Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan

A good friend is moving soon, and I recently hosted a going-away dinner for her. Eggplant parm is her favorite meal, so I wanted to make a truly superlative one. After crowd-sourcing recipes and tips from trusted foodie friends, I came up with this recipe which I would absolutely, enthusiastically make again.

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One-Pot Brown Butter Chicken and Rice

One-Pot Brown Butter Chicken and Rice

It's been cold and rainy here lately, and all I wanted today was hearty comfort food. Chicken and rice always fits that bill, especially when slicked with a hearty bit of brown butter. I brightened the whole thing with lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice but otherwise, it's just the chicken, rice and brown butter shining away. I'm full, comforted and totally satisfied.

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Tomato and White Bean Soup

Tomato and White Bean Soup

Tomato soup is the ultimate in comfort. Much of the time, I prefer it to chicken noodle soup because of the thick, hearty factor and because I am a mad tomato lover. Plus, you can't dunk a grilled cheese in chicken soup, but life is better when you do so with tomato.
I love the subtle notes of hot pepper, lemon and saffron in my recipe, and after once adding white beans to get my sons to eat more soup, I decided I really loved their inclusion too.

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Chicken Noodle Soup, Best

Chicken Noodle Soup, Best

A few summers ago, I had pneumonia. It was pretty awful, but I rediscovered a love for both thousand-piece puzzles and homemade chicken noodle soup. Since then, I've been perfecting my recipe, and without further ado, here it is. 
Don't skimp on ingredient quality if you can help it. Nothing called for is overly fancy. I find it so lovely that basic things can coalesce into a magical elixir.

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Apple, Pear and Lemon Thyme Jam

Apple, Pear and Lemon Thyme Jam

The annual farewell to summer produce can leave jammers distraught. What can I put up now?! Although the fruit-based options are fewer and perhaps less dazzling in some ways (visually and otherwise), there is still much that can be done with fall's gems, especially apples and pears. Generally, I don't much like apple jams. I'd rather have a good applesauce any day. But apples love many other ingredients, and I enjoy pairing their sweet-tartness with more savory elements. Here, I macerate apples and pears with lemon thyme, lemon zest and juice, black pepper and sugar and then cook that mixture down to a crystalline spread, adding some pear brandy near the end. The result is a sweet jam with earthy undertones, just begging to be spread atop a good cheese and some crackers.

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Brussels Sprouts, Crispy with Lemon, Capers and Pecorino

Brussels Sprouts, Crispy with Lemon, Capers and Pecorino

Recently, while lunching at a popular DC restaurant (Blue Duck Tavern), I ordered a side of its Crispy Brussels sprouts with lemon, caper and pecorino. Every bite was a shut-your-eyes, revel-in-the-bliss thrill. I returned home determined to recreate the dish. And here it is. 

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Eggplant Involtini (+ Basic Tomato Sauce)

Eggplant Involtini (+ Basic Tomato Sauce)

This is Mario Batali's recipe. He says, "it would be better to overcook them by 5 minutes than to undercook them by one." In addition to my two small augmentations -adding lemon and mint- I think toasted pine-nuts would be a great touch. Simple, delicious!

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French Yogurt Cake with a Strawberry-Rhubarb Swirl

French Yogurt Cake with a Strawberry-Rhubarb Swirl

I adapted this from an Andrew Knowlton yogurt cake recipe in the May 2012 Bon Appétit. AK's used more yogurt and did not include the strawberry-rhubarb compote. If you don't incorporate the fruit swirl, up the yogurt to 3/4 cup. You can make this cake up to three days in advance.

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Greens, Goat Cheese and Lemon Ravioli

Greens, Goat Cheese and Lemon Ravioli

To me, this dish is simple perfection and highlights the beautiful bounty of local farmers markets and eating seasonably from them. I had a huge mess of just-picked mixed baby greens -two kinds of kale, mustard- and some fresh, young goat cheese- wouldn't a combo of those make a lovely stuffing for fresh ravioli? Yes! 
I always like whole wheat with greens so incorporated some whole wheat pastry flour into the pasta dough. As well, since spring is on the horizon, I added lemon zest to the ravioli filling and made a lemon-butter sauce to top it all off. 

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