Regretfully, a whole month and a half has passed since my last post. These last few weeks have been spent gratifying my eyes and my appetite with sights and feasts. How I would have loved to document the fresh produce, the flaky pastries and the tzatziki I enjoyed by the spoonful in Greece. Not to mention the authentic tacos, the refreshing pico de gallo and the festive mixed cocktails that Mexico had to offer.
As much as I take joy in archiving my favorite meals, it felt good to put away the camera and just savor what was in front me. As summer is winding down, I am happy to get back to sharing more Heart + Soul moments.
On this Labor Day, I spent a perfect morning wandering the market and fixing up a birthday lunch for my sister L. On the decidedly veggie-driven menu: beet and citrus salad, ricotta stuffed zucchini flowers, okra-eggplant-proscuitto-gruyère pizza, and banana foster.
The salad looked extra bright with two tones of beets and fresh grapefruit and orange segments. I usually like to use mâche as a green, as I find it looks like it’s dancing on the plate. Cheerful.
The beaten egg whites incorporated into the beer batter lent an incredible lightness to the fried zucchini flowers, while the ricotta filling added a nice creamy texture. The pizza sauce was delightfully heartwarming due to the marriage of goat’s horn tomatoes, okra, garlic, cumin and fennel seed left on slow, simmering heat. Let’s not forget the dough, which was made with nothing less than a beautifully rich tasting honey brought in from Moldova. (Thanks, P!)
Finally, the banana foster was ultra decadent thanks to the caramelized sugar bubbling up the sides of the pan. My sister J asked me what exactly made the foster so damned good? Butter. The answer is always butter.
