A FEW RULES

Wear clothes in the kitchen

Always wash your hands

Keep your face away from the flame

Always wear an apron

Nope. We don't always follow the rules around here. But it's nice to have some guidelines. 

In case you missed them, here are two pieces I wrote for Sunset Magazine's blog about raising adventurous eaters. 

Part 1: At the Table

Part 2: Cooking With Kids

So many of you have emailed me your stories. Thank you! If you feel like it, please share more stories in the comments below about cooking with your own kids or grandkids or friends' kids. I know other people would love to read them. 

Or ask questions. I love questions. I plan to write quite a bit more about this topic in the next year.

Here are a few more images of my kids in the kitchen from the past 10 years.

Back next week with an explosion of summer salads.

xoxo

Phyllis

NO WORDS

It was a shitstormclusterfuck of an evening with flat tires and such. So let's just look at tarts. And drink wine. And listen to Jeff Buckley. And Giovanni Pergolesi. And be grateful that we get to wake up to a brand new day.

CREME FRAICHE RECIPE #4:

I don't know how many people these tarts serve. The apricot tart was pretty much just for me. But I've been sharing the asparagus tart. These tarts are fundamentally the same. 

APRICOT RICOTTA TART WITH CARAMEL BUTTER

printable recipe

If you like your tarts sweet, you should definitely crank up the sugar in the ricotta mixture.

ingredients:

shortcrust pastry dough (make a least 3 hours ahead of time and refrigerate)

3/4 cup ricotta

1/2 cup crème fraiche

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 egg

1/8 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons lemon zest

6 apricots

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons caramel sauce (or brown sugar)

creme fraiche for topping

directions:

Roll out dough and press into an 8" round or rectangular pan. Or place free-form on a sheet pan. Place in freezer while you prepare the filling.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a standing mixer (or by hand), beat the ricotta, crème fraiche, olive oil, egg, flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside. Halve and pit apricots. Melt butter and caramel together.

Remove tart shell from the freezer. Pour in ricotta filling and spread evenly. Gently press apricot halves (cut side up) into the filling. Sprinkle sugar all over the apricots. Brush or spoon on butter/caramel mixture. Drip extra onto the cheese mixture.

Bake until crust is set and light brown (35-45 minutes). If the apricots don't have much color, you can place the tart under the broiler and brown (or char) things a bit. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting.

Serve topped with creme fraiche or vanilla bean ice cream.

ASPARAGUS RICOTTA TART

printable recipe

ingredients:

shortcrust pastry dough (make a least 3 hours ahead of time and refrigerate)

16 stalks asparagus, bottoms trimmed

3/4 cup ricotta

1/2 cup crème fraiche

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 egg

1/8 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic confit (or grated raw garlic)

1 teaspoon crunch salt (Maldon, or grey, or fleur de del)

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
chopped salted anchovy (super optional, super tasty)

creme fraiche for topping
chopped parsley

directions:

Roll out dough and press into an 8" round or rectangular pan. Or place free-form on a sheet pan. Put in freezer while you prepare the filling.

If your asparagus is delicate, you don't need to peel it. If it's thick, you might want to peel the stalks from the base all the way up to right underneath where the tip starts.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a standing mixer (or by hand), beat the ricotta, crème fraiche, olive oil, egg, flour, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.

Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, and garlic confit.

Remove tart shell from the freezer. Pour in ricotta filling and spread evenly. Place asparagus in any cool pattern that you like. I like to have every other stalk pointing the same way. But it really doesn't matter. Coat stalks with vinegar/oil/garlic mixture. Drip extra between the stalks onto the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan and salt. Add optional anchovy.

Bake until crust is set and light brown. If the top of the tart doesn't have much color, you can place it under the broiler and brown (or char) things a bit. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Cut this tart with an insanely sharp knife or poultry shears, otherwise you will have quite a mess on your hands. Serve topped with crème fraiche and chopped parsley.

DIASTASIS

I agitate the custard and yell at my husband

though I don't even remember what I'm spazzing about

since it's the fight we've had for 23 years

so familiar it's built into our limbs and mouths

and then the custard fucking curdles and 

just so you know

my custard never fucking curdles

and I kick everyone out of the kitchen.

I put a hand on my belly

pinky on my belly button

thumb all the way up and under my front lower ribs

and I quietly blame everything on this abdominal split

(caused by the pressure of my in utero Dash)

because somehow someone something

must be interfering with my ability to

do good parenting and good partnering

and good handstands.

I chop the leeks and imagine

my sides growing back together

and I wonder what makes a frittata a frittata

and not a Spanish tortilla or an omelette

and I decide I don't care

and I just start busting them out

with creme fraiche and leeks and spring onions

and so much trendy kale

that my daughter will say she's going to puke

if she even has to LOOK at it

but i think I'm onto something

so I make one more

packed with purple potatoes and asparagus.

