Roasted Lamb Shoulder Recipe

Too many people tend to stay away from lamb because of its strong taste. I think that’s a mistake. If marinated properly, lamb is so flavorful, tender and juicy without being overpowering. The key is to use lots and lots of garlic, and my go-to meat tenderizer, green papaya (I can't be thankful enough for Lulu's late grandma's secret).


This particular recipe calls for a large chunk of lamb shoulder. To ensure that the meat doesn't burn at the bottom of the cocotte ("Dutch oven" in French) while roasting, I place carrots and par-boiled potatoes underneath so they catch all the delicious flavors from the roasted meat. Just thinking about it makes me drool!

Goat Cheese and Fig Crostini Recipe

We were lucky enough to be able to pick a lot of figs in our garden this year. We had so many, I made several kinds of fig preserves. One of my favorite ways to use fig preserves is to pair it with goat cheese and it just so happened that I received delicious goat cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre today. I spread the two ingredients on crostini for a nice contrast of texture and flavor. I grilled day-old baguette and smeared a layer of goat cheese. The warmth from the bread let the goat cheese ooze and become creamier. The last layer was the fig preserves. I have to admit this easy appetizer is my favorite snack. I love them and could eat a ton!

I have a little story that might sound silly to you but Cypress Grove Chevre goat cheese is very dear to my heart. I remember when I first got married, my husband Lulu surprised me and took me on the 17-mile drive in Carmel, which I had never seen before. I remember he prepared the most romantic picnic on the beach and fed me wonderful Cypress Grove chevre. I had never heard of the company before that picnic but the cute packaging and beautiful scenery has since made it unforgettable to me. The cheese is rich and creamy and absolutely captures what I love about French chevre. It is one of the few American-made cheeses I’ve had that rival its French counterparts.

Cypress Grove Chevre will be a part of our December giveaways, so be sure to check back for your chance to win. Doesn't that sound awesome?

How to Make a Basic Vinaigrette

I’ve often heard from readers that the vinaigrette I’ve posted id either too difficult or requires ingredients that are too expensive to purchase for only one dish. Well, fear not; the ingredients in vinaigrettes can be easily swapped out for whatever may be available in your pantry. The real key to easily creating delicious vinaigrettes is to apply the basic rules. Almost all of my vinaigrettes requires a few basic ingredients: an acid (vinegar, concentrated sour-tasting fruit juice, lemon juice), mustard (coarse grained, honey, horseradish, flavored mustard), a sweetener (very sweet concentrated juice, syrup, honey, sorghum), an oil (olive, sesame, walnut, pistachio, etc.), seasoning (salt & pepper) and a mix of herbs and spices (oregano, basil, shallots, pickled garlic, etc) of your choosing. The acidic ingredient and sweetener help balance the salad dressing. The lecithin in the mustard acts as binder and helps emulsify the oil into the mixture.

I used this blueprint to create a dressing for garlic pan-seared artichokes (I pre-cooked them) accompanied by button mushrooms, tomatoes and capers that I drizzled with lemon juice and extra-virgin oil. If you want to recreate this particular vinaigrette but don’t have an ingredient or two on hand, have fun with it! Vinaigrettes are very forgiving, making them perfect candidates for kitchen experimentation. And if you come up with something fabulous, please let me know!

Butternut Squash Gnocchi Recipe

There are many new seasonal ingredients available at the market, but the one that really represents Thanksgiving season to me is butternut squash. The color of this versatile veggie embodies the fall and the flavor is sweet with a slightly nutty taste.


I love butternut squash in pasta dishes, so today I sautéed whole wheat gnocchi in butter and garlic, tossed in a molasses-roasted butternut squash and finished the gnocchi dish with store-bought butternut squash pasta sauce. This special sauce was the winner of the best pasta sauce at the New York Fancy Food Show in 2009. I received it from our friend Dave of DavesGourmet.com. This exquisite sauce is made with squash ripened in Oregon's Willamette Valley and contains fresh garlic, onions and roasted bell peppers. Dave's Gourmet is going to be part of almost $1,000-worth of giveaways to Pham Fatale readers in the month of December. I’ll introduce some of the wonderful products that await you over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Pumpkin French Toast (Pain Perdu Recipe)

It’s that time of the year again! Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. The time for fall flavors has definitely arrived. Pumpkin is one of the most versatile ingredients of the season, and today I used it to put a twist on French toast. I prepared a simple custard batter flavored with pumpkin purée and saffron and soaked day-old stale bread. I paired it with a saffron-sweetened heavy whipping cream. The dish is fragrant and flavorful without being overly sweet. It’s definitely a departure from your average pain perdu (literally "stolen bread").

This would be a wonderful treat for Sunday brunch, or for the day after Thanksgiving. I’m making it today for Lulu as a reward for volunteering to take the girls trick-or-treating last night. The girls’ feet started hurting, so he cut the outing short and took them to the supermarket to buy bags of chocolates and candies. That still counts though, right?