Spring Tuna Salad and Rhubarb Lunch

On a recent foray in Union Square market, I almost tramped on a school of third graders. Walking two by two and well chaperoned, the little gourmets took in the seasonal bounty as I did. There were a wealth of greens, nicely bunched in bouquets, green asparagus a galore as well as ramps, the new darlings of the in chefs and all the variety of potatoes produced in America. On the sweet side rhubarb stems and apples were nicely tucked under bright awnings. But the palm for diversity went to the florists. The season after all has just started and is still low-key. I came home happy with just the right mix to toss a spring tuna salad for 4. Instead of my usual pairing of rhubarb and strawberries, I decided to be a pure locavore and to forego the berries for the apples. I was happy to find on my way back a tiny shop, called Macaron on 36^th street between Broadway and Seventh and splurged on lychee and rose macarons as well as chocolate. Yum!

A Versatile Sauce and Lobster Soufflé

A sauce can transform a dish drastically. To celebrate her 90^th birthday in style, my mother asked for a beef Wellington. I usually cook it for Christmas or New Year and insert a mushroom, foie gras and truffle mixture between the crust and the meat. To make it really special, I decided to add a Perigourdine sauce and to insert the mushrooms and shallots, which flavor the sauce in place of my usual mixture. What gives the sauce its name is a generous addition of black truffle pieces, an import from the Southwest of France, hence the regional attribution, to a Cognac, wine and cream emulsion. More than happy with the sauce and enamored with its voluptuous Cognac taste, reminiscent of a lobster bisque, I then decided to put it to another creative use: the basis for a lobster soufflé. Forget the black truffles, cut one-inch pieces of lobster and replace the milk by the richer Cognac-cream emulsion. The dish will serve 4 as a starter or 2 for lunch with a green salad on the side.

Lobster in a Spring Vegetable Emulsion

The east coast of the United States enjoys a lovely spring. For once Paris is not one month ahead in terms of weather. Magnolias, forsythias, wisterias, and all the fruit trees are flowering for more than the three days generally allowed in our region. It is cause for celebration. So little else is: simultaneously, an Icelandic volcanic eruption has wide ranging consequences for millions of people varying from simple travel inconvenience to subsistence threatening issues. And as usual, my way of breaking the gloom takes the form of a dish suggestion, using the vegetables available in my garden: asparagus and chives. The inspiration comes from Paris, where I have been feeding on emulsion, and where the play on cooked and raw, when asparagus is concerned, has gone mainstream. Peas, lobster and asparagus are complementing flavor and create a lovely light lunch for 2 or starter for 4.

Slow cooked baby back ribs

The East coast is still hovering between winter and spring. Fortunately, within the greenhouse the climate is temperate and seeds germinate in anticipation of their planting mid May. In the freezer, I still have some of my fall tomato sauce. Although the cycle has not gone full circle yet, I derive inspiration from the promise of the fruit and the reality of the stock. Always one to anticipate the good things to come, I am preparing baby back ribs the easy (and healthy) way of the slow cooker. To retain both moistness and grilled taste, I first sear the ribs before adding the tomato sauce, vinegar and ketchup.
The slow cooked baby back ribs recipe serves 4.

Another (good) reason to slow cook

I have already made obvious my love of slow cooking. Until now there were two reasons: taste and convenience. The faculty is now confirming this choice and adding a medical component. New studies on advanced glycation end products, AGEs in short, indicate that those compounds, which form when meat is seared at high temperature, the famous Maillard reaction, increase inflammation (i.e. risks of heart disease, artherosclerosis, diabetes and arthritis) in human bodies. Because we love this charred taste and smell, the food industry has added a lot of synthetic AGEs to their products. The usual suspects are the good guys in our fight against AGEs: we should eat more vegetables and fruit, use fresh products AND cook at slow temperature. In other words, favor boiling, steaming and poaching over grilling. My recipe of the week respects all this criteria and more. A pork rib roast gains flavor from an association with cumin and citrus fruit. A long simmering in the natural juices from both meat and fruit insures a not too sweet taste. Served with rice, it is a perfectly satisfactory dinner for four to be enjoyed without guilt.

Sophisticated Jerusalem Artichoke

The few spring days we were blessed with were just enough to dig out a few Jerusalem artichokes from my garden to use in a sophisticated soup. I first got the idea from a Paris restaurant. Their recipe combined sun chokes, chestnuts and foie gras. As I do not particularly care for warm foie gras, I picked instead bay scallops, which are much cheaper and in season. Their delicate slightly sweet taste adds a nutty texture to the smooth soup. Pancetta brings the dish together. I like the fact that the soup relies on four ingredients only to provide a fairly complex taste. An extra advantage is the time saved by preparing the soup ahead. As it is the only time consuming operation, the meal can be assembled in less than ten minutes, provided the soup is made ahead of time.
The quantities are enough for four people as a main course or eight appetizers.

Sunny jerk lamb

Winter shows its might on the East coast of the United States and blankets prettily country sights and city views. It is a great time to slow cook meats and concoct yet another twist on old favorites. While away in the sun, we came across a Caribbean jerk mix. My friend Michael integrated the spices in a wet rub to enhance a baked quartered chicken. Back home, I craved lamb and decided to use the mix to modify an old Moroccan dish: the seven hours slow cooked lamb, the only dish men traditionally prepare. Part of the fun came from guessing what was in the mix. After adding oil to a teaspoon of the coarse powder one can taste the ingredients: rosemary and thyme, allspice, red pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. I added turmeric and cumin seeds. To round up the savors and sweeten the kick, I put in a tablespoon of honey. For the same reasons, I decided to serve it with buttercup squash chips and creamed French flageolets, the French version of dry beans.