Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Dip Tart with Pepper Jack Crust

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This centerpiece-worthy tart features a savory, cheesy pepper jack crust, serving as a vessel for what may seem to be the classic spinach and artichoke dip that we all know and crave—but there’s actually more to it. Its dairy base is largely made with Real California Milk cottage cheese; blended until completely smooth, this twist to the usual creamy base adds richness and extra protein while maintaining the decadent texture that makes spinach artichoke dip so irresistible. Finished off with fresh herbs and pretty edible flowers, this unique take on shareable party food is perfect for summer garden entertaining or treating yourself to leftovers that continue to feel special on days when it’s too hot to turn on the oven.

I’m always craving creamy dips and trying to find ways to make it socially acceptable to have them be main courses. That’s why I invented the dip tart! Instead of dunking bread or crackers into a bowl of dip, I make a snappy, savory shortbread crust which becomes the giant cracker-like vessel for the dip itself. It looks beautiful and sophisticated while still actually being an excuse to eat your favorite dip as a meal. The key to success for this concept is making a dip that is thick enough to translate into a sliceable tart filling; you definitely don’t want something that runs off the crust when you serve the tart or the jig is up!

This recipe was developed in partnership with Real California Milk. Living my whole life in California, the iconic happy dairy cows have always been a picturesque sight of countryside drives. But with the current popular (and for once, actually good-for-you) trend of finding ways to incorporate more protein into our eating, it’s worth noting that Real California Milk has always been a real source of protein—no filler, flavors or powders required. Look for the seal to know that your dairy products are made with that wonderful Real California Milk! Since Real California Milk cottage cheese especially is naturally rich in real protein, using it for the spinach artichoke dip not only ensures a thick tart filling that holds together perfectly, but it means getting some good protein too.

Notes about the key ingredients for the spinach artichoke dip filling

• Real California Milk Cottage Cheese: Real California Milk has always been a real source of protein and cottage cheese is especially packed with the good stuff because it is made up of concentrated curds of that protein-rich milk. For this recipe, we’ll use a food processor to turn Real California Milk cottage cheese into a tangy, creamy, smooth foundation for this tart filling to make something just as craveable as a classic spinach artichoke dip but with that added protein. I used small curd full-fat cottage cheese for an extra creamy experience, but low-fat cottage cheese would also be fine here.

• Real California Milk Cream Cheese: Cream cheese made from that tasty Real California Milk helps keep the dairy base nice and thick, ensuring that the spinach artichoke dip will hold together well as a tart filling when the tart is sliced. 

• Real California Milk Mozzarella Cheese: A little bit of mozzarella cheese adds body to the tart filling while keeping to the creamy, tangy flavor profile of cheeses made with delicious Real California dairy. For this recipe, you will want low-moisture mozzarella, like the kind you’d use for grating, and not the fresh mozzarella that comes submerged in liquid. 

• Baby Spinach: I prefer starting with fresh baby spinach and cooking it down but you can certainly use blanched or frozen spinach. No matter which, you’ll need to wring it out well to prevent the dip mixture from being waterlogged. Once wrung, you will want about 1/3 cup of concentrated spinach.

• Artichoke Hearts: For convenience, I’m using canned artichoke hearts. These, too, should be squeezed to eliminate excess moisture. Be sure to get the canned artichokes in brine and not the marinated artichokes in oil that usually come in a jar. You can certainly also steam fresh artichokes and prepare the hearts yourself if you desire. Just be sure to squeeze them out.

• Water Chestnuts: For me, this retro ingredient is essential for a good spinach artichoke dip! I think it is because this is a common ingredient in Chinese-American food, and when I was young it felt like one of the only throughways between the food I had at home and the more novel cheesy American foods I longed for. These come pre-peeled in cans and you can typically find them in the “Asian foods” aisle at major supermarkets. Pat them dry before incorporating them into the dip mixture.

• Garlic: Rarely do I write a recipe with only one clove of garlic but since it will be going in raw and pulsed into this dip, I felt that one was sufficient for not overpowering the tart filling. You can certainly add more to your taste.

• Other seasonings: White wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, and pepper will help bring together the main ingredients and transform the mixture as a whole into a craveable, flavorful way to consume lots of veggies and protein!

Notes about making the crust

This tart recipe includes making a delicious cheesy crust from scratch. A 9-inch or 9 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom that pops up is recommended for this recipe. With the texture of a savory shortbread, this tart shell is buttery, crisp, and snappy and the subtle inclusion of chilies via Real California Milk Pepper Jack cheese is the perfect pairing with the spinach and artichoke dip filling. The crust gets fully baked before it’s filled and I have some key tips for achieving the perfect edible vessel.

• Use good butter and freeze it beforehand. Look for the “Real California Milk” seal to choose a high-quality butter for this buttery shortbread crust. Cut it into small cubes and freeze it beforehand to ensure that your crust will be crisp and snappy without feeling greasy.

• Use chilled vodka—not water—to bring your dough together. Add a little vodka at a time to the butter and dry ingredients, until they just start to hold together. Because that liquid evaporates easily in the oven, it’s my special trick for keeping the tart shell super crispy. I’ve previously tested making a shortbread tart shell with just chilled water and it definitely wasn’t the ideal crispness.

• Use Real California Milk cheese. This crust isn’t just a vessel for serving your delicious dip; it needs to taste just as delicious too! Look for tasty pepper jack made with Real California Milk to bake that craveable cheesy flavor right into the crust.

• Keep everything cold. I can’t emphasize enough how keeping such a buttery dough cold is key to baking up a beautiful and sturdy vessel for your creamy dip. Because the dough mixture is so low-moisture, it may take a bit of effort to make sure it evenly gets pressed into your tart pan. If you find that the butter is starting to feel greasy under your warm fingertips, stop what you’re doing and pop everything in the fridge for a few minutes to (literally) chill out before resuming with shaping your tart shell.

• Make it ahead. For best results, make and mold the shortcrust dough the night before and let it chill overnight. Pop it into the oven the following day and let it cool before filling it with the cold spinach artichoke dip.

Assembling and decorating the tart

To assemble the dip tart, let the baked crust cool to room temperature and fill it with your prepared spinach artichoke dip. It’s that easy!

After that, it’s up to you how much or little you decorate it. The tart is meant to taste complete and delicious without the decorations I used for the final photos. If you’d like to, though, you can decorate with any herbs and edible flowers you wish to complement the flavors of the tart; just note that if you are preparing the tart far in advance of serving, pressing the decorations flat so they are fully in contact with the surface of the dip will keep them looking moist and fresh. Using a more sculptural approach with tendrils or curling bits popping off the surface will wilt sooner if fully exposed.

Here is a list of what I used as decorations for the version I made for the photos: basil, thyme, cilantro blossoms, mexican tarragon, zinnias, violas, gem marigolds, and wild radish.

How to Enjoy

This tart works so well for summer entertaining.  First of all, dips are already party food and spinach artichoke dip is a classic—but your guests will never expect to see it in the form of a beautiful tart like this. But practically speaking, it’s a great recipe for gatherings because so much of it can be made ahead. I mentioned that you can make and mold the crust the night before but you can also separately make the filling in advance and simply assemble the tart on the day of the party. Unlike other creamy dips that weep excess moisture overnight and form a watery layer on top, if you really squeeze the excess moisture out of the veggies, the recipe will do the rest to keep this dip working great as a tart filling the next day, and even beyond.

This tart also holds up well as leftovers, as long as you’re okay with a chilled crust. While I recommend serving the baked crust to your guests and family at room temp, the reality of recipe testing at home is that I naturally end up getting to test how well something works as leftovers over a couple of days. Both the sturdy shortbread crust and the thick dip held up well for at least a couple of extra days in the fridge, and even the decorations that were completely pressed against the surface of the moist dip looked pretty cute in that time, barring notoriously delicate herbs like the basil. Because of this, I can also recommend enjoying this tart solo or as a couple over several summer lunches where you only have to turn the oven on once to indulge in multiple helpings of this cheesy, savory, protein-forward treat.

How to Make a Spinach Artichoke Dip Tart with Pepper Jack Crust

(Makes one 9 1/2-inch tart)

Ingredients for the Crust

1/2 cup (1 stick) Real California Milk unsalted butter, cut into small cubes then frozen
1 1/2 cups AP flour
2 oz (about 1/2 cup) Real California Milk pepper jack cheese, grated then chilled
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4–6 tbsp vodka, chilled

Ingredients for the Dip Filling

8 oz raw baby spinach (or 1/3 cup cooked and squeezed dry)
3/4 cup Real California Milk cottage cheese
3 oz Real California Milk cream cheese
1 oz (about 1/4 cup) Real California Milk mozzarella cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 canned artichoke hearts, squeezed dry and halved
4 canned water chestnuts, patted dry and roughly chopped
herbs and edible flowers, for decorating (optional)

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Procedure

To make the crust: Combine the flour, pepper jack, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to mix. Scatter in frozen butter cubes and pulse until the texture resembles wet sand. Add 1 tablespoon of vodka and pulse a couple of times; repeat adding vodka 1 tablespoon at a time and pulsing briefly after each, until the mixture can just barely clump together. Dump the mixture into a 9 1/2-inch tart pan (with a removable bottom), starting with the perimeter and then the rest in the middle. Use a spoon or flat-bottomed measuring scoop to quickly press the mixture evenly against the bottom and sides, keeping everything as cold as possible. (If you need more time to get an even layer, pop the tart pan in the fridge for 2–5 minutes if you start to notice the mixture warming up). Chill the unbaked tart shell in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F. Place the chilled tart shell on a baking sheet. Dock the shell thoroughly with a fork, line with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment and bake shell for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before filling with the dip.

To make the dip filling: If using fresh spinach, heat a large nonstick pan on medium heat and add spinach. Cook for 5 minutes, using a spatula to constantly move the spinach around to evenly distribute over the heat; once wilted, spread out to continue to encourage evaporation of the excess moisture. Let cooked spinach cool and then wring out well. This should yield about 1/3 cup of cooked spinach when wrung. (Alternatively, wring out enough frozen spinach for 1/3 cup.) Roughly chop prepared spinach.

Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, garlic, vinegar, worchestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add artichoke hearts and water chestnuts. Pulse 3-5 times until just incorporated. Add spinach.  Pulse 3-5 times until just incorporated; the spinach, artichoke hearts, and water chestnuts should still retain some texture. Refrigerate dip mixture until ready to assemble the tart. 

To assemble the tart: Spread the dip filling evenly inside the baked tart shell. Just before serving, decorate as desired.

Thank you so much to Real California Milk for sponsoring this post! Find Real California Milk dairy products near you by visiting here, or look for the seal!

Recipe: Upside-Down Tuna Melt Tarts

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These tarts take the best parts of a tasty tuna melt—a fully-loaded tuna salad and gooey melted cheese—and rework them into a flaky galette-style pastry tart that is perfect for anything from springtime picnics to romanticizing your work-from-home lunch. I’m calling them “upside-down tuna melt tarts” because instead of the cheese being melted on top, these feature a pool of Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar hidden underneath the tuna! 

Tuna melts may have gotten their start as ultra-casual American diner fare, but I love a complex and more sophisticated tuna salad with lots of chopped briny and herby bits in the mix. So after baking the puff pastry and cheddar together for a cheesy pastry base, they’re loaded with  a high-quality jarred tuna combine with mayo, spicy mustard, red onion, celery, olives, pepperoncini, lemon zest, fresh herbs, and a few other special ingredients (hint: more cheddar) to make a tuna salad that will totally level up your home cafe experience. 

I love a picnic salad but they aren’t always the prettiest sort of salad are they? I wanted to find a way to make my awesome tuna salad look as beautiful as it tastes, and for some reason putting something into a nice little pastry gives me permission to go all out with decorating it. That's how I came up with the idea for these tarts. In the photos, you’ll see that I decorated them with parsley, dill, pea shoots, cilantro blossoms, borage, violas, and sweet alyssum. That being said, I give you full permission to skip the decorating step entirely. There are plenty of herbs in the tuna salad itself to give the mixture that fresh herbaceousness that the decorative herbs imply, and there’s nothing about the decorations that make these tarts more tuna-melt-eque. They aren’t critical. 

But what is critical is the quality of the cheese you are tucking underneath that layer of tuna salad, and I always have Cabot Creamery’s cheddars stocked in my fridge for whenever I want to experiment with a new  idea for a cheesy pastry. Cabot is a co-operative owned by farm families throughout New England & New York and 100% of profits go back to the farmers. Thank you to Cabot Creamery for partnering with me on this recipe and continuing to encourage my crazy mashups concepts!

Notes about what you need to make the cheesy tart bases

• Puff Pastry: This recipe is meant to be easy and playful, so I used frozen, ready-made, pre-rolled puff pastry for the pastry component of these tarts. When cutting puff pastry dough, be sure to make clean downward cuts; dragging your knife can seal the layers together and prevent them from puffing up nicely when baked. I used puff pastry that came as a 12.5” x 10” sheet, which I divided into quarters to make 4 tarts; note that if yours comes in a significantly different size, that you may end up with too much or too little cheese filling and tuna salad to fit. Luckily, this recipe is easy and flexible, so you can fill up the tarts with the amounts that look right for their size. 

