Strawberry-Lemon Puddings

Do you ever sabotage yourself? I do it all the time, but I really did it with this recipe. For example, this should be a simple recipe! Tyler takes a store-bought pound cake, which is layered with a store-bought lemon curd and heavy cream. He combines them both with some strawberries and makes this cute little pudding. Tyler throws his little puddings together in no time flat.

Here's what I did to myself. I had a box mix for pound cake in my pantry. In an effort to clean out my pantry and freezer I decided to make my own pound cake. Would you know that darn pound cake took about an hour to bake?? Why didn't I think of that? Conveniently, I also forgot that the pound cake would be HOT for a long time!! I got angry with myself and sat the pound cake aside until the next day. I can never find store-bought lemon curd, so I decided to make it myself. Lemon curd is one of those time consuming recipes that consists of zesting quite a bit of lemons and then cooking over low heat for quite some time. I had made it once before with success, but this time it didn't turn out!! So, I made it again, but not until the next day. Do you see a recurring theme here?? (And by the way.....yes I know I have quite a temper, but I've learned when to walk away). The next day, the strawberries weren't looking so good and the pound cake was half gone. I really didn't want to go back in the kitchen and work on this, but I wanted to just get it finished. I found enough strawberries to make one little pudding and I ate it for breakfast. It was really good and would be even better if I had followed Tyler's directions and actually bought store-bought ingredients. Why do we do these things to ourselves??

Strawberry-Lemon Puddings, adapted from Tyler Florence, Dinner at My Place

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
1 meyer lemon, juice only
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1/2 cup store-bought lemon curd
1 store-bought pound cake

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoonsof powdered sugar in a small saucepan; place over medium heat. Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Remove 4 strawberry halves from saucepan and reserve for garnish.

Whip heavy cream in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in the 1 cup owdered sugar and the lemon curd, a little at a time, until combined. Set aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut pound cake into 1/4" thick slices. Use an inverted 6-ounce ramekin, carefully cut out 8 rounds. (The rounds should fit snugly inside of the ramekin itself). Break the remaining scraps of pound cake into coarse crumbs and toast on a baking sheet in the preheated oven about 5 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.

To assemble, start with a layer of the lemon cream on the bottom of each of the four 6-ounce ramekins, followed by a cake round, some strawberries, and lemon cream. Add another layer of cake. Drizzle the final cake layers with syrup from the strawberries and then top with a swirl of lemon cream and some toasted pound cake crumbs. Garnish each pu dding with a reserved strawberry half and dust with powdered sugar.

My advice, should you decide to make this, take Tyler's word and buy store-bought. I think that guy knows a thing or two about cooking!!

YOU STILL HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE LUSH GOODIES. PLEASE SEE THIS POST TO LEAVE A COMMENT!!

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Red Onions Roasted with Balsamic and Honey

Okay, I will confess now.....I LOVE onions, especially red onions!! I can eat them raw, cooked, caramelized, etc. Since I love onions so much, I was surprised to find that I didn't care for this recipe (sorry Tyler!!). I loved the idea of this recipe and it looks and sounds delicious! It was super easy and the kitchen smelled great, but in the end I didn't love it. If I had this recipe to do over, I would quarter up the onions and separate them. The flavor was good, but I wanted the onion to be a little more crunchy or crisp. Anyway, here is the recipe for all you onion lovers out there.

Red Onions Roasted with Balsamic and Honey, adapted from Dinner at My Place by Tyler Florence

1/4 cup extra virgin-olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1/2 bunch fresh thyme sprigs (about 8 sprigs), leaves only
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 red onions, halved and papery outer peel removed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 slices
fresh thyme sprigs

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey and thyme. Season with salt and pepper; whisk until combined. Put the onions in a large bowl and pour the dressing over them. Toss together until the onions are coated. Put the onions on a roasting tray, cut sides up, and drizzle with additional vinegar. Top each onion half with a butter slice and thyme sprig. Roast in the preheated oven about 40 minutes, until the onions are soft and slightly caramelized.

Watermelon Nectar with Lime Salt

Tyler Florence has so many great recipes for mixed drinks. In his new cookbook, Dinner at My Place, he has a whole chapter devoted to them. This recipe for watermelon nectar with lime salt caught my eye when I first received the book. It looks like the perfect mixed drink for summer, doesn't it?

