I love tarts that can be thrown together anytime during the day and served at room temperature. This anchovy and onion tart scream summer and works perfectly for any dinner and is great to pack on picnics. Serve it with a sparkling wine or Belgian Tripel Beer. The dough is quick and fun to make too.

For the basic tart dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup warm water

To make the dough, first mix the flour and salt together in bowl. Then add in the egg, olive oil, and water. Mix it either in a KitchenAid stand mixer or by hand. Knead it until you have a uniform ball of doug, about 3-5 minutes. Let the dough rest for about an hour at room temperature in a covered bowl.

For the tart topping:

• 3 pounds yellow onions thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 8 anchovies rinsed and pulverized
• 1 cup black olives sliced in half
• salt and pepper

The topping is quick and easy to make while the dough is resting. First, slice the onions thinly. You can use a knife; however, will probably shed too many tears. I love my OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer and it will slice the 3 pounds of onions very quickly. Cleanup is a breeze on the slicer too. Use the included holder to protect your fingers. The mandoline slicer is extremely sharp.

Slicing Onion on Oxo V-Blade Mandoline

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat in a large skillet, such as the All-Clad Stainless 6-Quart Saute Pan. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let the onions sweat for about an hour. You don’t want them to brown, just soften. Stir occasionally.

Sweating Onions and herbs in an All-Clad 6-quart saute pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Once the dough has rested for about an hour, roll it out with a rolling pin adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking. It should be about 1/8-inch thick and large enough to cover a baking sheet. I use the Anolon cookie sheet and love it. I’ve never had anything stick to it and the rubberized grips cool quickly and provide a secure grip with a towel or hotpad.

Rolling dough for anchovy and onion tart

Tart dough in baking pan

Prick the dough all over with a fork. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the onions and mix in the mashed anchovies. Spread the mixture over the dough. Place the olive halves decoratively on top.

Anchovy and onion tart before baking

Bake the tart at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crisp. Let the tart cool to room temperature and serve. You will love it.

Anchovy and Onion tart after baking

When on road trips throughout the country you may, unfortunately, encounter areas where quality classic cocktails have not yet been rediscovered. Or, perhaps, you’d like to show off to your friends, or mix up wonderful libations in your hotel room. In these cases, I use a basic 3 Piece Cocktail Shaker Kit setup that lets me mix up great classic cocktails at friend’s homes or anywhere on the road. It is perfect for travel.

On this particular trip, a friend and took the airlines from Boston to Florida and drove back, seeing friends and collecting possessions along the way. The first stop was at a friend’s with a fairly well stocked bar; however, she had no makings for classic margaritas which my traveling companion loves. We picked up some Reposado tequila and Cointreau at a local liquor store and we were all set.

Mixing a margarita classic cocktail on a road trip

The next afternoon we stopped out at a place that touted classic cocktails. I am always leery of places claiming to know how to make classic cocktails. It is really hit-or-miss.  We sampled their version of the classic margarita. Sometimes I learn great tips or recipes from bartenders; however, that was not the case here. The margarita contained lots of mixes and no fresh lime juice. It was served in a pretty glass, though.

Margarita at a restaurant

Later that day we stopped at a restaurant with an impressive-looking bar. Unfortunately, they had no orange bitters for a traditional martini. They didn’t have any fresh juice for a margarita either. Sometimes you just have to give up on the classic cocktail path and return to beer and wine.

Beer and wine instead of classic cocktails

On the final evening of our road trip we had a late stop in a hotel. I again brought out my 3 Piece Cocktail Shaker Kit and set to work. I had to cut the limes with my scuba diving knife, but it all worked and we had tremendous margaritas in a small-town hotel. Sometimes small sacrifices must be made on the road to enjoy a great beverage. For my next road trip I am going to bring some plastic cocktail glasses.

Margarita at a hotel

I often make a citrus and thyme roasted chicken. It is easy, quick, and requires little attention. I like to have the chicken in the refrigerator for sandwiches or a quick snack. If friends drop in, pull out cold chicken and serve it with some sharp cheddar cheese, bread, and perhaps some pickles. It makes the perfect picnic material too.

