Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

This was one of the highlights of my summer adventures in the kitchen. Being back in a (another?) land-locked state, this time I had access to tons of super-fresh fish flown in daily from AK. And I had a mad hankering for salmon.

One night salmon, the next night leftovers. At 8,550, cold salmon salads don't have the same appeal as they do in hot and steamy NYC. Rather, where it's easily 50 degrees at night on the hottest summer days, this girl needs a little heat (spice?!) in her life. 

Summer rolls are super easy to make, and, when you have a glass of wine at hand, kind of therapeutic to make after a long day in the office. Plus, these are great for a party any day!

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 tbsp ginger, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 serrano chiles, chopped
Salt, as needed
Less than ¼ honey
½ teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
2/3 cups unsweetened peanut butter (smooth)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup water, as needed

In a food processor, blend the first four ingredients until finely minced. Scrape down sides and add the remaining ingredients, through sesame oil. Puree well. Season to taste, thinning out the mixture as needed. Feel free to balance out the flavors. Let sit at room temperature for a couple hours for the flavors to blend and mellow.

Easy Carrot Top Pesto

I'm a huge fan of trying to use every little bit of a vegetable I have when cooking. I'll saute beet greens when I'm roasting beets for dinner. Celery leaves are a delicious salad ingredient, when accompanied by some herbs, a light vinaigrette, and some sweet dried fruit, salty roasted almonds, and perhaps some pungent blue cheese.

But I never quite figured out something tasty to make with carrot tops. And given that I try to purchase only fresh carrots, with their leafy tops intact, when at the market, I've tossed my fair share of carrot tops over the years.

Not anymore. When life gives you carrot tops, why not make pesto?

Really, part of me views this concoction as a vehicle for the tasty garlic-nut-cheese combination. I've been obsessed with roasting carrots for the past month of so, and this is a good accompaniment to serve along with steak (and those roasted carrots). Or in pasta. Or on toast, under a fried egg. Or alone. You really can't go wrong.

Carrot Top Pesto
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roasted almonds
1 bunch of carrot tops, washed and trimmed
Freshly grated Parmigiano, to taste
Salt
Olive oil

In a Cuisinart, blend the garlic and almonds until a paste. Add the carrot greens and mix again. Add a bit of Parmigiano and salt, and a bit of oil. Blend. Continue adding oil until the pesto reaches a consistency you like. Check the seasoning and serve.

Carrot Cake for (Carrot) Lovers

It was for my 30th, after all.

First of all, yes. I exist. Sorry for the radio silence. I've just been too busy with work, feeding myself, and playing outside in the wilds of Vermont -- when not sleeping.

But oh boy you are in for it! I plan on ramping things up over the next two weeks, with full-fledged culinary fun coming in December. And if everything-holiday isn't quite your cup of tea, I'll have some fresh and healthy ideas to intersperse with all that triple creme cheese, Champagne, oysters, pie, cookies, and more, you'll be indulging in.

But first things first. I must properly share with you maybe one of my favorite recipes of the year. Not because it's perfect (in fact, far from...). But it was delicious, and is what helped me usher in the next stage of my life - the big 3-0 - with a bang. Perhaps I can blame it on the cake, because I don't necessarily feel old at all (unless you mention the number of friends wedding and bearing kids. Oh goodness...). I kind of feel young and free...

Back to the cake. Gluten Free. Moist. CARROT CAKE. Need I say more?

Kate gets the claim to fame here. Over our annual girls weekend in Rhody, she mentioned some GF creation from Saveur, and my ears perked up.

'WHHAATTT?!!' Cake? Saveur? My old employer!

I'd spent 3 months there, testing recipes, and testing again. Nothing GF. Nothing special dietary-wise. The magazine, I feel, focuses on sharing the flavors of the world with its readers. That's why I was partly surprised. And, once I'd looked the recipe up, surprised and delighted more as the recipe was developed by a colleague of mine!

I was kind of envious of this colleague. Her private cheffing career had taken off. She was a part of this group, the same group I'd looked into, of savvy ladies, cooking up a storm for well-paying families. But I didn't feel ready for it yet, mentally, physically, psychologically back then. Something held me back... (and in retrospect, it all makes sense because it wasn't, isn't, the right thing for me now). She had it all in my mind. Healthful cooking, a joy and warmth she brought to the room. You couldn't not like this woman. And apparently, not like her cake, either.

