Salad dressing may not seem like a hill to die on, but homemade is so simple (once you know how), and it tastes so much cleaner. It’s free of the gums and sugars and preservatives you get in even high-end bottled dressing. And it’s pretty infinitely variable.

Making salad dressing has become like breathing to me, but as I’ve been trying to put my feet up lately and assigning the salad making task to the husband, I realized that it’s not universal knowledge. The key is knowing what ingredients to use and what ratio to use them in.

I didn’t always grow up on homemade dressing. Sure, my mom always made Caesar from scratch, and my dad was a dab hand with blue cheese, but I remember a parade of bottles of Italian dressing marching through my childhood. Then balsamic vinegar came on the scene, and we started to dress salads with oil and vinegar. But it never had the feeling of “salad dressing.” I remember sitting at a little cafe in the South of France one summer when I was in high school, and wondering why my oil and vinegar dressing wasn’t like the perfect vinaigrette you find on every green salad in France.

And then I discovered the secret.
(...)
Read the rest of Back to Basics: Homemade Salad Dressing (402 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: Basics, French, salad, Salad Dressing, Scratch, Vegetarian

Mother’s Day is on my mind this week. I am replete with motherhood. My belly is large with motherhood. I wake up in the morning with my fingers swollen with motherhood. My feet are so full of motherhood that my shoes don’t fit. My hips are aching with motherhood. A day? Ha! I deserve at least a week of celebration. Or a month.

Check back in two weeks, when all this motherhood will be external rather than internal, but I’m not quite up to the mother’s day celebration this year. So instead of making brunch, I made reservations. The Nuni, my mom and I had a lovely girl’s tea at the historic Langham Hotel right here in Pasadena. The view was lovely, the service gracious, and the sandwiches and pastries were delicious. We ignored the fact that our homemade scones are better. I told Ken that he is in charge of dinner on Mother’s day – we can go out, we can get takeout, he can cook — but I don’t want to be responsible for planning, executing or cleaning up.

If some of you are less lazy encumbered than I am, this blueberry cornmeal cake would be an excellent treat for Mother’s Day. The recipe is supposedly one from Huckleberry, which is one of the best bakeries in LA, and it’s a lovely crunchy, fruity, not too sweet cake. If you’re into mother’s day breakfast or brunch, this would be a great addition – it’s not too rich or decadent for morning. It would also be a standout at afternoon tea, or if you’re cooking dinner for the mother or mothers in your life, it would be excellent with a bit of ice cream (vanilla would work, or I’m thinking a lovely buttermilk sorbet if you want to get ambitious.)

(...)
Read the rest of Huckleberry Blueberry Cornmeal Cake and Mother’s Day (242 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: blueberry, breakfast, brunch, cake, Coffee Cake, cornmeal, Mother's Day, tea

Cinco de Mayo is one of those strange holidays where the original meaning (Battle against the French? Ring a bell?) is completely forgotten by most of the people celebrating. I could be wrong, but I would hazard a guess that for many Americans, Cinco de Mayo is just an excuse to indulge in tacos, burritos and nachos, preferably washed down with some cheap beer or cheaper margaritas.

As an Angeleno, I don’t need an annual holiday as an excuse to eat Mexican food. We have a vibrant and thriving Mexican and Mexican-American community, and, while tacos and burritos are a regular part of life, I also know that the cuisine goes far beyond them. Mexican cuisine, like any other cuisine, is a changing entity, open to improvisation and inspiration.

This salsa is the perfect example. I make no pretenses that this is based on some autentico salsa especiale I tasted in a tiny cafe in Zihuatanejo. In fact, this recipe is based entirely on a pineapple I had in my refrigerator that was quickly getting a little too ripe (shopping with a 4 year old means you come home with lots of produce and few plans). But it makes use of the Mexican flavors and produce I find all over southern California — the sweet acidity of pineapple matched by savory onions, chiles and cilantro, all mellowed by avocado and enlivened with the crunch of jicama. (If you’ve never had jicama, it’s a great ingredient. Resembling a large pale brown turnip, it’s a juicy root vegetable that’s very faintly sweet and has a terrific crunch not unlike a water chestnut.)
(...)
Read the rest of Pineapple Avocado Salsa with Jicama (213 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: healthy, mexican, Vegetarian, weeknight

Mother’s Day is coming up soon, and shortly afterwards, my own role in motherhood is going to be expanding (hopefully, in an inverse ratio to my waistline, which has already expanded plenty), so you could say I have mothers on the brain. All of this makes me appreciate my own mother more and more. Which is not surprising, because my mom is awesome sauce.