• Sharp Cheddar: I chose Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar for my upside-down tuna melt tarts because of its creamy texture and a nice buttery tang, making it perfect for this recipe and the classic diner sandwich that inspired it. I think it has the perfect amount of big bold sharpness to stand up alongside the strong tuna salad flavors. 

• Cream Cheese: Combining the freshly-grated cheddar with a little bit of cream cheese is the key to maintaining the “melty” texture for the cheesy center of these tarts after they are baked, and even after they are cooled! The ratio of cheddar to cream cheese in this recipe prevents the baked cheddar from forming a crust while still serving as an adequate enough barrier to prevent the puff pastry from getting soggy from the tuna salad.

Notes about what you need to make the tuna salad

• Canned, Tinned, or Jarred Tuna: Obviously, the quality of the tuna you use will have a significant impact on the tastiness and texture of your tuna salad filling for this recipe. I always use a high-quality jarred yellowfin tuna packed in olive oil to make my tuna salads; the tuna comes in large chunks so I can break them down myself, ensuring that the mixture is not overly mushy. You can use your favorite brand but be sure to use one that is packed in olive oil, which will automatically have a richer flavor and texture than those packed in water. (If you really must use a tuna packed in water, you may wish to reduce the amount of Greek yogurt to prevent the tuna salad from being too wet.)

• Sharp Cheddar: I could not resist adding a bit of grated Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar into my tuna salad as well! There’s not enough to be really able to pick it out in the mixture but it will add an undertone of complexity to the creamy notes in the tuna salad.

• Mayonnaise: To me, it doesn’t taste like a tuna melt without some mayo. I used Japanese-style mayonnaise because I prefer the sweeter flavor and I think it tastes less oily. But you can use the mayo that you prefer for this one.

• Greek yogurt: We need enough creamy ingredients to hold the whole mixture together but I find too much mayo in any picnic salad can be overwhelming. Doing a combo of mayo and Greek yogurt is a better balance.

• Hot English Mustard: This helps cut through the creamy flavors.

• Red Onion: A little bite from raw onion keeps a salad like this feeling fresh and tasting complex.

• Celery: For some crunch and classic flavor in a good tuna salad.

• Celery Seeds: I find that these have a bold celery flavor but also much more nutty and complex. This surprise spice is one of the ingredients that takes this tuna salad beyond the classic or familiar and into the territory of something more special.

• Mild Green Olives and Pepperoncini: I tested a few different briny mix-ins before coming to the conclusion that mild green olives and pepperoncini were the best options to include. They bring buttriness and bright tang respectively, and do well to balance out the strong tinned fish flavor from the tuna.

• Meyer Lemon Zest and Juice: A bright lemon flavor makes this tuna salad feel way more fresh and modern than the retro mayo-heavy classic style. I love the distinctly sweeter, more floral aroma of a meyer lemon but if you can’t find one, a regular lemon will do just fine.

• Fish Sauce: I will sub in fish sauce for salt in nearly any situation that I can, and this is a perfect example of where using this unexpected Asian pantry staple can really thrive in its job of adding intense savoriness and umami without adding any unpleasant fishiness. This will really make the tuna salad unlike any other you’ve had before.

• Chives, Dill, and Parsley: I found that this combination of herbs brought the fresh spring garden flavors that I wanted this salad to have. They put the “salad” in the tuna salad but since they hold up well in the moist mixture, the salad keeps well if you want to spread it out over a couple of lunches or pack it up for a picnic.

Assembling and enjoying the tarts

Obviously these tarts are going to be at their peak when the pastry is still warm from the oven and the cheese mixture is still bubbly. However, I really wanted to develop a recipe that could become an exciting weekday home cafe treat, even as leftovers, as well as something you could bring on a picnic. Therefore, the tuna salad mixture should not have any excess watery liquid to it. When piled directly on top of the baked cheese mixture, the cheddar and cream cheese combo acts as a barrier to prevent the puff pastry from getting too soggy. If you do find that your tuna salad has turned out wet rather than moist, this may be because your individual ingredients were not fully drained before incorporating them into the salad; if this is the case, be sure to drain away any excess liquid before assembling the tarts.

I found that the fully assembled tarts held up quite well and tasted just as good the next day after a little reheat in the toaster oven. This actually provided a new great experience with the tuna salad getting warmed up too. The only things that didn’t look so fresh were the herbs and especially the flowers that were used for decoration, so if you plan to keep these for one or two nights, hold off until the day of eating to add those pretty finishing touches.

If planning to take this on a same-day picnic, you could transport them fully assembled if you have the right vessel, or you could  keep the tuna salad in a separate container from the cheesy pastry bases. The cheese layer will obviously no longer be bubbly after these have cooled but it will have a soft cheese spread texture still reminiscent of “melted” cheese, but colder.

I hope these tuna salad tarts, with their secret cheesiness, become a go-to lunch in your household!

How to Make Upside-Down Tuna Melt Tarts

Ingredients for the Tuna Salad

6–7 oz tuna packed in olive oil, drained
1 oz Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, grated
1 tbsp red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp celery, finely diced
8 mild green olives, drained and finely chopped
1 tbsp peperoncini, drained and finely chopped
1 tbsp meyer lemon zest
3 tbsp meyer lemon juice
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
3 tbsp Japanese mayo
2 tsp hot English mustard
1/8 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
3 tbsp chives, finely chopped
3 tbsp dill, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Ingredients for the Tarts

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions
Flour, for dusting
6 oz Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, grated
2 oz Cabot Cream Cheese, softened at room temp
prepared tuna salad
1 egg yolk, beaten (for eggwash)
1 tsp water (for eggwash)

Ingredients for Decorating (Optional)

dill
parsley
pea shoots
edible flowers (such as cilantro blossoms, borage, violas, and sweet alyssum)

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Procedure

Gently combine all the tuna salad ingredients together except for the dill and parsley. Refrigerate and allow the flavors of the ingredients to meld together while preparing the tart bases.

Mix together the cream cheese and grated sharp cheddar for the tarts and set aside.

Beat together the egg yolk and water to make the eggwash. Set aside.

Carefully unroll or unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet over a well-floured surface. Use a pizza cutter, pasta cutter, or sharp knife to cut the sheet into 4 equal pieces, taking care to slice down cleanly and not drag the cutting implement; this will ensure that the pastry edges can puff up. 

For each piece of pastry dough, press down with your fingertips to flatten and stretch the area where the filling will be placed, leaving about a 3/4” border. Trim off the corners to make a more rounded shape (does not have to be perfectly circular). Dock the center area with a fork and then spread a quarter of the cheese mixture evenly over this area. Brush the exposed pastry border with eggwash, taking care to not seal the layers shut. Fold in small sections of dough inward towards the filling to define a more circular shape and form a rustic, galette-style tart. Place on a parchment-lined tray. Repeat with the remaining pieces of pastry. Be sure to space the tarts with at least 2 inches of buffer all around them. (Note: I baked my 4 tarts on 2 separate trays, I only combined them onto 1 tray for the photos).

Place the tarts in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F*. After chilling the tarts, quickly brush the exposed pastry with eggwash and immediately bake for 20–25 minutes*, or until the edges are puffy and golden. (*Note: baking temperature and time may vary depending on the puff pastry dough used; consult packaging instructions.)

Fold the chopped dill and parsley into the tuna salad mixture. Divide the tuna salad amongst the baked tarts.

If desired, decorate with fresh herbs and edible flowers.

Thank you so much to Cabot Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to find out where you can find their delicious cheddars, which are all naturally aged, naturally gluten-free, and have 0 grams of lactose per serving.

Recipe: Tofu and Avocado Salad with Toasted Thai Basil Oil

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This tofu and avocado salad features a base of refreshing silken tofu and creamy avocado topped with ribbons of Japanese cucumber, quick-pickled onions, Thai basil, purple basil, and pea tendrils. It’s then dressed with oyster sauce and a drizzle of homemade toasted Thai basil oil, and for a pretty finishing touch, I added edible violas. There is so much going on here from the soothing texture of the silken tofu, decadence of the avocado, the freshness of the cucumber, the bright tang from the quick-pickled onions, the blast of umami from the oyster sauce, and herbaceousness from the basil oil and fresh basil—and yet the salad is so low-effort to come together. Make a batch of this toasted Thai basil oil ahead (it stays that beautiful vibrant green for at least a week in the fridge) and the rest of this super easy, no-cook dish comes together so quickly, making it perfect for a girl dinner, an easy side for a homey Chinese meal, or a satisfying protein-rich lunch.

The idea for this dish came from something I remember my parents making when I was a kid. To whip up a quick side dish they would slice up a block of silken tofu and combine it with oyster sauce and toasted sesame oil, with some scallions as a fresh garnish. I remember being surprised by how much I liked it, even during that time in my life when I was so bored and resentful of eating humble Chinese food at home. There was something about the custardy tofu and the rich umami flavors that made it comforting and exciting at the same time. This version builds on that dish with avocado to make it a little more substantial, and a homemade toasted Thai basil oil in place of the sesame oil for a fresh, spring-leaning flavor and color.

This recipe was developed in partnership with Bonnie Plants. I’ve been using Bonnie Plants plant starts since I first started gardening, all the way back when I moved into my house over a decade ago. They offer such a wide selection in their lush, eye-catching displays in front of garden centers nationwide and I like that they even have some more obscure Asian veggie varieties like Japanese cucumber and tat soi. Bonnie Plants made it really easy to get started back when I was completely new to gardening, and I’ve since been hooked on that feeling of satisfaction I get from growing stuff I can eat in my own backyard. And to make it even more worthwhile, by the way, homegrown produce tastes incredible compared to produce from a store!

The most frequent question I get on Instagram about my work is where I get my edible flowers. While I am continuing to learn more about foraging, a massive majority of the flowers I use in my photos are ones that I grew myself in my backyard! This is why I was so excited to partner with Bonnie Plants. They have totally taken the guesswork out of knowing what flowers are safe to use in your food art by selling two beautiful products, edible pansies and edible violas, which I used to decorate my tofu salad for these photos. If you’ve been inspired by my dishes, I recommend growing your own flower garnishes so you can snip off a few blooms whenever you want to turn anything from weeknight salads to weekend brunch gatherings into edible bouquets.

Notes About Making the Toasted Thai Basil Oil

The bulk of the effort for putting this dish together is with making this unique, herbaceous oil, but the good news is that it can be done ahead. The ingredients are super simple but the end result tastes completely different, with a rich, nutty umami flavor that you might not expect from fresh herbs. Thai basil is different from other forms of basil like the ones associated with Italian cooking; it is sturdier, with a slight anise flavor, and holds up well when frying. That fried basil flavor from Asian stirfries and street foods is what I’ve captured with this savory oil. As a bonus, the color is this gorgeous deep shade of green that is so beautiful for spring dishes! 

To make this, you will need a lot of Thai basil! Growing your own herbs means being able to harvest the exact amount you need, nice and fresh when you need it, whether it’s a whole pile of Thai basil for this toasted Thai basil oil or just a couple of snips for a fresh garnish. The recipe below makes way more Thai basil oil than you will need for the actual dish; this is because for most blenders or food processors, you will need enough volume to give the blades something to work with. I got almost 1 cup of basil oil following the written recipe below but your results may vary depending on your patience with the two rounds of straining. Make this oil ahead of time to pull it out for this easy tofu dish when you need it; when I was recipe testing, I kept the oil in the fridge for over a week and it still retained its lovely color and flavor.

To make the toasted Thai basil oil:

• Be sure to pack your measuring cup full of the green leaves from your Thai basil plant, avoiding the firm purple stems or flower buds. You can still use leaves that are a little wilted but avoid leaves that are bruised or mushy. Be sure the leaves are nice and dry.

• Combine the basil and oils in a blender or food processor. A high-powered blender is going to be the best option for this, but my subpar food processor was also sufficient.

• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepot. This round of straining will get rid of the bulk of the basil pulp. Feel free to really press down with a spatula to get as much of that infused oil out of the pulp.

• Cook out the excess moisture by heating the strained contents over medium-low heat, and don’t walk away for this step! If you are familiar with the process for making browned butter, this is the same idea—you are using heat to allow the water to evaporate away from the fat, while toasting the solids to produce a nutty flavor. But if you aren’t careful, those solids can burn quickly, and in this case the oil will go from that rich grassy green shade to a dull yellow-olive. Use both your eyes and ears here. Big, loud, simmering bubbles indicate the presence of too much water but when this sound quiets and the surface becomes a fine foam, you’ve successfully removed the water from your beautiful basil oil.

• Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and place a wide-mouthed receptacle for your oil inside it. Place a paper coffee filter or a few layers of cheesecloth into a strainer and place the strainer over your receptacle. Carefully pour the oil into the filter. This will strain out all the toasted bits of basil and leave you with a perfectly clean green oil. Let the filter setup do its thing, then store the oil in a sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to make your tofu salad!

