The recipe for these ginger scones comes from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. They are traditional cream scones with crystallized (candied) ginger pieces cut the size of raisins and topped with sugar. Baked on a pizza stone, the bottom crust came out with a nice bit of crunch to match the top which browned deliciously.
For this meal, we used a recipe from Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way, with alterations. The Gratin with penne, zucchini, corn, peas called for only ham but we didn't have enough so, as suggested in the text introducing the recipe, we included cold cuts (Genoa salami) and we also had to make an improvisation with the cheese; we were out of Gruyere so used some flavorful Gorgonzola instead. The full flavors from the meats and cheese were great and created a new, wonderful dish.
Orrechiette, prosciutto, and peas -- this dish is from Nancy Silverton's Twist of the Wrist. It was lovely and delicious. The cream sauce is light -- made from creme fraiche with lots of garlic.
Ricotta, smoked provolone, and paprika fill the prosciutto rolls. The classic partner to prosciutto is ripe melon. Together the flavor bursts!
Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way includes several light, flavorful desserts. Here is a fresh pineapple simmered in a caramel sauce and sprinkled with pistachios. Simple cookies garnish the fruit providing a crisp bite complimenting the pineapple.
Frango Cafe (on the Seventh Floor of Marshall's Fields Macy's on State Street) in Chicago has several fun desserts. This one is a variation on the camping classic sandwiching toasted marshmallow and chocolate bars between graham crackers. The purist would find the ratios out of balance in the Frango version; it still tasted good and was fun to try!
I found this recipe in Moosewood's Simple Suppers cookbook. It is a good, easy way to make a variation on the Thai sticky rice with mango dessert. The tapioca has coconut milk and lemon zest flavoring it and is good on its own. Adding the mango and/or strawberry creates a beautiful dish.
A highlight of spring is the slim, tender stalks of young asparagus!
Breakfast this morning was a compote of gingered apricots, whole wheat buttermilk biscuits, soft-cooked egg, orange juice, and Fortnum & Mason's Royal Blend tea. I baked the biscuits on a baking stone and the finish was worth noting. The crust was nicely crunchy while the biscuit was light and chewy. A good start to the day!
This Sunday Night Soup was Rick Bayless's vegetarian variation of a Creamy Corn Soup. The Creamy Corn Soup had zucchini and roasted poblano and is garnished with cilantro. The recipe is from Everyday Mexican, the latest cookbook by Bayless. Delicious!