Claire | sel et sucre

Rockin’ Rocket Salad

Posted on September 26, 2011September 26, 2011 by Claire

Rockin' Rocket Salad

For the most part, I’m more than happy to stick to my native dialect of English (mid-Atlantic American, thank you very much), but there is one item in particular where I can’t help but prefer the British word. Rocket. Called arugula in American English, this leafy green (probably my favorite) deserves all the excitement conjured by references to space travel. Rocket has been touted as an aphrodisiac and is full of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium. And the rich spicy taste can’t be beat. Some may find it a little too peppery (it is often mixed with other greens for this reason), but in the context of this salad, the flavor of the rocket is in perfect balance with the other ingredients.

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Palak Chaat

Posted on September 23, 2011October 9, 2011 by Claire

Palak Chaat

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Rasika, a very popular DC Indian restaurant, and trying their famous palak chaat. This dish is an amazing medley of textures and flavors, with crispy spinach playing off a sour-sweet chutney and sweetened yogurt, and I knew almost immediately that I had to try my best to recreate it. I’ve dedicated this week to a series of posts on recreating all the pieces of Rasika’s palak chaat. This post is the third in a series of three. See post 1: Chaat Masala and post 2: Date Tamarind Chutney.

Creating the perfect crispy spinach was the difficult piece of this recipe.

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Date Tamarind Chutney

Posted on September 21, 2011October 9, 2011 by Claire

Date Tamarind Chutney

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Rasika, a very popular DC Indian restaurant, and trying their famous palak chaat. This dish is an amazing medley of textures and flavors, with crispy spinach playing off a sour-sweet chutney and sweetened yogurt, and I knew almost immediately that I had to try my best to recreate it. I’ve dedicated this week to a series of posts on recreating all the pieces of Rasika’s palak chaat. This post is the second in a series of three. See post 1: Chaat Masala and post 3: Palak Chaat.

This date tamarind chutney balances the sweetness of dates and jaggery sugar with the sourness of tamarind.

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Chaat Masala

Posted on September 19, 2011October 30, 2011 by Claire

Chaat Masala

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Rasika, a very popular DC Indian restaurant, and trying their famous palak chaat. This dish is an amazing medley of textures and flavors, with crispy spinach playing off a sour-sweet chutney and sweetened yogurt, and I knew almost immediately that I had to try my best to recreate it. I’ve dedicated this week to a series of posts on recreating all the pieces of Rasika’s palak chaat. This post is the first in a series of three. See post 2: Date Tamarind Chutney and post 3: Palak Chaat.

Chaat masala is a classic Indian spice mix with some unusual ingredients.

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How to Host the Perfect Pizza Party

Posted on September 16, 2011September 13, 2011 by Claire

anchovies, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions

Making pizza at my house is all about interactive cooking. People love assembling pizzas with a variety of toppings and watching delicious steaming hot pizzas emerge from the oven. Once you have a portion of the perfect pizza dough waiting in your refrigerator, it’s simply a matter of gathering guests and toppings. You’re going to want to plan on having one pizza per guest (and maybe one extra), and I find it’s easiest to provide the pizza sauce and cheese myself while requesting that guests bring a variety of toppings (check out my suggestions at the bottom of the post).

Keep in mind, one person will have to be dedicated to transporting pizzas in and out of the oven and keeping a close eye on them inbetween.

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BLT Panzanella

Posted on September 14, 2011September 11, 2011 by Claire

BLT Panzanella

This simple panzanella (Italian bread salad) mimics the flavors of a BLT nearly perfectly. Old French bread and halved grape tomatoes are seared in bacon fat to add another dimension to this salad, and the subtle addition of basil (easily substituted with other herbs of your choice) give a nice twist. This is a fabulous way to use those last tomatoes lingering on your counter (a friendly message: never store tomatoes in the refrigerator – this causes an irreversible decline in flavor and texture), the tempting heirlooms at the farmer’s market, and the final tomatoes on sale at the grocery store.

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The Perfect Pizza Dough

Posted on September 12, 2011October 12, 2011 by Claire

The Perfect Pizza Dough

I’ve made a lot of pizza and I’ve tried all sort of dough recipes. But ultimately I’ve settled on this amazing standard, going back to the basics with just flour, yeast, salt, and water. Sugar and olive oil not only are non-traditional but also, in my experience, result in a dough that is harder to work with and not quite as tasty. Letting the dough’s first rise happen in the refrigerator adds a great complexity of flavor and texture – do not skip this step.

Make this dough today, and it will be perfectly aged by this Friday when I will post on how to host the perfect pizza party – with further instructions on assembling pizza, my unbeatable pizza sauce recipe, and some delicious topping ideas!

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Zucchini Risotto

Posted on September 9, 2011November 24, 2011 by Claire

Zucchini Risotto

I’ve declared this week Zucchini Week. Harvest those last zucchinis in your garden or buy them up at the farmers market and grocery store on sale, and make these delicious recipes! See my Zucchini Chard Gratin and Zucchini Fritter Stacks from earlier this week.

This recipe is a great transition from summer to fall. Prepare for the cooler weather with the flavor of dry hard cider and the richness of aged cheese in this creamy risotto. The basic method for cooking risotto is also surprisingly easy and a good technique to have under your belt, as it can stand up to many adaptations.

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Zucchini Fritter Stacks

Posted on September 7, 2011September 11, 2011 by Claire

Zucchini Fritter Stacks

I’ve declared this week Zucchini Week. Harvest those last zucchinis in your garden or buy them up at the farmers market and grocery store on sale, and make these delicious recipes! See my Zucchini Chard Gratin from Monday and come back Friday for another zucchini recipe.

I made these zucchini fritter stacks as a lunchtime meal, but I think they would be amazing as an appetizer or party snack. The fritter itself is crispy with lots of flavor from the zucchini, cheese, and beer. Add tomato and avocado slices on top (and some bacon and extra cheese, of course) and you have a delicious combination of textures and tastes.

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Zucchini Chard Gratin

Posted on September 5, 2011September 11, 2011 by Claire

Zucchini Chard Gratin

I’ve declared this week Zucchini Week. Harvest those last zucchinis in your garden or buy them up at the farmers market and grocery store on sale, and make these delicious recipes! Come back on Wednesday and Friday for more zucchini recipes.

This gratin is almost like a quiche, but the egg here is just enough to hold together the zucchini, swiss chard, bacon, and cheese packed into the dish. The flavor, upped by the inclusion of herbs and garlic, is amazing, and when I made this, I lamented not having made twice as much. So this recipe is twice the amount that I made; expect your gratin to be about twice as thick as mine – and you won’t be sorry.

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