I dreamt up a new savory pie featuring goat brie for my Pie Party Potluck LIVE! event, paired with buttery leeks, pear and bacon. Using a brie for quiche requires a bit of planning because you don’t want to lose the cheese in the pie, but the results are dreamy…
Sometimes it seems if it weren’t for bacon, I might starve. Like I wrote in my song, “Bacon Makes Everything Better,” and it often makes my breakfast better. But not by in the traditional way of a side of bacon, but better with bacon fried rice. If you have just one strip of bacon, one egg and some old rice and any sort of veggies, you, too, can make a delightful breakfast.
Spring only has one job and that’s to bring the rhubarb. I love the combo of strawberries and rhubarb, and a strawberry rhubarb compote is super easy to whip up and have on hand to feed my hankerings.
I never post seasonally because let’s face it, I’m not that organized and methodical. The only thing that is predictable about me is that I resist predictability. This was supposed to be my post for Valentine’s Day, but that did not work out. BUT, that’s OK because the heart still makes sense since I’m in love.
BUT… it’s not unconditional love. It’s highly conditional. Or should I say seasonal. [SINGS: This is no ordinary love] I’m singing the praises of garlicky roasted tomatoes because this recipe saves me all winter long. Let’s just say if it weren’t for this recipe, I’d be singing the blues…
When I was a kid my mom and I loved beets. Yes, even canned. It seems that almost everyone, including my brothers, hated them. I love how they came back into fashion even got trendy. Now everyone’s a beet lover like they were never hating on them. Sure… Sure… If I’d shown up with a roasted beet salad with a preserved lemon dressing topped with dukkah crusted labne balls I would have had to eat it alone.
My favorite kind of recipe? One that’s dead easy and makes me look like a genius! Claudia Roden’s Basic Pie Dough 1 from The Book Of Jewish Food, is one such recipe. I used it to make samosas for my niece’s birthday party five months ago—I made heaps so I could freeze ‘em. Isn’t the freezer magical—it may be my favorite major appliance. I finished the last two samosas this morning when I cleaned out the freezer. I threw them in the toaster oven frozen and they were still delish and the pastry crisped up beautifully. You can also use this dough to make empanadas, pasties or any kind of savory hand held pie.
This dough is easy to make and requires no resting so it’s FAST—another thing I love in a recipe! I love working with this dough because it’s oily and doesn’t stick to your hands and is well behaved when you roll it. When baked, the texture is a little flaky, yet it’s strong enough to hold a heavy filling.