Creamy Asparagus Soup

Oh internet, it is SO not fair. Here it is, March already, and I thought I had escaped cold and flu season. I thought I was golden! I haven't been sick once this entire winter, which if you take into consideration the fact that I work with children, is a minor miracle. UNTIL. TUESDAY. Because one brilliant student thought it would be a good idea to come to class sick and cough all over me. Boo.

And here it is, March, the birds are singing, the daisies are popping up, the sun is shining, and I am hacking and heming and feeling like a couch-bound lump of miserable. I can feel the sick sitting in my bronchials just waiting to lay me to waste. All I want to do is curl with a blanket and a cup of lemon tea and watch the Colbert Report all day long.

Oh, and eat this soup.

Can't forget about this soup.

I'm not quite that dead yet.



I think a good recipe shows off the flavors of the ingredients. When I was a kid my mom had this old battered red Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1960's full of truly horrible recipes. Everything, animal or vegetable, was rendered totally flavorless in the face of all the sugar, salt, vegetable oil, and shortening used in those recipes. I remember making sugar cookies out of one of the recipes and wondering how such good ingredients, tasty things like butter, flour, and sugar, could be made to taste so bland, so flavorless, so bad.

A lot of times, soup is like that. Until a few years ago, soup for me was the nasty salty stuff that came in a can, all salt and MSG and chunks of mushy bland stuff suspended in a viscous red sauce. Yuck. It makes you wonder how they manage to take live ingredients like vegetables and noodles and make them so dead and tasteless.

This soup is the complete opposite of that. This soup is bursting with fresh, lively flavor. This soup is alive. This soup makes me feel alive, even when I'm sick as a dog and languishing on the couch in a flu-induced stupor. After all those long months of winter, it's good to eat something fresh and alive.



Creamy Asparagus Soup
Serves 4 for lunch, or 6-8 as an appetizer
Tastes great with a grilled cheese sandwich

Part of why this soup is so good is because the asparagus really is the star of the show. This soup is simple, the recipe is straight-forward, and all the other ingredients work together to compliment and enhance the asparagus flavor. I adapted this recipe years ago from a recipe in Everyday Food. However, that recipe made a TON of soup (just, too much soup) and is crazy lemony. I like this version better.

So, lets get started! You are going to need all this stuff:
That is 1 lb Asparagus, 3 tbs butter, 1/2 and 1/2, 1 onion, and thyme. Oh, and also a lemon. Those pesky lemons are always sneaking out of the pictures. Otherwise, that's it! Isn't this simple? No-one would ever guess.


First, peel and chop up your onion.


Then melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Mmmmm, butter. Use real butter, I beg you. It tastes so good.


Once that butter is melted, add those onions. Wow, this is so easy, it's embarrasing. Stir those babies up, and let them saute on med-high heat for a bit.


MEANWHILE, there is TROUBLE IN PARADISE. Ok, maybe we don't need to be so dramatic. But see this? This is the ugly side of Asapragus. Specifically, the tough bottoms. We have to get rid of these. And it's so easy. just grab each spear and snap the end right off. Genius.


Now chop that asparagus into 1" pieces. But don't get too precise. No need to pull out a ruler. This is supposed to be EASY, remember?


Remember those onions? They should be starting to smell really amazing right about now. Once they start looking golden, you know they're done.


Add the asparagus, and mix it up. Saute for 5-6 minutes, until asparagus is bright green. There is something REALLY important happening here. It's called FLAVOR. Don't mess.


Add 2 cups of water. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes. Asparagus should still be bright green. Bright green means "still alive." When it starts to look dull green, it's been overcooked. Yuck. Asparagus is done when it's tender if pierced by a fork. Or just eat a piece. That's what I did.


Now take all that green goodness, and put it in a blender. Most people would say, do this in two batches so your blender doesn't explode and the hot contents burn you. But I like to live dangerously. Don't say I didn't warn you though.


Puree on high until smooth and creamy. Mmm.


Return the soup to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste, and 1/3 cup 1/2 and 1/2. Stir it all up.


And whatever you do, DON'T forget the lemon. The lemon is the magical ingredient that brings it all together. Forgetting the lemon would be tragic. So squeeze 1/2 a lemon into the soup.


Now stir it all up and taste. If if needs a little more salt, pepper, lemon, or 1/2 and 1/2, now's the time.


I think this soup goes perfectly with grilled cheese.


Or just eat it plain. And try not to lick the bowl. No, I change my mind, lick the bowl. Don't ever feel bad about licking the bowl. Life's just too short.

Enjoy!

