I’m not sure what made me try this since I don’t bake too often. However, I had overnight company, I had all of the ingredients and I wanted something for an easy breakfast treat. It didn’t hurt that it could do double duty as a yummy afternoon snack. In the end, I was quite pleased that I gave it a go. This is quite moist, very tasty, a pretty straightforward recipe, and will definitely be on my future baking rotations.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups (9oz./280g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (4oz./125g) butter, room temperature
1 cup (8oz./250g) sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup (8 oz.250g) greek yogurt
1 cup (4oz./125g) fresh or frozen blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350º
Grease a 9″ loaf pan or, as I usually use, a 12″ x 4.5″ long loaf pan. I prefer the longer, thinner pan because it makes for more manageable slices. Either size works well and has approximately the same cooking time.

First, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, in a small bowl. Use 1-2 tablespoons of this mixture to toss with the blueberries. This ensures that the blueberries don’t sink to the bottom of your cake. In the above photo, you can see that I forgot to do this step and they did, in fact, sink to the bottom. Definitely still tastes good, just looks a bit better, when the blueberries are evenly distributed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Next, beat in the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir in the flour mixture, alternately with the yogurt. Finally, gently stir in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a knife along the inside of the pan and turn out onto a plate. Let the cake cool completely before cutting, otherwise it will be quite crumbly.

Finally, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and pour the the whole mixture onto the pan. Spread the nuts out in one layer, pulling them apart with two forks. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel and set aside to cool. When they’re completely cooled, carefully break the nuts into large clusters with your hands, trying not to break the nuts too much. Consider yourself warned, these are hard to resist!

Here you have one of the easiest, tastiest flatbreads ever. Consider yourself warned, it is definitely addictive. Although you will love it because it is just so simple to make, your guests will love it because it is just so irresistibly delicious. Additionally, you can try my Tuscan Flatbread a slight variation on this and equally delicious and addictive.

I use this in three ways. First as an appetizer, sliced, in very thin wedges, second, as a tasty addition to a bread basket and finally, as a yummy stand alone snack. I like to serve it with most any grilled meat, but don’t let me limit you. Use your imagination and trust me, once you’ve tried it, you will find many excuses to make it again.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 recipe pizza dough or a good store bought one
1-2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2-3 long sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
medium or coarse corn meal

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400º
First, leave the pizza dough out for a good 30-40 minutes. This allows it to come to room temperature, lets it rise a little and most importantly, makes it much easier to roll out. Meanwhile, place the sliced shallots (use a mandoline, if you have one) and crushed red pepper in a small bowl and cover with the olive oil. Next, strip the rosemary leaves from the stems, add them to the shallot, oil mixture; stir to combine and set aside until your dough is ready to roll out. However, do make sure that you let the shallots and rosemary marinate for a minimum of 10-15 minutes.

Next, roll the dough in a small amount of the corn meal (not flour). This gives a nice crunch to the flatbread. Alternatively, you can put a sprinkling of the corn meal on a sheet pan, lined with parchment paper and gently push and stretch the dough. Once spread out, put dimples in the dough with your fingertips. Then, spread the shallot, rosemary mixture over the dough, allowing the oil and shallots to settle into the dimpled areas. Sprinkle with the kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and cook for about 15-25 minutes. 

Make sure to start checking it after about 12 minutes and stay close by to watch it. I find that the timing is very different, depending on the dough and different ovens. You will know it’s done when it is a bit bubbly and lightly browned.

NOTES
When using this as an appetizer, I usually shape the dough into an oblong, as shown above. Additionally, to make it easier to work with and ensure smaller wedges, I cut the dough into quarters and work from there. Meaning, if I am only having a couple of people over, I would do only one oblong. If I’m having a crowd, I would do all four pieces, from the one pound of dough.

Then, for serving, I cut, cross-wise, into slim wedges, as shown below and use an oblong serving plate or board. Obviously, this is totally unnecessary, you can certainly just do one very large round. I just think it presents better that way. You choose what way works best for you.

Looking for an easy, basic and tasty appetizer? Look no further! This recipe is a snap to put together and quite versatile as well. Use it as a spread for crackers, as a dip with crudité and if you have any leftover, try it on your bagels in the morning. The choice is yours, you can’t go wrong and it is delicious for all three.

INGREDIENTS
4-5 radishes, halved
4-6 scallions, reserve a few for garnish
1 stick celery
1/2 bell pepper, seeded (I prefer red, hence the pink tint)
1/4 hothouse cucumber, seeded
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, cubed
pinch kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. sour cream or greek yogurt, if needed to thin mixture

DIRECTIONS
First, roughly chop each of the first five ingredients. This is merely to get them ready for the food processor, because it’s easier to pulse them when they are in smaller pieces.

With the metal blade in place, add all the vegetables to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Don’t overdo the pulsing, unless of course you like a smoother texture. Personally, I prefer a bit more texture; you do what works for you.

Next, add the cream cheese and pulse until combined, but not too smooth. Alternatively, you do the final mixing by hand, as long as the cream cheese is soft enough. That will maintain the thick texture a bit better. Do make sure that the cream cheese is room temperature, it makes the mixing so much easier. If it seems too thick for you, add the yogurt and/or sour cream.

Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Finally, just cover and refrigerate to allow the ingredients to meld. Serve with crudité, crackers, and/or some breadsticks.

NOTES
This tends to be a bit thick, so if you prefer a thinner consistency to use as a crudité dip, then add the yogurt and/or sour cream. Alternatively, instead of adding yogurt, you could just add a little more cucumber, which is quite liquidy and would loosen it up, to dip consistency. Be creative, there is no wrong way and don’t be afraid to swap out a few things if you don’t have them or don’t like them. That being said, I have made this oodles of times, as written and it is a delicious winner.