Well, I finally found a small seedless watermelon at the grocery store. All I needed was the white tequila. Since we live in a dry county, I hardly ever get to the liquor store. I decided that I really needed a drink, so I piled the kids into the mini van and we went for a drive. I went through the drive-thru at the liquor store and bought some Jose Cuervo. The best part of it all was that my kids thought it was McDonald's or something. My two-year old was in the back seat screaming for french fries and my eight-year old was asking "Hey, where's my drink?". The guys inside the store were cracking up and I was too!! The whole thing just made my day.

Lime Salt:

2 tablespoons sea salt

zest of 1 lime

Drink:

1 small seedless watermelon

4 ounces white tequila *I bought Jose Cuervo*

2 ounces Simple Syrup

Splash of lime juice

1 lime, cut into wedges, for garnish

To prepare Lime Salt, using a mortar and pestle, combine salt and lime zest until the salt tkes on a bright green color. Set aside.

To prepare watermelon nectar, cut up watermelon flesh and place in a strainer lined with a clean kitchen towel over a bowl. Gather the corners of the towel and squeeze tightly to extract watermelon nectar. Measure 8 ounces; reserve remaining nectar for another use. Combine watermelon nectar, tequila, Simple Syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and pour drink through a strainer over ice in glasses. Garnish with lime wedges and Lime Salt.

Simple Syrup- combine 1 part water and 1 part sugar in a saucepan. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved(syrup is done when the mixture is clear and the surface is covered in bubbles). Remove from heat; cool in refrigerator until ready to use.

Serves 2-4

Time 8 minutes

Notes: You only need about 1/4 of a small seedless watermelon to get 8 ounces of nectar/juice.

I forgot to make the simple syrup ahead of time and then had to chill it in the freezer to try and rapidly cool it down. Next time, I would make the simple syrup well ahead of time. I only used 2 ounces of tequila to 8 ounces of watermelon nectar and 2 ounces of simple syrup. The drink was still REALLY STRONG. I can't imagine how strong the drink would be if you were to add the 4 ounces of white tequila that Tyler calls for in the recipe. The drink is beautiful, refreshing, and crisp. If you enjoy a strong drink, make this one!! Or, try it without the tequila. I think that would be great too!!

I am submitting this post to Tyler Florence Fridays. Click here to check out what everyone else is making this week.

Dr. Tyler's Chicken Meatball and Tortellini Soup

I could use a comforting bowl of this soup right now. I have been having so many issues with my computer lately. Is anyone else getting the error message "operation aborted"? It seems that I can't visit some of my favorite blogs. This makes me frustrated for so many reasons!! This morning I wanted to make Donna's Oreo Cake, but I can't get onto her blog!! I love seeing what everyone is making and I want to stay updated with your blogs. Can anyone let me know if they have a fix to this? Or, are there people out there going crazy, just like me? If so, I'd like to offer you a bowl of this soup.

I chose to make this soup simply because I am working on cleaning out my freezer and pantry. I had these sweet little heart shaped ravioli in my freezer. Naturally, I was saving them for a "special occasion". Apparently, I never found the right "special occasion". I decided that anything using a Tyler recipe was special enough and I dug them out for this recipe. Why, oh, why do I always save things for a "special" occasion?

This soup was a little on the labor intensive side. Tyler give you the option of using 4 links of apple-chicken sausage or using the equivalent in ground chicken. I can tell you that you should totally opt for the ground chicken! The sausage I bought was hard to remove from the casing and was not soft or easy to crumble and mold into a meatball. Once my meatballs were formed, it dawned on me that I was very nevous about making meatballs with poultry. Because I am a very paranoid person, I was sure to overcook them. The rest of the soup was very easy to throw together. I thought the final outcome was very tasty and I thought the chicken meatball was a very original idea. The soup was adorable with those little heart shaped raviolis floating around. I like the light apple flavor of the soup and the meatball gave a wonderful flavor to the broth. I think the novelty of it all was lost on my husband. He liked the soup, but declared that the meatballs in the soup didn't count as meat. Does anyone else have a husband who has to have a huge amount of meat at every meal? It literally drives me crazy. Can you tell I'm in a wonderful mood today?

Chicken Meatballs

4 links organic chicken-apple sausage or equivalent ground chicken meat

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (2 slices fresh white bread ground up)

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

2 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano, plus 2 tbsp. for sprinkling

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Soup

EVOO

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

4 fresh thyme sprigs

2 large carrots, cut into circles

1 medium onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

kosher salt

2 quarts reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 black peppercorns

2 tbsps. chopped fresh italian flat-leaf parsley

1 bay leaf

1 pound fresh refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini, thawed **I used ravioli**

1/4 cup finely chopped italian flat-leaf parsley

grated parmigiano

fresh parlsey sprigs, for garnish

1 crusty French baguette **I served this with my pretzel rolls**

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare meatballs by combining loose ground chicken meat (discard casings, if using sausages), bread crumbs, milk, egg, parsley, and the 1/4 cup parmigiano in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then mix until fully combined. Using a small ice cream scoop, make balls and set on a roasting tray. Drizzle lightly with oil and sprinkle with the 2 tbsps. Parmigiano. Roast in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and caramelized.