Warm white bean salad with asparagus, feta, and bacon

Have you ever opened the fridge only to find the empty shelves staring back at you, the sad neon light blinking reproachfully? Most nights, that's my signal to pick up the phone and make a hasty call for some pad thai. Usually by the time I get to the point where I'm poking my nose in the fridge, it's too late for dinner creativity anyway, much less concocting something edible out or this and that, mad scientist fashion.

On the other hand, sometimes the grocery money is spent, the slush fund is spent, and it's too late at night to make a call for pad thai anyway. Which is how this salad was born. And may I say that it's crazy good? Maybe I should play mad scientist for often. Because really, this salad is one happy accident, and it's staying in my recipe book FOREVER.

One of the nice things about this "salad" is that it's so hearty: it really is a meal in and of itself, and it makes a great lunch. I also love the fresh asparagus. After a long winter (haha! I know, I know, I can hardly complain about "winter") of potatoes and rice and cheese and meat, it's so nice to eat something fresh and new.

Sometimes I put tomatoes in this... and sometimes I don't. Usually, this time of year, I don't. All the tomatoes you can get are mealy and white and totally disgusting. However, I had a box of them from Mexico, and they were really ripe and sweet, so... I put them in. They were delicious, by the way.



Beck's Favorite White Bean Salad with Asparagus, Feta, and Bacon

Feeds 2 for lunch, or up to 6 as an appetizer

There are three things that really "make" this salad. The first is the dressing. Without the dressing, this is not a salad, just a bowl of beans and asparagus. The other two things are the bacon and the feta cheese. They play off of each-other, and the beans, and the asparagus, and everything else. The whole really is greater than a sum of the parts. Please don't skip the bacon. Nate would be sad.

Ingredients
• 1 can white beans packed in water, thoroughly rinsed in a colander
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1/3 cup black beluga lentils (they have these at Trader Joe's pre-cooked, I imagine they probably have them at Whole foods and regular markets as well)
• 2 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, drained on a paper towel, and chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (but if they're not in season and you can't get them, just skip them, OR maybe use sun-dried tomatoes, those are good too)
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (I like sun-dried tomato flavor)
• 1 tbs white balsamic vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 3 tbs virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• cracked black pepper



Bring a pot of water to a boil. Chop asparagus into 1" pieces, and blanch in the boiling water until just tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.


Combine rinsed beans, black beluga lentils, bacon pieces, asparagus, feta, and tomatoes in a large bowl.


In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, some black pepper, and a pinch of salt, until salt is dissolved. One tablespoon at a time, add olive oil, whisking constantly, until all is combined. Add a little more oil or vinegar as necessary, until it tastes delicious and you want to drink the whole bowl. Pour over the bean mixture. Toss to combine. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo

What can I say? I know it's only March. I KNOW. I am fully aware of the fact that very large parts of the country are probably covered in snow, or ice, or whatever it is that happens in places where it's cold. But here in California? It was 80 degrees today. It was a great day for ice-cream.

We went down to Seal Beach today where Nate was learning to surf. Believe it or not, not everyone who lives in California knows how to surf. Although we have lived here all our lives, we only just got around to the surfing, well, now. I, personally, hate the ocean. Ok, well I don't hate the ocean per se, I mean I like that it's there, I just don't see any point in going into it. It's wet. And it's cold. And it's salty. And there are fish in it. Ew.



This is Nate giving me the look that says, "I've been surfing for 4 hours, I will humor you with that camera for about 5 seconds woman."


Today happened to be the big "Polar Bear Plunge" event in Seal Beach. Apparently, this is a BIG DEAL. There were camera crews, a helicopter, photographers, sections of the beach roped off, a fire-truck, paramedics, tons of life guards on surf-boards, and of course, a huge crowd perched on the pier ready to cheer the swimmers on. At the signal, a crowd of participants dressed in bathing suits and costumes, some of them even waving plungers, rushed into the water and started jumping up and down in the waves. Polar Bear Plunge my foot. It was 80 degrees outside!


Time for ice-cream. This is meyer lemon semifreddo. Because even though it's cold everywhere else, ice-cream season is here for California!



Meyer Lemon Semifreddo

I'm not going to lie: I was totally inspired for this desert by these gorgeous pictures over at Canelle et Vanille. My goodness! Looking at those I think I've died and gone to dessert heaven. However, (and I know this is me being a stupid American), I can't even begin to figure out how many egg yolks 40 grams equals, and although I looked at two grocery stores (even the healthy ones which carry odd products!) I couldn't find glucose for the life of me. So I played around with this recipe instead.

OMG. This was so simple! And what a big payoff in terms of taste and texture! Why have I never tried this before? It's like eating a cloud! It's very different from traditional ice-cream; it's much lighter and fluffier. Two thumbs definitely way up.

This is my adaptation of the recipe from epicurious.com.