I followed the recipe to the nines, except for swapping canned pineapple for fresh, finely chopped in the Cuisinart. And I swapped cornstarch for arrowroot, due to my corn allergy. Overall, the flavor of the cake was superb. We baked it in a sheet pan rather than round, but I felt the thin layers were fine given the delicate nature of the sponge-nature of the cake.

For frosting, I thinned out the given recipe with about 1/4 cup of milk, and reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup. Plenty sweet for my taste. The cake was the hit of the night (and the best breakfast ever come Monday morning). It's a new favorite for ushering every new year of my life now!

Carrot Cake
Adapted from Saveur Magazine

For the cake:

1 tablespoons butter, for greasing pans
4 eggs, divided and at room temperature
2 egg whites, at room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1 ½ cups shredded carrot (4 medium)
20 oz. fresh pineapple, finely chopped and drained
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnut pieces
1 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot starch, as I used)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, soft
½ cup butter, soft
2.5 - 3 cups confectioner's sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Heat oven to 375°F with rack in the center position. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and line with parchment; set aside. Combine egg yolks with ⅓ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl and beat on high speed 2-3 minutes until very thick and pale in color. Fold in shredded carrot, pineapple and vanilla extract; set aside.

Pulse walnut pieces in a food processor until finely ground. Add starch, baking soda, salt and spices; pulse to combine and set aside.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until foamy. Slowly whisk in ½ cup sugar and beat whites until stiff and glossy. Fold walnut mixture gently into whites, then fold blended whites gently into carrot mixture. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pans and bake 20–25 minutes until cakes are lightly browned and have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pans. Allow cakes to cool 30–45 minutes in the pans. Run a knife around the edges of cakes to loosen from pan, remove parchment and invert onto a wire rack.

Beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until well-blended. Slowly beat in confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Place one cake round on stand or serving dish and spread ¾ cup of frosting evenly over surface, leaving a ½-inch border around edges. Sprinkle with ¾ cup of coconut and press lightly into the filling to set. Top with second layer, using remaining frosting to cover surface and sides of cake. Press remaining coconut evenly around sides and over top of cake. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

How to Eat the Rainbow

Growing up, I'm sure you had people tell you to "eat your vegetables." Maybe they added "Now, darling, you are what you eat." But have you ever noticed how you might feel slightly more invigorated, energized, even alive when you eat fruits and vegetables? Come on... Just a bit?

I think so.

So this salad came about one day when I was semi-cleaning out the fridge one Saturday night. I had been taking inventory for what I would need to get the next day during my weekly grocery run. I had some leftover cooked yellow beets, and wonderful sun-dried tomatoes. I almost always have baby arugula or spring greens in the fridge -- and lucky for me, this time I had some wonderful carrots (which is rare, as during the winter, I cave and get baby carrots for easy snacking. They're easier and more delicious than the ones in stores). Inspired by a family friend and carpenter who strives to have a dinner plate featuring every color of the rainbow, I chopped and mixed all my ingredients together. 

I used my favorite simple maple-Champagne vinaigrette to bind it all together, and served it alongside a piece of artisan bread with a hunk of cheese on top. Simple, yet so good. While I had this with a glass of Grenache from Australia, it would be really good with a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio or Pinot Bianco -- or a buttery California Chardonnay.

Now, this salad is even better when all of these vegetables are in their prime, but that probably won't be again for a couple months, when the greenmarkets carrots appear. I'm already excited for this year's  carrots. They're SO sweet.

Rainbow Salad

2 cups greens, like arugula or mesclun

2 yellow beets, cooked, peeled, and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

8-10 sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

Salad dressing, to coat

Toasted bread, for serving

A good cheese, for serving

A Simple Winter Salad for a Healthy Weeknight Meal

You know those weeks. You plan ahead, purchasing some yummy fruits, vegetables, and proteins with the best of intentions to cook every night you're home that week. 

Then the week begins, and you're swallowed WHOLE. Yes, you typically work late one night a week, and sometimes take work home on an additional evening. But EVERY NIGHT?! For me, it happens often, and typically on those weeks I've planned on cooking every night -- not working.

Now, this is where my favorite part of cooking comes in -- making do with what you have and the time you're dealt. I planned on making a bunch of rice and some lentil stews this week; healthy and light, yet filling and nutritious. Now that time I was to devote to the kitchen was to be spent in front of my laptop.

What to do? Be imaginative. 

