Meyer Lemon Curd Recipe

Lemon curd (crème au citron in French) is thickened custard made from lemon juice and zest, sugar, butter and egg yolks. I used the fruits from our Meyer lemon tree in the garden and added ginger to conceal the egg yolk flavor. 

It's one of my favorite spreads for tea time and breakfast. I also use lemon curd as a filling in crêpes and croissant but you could use it in Meyer lemon bars, cheesecake or a lemon meringue pie. Lemon curd is easy to make, incredibly versatile and delicious. It's also a great way to introduce kids to cooking. I've made it several times with the girls, and they always have a lot of fun. If you're looking to get your kids involved in the kitchen, this lemon curd recipe is a great place to start.

French Roasted Rack of Lamb with Lemon Persillade Crust

Have I told you how much of a carnivore I was back when I lived in Paris? There wouldn't be a meal without meat or fish on my plate. One of my favorite dishes, and one that was a staple at my home as a child, was le carré d'agneau persillé, or persillade-crusted rack of lamb. We would have lamb at least twice a month and this was the preparation of choice.

What makes this dish so special is the slightly salted, green crust of persillade. The persillade crust is very versatile and can be used for eggplants, tomatoes or even roast cod. I love the flavor so much that after finishing off the lamb, I mop up whatever is left on my plate with a piece of baguette. A traditional persillade is made with flat-leaf parsley, but I fortify my version with cilantro. I think it gives the crust a little more punch. 

It's very easy to make. Try it; you'll love it!

Fresh Ginger Apple Celery Carrot Juice

When I look back at my New Year's resolutions, you know, those lies we tell ourselves at the beginning of each year, I realize that I haven't made good on my resolution to use our juicer more. I think the only time I used it this year was to make plum juice for a tofu recipe.

My other resolution has gone pretty well. I started this food website on January 1st of this year as our way of keeping track of what we eat and helping the girls have easy access to my recipes when they want to make them on their own. I thought it would help me be more mindful of my family's diet and maybe lose weight. It seemed like a great way to add some discipline to my life.

There are fewer than 90 days left in 2009, so today I decided to break out the juicer and make us some juice. I recently bought a lot of carrots, celery and Fuji apples. All three are perfect for juicing. I combined them in the juicer, and I threw in a touch of ginger to give it a little zing. It tastes delicious and makes a great breakfast.

So clearly I'm not on my way to becoming the next Jack Lalanne, but at least I've made good on another resolution. Now if I could just figure out how to lose 5 pounds before our 5-year-anniversary trip to Cancun at the end of the month...

Creamy Ricotta and Bell Pepper Crostini

What do you do with stale bread? Make crostini. It's one of my favorite ways of turning a day-old baguette into an elegant appetizer. I love them and could eat a ton!

Typically, crostini is grilled (or toasted) bread that is covered with a flavorful topping. I made mine with a red bell pepper purée and paired it with left-over goat ricotta cheese. The cheese brings some creaminess to the topping and I love the subtle taste of the chèvre (goat in French). I flavored the crostini with some fresh mint and Meyer lemon from the garden.

Carpaccio de Radis (Radish Salad with Herb-Infused Olive Oil)

I love red radishes. It's such an under-utilized and under-appreciated vegetable. The taste is clean, crisp, and mild. Unlike daikon or other kinds of radishes, they don't have a harsh mustardy flavor. Traditional carpaccio is thin slices of raw meat or fish, but I made a "carpaccio" out of the radishes by thinly slicing them with a mandoline.

In France, we would simply eat them with good quality butter, salt and pepper. Since the butter here in the US isn't as flavorful as the yellow butter produced by the grass-fed cows in France, I decided to liven up the dish with a truffle-Meyer lemon vinaigrette to make it more appealing. I drizzled Italian flat-leaf parsley-flavored oil for color. I chose flat-leaf parsley because it has a much milder flavor than cilantro. I wanted the radishes to be the focus of the dish and not be overpowered by other ingredients.