Notes About the Ingredients for the Tofu and Avocado Salad

• Silken Tofu: Like the name says, this tofu has a smooth, silky,  texture making it the only style of tofu that I enjoy eating cold, straight out of the package. Silken tofu can either be found packed with water in the refrigerated tofu section, or in shelf-stable cartons with different levels of firmness. Any type of silken tofu will work for this recipe (as long as it’s not specifically labeled as a dessert packed with syrup). Make sure to unmold the tofu and allow the excess water to drain away when preparing this dish; I like to set it on top of a few layers of paper towels while I am prepping the other ingredients. 

• Avocado: This adds a creamy and fulfilling component that makes this dish work so well for a light meal. I use half an avocado for one small block of silken tofu. 

• Quick-Pickled Onions: This adds a bright burst of color to the look of the dish, and a bright acidity that acts to balance out the soft, creamy tofu and avocado. To make these, soak thinly-sliced red onion in cold water for 5 minutes to remove the strong astringency. Drain and  toss together with lemon juice and sugar. I like to add a sprinkle of tingling Sichuan pepper for extra complexity, but you can substitute with ground white pepper or skip this if you don’t have it.  You can make these right when you need them for a more prominent onion flavor, or make them a couple days ahead for a more mellow flavor but brighter color.

• Japanese cucumber: Use a vegetable peeler to make lovely ribbons of cucumber to adorn your tofu and avocado salad. For this recipe, you will be using the fleshy part of the cucumber and can eat the center with the tender seeds as a separate snack.

• Oyster Sauce: Chinese oyster sauce is a pantry staple packed with savory umami, transforming this combo of ingredients from a simple salad into a flavor-loaded dish. If you wish to keep your dish vegetarian, there is “vegetarian oyster sauce” made from mushrooms instead of oysters, and it works as a great substitute. You can find oyster sauce at any Asian grocery store, and I also see it readily available in the International/Asian aisle of mainstream supermarkets.

• Homemade Toasted Thai Basil Oil: This Thai basil oil is what gives this tofu dish a unique touch, making it feel a little fancier than the side dish my parents used to make. Make this ingredient ahead so it is ready for when you want to throw together this easy tofu dish!

• Purple Basil, Thai Basil, and Pea Tendrils: Snip these pretty garnishes right off your Bonnie Plants to add some fresh finishing touches to your tofu dish. You may not realize that growing your own peas means being able to eat the pea greens too! I love using pea tendrils as a garnish in spring dishes because they are iconic for the season and they create this delicate sense of movement for the final look of the dish. 

• Edible Violas: Obviously these are mainly here for the aesthetics but violas do have a mild vegetal flavor to them. I love that Bonnie Plants offers a safe-to-eat flowering plant like this so anyone can grow their own violas to make their homemade creations look extra special. I hope you try growing your own violas at home so you can use them to turn your kitchen creations into visual moments of joy like I do!

How to Make Tofu and Avocado Salad with Toasted Thai Basil Oil

Ingredients for Basil Oil

2 packed cups Thai basil leaves
1 cup neutral oil, like avocado or grape seed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for Pickled Onions

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 large lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground Sichuan pepper (optional)

Ingredients for Salad

1 small block (11–14 oz) silken tofu, drained thoroughly
1/2 avocado, pitted and peeled
1 small Japanese cucumber
1/4 cup pickled onions (or to taste)
2 tbsp oyster sauce (or to taste)
2 tbsp Toasted Thai Basil Oil (or to taste)
purple basil, Thai basil, pea tendrils (for garnishing)
edible violas (for garnishing)

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Procedure

To make the basil oil:
Combine basil leaves and oils in a food processor or high-powered blender (see notes above). Process thoroughly. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepot, using a spatula to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. 

Prepare a large bowl with an ice bath. Place a wide-mouthed receptacle inside, and nest a strainer or sieve over the top. Nest a paper coffee filter or a few layers of cheesecloth in the strainer.

Heat the saucepot contents on medium-low heat. When the liquid starts to bubble, stir occasionally with a spatula and watch/listen carefully. When the loud, large bubbles subside, stir gently and continuously until there are quieter, fine bubbles (about 10–15 minutes). Turn the heat down to low. The moment the surface resembles a foam and no new bubbles are forming, remove from heat and pour carefully through the filter. Allow contents to drip through the filter. Store the filtered basil oil in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

To make the quick-pickled onions:
Soak the sliced onions in cold water for 5–10 minutes. In the meantime, combine lemon juice, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Drain onions and combine with the liquid. Season with Sichuan pepper if desired. Marinate for 10 minutes or in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To make the salad:
Place the drained tofu on a serving dish. Slice the avocado and fan out the slices slightly; place on top of the tofu. Drizzle oyster sauce over the top.

Use a vegetable peeler to create thin ribbons of cucumber from the flesh of the cucumber. Omit the core. 

Arrange the cucumber ribbons and pickled onions over the tofu and avocado. Top with basil leaves and pea tendrils as desired. Drizzle the basil oil over everything and finish with a few violas.

Thank you so much to Bonnie Plants for sponsoring this recipe! Start your garden by looking for their plants online and in stores nationwide.

Recipe: Green Olive and Gorgonzola Crostini (with Bee Decorations!)

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These whimsical crostini feature a savory spread made with green California Ripe Olives and gorgonzola; it is rich and complex in flavor but totally easy to make, with a buttery umami from the olives, a tiny bit of funk from the gorgonzola, and a fresh pop of herbaceousness from the dill. These ingredients come together in a food processor to become something that is both versatile and indulgent, and as a bonus, they form a subtle spring green hue that is perfect for celebrating this time of year. 

This spread is fantastic as a dip for crudités or you could use it to make a very unique tuna salad or egg salad sandwich. I also am not ashamed to admit I ate several spoonfuls of this stuff by itself throughout the process of working on this blog post. But for this recipe, I am going to use it on crostini! A thick creamy spread like this one is perfect for turning crostini into mini edible canvases that you can decorate because it acts as a delicious glue for whatever you want to add on top. And I’ll teach you how to make the cutest edible decoration to top them with, out of a few ingredients grown prominently in California—olives, tomatoes, and almonds. 

The idea for this recipe came from a great cocktail that I had at an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood, La Connessa. It was called a “Tomatini”—a simple martini with gin, a hint of tomato, and gorgonzola-stuffed green olives. I thought about naming this recipe “Tomatini Crostini” but, while that has a fun ring to it, it did not match how the real star of both the recipe (and the cocktail that inspired it) is the olives! 

This recipe was developed in partnership with California Ripe Olives and CA GROWN. And if the spring vibes weren’t enough to convince you to make this crostini recipe right now, how about some exciting prizes? I made these to share inspiration for the "Show Us What You're Cooking With California Ripe Olives" contest hosted by No Crumbs Left and CA GROWN. Between now and April 20, 2026, you can enter to win a $500 gift card to Williams Sonoma and other sweet prizes by sharing how you love eating California Ripe Olives and tagging @cagrownofficial and @nocrumbsleft in the caption on Instagram or Facebook. Of course, I’d love to see you make and share this recipe, but any way to enjoy California Ripe Olives could be a chance to win the giveaway. Please check out this post on the No Crumbs Left site for the complete details of the contest before entering.

Notes About the Ingredients for the Green Olive and Gorgonzola Spread

• Green California Ripe Olives: For this recipe, you’ll set aside a small amount from the can of olives for decorating (or simply snacking while you cook!) and the rest will go into the spread. Even if you don’t live in California like I do, you can find canned California Ripe Olives at major grocery stores all throughout the U.S. Look for cans with “California Grown” on the label or ones that say "California Ripe Olives”.  These olives have such a smooth, buttery flavor that I think is incredibly approachable and versatile. California Ripe Olives taste so good because of their curing process. They are first cured with a goal of pulling out any natural bitterness from the olives, then cold-water rinses remove all traces of the curing solution, and then they are canned with a mild salt-brine solution. If the sharp, strong flavors of other olives have made you skeptical in the past, I still encourage you to give these a try because their flavor is so smooth and pleasant! As a bonus, the shades of earthy green that spill out of the can are just so beautiful. 

• Gorgonzola Dolce: Gorgonzola is a blue-veined Italian cow’s milk cheese. “Dolce”  is the milder, creamier, and subtly sweet version and that’s what we want for this recipe. We want it to blend nicely into a spread and complement the gentle flavor of the olives rather than taking over. The alternative is “gorgonzola piccante” which is more crumbly and has much more of a pungent flavor. The packaging or label usually indicates pretty clearly which type of gorgonzola you’re getting, but if it feels very soft instead of crumbly, you are likely getting the right one.

• Cream Cheese: I opted to cut the funky cheese flavors of the gorgonzola with some cream cheese. Using equal parts of cream cheese and gorgonzola still allows the distinct flavor of gorgonzola to come through while keeping the spread mellow enough for a crowd-pleasing party appetizer.

• Dill: I wanted to include an herb in the mix to bring some fresh herbaceousness and dill is the perfect complement to the other slightly briny flavors. Plus the huge bunches of dill at the farmers markets at this time of year are so alluring to me that I could not resist.

• Shallot: I included a gently-sautéed shallot in the spread because I found that it brought some nice complexity to the mix. It’s not going to present forwardly when you taste the spread together, but it turned the whole spread into something that was more than the sum of its parts.

Notes on Making the Crostini

To make crostini, I recommend selecting a girthy baguette that has a bit of give to it when you press gently on the bread. Some baguettes are very skinny and firm, practically like a giant breadstick, and I would prefer to have control over the crunchiness of the crostini myself. Slice your baguette on a bias to give the crostini a fancier look and to give yourself a greater surface area for decorating. Then, brush them with good extra virgin olive oil from California and pop them into a hot oven until they are the level of crisp that you desire.

The recipe below has measurements for 8 crostini, which I find to be roughly half of a baguette.

How to Make the Edible Bumblebee Decorations 

Since the spread comes together so easily in the food processor, I had plenty of time to devote to decorating my crostini for a spring theme. I thought these sweet little bumblebee decorations would be such a fun touch, and the ingredients add to the eating experience as well; the bright acidity of the tomatoes are a nice contrast to the creamy rich spread, and the almonds add a nutty crunch atop the crostini. 

For each bee, you will need 2 almonds for the wings, as well as 1 yellow cherry (or grape) tomato and 1 black California Ripe Olive for the body. You will want the olive and tomato to be as close in diameter as possible for the pieces of the bumblebee to fit nicely together. I found yellow tomatoes that were quite tiny, so I used medium black California olives. For most yellow cherry tomatoes, large olives might be a better choice.

The image below shows the pieces you will need to form each edible bumblebee:

• Head: From the end of the olive with the X, slice off one-third of the length of the olive to form the head for the bee.

• Black stripes: Cut 2 very thin slices of black olive for the stripes. (The remaining end of the olive won’t be used for the bee, so set it aside or consider it a chef’s snack!)

• Bee-hind: I recommend using a sharp serrated knife for slicing the tomato pieces. Cut a small section from one end of the tomato to form the back end of the bee’s body. 

• Yellow stripes: Cut 2 slices of tomato that are about 1/8-inch thick. Note that these should be thicker than the black stripes. I think this makes the bees look more charming than evenly-sized stripes. (The remaining end of the tomato can also be set aside or snacked on. )

• Wings: Select 2 similar almonds. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off a little bit of the skin on one side to expose the light-colored seed. This will make them look like wings with a bit of an outline to them. (Alternatively, you could use almond slices instead of whole almonds for this but I like the textural addition of having the whole almonds on the crostini.) 

Alternate the pieces of olive and tomato to form the bee body and embed that arrangement onto the spread to hold the pieces together. Then add the almonds, with the shaved side facing up. The creamy spread should hold the bees together on the crostini nicely. I recommend 1–2 bees per crostini.

I finished decorating the crostini with the extra green olives left over from making the spread, plus some edible flowers from my garden as well as pea leaves and tendrils, to create a whole springtime scene on each crostini. These young pea greens are one of the things I look forward to at spring farmers markets. While extra decorative elements are optional, I highly encourage you to seek out this particular seasonal green. I think the pea tendrils especially add such a delicate and sophisticated touch and I love how their twists and curls mimic the movement of bees. I hope you have as much fun making these little bees and snacking on these delicious crostini as I did!

How to Make Green Olive and Gorgonzola Crostini

Ingredients for Spread

1 tbsp California extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, peeled
4 oz gorgonzola dolce
4 oz cream cheese
2 large sprigs dill, thick stems removed
1 can medium green California ripe olives, drained and divided

Ingredients for Crostini

8 slices of baguette
2–3 tbsp California extra virgin olive oil
1–1 1/2 cup Green Olive and Gorgonzola Spread

Ingredients for 1 Bee (Multiply as Desired)

1 medium or large black California ripe olive
1 yellow cherry tomato, such as sungold
2 roasted almonds 

Ingredients for Decorating (Optional)

pea leaves and tendrils 
edible flowers

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Procedure

To make the spread: 
Put the shallot in a food processor and process it into small pieces. Heat a small skillet on low and add the olive oil. Sauté the shallot gently just until it starts to become fragrant and translucent, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Put the gorgonzola, cream cheese, and dill in the food processor and process until smooth. Add the sautéed shallot and process to combine. Reserve about 10–12 green olives for decorating, then add the remainder of the green olives to the food processor in batches, pulsing a few times after each batch to combine. (This allows the olives to retain a bit of their texture, making for a creamy spread with distinct fine bits of olive.) Transfer the spread to a jar with a lid and refrigerate until needed; the texture will remain smooth and spreadable directly out of the refrigerator.