The other evening I was looking for a good dinner that wouldn’t take a lot of time. I roasted the chicken in my All-Clad Stainless Petite Roti Pan with Roasting Rack. After starting it at 425-degrees for 20 minutes, I turned the oven down to 325 for the remaining time. At the same time I turned down the oven, I added a few washed red potatoes to the roasting rack, right alongside the chicken. This way they wouldn’t soak in all the drippings and be too greasy.

Roast chicken with potatoes

Just before the chicken was done, I heated about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in my Calphalon5-Quart Sauté Pan. When the butter was melted, I added 10-ounces of fresh spinach. Turn it frequently with stainless steel locking tongs until it is just wilted and soft. For the last minute of cooking toss in 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground nutmeg. I often use nutmeg in savory foods, especially leafy greens. It is so easy to add fresh nutmeg to any food with the Microplane Grate and Shake Nutmeg Grater.

Sauteing spinach

Roast chicken and potatoes with sauted spinach

After a long day of bicycling, there is nothing better to come home to than a shower, cold beer, and great grilled food. Start the charcoal in your grill with a chimney charcoal starter. Lighter fluid smells and tastes bad and can be dangerous. Hop in the shower, pour a cold beer and your are ready to start cooking.

Cut the top 1/4 off several heads of garlic. Place them in a foil pan and add olive oil until it is 1/3 the way up each head of garlic. Season with salt and pepper and set them on the grill. Grill, covered, until the garlic is soft and falling apart. At that point it has all the flavor of garlic but additional sweetness and none of the garlic bite.

Roasted garlic on the grill

While the garlic is cooking, wash a bunch of new potatoes, slice them in half, and toss with smashed garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place them on the grill, cut side down. Grill them, covered, until they are soft and slightly blackened. When you remove them, toss with a bit more salt and pepper.

Roasted new potatoes off the grill

If you have any sausages now is the time to put them on the grill. Cook them until they are done and remove to a serving platter.

Now is the time to grill the Cohog clams. Wash the outsides of the clams and put them directly on the grill. Leave them uncovered and they will open in about 5 minutes. When they open, remove and pile into a serving bowl.

Cooking Cohog clams on the grill

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of each clove into a small serving dish. This is great for both the clams and especially the roasted potatoes. Melt some butter for the clams, and serve some whole grain mustard for the sausages. Make sure there is plenty of cold beer to go around.

Summer table with roast new potatoes, grilled Cohog clams, and grilled sausages.

The Boutonniere is an unique and wonderful springtime cocktail. The idea for this recipe comes from Scott Holliday at Rendezvous in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. As the name indicates, this cocktail really looks like, smells like, and tastes like a boutonniere. It is a great afternoon cooler.

Boutonniere:

• 2 ounces applejack
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 1/2 ounce St. Germain Liqueur
• 1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters

Boutonniere cocktail ingredients

Mix the ingredients in a mixing glass with large ice cubes. Using a julep strainer strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

You can either leave the twist in the drink, or discard it. The important thing is that using a zester you zest the orange over the finished cocktail. This way the oils from the orange zest will spray onto the top of the drink. The oils floating on the top will add a wonderful aroma for each sip you or your guests take from this already fragrant and delicious cocktail.

Stirring the boutonniere cocktail

Boutonniere cocktail

I love this salad year-round. The zing from the citrus pairs well with the hearty spinach. This salad can pair with nearly any dish and is a breeze to throw together.

Spinach and Grapefruit Salad (serves 4):

• 1/3 pound fresh spinach, about 6 cups, trimmed and washed
• 2 pink grapefruit
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Start by slicing the red onion and putting the slices in cold water to soak. This gets rid of the harsh onion bite and leaves the wonderful onion flavor.

Sliced red onions soaking in cold water

With a paring knife, remove the peel and white pith of each grapefruit. Work over bowl so you can catch any juices that drip out.

Grapefruit with skin and white pith removed

Next, slice between each segment to remove the grapefruit segments and leave the connecting material behind. Continue to work over a bowl, catching the juices. When you are done, squeeze the leftover core to get the rest of the juice from it.

Grapefruit slices and juice

Using an All-Clad stainless butter warmer or Lodge miniature cast iron skillet toast the poppy seeds until they are fragrant. This will take about 3 or 4 minutes. Set them aside to cool.

