Spring Garlic Pancakes

Spring Garlic Pancakes

Spring Garlic Pancakes

This is the week of milestones.  Yes, it was Father's Day yesterday. But it was also Eric's birthday (the big 32... I like to remind him that I'll forever be his younger man).  In addition to this, we attended (and I photographed) our dear friends' wedding.  Despite a week of rain, things lightened up Friday afternoon, just in time for their rehearsal dinner, and stayed bright and sunny for the next 36 hours.  The weather reminded me of our own wedding, which occurred four years ago this week.  It's hard to believe that time has flown by like this.  I couldn't be happier with the life we've created with each other.  Full of laughter and love (and no shortage of delicious food and drinks).  We don't have a lot planned in the way of celebrations, but I can guarantee a lobster dinner and a bottle of champagne will grace our table.

Spring Garlic Pancakes

Spring Garlic Pancakes

Yield: Makes 4 pancakes

Tools Whisk

Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup warm water Vegetable oil or peanut oil 1 cup chopped spring garlic Salt

Ingredients for the Dipping Sauce 1/4 cup light soy sauce 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger 1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions

1. Make the dipping sauce by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl.  Set aside.
2. To make the pancakes, add the flour to a large mixing bowl and slowly stir in the warm water to form the dough.  Transfer to a floured board and knead three or four times.
3. Using a knife, cut the dough ball into four even pieces.
4. Take one ball of dough and, using a rolling pin, begin to roll into a circle.  Sprinkle the spring garlic over the dough and fold it into itself three or four times, until there is spring garlic evenly placed throughout the dough ball.  Roll out again into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.  Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.  While it's heating, brush the pancakes on each side with oil.  Sprinkle each side with a pinch of salt.
6. Fry in the pan for 2-3 minutes, or until it turns golden brown.  Flip the pancake and cook for another 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn it.
7. Repeat with remaining pancakes.  Transfer to cutting board and cut into wedges.
8. Serve with dipping sauce.

Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

It occurred to me as I sat on the plane to Vegas that I hadn't read a book in a while.  Like, a really long time.  Articles in The New York Times or pieces in The New Yorker, yes.  But an actual book?  It'd been over a year.  Before our trip, though, I purchased the latest David Sedaris book, thinking that maybe he could set things right.  And, you know what, he did.  As always, I found his words engaging, his stories honest and hilarious.  Just what I needed to get back on the reading wagon.  As I finished the book and flipped the last page (or, in this case, tapped my phone), I gave myself a pat on the back.  And now I'm searching for another great piece of literature (any suggestions are welcome).

Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Memorial Day marked the start of my family's annual summer reading contest, where we see who can read the most books.  When it was just the four of us participating (meaning my parents and sister) the race was tight.  Over the last few years, though, we've invited other relatives and friends to join in and I've pretty much given up any notion of winning.  It's still a lot of fun, though, and I'm so happy that we've continued this tradition.

Books and breakfast seem like the perfect summer pairing.  Mornings are when I get most of my reading done, either in bed or sipping on a cup of coffee at our kitchen table, the windows open to let a warm breeze in.  Leisurely mornings like that make every day feel like vacation.  While I'm kind of a scone fanatic, sometimes a muffin is what I crave.  As we roll into berry season, I feel the need to pack all of my morning treats with them.

Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Honey Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Tools Whisk Regular muffin tin (not mini)

Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons whole milk 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup ricotta cheese zest of 1 lemon 1 1/2 cups mixed fresh berries (chopped strawberries, whole blackberries, and blueberries)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. with rack in the center position. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with fluted paper liners or grease the cups with butter.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey until they are blended together.  Whisk the milk and vanilla extract into the wet mixture.
3. Mix the wet mixture with the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Fold in the ricotta cheese and mix in the lemon zest.
4. Fold in the berries.
5. Spoon the mixture into the greased muffin cups so each is filled a little more than halfway.  Add a blackberry to the top of each and push in slightly with your finger.
6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.  Let sit for 5 minutes before taking out of the pan.  Transfer to a rack to cool before serving.

Pasta Tossed With Mint Pesto, Asparagus, and Shiitake Mushrooms

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

I'm keeping things short and sweet today, folks.  There's a ton of work piling up and instead of getting it done, I'm here slackin' off.  But, heck, sometimes we need to play a little, right?  I'm currently in the middle of a cookbook shoot and I have some other fun projects coming up, including an iPhone food photography class I'm teaching next week at a local Whole Foods.  I've taught one on one classes before, but this is going to be quite different.  Actually, I'm really excited about it.  We're starting off the class by going around the store, taking pictures of the various produce, cheese, and fish displays.  From there, we're going to do have a little cooking class and, as we prepare each dish, I'll go over some ways to style and shoot the food.

So, yeah, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by things, but I didn't want all of this to stop me from posting.  I've had mint pesto on my mind a lot recently.  I first had it at a restaurant years ago and my mind was blown by how refreshing it was and how wonderfully it paired with other spring produce, like asparagus.  Here, I've tossed it up into a big pasta dish and have included one of my other favorite seasonal ingredients... mushrooms.  Enjoy!

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Pasta Tossed with Mint Pesto, Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

Yield: Serves 4-6

Tools Chef's knife Large pot (for cooking pasta)

Ingredients 3/4 lb pasta, such as penne, gemelli or cavatelli (not long pasta) 2 1/2 cups mint leaves, stems removed, rinsed and dried 1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped 1 garlic clove 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese 1 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced 3/4 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and stalks cut into 1 inch pieces Salt and pepper Zest of 1/2 a lemon

Instructions

1. Put a pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.  Cook the pasta as directed on the box.
2. While it is cooking, prepare the pesto.  You can do this in a food processor, but I like doing it by hand, so as to not turn the pesto into mush.  To do it by hand, place the garlic clove on a large cutting board and add 1/3 of the mint leaves on top of that.  Using a large chef's knife, chop the leaves and the garlic. Once it is finely chopped, add another 1/3 of mint leaves and continue chopping.  Repeat with the remaining mint.  Once this is done, add the chopped almonds on top and chop until they are incorporated into the pesto.  Add the cheese on top and chop and fold into pesto mixture to combine.  Add this mixture to a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup olive oil. Set aside.
3. At this point, the pasta should be finished cooking.  Drain and let cool as you cook the asparagus and mushrooms.
4. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and let cook for a minute. Add in the asparagus and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and, when you taste a pieces, it remains slightly crunchy.
5. In a large serving bowl, toss the pasta with the pesto, making sure to coat each piece evenly.  Mix in the mushrooms, asparagus, and lemon zest.  Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add additional salt and pepper.