To make the crostini:
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Brush a light amount of olive oil onto each baguette slice and place on a baking tray. Bake the slices for 4–7 minutes, depending on your crunch preference for your crostini.

Spread about 2 tablespoons of the green olive and gorgonzola spread on each of the crostini.

To decorate the crostini:
For each bee, select a black olive and a yellow tomato of similar diameter. 

From the olive, cut one third from one end to form the bee’s head and two thin slices for the stripes; you’ll be left with another rounded end piece that won't be used for the bee. 

From the tomato, cut off one rounded end to form the end of the bee and two 1/8” slices for stripes; the rest of the tomato won’t be used. 

Select two similar almonds. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off some of the skin on one side of each almond to make them resemble wings.

Alternate the prepared pieces of olive and tomato to form the bee. Add the bee to a crostini, embedding the arrangement into the Green Olive and Gorgonzola Spread so that the spread helps to hold it together and in place. Add the almond wings to complete the bee. Repeat as desired to make more bees for the remaining crostini. 

If desired, continue to decorate the crostini using pea leaves, tendrils, and edible flowers to create a whole spring scene for your little edible bees.

Thank you so much to California Ripe Olives and CA GROWN for sponsoring this recipe! If you make this recipe before 4/20/2026, remember to enter the "Show Us What You're Cooking With California Ripe Olives" contest!

Recipe: Veggie and Pork Spiral Dumplings in Sparkling Wine Dumpling Sauce

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These jumbo vegetable and pork spiral dumplings are my latest mashup idea, perfect for a low-key Lunar New Year celebration at home.  An seasonal filling of leafy greens (red chard, savoy cabbage, cilantro), umami-rich shiitake mushrooms, aromatics (leeks and garlic), and pork gets tucked into long strips of thin dough to form one long stuffed noodle, coiled into a spiral then pan-fried for a satisfyingly crispy bottom. The spiral dumplings are then served in a bright, savory sauce made with soy sauce, a hint of citrus, and a surprise ingredient of California sparkling wine, whose effervescence and a gentle hint of booziness gives the dish a celebratory feel.

This recipe was developed in partnership with California Wines. I know that Chinese food may not be the first pairing that comes to mind for sparkling wine but they actually work very well together. The dry acidity cuts through the fatty richness of traditional special occasion centerpieces like roast duck, and the bubbles refresh the palate between bites of savory, soy sauce-seasoned dishes like these dumplings. I am grateful that California Wines has given me the opportunity to share an example of how Chinese food is so much more than cheap takeout, and is as worthy of a sophisticated wine pairing as other globally revered cuisines. Dumplings carry so much meaning, care, and tradition, so pairing them with a California sparkling wine—both in the sauce and in the glass—feels perfect for the Lunar New Year season.

As part of Chinese traditions for celebrating the new year, many of the foods that we eat carry symbolism for wishes towards the year ahead. We eat dumplings because they resemble full purses or bags of money. And we eat noodles for longevity. Because I love hybridizing food concepts to come up with new delicious abominations, I decided that this year I could combine these two symbolic foods into one: a long, stuffed noodle dumpling coil which I will more succinctly refer to as a “spiral dumpling” from now on. I have seen Italian boiled pasta versions of this referred to as “girella pasta” or “spiral ravioli” but my version is distinctly cooked like a Chinese dumpling, steamed and pan-fried for a crispy bottom.

Notes About the Main Ingredients for Veggie and Pork Spiral Dumplings

• Red Chard: I wanted to feature a big leafy green in my veggie-forward dumpling filling because green vegetables are symbolic of growth and prosperity. Leafy greens are grown year-round in California, but in winter, especially, I think they become the stars of the farmers markets, with big piles of jumbo leaf bouquets at all the vegetable stalls. I particularly find chards to have a richer, more complex flavor than other more typical dumpling choices like bok choy or spinach, so I thought this prominent California crop was perfect for my quirky non-traditional creation. Plus, the red stems seemed like the right fit for a holiday where the red is considered a lucky color. Chop the leaves and tender cores into 1/4” pieces for a homogenous dumpling filling.

• Savoy Cabbage: Cabbages and other brassicas are also grown all year in California. Like the red chard, this isn’t the typical cabbage choice for dumpling filling but I enjoy the texture that comes from the crinkly leaves of savoy cabbage. I also find that it is easier to handle this densely-packed cabbage when chopping it finely to prepare the dumpling filling. You’ll want to chop these into 1/4” pieces too.

• Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms: Many classic Chinese recipes will utilize dried shiitake mushrooms but I find the tender texture of fresh shiitakes to be so much lovelier, while still bringing all their natural umami flavor into the mix.  Fortunately, fresh shiitakes are easy to find from California mushroom farms! Trim off any hard stem ends and then chop these up into 1/4” pieces like the other veggies.

• Leeks: California-grown leeks bring a little aromatic sweetness to the dumpling filling. I used only the tender light green and white parts and chopped those to the same size as the other veggies. (The darker green tops are great for throwing into soup stocks!)

• Garlic: It wouldn’t be a savory recipe of mine without some garlic. I used a subdued 2 cloves for this recipe (1 per dumpling) but feel free to measure with your heart.

• Cilantro: I know not everyone agrees, but I absolutely love the taste of cilantro. I added California-grown cilantro at the very end when cooking the vegetables for the filling, in order to retain its fresh herbaceous flavor. 

• Ground Pork: I used just enough to bind together all the vegetable bits and give this dumpling filling a plump, juicy, satisfying bite. 

• Fresh Pasta Sheets or Eggroll Wrappers: Since the goal was to keep this recipe simple for a low-key Lunar New Year celebration at home, I opted to use store-bought fresh egg pasta sheets as my dumpling wrappers. (If you like making fresh pasta at home, you can certainly do that too.) I have a great local Italian market that sells very fresh pasta sheets which work so well for this recipe, and their golden-yellow color is perfect for the occasion. Because the pasta is super fresh, it seals very nicely simply by applying a little water and pressing together. I tested this recipe with packaged refrigerated lasagna sheets and found them to be too dry to come together as a dumpling wrapper. So if you can’t find super fresh pasta, a much better alternative—which I found at even mainstream supermarkets—is packaged eggroll wrappers. These are even thinner and softer than the fresh pasta I used, and when I tested the recipe with them, they worked just as well. You will be cutting your wrappers into 3” strips and connecting multiple together to make these extra long stuffed noodles. For each big spiral, I used one 9”x12” pasta sheet cut into 3 strips. Most eggroll wrappers come as 6” squares, so alternatively you’ll need two of these per dumpling, cut into halves.

Note that when making dumplings with a predominantly vegetable filling, you will want to cook down the vegetables first. Mushrooms and leafy greens release a significant amount of water and change their form dramatically when cooked, which you want to happen before you stuff them into the wrappers. For this recipe, all the chard, cabbage, shiitakes, leeks, garlic, and cilantro get cooked and seasoned first, resulting in roughly just over 1 1/4 cups of cooked vegetables. This mixture should be cooled completely before being combined with ground pork and a bit of cornstarch to bind everything together. If you can plan ahead and cook (then refrigerate) the veggies the day before, the rest of the recipe will come together in a snap the next day!

Notes About the Ingredients for the Sparkling Wine Dumpling Sauce 

• Soy Sauce: The sauce for this recipe takes inspiration from ponzu sauce, which is a soy-based sauce combined with other bright, acidic flavors. So, similarly, this staple of Asian cooking will serve as the flavor foundation for the sauce for these spiral dumplings. 

• Freshly-Squeezed Mandarin Orange Juice: Where I grew  up in California’s Central Valley, citrus trees loaded with way more fruit than their branches could hold were an iconic winter sight. Mandarin oranges are an especially prominent feature of the Lunar New Year table. In Cantonese, their name is a homophone for “gold” and as you have probably noticed by now, wishes of prosperity and wealth are a major part of Chinese celebrations. I wanted my dumpling sauce to have notes of citrus, so I opted to use freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice for my citrus of choice. 

• California Sparkling Wine: Since the unique size of these big spiral dumplings makes them not so conducive for dipping, I made a light sauce that can pool in the base of the serving dish without overpowering the flavors of the filling. Look for a crisp, dry sparkling white wine from California with fruity notes of citrus and apple to bring a unique complexity to the dumpling sauce while mellowing out the saltiness of the soy sauce, keeping it light and balanced. This wine will not be cooked, so it is important to use something that is also nice to drink as a celebratory beverage pairing for the dish. To be honest, though, I’ve never tried a sparkling wine from California that has been anything short of a bubbly delight!

• Sugar: A touch of sugar ties all of the other sauce ingredients together, making the combination extra pleasing for the palate.

My family is from Malaysia, where we say “yam seng” for celebratory toasts—a Cantonese term meaning “drink to victory/success”. Whether your new year’s celebration is going to be small and intimate like mine or a boisterous family gathering, I hope your Year of the Horse is full of health, growth, and lots of auspicious foods like these dumplings. Yam seng!

How to Make Veggie and Pork Spiral Dumplings in Sparkling Wine Dumpling Sauce

(Makes 2 jumbo dumplings)

Ingredients for Dumplings

4–5 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/3 cup leeks (tender parts only), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cups savoy cabbage, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup red chard leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 lb ground pork
1/4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
2 sheets fresh pasta (9” x 12”) or 4 eggroll wrappers (6” x 6”)

Ingredients for Dumpling Sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mandarin orange juice
3/8 cup California sparkling white wine
2 tsp sugar

Ingredients for Garnishing (Optional)

scallions, sliced
cilantro leaves
pea shoots
Fresno chili, sliced or cut into flower shapes
chili oil, to taste

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Procedure

To make the filling, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok on medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and toss to coat in the hot oil. Add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms sound dry, about 3–5 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the cabbage; cook until the color brightens and the cabbage begins to look tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Mix in the white pepper and salt. Add the red chard and cook until all the excess moisture of the vegetables has been cooked out and the mixture feels and sounds dry, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the cilantro, stirring until the cilantro is completely wilted.

Remove the cooked vegetable mixture from the heat and cool completely, or store overnight in the refrigerator. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork and soy sauce. Add the cooled vegetables and the cornstarch and mix well until totally combined (I recommend using hands for this to really make sure it’s mixed thoroughly). Refrigerate the dumpling filling until you are ready to assemble the dumplings.

To turn the pasta sheets or eggroll wrappers into extra-long noodles for stuffing, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut them lengthwise into 3” pieces. Wet the end of one strip with water and place the next piece on top, so they overlap by 1/4” to 1/2”. Press the overlapped section to join the pieces together. Repeat as needed until 2 equal extra-long noodle strips are prepared.

Divide the filling equally into two portions. Brush away any excess flour coating on one of the prepared giant noodles, and apply one portion of the dumpling filling evenly all the way along the length of the noodle. Lightly moisten the remaining exposed noodle with water. Start on one end and fold the exposed noodle over itself to enclose the filling, making sure to squeeze out any air pockets. Press firmly to seal before continuing along the length of the noodle/wrapper. Use a ravioli cutter to seal off the ends, then to seal together the big seam along the length of the giant stuffed noodle. Gently coil the giant stuffed noodle into a spiral and set aside. Repeat to form the second spiral dumpling. Store dumplings in the fridge or freezer until cooking time. 

Prepare the sauce by stirring all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved. Store in a tightly-sealed container until ready to serve.

To cook the dumplings, use a lidded non-stick pan that is large enough to fit both without touching, or cook each dumpling individually. Heat the pan on medium and coat the base with 2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Carefully place the coiled dumplings in the pan and allow to fry for 2 minutes. Pour in enough water to cover the base of the pan in a thin layer (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup), cover with the lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Steam the dumplings for 4–6 minutes until the filling looks plumped and the noodle dough is tender. (If the water evaporates before this, add a bit more water.) Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and allow any remaining water to evaporate. Continue to pan-fry until the bottoms are crisp and golden brown. 

Place the dumplings in individual shallow bowls. Brush or drizzle chili oil over the tops, if desired. Pour the sauce around the base of the dumplings, then top with the desired garnishes.

Serve the dumplings immediately, paired with the remainder of the California sparkling wine that was used for the sauce!

Thank you so much to California Wines for sponsoring this recipe!

Recipe: Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Mini Pot Pies

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These mini pot pies filled with caramelized onions and an umami-loaded medley of mushrooms are the thing to make when you want a meatless dinner that is still hearty and comforting. Onions are cooked low and slow while the mushrooms are roasted to concentrate all their flavors, and then they are brought together with a California Chardonnay and a splash of cream before being tucked under a pastry crust. 

