Snap Pea and Bacon Salad with Ricotta and Roasted Chickpeas

This colorful spring salad is all about contrast, both in flavor and texture. It mingles smoky chewy bacon with crisp raw sugar snap peas, earthy roasted chickpeas and creamy fresh ricotta. A drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar adds a touch of sweetness.

Snap Pea and Bacon Salad with Ricotta and Roasted Chickpeas

Makes 2 salads

15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Seasoned salt, to taste (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.)
Smoked paprika, to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)
4 oz. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch wide pieces
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
8 oz. sugar snap peas, cut into halves or thirds
3 radishes, thinly sliced
10-12 spearmint leaves, torn into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz. fresh ricotta cheese (if time permits, use homemade)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine chickpeas, 1 tbsp. olive oil, seasoned salt and smoked paprika in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Spread chickpeas in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until browned and a bit crispy, about 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool.

2. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until cooked through (lightly browned and crisp). Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.

3. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half.

4. In a large bowl, combine sugar snap peas, radishes and mint. Whisk together remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil with salt and pepper and pour over salad ingredients. Toss to combine.

5. Divide the ricotta and spread it on the bottom of two plates. Divide the dressed ingredients and place on top of the ricotta. Top each plate with half of the roasted chickpeas, half the cooked bacon and a drizzle of half the reduced balsamic vinegar.

Spring Fresh Cocktail

This drink wasn't initially what I intended, but after my plans didn't quite work out, I nonetheless ended up with a refreshing, satisfying drink.

Originally, I had planned to infuse homemade lemonade with fresh thyme. I tried an infusion technique involving an ISI Cream Whipper. The idea is to use nitrous oxide to quickly infuse flavor into the liquid. Unfortunately, it didn't really work. Although I'm sure the technique is great for some ingredients, I couldn't discern any thyme flavor in my lemonade. I may have to try it again sometime.

However, since I already had the cream whipper out, I decided to try carbonating it. Although this isn't the express purpose for the device, it will take carbon dioxide cartridges (if you had a soda siphon, you could use that instead, but I don't). The carbonated lemonade tasted fantastic and gave the drink an extra refreshing quality.

Spring Fresh Cocktail

8-10 spearmint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1/2 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
1 1/2 oz. Aviation gin (or other herbaceous American gin)
1/2 oz. Cocchi Americano
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
3-4 oz. carbonated lemonade (see below)

Combine 8-10 spearmint leaves and Yellow Chartreuse in a cocktail shaker. Muddle the mint leaves. Add the gin, Cocchi Americano and grapefruit bitters. Add ice and shake until cold. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Top with carbonated lemonade and garnish with mint sprig.

Carbonated Lemonade

1 cup hot water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Combine hot water and sugar in a jar or glass measuring cup and stir until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Add the mixture to an ISI Cream Whipper and charge with one carbon dioxide cartridge. With the whipper in the upright position, cover the nozzle with a towel and release the pressure completely. Unscrew the top and pour out the carbonate lemonade (do not attempt to dispense the lemonade from the nozzle).

Quinoa with Chicken, Asparagus, Lemon, Yogurt and Hazelnut-Mint Pesto

The seasonal flavors of spring are a dramatic change from winter. We go from the rich, heavy flavors of meaty dishes simmered for hours to the bright, green flavors of vegetables often barely cooked. Spring food is refreshing because it is bright and light.

To maintain a light dish, it's essential not to bury it in layers of butter and cream. This is where Greek yogurt is such a wonderful ingredient. It imparts tangy creaminess without adding a lot of calories and fat.

For this dish, I thought of a spring pasta with pesto, asparagus and chicken, but instead of pasta served it with protein-rich quinoa. Mint, a herb available year-round but that I feel is most at home during spring, gives the pesto bold flavor, and the dollop of Greek yogurt, when mixed into the dish, adds guilt-free richness. When using Greek yogurt in this manner, it's important to add it last, after the dish has been removed from the heat. You don't want to cook it, as it will separate and basically vanish, especially the nonfat variety.

Quinoa with Chicken, Asparagus, Yogurt and Hazelnut-Mint Pesto

1 cup quinoa
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup Greek yogurt

Pesto:
2 cups fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins removed
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
13 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

1. Soak quinoa in water for 15 minutes. Drain and cook according to package directions. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and add to pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned and the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool a bit then chop into 3/4-inch cubes.

3. Add the onion to the pan the chicken was cooked in (add additional olive oil if the pan drippings are less than a tablespoon or two). Cook over medium heat until the oven softens, about 5 minutes, then add the asparagus and garlic. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the warm quinoa, cooked chicken and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Stir together the lemon zest and Greek yogurt in a small bowl.