Toasting poppy seeds

To prepare the dressing, using a small blender like the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Processor add the peeled garlic cloves, vinegar, mustard, and any juice from the grapefruit slices. Process until the garlic is completely chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Making dressing for spinach and grapefruit salad in a Cuisnart mini-prep

In a large salad bowl toss the spinach, drained onions, grapefruit segments, and dressing. Sprinkle the toasted poppy seeds over the top of the bowl or over each plate as you serve the salad.

Salad, dressing, and poppy seeds ready for assembly

Spinach and grapefruit salad

I was in the mood for some comfort food and mac and cheese came to mind. I love mac and cheese, but not the greasy and overly creamy versions. This is a four-cheese mac and cheese with lobster meat added to really make it fancy. You can make this exact dish without the lobster too. I used lived lobsters since I live in New England and they are readily available; however, you could use canned lobster or crab meat instead.

Lobster Mac & Cheese (serves 4):

• 2 1-1/4 pound lobsters
• 1 cup blanched broccoli florets
• 8 ounces macaroni elbows or similar pasta
• 6 ounces mild cheddar cheese
• 3 ounces Gruyere cheese
• 2 ounces Fontina cheese
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 nutmeg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Live Lobsters

I steeped the lobsters according to Thomas Keller in his book, The French Laundry Cookbook. This way the I could remove the meat from the shell before it was fully cooked knowing it would cook completely while baking in the mac and cheese. I didn’t want to overcook the lobster making it chewy. I used my Le Creuset 5-quart oval French oven to steep each lobster individually, according to Keller’s book.

Once the lobsters were partially cooked, I used my Chicago Cutlery kitchen scissors to cut along the bottom of the shell of each tail. I could then crack it open and remove the tail meat intact.

Cutting along bottom of shell on lobster tail

For the claws, first remove the two knuckles attached to each claw. Just twist them off. You can usually push the meat out of the knuckles with your finger. Sometimes it may take a whack with a hammer though to break up some of the shell.

Lobster claws about to be cracked

I wanted the claws to be as intact as possible, making for a great presentation in the finished dish. I carefully removed the bottom pincer of each claw, leaving the meat attached to the rest of the shell. Then, using a meat tenderizing hammer I cracked each claw at the top, about 1/4 of the way in from the base. This allowed me to remove the shell and keep the claw meat intact. It works perfectly every time.

Cracking lobster claws to keep the meat intact

Once you have all the meat from the tail, knuckles, and claws, cut it up into large chunks, leaving the claws as whole as possible.

Lobster meat cut into chunks for lobster mac and cheese

Once you have the lobster meat, you are ready to make the mac and cheese. The lobster meat can hang out in the refrigerator for a few hours on a plate covered with plastic wrap if you want to prepare it ahead of time.

Begin by preheating the oven to 350-degrees and bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil for the macaroni. Don’t add the pasta yet, however. To make the sauce for mac and cheese, begin by heating the milk over medium heat. You want it very hot, but not simmering or boiling. I used my All-Clad 1-quart sauce pan for this.

Meanwhile, in an All-Clad 2-quart sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the flour and continue to whisk over medium to low heat for about 5 minutes. You are making a basic roux and you don’t want it to brown but still cook long enough to remove the flour taste.

Butter and flour in an All-Clad 2-quart sauce pan making a roux

After you have cooked the roux for about 5 minutes, add the hot milk while continuing to whisk. Add a little bit at first, whisk to incorporate, then add more milk. You now transforming your roux into a bechamel sauce.

Adding hot to roux while whisking

Once all the milk is incorporated, add the onion, cayenne, nutmeg, bay leaf, and paprika. Whisk to incorporate and allow this to simmer for about 10 minutes. This will give you time to grate the cheeses and cook your macaroni. Cook the pasta so it is truly al-dente. You want it to be a bit chewy as it will cook more in the oven during the next steps.

Bechamel sauce with seasonings

Cheddar, Gruyere, Fontina, and Parmesan cheese for mac & cheese

Grated cheeses for mac and cheese

After the sauce has cooked for about 10 minutes remove the bay leaf and add 3/4 of the grated cheese to the sauce pan. Stir to melt and incorporate.

Adding grated cheese to bechamel sauce for mac and cheese

Once the sauce is smooth and the pasta is cooked, mix them in a bowl. Carefully fold in the lobster meat and blanched broccoli florets. Transfer the mixture to a Pyrex 3-quart baking dish.

