Gilded in Gold Easter Eggs

Dying Easter eggs has always been an important family tradition in the Meyer house and as the children who used to guard their mugs of eggs soaking until they couldn’t get any more color got older, the tradition has evolved with each of us celebrating the holiday with our own new traditions.  This year I decided to try a new take on the annual craft and was so excited to come across this super DIY tutorial for foiling eggs.  The process is actually pretty simple – especially if you’ve worked with gold gilding sheets in the past.  I found the eggs took the size (the glue for foil sheets) much better at room temperature.  Pics of my project after the jump.  Happy Easter!

Healthy Fat Deliciousness!

I’ve been mowing down on these healthy appetizers since I saw them in Bon Appetit a couple of weeks ago.  Simple to throw together and full of healthy fats, avocado is the perfect topping for grilled sourdough – just don’t forget the copious amounts of large flake sea salt, red pepper flakes and EVOO!  Enjoy!

Roasted Beets & Goat Cheese

Being just back from an incredible trip in France for the last two weeks with my husband, I’m loving anything French.  It’s funny, French food to me seems to always be one of two things… incredibly easy with few ingredients and super fresh or fussy, but worth-the-arduous-labor fancy.  These toasts are great because you can prepare the goat cheese spread and roast the beets ahead of time and then just throw the toasts together right before guests arrive!  This recipe comes from one of our good friends, who always make great food!

Recipe after the jump…

Low and Slow in the Kitchen

With the sweltering heat that DC’s been melting under, there isn’t much incentive to turning on the oven, but I promise, this recipe will make it worth it!  And you can cook a whole large fillet at a time and have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.  Add a farro, wheat berry or similar salad as a side, top with tzatziki sauce got a light and protein-filled dinner without too much effort!

Slow Roasted Salmon with Tomatoes and Herbs

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 bunch dill fronds
• 1/2 bunch thyme sprigs
• 1 3-pound piece center-cut skin-on salmon or steelhead trout fillet, pin bones removed
• Sea salt
• 8 ounces small cherry tomatoes on the vine

Preheat oven to 325°. Pour 4 Tbsp. oil in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon. Make a bed of herbs in bottom of pan; top with salmon, skin side down. Drizzle salmon with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and season with salt. Top with tomatoes, if using. Bake until salmon is just cooked through in the center (a small knife will slide easily through flesh), 25–30 minutes.  Use a large spoon or fork to serve salmon, leaving skin in pan. Serve with yogurt sauce and couscous.

The original recipe, with sauce and salad can be found on Bon Appetit here.

Breakfast… Momofuku-style

There’s only one word for these suckers… obsessed!  I am, my husband is, our friends are… The bagel bombs from Christina Tosi and the Momofuku Milk Bar are incredible.  The mother dough that is the “bagel” outside is super easy to whip up in the KitchenAid and then the filling can be whatever you want it to be, though I’ve yet to venture far from the original of cream cheese, bacon and scallions…  You can order the book on Amazon at the link above for this recipe and a ton of my other favorites (chocolate chocolate cookie, candy bar pie, the list goes on and on!)

Strawberry Deliciousness

If you’ve never had strawberry pie, please run, don’t walk, to the grocery store and/or market to get the supplies for this most scrumptious dessert!  I promise, you’ll be wondering why you waited so long to make this!

Last week after returning from the National Stationery Show in NYC, we were driving by Mom’s Apple Pie in Leesburg and there was a giant strawberry cutout sitting by the side of the road and a sign for Strawberry Pie in the window.  We meant to stop, but then forgot, but once I remembered, I couldn’t get the thought of strawberries nestled inside a pie crust out of my head, so I had to find a recipe STAT.  Here’s the recipe I put together using a strawberry pie filling recipe from Cook’s Country and my Cornmeal Pie Crust.

Crust
I used my Cornmeal Pie Crust recipe.

Filling
2 pounds frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin

Topping
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

Bake pie crust shell and let cool.

Cook frozen berries in large saucepan over medium low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jamlike, about 25 minutes. (Mixture should measure 2 cups. If you have more than 2 cups the pie will not set or slice properly.)

