{I cant resist these, crispy thin charred shallots are the secret ingredient.}

I’ve been sitting on this post for weeks now, it seems I’m paralyzed by my own dim wits and flat can’t get it together. This is it, despite the state of things — it’s going up today.  I do have to admit, covering my face in shame, that I’m deeply entranced by the Big Brother feeds right now.  I can’t look away.  At this point I think I’m just waiting for them to start eating one another and last night I swear I saw cannibalism peek it’s cute little head through the front door before shyly scampering off.  He’ll be back, I’m sure of it and I’d better not miss a thing!

I know this is just too cute, don’t you just want to give it hug?  From one tart to another, trust me on this one.  All the way down to it’s heart print unmentionables, it’s a perfect mix of sweet yet coquettish.

{This crust is extra thin and buttery with the thinnest layers of fig jam and lemon curd baked upon it.}

For the crust:

Prepare a tart pan, the type with the removable bottom, by lightly buttering then flouring it, tapping away any excess and set the oven to 425F. In a food processor, blend flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until pastry starts to come together and form clumps. Put the pastry in the tart pan, and using your fingertips, evenly press onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Pierce the bottom once with a fork and freeze for 15 minutes. Once chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking sheet until the crust is golden, about 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.

For the adorable cutouts, reserve some of the pastry, roll it out, bake, and then cookie cut some adorable shapes to press into the final layer of jam before the last baking session.

Spread on a layer lemon curd and bake a few minutes to set. Cool and then spread on a thin layer of Adriatic fig jam (if your feeling pretentious), press in your cut-outs, and bake for a few more minutes until set.

Kindly serve with a little lightly sweetened whipped cream for the full experience.

Now for the veggie, chicken, and beef skewers of my dreams.

Prepare the marinade:

Prepare the skewers:

Skewer houseguests, I mean steak, chicken, and veggies separately, brush them with a mixture of olive oil and crushed garlic.  Sprinkle salt and pepper and into a 400F oven until cooked.

I made a dip, with rice would be delicious…

Even he, of the down-turned whiskers, was all tuckered out after all that.

It was also Chris’s birthday last week, here’s a picture of the cake I made.  I couldn’t help but put rainbow sprinkles all over it.  You know what they say, you can take the girl out of Carvel but… well, you know what I mean.

{tags vegetable, beef, and chicken skewers fig jam and lemon curd tart}

This is the first time I made my own chili paste and was surprised to see how easy it is.  You have much more control this way too over the heat and quality or mixture of chilies you use.  The oyster sauce added that perfect sweet heat element that I love so much.  What I was unable to depict in the final picture, because I waited until the next day for natural light to snap the finished dish, was all the delicious sauce that we poured over the angel hair pasta along with the clams.  I think over night it drank it all up, the noodles were wonderful cold the next day so I can’t be too upset about this turn of events.

{I used little necks because they were freshest but you can use any clam or even mussels.}

For the chili paste, you will need:

Grind the chilies and oil in a food processor adding a little water while blending, set aside.

{We drank a bottle of Bollinger Champagne with dinner, there’s a tiny gold seal on the bottle that says ‘by appointment to Queen Elizabeth II’, and you guys all know how I love The Queeeen.  Plus wikipedia said it’s the official champagne of Bond – James Bond, pour me another! …hic… }

Pour yourself a glass of chilled champagne in real crystal to gather your wits about you (like, say, hmnnn – oh I don’t know, the queen might?) before brandishing your wok.  Then, for the clams:

Heat the wok, add some peanut oil, when the wok is good and hot add the ginger strips and fry until just golden. Add chili paste, fresh chilies, oyster sauce, stir fry for a few minutes before adding the clams. Once the clams have opened, pour onto a serving dish or over some noodles.  Then fall into a meditative pattern of sip and slurp, sip and slurp, and so on and so forth.

