sel et sucre

Tag: lemon juice

  • Roasted Cauliflower with Olive Vinaigrette

    roasted cauliflower with olive vinaigrette

    When I cook, I turn into a bit of a mad scientist. I can’t help but tweak nearly every recipe I come across, adding or subtracting ingredients, adapting the technique, and mumbling to myself about what the perfect end dish will taste like. Inevitably this makes the whole process take at least twice as long as it should. But this recipe was different – the combination of flavors and basic techniques used intrigued me. I love roasted cauliflower, but I’d never tried roasting thick slices before, and the Mediterranean feel of the olive vinaigrette seemed an interesting match. The recipe came together quickly, and I’m glad I restrained myself on making changes because the result was outstanding. The strong flavors of the olive, lemon, and garlic in the vinaigrette are well-balanced with the crispy caramelized cauliflower. And since this can be prepared in half an hour (with plenty of downtime), it’s great for a quick snack or side that wouldn’t feel out of place on a tapas menu.

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  • Strawberry Bourbon Lemonade

    strawberry bourbon lemonade

    Strawberries are starting to show up here, reminding me why I chose to move to the Southern hemisphere just in time for spring. I couldn’t resist buying some up and concocting this cocktail for the increasingly hot days. Nothing like sitting on the balcony, sipping on this dangerously tasty drink, and wishing the pool below was for this apartment building instead of the next one over. I’ve been feeling nostalgic for bourbon, so that’s what I used, even though the bottle of Jack Daniels was pricey. Selection’s limited around here (the Argentine imitations are, frankly, not even close). But this recipe can be adapted to whatever liquor you have on hand, and cheap liquor works just fine, so save your high quality stuff for drinking straight. Ginger mint simple syrup was ready and waiting in my refrigerator, and the flavors are great in here, but, again, feel free to adapt – plain simple syrup will do just fine, or if you have another fancy infused one around, use that. If winter’s approaching where you are and strawberries aren’t in season, the drink’s tasty without them, and it’s a great prop for pretending you’re someplace warm, to boot.

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  • Antipasto Salad

    antipasto salad

    I know I’ve been posting a lot of salads, but this one is different. No greens, for one, which is a nice change of pace. And unlike most salads, these ingredients stand up really well to storage in the refrigerator, with the flavors melding and the vegetables pickling slightly to actually improve the dish. The mix of vegetables (which can be easily swapped out for whatever crisp fresh vegetables you have around) and spices is reminiscent of giardiniera, an Italian pickled relish usually served as an antipasto, but with the addition of chickpeas which means that this can easily serve as a meal. Of course, this salad is equally at place as a side (and would be amazing at a picnic or potluck).

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  • Roasted Pepper Hummus

    roasted pepper hummus

    I’ve long thought that the hummus my dad makes is far superior to any other hummus. For a while though, since my dad is Lebanese, I thought this just meant that I really liked authentic Lebanese hummus. But then I spent a summer in Lebanon and still found the hummus not to be quite up to what I was used to at home. When I asked my dad about it, he smiled and said, “paprika.” It’s not truly authentic, he admits, but I have to agree that it adds a little something extra. So, even though this isn’t my dad’s recipe, I knew as soon as I set out to make it that I had to add paprika. Alongside roasted peppers and garlic, a little bit of this spice really does seem to complete the flavors here, and I love sprinkling extra on top for visual effect.

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  • Lemon Olive Oil Cake

    lemon olive oil cake

    I’m a big fan of olive oil. Extra-virgin, of course. It’s my go-to for roasting vegetables, the first thing I reach for when sauteing onions, and the natural base for homemade salad dressings. I even add it to my soap (it’s a moisturizer!). So here is my ode to olive oil, in the form of a cake. Paired with lemon and rosemary, two among many flavors that sing alongside its fruitiness, the olive oil somehow yields a cake richer than if it had been made with butter. This cake is similar to a sponge cake, fluffed up with beaten egg whites and topped with turbinado sugar, and although I found it deflated after leaving the oven, the texture still seemed spot on to me. I intended to try a couple slices with fresh fruit and whipped cream, but to be honest, it was gone before I had a chance and tasted just perfect as is.

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  • Spicy Stawberry Fruit Roll-Ups

    spicy strawberry fruit roll-ups

    Earlier this week, I mentioned my trip to Istanbul and my newfound appreciation for Turkish food. As someone who loves spice, my favorite acquisition from my trip was a large bag of Turkish red pepper. An immensely flavorful twist on the crushed red pepper you may be more familiar with (and can use to substitute here), I’ve been taking any excuse to use it. Turkish red pepper is great with eggs or to add a little extra kick to dips or stews. But I’ve done something a little more unusual here. When I got back in town, strawberries were coming in season, tempting me at every turn, and I was determined to make homemade fruit roll-ups (often called “fruit leather”). As the strawberries were cooking down, I couldn’t resist throwing in a hefty portion of my new favorite spice, and the result was fantastic. Turkish red pepper isn’t too spicy, so there’s just a mild hint of spiciness at the end, a great complement to the perfect sweetness of in-season strawberries. I actually made a double batch of this recipe and left half as a sauce – amazing for stirring into yogurt, pouring over ice cream, or even adding a hint of sweetness to a salad dressing.

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