home chef alwaYs in season

Apple/Lavender and Ricotta Tart

Always in season

Recipe and photo by Kim Reierson

Indulgent baking isn’t just for the holidays anymore . Finding comfort in the delicious warm smell of bread, pies, and cookies filling our kitchens is more than ever like a warm blanket or Grandma’s hug . With more time to spend at home, we can satiate our sweet tooth and try new flavors . My French Lavender and Ricotta Cheese Apple Tart Pie is inspired by the simple French favorite, Galette aux Pommes, or apple tart, but with a twist: I added ricotta cheese and lavender, and I used two different kinds of apples . We may not be able to go to France just yet, but with our own beautiful American Riviera, we can at least have our taste buds travel . Here’s on of my favorites!

aPPle/lavender and rICotta tart

Prep: 30 minutes Cook time: 1 hour

Pie crust 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp salt 1 tablespoon sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter, COLD and cut into 1/2 inch cubed pieces 8 tablespoon ICE COLD water

directions Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix together with a fork or whisk . Add the butter pieces, which have been cut into 1/2-inch cubes, into the flour mix . Use your hands to mix and break apart butter within the flour mix until you have a coarse texture . Add ice-cold water and knead dough into a ball .

Set aside in fridge for an hour .

fillinG: 4 apples (2 honey crisp 2 granny smith) 1/2 cup raw organic sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon dried lavender buds 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 cup heavy cream 3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese 1 egg yolk with a splash of water (for glazing over pie crust)

Galette fillinG and assemBlY Preheat the oven to 350 degrees .

Core the apples and cut into thin slices ( 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick) and place them in a large bowl . Add the sugar, salt, lemon juice, cream, lavender, and cinnamon and mix together .

Take pie crust dough out of fridge and roll out into a 1/4-inch-thick, 12-inch circle, leaving it flat . With remaining dough, cut leaves and other dough shapes you

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Beets Amore

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup like to decorate the top of your pie .

Spread the ricotta cheese evenly on bottom of the pie crust, leaving room (about inch off the edge) where dough will be folded later after apples are filled in .

Take your apples slices that have been marinating in cream mix and arrange them on top of ricotta cheese (making sure you leave the one inch room off the edges) in a neat circular pattern all around until the whole ricotta area is filled . Now fold over the one inch dough edge over onto the apples and pinch fold dough as you cover .

With the remaining cream mix left in bowl from where apples where soaking, gently pour over exposed apples in pie .

Use your dough leaves to decorate your pie, and use egg yolk (mix egg yolk with a few drops of water to make it easy to spread ) to glaze the crust edges and dough leaf decorations .

Bake for one hour . Should have a nice golden brown crust . Serve with fresh whipped cream and garnish with edible rosebuds .

beets amore

Recipe by Chef Paul Shields Savoy Café www.savoycafe.com

2 large organic beets 4 ounces goat cheese 1/4 cup basil, chiffonade (ribbon-cut) Sea salt Extra virgin olive oil Fig vincotto (reduced fig balsamic)

method: Boil the beets, skin on, in lightly sea salted water for 4050 minutes, until cooked through . Cool in ice bath . Peel skin off . Slice beets into quarter-inch discs, and place on parchment paper, or a non-stick tray . Lightly season with sea salt . Divide the goat cheese into six evenly sized balls . Press each ball onto six beet “discs” and spread evenly . (Vinyl gloves work great for this .) Evenly sprinkle the chopped basil over the goat cheese on each disc . Season with EVOO . Stack three discs so that there are three layers each of goat cheese and beet . Cut into halves, displaying the colorful striation of red, white and green . Drizzle with EVOO and fig vincotto . Serves 4

WIld alaska PolloCk fIsh PIe

Developed by Alison Attenborough

Serves 6

Ingredients: 3 leeks 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth 1 cup frozen peas 2 tablespoon flour 2 cup chicken stock 4 (3-oz .) fillets wild Alaska pollock, cut into 1-inch chunks