Split Red Lentil and Apricot Soup

This soup is something a bit different and completely addictive. I took inspiration from my recent travels to Eastern Europe where oil- toasted spices were added to simple soups and stews, creating a fantastically warm and rounded flavor. My friend Casey and I spent two weeks wandering around Hungary and Croatia where the food is almost as stunning and exotic as the scenery. In Budapest we gorged ourselves on pastries and cheeses, and discovered that Hungarian gulyás makes the perfect hangover cure after a late night of drinking palinka at the ruin pubs. It is nothing like the oily, food baby-inducing goulash we were all forced to eat at the school cafeteria and I am still working to try to come up with a recipe that can do the dish justice.

We spent much of our time in Croatia on the Dalmatian coast whose rugged beauty is like nothing I've ever seen. The medieval fishing towns cascade off the steep hills into water that is ice blue, ice clear and ice cold. The cuisine in this region is much simpler and fresher than inland and dining on a whole fish, caught that morning by the chef's son is commonplace. I still have dreams about the black sea bream we ate served with nothing but crispy-hot french fries and a local glass of wine.

I tweaked several recipes and came up with this version of lentil and apricot soup. I personally think that cumin and apricots make for an unusual combo that needs to happen more often. This soup makes a great lunch or light dinner that will keep you full forever. Just top with some fresh plain yogurt, pickled vegetable of your choice and you are in Eastern European dining heaven!

Hidden Bean Potato and Leek Soup

A few weeks ago I had a bunch of potatoes and some leftover leeks so I decided to make a french-style leek and potato soup. To help thicken the soup and to punch up the nutritional value, I added garbanzo beans and pureed the whole thing. The beans blend with the potato and leek flavors beautifully, add a lovely richness and yet hide completely in the background.

You can leave this soup unpureed for a rustic effect, but a pureed soup is more traditional. If you do leave it unpureed, I suggest using navy or cannellini beans instead of garbanzos. They will be softer and won't dominate the final soup as much.

"Old-Fashioned" Cupcakes

My friend Martin, in honor of this 27th birthday, decided to host a St. Patrick's Day brunch this past Saturday. It was a potluck brunch so everyone brought a whole slew of delicious fare, both sweet and savory. Brunch is a somewhat regular event among our friends, but since this one was a special celebration, I thought I should make cupcakes.

I was debating about what type of cupcake I should make, and I knew classic chocolate or vanilla was not going to cut it. Martin makes a mean old-fashioned and I thought it only appropriate to celebrate his birthday with an interpretation of his favorite cocktail. Plus, it was St. Patrick's day, so why wouldn't I include in my cooking that most Irish of elixir, Whiskey?

The classic old-fashioned gets its flavor from maraschino cherries and oranges muddled with whiskey. This is mixed with a bit of simple syrup, bitters, and served on the rocks. When I make an old-fashioned I usually use maple syrup instead of the simple syrup; I find the earthy flavors of the maple syrup really mesh well with the oak flavors in the whiskey. Thus, I ended up making a vanilla-maple cake, which I then drizzled with maraschino-whiskey syrup. I topped all of this with more maraschino-maple-whiskey-flavored frosting and garnished with a slice of orange and a cherry on top.

Spring Pea, Leek and White Bean Soup

Spring is finally here! Yes, I know that we never really had a winter, but I still get excited when I see the first buds on the trees appear and the first daffodils start to tentatively bloom even if I never had to chip ice of my car.

I have been on a soup kick recently and the appearance of fresh peas delicately green peas in the grocery store gave me a flash of inspiration. Pea and leek soup is a classic spring combination, one that I come back to each year around this time. For this version I wanted to make this light soup into a proper meal so I gave it more body by adding white beans and caramelized onion, and made it sing with a generous portion of lemon zest and tons of herbs added at the last minute. This simple and elegant bowl of soup was topped with grated Parmesan more herbs and served with a thick slice of bread for the best spring kickoff meal imaginable.

Curried Brown Butter Heaven

This is a quick post about my new condiment obsession: curried brown butter. There are two ingredients and I will only give you one guess. Making curried brown butter is fast and simple and it will change the way you dress all of your food. I have taken to drizzling a little over soup, tossing warm potatoes or veggies in it. I have even spread some on my grilled cheese sandwich. The last one was a bit unnecessary but boy was it tasty!