Brown Butter Crouton and Mandarin Segment Salad with a Sugar Cane Vinaigrette

Again! I had a leftover baguette from last night's dinner. But never fear, I had a plan. I have a number of go-to recipes that are tailored for leftovers. Waste not, want not.

Croutons are a perfect way to recycle stale, crusty bread. To kick up the flavor, I soaked the bread in brown butter. In French, brown butter is called beurre noisette, which literally means hazelnut butter. It really does impart a nutty flavor to the croutons. I used the extra brown butter for the vinaigrette that I paired with sugar cane juice and sugar cane vinegar. I also added whole mandarin segments to add a citrus-y flavor.

Creamy Gorgonzola Ranch Salad Dressing

I had some gorgonzola left over from the cheese soufflé I made yesterday, so I decided to make a salad dressing out of it. Instead of going for the obvious choice of making a bleu cheese dressing with the gorgonzola, I opted to make a ranch dressing. Ranch salad dressing is a blend of mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk and spices. Traditional mayonnaise calls for egg yolks but my 9-year-old- sister-in-law is deathly allergic to eggs so I substitute it with homemade vegenaise made with silken tofu.

This flavorful salad dressing meets everyone's diet restrictions in my home while still being delicious. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

Leeks served with a Kumquat Clementine Vinaigrette

Leeks vinaigrette is a simple and healthy recipe to welcome Spring. The leeks are simply steam-cooked and then drizzled with the vinaigrette. I brightened the vinaigrette with some sweet clementines and kumquats from my garden. The zest of the citrus brings a lot of flavor.

Leeks are from the onion family but their taste is much more subtle and mild. In fact, they have a natural, gentle sweetness that can be paired very successfully with more sour, acidic flavors. If you've never had leeks, it's time to give them a try!

Fresh Garden Salad served with Sesame Persian Cheese and Candied Walnuts

I received a request for this salad recipe that I served with a tatin de petits oignons perlés à l'Indienne a few days ago.

Although my husband is vegetarian, he is not a big fan of simple green lettuce. So I tried to dress it up with little helpers like a citrus relish, cheese and some nuts. The nuts are a great addition of protein for vegetarians. 

Of course, the key to a good salad is the vinaigrette. I always try to make my own because the store-bought ones contain preservatives and gum to make the texture more dense, instead of using mustard.

Roules d'Aubergines au Chevre (Goat Cheese Eggplant Rollups)

I had half a tray of ice cubes left of my pistachio pesto and 2 beautiful eggplants. We had a very nice sunny day today in Northern California. I wanted to make something light and fresh. The roulés d'aubergines au chèvre are a good starter course.