Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This month I am hosting the French Winophiles with an exploration of the wines from Anjou-Saumur. You can read my invitation  here . Not being very familiar with those wines, I tracked down several bottles to pour and pair. One of the bottles I found - Domaine Bourdin Chancelle Saumur Rosé 2017 - was supple with a nice balance between soft and fresh with a long finish. I'm having fun trying new-to-me wines. The vineyards of Domaine Chancelle - located in the village of Turquant, in the greater Saumur - have been in the family for five generations with Lydie and her husband, Thierry, taking over at the turn of the millennium. Lydie and Thierry are both passionate about the vines, their wine, and the domaine is run sustainably. I opted to play with the soft, silky side of the Rosé while bringing in the savory with a braised rabbit stew which I served with toasted baguette smeared with a seaweed compound butter. Silky, salty. It was delicious. Ingredients...

When I saw the carnival squash in my CSA box, I knew I wanted to use them on our Thanksgiving table - even though I already had cauliflower and Brussels sprouts on the menu. So, I picked an easy preparation and added a compound miso butter to stick with my Asian-inspired theme. Ingredients 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise 2 to 3 organic carnival squash, deseeded and sliced into thick wedges olive oil 1/2 C butter, softened 1 T white miso paste (you can use red, but the flavor will be stronger and the butter darker) black sesame seeds for garnish, optional fresh cilantro for garnish, optional Procedure Heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets (one for the carrots and one for the squash) with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In large mixing bowl, toss squash and olive oil together until well coated. Spread squash in even layer on baking sheet. Lay the carrots on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place both trays in th...

It's time for Group B's first reveal of 2016 for the  Secret Recipe Club . Happy New Year! This month I was assigned to  Amy's Cooking Adventures   which is written by - yes, you guessed it! - Amy. Amy and I travel in similar cooking circles, so I'm surprised that I've never made anything from her blog. Till now. So, a little bit about the lady behind the food. She loves to cook and bake. In fact, she runs a second blog dedicated to her sweets. Check out Amy's Confectionery Adventures ! If you are a Star Wars fan, you must check out her Chewbacca Cupcakes  and her R2-D2 Cake . We share a love of that little astromech droid! Here's my purse. I definitely need that cake in my life. Amy has a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and Reading, but gave it all up to stay home with her children. She has three children - two sons on Earth (AKA Dude and Spud) and one angel baby in Heaven. She writes that in her spare time she loves to read, scr...

Weekends in a French Kitchen (click to read about the project: here ) is launching this week.  And if you're game, I'm including affiliate links to the cookbooks at the bottom of the post. Special thanks to the project organizers: Alice of  A Mama, Baby and Sharpei in the Kitchen , Christy of  Confessions of a Culinary Diva , Tammy of  Telling Stories from Chez Nous , and Emily of  Blue Bungalow . What a fun, fun project they have designed. Join us. This week's selection from Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan's cookbook - Café Boulud Cookbook - is Skate with Brown Butter and Capers. Here are the Tips and Tricks for this recipe from the team leaders. I have never actually had skate, so I was very excited to try it, for the first time, and this great, summer recipe. Skate ranges on the sustainability list based on location of catch and method of catch. Click for the  Seafood Watch recommendations  and just be sure to ask your fish monger...