For this recipe, you need 1 3/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, 1 1/4 cups white sugar, 7 large egg yolks, 3 mayer lemons (substitute regular lemons in you can't find meyers, but it WILL be more acidic.) and a pinch of salt. (I found that this time, my meyer lemons were VERY sweet and mild. Next time I might do halvsies with real lemons to get a tarter flavor and balance out the sweet).

First thing to do is zest those lemons. Then juice them.


Whip the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Transfer to another bowl, and refrigerate.

Combine eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in a heat-proof bowl (I use my mixer bowl) and whisk to combine.

Place the bowl over simmering water, and whisk constantly until it reaches 170 degrees, about 4 minutes. (I set a timer!) OR, if you don't have a candy thermometer, whisk until the sugar is dissolved into the egg yolks, and the mixture is hot to the touch.

Remove from the heat, and beat mixture on high for about 6 minutes (set a timer), until the mixture is cool, doubles in volume, and is pale and taffy-like.

Gently fold in 2 tbs of the lemon curd.

Gently fold in the whipped cream.

Mmmmmm.

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spoon semifreddo batter into loaf pan. Stick in the back of the freezer, and let harden for at least 8 hours, up to overnight.

To serve, remove from freezer and cut in slices. top with fresh berries, lemon zest, or almonds. Enjoy!

Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad

I know. I go from blogging about cookies with a pound of chocolate in the batter, and I follow it up with... salad? Seriously? A Salad? Um, yeah. I do. There's no way I can top those cookies. I mean, anything I blog about after that is bound to be a disappointment. So instead of even trying, I bring you something completely different: Nate's bacon egg salad.

Have you noticed bacon as a theme here yet? Does it seem like I put bacon into everything? Well, I do. Nate loves bacon. No, wait. I don't think you understand. He LOVES bacon. He loves bacon with a passion I don't even pretend to understand. I honestly don't get it, because to me, bacon is just another ingredient, and it's not even one I like especially. But Nate just, you know, LIVES for bacon, and isn't happy if we don't have a pound of it in the house AT ALL TIMES.



And this salad? I have to admit, it's pretty awesome. I'm not much of a bacon lover myself, but this this salad really elevates bacon above the level of salty smoky meat into the realm of the beatific. There's something about the interplay between the crispy bacon, the soft eggs, and the tang of the dressing that is really something. It's definitely a favorite in our house, and makes a very filling lunch. I feed it to Nate all the time: it's man-pleasin'. So. Got a man who likes bacon? Give this one a whirl. Even if he's not much of a salad guy, he'll probably love this!




Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad

This salad is SO EASY. It's very simple, but very good. Good ingredients really shine through here. What makes this salad (apart from the bacon, obviously) is the vinaigrette. I mean, without this vinaigrette, this salad is not "Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad." Maybe it's somebody else's salad, but it's not this one. For this salad, a good balsamic vinegar is the key (and so is a decent virgin olive oil, but no need to be TOO fancy about it). This is my favorite balsamic vinegar. I can't even remember where it came from, but it's like nectar from the gods. When it runs out, I am totally going to cry because I've never seen it again.



Actually, this vinegar came from Modena, like many great vinegars (I know that much). And speaking of Medina, I just sent a renaissance doublet there! I fact, I sent this one:



I told you I was domestic. This is what I do for my day-job. It's fun.

Ok! recipe:

Ingredients
3 strips of bacon
2 hard boiled eggs
baby spinach (about 1 lb? I just use 3/4 of a bag. I am ashamed to admit, but I don't even know how much that is!)
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
cracked pepper
6 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Dijon mustard
thyme


Fry your bacon up in a heavy skillet, then drain on a paper towel. Transfer to a cutting board, and dice. Peel eggs and dice as well. Combine eggs, bacon, and spinach in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, measure 2 tbs of vinegar. Add a pinch of salt, and some cracked pepper. Whisk to dissolve salt. Add olive oil 1 tbs at a time, whisking, until all is incorporated. Do a little taste test and add more oil or vinegar until it tastes divine and is well blended. Add mustard and thyme, and whisk to combine.



Pour dressing over bacon/egg/spinach mixture. NOTE! There may be more dressing than you like. Sometimes if I have a little extra I store it in the fridge for next time. Toss until the dressing has coated all the spinach.

enjoy!

Fat Tuesday Indulgence: Gooey Chocolate Toffee Cookies

How long has it been since you had a really good cookie? No, I mean a really good cookie, like, the kind of cookies that makes you sigh with pleasure and fills you with a sense of well-being towards all mankind? I'm guessing not recently. Well, YOU are in luck, because today is Fat Tuesday, and have I got a Mardi Gras cookie for you! Oh. it's gooey. It's chocolatey. It's filled with toasted walnuts and buttery toffee chips. It's decadently sinful, and if nothing else, will give you something to repent of when you get down on your knees come Ash Wednesday. Yum!



