Creamy White Beans with Leeks and Bacon

Another frigid day is upon us and I’m leaning into comfort food. What’s more comforting than a warm bowl of beans scented with rosemary, garlic, and smokey bacon? This recipe took the same amount of time to prepare as it took for me to cook some chicken fingers in the oven for my girls. Surprisingly, they smelled the beans simmering on the stove top and asked for some. Next thing I know, they are going back for seconds of the bean stew and the chicken fingers were barely touched (happy to save those for another day). The girls are usually pretty good at eating whatever I put in front of them, but I didn’t expect them to like this as much as they did. It’s simple, creamy, and satisfying.

What you need:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 slices of good quality / thick bacon

1 large leek, washed and finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

1 tbsp butter

2 15.5 oz cans of cannellini beans

1 cup of half and half

2 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese + more for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Take a small soup pot and heat it on the stove top over medium heat and add the olive oil and leeks. Add a pinch of salt. Finely chop the bacon and add it to the pot with the leeks. Lastly, add the carrots and stir occasionally for 5 minutes until the bacon is rendered and brown and the vegetables are soft. Add the butter, garlic, and rosemary and cook for 2-3 minutes until it becomes very fragrant. Stir to ensure it doesn’t burn. Now turn the burner to low and allow it to cool slightly. Add another pinch of salt and the half and half. Rinse and drain the cannellini beans and add them to the pot. Slowly bring the heat back up (not above medium) so that the cream begins to gently bubble. Allow it to simmer for another 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until it is slightly thickened and warmed all the way through. You don’t want to increase the heat too quickly or the cream will separate and curdle. Add two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Turn off the stove and serve with toast and more cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Little Lemon Tea Cakes

Imagine combining fresh squeezed lemonade into a miniature pound cake with a crunchy sweet exterior. These little cakes are so fresh and lemony. They pair perfectly with your favorite tea for an afternoon pick me up or could be served for an elegant brunch. My daughter adores them and requests that we bake them every chance we get. They are pretty simple to make and have only a few ingredients. They are tangy, moist, rich, and have the perfect glaze on top. Not too sweet but just sweet enough, everything a cutesy demure cake should be : )

What you need:

For the cake:

• 2 cups granulated white sugar

• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt

• zest of 1 whole lemon

• zest of 1 lime

• 1 cup whole milk / full fat yogurt

• 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

• 3/4 cup melted butter

• 4 large eggs

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Use 2 muffin tins for baking (makes 24 total) lined with non stick / parchment baking cups.

For the glaze:

• juice of one lemon

• one cup of confectioners sugar

  (Combine in a small bowl by stirring until you have a glossy smooth glaze with no lumps)

Pulling the eggs out of the refrigerator before you begin any baking recipe is important because room temperature eggs will emulsify better with the other ingredients and result in a better bake. So first, crack 4 eggs into a bowl and set them aside. Also, preheat the oven to 375° . Next, melt the butter in a microwave safe dish. About 30 seconds should do it. Now measure out the sugar and pour it into the mixing bowl. Zest the lemon and lime directly into the mixing bowl and rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers to release the lemon and lime oils. It will start to smell very fragrant. A few seconds of rubbing the sugar and oil together should be enough. Give it a quick stir. Now turn the mixer on between low and medium and gradually add in the melted butter, oil, and yogurt. When those are well combined add the eggs. Mix on medium for about 30 seconds until its glossy and well combined.

Now add the flour, salt, and baking powder to a bowl and give a quick stir to combine. I recently learned that if you do not have a scale to weigh your flour that you should scoop the flour into the measuring cup instead of using the measuring cup as a scoop (it was a cooking podcast, maybe Milk Street…I can’t remember, but now its what I do). When you use the measuring cup as a scoop it tends to be too tightly packed. You want a loosely packed cup of flour to ensure you don’t use too much and make the cake dry. Add the flour combination to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Ladle large spoonfuls of batter into the baking cups so they are about 3/4 full. You should have just enough. My oven achieved perfection in 23 minutes but I’d start checking after 20 minutes. You can make the glaze while they are baking.

They will be lightly browned around the edges when finished. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for around 5 minutes before pouring the glaze onto each cake. Use about 2 tbsp of glaze per cake, just gently pour it onto the top of each one and let it drip down the sides. Enjoy!

Salmon with orange and rosemary

I love to make this salmon during the holidays. The rosemary and orange zest give it so much flavor and feel wintry and festive. Atlantic salmon (which I recommend for this recipe) is so mild but not overshadowed by the flavors of the glaze. You only need a few ingredients and they go together beautifully.

What you need:

2 lbs Atlantic salmon

2 tbsp marmalade (I use Bonne Maman)

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 425° . Crush up the herbs with your fingers and add to a microwave safe bowl. Add the marmalade and olive oil and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to combine. You should have the consistency of maple syrup, if it’s too thick add a touch more olive oil.

I like to line a baking pan with parchment paper so the skin doesn’t stick to my baking pan. Place the fish on top and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Pour the orange/herb glaze evenly over the top. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes. I prefer to pull the salmon out around 130° for medium/well and it will cook a touch more as it rests. The internal temperature for well done salmon is 145°. Atlantic salmon is fairly forgiving. Cook times will vary depending on the thickness of the salmon and individual filets will cook much faster. It should flake easily when finished. Enjoy!