Tag Archives: lemon dressing

Butter Bean Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Posted on by February 5, 2015

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get around to making this Butter Bean Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. I had something similar to it last Spring at the Fremont Diner and I absolutely loved it. I’ve bought the various ingredients many times in the past year or so, but it seems like I can never keep them all in the house at the same time. First I buy the fennel and then use it up roasting it with tomatoes and garlic for a quick pasta dish. Then I buy beets but use them up for salad or bruschetta. Then I buy beans but end up making them into basil bean spread. What can I say? Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of why something is in your fridge. But I finally made this Butter Bean Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette and I’m so glad that I did. Since I finally held the initial salad together, we’ve had it multiple times. And each time I make it, I’m as grateful for the leftovers and I am for the salad itself, which is saying something, because too many salads make terrible leftovers. I grilled some sweet Italian chicken … Continue reading →

Tomatoes on a Fence

Posted on by November 10, 2014

I’ve now had the pleasure of dining at Blue Hill in New York a couple of times. Last fall, I took my parents when they were in town visiting, and it was the catalyst for these beautiful photographs. Of course the whole meal was wonderful, but to my dad, who is a master craftsman when it comes to all things carving a woodworking, the highlight was the amuse bouche. Tomatoes on a Fence is a tribute to both Blue Hill, and my father, who share the gift of helping others see the art in the beauty of the natural word and appreciation for the nourishment we take from it. The amuse was in many ways, the simplest of things. It featured tiny heirloom vegetables blanched or served raw on a “fence”. Dad was so entranced by the beautiful fence that he made me one for Christmas. It’s definitely not a serving item that I use all the time, as it really does require tiny vegetables to make the scale work, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to share this lovely sculpture with you during the height of heirloom tomato season. The beautiful tomatoes look like precious gems or painstakingly … Continue reading →

Snappy Green Salad: beyond leafy greens

Posted on by January 26, 2015

My Snappy Green Salad: beyond leafy greens was perfect for our Summer Kick-Off, Chesapeake Bay Adventure. The old-fashioned fun of board and yard games made me nostalgic for all things Summer, and the Snappy Green Salad fit the theme perfectly by requiring a little bean snapping. Both bean snapping and corn husking are romantically nostalgic tasks from my childhood that take me to July in Wisconsin- long summer nights- watching the diamonds on the water, and helping mom make dinner. This time, I was in charge, and I got to hand off the corn-husking and bean snapping to my trusty sous-chefs. They were reclined in their Adirondack chairs and sipping Racer 5, so they didn’t mind a lick. Just like I never did as a child. And if no one was watching, I tended to eat the inevitably extra ear of corn raw, sweet as it was in the summertime. I noticed my sous-chefs keeping the tradition alive by enjoying raw green beans when they thought no one was the wiser. Aside from the nostalgic tasks associated with my Snappy Green Salad: beyond leafy greens I can vouch for its simple deliciousness. I love salads to have lots of stuff … Continue reading →