Macaroni and cheese with lobster and broccoli in Pyrex baking dish

Sprinkle the remaining cheese then the bread crumbs over the top.

Top of mac and cheese sprinkled with extra cheese then bread crumbs

Bake the dish in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. The top should turn golden brown and the entire dish will be bubbling.

Mac and cheese after baking

Let the dish cool a bit before serving.

Lobster macaroni and cheese

Limoncello is a great way to finish a meal, especially on a hot summer’s day. This is an easy dessert and is best made a day in advance so it has time to set up properly.  This may be more French as they have been making creme desserts for ever. However, the Limoncello makes it distinctly Italian. If you don’t have Limoncello or don’t want the alcohol you could always use the traditional vanilla or coffee or chocolate. Julia has lots of recipes in her quintessential book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1.

Pastry cream is just thickened egg yolks, sugar, and milk.

Limoncello Cream (serves 6-8):

• 8 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups hot, nearly boiling, milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup limoncello

Candied lemon peel for garnish:

• 2 lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 water

When separating your eggs, crack and separate each egg over a small bowl, catching the yolk with one hand and letting the white run through your fingers. Then place the yolk in a large bowl. By working over a small bowl you prevent ruining the already separated eggs should you break a yolk or drop an entire egg in.

Add the yolks, sugar, and vanilla to a large metal bowl and whisk until the mixture is pale and creamy.

Eggs yolks, sugar, and vanilla for whisking

Whisking egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla

Once you have a thick, creamy, and pale mixture, mix in the flour.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water to a simmer that will be used as the base for a double boiler. Also, heat your milk to nearly boiling.  I use an All-Clad 2-quart stainless-steel sauce pan to heat the milk and a my Le Creuset 3-1/2-Quart round french oven for heating the water.

Place the metal bowl on the simmering water to make a double boiler. This will give a gentle heat to the eggs so they don’t curdle. You will need to whisk nearly continuously when the bowl is on the heat to prevent your eggs from curdling. While whisking, slowly add the hot milk, bit by bit.

Double boiler with Le Creuset 3-1/2 quart round French oven as the base

Hot milk has been added to egg yolk mixture

When the mixture is nice and thick remove it from the heat and stir in the limoncello. This should take about 5 minutes. You should never let the egg mixture come to a simmer. If it is getting too hot, simply remove it from the water, while still whisking, and let it cool a bit.

Set the thickened mixture aside to cool. Also, place some plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a film from forming.

Plastic on top of cooling cream

Once the cream has cool a bit, you can spoon it into individual ramekins. Set the ramekins in the refrigerator to cool for several hours or overnight.

Now that you have the cream made, you can make a wonderful garnish to go on top.

Using a paring knife remove the zest of  the 2 lemons, getting as little of the white pith as possible. Then slice the peel into thin, long strips.

Making lemon peel strips

In a small sauce pan, like the All-Clad stainless butter warmer, bring 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a simmer. Add the lemon peel strips and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Simmering lemon peel strips in a simple syrup

Remove the strips with a slotted spoon and allow to cool and drain on a paper towel or plate.

Drying candied lemon peel

When you are ready to serve, place some of the candied peel on top of each ramekin.

Limoncello Cream with candied lemon peel

Limoncello Cream with candied lemon peel

This is a classic Italian dish. Easy, flavorful, and classic. It is one of the dishes served on Christmas Eve during the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

You can use prepackaged linguine; however, it is nearly as easy to make your own and it tastes so much better. I have a previous post on homemade pasta.

Homemade linguine

The sauce is also very easy and quick. Start by bringing water to a boil for the pasta, but don’t add the pasta to it yet. Using a large sauce pan, I used my All-Clad stainless 6-quart saute pan, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Add two cloves of finely chopped garlic. After 30 seconds, add 1 cup of dry white wine, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 dozen littleneck clams and put on the lid. Turn up the heat to high and let the clams simmer in the wine until they are all opened, or about 5-7 minutes. Give them a stir once to let the clam juice, wine, and butter mix. When you add the clams to the saute pan, also add your pasta to the boiling water.