This recipe was developed in partnership with California Wines. I will be traveling in Asia for the second half of December and won’t be having any sort of traditional Western-style Christmas feast this year, so while I am at home, I am celebrating the holiday season by making even my weeknight dinners a little extra special. Any time I cook with wine, Spouse and I will open up a bottle that we are also happy to sip; that instant wine pairing that comes from using the same wine in the pan and as in our glasses makes a comfy night staying in feel as special as dining out. We both love an oaky Chardonnay that has creamy or butterscotch-y notes; unlike other whites that might only seem to fit with warmer weather, I think a rich Chardonnay like this works so well all year. Living so close to the California wine country, we’re always stocked up on locally grown wines for little occasions like these and are happy to support local farmers and farmworkers in this way.

The bulk of the filling for these mini pot pies is made with California-grown onions and mushrooms. I’ve lived my whole life in California and one of my favorite things about my home state is its agricultural abundance. I love shopping at farmers markets and local grocery co-ops where so much of the beautiful produce that I see is grown right here in California, and I definitely took advantage of that when shopping for ingredients to make this recipe. The original idea I had for these was combining the flavors of French onion and cream of mushroom soups, but the wine brightens things up and makes the combination taste wholly different from their old-school inspirations. While many pot pies do have a soup-like filling with a lot of liquid, this filling is a celebration of texture from the jammy onions and chunks of mushrooms.

Notes about the main ingredients for Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Mini Pot Pies

• Onions: These will be cooked on low heat in some butter to slowly bring out their natural sweetness. It may seem like a lot of onions when you start, but their volume will reduce significantly, down to about 20% of what you started with. Their jammy texture will make the filling of the pot pies feel rich and thick. 

• Mushroom Medley: In the written recipe below, I note that you’ll need about 1.5 pounds of mushrooms to make the two half-quart pies. I encourage a combination of baby bella mushrooms for their meatiness plus at least one other type of mushroom in order to add flavor and texture complexity to your pot pie filling. I think that the more varieties you use, the more interesting the filling will be, so go for a few different types if you can! I can never resist stopping by the mushroom vendors at farmers markets to see what is grown here in California. To make these pot pies, I used baby bella, shiitake, maitake (hen of the woods), oyster, shimeji (beech), and yellowfoot mushrooms.

• California Chardonnay: A white wine from California with a bright aroma and underlying notes of vanilla, oak, and butterscotch is perfect for tying together the savory-sweet caramelized onions and the earthy roasted mushrooms. Over 80% of U.S. wine is produced in California, so even if you don’t live just a bridge toll away from the wine country like I do, it’s easy to get a great wine from California at your nearby grocer or wine shop, order directly from a winery, or visit a wine bar or tasting room to connect with experts who can help you choose a bottle or two.

• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream helps make the sauce silky and luxurious, and allows it to cling to all the crevices of the roasted mushrooms. 

• Oyster Sauce (or Vegetarian Oyster Sauce): No matter the type of recipe, my Chinese roots have a strong presence in my pantry and my cooking instincts always have me reaching for one of those pantry staples when I am seasoning my dishes. Chinese oyster sauce helps to enhance the natural umami of the mushrooms and brings a little extra savory complexity to this pie filling. If you wish to keep your pot pies vegetarian, there is “vegetarian oyster sauce” which is made from mushrooms and does not actually contain any oysters; it can be used as a substitute for the oyster sauce in this recipe.

• Pie Dough: To keep things easy, I used a store-bought frozen pie dough to make the pastry toppers for my mini pot pies. This recipe is all about making something that feels like comfort food but is uncomplicated enough for a weeknight dinner, and frozen pie dough is one of my favorite shortcuts. Use the pie dough of your choosing and make sure it’s pre-thawed when you are ready to make this recipe. Note that the baking temps and times in the recipe are what I’ve tested with my favorite store-bought dough, but these may vary depending on your dough. Even if you are using a dough that comes pre-rolled, I suggest folding it up into layers and rerolling it out into a size that is just big enough to cover your mini pot pies, for a thicker, heartier crust. You can use the scraps to make decorations for the tops of your pot pies too, if you wish!

How to Decorate Mini Pot Pies for the Holidays

My easy trick for turning any savory baked good into something fit for the festive season is to make a little decoration on top using dill, parsley, and pink peppercorns. I think this works so well because the dill gives the look of miniature fir or pine boughs and the combination of parsley and pink peppercorns resembles miniature holly. Since dill and parsley are soft herbs, they hold up well in the oven; just adhere them with some eggwash so they are in full contact with the surface of the pastry dough and this will keep them from burning up during the bake. I think that adding this simple decorative touch instantly turned these pot pies into a holiday meal.

For a more advanced decoration, you could use some of the pie dough to sculpt little pastry mushrooms to go on top of your pies. If you choose to do this, I recommend to make these pieces ahead of starting the main recipe and keep them in the freezer until it is time to decorate your pies. This will help them maintain their shape and definition when baked. When it’s time, use eggwash to glue the sculpted pieces onto the main pie lid, and don’t forget to give them a brush of eggwash after that so they get nice and shiny.

Decorating is, of course, completely optional! You honestly don’t even need to do an eggwash on top if you don’t have a use for the rest of the egg; the pastry will bake up fine, just not shiny. What’s most important is that they taste delicious, which is exactly what you’ll get with this recipe, even with no decoration at all. I hope you like it, and that it tastes just as yummy and comforting for you as it did for me.

How to Make Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Mini Pot Pies

(Makes 2 half-quart pies)

Ingredients for Pot Pies

1 1/2 lbs mixed mushrooms, cleaned
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup California Chardonnay
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp dill, chopped
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 sheet pie dough, thawed 
Flour, for dusting
< 1 egg, beaten (optional, for eggwash only)

Ingredients for Decorating (Optional, See Decorating Notes Above)

pie dough scraps
dill
parsley
pink peppercorns

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Procedure

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Prepare mushrooms for roasting by cutting them down into coarse chunks. For baby bella, shiitake, or button mushrooms, slice them into 1/4-inch pieces. For clustered mushrooms like maitake, oyster, or shimeji, simply pull them apart into similarly sized pieces. Lay mushroom pieces out as a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets. 

In a large, wide skillet, combine the onions, butter, and salt, and set the heat to medium. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften. Then turn the heat down to low and cook for an additional 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are golden and jammy, and have reduced down to about 20% of their original volume. 

While the onions are caramelizing, dry roast the mushrooms in the oven for about 17–20 minutes. The mushrooms should look wrinkled and feel dry but still be tender, not crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside until it is time to add them to the pan. Set the oven to 450°F*. (*Note: Baking temperatures and timings for prepared pie doughs may vary. Consult package instructions where relevant.)

When onions are reduced, add the garlic to the pan. Keep stirring and cooking the mixture until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and oyster sauce. Turn up the heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Add the roasted mushrooms and cream and keep stirring and cooking until everything is incorporated and excess liquid has evaporated. Stir in the pepper, dill, and thyme, and turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before transferring into mini oven-safe ramekins or cocottes.

On a floured worksurface, prepare the pastry dough. Cut into pieces that will fit over the serving pots and trim as desired. Brush pastry dough with a thin layer of eggwash if a shiny look is desired. If decorating, arrange the decorations on top of the dough lid at this point, using more eggwash as needed to adhere the decorations, then brush another layer of eggwash over the final arrangement. Bake mini pot pies for 20–25 minutes, or until pastry is crisp and golden.

Enjoy the pot pies paired with the same California Chardonnay as was used in the filling!

Thank you so much to California Wines for sponsoring this recipe!

Recipe: Fall Charcuterwreath with Homemade Cheddar Seed Crackers and Pumpkin-Shaped Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Balls

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Lately, I have been really into making edible snacking wreaths because they combine my loves of food styling, arts and crafts, and eating cheese. So for this post, I partnered with Cabot Creamery to create a fall-themed charcuterie wreath (a charcuterwreath!) that incorporates their awesome cheeses in three different ways: homemade cheddar and seed crackers that are a dream for lovers of savory crunchy snacks, sun-dried tomato and gouda balls sculpted into adorable mini pumpkins, and cubes of their habanero cheddar to add a fiery kick of spiciness to the platter. 

A pretty wreath is not just for Christmas time and I think that a pretty autumnal charcuterwreath is an easy win for if you are trying to impress guests at a Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving gathering or if you are wanting to treat yourself to a cozy day of snacking at home when the weather is too crummy outside. Compared to a more typical charcuterie board arrangement, I like styling charcuterwreaths with all the different ingredients portioned out into individual bites and scattered around in the circle so everything can easily be grabbed off and enjoyed (and there’s no awkward fiddling with the communal cheese knives while trapped making small talk at the snack table). 

Personally, I’m always reaching for the cheesy bits of the nibble board and this post will go into detail about ways to use Cabot Creamery cheese to add a couple of homemade touches that will make the edible wreath extra special and tasty.

Cheddar Seed Crackers 

These homemade crackers, loaded with tons of crunchy texture from a medley of different seeds, yet beautifully delicate from their base of finely grated cheddar, are so very addictive if you’re someone like me who is always going to reach for a savory snack over a sweet dessert. I could not stop eating them while I was recipe testing. Fortunately, they are super easy to make! I never thought I’d be making my own crackers from scratch as I hate rolling out thin dough, but this cracker recipe keeps my rolling pin at the bottom of its kitchen drawer and keeps me happily munching.

Notes about the ingredients for the Cheddar Seed Crackers 

• Sharp Cheddar: Finely grated Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar serves as the base for the crackers. When spread out thinly and baked, the cheese crisps up into something delicate, lacy, and tasty on its own but even better loaded up with different crunchy seeds. I love that the tang of the sharp cheddar still permeates every bite no matter how many different kinds of seeds I crammed onto the surface.

• Cornstarch: I found that mixing the grated cheese with a tiny bit of cornstarch really helped with making the base of the crackers light and crispy instead of chewy. 

• Mixed Seeds: Using a medley of different seeds is what makes these crackers look so exciting. I used pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame, golden flax, cumin, coriander, carraway, and celery seeds. Some of these, like the pepitas, sunflower, and flax add textural interest to the crackers, while the coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds bring wonderful flavor complexity to the mix. I have included the measurements that worked well for my household’s tastes in the written recipe below, but you can certainly adjust the proportions based on your preferences. I recommend using plain, raw versions of these seeds as they will get adequately roasted in the oven as the crackers bake.

Helpful tips and notes about making the Cheddar Seed Crackers 

• Be sure to use a cheese grater with smaller holes to finely grate the cheese bar.

• For this recipe, you’ll be baking sheets of crackers and then breaking them up into rustic smaller bites. I think this adds to the autumnal theme as each cracker is unique and crunchy, like fall leaves on the ground! I found that spreading the cheese into thin 9” x 6” rectangles on parchment paper allowed them to transform into evenly crispy crackers without a particularly long bake time. If you wish to bake everything as one big sheet across the whole baking pan for ease, note that the center may not turn out as crispy as the outer areas.

• You can make these a couple of days ahead and store them in an air-tight container. 

• As a bonus, these homemade crackers are gluten free! And all of Cabot Creamery’s cheeses contain 0g of lactose per serving, so you can feel good about sharing these even with those Friendsgiving guests who have sensitive tummies.

Pumpkin-Shaped Sundried-Tomato Cheese Balls

The mini pumpkins that you see on my charcuterwreath are actually made of cheese! The filling is so easy for these as well; just throw everything in the food processor. Using a skewer or toothpick to create indentations in the balls is enough to give them that pumpkin shape, and then how much effort you want to put into refining that look is up to you, but it’s well worth it because I think these are what really make the wreath give those fall vibes.

Notes about the key ingredients for the Pumpkin-Shaped Sundried-Tomato Cheese Balls

• Cream Cheese: This is what acts as the binder. Processing the other ingredients to break them down and combine them with the cream cheese will render a mixture that is easy to shape and sculpt into cute mini pumpkins.

• Gouda: Creamy, nutty Cabot Gouda adds a nice mild cheese flavor that pairs so well with the sun-dried tomatoes.

• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: These add a brightness and a hint of tartness that makes these cheese balls so snackable. Look for the dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, not the ones packed in jars of oil.

• Spices for Coating: I used a mild curry powder and paprika to give these mini cheese ball pumpkins their earthy orange colors. For the richer orange color, I used equal parts of curry powder and paprika and whisked them together. For the less saturated orange shade, I used just curry powder. I found that the flavors of these spice blends complemented the filling very well. Feel free to experiment with other spice blends to get the colors you desire. While the filling is already orange, I would not recommend serving the cheese balls uncoated as they will be more sticky to pick up without the thin layer of dried spice powder.

• Pecans: I used pecan halves split lengthwise (therefore pecan quarters) to be the “stems” for the pumpkins. Pieces of walnuts, pretzel sticks, or pepitas would work well here too.

• Parsley: I used parsley for the leaves of these mini pumpkins but you could use whatever small leafy herb you wish. Personally, I think that parsley and cilantro leaves are what best resemble real pumpkin leaves on the vine.

