Butternut Squash Soup with Poached Eggs

Duck Breast with Caramelized Brussels Sprouts and Mashed Potatoes

Vacherin Mont d’Or, Mâche, Shallot Vinaigrette

Speculoos Apple Crumble

I’ve deliberately left this menu open to interpretation.  Say you have some extra carrots or apples you want to put in the soup – go ahead!  Want to top it with a drizzle of rosemary oil or chopped sage?  It will probably only be better.  I’ll probably use caramelized shallots for the Brussels sprouts, and if for some reason you don’t like mashed potatoes, by all means roast them.  And the cheese is, of course, substitutable.  I chose Vacherin Mont d’Or because it’s something special that I can’t get at other times of year, but if you prefer a pungent bleu or a creamy Camembert, serve that instead.  And if you want to use pears in your crumble instead of apples, I see no reason you couldn’t.  (Or both!  Anyone seen Carnage?)

So happy end-of-the-year holidays to all of you!  I’ll be back in the new year with plenty more wintry vegetables.  See you then!

Seasonal opposite: Spring Vegetable Crumble

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

What’s so different about this produce?  Well, the carrots are yellow, tinged with green at the top.  They’re much harder and stronger in flavor than their run-of-the-mill orange siblings.  These definitely benefit from roasting, which I did last night, along with some parsnips, underneath a chicken.

The turnips are not turnips, but watermelon radishes, their light green and white exteriors giving way to bright pink insides.  Frankly, I think they’d be great with some ranch dip for a little taste of pseudo-summer.

The pears are certainly unexpected at this time of year.  Normally by December we’re down to apples and apples alone.  But these pears are a newish variety called Angelys, which apparently thrive in the winter and have a good, long shelf life.  Hooray!  A warm, warming dessert like a crumble sounds like just what I want to do with them.

I guess the rest isn’t so surprising.  The leeks made a lovely side to the roast chicken, briefly broiled and drizzled with vinaigrette.  The eggs and patidou squash (maybe sweet dumpling squash in English) have me thinking of this quiche, but that squash could just as easily become a tartiflette of sorts, or a pizza, or a pasta dish, or I could stuff them, or…

Seasonal opposite: June 8, 2011

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

I seriously love root vegetables.  These beets, along with Melissa‘s, will be roasted with balsamic vinegar and chestnuts (no bacon this time, though) for a girls’ Christmas shindig on Saturday.  The parsnips make me want to roast a chicken, just so I can have them roast along underneath it, bathing in the savory juices.  I think the potatoes will be happy to join in the fun, and, if we’re being honest, some of the many leftover carrots from last week.

I also like greens quite a bit, and am especially happy to see heartier ones as the days get shorter and colder.  Frisée is a truly wonderful salad green for winter (or late fall, as the case may be), sturdy and flavorful enough to hold its own with poached eggs, toasted nuts, juicy pears, crispy bacon, pungent blue cheese and maybe some chewy dried cranberries on top.  It’s also a good cooking green, with a nice bitter flavor that complements rich bean dishes particularly well.

Swiss chard and squash are a fabulous combination (seen most recently here, and less recently here), and since I also have plenty of those baby pumpkins from last week still hanging out on the counter (did I mention I got a double panier last week?  Because I did.) I think a pizza is in order for tonight.

Seasonal opposite: June 2, 2010

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

It’s decorative gourd season…well, you probably know the rest.  (Don’t click that link if you’re sensitive about off-color language.)

Seriously, though, those little mini-pumpkins are called Jack Be Little or pomarine squash, and apparently they’re edible.  I might try stuffing them, but if anyone has eaten these before or has any advice, I’d love to hear it.

The leeks are already gone, some in turkey stock along with several carrots, some in the wild mushroom bread pudding I now make for every Thanksgiving.  Which also used up some shallot and more than a few eggs.

Happily, I got Granny Smith apples this week, which is exactly what this recipe called for.  Of course, I would have made the apple-bourbon bundt cake anyway, but it’s nice to know I had the right kind of apples.  The cake, which we ate alongside Hopie’s famous pecan pie, also makes and excellent breakfast.  (You should know by now how I feel about cake for breakfast.)

I think the bag of mixed greens – purportedly mâche and purslane – is just what we need for lighter post-Thanksgiving meals.  And it will be good alongside leftover turkey and stuffing, too.

Seasonal opposite: May 26, 2010

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

The first thing I said upon receiving my panier this week was something along the lines of, “Onions!  Hooray, now I don’t have to go buy them!”  I’ve also been flying through the carrots lately, testing coleslaw recipes, so those were a welcome sight, as well.