While the meatballs are roasting, prepare the soup. Set a large stockpot over medium heat. Add a 2-count of oil, the garlic, and thyme. Gently saute until frgrant, about 2 minutes. Add carrot, onion, and celery. Season with salt and cook for 5-7 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and add peppercorns, the 2 tbsps. parsley, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Once meatballs are cooked, scrape them into the pot of chicken soup and add tortellini/ravioli. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Remove peppercorns and bay leaf. Season with sal tand pepper and serve in shallow bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and grated parmigiano. Garnish each bowl with a parsley sprig and serve with some torn pieces of crusty bread/pretzel rolls.

I am submitting this recipe to Tyler Florence Fridays for this Friday's roundup. Head on over there Friday evening and see what everyone else cooked up this week!!

The Ultimate Lasagna Bolognese

Since I first started blogging in January, I have cooked a little over 50 of Tyler's recipes!! Of the 50 or so recipes that I've tried, there are many that were favorites and have been made over and over again in my kitchen. It seems like the perfect time to share my top favorites with you!

Hands down, my all-time favorite Tyler recipe is the Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookie . I have easily made this cookie recipe at least eight to ten times. They are the best, chewy, and chocolately cookies out there.

Some of my other Tyler favorites are: Parker House Rolls, Wonderful White Bread, Amaretto Chocolate Brownies, Perfect Roast Chicken, Grilled Flatbread with Caramelized Onions, Grapes, Mascarpone, Walnuts and Gorgonzola, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Breasts with Oranges, Olives and New Potato, The Ultimate Onion Rings, Berry-Brioche Bread Pudding, Bourbon and Chocolate Pecan Pie, Pulled Pork, Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Braised Brisket, and now my new favorite is this recipe, THE ULTIMATE LASAGNA BOLOGNESE.

My husband, who is never quick to dole out compliments, declared this recipe one of the top ten best things that I have ever cooked!! My husband was having a pretty bad day, wasn't hungry for lasagna, and was a little perturbed about waiting for it to cool down for 15 minutes. When he started eating it, he kept saying that it was really, really good. He was even teasing me about not eating anymore so that he could save it and eat it all up while I was gone this weekend! This recipe gets the five-star rating from me. It will be added to my dinner rotation AND I will recommend it to everyone!! When I love a recipe this much, I will make it for potlucks, celebrations, as a gift for a new mom, etc.

The lasagna does take about 3 hours and no, I didn't make my own pasta. I actually made this recipe because I've had some packaged lasagna noodles in my pantry for almost a year! That's right.....I never make lasagna. My husband and I are not big lovers of lasagna, until now!! I had all the ingredients for this in my pantry and only had to find some ground pork to complete the recipe. I couldn't locate ground pork at my local country grocery store, so I bought some spicy Italian sausage and substituted that instead. There is no ricotta or cottage cheese in this lasagna. Instead Tyler uses a cramy bechamel sauce. The bolognese was a little spicy and had a wonderful complex flavor. There was a 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes added to the bechamel, but the bolognese didn't an overwhelming taste of tomato. It was overall just a wonderful version of lasagna. Please try this one and I guarantee you that the men in your life will thank you!!

THE ULTIMATE LASAGNA BOLOGNESE, Dinner at My Place, by Tyler Florence

• 1 recipe fresh pasta dough (see page 27 of Dinner at My Place) or use up your pantry packaged lasagna noodles like I did : )

Bolognese:

• 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into large pieces
• 3 ribs celery, cut into large pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 fresh sage sprigs, leaves only
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef (I used black angus, we prefer this much more)
• 1 pound ground pork (I couldn't locate ground pork so I used spicy Italian sausage)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine (I only had 1/2 bottle left and used only 1/2)
• 1-28 ounce can San Marzano whole tomatoes (I usually use Red Gold brand)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I didn't add this, I was afraid my husband wouldn't like it)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

Bechamel:

• 2 cups whole milk (I used 2%, I don't usually have whole)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound buffalo mozzarella, torn into pieces
• 1/4 grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 
  

Begin by making the Fresh Pasta Dough or by soaking your packaged noodles in a bowl of hot water, turning so they can soften.

