Sweet Lassi (Indian Yogurt Drink)

Lassi is an Indian yogurt drink. I often make it at home, but I've never quite been able to recreate the subtle tanginess of the drink. That is, until now. On our last trip to the local Indian restaurant, I asked the waitress about their preparation techniques, and she told me that they always add Bulgarian cultured buttermilk when making plain lassi. After that lunch, I stopped at the local Middle Eastern store, picked up a carton of buttermilk, and adjusted my recipe to her specifications. I've been making it this way ever since.

I use traditional Indian flavorings in my lassi, specifically elaichi ("cardamom" in Urdu) and rose water. My mother-in-law isn't a huge fan of rose flavoring, so I only added ¼ teaspoon of rose extract. You can add as much or as little as you'd like.

Grapefruit Salad (Pomelo Salad)

It's been raining so much this season in the Bay Area (California) that our garden has produced a lot of citrus. Our pomelo tree has been particularly prolific. I've been pleasantly surprised by their sweetness, and I knew I was on to something delicious.

Pomelos have a subtle sweetness that is greatly enhanced by the addition of certain spices. To make this salad, I gathered the pomelo segments in a large bowl and covered them with ginger, coriander, agave nectar, sesame oil and red Thai bird chiles. It's a refreshing way to begin or end a meal.

Salmon Teriyaki

 P Fish can seem challenging to make at home but, pavé de saumon caramélisé (salmon teriyaki) is an ultra-easy recipe. All you need to do is ask your fishmonger to prep the salmon in advance for you. I made a teriyaki-inspired glaze to go with the salmon and served it with rice.

If you've been following my culinary adventures since the beginning of Pham Fatale, you may recall that I posted one of Lulu's favorite tofu recipes, called "sesame tofu caramelized with agave nectar and wasabi". This vegetarian recipe was inspired by this salmon dish. I hadn't made it in a long. tine, but my mother-in-law brought home some beautiful salmon fillets, so I told her I'd be in charge and surprise her. She loved it even though she said I should have tripled the amount of wasabi paste (she loves spicy food). You're welcome to follow her advice if you prefer it really spicy, but I'm a wimp, so I'll stick to just a half teaspoon...

Ratatouille

For most, the name of this dish evokes dreams of animated rodents scurrying around a Parisian restaurant kitchen. In reality though, ratatouille is a French stewed vegetable dish from the seaside city of Nice. I make my version with zucchini (courgette in French), eggplant (aubergine), olives, capers, bell peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes.  With the exception of the tomatoes, everything is fresh. I prefer canned tomatoes in this dish because they tend to be sweeter (especially during the winter season).

Given the abundance of fresh vegetables, this dish would be perfect for the summer. In fact, I make it often when the vegetables in my garden ripen. I also like it in the winter though, because it's excellent comfort food. The flavor of the veggies marries wonderfully with the herbs and spices. My family always ends up fighting over the "broth" at the bottom of the bowl.

Ratatouille can be eaten with just about anything. Crusty bread and rice are common options, but my personal favorite delivery device is a savory crêpe. However it makes it to your mouth though, you'll be happy it did!

Mushroom and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

Mushroom and cheese stuffed chicken breast is a quick and easy chicken recipe for dinner. I used goat ricotta cheese, shiitake mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and lemon to flavor the meat. Chicken breast can be dry, so I marinated the meat and cooked the chicken for only 15 minutes. It's perhaps more of a roll than a stuffing, but either way, it's delicious.

My mother-in-law is an absolute creature of habit, and when we plan on cooking chicken, her preference is always poulet roti. Contrary to the stereotype, I love my mother-in-law dearly, so don't think I'm complaining, but it takes a miracle to get her to try new things. A couple of nights ago, we had some dinner guests and we had to come up with a main course. We had chicken breasts in the house, but no whole chicken. My mother-in-law was ready to go to the market to get a whole chicken, but I was able to convince her to give this recipe a try.

Given the time crunch, she grudgingly gave in and let me prepare the dish. When she tasted it, she asked me why I haven't made it before! I see a lot of stuffed chicken breasts in my future, and if you try this recipe, I bet you will too!