I am always excited about winter squashes, which is why, even though I know that this butternut squash will keep longer than, say, the mâche, I’ve already cooked and eaten it.  For lunch today, I diced it up and roasted it, adding some chopped leek after about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, I was making a creamy, bechamel-based piquillo pepper sauce and boiling whole wheat pasta.  When everything was ready I mixed it all together and served it in deep bowls with a sprinkling of pine nuts.  Really, really good eating.

These kiwis are perfectly sized for snacking.  I have a short train trip coming up, and I think I’ll bring along a knife and a plastic coffee spoon and scoop the sweet green flesh from their fuzzy skins as I watch the countryside whiz by.

Because the new kitchen for work is still under construction, for a short time I get to have a Kitchen Aid at home, so whatever happens to those eggs is going to involve whipping.

Seasonal opposite: May 11, 2011

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

Today is a holiday in France, so we’re not getting a vegetable delivery this week.  Instead, Nick and I headed to the market on Sunday to pick up supplies for the week.  First stop was Production d’Ile de France, who only sell fruits and vegetables grown in the region immediately surrounding Paris.

Nick was after a celery root, to replenish our supply of homemade celery salt.  This stand had some great-looking ones, with whole stalks of celery still growing out of the top.  If that doesn’t indicate freshness, I don’t know what does.  Of course, having seen that, we still had to wait in line, the various lettuces in perfect placement for some impulse shopping.  I love endives, and these looked fantastic, so I picked up four of them.  And this baby radicchio was so cute, how could I not buy a couple of them, too?

I envision both of these vegetables in mini-wedge salads, drizzled with hazelnut oil and sherry vinegar, and maybe sprinkled with something crunchy like sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

As we approached the front of the line, I had Nick skip ahead to select a bunch of parsley from the array of fresh herbs on display.  Meanwhile, while the vendor was getting my celeriac, I noticed the gorgeous orange potimarrons (kuri or Hokkaido squash) next to it, and asked for one of those as well.  I’m going to roast it with Thai curry paste, in another recipe inspired by Super Natural Every Day.  Arranging my purchases into my shopping bags, I overheard a woman ask the vendor if he had any green beans.  His reply?  ”C’est fini.  L’année prochaine.” (“They’re finished.  Next year.”)  Which I just love.  I also love that these vegetables are even more local than the ones I usually get in the panier.  My total, for one celery root with celery, one potimarron, one bunch of parsley, four large endives, and two small radicchio was 9 euros.  For comparison, my weekly delivery of organic vegetables (these are not) from the Loire valley, plus half a dozen eggs is about 15 euros.

The only other thing on my list was wild mushrooms.  But before we found the mushroom stand, I had to stop at La Ferme de la Prairie (referred to as the Ultimate Cheese Guy in this discussion) for goat cheese.  The Valençay was looking particularly good this week, so into my bag went a truncated pyramid.

Finally, I found the mushroom foragers I’d been seeking.  A small handful each of lactaires, shiitakes, chanterelles, and girolles, all foraged in France (as evidenced by the pine needles still clinging to many of them), and my shopping was done.

* * * * *

But wait, what about the gratin?  Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.  It’s a very simple non-recipe, and it goes like this: thinly slice fennel, reserving the fronds.  Peel and slice potatoes about the same thickness.  Slice up an onion, too.  Toss it all together in a large bowl with chopped fennel fronds, parsley, rosemary (you can use whatever herbs you like, those are just what I had on hand), salt, pepper, and a small tub of crème fraîche (or sour cream) thinned with a little milk.  Mix until everything is evenly coated, then turn out into a buttered baking dish and bake until tender and browned on top, about an hour.

Seasonal opposite: May 4, 2011

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

…Is good for things other than salad?  Fortunately I know that this escarole is good cooked, because I got it once last year, and made a tasty bean-and-green stew with it.  Right now, Nick is wilting it to go in a warm salad of yellow lentils with cilantro pesto.  The recipe comes from Heidi Swanson‘s Super Natural Every Day, which I just won over on The Kitchen Illiterate.  It’s a great book, and merits a post of its own, so look for that over on Croque-Camille.

I’m always excited about fennel, and this one reminded me of a dish I made frequently at home: a creamy gratin of fennel and potatoes from Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  Perfect for the chilly nights ahead.

At least half of that huge Napa cabbage is getting turned into kimchi, and the rest will end up in a stir-fry.  If it was warmer I might make a tangy slaw with sesame seeds, but it’s not.

This apple-goat cheese cake was pretty darn good, so I might just make it again.

