Chef Michael Salmon - Join me in my Kitchen
This is a light and refreshing salad that we serve on our Foodie trips to Tuscany. Freshly roasted and charred peppers have so much more flavor than the jarred or canned ones that it is worth every minute spent over the open flame. Grilled eggplant and peppery Arugula are added and then tossed with a simple red wine dressing.
These spicy almonds are perfect at cocktail parties and are very addicting. The brown sugar gives a hint of sweetness, just enough to offset the heat from the black pepper. Whole nuts of any kind can be substituted for the almonds, whether you use one type of nut or a selection of various whole nuts. I often make these spicy almonds just before the holidays, package them up in cellophane bags and give them away as Christmas presents.
This was one of our guests favorite fall cocktails over the years at the Inn. The combination of tart cranberries and citrus with limoncello makes for a refreshing and visually stunning cocktail. The Cranberry-Syrup base can be made well in advance and kept in the refrigerator for weeks, and this recipe makes enough for 15 cocktails. Simply combine with citrus vodka and ice, shake and serve.
This recipe for Biscotti was given to me by a friend, Lisa, from the Chicago area. She used to send them as holiday gifts and was nice enough to share the recipe with me for my first cookbook. The combination of almonds, dried apricots, white chocolate and Grand Marnier makes for an unforgettable treat.
Granny Smith apples hold up well in these fritters and their tartness balances well with the sweetness of the Maple Crème Anglaise. On our foodie trips to Europe, I serve these as a breakfast starter but they are equally nice served warm with ice cream as an autumn dessert.
Mary Jo always treats herself to specialty yogurts when we are in Europe. The challenge is that she does not like fruit, well, most fruit. Some flavors she enjoys are mocha, pistachio, toasted coconut and her favorite is lemon. This recipe yields about 3 quarts of thick-rich-tangy-creamy-lemony MJ-worthy goodness. Reserve some of the plain yogurt you make as a live culture, and all you will need to make endless amounts of yogurt in the future is milk.
Now through the end of December, both of my cookbooks are on sale for 50% off regular price.
For Thanksgiving I always cook my turkeys “Sous Vide” and this year was no exception. See my post “Sous Vide Turkey.” It turned out amazing, as usual. Since it was just Mary Jo and myself, a whole 24# turkey was more than we could eat on Thursday, so like most Americans, we have leftovers for a few days. Saturday came around and we were still working on the first turkey breast and leg/thigh that I seared on Thanksgiving, and I hadn’t gotten around to the second set. So, I decided to smoke the second breast and leg/thigh for dinner on Saturday.
Agnolotti is a stuffed pasta that comes from the Piedmont region of Italy. Agnolotti are similar to ravioli, but they have a unique shape with two large dimples that assist in “trapping” sauce. I find them much easier and faster to make than ravioli, once you have mastered the technique. The filling in this recipe is a spinach-ricotta mixture, but they can be filled with everything from roasted vegetables and cheese, to braised meats and seafood.
Clafoutis is a dish we prepare on my Foodie Trips to Provence. Traditionally it is made with fresh cherries which are abundant in the region, but I often make it with other stone fruit like plums, peaches, apricots or nectarines. It is also great with berries, pears or fresh figs. It can be prepared in a large baking dish or in small individual-sized ramekins, while usually thought of as a dessert, it also makes a nice breakfast dish.
Join me in my kitchen as I prepare recipes from my two cookbooks, European foodie trips and explore new inspirations.