Tuesday night, I began the week whipping up a big batch of Wild Mushroom Soup. Did I eat it for dinner? Nope. While I was busy chopping vegetables, I put a big pot of water on for a couple nights worth of whole wheat and einkorn pastas (I also had to make my saucepan multi-task for me; I only have one saucepan!). Then once the pasta was ready, I drained it and put the pot back to work, sauteing onions, garlic, and carrot for the soup.

While I dined on a hearty whole wheat pasta, tossed with sauteed beet greens, beets (inspired by an old favorite), and a dab of some leftover Devonshire Cream I had on hand from last week's party, and of course a garnish of Colston Bassett Stilton, I began working on the soup.

Wednesday night, I ended up inhaling two bowls of that soup, garnished with a bit of pasta and proscuitto. Thursday, I dined out with one of my darling friends at my favorite tapas place. 

Ah, then Friday. It was a beast of a day. Now, Fridays are usually the one day of the week I always work until 8pm. It's quiet, and there are at least three of us laboring away on things for the week ahead. Yeah. That intention went out the door this week! Completely exhausted, I knew it would be better for me to go home and make a nutritious dinner, and tackle that story over the weekend. Both the story, and myself, would benefit from the decision.

The big question remaining: What to make for dinner?

My delicious red and yellow beets I cooked Monday after my run were a must. Of course, they pair perfectly with creamy, salty proscuitto. On top? A lightly dressed spinach salad, and a garnish of carrot coins from the greenmarket. And, because I'm a cheese snob and what goes better with beets than blue cheese, a garnish of my latest favorite, Colston Bassett Stilton.

Beet and Blue Salad

3 slices proscuitto, thinly sliced

1 red beet, cooked until tender

1 yellow beet, cooked until tender

1 large handful baby spinach

Your favorite dressing (mine is equal parts maple syrup, grapeseed oil, and champagne vinegar, shaken with a minced shallot, salt, and pepper)

1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin

Stilton, or your favorite blue cheese, for garnish

Line large dinner plate with proscuitto. Top with slices of beet, alternating colors. Toss greens with dressing, to taste, and place atop beets. Garnish with sliced carrots and blue cheese.

Perfect served with a hearty slice of pain de campagne and a flavorful olive oil.

Easy Roast Veggies

Sigh.

It's been a while since I've written. A LONG while. Partly because I've been busy whipping up spinach and cheese souffles, turkey meatballs with raisins and pine nuts, or salmon cakes. I've been writing about how olive oil is made, and how to properly taste it, and expanding my knowledge about one of my most favorite foods: chocolate.

And then there were the holidays. One of my most favorite times of year, but always filled with lots of gatherings, cheer, and secret missions, all in the name of Santa Claus -- until I escaped the East Coast just in time to enjoy a week of snow (and we got lots, nearly 4 feet) and the wedding festivities of a dear friend out in Utah.

Which brings me to January. That cold and dark month that is really not as dark as December, but for some odd reason feels infinitely bitter cold. Bone-chilling cold.

While I know a cup of one of my new favorite drinks, a Bailey's-spiked dark hot chocolate, would be sure to warm me up, I naturally (like most of you out there) am resolving to eat a little healthier (not a problem here), exercise a little more, and drink a little less (ah, you guessed right). So, I've held off on buying a new bottle of that oh-so-delicious booze, instead opting for the last of the bright orange carrots from the farmer's market that are just like eating crunchy sugar. And, of course, cipollinis, so I can perfect my browning onion skills.

It all started at Thanksgiving. I was in charge of helping my mom roast the turkey. Not a problem, as I had researched all the pros and cons of brining and not brining, and was confident in my decision to roast our bird au naturale, with a good slathering of butter, and of course lots of herbs.

But, when it came to one of my other most favorite Thanksgiving dishes, things were different. We had no pearl onions for the creamed onions. Dad had come to the rescue, however, finding wonderful little cipollinis (which, to be honest, are probably in much better condition, not to mention more flavorful, than those darn little pearls...). So, for that dish, I had my first meeting with these flat, little beauties, browning them deeply to create a caramelized flavor.

So, for my second meeting with cipollinis, this time along with my lovely carrots, I knew they needed some high heat to bring out their innate sweetness. As it was already 8pm on a weekday night, I didn't want to be up all night babysitting the oven -- or waiting for dinner, for that matter -- so roasting it would be.

I peeled the carrots, then sliced them in half, and chopped them in half vertically again. For the onions, I simply peeled them of their outer skin. A toss with oil, and a sprinkle of salt, and into the oven they went at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.