To make bolognese, put carrot, onion, clelery, garlic and sage in a food processor and process until you have smooth vegetable pulp. coat a large, heavy-based pot with oil and set over mediium heat. Add vegetable pulp and saute until fragrant and some of the moisture has evaporated, 4-5 minutes. Push the vegetable pulp to one side of the pot. Season ground beef and pork with plenty of salt and pepper, then add to the pot. Stir and break up the meat until it is brown, then dust with the 2 tbsp. of flour before adding wine, tomatoes, milk, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 1-1/2 hours, uncovered, until sauce is thick. Add parmesan and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prepare the Bechamel.

To make the Bechamel, set a large saucepan over medium heat. Add milk, garlic, and a bay leaf and bring to a simmer to infuse milk with herb flavors. Set a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add butter and melt, then sprinkle in flour while you stir with a wooden spoon. Once all of the flour has been combined with the butter, grab a whisk and gradually pour in the herb-infused milk, passing it through a sieve as you go to strain out the aromatics. As the sauce thickens, continue to whisk over low heat, then add nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350F. To assemble the lasagna, cut the hang-dried pasta sheets to fit a 9x13x3" lasagna pan; set the pasta aside. Coat the bottom of the lasagna pan with a thin layer of Bechamel. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, trimming noodles to fit as necessary. Top the noodle layer with a layer each of Bechamel, Bolognese, and mozzarella pieces. Continue with the layers of lasagna noodles, Bechamel, Bolognese, and mozzarella pieces until you have three complete layers, finishing with mozzarella. Shower the top of the lasagna with Parmesan and parsley. Bake, uncovered, on a trap (to catch the drippings) in the center of the preheated oven for 1 hour. (If the top starts to brown, tent with foil). Let the lasagna stand for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy the best lasagna you have ever put in your mouth!! I am submitting this dish to the weekly roundup at Tyler Florence Fridays. Stop by this Friday evening to see what all the others made.

Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes, and Peas

Do you go through phases with cooking? In the past few months, I have worked my way through my obsession with baking bread and my obsession with Recipezaar. I have moved onto my obsession with one of Tyler's new books, Dinner at My Place. Obsession number two, otherwise known as the farmer's market, is currently being fueled by Dinner at My Place. You might be wondering how a spicy sausage pasta dish is inspired by the farmer's market.......

While I was roaming the stalls of the farmer's market last week I heard quite a bit of commotion. Curious about all the noise, my daughter and I headed over to see what was going on. That is when we met "THE QUEEN OF SAUSAGE". (I thought of Donna instantly) The self-proclaimed "Queen of Sausage" was sitting on top of an old galvanized trash can in the back of an old pickup truck. She was dressed to draw attention and was wielding a sign declaring her royalty. She looked like she was having the time of her life, drawing a crowd, handing out samples, and screaming about being the Queen of Sausage. I'm glad that the sausage sample was delicious because there was no way I could refuse her. How can you turn down the Queen of Sausage? In fact, I think it could almost be considered unamerican!!

This was no ordinary sausage!! I knew I had to make something special, so I turned to Tyler and he did not let me down. While following Tyler Florence Fridays I have seen many people make this dish. I have read mixed reviews about the peas in this dish and decided to try something a little different. There were some ladies selling handcrafted pasta and I spotted some orecchiete, otherwise known as "little ears". I love all pasta, but I thought maybe this pasta would hold onto the peas better than the penne, and it did : ) So, I was happy to use freshly made pasta, local sausage and local peas. This recipe is packed with flavor and I absolutely loved it. How can you go wrong with pasta and a cream sauce?? This recipe is a keeper for me!

PENNE/ORECCHIETE WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE, CREAM, TOMATOES, AND PEAS, adapted from Dinner at My Place (Tyler Florence)

• 4 links spicy Italian sausage (It does help if it comes from the "queen of sausage")


• 1 pound dried penne (I used orecchiete)


• extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped


• 1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (Gasp...I used Red Gold)


• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves


• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 1 cup heavy whipping cream


• 2 cups peas, blanced


• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving


• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. Place the sausages in a roasting pan and roast in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden and just cooked. Cut sausage at an angle into bite-size pieces.

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (al dente).

Set a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat and add a 2-count of olive oil (about 2 tbsp). Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add tomatoes and basil; season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, then fold in cream and continue to simmer until rich and creamy. Add sausage, blanced peas, and parmigiano. Fold together and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Serve topped with a shower of cheese and garnish with basil.

This dish is even better the next day!!

