Baked Fish with Peach Relish

Here's probably the easiest baked fish recipe. Swai fillet (catfish) is seasoned with Bellindora seasoning, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Then, it's pan-seared with a combination of olive oil and butter and transferred to the oven until fully cooked. I use the combination of fats so that the butter doesn't burn. Right before the end of the cooking time, peach relish is spread over the fish to add a sweet and acidic flavor to the fish.

The peach relish is made with canned peaches, a lot of Italian parsley, pickled spring onions, Bellindora balsamic peach vinegar and red mini sweet peppers. It adds a brightness and freshness to the dish. I can't wait for peach season to make the dish again with fresh fruit!

Cheesy Eggplant Dip Recipe

Here's a recipe for an eggplant cheese dip. Very flavorful roasted eggplants are mixed with tomatoes that have been cooked until softened, then the mixture is folded into fluffy mascarpone cheese and Romano cheese. The last step is to warm up the dish for a few minutes and wait until it gets bubbly. I paired the warm dip with sweet and smoky barbecue ruffled chips, which serve two purposes: the texture makes it easy to scoop out the dip, and their smoky undertones manage to stand out against the robustly flavored dip.

We're days away from the Super Bowl! Hope your party planning is going well! If you're still looking for inspiration, I'm going to keep posting some recipe ideas until the big day.

Pomegranate and Cranberry Relish Recipe

Thanksgiving is in nine days, so I have a lot of planning to do. I always make the classics: mashed potatoes, candied yams, stuffing, etc. It's tradition. But I also like to get creative and throw in a few new dishes for my guests to try. I've been trotting out the same cranberry sauce for years now, which never, ever gets finished, so I think it's time for a change.

We have a pomegranate tree in our garden that gives us a bounty of beautiful fruit every fall. The color and flavor match so well with cranberries, that it just makes sense to combine them. Since this dish is more of a relish than a sauce, I decided to pair the pomegranate seeds with dried cranberries. I soaked dried cranberries in a spiced cinnamon tea with star anise and cloves (see tips). This ensures that they won't be gummy. The rest of the relish is composed of green onions, garlic, orange, orange peels, olive oil and vinegar. I don't object to the crunch, but if the seeds of the pomegranate bother you, you could always juice them and just cut back on the vinegar.

The sweet and sour relish tastes absolutely amazing with poultry. So this Thanksgiving, don't forget to prepare a few flavorful condiments besides gravy to go with your turkey. Have fun!

Chevre Tartine Recipe

We're hosting a family gathering this weekend so my baby Aria can meet Papa's entire family. To prep for the party, I experimented and made a few tartines today using leftover baguette bread, chèvre, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, flat-leaf parsley and dill. Once the chèvre was warm, I sprinkled it with coarsely chopped sesame cashew nuts for extra crunch.

The reason I made these little appetizers is that my husband Lulu is a vegetarian. I'm going to serve a few vegetarian bites so Lulu won't starve, but the main dishes are going to be all meat. Can't wait to see everyone; we haven't gathered every single member of Papa's family in the same room since I was a little girl. Now all the cousins are all grown up and married with kids; it's going to make me feel old for sure!

Parmesan and Hearts of Palm Crostini

These hearts of palm appetizers are a recipe for success. Roasted red bell peppers meld with the sweet and mellow warmth of roasted heads of garlic in this hot dip that is used as the topping for these vegetarian appetizers. The main ingredients are baby spinach, hearts of palm and invigorating Serrano peppers.

Spread the dip on grilled bread, sprinkle with a little cheese and pass through the broiler for a few minutes; you'll have the most amazing crostini ever!