The thermostat may say 95F, but honestly, I don’t care!  Hot or cold, there is something comforting about a good bowl of soup.  And apparently I’m not alone finding comfort in a bowl.  Books have even been written drawing the correlation between soup and comfort (i.e. Chicken Soup for the Soul).  And it’s true …When I’m feeling under the weather, I crave soup, when it’s chilly outside, I crave soup and when I want a simple and satisfying meal, I crave soup.

Turning gorgeous, vibrantly colored summer produce into a light, yet filling meal could not be easier or taste more delicious.  Beets, with their vibrate pinks, reds and violet colors provide a show-stopping presentation for a summertime soup .  When shopping for beets, look for small to medium sizes and beets free of spots and bruises. Beets peak season runs June through November.

This soup couldn’t be any simpler to prepare, containing just five key ingredients. And with high-tech kitchen gadgets like the Vita-Mix, there is no longer an excuse for those of you who feel you lack skill in the kitchen (eh-em, Mom!).  Anyone can become a master “chef” at making a simple soup.

Roasted Baby Beet Soup with Cumin & Crème Fraîche

2 Bunches Medium-Sized Baby Beets (approximately 8 beets), stalks and ends removed

1 Small Shallot, chopped

1 Cup Vegetable Stock

1 Tablespoon Crème Fraîche

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place beets on foiled baking sheet, toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cover with an additional sheet of foil.  Roast until beets are soft or approximately 30 minutes.

Remove beets from oven and discard skins.  Place beets and shallots in Vita Mix and puree.  Add vegetable stock and puree again.  Strain.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with crème fraîche and a pinch of cumin.  May be served hot of cold.  Makes 4 small servings.

food styling & photography: cynthia groseclose

bowls & spoons: coastal cupboard, mt. pleasant, sc

I have always had a preference toward savory foods and the potato has long been one of my favorites.  It’s starchy, filling and can be prepared so many different ways. To me, potatoes are the ultimate comfort food.

My grandmother made the most delicious creamed potatoes – the kind that are melt- in- your- mouth good with butter, heavy cream and salt.  Simple and incredibly sinful.  I am going to put it out there and say that her potatoes were almost as good as the one’s Robuchon is so famous for – the ones where you keep licking, hoping your empty spoon is just a mirage and that there is actually another bite waiting to be savored.

Since I love potatoes so much, I decided to do a little research and I discovered there are around five-thousand potato varieties world-wide and that global potato consumption is around seventy-three pounds per person on an annual basis. Potatoes are inexpensive and easy to grow, but do not have a very long shelf life, staying fresh around two weeks maximum. My personal favorite potatoe variety is the new potato, which has less starch content than baking potatoes and a distinct taste.

I love to roast potatoes and I recently decided to play around with roasting them in citrus and smoked paprika.  The tartness of the lemon and the smokiness of the paprika balance each other perfectly and a touch of crème fraîche adds a cool, creamy finish to this easy potato recipe.

Of course, I made mine into miniatures, placing three potatoes in miniature 1.5″ x 2″ porcelain cubes.  Serve them with miniature forks at your next party for little bite of comfort with a kick.

Roasted Lemon & Smoked Paprika Potatoes with Crème Fraîche

Serves 8

3lbs. small red and small yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

crème fraîche

freshly ground pepper

Pre-heat oven 400F.

Place potatoes in pot and cover with cold, salted water.  Boil on high-heat for 5 minutes or until soft.

Remove potatoes from heat and cut in half.  Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper.

Spread evenly on foiled baking sheet and roast, uncovered for approximately 30 minutes or until just browned.  The potatoes will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Garnish with crème fraîche and an extra sprinkling of smoked paprika.

I love simple, clean, seasonal food.  Food that is not overly complicated and really focuses on the beauty of the flavors of just a few key ingredients, one never outshining the other.  And while part of what makes my job so much fun is figuring out creative and unique ways to present a relatively simple bites – dressing up something uncomplicated, while providing a little visual inspiration… In the end, it is all about the flavors of the food.

This Pea Purée recipe from a recent party Canapé catered for Garden & Gun Magazine is the perfect backdrop for any spring garden soirée.

