8 posts tagged “dessert”

The rumor goes that the first President of the United States chopped down a cherry tree when he was a child, so it only makes sense to me that cherry desserts belong at the July 4^th table. -- My mother will probably think I'm insane, but I'm pretty sure she'll enjoy the result.

Fresh Cherry Clafoutis

+ / - 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
2 eggs, room temp
3/4 cup milk, room temp
2 tbsp cream, room temp
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Liberally butter a six-cup baking dish OR six 1-cup ramekins liberally (although oven-proof custard cups or the like would work too, or a six-cup serving dish could certainly work): If using the ramekins, place them on a baking sheets.

Preheat the baking dish(es) in the oven 5 min before filling.

Wash the cherries, cut in half to pit them if you haven't already, and drop the halved pieces on the well-buttered bottom of the dishes. (It's okay to steal a cherry or two for luck and made sure the cherries are mostly even in distribution.)

Combine the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and flour, either in a mixer, food processor, or by hand. If using a mixer or blender, leave it on low until the batter looks smooth: When you have the smooth consistency, pour the batter approximately even over the cherries to about a quarter inch from the rim of your baking dish(es). The clafoutis will rise while cooking. Don't fill to the brim!

Put the clafoutis into the oven and leave it alone for at least 20 minutes: Don't peek earlier because you will lose necessary heat. The ramekins will need to bake about 23 to 25 minutes: A full baking dish will run closer to 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven when the center is set. Best if served warm.

When I first made these, I let them cool slightly, and then ate one right off the baking tray with a spoon while it was still just a little too warm. Perfection.

Also note, you can add about a tbsp or two of kirsch or other cherry cordial to the batter while mixing -- I opted out, but I've heard it adds some lovely depth to the dish.

This one is for another cooking friend of mine, since I seem to have been a particularly bad influence, bringing this up the first time. ;)

While not a spice itself, it's another thing I haven't often seen as an ice cream ingredient: Thanks to Heidi at 101Cookbooks.com, I've been introduced to Honey Ice Cream.
And while this technically is not spice cream, it has a special place in my heart: Green Tea ice cream.
Back to all things spicy: Meyer Lemon and Ginger Ice Cream. (No, not sorbet.)
Interestingly: Olive Oil Gelato.
Why is the rum gone? Oh, right, someone made Rum-Brandy ice cream.

I'm just feeding the poor woman's need for an ice cream maker. (Heck, for that matter, I want one.)

And since I appear to be in a cooking mood, let me share what the fiance and I had for dinner last night.
We had the aforementioned Honey-Glazed Chicken: He fired up the grill before I made it home since he has Mondays off, and I bummed around on the computer a little while until the coals were ready and he'd put the chicken on the BBQ.
At that point, I grabbed some pre-cooked brown rice and heated it up again with some of the four-cheese blend I keep -- Parmesan, Romano, Asiago and ... I forget the last, I want to say Mozzarella, but that's not it. It'll come to me.
Anyway, stirred it all together so the cheese melted and it made an almost risotto-like side. He'd also picked up a Costco bag of fresh spinach at my request, so we had a spinach salad with sugar plum tomatoes, topped with balsamic, oil, and pepper. (Wish I still had some red onions, because man. On the other hand, I do have some sweet yellows at home, and I can certainly boil an egg to crumble, and I think I may possibly have some bleu cheese. Salads to take to work for lunch!)

I've just found a little corner of Interesting on the web, especially if you're the cooking sort: Tsp Spices, a web-shoppe for organic spices packaged 1 tsp at a time.

...What? I think it's interesting.
True, it's a little pricey at $10 for 12 tsp (or 4 tbsp, or approximately 2 oz.), and there's a lot of the spices there that I'm fortunate enough to be able to find at my local Penzey's... But there do appear to be some things I haven't spotted at Penzey's. The varieties of cinnamon, for one -- and the organic is a nice touch.