Braised Beef Brisket

Last week on Tyler Florence Fridays, Beth at The Seventh Level of Boredom made this amazing Braised Beef Brisket. Beth gave this recipe a rave review saying that it was absolutely fabulous and that she would love to add it to her dinner rotation. I couldn't agree more!! I made this recipe yesterday and thought it was heavenly!! The brisket was tender and juicy and the sauce was zesty and flavorful. I served the brisket with Tyler's Mashed Potatoes and watched as my family devoured the meal. The kids were begging for more mashed potatoes and there were no more : ) I will also be adding this meal to my dinner rotation.

BRAISED BEEF BRISKET by Tyler Florence, Dinner at My Place
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 fresh rosemary sprigs, needles stripped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 4-pound beef brisket (first cut)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large carrots, cut into 3-inch chunks
3 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch chunks
2 onions, halved
2 cups dry red wine
1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
1 handful fresh italian flat-leaf parsley
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon a/p flour (optional)
2 tablespoons water or dry red wine (optional)
1 bunch hydroponic watercress, for garnish (optional) *I could not locate watercress

Preheat oven to 325F. On a cutting board, mash the garlic and 1/2 tsp. salt together with the flat side of a knife until it turns into a paste. Add the rosemary and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the oil; stir to combine. Set aside.

Season both sides of the brisket withp plenty of salt and pepper. Rub the rosemary-garlic paste over the brisket. Drizzle with additional olive oil. Place a large roasting pan or Dutch oven over med-high heat. When the pan is hot, place the brisket in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on both sides, adding additional oil as necessary to prevent sticking. Lay the vegetables all around the brisket. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato liquid, parsley, and bay leaves. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 3-4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork-tender. NOTE** I actually cooked my brisket in my crock pot. The brisket was still delicous and I didn't have to baste every 30 minutes or heat up my kitchen**

Remove the brisket from pan and place on a cutting board. Allow brisket to rest for 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon; discard vegetables. Skim some of the excess fat from the pan juices, leaving about 1/4 cup fat in the pan; place the roasting pan with the pan juices and fat over medium-high heat. Boil and stir about 5 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by half. (For a thicker sauce, mix the 1 tbsp. flour with the 2 tbsp. water and whisk into the gravy.) Slice brisket and serve with sauce over Parsnip Puree or Mashed Potatoes. If you like, garnish each plate with watercress. I garnished my plate with chives. I love the combinations of chives with potatoes.

I highly recommend this recipe. It's a keeper!

Garden Puree Bruschetta

I have been able to do a lot of shopping at the farmer's market lately. I am both impressed and excited about the new and improved market this year. I have found many things that were not available before. I noticed that a lot of my recent finds from the market coincide with Tyler's new book, Dinner at My Place. I have several recipes bookmarked to make in the next couple weeks. I have been eyeing this recipe for bruschetta ever since I first received this cookbook. I was awed by the color of the puree and knew instantly that I would love this recipe. I was lucky enough to find all the vegetables and a whole wheat baguette at the farmer's market Saturday.

GARDEN PUREE BRUSCHETTA, by Tyler Florence, Dinner at My Place

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1 pound English peas, shelled, or 1 cup frozen petite peas
• 1/2 pound asparagus, tips only (2-1/2" pieces)
• 1/2 pound haricot verts or tender green beans, trimmed
• 2/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 3 green onions, green parts only, roughly chopped
• extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 bunch chopped fresh chives (about 8 chives), for garnish
• 1 French baguette
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas, English peas, asparagus tips, and haricot verts and cook about 3 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. (If you're using frozen peas, add them during the last minute of cooking). Drain, transfer to a bowl of salated ice water to stop cooking, and drain again. Puree vegetables in a food processor with the ricotta, green onion, a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives.

Prepare the Crostini by cutting the baguette into thin slices. Drizzle slices with oil and place on a roasting tray. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oven and rub with a peeled, cut clove of garlic while bread is still warm. Serve crostini with vegetable and cheese puree.

The blanching of the vegetables allows the puree to become a vibrant green color. Blanching the veggies also alows the veggies to keep most of their nutritional content. I would say that this is a fairly healthy dish, especially when paired with a whole wheat baguette. Tyler calls for whole-milk ricotta, but I only had part-skim and it worked out just fine. I really enjoyed this as a light lunch. I think it would make a great appetizer/crudite for spring or summer. I am toying with the idea of using the leftover puree as a filling in a veggie lasagna.

If you love green veggies, then this recipe is a must try!!

I am submitting this recipe to Tyler Florence Fridays. Head on over to the TFF site to see what everyone is making this week. There is always a great variety of delicious dishes.