Helpful tips and notes about making the Pumpkin-Shaped Sundried-Tomato Cheese Balls

• Chill the mixture until it’s firm to make it easy to work with. For best results, I recommend making the filling a day ahead but doing the coating and shaping the day of. However, if you are trying to prep ahead as much as possible, you can do everything but adding the “stem” and the leaf in advance. The spice coating will simply have a more bled-in look if you go this route.

• I recommend scooping and rolling 2-tablespoon balls for a nice grabbable portion; the written recipe below will yield about 15 of these. However, for the photos of the wreath I made slightly varying sizes for a more organic look.

Assembling the Fall Charcuterwreath

Just a couple of visually charming and delicious homemade elements will be enough to make your edible wreath an extraordinary centerpiece, so you can certainly fill the rest of it with typical charcuterie board ingredients that require little or no prep. I really don’t think this part of the process should require much measuring, but I will provide estimates of the quantities I used for the wreath in my photos in the recipe below. I used a 10-inch plate for mine, but obviously to get that abundant look, the quantities you need will vary based on the size of the serving board you choose. My main advice here is to be sure to choose good-quality ingredients that will do justice to your wonderful cheesy homemade creations and lean in to the autumnal theme by selecting a variety of flavors that celebrate the season.

Here’s a list of what I used to complete my wreath:

• Habanero Cheddar: I cut up small cubes of Cabot Habanero Cheddar to bring something spicy to the board. I felt that of all of Cabot’s fantastic cheeses, this was the best to use as a stand-alone in my charcuterwreath because it packs such a punch of flavor and also happens to look so autumnal because of the flecks of habanero and jalapeno chili peppers. This is the boldest and spiciest cheese I’ve ever tried and if you like spicy foods like I do, you should definitely give this one a try too.

• Prosciutto: It can’t be a charcuterwreath without some sort of cured meat, right? I chose prosciutto because the thin, tender slices are very cooperative for styling.

• Apple Slices: I used cookie cutters to cut a variety of apples into the shapes of fall leaves, then used a good paring knife to carve in the “veins”. This is obviously a bit more effort than just slicing them up and I do silly time-consuming things like this because I am a food stylist. Feel free to skip this extra step and include normal apple slices! Either way, I found this Serious Eats article to be very helpful for learning how to keep my cut apples from turning brown.

• Grapes: Grapes are an easy and pretty way to introduce beautiful color to the edible wreath. I cut a small bunch of grapes into clusters of 3–4 grapes still attached together by the stems, and this made it easy to incorporate the grapes into the arrangement without having them rolling all over the plate.

• Pomegranate Arils: It’s always good in an arrangement like this to have something tiny that you can sprinkle into any gaps to make the wreath look nice and full. For this season, these tiny jewel-like bits were perfect.

• Sage, Rosemary, and Edible Flowers: Some fresh herbs will help add visual interest to the wreath. I thought sage and rosemary were the most on-theme for fall! I also included a couple of zinnias from my garden because I think they give the wreath a sophisticated flair. This is completely optional, of course.

I hope that this helps provide some fun inspiration for putting a twist on the typical charcuterie board when you entertain guests (or just yourself!) in this season of gathering and feasting. If you’ve made it reading this far, I am so thankful for you!

How to Make a Fall Charcuterwreath with Homemade Cheddar Seed Crackers and Pumpkin-Shaped Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Balls

Ingredients for the Crackers

8 oz (1 dairy bar) Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, finely grated
2 tsp cornstarch
6–7 tbsp raw pepitas or hulled pumpkin seeds
3 tbsp raw sesame seeds
4 tbsp hulled raw sunflower seeds
2 tbsp golden flax seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds, slightly crushed
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp celery seeds

Ingredients for the Cheese Balls

4 oz Cabot Cream Cheese, at room temp
5 oz Cabot Gouda, grated
1/4 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
1/8 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp garlic powder
curry powder and paprika, for coating
~8 pecan halves
~15 parsley leaves

Ingredients for the Charcuterwreath

24–30 cheddar seed crackers
7–10 pumpkin-shaped sun-dried tomato cheese balls
2 oz Cabot Habanero Cheddar, cubed
1 apple, cored and sliced*
4 slices prosciutto
1 small bunch of grapes, divided into small clusters
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
sage
rosemary

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*If you are cutting the apples into fall leaves as shown in the photos, you will need at least 2 apples. Each apple yields 6–8 leaves.

Procedure

To make the crackers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine grated cheddar and cornstarch and toss together gently until cornstarch is evenly distributed. On the prepared baking sheets, form four (4) 9” x 6” rectangles with the cheese mixture, ensuring that all rectangles are of even thickness. Combine all the seeds together and sprinkle the seed mixture over the cheese. 

Bake for 16–18 minutes, rotating the trays halfway. Cheese should be crisp and dry when tapped. Line a cooling rack with paper towels. Allow the cracker sheets to stop sizzling, then transfer over to paper towels to absorb away the excess grease. Cool completely, then break up into smaller cracker pieces. 

To make the cheese balls: Combine the cream cheese, gouda, sundried tomatoes, measured paprika, and garlic powder in a food processor and process until thoroughly combined. Chill mixture until firm (at least 1 hour) to make it easier to shape.

Sprinkle coating spices onto plates. For a richer, deeper shade of orange, combine equal parts curry powder and paprika. For an earthy orange, use just curry powder.

Roll cheese mixture into small balls and then flatten slightly. Roll in the coating spices and distribute the powder across the surface until each ball is coated evenly but very thinly. Using a skewer or toothpick, press in grooves to shape into pumpkin shapes. 

Break up the pecan halves lengthwise into rough pieces resembling a stem. Insert a piece of pecan in each cheese “pumpkin” to act as the “stem” and finish by adding a parsley leaf.

To assemble the charcuterwreath: Line the rim of the serving board generously with the cheddar seed crackers. Add the remaining ingredients on top as you desire, to make your own fabulous fall wreath!

Thank you so much to Cabot Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to find out where you can get their cheeses near you!

Recipe: Spring Veggie Crostini with Green Chili Cheese Spread

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For this recipe, I partnered with Cabot Creamery to come up with something that is deliciously cheesy and also celebrates the beautiful produce that the spring season has to offer. One of the things I love about spring is that everything is so green! Here in Northern California, everything from the rolling hills with grazing farm animals to the heaps of fresh offerings at the farmers markets is lush shades of green right now. All of this inspired me to make this Cabot cheddar-based cheese spread with roasted green chilies and green garlic. It’s my take on pimento cheese with a spring green twist, and I hope you find it as addictive as I do!

I wasn’t sure if I could call it “green pimento cheese” because there aren’t actually any pimento peppers in this, but that’s the easiest way to describe what I was going for and I am so pleased with how it turned out in the end. Pimento cheese is a cheese spread associated with cuisine of the American South and it is named for the red pimento peppers (also known as pimiento peppers or cherry peppers) that are mixed throughout. My version combines roasted Anaheim green chilies, green garlic (more on this later), some dry spices, and Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar—the one in the green plaid wrapper! I chose this cheddar because it’s a great everyday sharp cheddar that my friends at Cabot recommend for sauces and dips; it brought a nice tang that held up to the flavors from the produce.

This cheesy spread can be used in so many ways. It is great as a dip for seasonal crudité, spread on crackers, slathered into burgers, and so much more. But I thought I’d show it off in the way that I personally best know how—on some pretty spring-themed mini toasts! These crostini are an extension of that spring farmers market theme; I went to the market planning to just grab a baguette and some green garlic if I could find it and then next thing I knew I was bumping elbows with the other aunties picking out the plumpest looking snap peas and the prettiest pea shoots. When I think of what’s in season in the spring, I definitely think of peas, so it felt fitting to feature them on top of my spring crostini, along with sunflower sprouts, little bits of radish, and edible flowers, all with my green chili cheese spread to hold them down onto the slices of toasted baguette.

Notes on the key ingredients, prep, and substitutions for the Green Chili Cheese Spread

• Anaheim Chili Peppers: I chose to feature these chili peppers in my green chili cheese spread because they are very mild, have a nice fresh vegetal flavor, and tend to have a flattened shape which makes them easier to roast evenly. For this recipe, you will be completely charring them until the skins are black and papery and easily sloughed off. My preferred way to do this is directly on my gas stove as this allows me to keep moving them around until they are blackened all over. If you do not have a gas cooktop, you could do this over an open grill or under a broiler; just be sure to keep moving and rotating the peppers as needed to get an even char.

• Green Garlic: Green garlic is a result of farmers thinning out their garlic crop; these get pulled out of the ground in the spring while other garlic plants stay in the ground until the bulbs develop into the mature form that gets dried and becomes what we think of when we think of garlic. It is milder in flavor than mature garlic and can be found only in the springtime, at farmers markets or some local grocery stores that tend to source more directly from farmers. To prepare the green garlic for this recipe, you will only be using the white immature bulb with the roots trimmed off and up to the tender light green stalk, below the tough dark green leaves. Similar to how you prepare an onion, you’ll want to peel away the tougher outer layer of the stalk (usually the pretty purple part). You’ll be briefly soaking the chopped green garlic to take away some of the raw sharpness. If you can’t find green garlic, substitute 1–2 small cloves of peeled garlic and use boiling hot water for the soaking step.

• Japanese Mayo: I used Japanese-style mayonnaise because it’s the only kind I buy and I like creaminess and slight sweetness in the flavor. You can definitely sub in with whatever mayo you have.

• Dried Spices: Ground cumin and coriander add depth of flavor to the spread, and make it smell so good. While it is always best to toast whole dried seeds and grind them right before use, I opted to go with store bought ground cumin and ground coriander when I was testing this recipe and they still brought a lot of complexity to the spread. 

• Sharp Cheddar: This recipe uses a whole dairy bar of Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar so you’ll have more than enough cheese spread for the crostini portion of the recipe and you can use the rest as a dip, on sandwiches, and more. This cheese has a creamy texture and a nice buttery tang, and just the right amount of sharpness for making a versatile spread/dip. As a bonus, all Cabot Cheddars contain zero grams of lactose per serving so you can whip this up for a party even if you have lots of lactose-sensitive friends like I do.

Green Chili Cheese Spread Variations

Because I was making the spread mainly to use on crostini, I processed the ingredients well in the food processor to produce a more homogeneous consistency. But don’t expect something silky smooth when you are blending the ingredients together since you are working with a block cheddar here; instead, look for a texture similar to baba ganoush.

If you are planning on using this as a dip for crudité or for a burger spread, you could choose to keep the texture a bit more chunky if you prefer. Withhold one of the roasted peppers from the food processor and finely chop it with a knife. When adding the cheddar, process half of the amount first and then lightly pulse in the rest. Then fold in that chopped roasted pepper manually.

Notes on Making the Crostini

The written recipe below will show you what you need to make the crostini in the photos. But don’t feel like you need to precisely measure anything for that portion of the recipe! This green chili cheese spread will work perfectly with so many veggies and if you are able to visit a local farmers market before making your crostini, I encourage you to get what speaks to you. 

Here’s a full list of what I used:

• Snap Peas: To make these more Insta-worthy, I cut off one half of each pea pod (and snacked on the discarded pieces while I worked). You can definitely skip this step, but if you want to achieve this look, use a sharp paring knife and run the tip just to the side of the natural seam that holds the pod together, and it will come right off.

• Pea Shoots and Tendrils: These are the leaves and tendrils of a pea plant; other than at farmers markets, I see them at Asian supermarkets since we often cook them for a simple veggie dish. Usually pea shoots are sold with three segments attached together: the tendril, a thin stem with small-ish symmetrically shaped leaves, and then a thicker hollow stem part with bigger leaves. I used only the first two parts for my crostini. 

• Frozen Peas: I supplemented the pea pods with some frozen peas to fill in some of the gaps as I was decorating the crostini. This ingredient can definitely be skipped if you want to keep to all fresh toppings.

• Radish Slices: The tiny little flower shapes you see sprinkled over the crostini are made from French breakfast radishes and purple daikon! I sliced them thinly and then used a tiny flower-shaped fondant cutter to punch out the flower shape. If you do not have a tool like this, simply slicing French breakfast radishes into thin disks would still look so pretty.

• Sunflower Sprouts: Another young green that brings a springtime vibe to the crostini, the succulent leaves of sunflower sprouts hold up much better on an appetizer table than most microgreens. These come with long, crisp stems attached but I only used the leaves to decorate my crostini.

• Edible Flowers: I grew these pansies myself and love decorating my toasts with them but they do not contribute much to the taste of the crostini, so you can omit them if you don’t have them. Remember that not all flowers are safe to eat; be very certain about what you have before incorporating flowers into your food. Alternatively, I actually have a tutorial for how to make very edible pansies/violas cut out of purple daikon, which would be perfect for these crostini; you can check that out here.

Because I found myself snacking on whatever veggie scraps I had as I was testing this cheese spread recipe, the idea of crudités really stuck in my mind. So, in a way, my crostini are like mini self-contained edible crudité platters. Whether you opt for this approach or choose to layer something different over your green chili cheese spread, I hope your spring crostini bring you joy to admire and then promptly devour!

