A new favorite: The French Cuisse

I stumbled upon this food blog months ago. I love the style of the photography. Ingredients on the left, the finished product on the right. The site says it's owned by a 20-year old student in restaurant management. I think this kid has a bright future. Happy Monday all!

Honey lemon curd with NC strawberries

I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to make lemon curd. Maybe it's because curd sounds so off putting? It's really more of a fancy custard-like sauce that tastes delicious with berries or scones. It's delightful.

Make this honey lemon curd for your next dinner party. It's ready in less than 10 minutes and will wow your friends. The recipe yields about a cup and will keep in the fridge for about a week. Smear leftovers on toast or enjoy with scones.

Honey lemon curd
Recipe from Peter Berley's Fresh Food Fast
4 large organic eggs
1/2 c organic turbinado sugar
5 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c local raw honey
1.5 tsp lemon zest
pinch of sea salt
6 tbsp unsalted organic butter
1 c of sliced NC strawberries
1 tbsp mint
1 tbsp toasted, chopped pecans

In a saucepan over low-to-medium heat, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, and sea salt. Bring to a simmer, stir constantly.

Add the butter and continue to stir, for about 5-7 minutes. You'll notice that the lemon curd will thicken up a lot, which is what you want.

Remove from heat and strain the curd through a small sieve. Serve warm over strawberry slices. Garnish with mint and pecans.

A Spring galette to share

At a young age, I learned that sometimes people are taken from us before they should be. 

Raleigh suffered a great loss last week. A friend, political strategist, wife, and daughter was taken before she should've been. I worked with her husband and had only met Jamie a couple of times. At her memorial, friends recalled her compassion, strength, and openess. Her story touched many and the community embraced her husband and family. 

Her story has inspired and compelled me to act—to give back—something that came to her so naturally. She lived her beliefs and made everyone feel like they mattered. Raleigh lost a hero.

"Sometimes the people whom we've know for only a short amount of time have a bigger impact on us than those we've known forever." - Maya Angelou

A simple, savory galette to share with the ones you hold dear. 

A Spring galette
Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
crust:
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh thyme
7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 c water

filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 0.5 in. pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 leeks, sliced and rinsed very well
1/4 c heavy cream

1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 c goat cheese
1 egg, beaten

Whisk the flour, cormeal, sea salt, and thyme together well. Cut in the butter with a fork or your hands. Add the water, little by little, as you roll into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the asparagus, cook for about five minutes. Then add the garlic to the pan, stir well, and cook until the asparagus is tender, another 1-2 minutes. Remove the asparagus and garlic from the pan, and set aside. Heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of sea salt. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the leeks are softened. Then add the cream, lemon zest and thyme to the pan. Stir well, cooking until the cream has reduced a bit. Remove from heat, and add to a large bowl with the asparagus. Let cool, then mix in the goat cheese and egg.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grab the dough from the refrigerator, dust the countertop with flour, and roll out until the dough is about 1/4 in. thick in a large circle. Put the rolled out dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Add the filling to the middle of the dough, but leave 2 inches from the edges open. Roll the edges of the dough over the filling to make an open-faced savory pie. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy.

Local treat: Monuts Donuts

Chocolate chai. Plain glazed. Coconut Dream. Yes. So delicious.

We ventured to Monuts—another great reason Durham is the South's Tastiest Town—for homemade donuts on Sunday. The line was out the door, but after 15 minutes of waiting, we were rewarded with quite the treat. Local readers you must go, if you haven't yet! They have a cute store front on Parrish St. (around the corner from Scratch) and are open 7 am-2 pm.  The donut flavors change and they also make homemade bagels, bread pudding, sandwiches, and a few daily specials.

Happy Friday!

Food bloggers against hunger

Right now in the United States, maybe even in your neighborhood, a child is hungry. And federal sponsored nutrition programs (like SNAP or school lunch) might be cut if certain legislation is passed. We can't let that happen.

Nicole of The Giving Table (and this lovely blog) organized Food Bloggers Against Hunger after watching A Place at the Table, a documentary that sheds light on the hunger problem in America. I urge you to protect anti-hunger programs by emailing your local representative to keep federal funding for these crucial programs that so many rely on.

SNAP (or food stamp) participants are only allocated $4 a day for food. I decided to take the challenge to create a healthy meal that cost less than $4 dollars. As I came up with a budget-friendly list of recipes, I realized just how difficult it is to make a healthy meal with only four dollars. Buying for the week ($28 for one person) seemed like the easiest thing to do as buying in bulk can save money. For example, it cost 0.49 for one sweet potato and $1.69 for a bag of eight.

As I walked down the aisles of the store, I started to see prices in a new light. I skipped the meat since it's more expensive, and decided to buy a bag of lentils for protein since they were the cheapest option. I opted for sweet potatoes instead of rice or pasta to make the dish healthier. Since ingredients are limited, I roasted the tomatoes to add more flavor to the dish.

Sweet potatoes stuffed with lentils and roasted tomatoes
4 sweet potatoes
1/2 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 c lentils
1 onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 4 sweet potatoes for 30-40 minutes or until done. Put cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 45 minutes or until caramelized.

Put the lentils in a pot, add 2.5 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Once cooked, drain the remaining water. Heat remaining oil over medium heat and add the onion and a pinch of salt.

$1.25 a serving 

Let's end childhood hunger! Send Congress a letter to protect these essential anti-hunger programs.

A feel better elixir

I spent Easter weekend under a blanket on the couch or in bed. A cold/allergy/sinus infection took hold of me and I was a sneezing, coughing mess. So I drank cups upon cups of my magic elixir that always seems to ease my sore throat and open up my nose. I hope your Easter was better than mine.

Bookmark this recipe for the next time you wake up with a sore throat. Do you have any natural cures you swear by?

A feel better elixir
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1-2 tbsp raw local honey
1 garlic clove, sliced
6-8 oz boiling water

Add the first three ingredients to a mug. Pour boiling water over and stir. Drink once slightly cooled and enjoy multiple cups throughout the day.

Massaged cabbage salad

In Design School, I learned that taking a break from a project helps you see things in a new light. So my camera collected a bit of dust, my iMac only booted to check email or pay bills, and I took a month long break from this space. I realized a few things, one of them being that I really missed writing and sharing here. So at 10:30 p.m. on March 24th, I tiptoed out of my warm bed to finish writing this post for you.

In anticipation of warmer weather (and asparagus!), here's a salad to pack for that first picnic. Accompany with grilled vegetables, bean or tuna salad, and a cold potato salad.

Massaged cabbage salad
Inspired by Neomonde's cabbage salad
1 small head of cabbage, 3-4 c, finely shredded
1 small red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced (I used half red and green)
1 lemon, juiced
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Put the cabbage, onion, and bell pepper into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Massage ingredients with your hands for a good 5-10 minutes. The cabbage should start to soften up a bit. Mix in the parsley and pumpkin seeds.

Variation: Add 3-4 tbsp of chipotle creme to make a delicious slaw for tacos.