The purpose of the clams is not the little morsel of meat; while that is tasty, the real benefit of the clams is the salty and delicious liquid they release. That is the real key to this sauce.  Once the pasta is cooked, using tongs, move it to the saute pan to mix it with the clam sauce. The pasta is still absorbing liquids and will take up some of the tasty clam juice and wine in the pan. Cook the pasta in the sauce for 1 minute and remove to a serving platter or individual plates. Sprinkle some fresh parsley over the top as a garnish.

Homemade linguine with clam sauce

Heat: An Amateur Cook in a Professional Kitchen, a book by Bill Buford details his time working in Mario Batali’s kitchen at Babbo Restaurant in New York City and has a few pages on this same dish.

It was a rainy, blustery, and cold weekend. I was in the habit of relaxing and searching for some old favorite classic cocktails I hadn’t mixed up in a while. I was looking for cocktails that would indicate the arrival of the warmer weather and even a hint of summer. Where did last week’s warm weather disappear to anyway? I was in a mood for Chartreuse cocktails and went searching through my books and records to see what I could dig up. I found some old favorites that, indeed, I hadn’t mixed up in a while. The forecast was improving.

Chartreuse is an herbal liqueur made by French monks and has been around since the late 1700′s! It is wonderful stuff and a must have in any bar prepared for classic cocktails. There is green and yellow Chartreuse. Green has a stronger flavor and you can substitute yellow in any recipe that calls for green. Yellow Chartreuse has a wonderful herbal and citrus flavor with some sweetness. It is great stuff!

I started by opening my favorite and most useful bar book, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh. The liquor index listed only one Chartreuse cocktail. It is one I have made many times, but it had been a while. The Widow’s Kiss.

The Widow’s Kiss:

• 1-1/2 ounces Calvados
• 3/4 ounce Chartreuse (I used yellow but green would be fine here too)
• 3/4 ounce Benedictine
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Monks are just calling us out on this one with the Chartreuse and Benedictine. It is a very herbal drink and fantastic year-round. I used Applejack in place of the Calvados. Calvados is just apple brandy and the French have yet again given a spirit a nondescript name.

Build the cocktail in a mixing glass, add your ice on top, and shake with a Boston shaker and strain using a Hawthorne strainer into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

The ice cubes are very important. You want a large ice cube that will chill your cocktail and not water it down. I love the Tovolo ice cube trays. I use them in all my cocktails and for everyday use too. Indeed, they take a long time to freeze; however, they don’t melt in your drink. You will love these cubes. The Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries are absolutely amazing. They don’t have the saccharine and overly sweet flavor of most waxy and artificially colored maraschino cherries. The jars are loaded with cherries and will last you for many cocktails. Instead of just dropping the cherry into the cocktail, leaving you or your guests to fish it out with their fingers, I like to use a metal cocktail pick. It really dresses up the cocktail, keeps your guest’s fingers dry and not sticky, and they are reusable.

Widow's Kiss classic cocktail ingredients

Widow's Kiss classic cocktail

If you don’t have Calvados or Applejack on hand you might try The Last Word cocktail. The Last Word cocktail is a great place to start trying Chartreuse cocktails. It has a flavor and look very similar to the classic aviation cocktail.

The Last Word:

• 3/4 ounce gin
• 3/4 ounce yellow Chartreuse
• 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
• 3/4 ounce lime juice

Build the drink in a mixing glass and, like the Widow’s Kiss, top with large ice cubes and shake in a Boston shaker. Strain with a Hawthorne strainer into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lovely maraschino cherry.

Last Word classic cocktail ingredients

Last Word classic cocktail

Finally, if you are more in the mood for rye, or looking for something a bit different, you could try the Green Velvet classic cocktail.

Green Velvet:

• 3 ounces rye
• 3/4 ounce Punt e Mes
• 3/4 ounce yellow Chartreuse
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Stir the ingredients in an iced mixing glass and strain using a julep strainer into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Green Velvet classic cocktail ingredients

When making your twists, it isn’t so much the actual zest that is the key, but rather the fragrant oil generated when zesting the fruit. Using a lemon zester zest an orange while holding it over the finished cocktail. Let the fine mist of oil land on top of the beverage as you zest. You can either serve the twist in the drink or discard it. Now, as you drink the cocktail, you will get a wonderful waft of orange aroma to compliment your great classic cocktail.

Green Velvet classic cocktail