Blackberry Borage Fool

photo by Miana Jun

yield
Serves 4

A fool is a simple, old-fashioned English dessert made with fruit folded into whipped cream. It is so light you could fool yourself into thinking it has no calories at all, and the layers of flavors are complex enough that it is satisfying without being filling. British accent is optional. 1. Put heavy cream and borage flowers in a covered container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. In a bowl, combine 2 cups of the blackberries with lime juice and ginger and let them infuse for the same amount of time as the cream.

2. Mash the blackberry mixture by hand or in a food processor.

3. Strain borage-infused cream through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids. Combine with confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a mixer, and whip on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until cream is soft and billowy, but firm. Reserve a small amount for garnish, if desired.

4. Gently fold blackberry mash into borage cream. Divide the remaining 2 cups of blackberries between four tall cups or parfait glasses and top with the borage blackberry cream. Garnish with reserved borage cream, if desired, and borage flowers.

To use borage flowers, first pluck the flower from the plant at the base of its stem. Then wash and dry the flowers and, using a thumb and forefinger, gently tug at one of the five blue petals. The blue flower should easily come apart from its hairy green star-shaped receptacle.

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Faux Tart with Instant Lemon Ginger Custard

photo by Matt Armendariz © 2013

I was at Palena, my favorite restaurant in Washington, at the end of a meal, when the dessert's taste and texture made me gasp. It was a shallow lemon custard, not just silky but crystal clear in its flavor: a blast of just lemon, cream, and sugar in one bite. Pastry chef Aggie Chin explained that it's her take on a posset, a traditional English dessert in which the cream softly sets with nothing but the help of the acid from the lemon juice. I knew I'd try this at home. It makes the perfect topping for the cookie-crumble crust I like to make, and the perfect base for the fruit I like best with lemons: berries. This can be easily doubled when you'd like to make dessert for two nights in a row, or for you and a friend to share.Sprinkle the crumbled cookie into the bottom of a large ramekin, small glass jar, or small shallow bowl. Drizzle the crumbs with honey, then use a fork to combine the two and then to lightly pack down the mixture. Transfer to the freezer while you make the custard.

Grate the ginger, then press the grated ginger through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl. You should have about a teaspoon of ginger juice.

Pour the cream into a small saucepan set over medium heat, stir in the sugar, and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the ginger juice and lemon juice. Let the mixture cool in the saucepan for about 20 minutes.

Pour the warm cream mixture into the ramekin over the crumbs, and refrigerate until the cream has set, at least 30 minutes but possibly longer, depending on the depth of the container and the fat content of the cream. (Or you can make it the day before; cover it with a piece of plastic wrap pressed tightly on the surface of the cream.) The custard will be softly set, like a pudding, not firm like a flan.

Top with the berries and eat.

Reprinted with permission from Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook by Joe Yonan, © 2013 Ten Speed Press

JOE YONAN is the food and travel editor for The Washington Post, where he writes regular features, including the "Weeknight Vegetarian" column. He is the author of Eat Your Vegetables and Serve Yourself, which Serious Eats called "truly thoughtful, useful, and incredibly delicious." Yonan has won awards for writing and editing from the James Beard Foundation, the Association of Food Journalists, and the Society of American Travel Writers, and his work has been featured three times in the Best Food Writing anthology.

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Chilled Tomato and Stone Fruit Soup

photo by Gentl & Hyers

yield
Makes 6 servings

This riff on gazpacho gets unexpected sweetness—and great color— from the addition of cherries and a peach.Pulse tomatoes in a blender until finely chopped and transfer to a large bowl. Pulse cucumber, peach, jalapeño, garlic, and cherries in blender until finely chopped and add to bowl with tomatoes. Mix in vinegar, 1/4 cup oil, 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 cup cold water; season with pepper. Cover and let sit at room temperature 1 hour, or chill at least 12 hours.

Season soup with kosher salt, pepper, and more oil and vinegar, if desired. Serve soup drizzled with oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD: Soup can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

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Wild Mushroom, Roasted Beet, and Goat Cheese Salad with Onion Purée

photo by MasterChef

yield
Makes 4 servings

This is a winning-contestant recipe from Season Four of FOX's MasterChef.Make the onion purée:
In a medium sauté pan over moderate heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and shallot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft. Season with salt, add the heavy cream, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Make the mushrooms:
In a medium sauté pan over high heat, warm the walnut oil. Add the mushrooms, in batches if necessary, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the liquid released by the mushrooms is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, season with salt, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden and tender.