I think my real favorite part about this new find is their Spice Cream recipes. (I mean. Spice cream.  I once made an excursion into odd ice cream flavors like Avocado-Clove, so weird flavors just catch my imagination.) They have some other recipes that also look really nice (under the Uses section, if you're curious), like an ancho chili, orange and coriander rub, used on pork tenderloins in the recipe section. It's worth a look, though I find some things under the recipe section disorganized: Some are cited in English measure, others in Metric, and some don't bother with measurements at all -- but it's an interesting place to start thinking about other uses for spice.

I know I don't always use 'exotic' spice in my cooking as much as I feel I should, so this will give me ideas. :)
And end mental commercial/review/what have you... But I had to share. Read a note from the Food Network that had this little link almost as an afterthought, and I found I really found the place interesting. You may not, and I won't be hurt -- but I wanted to scribble myself some journal notes before I let my excitement get away from me and wane. ;)

I'm also wanting to try something different, food-wise. I do tend toward cooking Asian- or Italian-influenced when left to my own devices, and I know there's more out there. I've never tried Ethiopian food, for one -- all 'food?' jokes aside, that is -- and I'm sure there are other tastes just waiting to be discovered. My Thai experience is very limited, though I've loved what I have eaten. Indian food is still largely a mystery, but I will about do anything for a good, crisp samosa. Korean, Japanese, Chinese -- Those are the more familiar Asian cooking, the tastes I'm familiar with and
comfortable enough to experiment in. This may cause some wrinkled noses, but you know what? Scandinavian food is sorely underrated. I did have my fill of continental breakfasts when I was lucky enough to visit Norway as a child (and still to this day cringe whenever cold cuts, crudites and cold eggs on bread get passed my way with the label 'breakfast'), but the rest of the food I was served was fabulous. I still sometimes dream of the meatballs I used to have for Sunday dinner, and I'm unsure if they were pork or beef or both, their creamy inner texture only made better by the crisp left on either side by the pan.
German food: I'm half Czech and a quarter German. I love the sauerbratens and hassenpfeffer and saurkraut and other traditional foods. I love the knedliky, karbonitek, and bramborak of my childhood (thanks to my Babi). I'm used to traditional German and Eastern-block European cooking -- It's what I grew up with, but it didn't seem to often use spices outside of vinegar, or garlic, or caraway seeds. Poppy seeds too, now that I think about it -- but those were largely breads and desserts.
I've had Mexican food (which does not agree with me, no matter how much I like it), but I've never had Spanish fare.
I've eaten a goodly amount of French cuisine.
I don't think I could identify Irish food outside of colcannon, corned beef & cabbage, and soda bread -- and that makes me a little sad, since that's the last piece of my heritage, there.
English food has always been described to me as bland, tasteless stuff -- but then, I've had the
requisite pub food of fish & chips on a regular basis. And there's the Faire food of toad in a hole, and bangers, and others -- so I'm sure I'm missing something.
I've never had good from any culture further south than Mexico. That's half the world I'm missing, there.
I can't think of anything immediately off the top of my head that's, say, exclusively Australian... Unless you count vegemite, which I must sadly admit to never wanting to touch with so much as a ten foot pole, let alone try.

I hunger to broaden my horizons.
... And my waistline, apparently. ;)

I'm having a really good day, and I'm just rolling in Yuletide spirit at the moment. ;)
I'll need to get a tree stand and some lights on the way home, most likely from Target: I'm also intending on stopping and nabbing some more ornaments from Michael's, since I was planning on another little tree for Christmas.
Long story short is, we have a seven foot noble fir for a Christmas tree, sitting in the front yard. (I took a picture this morning, just because -- and it was too dark last night.)