My mother is the most shockingly competent person I have ever met in my life. Sure, there are really smart people. And sure, there are kickass homemakers. And sure, there are independent women. But my mom manages to combine all of those and make it seem easy. She’s worked full time since before I was born, is a distinguished professor at her academic institution, and has written at least six books (I’ve lost count) and dozens of scholarly articles, all of which make her an expert in her field. Does that mean we ate takeout Chinese food every night through my childhood? Of course not. She’s a terrific cook. My mother makes the world’s best fried chicken, the world’s best Caesar salad, and the world’s best cabbage rolls. She sews (she made both my prom dress and my wedding dress), does projects around the house (paints, wallpapers, rebuilds decks), and travels around the world (this summer will be spent in Oxford, touring wool churches and doing research). She also spends a ton of time with the Nuni, and does my dishes every time she visits my house (which is fairly often, as I was smart enough to buy a house two minutes away from hers.)

So yeah, my mom? She’s pretty much the bomb.
(...)
Read the rest of Roasted Garlic, Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Canapes, or Why My Mom is Awesome Sauce (373 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags:

My personal favorite take on a bunny cake (or a birthday cake, or a Sunday afternoon for no reason layer cake) is an orange layer cake with orange buttercream frosting. I love chocolate cake, and won’t turn up my nose at a good coconut cake, or carrot cake, but when it comes to layer cakes, orange cake might just be my favorite. Orange cake seems to magically straddle that divide between those who prefer what my friend Mike calls the “brown” flavors (caramel, nuts, chocolate) and those who prefer a fruitier touch. I’ve been making this particular cake quite a bit lately (layer cake happens to be a pregnancy craving) and it’s easy to throw together, with a nice orange flavor and a moist crumb.

(...)
Read the rest of Moist Orange Layer Cake with Orange Buttercream (706 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: birthday cake, cake, Easter, layer cake, sweets

Ordinarily as a Californian, I decry hot weather. “We get plenty of sunshine!” I say. “Bring on the rain and the fire’s cozy glow.” Well, here it is, the end of March, and I realize I am spoiled. This winter was dry as a bone, but with spring has come the rain and the wet and nights in the 30′s. And flu season. Working on my second cold in as many weeks and a single warm maternity cardigan, I cry uncle. I’m ready for our usual spring weather (heck, our usual weather) — 75 degrees and sunny. I want sandals and sundresses and time in the hammock. I have optimistically assembled adirondack chairs and ordered outside rugs for the deck, only to watch them soaking in the rain. (We won’t address the fact that “tired of cold weather” may translate in my bruised and battered psyche to “tired of being pregnant” with May seeming very far away indeed.)

This will probably all come back to bite me this summer when I face yet another triple digit day at home with an active preschooler (almost kindergartener! How did THAT happen?) and a baby who wants to be held all the time (which is, IME, all babies), but right now I could use some sunshine, even if it’s just sunshine on a plate. Eating a springtime salad for dinner when it’s 50 degrees inside your house just seems wrong, but by March I am done with hearty beef stews and warming casseroles. Enter chicken bouillabaisse. Sure, it’s a stew, but one that is lighter, fresher than your typical stew, singing of warmer climes and summer.

Along the Cote D’Azur, pretty much every restaurant offers a version of fish soup. Made with the local catch, it is always served with croutons, rouille (a garlic and saffron mayonnaise), and cheese. I had been craving a good soupe de poissons but not the trip to the fishmonger to get the bones to make the stock and the fish to puree into the soup and .. . well, you get the idea. Chicken bouillabaisse, though less traditional, is infinitely simpler, and offers many of the same flavors. I make mine with fennel, herbes de provence, and, because I had it, a pinch of lavender, all of which are ubiquitous in that part of the world. Served with the requisite croutons, rouille, and cheese, I could almost imagine myself on a terrace covered with rosemary, sipping my chilled rose next to the Mediterranean.

I made the rouille in my mini food processor,adding the olive oil a little at a time. It’s best to make it in advance so the saffron gets a chance to infuse the mixture. I used pasteurized eggs to minimize the risk of food poisoning with le bebe — I would ordinarily take my chances with raw egg yolks, but that’s your call. If you’re short on time or lazy, adding some minced garlic, cayenne and saffron to prepared mayonnaise will also do in a pinch.

(...)
Read the rest of Chicken Bouillabaisse (Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe) (503 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: chicken, French, pressure cooker, Stew, weeknight

I’m probably not alone when I say that mornings can be a little rushed in our house. I need some serious wakeup time with a cup of coffee and some reading material, but I pay for it dearly by the rushing that follows. Shower, dress, wake the Nuni, dress the Nuni (an ordeal at times — the girl has OPINIONS), get everyone out the door and into the car appropriately brushed and washed and with hopefully matching socks.