I tuck in my shirt and secure my hair

in what one of those magazines I no longer read

would call a sexy messy bun

place my hands on the floor

imagine my hands are feet

spread my fingers wide

but not too wide

empty my mind

exhale bend my knees

inhale float my legs up up up

until my toes point to the ceiling my two legs as one

and I focus

on weaving knitting soldering my abdominals back together

because that's what will make me a nicer

wife mother yogi cook friend lover person

and then I'm floating for the first time ever

on my hands

for more than one round of breath

with this crazy ass intention of bringing everything

back into my center
and crash
I'm down again.

I yell everyone back into the kitchen

away from Legos and wrestling and The Hunger Games
and a surprising amount of the crispy bubbling feta-topped egg cake
gets into their little bellies
so they earn their curdled custard ice cream
and then I set them free.

Glued to my seat and my wine
I manage to
look my husband in the eye and

I listen
roll my eyes
sigh

hold my breath
shiver
smile

as he tells me 

yes you're hormonal yes you're insane yes

you make me want to move to Los Angeles

permanently away from you

and I will take the kids and oh yes

you have a nice ass

and yes that was the best frittata I've ever had.

ASPARAGUS AND POTATO FRITTATA

printable recipe

serves 4-6

(My friend Erin and I have been chatting about frittatas. She can't stop making them either. She has been putting feta on top of hers. Genius. Now I am too. Check out her beautiful blog Yummy Supper. And she should have a frittata post up soon.)

You can pretty much throw anything into a frittata. Any cheese. Any (pre-cooked) vegetables or meat: peppers, cauliflower, sliced sausage, chopped crispy bacon, strips of cooked chicken breast. It's a great empty-out-the-fridge one-pot meal.  It can be beautiful to look at. It can also be funky and very green and super funny messy looking. In my opinion, it must have at least a few of the following toppings: sriracha, ketchup, chopped chives, avocado slices, lime, sour cream.

This recipe calls for potatoes and asparagus. But you can just as easily add finely chopped kale (or any combo of greens like chard, arugula, spinach) into the onions instead of the asparagus. Or add it along with the asparagus, though that would be a bit heavy on the greens (I love this, my kids do not).

It's best eaten right away. But you can also serve it room temperature. Or heat it up the next day.

ingredients

for the vegetables:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon butter

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 large leeks, cleaned, trimmed of tough green part, thinly sliced

big pinch salt

pepper

10 small potatoes cooked in salty water until tender and then halved (purple or yukon gold work well)

8 spears asparagus, trimmed, quickly cooked in salty water but still crisp, sliced into 1 inch pieces

1 clove garlic, grated, chopped, or pressed

2 teaspoons lemon zest.

for the eggs:

12 eggs

3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream

3/4 grated firm or semi-firm cheese (any combination of parmesan, percorio, manchego, gruyere, cheddar)

big pinch salt 

pepper

for when it goes under the broiler:

1/2 cup feta cheese (or goat), crumbled

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

crunchy salt

for the toppings:

sriracha

chopped parsley and chives

avocado slices

sour cream, creme fraiche, or yoghurt (another nice option is sour cream thinned with heavy cream)

directions:

Crank a 10 inch oven-safe pan (I use cast iron) to medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onions, leeks, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tender and starting to brown a bit (about 20 minutes). 

While onions are cooking, vigorously whisk together eggs, creme fraiche, cheese, salt, and pepper until well-combined and foamy. Set aside.

Preheat oven to a high broil.

Turn heat up to high under onions and toss in potatoes and asparagus. Add grated garlic and lemon zest. Cook, stirring entire time, for a minute.

Give the eggs one final whisk and then pour over the vegetables. Stir until all vegetables are coated with eggs. Turn down to medium heat. Then leave it alone to start to set. You can put a lid on it. Or not. Be aware of heat going onto bottom of pan and make sure it's not too hot. The eggs don't taste so good when they get too brown.

 Once the eggs are about halfway set, take off heat and sprinkle top with feta, parmesan, and some crunchy salt. Place under the broiler and don't walk away. If if browns too quickly, place on a lower shelf in the oven. Check for doneness after a minute by poking around in the middle of the frittata with a paring knife. An undercooked frittata is nasty. Try to find that perfect moment when the very center isn't quite set because it will continue to cook a bit after you take it out of the oven. 

While it's still piping hot, slide a knife around and dislodge the sides from the pan. Use a spatula and slowly slide it under the frittata. Do this all the way around, making sure you make it all the way to the center. You can serve it in the cast iron pan. Or you can flip it out on a plate. Just make sure you serve it crispy-feta side up.

Serve with toppings (see ingredients above for ideas).

RECIPE

CRAVINGS AND TOPPINGS

Dash and Bella crave very different kinds of food. Dash spoons salad dressing right into his mouth, gnaws on fennel fronds, sucks down anchovy fillets (just like his mama), and eats any kind of egg you offer him.