Honestly, though: I don't know what intuition made me do it, but I'd just gotten home from battling through Michael's for gift boxes and had finished putting things away when I turned to the fiance and said, "Sweetie? Let's go get a tree, yeah?"
Every lot in a 5-10 mile radius was closed down. It was horrifying.
I clearly owe the YMCA a lovely donation of either food, presents, or time this year.
These statements are not entirely non-sequiturs. ;)

I got up really early this morning -- practice for the next five workdays, since I'm working the 5am - 2pm shift through New Year's -- and got cracking with the gingerbread dough. The first of my gingerbread houses is baked, cooled, and currently sitting on the cutting board at home, waiting for me to get home and make the royal icing.
A few notes: I followed the gingerbread recipe I linked to the other day exactly this time, and oh my goodness. The gingerbread rises like mad! It's absolutely perfect for gingerbread men, but when it comes to houses... I think I'll make a note for myself on the 'mistaken' recipe where I substituted baking powder for the baking soda, and call that my construction gingerbread: It's strong, edible, (even tasty,) and does not swell up as much as the actual recipe, so will largely stay in the tolerances set by the house template. Woo!

Bansidhe's Mistake: Edible Construction Gingerbread
(Originally from Heidi Swanson's Gingerbread recipe on 101cookbooks.com)

4 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
11 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup dark natural cane sugar OR dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup unsulfured molasses (blackstrap)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl by hand (or with an electric mixer) cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix again until light and creamy. Blend in the eggs one at a time and then the molasses. Add the flour mixture in two additions by hand. Divide the dough into two pieces, wrap each in plastic and chill for at least an hour, and up to overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F, racks in the middle, and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper, wax paper, or Silpats. Set aside.

Roll the dough out roughly 1/8-inch thick between two pieces of wax paper (easy cleanup, with little to no sticking) and cut using your gingerbread house template of choice. Transfer to baking sheets and arrange the pieces at least a half inch apart on the sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes (for 3 to 4-inch pieces, less for smaller cookies, more for larger). Set aside, let
cool until touchable but still warm, and trim to fit the templates (if necessary) with a serrated bread knife. Let cool completely, and then assemble house.

Ever since I learned how to make pomegranate glazed birds, it's been a real struggle not to make them for every holiday occasion: Pomegranate Turkey. Pomegranate Goose.
My parents are sick of 'em, but I can never get enough, and I love how sweet and crispy the skin gets. One of these days, I'll make game hens with this stuff...

Pomegranate-Glazed Turkey

An 8 to 15-pound turkey
1 teaspoon crushed dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth

Glaze:

1-1/3 cups pomegranate Juice
12-ounce jar plum jam
1/2 cup apple cider or juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Rinse bird; pat dry. Sprinkle marjoram and pepper on the skin and inside cavity.
Place turkey breast side up on rack in shallow roasting pan. Brush with oil or rub with butter. Insert meat thermometer in center of one thigh, not touching bone. (If your turkey has a pop-timer already, feel free to use that. Follow the roasting instructions on the package.)
Baste with the broth. Roast turkey uncovered in 325 F oven for 2-1/2 hours, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes.

While bird roasts, prepare Glaze.
If you don't have a bottle of it, prepare fresh pomegranate juice.*
In saucepan combine juice, jam, apple cider, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Baste turkey with the entire yield of sauce.

Roast for 45 minutes (8 pound bird) / 1-1/2 hours (12 pounds) / 2 hours (15 pounds) more, until button pops / meat thermometer registers 180 F, basting every 30 min with pan juices. To serve, let turkey stand, covered, 15 minutes before carving.

*For 1 cup of juice, cut 2 large Wonderful pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or a juicer. Pour mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.

Here's a guilty pleasure from my childhood:

Also, this was a  hit last year, though I thought the cranberries made it a little too tart:
Bansidhe's Pecan Pie
Yields 4 pies - I promise, this one is scalable.