{tags stir-fry clams chili paste recipe Bollinger champagne}

Here’s to wishing everyone a a happy and healthy new year.  Drive safe and and don’t eat too many LemonBerry tarts like the one in this picture.  It’s the first taken with my new Nikon D80 (my BIG gift!!).  The recipe for this tart is the same as here, only we adoringly adorned it with blackberries, raspberries, powdered sugar, and strawberry leaves.  xo, Aria

{tags Nikon D80 LemonBerry Tart Recipe}

This was easy as can be to make and worth every minute of effort. I never saw a desert pull a disappearing act quite like this one. It was like my kitchen was in time lapse film with plates and whipped cream flying about at warp speed. My only advice would be to wear some protective lab goggles, you can never be too careful with your peepers.

Lemon Tart with Buttery Shortbread crust

(The Crust)

Prepare a tart pan, the type with the removable bottom, by lightly buttering then flouring it, tapping away any excess and set the oven to 425F. In a food processor, blend flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until pastry starts to come together and form clumps. Put the pastry in the tart pan, and using your fingertips, evenly press onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Pierce the bottom once with a fork and freeze for 15 minutes. Once chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking sheet until the crust is golden, about 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.

(The Custard)

Reduce oven to 350F while you prepare the filling. In a food processor, blend cream cheese until smooth, add sugar and eggs until incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients until well blended and smooth. Pour into your tart shell and bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is set. Let cool, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.

{The essential cream topping is 1/2 cup heavy cream whipped with 1 tb powdered sugar for the ultimate experience. Yum!}

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger Snaps Crust

(The Crust)

This is another holiday cake that is beyond temptation. Whole Foods of course had home made ginger snaps that really pushed this crust over the edge of all reason. Set the oven to 350F and use a food processor to pulverize the cookies. Mix the ground cookies, sugar, and melted butter together in a bowl and then pour into a prepared spring form pan. Press the crust on the bottom and up the sides as much as you can. It doesn’t have to be even at all, and then freeze while you prepare the filling.

(The Filling)

In a food processor, blend the cream cheese until smooth, one at a time add the rest of the ingredients until combined and smooth. Put spring form pan on a baking sheet and pour filling over the chilled ginger crust. Bake for 30 minutes and then reduce temperature to 325F, bake 15 minutes more until edges are puffed but the center still jiggles a bit.

(The Topping)

Meanwhile, whisk together sour cream, vanilla, and sugar. Remove cake from oven and pour sour cream mixture over the top. Very gently distribute the topping, return cake to the oven and bake 15 more minutes to set the topping.

To prevent cracking, loosen the cake from the pan by running a sharp knife around the inside edge. Let cake cool completely and then refrigerate at least 8 hours (preferably overnight) before serving to your besties and the gathering crowds.

{tags lemon tart with shortbread crust recipe gingery pumpkin cheesecake recipe}

We just returned from a trip to Healdsburg, Sonoma where we taste wine, explore, have picnics, taste more wine, play scrabble, eat at fine restaurants, drink more wine, and play more scrabble. Wake up, wash, rinse, repeat. We rented a house that was tucked away in this little bohemian community along the Russian River. Quiet, no cell signal, clean air.

We did a couple wine pairing tastings that were so delicious. Small bites with intense flavors designed to bring out the unique characteristics of each wine. That is the life! We saw adorable little Sweetpea again at Rochioli, you might remember her from last year, visited some of the most beautiful wineries, and took a day trip to Mendocino where we had burgers on the coast. (Also having burgers on the coast was Doctor Addison Shepherd and her boyfriend McCheesey who were making out like nobody’s beeswax, fyi.)

Here are some pictures from the trip, I don’t want to go to work tomorrow! Sniff, grrrrr.

If you are in the area, make sure to eat at Mirepoix. Just look at the menu, avec frites – excuse et moi! Also, we had the best french onion soup I’ve ever slurped at John Ash, yum.

Our favorite tasting was at Lynmar overlooking their vegetable garden and rolling vinyards whilst sipping delicious chardonnay, adrift…

{tags healdsburg mendocino}

I’ve always wanted to try swallow’s nest soup. Along with white truffle and shark fin, it tops my list of delecacies I’d love to sink my fangs into. While I bide my time eating peanut butter and fluff sandwiches, more humble ingredients in the shape of a swallow’s nest will have to suffice. I bought these squid ink noodles at a fish market, they are not at all fishy and have a very mild flavor. Aren’t they neat?

