Cooking Method: Mixing

Lobster Salad with Bibb Lettuce, Apple, and Tarragon Dressing

I wanted to make something "fancy" for dinner. The rich lobster, tart Granny Smith apples and creamy tarragon salad dressing on a bed of butter lettuce definitely added an air of elegance to my table. I will definitely make this again and probably use shrimp, due to my diminishing budget these days!

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White Bean, Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Salad

This White Bean, Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Salad is something I threw together using some of my pantry items. It turned out to be a great combination of things. Use this dressing recipe and with different kinds of beans, cheeses and nuts from your pantry to make your own version. This lasted a few days in the fridge and was great for lunch.

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Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad

This Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad is an update on the classic salad. The dressing combines mayonnaise, curry powder, turmeric and a bit of mango chutney, which adds the perfect amount of sweetness to compliment the tart Granny Smith apples. I love the crunchiness of this salad.

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Vesper Martini

Shaken, not Stirred…..

That phrase instantly brings to mind that most iconic of Martini drinkers, Ian Fleming’s Bond-- James Bond, that is. What do we know about this fictional character beyond the fact that he was a hard-drinking, chain-smoking womanizer?  He was well dressed, a bit of a foodie and not afraid of bucking convention. Nowhere is this more evident than in his choice of drinks. While he is famous for ordering Martinis and dictating that they be “shaken, not stirred,” he does not stop there. Fleming provided his readers with the actual recipe for their hero’s favorite cocktail and it certainly bucks the conventional notion of a Martini.

In the 1952 novel Casino Royale, Bond orders a special Martini, to be named after that book’s lead female character, Vesper Lynd:

"A dry martini," Bond said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

Bond laughed. "When I'm...er...concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."

What strikes me the most about this drink—in addition to the unusual mixture of gin and vodka—is the use of Lillet instead of vermouth. Now, I am not much of a Martini drinker these days, but I have always loved Lillet, that wonderful French aperitif that is usually served over ice with a twist of orange.  Lillet is a fortified wine made with Bordeaux wine and citrus liqueur and comes in red and white versions. Made since the 1880s, this originally contained quinine—hence the name Kina Lillet, but was reformulated in the 1980s without the bitterness of quinine. What you can buy today is a wonderful light citrus aperitif that should be stored in the refrigerator and served very cold.

Vesper, of course, means the evening star—or the religious services held during the sixth of the seven canonical hours, in the late afternoon or evening. The perfect time to enjoy a Martini…..  So, strap on your Walther PPK, don your dinner jacket and treat yourself to a Vesper—me, I’ll stick to a Lillet on the rocks.

By the way, while Bond claims only to have one drink before dinner, I call any drink with four and a half shots of booze a double at the very least….

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Corn & Hearts of Palm Salad with Dill Mayo

This Corn & Hearts of Palm Salad with Dill Mayo is a combination of ingredients I had on hand. I happen to love hearts of palm. The dill mayo uses some dill pickle brine, which made my husband the pickle fanatic very happy. I just checked and I have eight other corn salads on my blog. I guess this should be my theme song - "She's a corn-fed Indiana girl".

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Deviled Eggs with Cornichon Tapenade

My friend Nick made these outstanding Deviled Eggs with Cornichon Tapenade from David Lebovitz's Drinking French. The tapenade, which is a Provençal name for a dish consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, and anchovies, gives these eggs incredible flavor. If you close your eyes, maybe you could envision yourself on the French riviera! It's worth a try anyway!

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Grilled Zucchini with Fresh Dill Vinaigrette

Grilled Zucchini with Fresh Dill Vinaigrette is a great way to eat zucchini. It has numerous health benefits and is a very versatile vegetable. Fresh dill is one of the most fragrant and flavorful herbs and adds a nice dose of brightness to the grilled zucchini. 

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Creamy Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Try this deliciously tangy Creamy Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette. I served it over hearts of palm on romaine. Here's a tip for the day - when you are at the end of a jar of mayonnaise, shake up your dressing in the near-empty jar to create a creamy vinaigrette. 

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Lillet Reviver

A message from my husband Eric...
Ever since Leslie returned from her year abroad in Paris with tales of the wonders—and apéritifs--of the City of Lights, Lillet has been a staple in our lives. When Drinking French entered our lives (thanks to Marc and Jessica), we naturally gravitated to anything with Lillet in it and this one does not disappoint. A flanker to the classic Corpse Reviver cocktail, the Lillet Reviver is fresh and truly reviving—the shot of gin doesn’t hurt, either. The good news is that you do not have to be a corpse to enjoy this tonic pick-me-up!

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L’Embrassadeur

David Lebovitz’s L’Embrassadeur cocktail (the name is a saucy mash-up of the word Ambassadeur and Embrassades or “hugs and kisses”) showcases the French peach-based aperitif RinQuinQuin — what Lillet is to orange, RinQuinQuin is to peach and pairs it beautifully with pink grapefruit and lavender. The lavender bitters we have are laced with CBD, having this cocktail at our house is a très relaxé affair, perfectly in tune with the times.

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