You'll need:

4 Pre-made Pie Crusts, preferably Deep Dish
- I'm lazy and haven't that many pie pans. If you have your own crust, please! Use it.
Medium to Large Bowl
Wire Whisk & Measuring Utensils

Ingredients:

2 to 3 cups shelled pecans
- Whole is better, but pieces work.
1 stick Butter, Melted
1 12 oz. bottle of Brer Rabbit Molasses
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Golden Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
8 Eggs

Before you start mixing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In your bowl, mix all of the ingredients together except the pecans, and mix until smooth and bubbles appear at the top. (I can do this with a whisk, but I realize not everone has the patience and lack of RSI.) The 'batter' will be kind of soupy, but should still put up a little bit of a fight while you mix it.
Pour the pecans into your shells, and then cover them with the 'batter'. Make sure to hit as much of the pecans as possible: The batter on top will make a nice sweet and tangy glaze over the pecans. Do NOT fill the shells to the brim, since this stuff can really expand as it cooks: Try to keep the level between 2/3 and 3/4 full in the shell. Bake them 15 min, and add the remaining pecans, or if they won't all fit into the still liquid pie, feed them to your resident pecan freak. Bake another 30-45 min, or until you can insert a knife and pull it out cleanly.
Leave the pies out to cool: You'll want to wait at least a half hour before digging in, though I think 45-60 min is more appropriate... It does need time to cool and set, after all.

Add buttermilk brown' n' serve rolls and you've got enough food for a small army.

I'm going to let you in on a secret.
I have such a thing for baking mix. I blame my mother, dear woman that she is: She always had a couple boxes of SOMETHING in the house, and it was usually the Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines white or yellow cakes, since you could always add food coloring to those mixes and get some pretty nifty effects. My personal favorite baking mix that I sadly no longer allow in my house is Bisquick: Too much in the partially hydrogenated oils dependence for consistency, and I'm trying to cut down (if not entirely eliminate) partially hydrogenated oils and fats.

Segue aside, I still love baking mixes. Organic ones are better, if only in the space of my tragically yuppie imagination. Alas.
But. My fixation for the evening is Trader Joe's green tea baking mix.

I know, I know. I keep shouting 'Trader Joe's! Trader Joe's!' -- I'm sorry, they're my daily market now. They're also closer to where I live -- three of them, no less, including the one that's easily reachable from work for lunch, and I really do save money versus larger markets like Ralphs and whatnot. Well. The eggs, milk, and yuppie cheese are less expensive: The other stuff, I rarely find in other markets.
I also blame Trader Joe's for my vanilla gelato fixation, but that's neither here nor there.

So. It's been a long time since I've properly indulged my inner child by licking the cake bowl, and I felt like baking something for dessert tonight. I've already discovered that for a proper cake texture, I need to deviate from the baking mix's instructions.
It calls for:

- One full package of green tea baking mix.
- 2/3 cup water.
- 1/2 stick of melted butter.
- 2 large eggs.

Instructions say, preheat oven to 350 and put dry ingredients in medium-large bowl and stir in the wet ingredients until smooth. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 8x8x2 pan. Pour the batter into the pan, filling the corners and leveling the top: Bake for cake time stated below or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I've found the '2/3 cup of water' batter to be a little more dough-like than batter-like: It's definitely geared for the 'muffin' instructions on the box, so I've upped it to a full cup of water with nice results. I also tend to mix up the instructions a little: Muffin instructions call for 20 minutes at 400 F, and cake calls for 35-45 minutes at 350. I usually preheat the hell out of the oven to 350, make sure the rack is in the topmost position, and use my mini-bundt cake pan. Six mini cakes vs. a full sheet, I think the muffin timing wins: I check on them about 20-25 minutes, and they're usually perfect about then.

I wish I could say where to find the pan: I love it, the mini cakes have been nothing but fabulous... And my mother bought it for me two Christmases ago. Alas.

Tonight's green tea cakes will probably be served with the aforementioned vanilla gelato. Mmm, cakes a la mode.

It was another journal I'd originally brought this up in, but I've been thinking about what kind of glaze to use on said green tea cakes: I want to do something that preserves the Asian bent to the dish, so clearly, things like chocolate fudge and store-bought icings are right out.
I'm toying with the idea of mincing up candied ginger and mixing it into a powdered sugar and water glaze: That could work, but I wonder if it isn't all going to be too sweet at that point. Perhaps substitute a light citrus juice or something for the water, but then the ginger might be overkill. Eh, it bears more thought.