I added a tiny bit of sunflower and sesame oil, fresh ginger, chives, and soy to the noodles before twisting them into little nests. Then, topped each one with seared scallops and salmon roe just before eating them. The scallops were extra sweet and each bite bursted with flavor from the salmon roe which was also remarkably fresh tasting.

Cook the noodles according to instructions, drain and mix in the sesame oil, sunflower oil, soy, and chives. Using a garlic press, crush the ginger into the noodles discarding whats left in the press.

Sear the scallops in a little oil, sprinkle a bit of sea salt, and set aside. Using a fork, twist the noodles into what looks like little bird’s nests leaving a slight indent in the center. Place one or two scallops into the noodles and finish with some salmon roe. Serve to your adoring loved ones and enjoy. Happy Valentines Day everyone XO!

{tags squid ink noodles salmon roe}

{each bite of this roasted zucchini, feta, avocado, and red onion salsa bursts with flavor as the juicy pomegranite pops in your mouth!}

The thing I look most forward too each year is spending Christmas in Atlanta. It’s a whirlwind impossibly packed into a couple days, but going home for the holidays is like being wrapped in a warm blanket and I just love it. There’s always lots of excellent food, trash talking games of scrabble, incredible wine, gift giving, and family fun. Here are two recipes that barely chip away at some of the delicious things we ate over Christmas weekend, one savory and one sweet.

Dark Chocolate and Peppermint Whipped Cream Tart (Bon Appetit)

*crust*

Blend first 4 ingredients in a processor. Add butter and vanilla; pulse until pea sized pieces are achieved. Add milk and pulse until small clumps form. Gather dough in a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic, chill 1 hour.

Roll out into 12″ diameter between 2 shhets of floured parchement. Press into a 10″ tart pan with removable bottom. Fold over around the edges to produce thick sides and freeze for 20 minutes.

Pierce bottom with a fork and bake until golden at 350F, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

*filling*

Bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer in a medium sauce pan, remove from heat. Add chocolate and wisk until smooth. Cool 30 minutes then pour into crust. Sprinkle 1/2 c candy, chill for about 3 hours.

*topping*

using an electric mixer, whip the cream, peppermint extract, and sugar into stiff peaks. Pipe the cream on into a pretty cloud. Please do not follow our lead in this department as this could have been much perettier if any of us had any decorating skills or tools. Not bad for a baggie with the corner snipped off!

Zucchini, Avocado, and Pomegranite Salsa (Food & Wine)

{salsa curtesy of the lovely Mary Leslie who has been wrongly accused of not being able to cook. don’t believe it for one hot second, bravo ml, bravoh!!}

Toss zucchini, oregano, 1 tb oil, 1/ ts salt, and a few turns of pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet and roast for 25 minutes at 425F, let cool

Transfer zucchini to a medium bowl, add onion, avocado, pomegranite, feta, lime juice, 1 tb olive oil, 1/4 ts salt, and some black pepper. Gently stir to combine, refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Slice pitas into 6 triangles each, arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 ts salt, a few turns of black pepper, and bake until pale golden for about 5 minutes at ~400F.

Finally, a Christmas photo essay of other memorable snacks and images.

{these roasted peppers are *so* delicious, we ate them stuffed with chivre. i have to find them online and stuff them with italian tuna, mmmmm!}

{two kinds of limoncello, the blue bottle is er… *was* a creamy version that was out of this world. literally, poof!}

{christmas morning tradition, quiche and mimosas. perhapse the greatest quiche in all the land; recipe from Bistro Jeanty, i’ll post the recipe soon.}

{’06 srabble championships complete with the beautiful new board, excuse et moi! what do you mean thats not a word?}

{our last supper before the airport, sniff}

{the loot, the loot! isn’t the tree pretty?}

{special thanks to Bandit our Quality Control Officer without whose services we might not all be here today. thanks for another tomorrow bandito, your the best!}

{tags happy new year}

Back at home before we left, Noosh was totally unphased by the packing as you can see.

And Max, totally fell to pieces. Here he is showing his displeasure.

Here’s Spahny again begging for an ice cube. You should see him run when he hears the ice maker, so clever!

{tags weekend cat blogging babaganoosh max the hammer}

Evidence of Noosh’s Bionic Fang ™ has finally been captured on film. After hunting all night, he subdued this wild can of albacore and cranked open it’s protective metal alloy shell the can using the fang that was installed by NASA as a test unit.

After capturing that savage can of tuna, he still had time to help with Thanksgiving dinner by using that fancy fang of his to snap the stems off some green beans. Excuse Moi!

Notice his laser like focus.

What, NASA you ask? Yes, in fact both our cats beta test for them under the secret black ops feline squadron. Here you can see Max attempting to activate his new telekenesis chip to turn the bathroom faucet on so he can have a drink. So serious when he’s working!

Here they both are after a long day of government work! Pitiful.

{tags weekend cat blogging babaganoosh max the hammer}

Buckle in and roll ‘em up friends, we’re going for a little ride. All of my ‘drafts’ dating too far back will be incorporated into one dangerous post. I understand the risks of holding your attention through all this self involved information. This is my blog bitches, stick around – I’m just getting warmed up.

>First up, the last episode of The OC. Carefull y’all, I doubt you’ve stepped in deeper puddles. Marissa Cooper is D-E-A-D? Coop? COOP?! They played ‘Halelujah’ as she slipped away from this cruel world that never understood her anyway?! I guess the writers were glad to see her go. Jalalujah! FOX, why do you hate Marissa so? WHY.

>Moving right along, Venom: Not The Band, The Lip Gloss. As a longtime glosser first time blogger, Lip Venom remains my favorite. It’s cinnamon, clear, thin, not sticky, perfect alone, or as a primer for some light color over the top. The packaging kicks the competition’s ass too with this cardboard tube that’s perfect for holding stray pills. Am I losing you yet? I’m going to finish strong, I promise.

>Next, a Grammatical Bulletin – The Apostrophe. Sorry to keep you waiting so long! Lets get right to it, for most of my life my name involved an apostrophe conveniently located between a rediculous arrangement of vowels. This little bugger was single handedly responsible for missed flights, incorrect credit cards, drivers licenses, marriage certificates, social security numbers, gang related turf wars, you name it. Even now with my tidy and definitive married name, the apostrophe still haunts me. Most recently he’s parked his obsructive little ass on a background check. Trust me on this one, you menacing bastard, there’s much worse than you in my tainted past so don’t even try. Please refer to this, I’m the hottie on the right.

>In Husband news, it ain’t easy being The Evil Overlord of the Criminal Underbelly of the Internet. Chris is working at myspace these days. And every time I turn around there’s another story about how it’s destroying the fabric of our vulnerable youth. I think it’s what you call a zeitgeist, this myspace dot com. Thank the lord myspace wasn’t around when I was a teenager. I probably would still be prisoner in Brunai performing sexual favors for some pervy sultan I agreed to meet at the roller rink in 1988 for an innocent game of Centepede.

>Finally, here are some pics from our recent trip to Sonoma.


Where we stayed, the Inman Winery at the Olivet House.

Dinner at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek.

Hawian Blue Prawn – fava beans, applewood smoked bacon, spring onions, oregano oil, tomato broth

Hog Island Sweetwater Oysters – on the 1/2 shell with verjus mignonette, sambal cocktail, lemon

Dungeness Crab Cake – smoked eggplant fondue, Love Farm’s sorrel, caper remoulade

Alaskan Halibut – artichokes, cipolini onions, tomato confit, boquerones, taggiasca olives, basil oil

King Salmon – poached with shrimp tortellini, young asparagus and five herb butter

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin – Tokyo turnip, fondant potato, braised Love Farm’s greens

Fourty-Eight Hour Braised Short Ribs – herbed mashed potatos, asparagus

Delicious Chocolatey Mandariney Moussey Desert to share with coffees and dessert wines

Ps. Note to the beautiful and charming Mary Leslie: Send me the quotes – I repeat – Send me the quotes. Kisses!
{tags lip gloss marissa cooper sonoma apostrophe yes}