Combine lemon juice, water, and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt into cooked berry mixture and return to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. (Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.)

With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add cream and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Serve pie with whipped cream topping.  I like to add chiffonaded basil or mint to the cream to give it an additional flavor profile.

Enjoy!

Grow Up!

I’m obsessed… no point in hiding it.  I can’t get over the vertical gardening movement!  I love the aesthetic it gives an urban or office space and love all the extra oxygen it generates… It’s gotta be good for you, right?!  You can see a ton more pics on my Pinterest Board here and swoon of more amazing images in Patrick Blanc’s Book The Vertical Garden: From Nature to the City .

Grow Up!

I’m obsessed… no point in hiding it.  I can’t get over the vertical gardening movement!  I love the aesthetic it gives an urban or office space and love all the extra oxygen it generates… It’s gotta be good for you, right?!  You can see a ton more pics on my Pinterest Board here and swoon of more amazing images in Patrick Blanc’s Book The Vertical Garden: From Nature to the City .

Easy & Healthy Homemade Granola

This is the busiest time of year for me in my real job.  In all the craziness that is the weeks leading up to the National Stationery Show, I feel like I barely get out the door in the morning, let alone grabbing a Greek yogurt (my fave!) from the fridge.  This weekend, I took a step back and prepared some food for the week… Healthy lunches, bags of vegetables for snacks and homemade granola to top that yogurt for breakfast.  Give it a go – it just might give you that boost that I find myself needing in the morning!

Homemade Maple Granola

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp almond extract
4 cups oatmeal (not the quick stuff… you want the old fashioned oats!)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cherries

D.C. American Lamb Pro-Am!

Hi All 🙂  Thanks for coming on over to check out this recipe I put together for the very first D.C. American Lamb Pro-Am Challenge!   I have a little experience with this lean, mean grazing machine from a ways back, but love trying new techniques!  I was thrilled when I opened my refrigerated bag to find a hunk of a piece (boneless leg) of lamb from Border Springs Farm down in Southwest Virginia.  I knew I just had to try baking it in a salt crust – one of the oldest methods for cooking fish that always keeps the flesh perfectly moist and tender!  And if that seems odd that fish and lamb can be cooked the same way, give it a whirl, your taste buds will be pleasantly surprised!

Salt Baked Boneless Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• One 6-7 pound boneless leg of lamb
• Fresh pepper for seasoning
• One 48 oz. box of Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup Herbs de Provence
• 8 large egg whites
• Thyme Sprigs for garnishing, if desired

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit
• Remove the lamb from packaging and season with the freshly ground pepper
• In a large frying pan that is safe to go in the oven, heat the olive oil until hot.  Add the lamb and let cook on each “side” on medium high heat until browned – about 7-10 minutes.
• While the lamb is browning, make the salt crust mixture by placing the egg whites in a mixer and beating just until frothy.  Add the Kosher salt and Herbs de Provence and mix until combined.
• When the lamb is finished browning, remove the pan from the heat and pack the salt mixture all around the lamb, leaving no open spaces (you don’t want the steam/moisture to to escape when baking).
• Place the lamb in the oven and roast until the meat registers 120° Fahrenheit for medium-rare.  This should take 40-60 minutes, so check early to be sure to not over cook the meat!
• Remove the roast from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes for the salt crust to set.  Then, crack off the crust to reveal the meat.  Discard the salt and droppings in the pan.
• Place the lamb on a serving platter and let set for another 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

White Bean & Garlic Smash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (the perfect accompaniment for this lamb!)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cans of cannellini beans
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 15-20 garlic cloves, pealed
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Instructions:

• Start by roasting the garlic in the olive oil in a small dish (I put this in with the lamb).
• Once the garlic is softened and gently toasted (about 20 minutes), remove from the oven and add the salt, beans and sun-dried tomatoes.
• Place the dish back in the oven so the flavors can roast and meld together while the lamb is still cooking.
• Remove from the oven once golden brown on top and serve along side the lamb.  Enjoy!