Individual Lime Curd Tarts

Posted on March 3, 2012 by



There were so many things I wanted to do today – make a lemon tart with lemon curd, for one. I had a jar of lemon curd I found in the pantry that my friend sent to me the Christmas of 2010 – when I was in the hospital, and someone from my family brought it to the house. I made the tart crust, and now it was time to slather on the good stuff. Easy! Yeah right – the good stuff had expired April 2011! Boo! Embarrassingly enough, I even sent a text to my friend asking if it would be okay to still use it – I’m a dietitian, for goodness sakes, yet I couldn’t let a pretty little jar go to waste. I even opened it and was about to taste it, but ohmygoodness it was not smelling like lemon curd should smell like, so I threw it away. Too bad my friend bought it all the way in London. More embarrassing was her response – “Yeah, I woulda told you to chuck it! You’re funny!”

So, I threw together a quick lime curd, one that Michael Ruhlman recommended in his book. By this time, it was getting close to dinner so I didn’t want a lot of extra dishes to clean up, but luckily his recipe for lemon curd (I used limes since that was all I had) quickly done in the microwave did the trick. I halved both his recipes for tart crust and lime curd, not wanting to make a big batch. Halving dessert recipes is a good way to practice moderation – you can get a taste of something but not have to commit to consuming the entire batch. This recipe made 4 individual mini tarts and the lime curd I made was enough to spread on the four tarts. A perfect amount!

Individual Lime Curd Tarts
from Ratio by Michael Ruhlman
Double the recipe and you can make a pie shell and lid; use this recipe to make one 9-inch tart crust, or 4 individual tart crusts as I did

6 ounces all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
2 ounces cold ice water
1/4 tsp salt

1. Cut the butter in small pieces and place in a food processor, along with the flour and salt. Pulse until you have pea-sized chunks, then drizzle in the ice water. Pulse until just combined, and wrap it into a disk covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes then roll it out to fill 4 individual tart pans.
2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Fill the tart pans with the rolled-out dough, prick holes in them with a fork, cover them with a square of parchment paper, and pour dry beans in to weight it down. Bake for 20-25 minutes, take the parchment paper and beans out, then bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown.

Lime curd
makes enough to coat 4 individual tarts – recipe from Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio

1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Microwave the entire mixture for 30 second intervals, whisking the mixture after each interval, for 4 minutes total. The mixture should be thick. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons of butter. You can spread the lime curd in each tart as is or broil once spread. Dust with powdered sugar.

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Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup with a Rosemary Boule

Posted on February 23, 2012 by



I’ve been feeling like having soup with some crusty, steamy-when-you-break-it-open bread. Today, I made just that. I made a tomato soup that was creamy and tart with fire-roasted tomatoes, and herb-y with fresh basil. My husband loves soup – it’s one of his favorite food groups – so I thought this was perfect.

And the bread – oh, the bread! I love homemade bread, but sometimes can’t find the time to let it proof and all that stuff. But this morning I woke up extra early, and found some time in the day to do that. I used a trusty recipe from Michael Ruhlman, from a book called Ratio. I threw in a tablespoon or two of some chopped rosemary that’s growing from my garden – I’m even growing a peach tree and some blueberry bushes, but we’ll see if those come into fruition! I have to get lemons from my neighbor because mine are nonexistent. Pooh. Anyways, I baked the boule in a Dutch oven and it smells fantastic. I even was able to read some chapters of a book I’m on and drink some coffee on the deck while waiting for that first dough rise. That’s what I call an accomplished morning!

Oh, and another thing. I used a blend of whole milk and fat-free milk, because the whole milk is what my baby drinks, and I drink the skim milk. You can easily swap it all out and substitute for 2 cups of 2% milk to make it easier on your grocery list. You can use the rest of the 2% milk for your coffee instead of creamer. I just used what I had on hand, but I do like a little fat for creaminess – using all skim milk probably would make it too watery.

Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup
makes 9 cups

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 14.5-oz cans fire-roasted garlic diced tomatoes
3/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
4 oz Neufchatel (1/3-less-fat) cream cheese, diced
1 cup whole milk
1 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, then the onions, stirring frequently until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, and the fresh basil. Turn down the heat to medium and add the cream cheese, milks, and sugar. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the cream cheese is melted. Turn off the heat.
2. Use a blender or an immersion blender for the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, when all ingredients have been blended. Return to the stove for another 15 minutes at medium heat, until soup is simmering. Turn off the heat and serve.

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Zucchini Bread with Raisins

Posted on February 14, 2012 by


Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you all enjoy your day with your loved ones – remember, Valentine’s Day is also for good friends too! Tell your friends how much you care for them on this day. I basically did a lot of calling/emailing/texting to the people who are significant in my life. It’s a wonderful day.

And to my husband, Happy Valentine’s Day! I made him a zucchini bread – in the rush of the morning, it’s good to take some to work. Hubby doesn’t really eat breakfast because he doesn’t have an appetite in the morning, so I literally have to shove a banana at him to make sure he has something to eat besides a cup of black coffee. My mother-in-law, who’s here for a visit, said this was the best zucchini bread she’s ever had. I figured it’s a good start to the morning – you’re eating some fruit, vegetables, and I added in some whole wheat flour. It’s not too oily like some are, and it’s chock-full of grated zucchini and raisins. I know many people like to add chocolate chips, but to me, raisins were a good match. Nothing says love more than making something good-for-you for the ones you care about!