Roast the beets:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Arrange the beets in a large, deep baking dish and drizzle with the oil. Add enough water to reach about 1/4 inch up the sides of the baking dish. Cover with foil and roast until the beets are tender, about 45 minutes. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into quarters. Transfer the beets to a medium bowl, add lemon zest, lemon juice, and chives, season with salt, and toss to combine.

Toast the pumpkin seeds:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Arrange the pumpkin seeds on a large, rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with walnut oil, and toss to combine. Roast until toasted, about 10 minutes, then toss with salt.

Cook the peas:
Fill a large bowl with ice water.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanch the peas until just tender. Drain, then immediately plunge the peas into the ice water to stop cooking. Drain the peas again and pat them dry.

To serve:
In a large bowl combine the mushrooms, beets, peas, goat cheese, and onion purée and toss to combine. Divide the salad among 4 plates, sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds, and serve.

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Crispy-Skin King Salmon with Roasted Asparagus, Fingerling Potatoes, and Hollandaise Sauce

photo by MasterChef

yield
Makes 4 servings

This is a winning-contestant recipe from Season Four of FOX's MasterChef.Roast the potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

On a large baking sheet, toss together the potatoes, oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into thin slices.

Meanwhile, roast the asparagus:
On a large baking sheet, toss together the asparagus, oil, salt, and pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice over the asparagus then roast in the oven until tender, about 5 minutes. Leave the oven on.

Make the hollandaise:
In a small saucepan over moderate heat, combine the vinegar, tarragon, and peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Strain the vinegar through a fine-mesh sieve.

Set a metal bowl over a medium saucepan of gently simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water). Add the egg yolks and vinegar reduction and cook, whisking constantly so the eggs don't scramble, until the yolks are fluffy and light in color. Add the clarified butter in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. Remove the hollandaise sauce from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Cook the salmon:
Season both sides of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

In a large sauté pan over moderate heat, warm the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the salmon, skin side down, and sear until golden brown. Flip the salmon over, sear for about 10 seconds, then immediately flip the salmon over again so that the skin is facing down. Transfer the salmon to the oven to finish cooking for about 5 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the salmon.

To serve:
Place a salmon fillet in the center of each of 4 plates. Arrange the potatoes and asparagus beside the salmon and drizzle the asparagus with the hollandaise.

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Turkey Spinach Sliders

photo by Hirsheimer & Hamilton

yield
Makes 4 servings

active time
30 minutes

total time
30 minutes

To keep the burgers juicy, don't pack the meat too tightly.Combine spinach, scallions, garlic, turkey, and cumin in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Using a fork, mix gently just to combine. Form turkey mixture into twelve 1/2"-thick patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook patties until golden brown and cooked through (resist the temptation to press down on patties with your spatula while cooking), about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Serve turkey-spinach patties on buns with mayonnaise, onion, and pickles.

DO AHEAD: Patties can be formed 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

Per serving: 530 calories, 22 g fat, 5 g fiber

Nutritional analysis provided by Bon Appétit

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Walnut and Herb-Stuffed Salmon with Spicy Tahini Sauce

photo by Petrina Tinsaly

yield
4?6 servings

Samaki har'ra is a dish that is very popular in the Arab world, especially in Lebanon and particularly in the port city of Tripoli. While my version may not look traditional, the taste is truly authentic. It's definitely something a little different from the usual salmon dish. Sea bass or snapper are also good fish for this recipe.Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare the salmon fillets by trimming the extra thin belly part. Use tweezers to pull out any bones. Blot dry and sprinkle half of the cinnamon on the meat side of each fillet and set aside to make the filling.

In a food processor, place the walnuts, garlic, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice and zest, chilies, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse a couple of times until all the ingredients are chopped. Don't overprocess—try to keep a slightly coarse texture.