Simple Spring Pea Puree

3 cups fresh english peas

1/2 cup light extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

sprig of thyme

kosher salt

pepper

dash of heavy cream (optional)

Heat olive oil, butter and thyme in saute pan over medium heat.  Remove thyme.  Add peas and cook until tender.  While warm, transfer peas to food processor and purée until smooth. Pass pea purée through sève, pressing with ladle to remove shells. Season with salt and pepper. Splash with heavy cream.

Phyllo Cups

Frozen Phyllo Dough

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Thaw dough and unroll onto parchment paper.  On a separate piece of parchment, using two sheets of phyllo, cut rounds with a 3-inch cutter.  Place each round into a muffin tin brushed with olive oil and press the center down into the cup. Bake phyllo cups until golden brown.

Assembly

Spoon a tablespoon of purée into each phyllo cup.  Top with a piece of shaved parmesean, a drizzle of olive oil and lemon zest or top with ricotta salata.

photo by michell frizzell

I sometimes wonder if I am crazy for loving miniature foods. As beautiful as they are, the amount of labor that goes into making these tiny little packages of perfection is intense. Hundreds of little bites must be prepared as uniform and consistent as possible. Hours and hours of painstaking labor is made worth it when I see the reaction of the guests to the food. Witnessing a “sea” of minis on a table at an event excites and inspires me to keep coming back for more…

Last weekend, we catered a wedding brunch full of miniatures. One of my favorites, as well as a favorite of the guests was a play on crab cakes benedict-”McMuffin” style. Homemade mini english muffins layered with egg, jumbo lump crab cakes and a bearnaise butter.

This english muffin recipe is very simple and creates muffins with the perfect airy texture. Create your own “McMuffins” or enjoy them warm with butter and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. If you don’t want to make the mini version, use a larger cutter. Makes approximately 25 miniature muffins.

Mini English Muffins

4 cups organic bread flour

2 1/2 tsp. active yeast

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 egg whites

fine yellow cornmeal for dusting

canola oil

Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, yeast and water in large bowl. Mix until smooth. In separate bowl, beat egg whites into moist peaks. Fold dough mixture into egg whites. Add salt. Add remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough becomes difficult to stir. Remove dough from bowl and continue adding flour, working into dough until dough becomes silky smooth. Form a ball with dough and place in lightly oiled bowl, coating all sides of dough. Cover and allow to rise for 1hr.

Lightly pound air out of dough and roll out onto work surface. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut circles and place on baking sheet covered with parchment. Dust with cornmeal, cover and allow to rise for 5 minutes.

Heat canola oil in heavy-bottom fry pan over medium heat. Add muffins, several at a time and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Cool over wire rack. Makes approximately 25 miniature muffins.

It wasn’t too long ago the idea of eating something gluten-free sounded as appetizing to me as eating cardboard, but with a sister who maintains a gluten-free diet, I had to shed my prejudices and be open to experimenting. Gluten-free products have certainly come a long way. Today, there are tons of options for people with wheat allergies and those simply wanting to maintain a gluten-free way of eating, that are also quite tasty. Bread, cupcakes and pie crusts can all be enjoyed to one’s gluten-free content.

My latest gluten-free experiment, with brown rice pasta, grilled asparagus and leeks, ricotta and basil, has made me a believer that it doesn’t need gluten to be good. I think if I was blindfolded, I may very well fail this Top Chef challenge of identifying the wheat-free impostor. The texture of gluten-free pasta is slightly different from wheat pasta, but the taste is almost the same.

The verdict: gluten-free doesn’t have to be taste-free!

Gluten-Free Rigatoni with Grilled Asparagus, Leeks, Ricotta & Basil

Serves 4

16 oz. Wheat-Free Rigatoni, cooked as per instructions

1 Bunch Fresh Asparagus

1 Leek

1 cup Ricotta

Basil Leaves

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Cook rigatoni per instructions on packaging, rinse and drain.

Wash asparagus and leeks. Cut each asparagus stalk into into 4 pieces, slicing on the diagonal. Remove end of leek and cut in half . Place leek on flat side and slice each leek half into 1/4 inch pieces.

Heat olive oil in grill pan on medium/high heat. Grill asparagus for 2-3 minutes and then add leeks. Season. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until leeks are lightly colored and asparagus is al dente.

Heat olive oil in large saute pan on low heat. Add leek and asparagus mixture. Add pasta. Toss to combine and heat through.

Serve immediately, top with a spoonful of ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Garnish with basil.