Culinary Adventures with Camilla

For years I tried to get my kids to like lamb. I braised it. I grilled it. I roasted it. And for years, they resisted. Now, I'm kicking myself. I lament, "Why did you try so hard? Why?!?"  Since they have grown to love it, there's less for me and Jake...or I have to buy a second rack! Lamb lollipops are one of our favorites because they feel fancy despite being really simple to prepare. Our Valentines' version included a glaze of pear-rosemary jam with large crumbles of Gorgonzola. It went perfectly with our Roasted Beet & Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Beet Greens . Ingredients serves 4 as an appetizer (2 ribs per person) rack of lamb with 8 ribs, sliced into lollipops freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper olive oil eight 1/2 t portion of jam (I used a pear rosemary jam) crumbled gorgonzola, for serving Procedure Lay ribs on a plate or parchment-lined tray. Season each side of lamb liberally with salt and pe...

After having launched another project for  Tarcher-Penguin  - click to read about  The Book Club Cookbook Cooking Project  -  Keely, a senior publicist, asked if I'd be interested in exploring another cookbook. Sure thing! Introducing...THE GLUTEN-FREE CHEAT SHEET:  Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less,  written by gluten-free maven April Peveteaux, author of the blog Gluten is My Bitch . I am not gluten-free (GF) nor do I have Celiac. But I do have good friends who are and I'm always scrambling to find tasty recipes that are GF when those friends come over for dinner. I am excited to have new arsenal of gluten-free recipes to try.  The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux  is a  fun, informative resource. Thank you to  Perigee-Penguin  for inspiring this series of posts. I will be posting recipes and review notes for the next five weeks. Gluten-Free Fridays, I'm calling them...

Do you know what I love about the second Saturday of the month? It's our #winePW - Wine Pairing Weekend - reveal. I love it. The bloggers who participate love food and love wine. It's a great event from which I always make a wine shopping list. The theme for this month is: celebrating summer's bounty. Here's  David's August #winePW invite .  I recently finished an article for Edible Monterey Bay   about some local (fairly local-to-me) vineyards. And one of the wines we tasted was a favorite for both of us and we went home with a bottle. Let me introduce you to DeRose Vineyards' Négrette... In the Glass... Have you ever had a Négrette? Before my assignment, I'd never even heard of a Négrette. DeRose Vineyards has a handful of unique wines from old-vine grapes, but I was instantly enamored by the exotic, century-old Négrette, whose name - very unpolitically correct -  means ‘little black b----.’ Not a nice name, for certain. Before 1997 it wa...

My foodie crush on   black garlic   is still raging. Hard. Last week I decided to use it with some pan-seared scallops and a cream sauce. Needless to say, complaints were heard 'round the table: why do we only get two scallops each?!!? Ingredients serves 4 people 2 large scallops per person 4 cloves black garlic  2 cloves garlic 2 T butter splash of olive oil 1/2 C organic heavy cream juice from 1/2 lemon freshly ground salt and pepper to taste Procedure Place thin slices of black garlic and garlic in a splash of olive oil. Cook till softened and fragrant. Add butter and heat until the butter is melted and hot, but not smoking. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Carefully add the scallops to the pan. Sear the scallops until they have a nice golden crust, approximately 1 to 2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a caramelized crust on each side but can still be slightly translucent in the center. Remove scallops and set aside. ...

We had more fun with our  blueberries from High Ground Organics ... While everyone in the house was clamoring for something sweet - crumbles, pies, or cobbler - I considered how to use our bounty for something savory. The boys helped me brainstorm and we decided on scallops with a blueberry agrodolce sauce; R had suggested beef, but I couldn't think of a way to use beef and blueberries together. So, if you have any ideas, we still have blueberries. Agrodolce means 'sour-sweet' in Italian and it's a reduction of vinegar, sugar, and - often - fruit. Eccola ! Ingredients 2 splashes of olive oil 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 C vinegar (I used a pomegranate vinegar) 1 T organic brown sugar 2 C fresh blueberries scallops, I served 3 large scallops per person butter freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper lemon wedges for garnish Procedure For the sauce...in a large, flat-bottom pan add one splash of olive oil and the onion slices. C...

When I was faced with a bunch of Jimmy Nardello peppers this week in our CSA, I decided to pan-sear them and make them into a salad. Delish! 1 bunch of Jimmy Nardello peppers (approximately 6) 1/2 cantaloupe, peel and thinly sliced 1/2 C chopped flat-leaf parsley olive oil balsamic vinegar freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper I did to the Nardellos what I normally do to padròns: pan-sear 'em . They took a little bit longer because they are bigger, but the process is exactly the same. After the peppers were softened and blackened, I destemmed and deseeded them. Then I sliced them into strips lengthwise. Place them into a large mixing bowl with the sliced cantaloupe. Toss with olive oil, vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Toss in the parsley and serve.

I remember reading something about scallops once: cook quickly, sauce lightly. Makes sense since scallops are so succulent and delicate. So, I usually follow that advice though I have no idea where I read that. Tonight I sauced a little heavier than usual to create a flavor-rich amuse bouche to kick off our Sunday dinner. This is what I served for our first course: seared scallops with pepper purée and caviar limes. butter Scallops, rinsed and dried (one or two per person) 1 T citrus pepper purée per scallop 1/2 caviar lime per scallop  freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet melt some butter. Press the scallops into the pan to sear them quickly on each side, probably two minutes per side. Leaving them on there longer produces a thicker crust and nice color. To serve, place a tablespoon of pepper purée on a serving plate. Gently lay a scallop on the purée. Squeeze the caviar lime pulp on top of the scallop. Garnish...

Padròns are another one of those deliciously seasonal treats. They have a subtle heat - the smaller ones are less hot - and a grassy sweetness. We love 'em! Whenever they show up in our CSA box, I cook them the same way. Why fix what is amazing, right? Rinse and dry your peppers. Heat a splash of oil in a skillet. Add the peppers and sear until they begin to blister. Remove from heat and season with freshly ground sea salt. Enjoy! I serve these as an appetizer or as a sidedish.