Citrus Salad with Avocado

Elk and Cheddar Melts with Piper's Pickles

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Piper whipped up this tomato soup for us after a couple of hours of romping in the snow; I made some grilled cheese using her beautiful homemade bread to go with it. (Bourbon hot chocolate not pictured.) What a perfect snow day lunch!

Elk Loin with Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Turnips, and a Red Wine- Rhubarb Apple Sauce

Amazingly enough, at Piper's house this was another pantry meal. She had the elk in her freezer from a hunter friend, and the brussels and turnips from her CSA. We rubbed the elk with a spice mix (black pepper, juniper berries and herbs), seared it on the stove and then roasted it in the oven. The Brussels sprouts and turnips were cooked in bacon fat until they caramelized, and we improvised the sauce using rhubarb, apples, red wine, rosemary, and a little gin to compliment the juniper in the meat.

Beet Bruschetta

Stuck in Chicago during "Snowpocalypse 2011," my friend Piper and I have been working with what food she has in her pantry... by which I mean, the most amazing assortment of ingredients! Inspired by a meal we had at Lula before the blizzard, I used the beets from her last CSA box to make my favorite salad, and served it atop her incredible homemade sourdough with her homemade farmers' cheese. Yum!

Roasted Beets with Olives, Capers, and Oranges; Smashed Chickpeas and Toast

Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart, Reprise

We made this tart again. You have no idea how good it is!

Coconut Rice with Squash and Black Beans

From Tartelette... Terrible picture, but this was delicious! The lime zest and lemongrass in it really give it that something extra.

Cherry Custard Tart with Anise

This came from the Moro Cookbook- the cherries (which I had frozen from last summer) are cooked in anise liqueur, and then you make a syrup with the juice to pour over the finished tart. Please note that due to the low lighting, this looks much more yellow and eggy than it really was!

Penne with Olives, Capers, and Breadcrumbs

Cranberry Beans, Roasted Squash and Apples

Lentils and Spicy Squash with Avocado Toast

Spiced Almonds

Inspired by Moro, these are just almonds I roasted and tossed with olive oil, paprika, salt, and a little cayenne and white pepper.

Mashed Sunchokes and Millet with Cranberry and Purple Shelling Beans, Caramelized Onion, and Arugula and Persimmon Salad

Inspired by this post. I am not a big cauliflower fan, and I had some sunchokes in the fridge so I decided to use them instead. I think it came out great, and it was delicious with the sweet, caramelized onions and fresh shelling beans.

Roasted Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing and Nigella Seeds (Reprise)

I made the beet salad from Moro again for our pumpkin carving party, and served it in these adorable little cups, with some daikon sprouts on top.

Leftovers

Spicy, roasted squash and hand-pulled mozzarella from our party the other night, served with lentils.

Pluot Galette

Inspired by a tart I had at Chez Panisse last month, we served this with rosewater whipped cream, which really brought out the fragrance of the pluots. (Pictured below with our favorites from the River Cafe books: Chocolate Walnut Torte and Pear Almond Cake)

Spicy Squash and Hand-Pulled Mozzarella Skewers

Erik pulled the mozzarella just moments before we served the skewers. Recipe from Jamie.

Smashed Canellini Beans with Thyme and Garlic, Arugula Salad, Toast

Arugula and Avocado Salad, Avocado Toast