How sinful are these cookies? They have an ENTIRE POUND of chocolate in them. And entire POUND. And only 1/2 a cup of flour. I'm sorry, was that my heart beating faster? Is it hot in here? I feel a little flushed. So much chocolate. I think I need to sit down. I mean, SO MUCH CHOCOLATE. I'm sorry, I... I... I don't feel right... I need to go splash some water on my face.

...

Ok, I'm back. I feel much better. Um, was that a little dramatic? Yeah, well, entire pounds of chocolate can do that to me. BECAUSE IT'S THAT GOOD.

So.

You should make these cookies. You should REALLY makes these cookies. 461 reviews at epicurious.com can't be wrong. Smitten Kitchen can't be wrong. A POUND of CHOCOLATE can't be wrong (Oh! And yet, it's so very, very wrong).





Fat Tuesday Gooey chocolate Toffee Cookies (Gluten-free version!)
adapted from the recipe at Bon Appétit

These cookies mostly made of chocolate and eggs, so following the recipe is KEY!

First, you are going to need some flour. I use a combination of quinoa, sweet rice, and brown rice flours. I like the quinoa flour and brown rice flour because they are whole grains (healthy!), they are soft and fine (texture!), and they have a nice flavor (ug. who thinks cookies should NOT taste likes beans??). I use the sweet rice flour because it's sticky and it helps the other flours bind together sans gluten. If you are using this combo, you need 1/4 cup quinoa flour, 2 tbs brown rice flour, and 2 tbs sweet rice flour.



However, if you have a gluten-free flour mix you like (or if you're just feeling lazy and mixing together three flours is too much work) feel free to use it. Or you can just substitute 1/2 cup of regular wheat flour, if gluten is not a concern. This recipe is very forgiving.


You are also going to need this stuff:


That is 1 tsp baking powder, 1 lb chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (NOT unsweetened), 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) butter, 1 and 3/4 cups packed brown sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 tbs vanilla extract, 5 coarsely chopped toffee bars (such as Heath or Skor), and 1 cup toasted walnuts (which are not in the picture. They snuck out. Those pesky walnuts).

If I had it to do over again, I would have used a higher quality chocolate. I had a bunch of half-used chocolate bars and chips in my cupboard, so I mixed them all together. The taste was ok, but I'm sure that if I had used something better the cookies would have tasted THAT MUCH MORE AMAZING. The mind can only boggle at the possibilities.

Also, as you can see in the picture I had some Heath toffee chips to use up too. Next time, I am definitely buying the bars and chopping them up. These little chips were just a little TOO little - I wanted bigger chunks of toffee in my indulgent toffee cookies.




First, mix together your flours, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Now we are going to do the chocolate. PAY ATTENTION: this part is important. You don't want to heat up your chocolate too fast or get it too hot, otherwise it will burn and split, and your chocolate will be wrecked. And that would be SO SAD. So please, follow the directions. You won't be sorry. I promise.

Heat the chocolate in a double boiler - if you don't have one, no problem. I don't have one either. Put a few inches of water in a medium pot, and bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Balance a metal bowl over the simmering water. Voila! Double boiler. You want the bottom of the bowl to be heated by the steam of the water, so the water shouldn't actually be touching the bowl.

Now put the butter and the chocolate in your double boiler, and stir with a spatula, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. The chocolate and the butter should melt together until you have some gorgeous, smooth liquid chocolate, like this:


Set chocolate aside, and get your sugar and eggs. Beat the sugar and the eggs together in a mixer for 5 minutes. DON"T SKIP! Set a timer if you have to (I did!). You want the sugar to fully dissolve into the eggs, and you want the eggs to be really whipped - this is what give the cookies their lightness and gooey texture. If you don't beat them for the full five minutes, don't blame me if your cookies are heavy or stick to the pan!



Now beat in the chocolate and the vanilla until the chocolate is fully incorporated. With the mixer on low, stir in the flour mixture, the toasted walnuts, and the toffee chunks. MMmmm. Try not consume all the batter at this point. It's yummy. Now stick that batter in the fridge for at LEAST an hour. It really needs to firm up before you bake it, or your cookies will spread into little puddles. No fun. And go ahead and turn your oven on now to 350 degrees.

...

Ok! Has it been an hour? Spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto cookie pan - I recommend putting down some parchment paper so the cookies don't stick. It will save you a world of trouble. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes (12 works for my oven, but yours may be a little different). Remove cookies from oven and let cook before moving.

Try not to gobble them all up on one sitting. Or not. After all, it IS Fat Tuesday, so I guess you can be just as decadent as you want.

enjoy!