Now, I'm off to lick my cake bowl.
Don't follow my example: Raw eggs, salmonella, health warning, kitchen safety warning, grr, argh, do as I say, not as I do.
I'm going to go indulge my inner child now, thanks. ;)

Ah ha ha!
I have found my Four Ingredient cookbook. (For the curious: Cook's Encyclopedia of Four Ingredient Cooking, Joanna Farrow.)
This means I am now able to record the more interesting ones for posterity.

I am proudly a minimalist cook.

This isn't to say that I won't try and make souffles or other complicated, multi-ingredient dishes... Just that I prefer things that call for five or less ingredients, all of which can be easily found in my kitchen. I always seem to have on hand staples like olive oil, butter, corn or potato or tapioca starch, four kinds of sugar, sea salt and three kinds of pepper: I also try to keep cheeses and eggs stocked, and since I'm often picky about what vegetables I have and use, I've started keeping canned veggies and dried beans and grains on hand. Rice? Long grain, short grain, wild, brown, or risotto? Barley? Yep, let me soak it an hour and it'll be ready to go. I have dried shiitakes, morrels, fox ears. I have dried red beans, kidney beans, and I believe I even have black eyed peas. I'm such a hoarder of canned and dried ingredients that as long as I have a place to cook it, I will never go hungry.
I refuse to let my kitchen go without balsamic vinegar, or cider vinegar, or white. (The latter is an excellent cleaning agent on top of everything else.)

There is a point to this.
Give me a half an hour, and at this moment, I could make you balsamic chicken with pearl onions; I even have frozen veggies to accompany that with, so you could get sweet carrots in the deal as well. Give me an hour, and you can have a sweet potato pie in a fillo crust.
I could do that with what I have in my kitchen, right this moment. I could even tell you which four ingredients I would use to do it -- The chicken's easy. Oil for the pan, salt and pepper the chicken. Set them in the pan once the oil's hot and cook over low so it doesn't burn. Out come the small jar of marinated onions, pour off the vinegar brine and add to the skillet. Let them brown with the chicken, and probably pepper them some more for good measure. Add a quarter cup of balsamic when the chicken's turned and the onions are starting to brown, still over low. It ought to reduce into a lovely sauce: Come to think of it, butter would probably caramelize better, so possibly use that instead of the olive oil, but either will turn out lovely.
Heck, one of my favorite recipes only calls for four ingredients: A pound each of red and green seedless grapes, half a stick of butter, and six boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Wash the grapes, take half of each, stick them in a food processor or blender and puree. Take the other half and lay out on a baking sheet, putting them in a preheated 275 F oven and leave it there for three hours or so, shaking the tray intermittently. You're basically making raisins in the oven, but you don't want them that shriveled -- just bake until they're wrinkly and starting to caramelize. Press your grape puree through a cheesecloth-lined sieve so you have more juice than pulp, set aside, and start cooking your chicken in the butter over low heat. You want the chicken lightly browned on both sides and about 80% cooked before you add the juice -- salt and pepper if you like at this point, but it's not necessary. Add the juice, and let it reduce. Everything in the pan will take on a lovely mahogany color -- cook until the chicken is tender and fully cooked and serve. I think it works really well over rice, myself.
But, you see this. It's not an ingredient list as long as my arm. It doesn't need to be in order to be a good meal.

And that's why I prefer minimalist cooking. Keep it simple, you know?
Anyway! Original point of the post.

Meringue Pyramid with Chocolate Mascarpone
Serves about 10
"This impressive cake makes a perfect centerpiece for a celebration buffet. Dust the pyramid with a little sifted confectioner's sugar and sprinkle with just a few rose petals for simple but stunning presentation."