With a shake every 15 minutes or so, I kept an eye on my little beauties. And it paid off. They emerged tender, yet with a little resistance to the bite. And oh so delightfully sweet -- almost too sweet to be true, when talking about vegetables.

While I ate these vegetables alone (or two days later, with the my remaining souffle), you could also toss them with your favorite pasta, and a hint of goat cheese and pasta water, to make a creamy sauce. Or toss with leftover lamb or beef, and your favorite sauce (tomato or curry) for an instant ragu to serve over pasta or rice. One of my favorite ways to eat roasted vegetables, however, is over greens, with a handful of dried cherries, a handful of salted, roasted nuts, and a garnish of whatever cheese I have in the fridge (usually Humboldt Fog or a stilton).

Easy Roasted Vegetables

1 bunch carrots

10 cipollini onions

Olive oil, to taste

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Trim and peel carrots. Remove outer layer from onions. Drizzle with olive oil to just coat, and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Spread on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until carrots are tender and onions are browned on both sides. Remove and serve.

A Carrot for Your Sweetheart?

So, Valentine's Day is a week away. What are you getting your sweetheart this year?

Roses are predictable, but a bouquet of unexpected fragrant blossoms of all kinds is special (especially if someone reads into each blooms "hidden meaning"). In a perfect world, a roaring fire and fragrant flowers, candlelight, cheese fondue and cubes of a fresh, crusty loaf of bread (mmm Wave Hill Pain de Campagne...or Bouchon's baguette), and a nice bottle of Napa Cabernet or a Bordeaux would make me a blissfully happy person.

But. what if you want to send your sweetheart some sweets? I personally love chocolate, but it's just so...expected (plus, good chocolate can be hard to find when you don't live in a big city). Plus, when you are trying to stay away from sugar 'cause it just makes you so cranky and tired, something a bit less sweet is much preferred. For those who seek some sweetness with their "healthy" meal, why not settle on something in between? At L'Ecole Friday, we challenged ourselves with this exact dilemma. When we already have a Chocolate Souffle, A Trio of Pot de Cremes, a Caramelized Pineapple and Lemon Tart, and a Pumpkin-Chocolate Cake, what is an appealing special addition for our pre-Valentine's diners? Carrot cake!

I am a huge fan of carrot cake. I love its versatility: bake it in muffin tins for a breakfast treat; in a loaf pan for tea time; in cake pans for standard round layer cakes, or spread it super thin on half-sheet pans for mini layer cakes. Plus, the hearty carrot, raisin, coconut, walnut studded batter lends some "substance" to the batter, tempering the roller coaster the sugar, butter/oil, and white flour sends your blood sugar on. Slathered with a cream cheese frosting (you can vary the sweetness or cheesiness of the spread, depending on your liking -- or when you want to eat your treat!), it is a beautiful combination of sweet and tart, creamy and cakey, sweet, fruity and nutty.

For this dessert, I used Dorie Greenspan's recipe from her BAKING: From My Home to Yours cookbook, and was quite delighted with how it came out. The cake before baking is very much loaded with the carrot/raisin/coconut/walnut addition, but as it bakes, the baking soda and powder help the batter rise right above, resulting in a very moist and flavorful and airy cake. I probably added a little more carrot than she did, and baked the batter in two half-sheet pans (supremely thin!) for about 10-15 minutes in a convection oven at 300 degrees. I also subbed out the lemon in the frosting for vanilla extract. Next time, I would tweak a couple of things - add some more raisins, and cut down on the butter (or increase the cream cheese) in the frosting and DEFINITELY cut down on the amount of confectioners sugar, as this frosting was WAY too sweet for my liking.

Bill's Big Carrot Cake

Yields 1 9" layer cake - 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 medium carrots - I got away with 7 large - you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (I like dark!)
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, or two 18" x 13" half sheet pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. 

Cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

Frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. 

Assembly:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Frost the first layer generously. Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature. It can also be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it’s firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Dinner with mom on her day

After I sent my mom a little Mother's Day card this morning (she was away at a conference), I got a surprise email saying that she was taking a friend to JFK, and would I like to have dinner in the city!

What an unexpected treat! The rest of our family was up at our place in Rhode Island, so I was excited that mom was actually going to be in town. Now, the question was - where to have dinner?

My mom suggested downtown/Tribeca, and I quickly agreed as it is one of my favorite places I'd like to live in the City. I've been to Bubby's, Upstairs at Bouley, Chanterelle would have been impossible. The Harrison's menu didn't quite jive with me. What about Marc Forgione? I've heard good things about him and his father, a well known restauranteur (An American Place). Plus, I heard that he was a part of the original locavore movement in the city. I love fresh, locally sourced organic foods, so I was excited to try Marc's place (formerly Forge).