Did I forget something? Oh yes, fed.

I’m a big believer in a decent breakfast. If I don’t eat one, I’m climbing the walls and eating whatever I’ve packed for lunch at 10 am. The Nuni gets to eat at preschool, but their idea of a proper breakfast (waffles, mini bagels, cold cereal) is not my idea of a proper breakfast. There should be protein! Fiber! Preferably a little fruit! A breakfast that can get you through to elevenses, at least. Eggs and toast are lovely, or a bowl of oatmeal with lots of milk, but they don’t really help the morning chaos. These oatmeal breakfast bars are the answer to that.

On Sunday afternoon, I throw the ingredients together (which takes only about 5 minutes longer than it takes to chop an apple), bake them, let them cool, and wrap them individually. Stored in the fridge, I can grab them quickly in the rush of weekday mornings, and they can be eaten on the go. (In the car, at the desk). They’ve got plenty of satisfying fiber (apple AND oatmeal), some good protein from nuts, milk and eggs, and enough sweetness that the Nuni will eat them. I’ve given you my favorite recipe below, which I make with dried mangos, blueberries and cranberries, but feel free to use any combination of dried fruits and nuts and spices. I sometimes add in some ground flaxseeds, too, and the milk can also be substituted with soy milk, if you’re so inclined.
(...)
Read the rest of Fruit and Oatmeal Breakfast Bars – Morning on the Go (206 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: breakfast, fruit, Oatmeal, Vegetarian

Why is it that I have no energy for cooking, but I’m always up for baking? I come home at the end of a long day after a long drive, with an aching back, and I reluctantly make dinner. All I want to do is collapse on the couch (ideally with a glass of wine, but alas, THAT isn’t happening right now!) and go to bed early, but I have responsibilities, and a healthy dinner must be made. Some days I’m just not up for it, and pizza becomes our saving grace. But on weekends, I’m bright eyed and bushy-tailed and eyeing the butter and the sugar with alacrity.

OK, I suppose it’s not that mysterious when you look at it that way. The point is, baking is fun cooking, frivolous cooking, and cookies seem to be some of the most frivolous foods you can bake. There’s no POINT to cookies. They’re merely there for enjoyment. And these might be my most enjoyable cookies.
(...)
Read the rest of Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (432 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: chocolate chips, cookies, oatmeal cookies, sweets

I will keep this brief since there is nothing more tedious than a blogger apologizing for not blogging: I’ve been lazy. Well, not entirely lazy. As I tell my husband when he chides me for spending ALL of Sunday morning in bed with the LA Times and my Kindle Fire, “I am growing a HUMAN BEING. I have been more productive in the past half hour than you will ever be in your LIFE.” I have been humming along, purchasing baby clothes on sale, planning a summer vacation, and actually working at work. But that does not make for good blog posts.

I wish I had some fabulous recipe for you but the truth is I haven’t been doing much cooking. I’ve been trying out recipes here and there, throwing together a couple of layer cakes, making some dinner, but I hate wrestling with artificial light and I just can’t get dinner cooked before the light goes. So you’re out of luck. I wish I could promise that things will be different in the summer, but there will be a certain baby boy who I suspect will be even more demanding on the outside than he is on the in. I promise not to abandon you, even if all I post about is bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. See? You’re so fortunate.

I was going to post SOME pictures but flickr’s down, so I’m SOL on that one. Promise to return shortly.

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags:

I sometimes feel like I’m running perpetually behind. Is it 5:00 already? Is it February already? How am I suddenly six months pregnant? Remember that vacation we took to Paris last July? I never shared it with all of you because I just finished editing my photos in DECEMBER. Expect a post in about April.

The nice thing about being behind on things is that reminders can feel like discoveries. When editing my Paris photos, I found the pictures I took at a wonderful meal we ate in the Latin quarter at Bistro y Papilles. Located in a small wine store, with a different set menu every night, it was the kind of wonderful meals that makes you feel like you’re really in Paris. The menu that night started with a velvety cauliflower soup, served at the table in a big tureen. We were presented with shallow soup bowls that were garnished with a “salad” with lardons, croutons, cauliflower, herbs and creme fraiche, and the hot soup was ladled over the salad. All the garnishes brought a wonderful textural contrast to the soup, and it was one of the best things we ate that week.

(...)
Read the rest of French Cauliflower Soup with Bacon and Herb Garnish (381 words)

© Kate for Savour Fare, 2012. | Permalink |
Post tags: