Summer: Eat Simple and Bright

It's that time. Full on summer, where the mere idea of cooking feels like too much. Keep a Negroni or Last Word close, and throw fresh ingredients together. That's the speed of summer. And so happens to be the theme of my latest at Anthology. 

I thought, for this time around, why not share a few favorite go-to's as summer's heat bears down on us all? Side note: I just traveled to New Orleans for a travel story, my first time. 1. Why the hell haven't I been there before?? It was amazing. 2. Holy Mother of God, it is hot there….. Anyway, summer is hot and we want to eat delicious things that don't keep us chained to the stove. Right? 

I happened to have a refrigerator full of fresh produce from my CSA with Harvest Roots Farm and my good friends at Sanctuary Farms, and another friend leaving town for a few days said, "have at my veg patch 'cause it's just going to go to waste"…. Why go crazy in this heat for a story, when the one that needed to be created was right in front of me?

Here are three amazing salads that will have you and your guests smiling. Maybe gushing. See the whole story, with recipes, here.

Broiled peach and butter lettuce salad with sheep's cheese toasts and toasted almonds - bright, juicy, crunchy, and every bit the epitome of summer.

My riff on the Niçoise - briny, sharp, crunchy, creamy, buttery, peppery - a savory lover's paradise.

Wilted chard and prosciutto with toasted pine nuts - soft and velvety, salty, tangy, buttery, crunchy - as simple as it gets.

Which one suits you?

Also! If you haven't seen it yet, this week's New York Times features my couscous-inspired paella…. (I did some cooking after all) Ridiculously photogenic and delicious. Here it is, as well as a few outtakes -

I just completed a massive load of photo edits for some recent projects. Very excited to see what the editors choose, forming the shape of each story. Next week brings a new, ambitious project, shooting one of the pioneer chefs (and his delectable food) here in the South….  

Stay tuned!

Food52 Preserved Lemons, New York Times Slow Roasted Fish, Continental Bakery for Birmingham Magazine

It's been a supremely busy time. I feel like I've been saying this with each visit here, but it's true. Thanks for keeping me busy with wonderful projects, lovely clients. :) I just finished a travel story for Garden and Gun Magazine - look for it late summer - and this week will be a new travel piece with Fine Cooking and A Moveable Feast. How fun!

For things here at home base: it makes my day to conceive - and then execute on - each recent story...  How will this new one feel in its textures and hues? What will the food on the plate look like on set? How do I see the light dancing across everything, making a gorgeous display so that all of you will be sure to get irritatingly hungry? I'm having a blast. 

Today debuts a new contribution to the 'Halfway to Dinner' column I've written for, here and here. This story is about my love affair with preserved lemons. They are extremely easy to prepare - all you need is patience! Preserved lemons, essentially a pickle, impart a delightful punch to anything to which they are added. See for yourself. Click here for the full story. 

In all my busy-ness, I could only quick-and-dirty-like (with my iPhone) document this batch made for Food52. These are Meyer lemons and I highly recommend using them for their sweeter flavor and thinner skin-to-pith ratio. Use organic, whatever you have chosen, as you'll ingest skins and all. Salt, some lemon juice and water, and a month or so's time, and you have briny, satiny-savory amped up lemons for use in just about anything… if you make some, I want to know how you decide to use them!

In other news, last week's New York Times carried another Pairings article I produced, featuring a fabulous roasted fish...

Here is the full story (and the delicious recipe).

Another story out now, this month's Birmingham Magazine features a wonderful bakery which has innovated French style baking here, for 30 years and counting. Carole, the owner, was such a pleasure to work with. And, I can attest that each baked good is worth its weight in butter and flour….

There are summer pastries waiting to debut, an artisan pickle story, and a gorgeous feature all about me, right around the corner. There's also more travel work - I fall in love with so many of the places - and more with my beautiful farmer friends. Not enough time in a day. 

For all the latest, come along with me for daily experimentation and funny, beautiful adventures on Instagram. I'm addicted and having way too much fun!

I hope you're diving into summer and celebrating it to the fullest. xoxo

Sausage-Making with Birmingham Mag and Five Fab Recipes at Food52

I am having so much fun. Thinking of how I eat day-to-day, I love combining ingredients to achieve a delight for the mouth. In the circles I travel, I've been contemplating how to share that with as great an audience as possible, which led me to my new contribution over at Food52.  I think this is the beginning of a rich relationship… ;)

Here are the photographs from the story to whet your appetites - click here for the story with recipe how-to's! All creations by yours truly, and fully taste-tested for deliciousness.

Pasta Puttanesca

Radicchio Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts and Crumbled Egg

Olive Oil-Dressed Potato Salad with Smoked Paprika and Capers

Salmon-Avocado Toasts with Fried Capers

Cannellini and Farro with Lemon Zest, Herbs, and Fresh Asiago

Get to it and make one - or all - of these. Please come back and let me know which you love most!

In news of the delicious South, I had the great pleasure to photograph Andouille sausage-making with Chef Chris at Homewood Gourmet, and he knows his craft well. In his family for years the recipe is simple, the process specific, and as you can see, produces awesome results. Here is the spread, along with some of my favorites….

Meat, casings, and spices for Andouille

Whether you are laboring over some feast-to-come, or want simple satisfaction for lunch, make tasty food using ingredients that spark your senses.

What else is there if we cannot enjoy the aromas, delight in the shapes and colors, and then relish the crunchy, juicy give of delicious foods we made ourselves? Here's to more good eating, everyday. 

Where I Stand and the Road Ahead

I've been thinking about how to devote more time to writing here, sharing my challenges, adventures, and progress along my path. Of course, it has been nice to be so busy with many wonderful freelance projects. I need that. Gotta bring home the bacon somehow, and batting my eyelashes at a farmer friend isn't going to do it.

Here are some of my favorites from my newest feature over at Anthology. It's a French custard, called a flognarde (and really simple to make)...

 

Since I've been freelance again in an entirely new land, my husband and I have done some fancy footwork to establish stability. I am so grateful for the connections made with - and through - new friends here, and wonder how long this grace will bolster us. I am also grateful for cultivating solid relationships with my clients, and as time has worn on, their belief in me. It has made all the difference.

I know I don't share as many recipes here as I once did. I carry a certain amount of guilt about that, as if I am not taking care of y'all, but I wonder if I'm projecting and if it even bothers you at all. My hope is that you relish the bounty in the step-by-step stories I have been creating in my column over at Anthology - for over 6 months now! - and that their beauty and information (and the link to the recipe, too!) is consolation enough. Check them all out if you haven't seen them already: numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, and now, seven.

What I really am saying is, what do you love that I provide? Are you missing out on things you feel I used to share? Is there anything you want to see more of? I always have a nagging feeling I need to write more. I hide behind my pictures and often hope that's good enough. They speak so well. I am self-conscious of my writing and so, when there's lots of new photography I've produced - like the wonderful recent trip to be with some beloved farmer friends - I plaster it all over and then whisk off to the next project.

Cooking and styling, in addition to my steady shooting - I love this whole picture. I want to share so many moments in food process. There's something about that which is deeply important to me. As a result, sometimes there's less of a volume of work produced, but with a farther exploration into each. I have fun with these stories. I hope you do, too.

So, here's to sharing in all of the "nexts"….

There's housekeeping to be done and writing to do, and a long-term project simmering. Thank you for accompanying me this far, and your support and delight in anticipation for what's to come!