Pasta wow

Oh my goodness, readers, this dinner was beyond. In Florence last week, my last supper included a wildly indulgent ravioli in a cream sauce flecked with speck, an Italian bacon. My sister and I were to share this plate, and we did so, but grudgingly. In honor of that meal, I made some fresh pasta tonight and stuffed it with a mixture of mushroom duxelles, shallots, pancetta, parsley and Parm. Just look at the color of those yolks!

Then, I sauced it with a cream-blue cheese-Parm-pancetta sauce (no, not good for you, but simultaneously, good for you!). Oh.My.God. I will work out this recipe and then post it because it was amazing.

I also had some leftover leek confit so made some ravioli stuffed with that and Bûcheron. Not as good but still good, you know?!

Community pick yay! Amazing cheese!

I was super excited to just find that my Melon and Watercress Salad with Honey-Marcona Dressing was chosen as a Community Pick on Food52. Many thanks!! Have y'all climbed aboard the Bûcheron train? It is such an amazing cheese- firm with a ring of soft, a nice rind, the perfect degree of stink and ooze. Wow do I love it. 

Lovely Mother's Day dinner

Y'all, this chicken was unreal. Do you remember my goings-on about the caper-oregano chicken my sister cooked for dinner one of our last nights in Florence? I made it tonight, and it was as good as I recalled. AAH! I will post this simple, beyond fabulous recipe for you tonight. I bought the chicken at the FM this morning, used oregano from our yard and some good-quality salt-packed capers. Beyond that you need only olive oil, garlic and a splash of white wine. For our side dishes I a) roasted a bunch of the asparagus I bought this morning at the FM and served it drizzled with a tarragon-lemon aioli and b) made a roasted golden beet and heirloom tomato salad with Bûcheron and a ramp-red wine vinegar dressing. Mmm! Really good. I am about to have a big date with the couch and today's paper and couldn't be more thrilled. I also got a haircut today, went nuts and got a long'ish bob. I'm terribly excited because it is NOT the same cut I've had since I was 9; big-time growth over here, friends. Heh.

Tomorrow I'm going to make something yummy with the fresh lavender I bought today. Jam? Shortbread? In the meantime, Stephen Colbert's interview with Maurice Sendak really was marvelous; if you didn't see it, go back and watch!

Oh, and here's the pie from today...