How to Make Spring Veggie Crostini with Green Chili Cheese Spread

Ingredients for the Cheese Spread

4 large Anaheim chili peppers
2 stalks (about 6–8 inches each) green garlic, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 lemon
1/4 cup Japanese-style mayonnaise
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
8 oz (1 dairy bar) Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, grated

Ingredients for the Crostini

1 baguette
4–6 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2–2 cups Green Chili Cheese Spread
pea shoots and tendrils
48 snap peas
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 french breakfast radishes, thinly sliced
2 oz purple daikon, thinly sliced
16+ edible flowers, such as pansies (optional)

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Procedure

To make the cheese spread: Char chili peppers directly on a gas stove (or a grill or under a broiler) rotating and moving often until the skins are completely black and papery. Transfer charred peppers immediately to a brown paper bag (set over a plate to catch the moisture) or a container with a lid (a bowl and plastic wrap works). Seal in the peppers to trap the steam and allow to rest until cool enough to handle.

In the meantime, zest and juice the lemon. Set aside the zest plus 2 teaspoons of the juice. In a bowl, combine the remaining lemon juice, the chopped green garlic, and 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Allow to soak for at least 3 minutes to remove some of the raw bite of the green garlic (or longer if you are sensitive to this flavor). Then drain away the liquid and set green garlic aside.

When the chili peppers are safe to handle, slough off and rinse away all the charred skin. Discard the tops, the seeds, and any pith. Pat dry thoroughly and roughly chop.

In a food processor, combine the chopped roasted peppers, drained green garlic, mayonnaise, seasonings, and the reserved lemon juice and zest. Process until a puree-like texture is formed. Add half the cheddar and process until homogenous. Add the remaining cheddar and pulse to the desired consistency, or process until homogenous. 

The cheese spread can be stored in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. For making the crostini on another day, allow the spread to come to room temperature for smoother handling.

To make the crostini: Prepare the pea pods and radishes as desired for food styling (see notes in above blog post for details on food styling).

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Trim away the end parts of the baguette and slice the rest on a bias into about 16 slices. Brush each slice on one side with olive oil and place on a baking tray. Bake/toast in the oven for 4–7 minutes, depending on how dark and crunchy you want your crostini.

For each slice, spread on about 2 tablespoons of the prepared cheese spread. Start decorating with the pea shoots, then about 3 snap pea pods, then the edible flowers to establish the general layout. Then fill gaps with the frozen peas, sunflower sprouts, and the radish/daikon slices. Add extra pea tendrils for extra flair. Repeat for the remaining baguette slices and have fun decorating pretty spring toasts!

Thank you so much to Cabot Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to find out where you can get their excellent cheeses, such as their naturally-aged cheddars, near you!

Recipe: Mushroom, Sweet Potato, and Cheddar Stuffed Focaccia

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For gatherings like Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving, instead of thinking about just the traditional or typical dishes, I like to brainstorm what will have the biggest wow factor for a group of people without any tedious steps. For this recipe, I partnered with Cabot Creamery to create a stuffed focaccia recipe that is simultaneously impressive and unfussy. Loaded with a combination of sweet potato, pan-roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, and—of course—lots of Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, this recipe bakes up a big slab of cheesy carby goodness that is easy to slice up and feed a group while serving up earthy, autumnal flavors.

This is a same-day focaccia recipe. For a more minimalist focaccia where you will want the dough itself to develop a more complex flavor, it is typically recommended to allow for a longer fermenting process of at least overnight or even a few days in the fridge. But since this one is a vessel for the mixture of delicious mushrooms, melty creamy sharp cheddar, and other goodies, I opted for a quicker dough recipe. Plus, something I struggle with when I am getting ready to have people over is fridge space, since I’m stocking up on more groceries than normal, so I wanted this recipe to avoid having a big bowl in my fridge overnight. 

The dough comes together very easily with the help of a stand mixer, and there are three rest periods for the dough where you just leave it to do its thing and can focus on other tasks, resulting in a nice bouncy, pillowy bread. The only step that involves some attention to detail is decorating, but that’s completely optional! This bread will taste great whether or not you opt to adorn it with extra ingredients as I have here.

I’m proud to have had Cabot as a partner for several recipes now, so when I visited Vermont in the early fall of this year, it was cool to spot Cabot’s distinctive plaid-accented packaging among goods labeled as locally made there. Cabot is a farmer-owned cooperative, which means the ownership of the company is comprised of a group of farmers working together; those New England farmers are also the same people who are raising the cows that provide the milk to produce their wonderful cheeses, butters, and other dairy products. Now that I am back home all the way on the west coast, I can find Cabot cheeses in my local grocery stores too—that’s the proof that those farmers grew stronger by being together.  The plaid motif on Cabot’s packaging is a nod to the fact that they are proudly farmer-owned, and to the fabric that connects them.

Even though I’ve gained plenty of confidence in my cooking skills over the years, I never want to take any chances when I am cooking for guests. If I want to make a cheesy focaccia—as I have done for many a dinner party now—I know that using one of Cabot’s cheddars is an easy way to set myself up for success. But let’s get into a little more detail about that, and everything else that goes into making this bread.

Notes on the key ingredients for this Mushroom, Sweet Potato, and Cheddar Stuffed Focaccia:

• Mushrooms: Working as a recipe developer has taught me to pay even closer attention to seasonal produce than I did before, and now one thing I look forward to in the colder months is mushrooms! While the standard round button mushrooms are in stores all year, some of the more exciting varieties—like golden chanterelles—are only prevalent at this time of year and to me, their earthy flavor conjures memories of fall and winter hikes crunching on fallen leaves on the damp forest floor. I really got carried away with all the options when I was shopping for mushrooms for this recipe and you definitely don’t have to use this much variety! I do recommend choosing at least a couple different kinds to bring some complexity. Specifically, I find that shitake mushrooms bring a ton of rich umami flavor to the filling and shimeji (or beech) mushrooms look very cute for decorating the top.

• Sweet Potato: Incorporating thinly-sliced sweet potato into this recipe brings the autumnal vibes, in terms of both flavor and color. I used a mandoline to get even, thin slices that easily cooked through while the bread was baking. Look for the kind of sweet potato that has vibrant orange or red-orange flesh inside, like a red garnet.

• Red Onion: A little caramelized onion brings a lovely subtle sweetness to the filling. The onion, as well as the mushrooms, get pre-cooked on the stove during one of the rest periods for the dough.

• Cheddar: This bread incorporates Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar in two different formats. I like to grate about one-third of the dairy bar to sprinkle into the bottom of the pan underneath the dough; this crisps up while the bread is baking and becomes the first thing that hits your tongue as you bite into the freshly-baked bread, bringing  a nice tang of that sharp cheddar flavor. I break the rest of the dairy bar into rough crumbles and layer some in with the filling, while reserving some to dimple into the bread’s surface. I like the idea of every bite being a little different, with some being a chunky piece of mushroom and others being extra cheesy.

Notes on decorating the stuffed focaccia: 

I wanted to add an extra wow-factor for my focaccia since we eat with our eyes first! The decoration that I created uses sweet potato slices to form fall-colored roses and some extra mushrooms to give a hint to what’s stuffed inside. I love that this floral motif can be achieved by anyone, even if they do not have access to edible flowers or the ability to grow their own (like I do for some of my other bakes on this blog). You can definitely get as creative as you like when you are making your own version of this recipe, but here are some tips I can pass on about decorating focaccia as I have here:

• Soak some—but not all—of the sweet potato slices in cold water. This will make them stiffer and more hydrated, which will make it easier to poke them into the dough’s surface and prevent them from burning as quickly. It also causes the slices to curl a little, making them look more like rose petals. You’ll also want some unsoaked slices to remain flexible so you can roll them into a spiral to form the center of each rose.

• Mushrooms work really well as decorations; since they are so naturally full of moisture they don’t shrivel too much as the bread bakes. I think the shimeji (or beech) mushrooms worked especially well on mine. I also used some golden chanterelles.

• Choose herb/vegetable leaves that are flat and tender. Leaves can easily shrivel and crisp up in the oven but for best results, you’ll want to select ones that can be pressed onto the surface of the dough. This direct contact is what will help them preserve their shape in the oven, so the flatter and more flexible the leaf, the better. I used red-veined sorrel here because I love how they have a bit of a purple tint when they come out of the oven and add to the autumnal vibe; baby red chard could be a good substitute. I also used some lemon thyme, which has more tender leaves and flexible stems than other varieties of thyme I find at the grocery store.

• Generously brush everything with olive oil before baking. This provides a protective coating on all your edible decorations and reduces how much they will shrivel in the heat of the oven.

Decorating is, of course, the most labor-intensive aspect of this recipe but the good news is that you can do something much simpler, or skip the decorating entirely! Here is how you can adapt the recipe below if you wish to make the yummy bread, but don’t want to spend as much time making the floral motif on top.

Easier version—Fall leaves: Use a cookie cutter to cut the sweet potato slices into fall leaves. You can place these directly on the surface of the dough along with a few mushrooms and baby chard leaves to create a cute autumn forest motif. Brush everything with a coat of olive oil before baking.

Easiest version—Mushrooms only: Reserve a few mushrooms and place them on top of the focaccia as the decoration. Again, you’ll want to coat everything with a generous brush of olive oil to preserve their form and texture. If you choose this option, I recommend using about half a sweet potato’s worth of slices as part of the filling, since you’re not getting any sweet potato flavor on the top of the loaf.

How to Make the Mushroom, Sweet Potato, and Cheddar Stuffed Focaccia

Ingredients

1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus about 1/4 cup extra for drizzling
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
4 cups mushrooms, cleaned and broken down into small pieces
2 tbsp Cabot Salted Butter
1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
8 oz (1 dairy bar) Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar
1 small sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
red veined sorrel or baby chard leaves, for decorating (optional)
lemon thyme, for decorating (optional)

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Procedure

Prepare the dough: Combine water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer and stir together gently. Allow to bloom for 5 minutes. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook and turn on low; gradually incorporate flour, then 2 tablespoons olive oil, then 1/2 tsp kosher salt.

Turn stand mixer up to medium-high and knead for 5 minutes. Dough should pull completely away from the sides of the bowl while the dough hook is spinning, but feel a bit sticky when touched or when not in motion. If the dough seems too dry, add 1 tsp water, or if the dough seems excessively sticky and is not coming together, add 1–2 tsp flour. Knead for an additional 2–3 minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball with your hands. Drizzle a small amount of the extra olive oil into the bowl, add the dough ball, and rub some of the oil on top. Place in a warm spot and cover with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to rest for 1 hour, or until the ball has doubled in size.

In the meantime, prep the cheddar. Grate roughly one-third of the dairy bar with a box grater. Set grated cheese aside. Break down the remaining cheese into small chunks, about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch in size; you could cut them into cubes or just use the tip of a small knife to break pieces off. Place cheese chunks in the fridge until needed.

Second rest: Line a 7x11-inch (2 quart) baking dish with parchment paper and coat with a bit of the extra olive oil. Sprinkle the grated cheddar into the bottom of the dish.

Scoop the dough out of the bowl and press out the excess air. Divide the dough in half. Stretch each half into the shape of a rectangle that is slightly smaller than the baking dish; note that the dough will expand so it does not need to fill the size of the whole dish yet. Place one half over the grated cheddar in the dish. Keep the other half on a separate piece of parchment paper that has been lightly oiled with the olive oil. 

Cover both halves with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to rest for 1 hour.

Prepare the filling: While the dough is resting, pan roast the mushrooms and caramelize the onions. Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium. Reserve a few mushrooms for decoration and add the rest to the dry pan. Sauté until the volume is reduced to about two-thirds of the original and the mushrooms are squeaky as you move them around with a spatula. Remove the mushrooms from the pan.

Add the butter to the pan, then add the onion slices. Reduce the heat to low once you notice the color becoming more vibrant. Cook the onions until they are tender and start to brown on the edges, about 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms back to the pan, as well as 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Turn the heat back up to medium. Stir often to encourage evaporation, and cook until the mushrooms seem to have released their excess moisture, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool until the dough is done resting.

Once the dough has completed its second rest, the bottom half should be able to be stretched to fill the bottom of the pan. Shape as needed. Then add about one-third of the sweet potato slices to the pan, followed by most of the cheddar chunks, followed by the mushroom and onion mixture. 

Third rest: Place the other half of the dough on top of the mushrooms. Press the two halves of dough along the edges to seal shut and tuck them under, though this does not need to be perfect. Allow to rest, covered, for an additional 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Decorate the top of the bread and bake: Press the remaining cheddar chunks into the surface of the bread. Press your fingers into the dough to form additional dimples. 

To make a sweet potato rose, cut a slice of sweet potato in half and roll into a tight spiral. Roll the other half around the first. Place this firmly into the surface of the dough where you want the center of the rose to be. Starting with the smallest slices of sweet potato available, firmly insert slices around the rose’s center to form petals. Select gradually larger sweet potato slices and keep adding them as petals until the desired size is achieved.

Repeat to form other roses as desired. (You may not end up using all the sweet potato).

