix on low until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (about 3 minutes total). Refrigerate dough overnight in large buttered bowl covered in plastic wrap.

The next day, bring dough to room temperature (about 1-2 hours). On a floured board, divide dough in half.

Take the first half and roll out slightly into a rectangle (should be about as wide as your loaf pan is long). Roll the dough into a log and press the seam together to seal, tuck under the ends if needed to fit into loaf pan. Place in pan, seam side down, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

For remaining dough, you can either make another loaf or divide the dough into 12 equal pieces for mini brioche rolls. For each roll, stretch the dough slightly and tuck ends under in center, forming a ball. Place seam side down in muffin pan. Cover with damp kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Brush each with egg wash. Bake 350 – loaf for about 35-40 minutes, mini brioche for about 18-20 minutes.

Non-Stand Mixer Instructions
In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar, mix with fingers and let sit for 10 min. If the mixture doesn’t foam up, toss it and start over b/c the yeast was bad.

Add six eggs and orange extract, mix with a hand mixer or wooden spoon until well blended. Add two cups flour, mix on low for about five minutes. (Note: do not use a hand-held mixer beyond this step, unless you want an excuse to get a new mixer.)

Switch to a workboard. Add remaining 2 cups of flour and salt and work the dough by hand until it starts coming off the surface of your workboard. It will be really sticky still. Stretch the dough out and add 1 T of butter at a time, folding the dough over and working to incorporate. Repeat until all butter is added, and dough pulls away from workboard and looks kind of shiny. (This takes awhile – about 25 minutes) Refrigerate dough overnight in large buttered bowl covered in plastic wrap.

The next day, bring dough to room temperature (about 1-2 hours). On a floured board, divide dough in half.

Take the first half and roll out slightly into a rectangle (should be about as wide as your loaf pan is long). Roll the dough into a log and press the seam together to seal, tuck under the ends if needed to fit into loaf pan. Place in pan, seam side down, cover with kitchen towel (I’ve also used a damp paper towel) and let rise for 2 hours.

For remaining dough, you can either make another loaf or divide the dough into 12 equal pieces for mini brioche rolls. For each roll, stretch the dough slightly and tuck ends under in center, forming a ball. Place seam side down in muffin pan. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours.

Brush each with egg wash. Bake 350 – loaf for about 35-40 minutes, mini brioche for about 18-20 minutes.

*Though you can use all-purpose flour, I’ve found the results to be much, much better using bread flour. If you’re going to take the time to make a special bread like brioche, make sure you have bread flour on hand.

My history with this dish is…interesting. I know “interesting” is kind of a cop-out when it comes to word choice, but because it’s so all-encompassing, I couldn’t resist. And, of course, it doesn’t actually give away too much.

When I watched the very first episode of Anne’s show, she made Pasta Bolognese. I was hooked by how delicious her dish looked, and I was a bit intrigued by how very, very thoroughly she seasoned the dish with salt. Could it be possible by simply salting my cooking a bit more, I too could achieve fabulous results?

Well, if you’ve seen the episode of which I speak, and if you watched in disbelief at the amount of salt she uses, you probably won’t be all that surprised to hear that my results tasted like a salt block. That first time, I salted very liberally (with Kosher salt) as she instructed, but still didn’t season as much as she did in the show. The sauce was pretty much inedible and I was near tears; I really don’t like culinary disasters, especially when I put so much hope and time into a dish.

I’ve since made this dish a few more times, and I confess that although I season the dish throughout, I’m still a bit gun-shy, and my final results need a hit of salt. However, if you thoroughly brown during each stage, the depth of flavor in this dish is amazing. If you allow the sauce to refrigerate overnight, and then reheat it the following night, the results are even more spectacular.

Anne Burrell’s Pasta Bolognese
from Food Network

Ingredients
1 large onion or 2 small, cut into 1-inch dice
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice
4 cloves garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
Kosher salt
3 pounds ground chuck, brisket or round or combination
2 cups tomato paste
3 cups hearty red wine
Water
3 bay leaves
1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
High quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

Directions
In a food processor, puree onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into a coarse paste. In a large pan over medium heat, coat pan with oil. Add the pureed veggies and season generously with salt. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient, this is where the big flavors develop.

Add the ground beef and season again generously with salt. BROWN THE BEEF! Brown food tastes good. Don’t rush this step. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook until brown about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the water evaporates you will gradually need to add more, about 2 to 3 cups at a time. Don’t be shy about adding water during the cooking process, you can always cook it out. This is a game of reduce and add more water. This is where big rich flavors develop. If you try to add all the water in the beginning you will have boiled meat sauce rather than a rich, thick meaty sauce. Stir and TASTE frequently. Season with salt, if needed (you probably will). Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the spaghetti. Pasta water should ALWAYS be well salted. Salty as the ocean! TASTE IT! If your pasta water is under seasoned it doesn’t matter how good your sauce is, your complete dish will always taste under seasoned. When the water is at a rolling boil add the spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than it calls for on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking remove 1/2 of the ragu from the pot and reserve.

Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the remaining ragu. Stir or toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Add some of the reserved sauce, if needed, to make it about an even ratio between pasta and sauce. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and cook the pasta and sauce together over a medium heat until the water has reduced. Turn off the heat and give a big sprinkle of Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of the high quality finishing olive oil. Toss or stir vigorously. Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls or 1 big pasta bowl. Top with remaining grated Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

I have somewhat of a fascination with French bistro cooking, which may have been obvious considering the name of this blog. Perhaps it’s the thought of eating in a cozy little bistro, the idea of getting a homey meal when eating out, or simply that it’s far removed from the perceived glamour of French cooking. It’s likely a combination of all three, and perhaps a little something more.

To me, bistro cooking is really the perfect Sunday lunch. On a rainy day like today, what better to soothe you than a steaming bowl of soup topped with toasted bread and melted cheese? Now, imagine this soup has taken three hours to cook, you’ve deglazed the pan not once, not twice, but three times, and you’ve taken the time to search out imported Swiss Gruyère and a freshly made baguette. Doesn’t this labor of love sound like heaven? Okay, I admit, it’s heaven after the first hour or so. The first hour that the onions are in the oven, my nostrils stung and my eyes watered, and I feared my home would never smell the same.

But after that first hour, as the slices started to turn golden in my oven, a sweet aroma filled the air. As my onions were about to come out of the oven for the first time, both my giddiness and trepidation grew. Would this soup meet my high expectations? Would it be worth the time and effort? At that point, I could still only wonder, and continue to cook.

French Onion Soup*
from America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Table salt
2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
1/2 cup dry sherry
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1 bay leaf
Ground black pepper

1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions
1. For the soup: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray inside of heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place butter in pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook for 1 hour. Stir the onions and scrape the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven and cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes longer

2. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.) Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in broths, 2 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

4. For the croutons: While soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

5. To serve: Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

*This soup is definitely better the second, or even third day. It’s a wonderful dish to prepare ahead of time, then simply reheat and serve.

I still remember the first time I made lemon bars. I was in college, and I was finishing up my spring finals. My roommates had already left for summer, and the contents of our cupboards and fridge were dwindling. But there still remained a bottle of lemon juice concentrate. And Betty Crocker just happened to have a recipe for lemon bars.

At the time, I didn’t realize that when a recipe called for lemon juice, you were supposed to actually buy some lemons and juice them. Not use concentrate. My mouth still puckers when I think of that first bite.

Since I’ve discovered the actual fruit, my desserts are much tastier. These bars…wow. Just a little bit packs a punch and provides satisfaction so you don’t have to worry about overdoing it. They are perfect to end a meal or enjoy with a mid-afternoon cup of tea.

Lemon Bars
adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients for the crust:
2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt

Ingredients for the filling:
7 large eggs (room temperature)
2 1/2 c granulated sugar
2 T grated lemon zest (4-6 lemons)
1 c freshly sqeezed lemon juice
1 c all-purpose flour

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (I used a dark pan, so I set my oven to 325).

2. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add the flour and salt to the mixture until combined. Press the dough into a 9×13 inch pan, building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack and leave oven on.

3. For the filling, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour, whisk until combined. Pour over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is set. Cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioner’s sugar.

A bowl of risotto and a glass of wine are quite possibly the perfect simple dinner in my world. Really good risotto has me closing my eyes and tipping back my head in pure delight. It’s so good that I really savor that first taste, and the second, and the last, searching for each layer of flavor, enjoying each texture.

I suppose it really shouldn’t be a shock that risotto is a favorite of mine. When I was in college, I was addicted to Rice-A-Roni. Yes, that San Francisco treat was a mainstay in my kitchen. Anytime I would be up studying until the wee hours of the morning, it’s probably safe to assume I had rice cooking away on the stove.

I adore mushrooms, I’m in love with garlic, so their marriage is a classic to me, and one you’ll surely see again. I could happily add even more garlic, but I tried to tone it down for this particular recipe, in case a non-garlic lover would like to try it.

Mushroom Risotto

4 c chicken stock*
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
3/4 c chopped shallots
12 oz assorted mushrooms (sliced or cut into quarters)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c Arborio Rice
2 bay leaves
3/4 c white wine
1 T butter
1/2 c shredded parmesan
salt
pepper

Heat chicken stock in medium saucepan over moderately high heat.

Heat oil and butter in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add shallots, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper and cook until translucent, about three or four minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes until they release their juices, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the rice and bay leaves. Stir and cook until the rice is well-coated with oil, about two minutes.

Add the wine. Stir occasionally until the wine is absorbed. Add two ladles of stock, stir occasionally until absorbed. Repeat until all of the stock is absorbed (about 20-25 minutes).

Remove from heat, remove bay leaves. Check the seasonings, adjust if necessary. Stir in the butter. Add the parmesan, stir until combined. Check the seasoning again. Garnish with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan.

*Can substitute vegetable stock for a vegetarian option.