Hello, summer cocktail! This white wine sangria is super easy and oh-so-tasty. I included it in a 4th of July Menu for InStyle Magazine last summer and this week I was excited to have Camille Styles feature it.
Cheers!
Stuffed Tomatoes
It’s my first Mother’s Day (!) and we are having a celebratory meal with my mom and a bunch of aunts, cousins and relatives up in Sonoma County (where I grew up). I’m bringing these sweet potato stuffed tomatoes from my cookbook- they are a fun, easy, colorful side!
Also, in case you are still in need of an affordable and special Mother’s Day gift or two (plug! plug!), check out my line of stationery/noterie items like these foodie watercolor art prints and paper placemats (above) that I painted and photographed. You can find them at Paper Source (online and in shops) and on Amazon (and lots of other places too!). Here’s a link to see more photos of these and my other paper good items including journals and meal planners.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mammas out there!
Carrot Salad with scallions, nuts & raisins
So sorry for the lack of posts lately! Baby Ezra has been keeping me busy, but now I am officially back to work- and excited to be working on 2 new Forest Feast cookbooks! One for kids to learn how to cook, and one that’s entertaining focused- both slated to come out sometime next year!
Jonathan gave me a spiralizer for Valentine’s Day a couple years ago (he knows the way to my veggie lovin’ heart) and I use it all the time. You can find them online for less than $10…there are all different types, but mine is like a big pencil sharpener and works beautifully with carrots and zucchini. I always look for fat carrots, as they spiral more easily and don’t break off at the tip. I’ve been getting rainbow carrots at our grocery store lately, but even regular carrots make this dish beautiful and colorful. Also, this salad does very well when made in advance, so it’s great for entertaining.
Also, I’m excited that my blog has been nominated for the Better Homes and Gardens Blogger Awards in the “Everyday Eats” category. To see all the other awesome blogs and to vote, click here.
Happy cooking!
Brown Butter Tomatoes from The New Greenmarket Cookbook
I know I am spoiled by the produce in California, but I have to say- I do miss the New York City Greenmarket. The produce that pops up in Union Square (and in farmers’ markets all over the city) is truly spectacular, especially in late summer. Coming out of the subway at 14th Street and seeing all the farmers amidst the cityscape is so unique and exciting. While at the market, it’s common to see big city chefs shopping for their dinner menus and The New Greenmarket Cookbook tells the stories behind these chefs and recipes.
The cookbook is by my friend Gabrielle and it’s beautifully compiled with so many fresh ideas. I shot with a lot of these chefs when I was working as a food photographer in New York, so it’s really fun to have this collection of their recipes. Here’s one super simple summer recipe I tried the other day that was a total winner. I made it while visiting my parents’ little cabin up in Sonoma County, where they have an enormous garden with 50+ tomato plants growing this summer (crazy!). Such a simple idea and SO delicious. Happy cooking!
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BROWN BUTTER TOMATOES
From The New Greenmarket Cookbook by Gabrielle Langholtz and GrowNYC. Reprinted with permission from Da Capo Lifelong, © 2014
Recipe by Amanda Hesser, Food52.com and Provisions
2 large or 3 small ripe beefsteak tomatoes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Coarsely ground black pepper
Baguette or other country bread, for mopping up the butter
Most locavores have more recipes for tomatoes than Eskimos have names for snow. But this preparation, which drizzles beurre noisette over tomatoes in place of the classic olive oil, will stop you in your tracks. As surprising as it is simple, it’s the kind of thing you can slap together in mere minutes for a solo snack or serve to guests on fine china.
Core the tomatoes and slice them 1⁄3-inch thick. Divide the slices among four plates (preferably warmed), overlapping the slices just a little. Place the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium heat. Let the butter melt completely. It will begin bubbling. Let the butter simmer away, cooking off its water, until it begins to smell nutty and brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Swirl the pan every 30 seconds or so. When the butter turns the color of a hazelnut, remove it from the heat. Use a soup spoon to ladle it over the tomatoes. They’ll sizzle! You want to dress the tomatoes with the butter, as if you were pouring ganache over a cake—be generous!
Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then rush the plates to the table so everyone can taste the tomatoes while the butter is hot. Mop up the butter and tomato juices with good bread. Toast to summer!
Serves 4
Watermelon Tomato Salad
Hope everyone had a fun Labor Day weekend! Guess what- we had a baby boy! Little Ezra has arrived and we couldn’t be more excited, grateful, happy or in awe! Now we are a forest family.
As we enjoy these last days of summer, I thought I’d share a recipe that I did for the current issue of Remedy Quarterly, a fantastic foodie magazine that everyone should know about.
Enjoy!