Fried egg sandwiches on English muffins are our new favorite weekend breakfast.  They’re fast, tasty, and keep us going through busy weekend days.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

It’s true.  Once a year, I get a spaghetti squash from the panier.  This year’s might not be as sunny yellow and cute as the ones from years past, but I’ve no doubt it will be just as delightful.  I’m roasting it right now, which is what I do with spaghetti squash, until it’s tender enough to poke into the skin easily with a fork.  I’ll let it cool slightly, then I’ll cut it in half, take out the seeds (saving them for further roasting for snacks if I’m feeling frugal) and gently pull out the strands of flesh with a fork.  In the meantime, I will have prepared a carbonara sauce of sorts, sweating sliced leeks with some happy bacon, seasoning generously with black pepper, and stirring in some crème fraîche.  An egg yolk will serve to bind the sauce, if I’m feeling decadent (both decadent and frugal in the same night?  kind of unlikely.  I’ll leave you to guess which door I choose).  If carbonara’s not your bag, I was also tossing around the idea of serving the squash with an amatriciana sauce.  Either way, There Will Be Bacon.

I think the combination of celery and leeks means that it’s time for me to make some stock again.

While the apples may get tiresome after a while, right now I’m still excited about them.  I particularly enjoy the sweet-tart balance they bring to savory dishes, like these roasted chicken thighs.

Radishes, lettuce, salads.  At least they make a nice counterpoint to the rich, warm dishes of fall.

Seasonal opposite: April 27, 2011

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

They sure didn’t skimp on the tomatoes this week, which I suspect will be their last for the year.  But they’re small and sweet, and I will enjoy every last one of them, whether I’m just popping the smaller ones in my mouth whole or letting them bring a taste of late-summer sweetness to savory dishes, like I did with the Swiss chard last night.  I caramelized an onion, then added the stems, thinly sliced.  Deglazed with a splash of white wine vinegar, then added a few chopped tomatoes.  When all was nicely softened, I threw in the chard leaves, cut into ribbons, and a can of white beans.  Season with salt, pepper, and hot paprika, slice up some seeded bread, and dinner is served.

I really want to make this Italian lentil stew to go with the eggs.

Once again, I have curried the cauliflower, but this time it was Thai, not Indian.

These pears are crying out to be baked in something, and I think this olive oil cake is just the thing.

As for the potatoes, they’re the first of the starchy kind (as opposed to the waxy kind we tend to get over the warmer months), and that makes me want to mash them.

Seasonal opposite: April 7, 2010

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

And now, all of a sudden, it’s fall.  Hello, potimarron!  Also known as kuri or Hokkaido squash, this little member or the pumpkin family is probably my favorite winter squash (although put me in front of a butternut or one of these beauties and the situation might get awkward).  What I should really do with it is re-test my pumpkin pie recipe for my upcoming new job (!!!), but I’ve got soup on the brain.  Potimarron and shrimp bisque, perhaps?  Or maybe potimarron and black bean chili?  Or this fantastic curried soup (thanks for the link, Melissa!), which has the added bonus of calling for spinach, too?  Ah, but I’d already planned at least one Indian meal already – a big, warming pot of vegetable dal featuring cauliflower.

Once again, the radishes are already gone, nibbled over pre-dinner drinks with a friend.  The apples, again the perfect size for snacking.  The lettuce, which looks a little sad, frankly, should be happy to dress up in a vinaigrette made with those shallots.  The eggs have their work cut out for them, should I end up going the pumpkin pie route.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

We are enjoying a downright splendid weather pattern here in Paris these days.  It’s 80 degrees, clear, and sunny.  Warm enough to go out at night without a jacket or sweater.  I’m in heaven, busting out all the summer clothes I never got a chance to wear this summer.  As a result, spending a lot of time on elaborate cooking projects is not going to happen this weekend.  But I’m lucky to have gotten a selection of late-summer bounty that can do with minimal cooking.

The radishes are already gone, eaten as a prelude to a dinner with a friend I haven’t seen in ten years.  The zucchini played a role in said dinner as well, thinly sliced, tossed with the same herbs found in this recipe, and baked atop a round of puff pastry for a very simple but very delicious tart.  And of course we had a green salad, too, to accompany the roast chicken.  With our cheese course (rocamadour and bleu d’Auvergne, in case you were wondering) we had some gorgeous dark purple figs which did not come in the panier, but are in season.  I highly recommend you pick some up before they fly south for the winter.