7 oz. semisweet chocolate
4 egg whites
¼ cup superfine sugar
½ cup mascarpone cheese

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line three cookie sheets with baking parchment or waxed paper. Grate about 3 oz of the semisweet chocolate.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl until they form stiff peaks.¹ Gradually whisk in half the sugar, then add the rest, and whisk until the meringue is very stiff and glossy. Add the grated chocolate and whisk lightly to mix.
Draw an eight-inch circle on the lining paper on one of the cookie sheets, turn it upside-down, and spread the circle with about half the meringue. Spoon the remaining meringue in 29-30 teaspoonfuls on both cookie sheets. Bake the meringues for 1 to 1½ hours, or until crisp and completely dried out.
Make the filling. Melt the remaining chocolate in a heatproof bowl over hot water.² Cool slightly, then stir in the mascarpone. Cool the mixture until firm.
Spoon the chocolate mixture into a large pastry bag and use to sandwich the meringues together in pairs, reserving a small amount for the pyramid. Arrange the filled meringues on a serving platter, piling them up in a pyramid and keeping them in position with a few well-placed dabs of the reserved filling.

The meringues can be made up to a week in advance and stored in a cool, dry place inside an airtight container.

¹ Cook's note from Bansh! If you have finish-free copper bowls on hand, use them for this. Meringues and whipping egg whites are the whole reason to have those bowls, and the copper helps them retain shape. Chemical reaction, I believe.

² If you have a double boiler, use that. If not, the heatproof glass bowl in hot water will work just fine.

---

.. All right, I was pretty down on souffles earlier.
Here's something to prove I love them, too. (And the only thing I don't have in the house to make these? The dark rum.)

Hot Chocolate Rum Souffles
Yields 6 servings
"Light as air, melt-in-the-mouth souffles are always impressive, yet are often based on the simplest pantry ingredients. Serve them as soon as they are cooked for a fantastic finale to a special dinner party. For an extra indulgent touch, serve the souffles with whipped cream flavored with dark rum and finely grated orange rind."

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 tbsp superfine sugar, plus extra superfine or confectioner's for dusting
2 tbsp dark rum
6 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place a cookie sheet in the oven to heat up.
Mix 1 tbsp of the cocoa powder with 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Grease six 1-cup ramekins. Pour the cocoa and sugar mixture into each of the dishes in turn, rotating them so that they are evenly coated.
Mix the remaining cocoa powder with the dark rum in another bowl.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl until they form stiff peaks. Whisk in the remaining sugar. Stir a generous spoonful of the whites into the cocoa and rum mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites.
Divide the mixture between the six ramekins. Place on the hot cookie sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until well risen. Dust with the extra sugar and serve.

I realize I'm not being a true Iron Chef, since I have a recipe for the ice cream -- but it seemed worth sharing to me.

Alton Brown / Good Eats' Avocado Ice Cream
(Partial revamp of instructions)

12 oz avocado meat (approx. 3 small to medium)
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1½ cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

If you have an ice cream maker:
Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.

If not:
Freeze in a freezer-proof container for 5-6 hours until firm, beating twice with a fork, electric whisk, or in a food processor to break up the ice crystals. Serve.

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Tomato and Avocado Salad with Mustard Seed

1 ripe beefsteak tomato or 2 ripe romas
1 avocado
Mozzarella, asiago or whole parmesan slices (to taste)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp coarse grain mustard
salt and pepper
fresh crusty bread, to serve

Using a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes into thick wedges and place in a large serving dish. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits; cut the flesh into slices, then arrange tomatoes, avocados, and any cheese together. Mix the oil, vinegar, and mustard together in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle over the salad. Serve at once with warm, crusted bread.

If the avocado and tomato doesn't seem like enough to you, garnish or serve with frizee lettuce, Belgian endive, or mustard greens.

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Easy Guacamole

3 medium ripe avocados
1-2 tsp lemon juice
½ to 1 cup Pico de Gallo fresh salsa
1 tsp crushed garlic

Halve and scoop your avocados out of the shells: In your mixing bowl, do your best to quickly dice the avocado halves as you scoop. Add the lemon juice to keep them from browning prematurely and mash to your heart's content with a fork -- I like my guacamole with some avocado chunks, but your mileage may vary.

Stir in the fresh salsa: This will save you having to dice tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Also stir in the garlic. Taste, add more salsa or garlic (or avocado) as you need. Serve up with chips or for topping on tacos, tostadas, etc.