Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta

Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta
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I feel a little silly dedicating an entire post to this wee Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta. As I said in a recent Instagram post, this is less of a recipe and more of a styling exercise. But this combo tasted so good that it seemed cruel to keep it from you. So here we are with a less-than-five-step recipe that is more of a concept. It’s fair to ask what this historic combo is. You’re looking at a solid disc of juicy watermelon topped with a ribbon of whipped ricotta dotted with bits of olive drizzled with Calabrian chili oil. The salad is finished with a sprinkling of crushed pistachios and bits of wood sorrel. 

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Strawberry Icebox Cake

Strawberry Icebox Cake
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Icebox cakes enjoyed their heyday during the 1920s and 30s. They were devised as a more approachable version of a Charlotte or a trifle. The dessert was rolled out as part of a marketing push for a kitchen appliance called the icebox. The use of pre-packaged cookies and cans of sweetened condensed milk enhanced the accessibility of the dessert. The most famous icebox cake recipe appeared for years on the back of a box of Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers. Today’s Strawberry Icebox Cake swaps the chocolate cookies and vanilla cream for strawberry wafer cookies and strawberry ruby chocolate whipped cream. The cake is finished with a frosting of Chantilly cream and a dusting of blitzed freeze-dried strawberries. 

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Asparagus Mousse with Tarragon Oil

Asparagus Mousse with Tarragon Oil
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Okay, so these Asparagus Mousse Cups look intimidating. You put edible flowers on anything and it’s “Hello, tasting menu”. But despite its bespoke appearance, this is not a difficult recipe and it’s an excellent starter particularly when temperatures soar and you’re looking to get a meal off to a refreshing start. These cups feature a butter-poached asparagus mousse topped with a pool of homemade tarragon oil. Chive blossoms and wood sorrel decorate the edges to create a whimsical dish that will delight and impress guests like no other. So let’s make ‘em! 

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Smashed White Bean Toast with Garlic Scape Pistou

Smashed White Bean Toast with Garlic Scape Pistou
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Earlier this week I brought you hand-formed pasta and today I give you beans on toast. Culinary whiplash much? What can I say? I contain multitudes. Sometimes I’m in gourmet mode, other times I’m the farthest thing from it. Today’s Smashed White Bean Toast with Garlic Scape Pistou falls somewhere in between. It requires only slightly more effort than a trashy home-alone meal. But the taste, well, that has “gourmet” written all over it. Complex but low-maintenance – a home cook’s dream. So let’s make it!

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