 Bella, on the other hand, is happiest when cracked out on sugar.

She came up with a recipe the other day that went like this:

- roll a ball of chocolate chip cookie dough in chocolate shavings
- coat the ball with caramel sauce
- roll the ball in sugar
- bake for a bit

She tried the recipe. It was a SUGAR EXPLOSION and she ate every burnt scrap.

But I've noticed a change in Bella. I haven't heard these words in a while (usually followed by a very dramatic gag): "Eww, those vegetables make me want to BARF!" Now she will eat most vegetables when they're in the form of a tart, soup, gratin, or salad. But she needs TOPPINGS (just like her mama). We've been thinly slicing cippolini onions, green garlic, or shallots and frying them in olive oil. We call them "crispies" and we sprinkle them on everything. The remaining oil can be used all week for salad dressings or marinades. These are the cippolini crispies that we put on our asparagus and potato soup.

Over the past month we've been making an asparagus and potato gratin two ways. Bella LOVES both versions. The simple one is just potato slices drizzled with olive oil and salt, topped with peeled asparagus, bread crumbs, and cheese. Dash and Bella insisted on layering the potato slices one at a time. A lovely process to watch the two of them do, but not necessary. You can just dump in the slices and smooth them out. After it's cooked, you can pop it out of the tart pan and slice it up like a pizza.

The other version is a bit more fancy-pants. You mix the potato slices with egg, cream, and crispy green garlic. Then you top it with peeled asparagus, more crunchy green garlic, balsamic-marinated green garlic, bread crumbs, parmesan, and pecorino.

To prep for the gratin, Dash snipped the ends off of the asparagus.

We went all out and made green garlic AND cippolini onion crispies. Dash used the onions to scratch his back.

My husband said this was one of the best things I've ever made. He had consumed only 3 glasses of wine so I think he can be trusted.

For even  more asparagus inspiration, go over to Yummy Supper for a tasty (I've tried it!) Spring Vegetable Tart and an Asparagus/Lemon Risotto. And Crumpets and Cakes has a lovely Asparagus and Potato Tart. Work it, you Bay Area food bloggers.

POTATO AND ASPARAGUS GRATIN WITH GREEN GARLIC CRISPIES

printable recipe

-You can make this tart in a round or rectangular tart pan. I used a 9" round.
-You can keep this very simple by just slicing potatoes, coating them with a bit of olive oil and lots of salt, spreading them in the pan, topping them with peeled asparagus/bread crumbs/cheese, and baking until cooked through and browned. Or, check out this version with a few more ingredients and steps.
- Instead of green garlic (or in addition to) you can use cippolini onions, baby onions, leeks, or shallots.
 serves 2-4 

ingredients:

-olive oil or butter for greasing tart pan

-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-4 tablespoons olive oil

-3 stalks green garlic, roots removed and most of the soft green part trimmed off

-1/3 cup heavy cream

-1 egg

-1 1/2 teaspoons salt

-a few turns of pepper
-8 medium-sized potatoes (don't use Idaho, yukon gold work really well), peeled and placed in a bowl of water until ready to slice 

-14-18 spears of asparagus, ends trimmed off and peeled up to the base of the tip

-1/2 cup bread crumbs

-1/4 cup pecorino cheese

-1/4 cup parmesan cheese

directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease tart pan or baking dish with olive oil or butter.

In a small bowl, pour balsamic vinegar over 1/3 of the sliced green garlic. Set aside until you assemble the tart.

In a small saucepan, heat olive oil for a minute. Add sliced green garlic. They will cook really fast. With a slotted spoon, remove them when they are crispy and brown (not black) and place on a paper towel. Set aside the green garlic oil to cool.

Whisk together the egg, cream, 2 tablespoons of the cooled garlic oil, 1/2 the crispy green garlic, salt, and pepper. Slice the potatoes paper thin and place in a mixing bowl. Pour egg mixture over the sliced potatoes. Use your hands to evenly coat all the potato slices. Spread coated potato slices in the bottom of the greased tart pan. Place the asparagus on top of the potatoes in any pattern you like. If you have the stalks alternating directions then people are more likely to get an asparagus tip in their slice, but you don't have to slice this tart in the conventional way.

Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and both grated cheeses. Finally, sprinkle on the remaining crispy green garlic. Strain the green garlic that's been soaking in the balsamic and sprinkle them over the gratin. Save the vinegar for salad dressing (if it's not too bitter).

Bake until potatoes are fully cooked. Undercooked potatoes do not taste good. Check the gratin after an hour, but it could take up to an hour and a half depending on the potatoes. Test the potatoes by pressing a the tip of a knife into the middle of the gratin. If there's any resistance, the potatoes aren't done. If the asparagus and toppings start to brown too much you can cover the gratin with tin foil until the potatoes are done.

Serve warm with a salad. You can make some salad dressing with the leftover green garlic oil and balsamic vinegar.