Zucchini Bread with Raisins
serves 8-10
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup canola oil
grated rind of 1 lemon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups grated/shredded zucchini
1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, lemon zest, and sugar. Stir in the grated zucchini to the wet mixture, as well as the raisins. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Pour in an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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Blue Duck Tavern – Washington, D.C.

Posted on February 6, 2012 by


One of the highlights of our Washington, DC trip was visiting the Blue Duck Tavern restaurant, located off 24th and M Streets, Northwest, in the Park Hyatt. Hubby had eaten here before with some friends and took me on this trip. The restaurant was a feast for the eyes, featuring an open kitchen. It was like a symphony watching the cooks and the chefs, very transparent. We went with our friends, Kym and Randy. The menu was amazing – we ordered a few dishes and ate them, family-style. All of the items on the menu stated where the product was sourced – say, pheasant from Texas, for example. That way, you know where your food comes from.

Here are some of the things that we ordered (and shared). For starters, we had the roasted bone marrow. Ohmygoodness. So good. You spread the bone marrow onto some croutons. That made me a happy camper. If I only ate that, I would be happy!

We shared the roasted duck breast.

Sea scallops:

We also had the braised short rib – ah, yum! Sorry, no picture for that – it turned out ugly!
For veggies, we had the roasted Brussels sprouts. I never had Brussels sprouts when I was younger, just as an adult, so I never disliked them. They’re so good to me, like mini cabbages!

Herbed pearl onions:

Here’s us, after a satisfying meal at Blue Duck Tavern. Michelle Obama dines here, so we thought, it must be really good! And it was!

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Bo Bia Chay – Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Posted on January 30, 2012 by


I really love my mother-in-law’s cooking. Her fearlessness in the kitchen has also made me a better cook. She makes the most fantastic vegetarian recipes and this is one of them. It’s Bo Bia Chay – a spring roll, and the meat-filled version is something I really don’t like (it contains Chinese sausage and sliced cooked omelet), but the vegetarian version (which she makes) is one of my favorite dishes. I’ll give you a step-by-step how-to, since you’re probably unfamiliar with some of the ingredients.

Take a bean curd sheet, crumble it up, and fry it in hot oil, no longer than 30 seconds. If you don’t have easy access to bean curd sheets, no matter. Simply fry up squares of tofu until browned (a few minutes per side), then cut them into matchstick-sized pieces.

Take one jicama, peel it, and cut it into matchstick-sized pieces. Do the same with one carrot.
Saute jicama, carrot, crumbled bean curd sheets, and some peanuts, for about 3-4 minutes or until veggies have slightly softened.

Have some green leaf (or, if you like, red leaf or romaine) lettuce, Thai basil, and hoisin sauce (you can mix this up with chili-garlic paste) on the side and get ready to roll!

Take a rice paper sheet, run it quickly under warm water, and wait a second until it softens. Spread a little (about 1-2 teaspoons) hoisin sauce in the middle of the sheet. Add a leaf of lettuce and a few Thai basil leaves.

Next, add about 1/4 cup of the jicama, carrot, and tofu (or bean curd sheet) mixture. Roll up the bottom side, then tuck in the sides. Continue rolling until you’ve completed your spring roll.
Ta da! You can make about 10-12 of these with this recipe.

Bo Bia Chay
makes 10-12

1 bean curd sheet, or 1/2 block (12 oz) extra-firm tofu, pressed and dried as much as possible with paper towels, and cut into 1/2-inch thick squares
1 jicama, peeled and cut into matchstick-sized pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick-sized pieces
1/4 cup unsalted, coarsely chopped peanuts
10-12 leaves green leaf, red leaf, or romaine lettuce
1 bunch Thai basil leaves (about 30 leaves)
Rice paper sheets (circular, about 28 cm in diameter)
Hoisin sauce
Chili-garlic sauce
Canola oil

1. Heat up some oil (about 1/2 cup) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bean curd sheet (or tofu) and fry very quick, not letting the bean curd sheet get too brown (if using tofu, fry a few minutes until browned on each side). Drain the bean curd on some paper towels and crumble when able to handle.
2. Mix together the jicama, carrot, and peanuts. In a saute pan, heat up 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Saute the vegetable mixture for about 3-4 minutes, until slightly wilted. Take off the heat.
3. Dip the rice paper sheets in warm water, and place them on a work surface. Work with them when pliable. Add about 1-2 teaspoons of hoisin sauce in the middle of the sheet. Add a leaf of lettuce and a few sprigs of Thai basil. Add about 1/4 cup of the jicama/carrot/bean curd sheet mixture. Roll up the bottom to cover the ingredients, tuck in the sides, and roll until you have a complete spring roll. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Serve with hoisin sauce (or mix in chili-garlic sauce if desired).

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