Classic French Dijon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
This post continues my series re-creating Julia Child’s first meal in France. I previously featured her first course (oysters on the half shell) and second course (sole meunière). Her third course was salade verte (green salad) with a lightly acidic vinaigrette dressing, served alongside baguette slices. I re-created the delicious, tangy dressing by making a classic French Dijon vinaigrette and poured it over a fresh salad with kumquat slices.
Korean-Style Tuna Tartare with Avocado and Radish Slices and Ginger Dressing
Before I talk about this fresh and vibrant Korean-style tuna tartare, I’d like to share what fuels my passion for food. The sheer pleasure of it certainly plays a part, but it’s not the heart of the matter.
People, places, cultures, and connections inspire me to seek out world cuisines. Through food, one can gain insight into another culture and share an experience with the people who live there: “Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.” – Mark Kurlansky
Chocolate-Raspberry Glass Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love its spookiness, as this allows me to embrace morbid concepts in fun ways. For example, these chocolate raspberry cupcakes play on hyelophobia, or fear of glass. The sugar glass–its jagged edges covered in red food coloring–looks very much like broken shards of glass smeared with blood. The buttercream icing with red swirls further plays on this theme.
Glass Cupcakes Topped with Buttercream Red Swirl
Canal House Lentils, Teriyaki Shiitake Mushrooms, and Kale with Sesame Oil
Corey wanted us to try incorporating three days of vegetarian meals into our weekly diet in an effort to eat healthier and be more environmentally conscious (fruits and vegetables produce more calories per unit of energy expended in the production thereof). This hasn’t been nearly as challenging as I expected. There are so many flavorful vegetarian dishes out there, and I’m enjoying experimenting with new recipes and styles of cooking!
Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate-Sriracha Ganache
I love cupcakes, but not as much as my sister Sadie. She’s a cupcake fiend! She visited me in Miami over the Fourth of July weekend, and there were two things that she absolutely had to do before leaving Miami: go jet-skiing and make cupcakes.
Jet skiing was an adventure—at some points I wasn’t sure that we were going to survive! I’d never driven a jet ski before, and at first it was scary. It’s easier to steer at high speeds, but to go that fast is intimidating. So I started out really slow, which made my steering horrendous.