Place one fillet skin side down on a working surface and place enough of the spicy walnut filling to fully coat the fish. Cover with the other fillet skin side up. Using the kitchen twine, gently tie up the fish to ensure the filling stays in place. Drizzle olive oil in the baking dish and put in the prepared fillet, drizzling a little more oil on top. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20?25 minutes until done. Serve with tabbouleh and spicy tahini sauce on the side to drizzle over the cooked fish.

Excerpted from Modern Flavors of Arabia: Recipes and Memories from My Middle Eastern Kitchen by Suzanne Husseini. Copyright © 2012 Suzanne Husseini. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. Photography by Petrina Tinsaly.

Suzanne Husseini was the host of one of the most popular Arabic cooking shows in the Middle East. She is a regular contributor to several publications around the world and frequently travels internationally as a featured food presenter. Suzanne lives in Dubai and Ottawa with her husband and three children.

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Avocado and Tangerine Salad with Jalapeño Vinaigrette

photo by Cedric Angeles

yield
Makes 8 servings

The jalapeño's ribs and seeds are the spiciest parts; be careful not to rub your eyes after handling (or, wear gloves)!Simmer tangerine juice in a small saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 5-8 minutes. Let cool.

Heat a small heavy skillet over mediumhigh heat. Cook jalapeño, turning occasionally, until blistered and charred all over, about 8 minutes. (Alternatively, roast jalapeño directly over gas flame, turning occasionally.) Let cool; remove stem, skin, and seeds, then finely chop.

Whisk shallot, vinegar, reduced tangerine juice, and half of jalapeñ:o in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in vegetable oil, then olive oil. Add remaining jalapeño, if desired. Set vinaigrette aside.

Toss avocados, tangerines, purslane, mint, and vinaigrette in a large bowl; top with feta.

DO AHEAD: Vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.

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Mussels with White Wine

photo by Gentl & Hyers

yield
Makes 4 servings

Spoon some aioli on a piece of toast, dunk it in the broth, and eat it along with the mussels. Repeat.For lemon aioli:
Whisk egg yolk, garlic, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in vegetable oil, then olive oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until aioli is emulsified. Season with salt and more lemon juice, if desired. Cover; chill.

DO AHEAD: Aioli can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

For mussels:
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it begins to darken, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced, about 1 minute.

Add mussels and 1/2 cup water to pot, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels open (discard any that do not open), 10-12 minutes.

Ladle mussels and broth into shallow bowls and top with thyme; serve with bread and lemon aioli.

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Chicken Alfredo with Zucchini Ribbons

photo by Quentin Bacon

yield
Makes 4 servings

Fettuccine Alfredo, with its ribbons of pasta coasted in a luxurious cheese sauce, is the very definition of decadent comfort. This recipe is all that—redefined. Zucchini ribbons mingle harmoniously with the noodles, allowing a big serving, healthfully. The sauce is made creamy with thickened milk but kept full flavored with plenty of real, fresh grated cheese.Slice the ends off the zucchini and discard. Using a mandoline or carefully with a sharp knife, slice the zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Stack the slices and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the zucchini ribbons, cover, stirring occasionally, and cook until the zucchini is just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the black pepper and cook until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pasta pot.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the flour and low-fat milk, stirring until the flour is dissolved. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the milk-flour mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add the evaporated skim milk, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the cheese and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute.

Add 1 cup of the sauce, the zucchini, and 3 tablespoons of the parsley to the pasta in the pot and toss to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta water as necessary to loosen the sauce.

To serve, place 2 cups of the pasta mixture on each plate. Top with a piece of chicken. Drizzle with the remaining sauce and garnish with the remaining parsley.

SERVING SIZE 2 cups of pasta mixture and 1 piece of chicken breast
PER SERVING Calories 660; Total Fat 2 g (Sat Fat 5 g; Mono Fat 9.2 g; Poly Fat 1.7 g); Protein 49 g; Carb 79 g; Fiber 11 g; Cholesterol 90 mg; Sodium 880 mg
EXCELLENT SOURCE OF Calcium, Copper, Fiber, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Protein, Riboflavin, Selenium, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Zinc
GOOD SOURCE OF Iodine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D

Nutritional analysis provided by Comfort Food Fix

Reprinted with permission from Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy by Ellie Krieger. Copyright © 2011 by Ellie Krieger; photography copyright @copy; 2011 by Quentin Bacon. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

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