The carrots I plan on roasting alongside a neatly tied pork loin.  The green beans are likely to end up in some kind of stir-fry.  The pears are a perfect snack or dessert all on their juicy own.  And the eggs?  I’ve been asked to provide brownies or cornbread for this Sunday’s football gathering, so I suspect that’s where most of them will end up.

And now I have an announcement: for my lovely readers in the southern hemisphere, I’m instituting a new feature here on Seasonal Market Menus.  At the end of every post, I’ll put up a link to the Seasonal Opposite, that is, a post from the archives as close to six months ago as I can find.  Enjoy!

Seasonal Opposite: March 30, 2011 (actually shockingly similar this time!)

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

Well, these are exciting.  Just look at those gorgeous, mottled hot pink beans!  They’re cranberry beans, or borlotti beans, and I’m really looking forward to cooking them.  Fresh shell beans are truly one of the delights of fall, and these are supposed to be pretty darn delicious – they reportedly have a vaguely chestnutty taste.  As soon as I’m done here, I’m going to pop them out of their pods, give them a quick simmer, and toss them with some pasta, zucchini, and tomatoes.

Also exciting is the melon – remember, the one we were promised last week?  It smells fantastic, and I think it will make a fabulous salad with thin slices of Spanish ham on a bed of lettuce.  I could add a poached egg and it would be a complete meal.

I am less thrilled about the apples, though that is more of me not being ready for winter’s apple onslaught than any kind of quality problem with the apples themselves.  They’re quite good, actually, crisp and sweet-tart, and just the right size for snacking.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

We were supposed to get a melon in this week’s panier.  As you can see, we did not.  I wouldn’t be as upset about this if it hadn’t happened before.  I’m beginning to think they don’t even grow any melons, they just tease us with them every now and then.  Grr.  There is, however, lots of good-for-me green stuff this week, and that makes me happy.

Two of the three mini heads of broccoli (leaves and all!) got sautéed up with one of the zucchini and some carrots (leftover from last week) before being simmered in Thai curry paste and coconut milk.  Served over rice, it was a delicious, spicy (thanks for the peppers, Melissa!), vegan meal.

I’ve got big plans for the spinach: croziflette!  (Just go read that link, I’ll wait.)  Done?  I’m going to make that dish with spinach in place of the squash and Beaufort cheese melted on top.  I am super excited about it.

I don’t want to say I’m out of ideas for potatoes, eggs, and lettuce, but I have written about them on this blog no less than 56, 68, and 42 times, respectively, and I’ve got dinner plans tonight.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

Rhubarb is about the last thing I expect to get in September, and yet here it is.  Again.  Not that I’m complaining.  I can’t decide, though, if I want to bake it into a crumble (maybe with some figs, while they’re here) or use the puff pastry I have lurking in my freezer to fashion some rhubarb turnovers.

I do love me some green beans.  I think these will join forces with the tomatoes and some caramelized onions to make a fabulous warm salad.

The zucchini are roasting as we speak I write, in preparation for a photo shoot of a recipe I’ve been working on.  Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell you all about it.

Though these are gorgeous, I never know what to do with the grapes in France, since they tend to have several large seeds each.  I usually just end up eating them out of hand, at a painstakingly slow rate.

Soup weather is pretty much upon us already here in Paris, so I’ll be simmering up these carrots into a seasonally-appropriate bright orange soup.

And as for the eggs, well, football season is about to start.  Maybe I should devil them for the opening weekend party on Sunday.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

This was as wonderfully refreshing as anyone could want on a warm late summer Saturday afternoon.  I may have mentioned before that cucumbers are not my all-time favorite thing, but I do enjoy them in certain preparations, namely those in which its flavor is masked by tangy dairy or salt and vinegar (and sometimes sugar).  Well, tzatziki, that classic Greek dip made with cucumbers and yogurt, may have been the very first thing I ate that gave me the idea that cucumbers were not all bad.  Naturally, I learned how to make it, and I use it not only as a dip, but as a sauce or spread for sandwiches, as well as a salad dressing.

It’s a very simple thing to make, tzatziki, especially if you remember to peel, seed, and grate the cucumbers first so they have time to drain while you get everything else ready.  In this case, “everything else” means open a few pots of Greek yogurt, mince some garlic, chop some parsley, and stir it all together.  Squeeze as much of the excess water as possible out of the grated cucumbers with a towel, then add them to the yogurt.  Salt and pepper to taste, and you’re done.  It’s even better the next day.

Here I used it to dress some of the panier lettuce, and topped the whole thing with tomato wedges.  I just wanted to share it with you before fall arrives in earnest – think of it as squeezing the last drops of summer.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.