5. To make the pesto: combine mint, parsley, hazelnuts, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Replace the lid and turn the machine on. Using the feed tube, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the grated parmesan.

6. To serve, place about a cup and a half of the quinoa mixture in a shallow bowl. Top with a dollop of lemony Greek yogurt and a dollop of hazelnut-mint pesto.

Best of 2013: Desserts

It might be hard to believe if you visit around the holidays, but normally, we don't eat dessert often at our house. Certainly, it's not with every meal or even every week. But every now and then, it's nice to have a really good sweet treat. Not some "light" diet-oriented dessert. Uh-uh. I'm talking something satisfying and decadent. I'd rather have dessert only every now and then and have it be incredible than have low-cal desserts all the time.

Cakes and Pies

I loved this unique Coffee Cake with Coffee Frosting from a recipe by The Pioneer Woman was the perfect winter treat, while Melissa Clarks' recipe for Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon-Pepper Syrup was just as good for summer. Another unusual but tasty cake was the Gin & Tonic Cake, inspired by my favorite cocktail. For out-and-out decadence, nothing tops this Chocolate Truffle Cake, from a recipe by Chef Naomi Pomeroy.

For Thanksgiving, I was blown away by Fine Cooking's recipe for Bourbon-Caramel Pumpkin Tart. And my Apple Custard Pie with Gingersnap Cookie Crust was my effort to combine the best of apple pie and pumpkin pie into one holiday treat.

Ice Cream

I didn't make as much ice cream this year, but when I did, I went for interesting, seasonal flavors. Last winter, I created the By the Fire Sundae with maple-bacon ice cream, a brown butter blondie, caramel and smoky whipped cream. In the spring, taking advantage of my favorite herb, I made Mint-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. And in the summer, I discovered that sweet corn is just as great for dessert as a dinner side in Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Blackberry Sauce.

For lovers of ice cream pie, there's also this wonderfully festive Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie with Compost Cookie Crust, an ode to the creative ideas of Momofuku Milk Bar Chef Christina Tosi (whose cookbook I got for Christmas--so look for more Momofuku treats next year).

Cookies

As usual, December featured lots of cookie recipes. My favorite were the Molasses Sandwich Cookies with lemon filling (we paired it with Almond Lace Cookies in this year's Dallas Desserts Holiday Bakeoff with Dallas Decoder). I also shared a recipe for Chocolate Saltine Bark, a longtime simple holiday favorite.

Another first this year: I attempted to create several original cookie recipes. My favorite were the Peanut Butter, Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies, which were like three great cookies rolled into one.

Mint Julep

Just in time for tomorrow's Kentucky Derby, here is the most classic of mint cocktails: the Mint Julep. The drink originated in the American south and is traditionally made of bourbon, sugar, ice and mint.

Portland's Clyde Common bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler's excellent cocktail blog (which he sadly doesn't appear to update anymore) has a good recipe for a classic mint julep, as well as a post dismissing a version made with lime, lime juice, sour mix and Sprite as "the most horrific excuse for a Mint Julep many of you have ever seen." Bottom line: Mint Julep doesn't have lime--that's a mojito, which is a great drink but not a julep.

Although I'm challenged by a couple things to match the pedigree of Morgenthaler's drink. Unfortunately, I don't metal julep cups, so I used highball glasses. I also lack a good tool for making crushed ice pieces of a roughly consistent size (I use a food processor). Despite that, I've tried to be faithful to the classic, simple recipe. Hopefully if Morgenthaler saw this he wouldn't declare it a "horrific excuse" for the drink. 

Mint Julep

12 mint leaves

1/2 oz. simple syrup

2 oz. bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve)
Mint sprig (garnish)

Add mint leaves and simple syrup to a glass or julep cup and gently muddle together. Add bourbon and stir to combine. Fill glass with finely crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig. 

Basic Mojito

After the Mint Julep, the Mojito is the other very prominent mint cocktail, which has enjoyed a great deal of popularity of late.

Often when I've made mojitos, I've muddled the mint and lime wedges in the glass and left them in the bottom, but I like that this version, adapted from the one that appears in the PDT Cocktail Book, strains them out.

Mojito

1 oz. simple syrup
8 mint leaves
2 oz. light rum
3/4 oz. lime juice
1 oz. club soda
Mint sprig (garnish)

Add simple syrup and mint to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add rum, lime juice and ice and shake until cold. Strain into a chilled collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with mint sprig.