Summer Squash and Tomato Galette

Posted on August 23, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

I look at this and all I can think about is making the next one!

A cool spell has arrived and with it comes the promise of fall, which is my favorite time of year. The mornings of late have been cool and calm. Each day this week has been filled with tempting breezes that stir the imagination and revive the spirit. The blistering temperatures have given way to the 80’s…absolutely delightful weather. But let us not be lulled into a false sense of security, as this is but a temporary respite.

It is, after all, still August…and here in the South that means at least one more month of 90 degree plus temperatures, whether you call it summer or not! It also means that we still have some of summer’s bounty of food left to enjoy in the form of tomatoes and squash, amongst other things. Continue reading →

Julia’s Vichyssoise

Posted on August 15, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

This creamy, easy soup tastes like a dream. So elegant…so Julia.

Today would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday! In her honor and as part of the many celebrations going on today, I made another of her fabulous and easy dishes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is perhaps one of the easiest soups of all to make…Vichyssoise, or cold leek and potato soup.

According to Julia, this is an American invention, made by taking a base Master recipe for leek and potato soup, making it with stock instead of water and adding cream, then chilling. It couldn’t be simpler to make and it is stunningly delicious. Here’s how I made it based on her recipe. Continue reading →

Clafouti and a Tribute

Posted on August 11, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Fresh from the oven, Clafouti is puffed and bubbly!

Coq au vin, Boeuf Bourguignon, Vichyssoise, Clafouti… had these names even been pronounced much less heard of in any home kitchen in the United States before 1961? I’m sure they had somewhere, but was anyone actually cooking them at home? I think not so much. Continue reading →

Creamy Avocado Cucumber Soup, and…

Posted on August 9, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Elegant and easy, this cold soup has been a staple in our house all summer long. Such a staple that I whirr it up in the blender at least every other week. We gobble it up in no time flat, and then want more and more. In fact, it’s been relegated to the status of something so simple and quick to make that it’s almost like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich…almost.

But it really deserves a bit more attention than it’s gotten thus far. I posted the base of this soup when I first started this blog, but since that time I’ve made it so often that I could make it in my sleep! And I think I’ve perfected it now. Continue reading →

Betsy’s Famous Black Bean Mango Salad

Posted on August 1, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

With such a fiesta of color, this dish just has to be good!

Why famous? Well, it started many years ago when I was making pottery and taking classes on a regular basis at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.

I specialized in handbuilding and loved to Raku-fire pots outdoors. At the end of each quarter, we would have a party, appropriately named “pot luck raku.” Each person brought a dish to share. We’d set the food out on long tables outdoors next to the raku kilns and eat, drink wine, fire pots, pull them out of the kilns at red hot temperature and throw them in the sawdust to absorb the smoke! There were some amazing dishes—both from a food and a pottery perspective—that showed up at these events, and I have such fond memories of these times. It was at one of these parties that I first tasted the dish Fesenjan, the Persian chicken and pomegranate stew, as well as some other worldly delights. Continue reading →