We arrived at 6:45pm, and I noted the sign out front with the selection of spring produce that was fresh in house that day: morels, asparagus, chives, and...mole? Hmm. Once checked in, we were quickly directed to the back of the restaurant, near the entrance to the kitchen. Rule #1 - not a good thing if they give you the worst seat in the house. Was it the fact my mom was wearing sneakers? Who knows - there was a couple quite overly dressed, though, in the back corner. Compared with them, we fit right in. After a moment's debating, we were sat up towards the front at a two top. Just perfect!

Once we were seated, our waitress came over and offered us water quickly. She then left us to peruse the menus. We waited. And waited. She appeared back, expressionless, to share the specials. Noticing there were few options on the menu, maybe she'd offer us alternative entree selections. Alas, there were only two specials, both appetizers. My mom was definitely disappointed.

While debating our selections, another waitstaff brought us the most delicious warm brioche, brushed with possibly butter or olive oil and a pinch of fleur de sel. Starving, I immediately jumped in and slathered a bit of the spring onion butter on my piece of bread. The sweetness of the bread, with the savory butter was perfect - the warmth of the bread melting the already soft butter just so. I secretly hoped this was indicative of the rest of our meal!

After a bit too long of time, the waitress finally returned to take our order. We both ordered the spring green salad with shaved asparagus and gougeres, followed by the curry braised lamb, and a "Pink Cadillac," a rhubarb margarita of sorts to drink. Hopefully we made the right decisions. My mom had debated between the lamb - braised, not her favorite, but the acoutrements of peas and carrots sounded delicious - and the veal milanese, served with whipped potatoes and fiddleheads, two sides she didn't care for. I certainly make my meal choices based on what comes with the dish, and I felt that Marc Forgione didn't offer a selection of market fresh combinations, like other "locavore" restaurants do.

Next arrived an amuse from the kitchen - my mom, a salmon or tuna tartare of sorts on cucumber, and me, fresh peas with proscuitto. I was a bit confused as to why my mom got something different than I did. The peas could have been cooked a bit more, but they were fresh and good. The salmon? Didn't look appealing to me.

Soon came our drinks, pink lowballs of a delicious combination of fresh rhubarb, tequila, cointreau, and Grand Marnier, and our salads, bowls of richly colored greens with shaved raw asparagus, adorned with three cheese gougeres. Still very hungry, I dove right in. The gougeres, although not warm, were quite tasty, the cheesiness offering a perfect compliment to the vinaigrette dressing the salad. The greens were fresh from the market - and certainly a wonderful assortment of all kinds. The dressing, however, was a bit overpowering. Too much acid - a vinegar? Certainly heavily dressed. The drinks? Amazing! Overall, not bad.

Soon arrived our main dishes, shanks of lamb braised til fork tender, resting on large castiron dishes. Mine was sizzling hot, and it forced me to wait quite a few minutes for the meat to cool so I could actually taste a piece of it without scorching my mouth - not good - at least my mom's was not has hot! The shanks sat on a carrot puree, adorned with two baby carrots, a "crispy" snap pea or two, with a "curry" sauce to finish. The meat looked delicious to me, while the carrot puree was fresh and...carroty! I was a bit disappointed with my snap peas - they weren't crunchy - and the "curry" sauce wasn't that curry at all. Overall, there were few vegetables, and something seemed off, like I was mislead.

Regardless, the meal did hit the spot for me, the meat cooked just perfectly so it fell right off the bone, and dipped in the sauce on the plate, it was a match made in heaven.

As we were quite full from the meal, we didn't have room for dessert. When presented with the check, our waitress brought us out two little peanut butter truffles. YUM! Taking a bite, I wondered how it would compare to other homemade peanut butter cups, and Magnolia's peanut butter patty. Colder in temperature, a bit crunchy. But quite good. Not sure if it is good as my old favorite dark chocolate peanut butter cup from Long Grove confectioner's, but it was quite good.

Overall, the meal was good. Disappointing in the selection of menu options, sparse vegetable servings, and slow service, but I was impressed with the simple, comforting, and rustically decorated space. A perfect spot for a late afternoon aperitif on the porch, or wine late at night under the candlelit lanterns lighting the room. But for a Mother's Day dinner? There is room for improvement.