Add vegetable leaves and mushrooms to complete your decoration. Brush everything with a generous layer of olive oil. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt over the top.

Bake for 35–40 minutes or until the top is a light brown. Note that after 30 minutes, you may wish to check on your decoration and add small pieces of foil over the parts of the sweet potato that have darkened, to prevent burning. 

Carefully lift the bread out of the pan via the parchment paper and allow to set for a couple minutes before slicing and enjoying!

Thank you so much to Cabot Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to find out where you can get their delicious cheeses, such as their naturally-aged cheddars, near you!

Charcuterie Board Pizza

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Charcuterie board pizza—all the essentials of a good charcuterie board, except you can also eat the board because it’s pillowy carby pizza crust. This one is topped with fig jam, fontina and manchego cheeses, prosciutto, soppressata, pepperoni, fresh herbs, and mini pickles.

After shaping my pizza dough “board”, I swapped in a sweet fig jam in place of pizza sauce and baked on a nice gooey layer of creamy fontina cheese. I added all the other toppings—the charcuterie, shavings of nutty manchego, and the pickled cornichons/gherkins—after the pizza came out of the oven, so it still has that snack board vibe.⁣

Click here to get the recipe on the Three Little Pigs site!

Thank you so much to Three Little Pigs for sponsoring this recipe!

Duck Confit Croquettes in Green Goddess Soup

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These crispy crunch little duck croquettes are so good and so addictive that even my weird spouse who does not like fried foods was like “wow these are yummy!” They make wonderful snacks for sophisticated soirée, or could be crowd-wowing appetizers with a nice aioli or figgy jam on the side. Here, I used these crispy duck bites in place of croutons on top of a healthy veggie-loaded green goddess soup, to bring some texture and make it a more satisfying meal (and I guess to make it a little less healthy…oops.)

They sound really fancy but they are actually quite simple to make! I developed this recipe for Three Little Pigs, using their rillettes de canard, which is like a pulled duck confit that is ready to eat. That’s all there is to the filling of these croquettes, and I just rolled it into little balls, breaded them, and fried them to make this super savory soup topping.

Click here to get the recipe on the Three Little Pigs site!

Thank you so much to Three Little Pigs for sponsoring this recipe!

Savory Sandwich Cake with Truffle Pâté

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Surprise—This layer cake is actually bread! One of my goals for this year is to take dishes and food concepts that are normally associated with desserts and reimagine them with savory foods. For this recipe, I took inspiration from the Swedish smörgåstårta, which is basically a stacked sandwich made to resemble a frosted layer cake. But instead of tucking Scandinavian seafood fillings in between the slices of rye bread, I wanted mine to be a centerpiece version of the little tea sandwiches you might find at a garden tea party. ⁣

I developed this recipe for Three Little Pigs, using their truffle mousse pâté, homemade savory onion chutney, and cucumbers. The “cake” is frosted with a whipped goat cheese and mascarpone blend and decorated with dill, parsley, geraniums, daisies, and chamomile flowers.

Click here to get the recipe on the Three Little Pigs site!

Thank you so much to Three Little Pigs for sponsoring this recipe!

Recipe: Savory Veggie Cupcakes with Cheesy Cauliflower Frosting

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For this recipe, I partnered with Cabot Creamery to create a savory version of a cupcake! These moist and tender cakes are loaded with broccoli and sharp cheddar and made both flavorful and fragrant with the help of a touch of curry.  Believe it or not, the “frosting” is savory too—it’s actually a smooth cauliflower purée loaded with sharp cheddar!

One of my creative challenges for myself this year is to explore making savory versions of foods that are usually associated with desserts. I’m someone whose taste buds always crave savory flavors over sweet, but I admit that my eyes are so often drawn to the beauty and visual delight of dessert confections. Just looking at a cupcake already brings me joy. But then I realized that there’s no reason for why savory foods can’t get that same visual attention, and that’s exactly what I set out to do with this savory cupcake recipe.

I’m glad that Cabot Creamery was willing to encourage my crazy idea, as their wonderful cheddars have become a regular tactic for bringing richness and cheesy goodness to my savory dishes. Cabot is a co-operative owned by farm families throughout New England & New York and 100% of profits go back to the farmers, which is another reason to love their stuff. I used their Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese in both the cake and frosting components of this recipe, which brought such a nice buttery tang that meant I didn’t even need to use butter in this recipe. With Cabot Creamery’s cheddars having 0 grams of lactose per serving, this savory cupcake recipe was developed with my lactose-sensitive pals in mind, too!

I hope you find these savory cupcakes as joy-inducing as I do! Let’s get into the details about these unique baked goodies and the ingredients you’ll need to make them for yourself.

Notes on the key ingredients for the cakes:

• Broccoli: I thought a savory cupcake ought to be veggie-forward to make it something that—unlike its sweet counterparts—could be enjoyed throughout the day while getting some nutritional goodness out of it too. For this recipe, I used the very tops of the broccoli florets only and chopped them super fine (as shown in the photo) such that the cakes would have an even and delicate texture throughout.

• Onion: A must to bring flavor and aromatics to any savory dish, I incorporated onion into my savory cake recipe too. I cut the onion into a fine dice and sautéed it with the broccoli before adding it to my cake batter so that it would basically dissolve into the background and all you would notice is the added flavor complexity from it.

• Cheddar: For me, cheese is what brings excitement to a savory dish; it’s what makes something ordinary feel rich and indulgent. So in order to make these savory cupcakes feel just as decadent and luxurious as sweet ones, I loaded this cake recipe with lots of Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar. Its boldly sharp flavor and smooth consistency are perfect for tying together the veggie and spice components of the recipe. I grated the bar using the standard holes of my box grater for this part of the recipe.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Inspired by sweeter olive oil cakes, I leaned on a high-quality extra virgin olive oil to keep my savory cakes moist.

• Oat Milk: In keeping with the challenge to avoid ingredients containing lactose, I used a full-fat oat milk here. You could definitely sub with your favorite nut milks if desired.

• Curry Powder: This addition is what makes the cake interesting! I just love the combination of curry and cheddar together and I think the curry really takes the flavor profile of these out of breakfast muffin territory and into something more special. I used a Japanese style curry powder which brings a complex blend of spices without adding any spicy heat.

Notes on the key ingredients for the frosting: 

• Cauliflower: I made a cauliflower purée to act as the “frosting” for my savory cupcakes. Boiled cauliflower is easy to get smooth and spreadable in the food processor without adding extra cream and it is also so very foolproof (unlike potatoes that can get gummy if over-handled). I’ve been pretty obsessed with cauliflower lately because it’s light and absorbs other flavors so well. After boiling the cauliflower, you’ll want to squeeze out the excess moisture before adding it to the food processor to avoid your savory frosting being too runny; you don’t want to wring it bone-dry but you do want to give it a good squeeze until water is no longer actively dripping from it. 

• Leeks: These mild alliums will bring a savory-sweetness to the frosting without overpowering the gentle cauliflower. I used only the white and tender light green parts of the leek for this recipe to keep the frosting smooth as well as neutral in color.

• Garlic: I added just a touch of garlic to the frosting for savory complexity. A recipe with just one clove of garlic is unusual coming from me, but in this case, it is possible to overdo it; in my recipe testing I tried raw garlic and more cooked garlic and those tests were  too overwhelming for those whipped, light, frosting vibes. Trust me on this one. You’ll want to gently sauté the garlic with the leeks before combining it with the boiled cauliflower.

• Cheddar: Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar is what brings the main flavor here to this frosting. Since the cauliflower’s taste is pretty neutral, it leaves room for the delicious cheddar flavor to shine, so this frosting is very cheesy tasting indeed. I used a grater with small holes to finely grate the bar so that it would incorporate smoothly into the purée.

• Lemon Juice: This brings some brightness to the flavor of the frosting and enhances the buttery tang of the Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This helps keep the purée smooth and emulsified.

• Miso Paste: I used a white miso here which is sweeter and milder than other types of miso. It brings an extra umami and saltiness, and it rounds out the savory flavor profile and makes it feel more complete. If you have a different type of miso, I suggest reducing the quantity; if miso paste is difficult for you to source, I recommend just adding a little extra salt, to taste.

Note that this recipe makes more than enough cheesy cauliflower frosting to do a casual coat over the tops of the cupcakes. But if you want to get your piping bags out and pipe a big ol’ swirl, or at least do a nice thick layer that you can decorate with pretty flowers like me, then this recipe will allow for those creative discretions!

How to Make Savory Veggie Cupcakes
with Cheesy Cauliflower Frosting

(Makes 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients for the Frosting

1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
3/8 cup + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup leeks (white and light green parts only), roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
6 oz Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, finely grated
2 1/2 tsp white miso paste
1/4 cup lemon juice

Ingredients for the Cupcakes

2 cups broccoli florets chopped very fine
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
2/3 cup + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp Japanese curry powder
4 oz Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, grated
2 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup oat milk, at room temperature

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Procedure

To make the frosting: Add cauliflower to a pot and cover with water. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Boil until very tender and almost falling apart (about 10-15 minutes). Drain and allow to cool.

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet on medium-low heat. Add the leaks and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. When they start to become fragrant, add the garlic. Continue cooking the aromatics, stirring occasionally, until they are tender (about 3–5 minutes).

Squeeze out any excess moisture from the cauliflower and add the cauliflower  to the food processor. Add the cooked aromatics. Pulse until the cauliflower resembles a grain-like texture. Add the miso paste and one-third of the cheddar. Process until the ingredients look combined. Repeat with the rest of the cheese in two more batches. Add the lemon juice and the remaining 3/8 cup olive oil and process the mixture until very smooth, using a spatula to scrape the sides as needed. Transfer the purée to a bowl or piping bag and set aside or, optionally, allow to chill in the fridge. (Note: I found it to be easier to pipe/spread after chilling briefly in the fridge.)

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a cupcake/muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Heat the skillet again on medium-low heat, with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and salt, and sauté until translucent. Add the broccoli and stir gently, cooking just until it becomes a vibrant green. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, garlic powder, cumin, and curry powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the cheddar and mix until it is evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and remaining 2/3 cup olive oil until well-combined. Add the cooled broccoli and onion mixture and stir to combine.

Gently fold the wet mixture into the dry one, until the liquid seems fully absorbed and no floury streaks remain. Mixture should be very thick. 

Divide the mixture evenly into the paper baking cups. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for 15–17 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Leave the cupcakes in the pan for an additional 3 minutes to set before transferring to a cooling rack.

Once the cupcakes are cool enough to handle, they can be frosted and decorated as you wish! (The photos show the cupcakes decorated with nasturtium, wild radish flowers, and thyme.)

Thank you so much to Cabot Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to find out where you can get their delicious cheeses—which are naturally-aged and have 0 grams of lactose per serving—near you!

Recipe: Cheddar Tart with Beets and Fall Squash

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For this recipe, I partnered with Cabot Creamery to create a cheesy tart that would be lovely to serve at fall gatherings. This tart features Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar in two ways: a snappy cheesy rosemary shortcrust that smells so good when it’s baking in the oven, as well as the filling that goes inside it, which is a flavorful layer of a cheddar and almond spread reminiscent of an old-school party staple, the cheese ball. This smoky, tangy, creamy filling helps to hold in place the topping for the tart—marinated roasted beets and honeynut squash that have been thinly sliced and rolled into rosettes. The edible bouquet in an autumnal palette is likely to impress your guests; but the great thing is, so much of it can be made ahead!

When I was a kid, I remember being completely wowed by the flavor combos from those cheese balls covered in nuts that would always be present at holiday parties with my parents’ friends. So, the filling in this tart is a tribute to that combo. It’s indulgently creamy and tangy from the Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, super savory, a little smoky with the addition of paprika, and has such a satisfying texture thanks to the inclusion of sliced almonds. 

I think I loved that combo so much because back then, my family did not keep cheese around very much in our fridge. In fact, up until probably middle school, I thought that the powdery stuff in the green can and the plasticky American cheese slices were the only cheeses that could be purchased directly for cooking at home. That’s why it still makes me so excited that, as a grown-up, I can now get Cabot Creamery’s delicious naturally-aged, rich-flavored cheddars to cook and bake with to my heart’s content. Cabot is a co-operative owned by farm families throughout New England & New York and 100% of profits go back to the farmers. Having access to such high-quality cheeses with that level of freshness would’ve rocked Kid Me’s world. Now, being able to make my own cheese spread at home, just how I like it, brings me so much joy—and I hope it does for you, too!

Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients for making my Cheddar Tart with Beets and Fall Squash:

• Cheddar: The cheddar gets used in both the crust and the filling, so it’s gotta be a great one. I used Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar which is so good for those of us cheddar lovers who enjoy an intense, sharp flavor. I always like to go for their cheese bars and grate the cheese fresh right before I need it.

• Butter: Cutting the butter into cubes and freezing it is a major contributor to keeping the crust snappy and buttery without feeling greasy. I used Cabot Salted Butter for this recipe to bring extra rich savoriness to the tart shell.

• Vodka: Using vodka instead of water to bring the crust ingredients together is my other trick for keeping the tart shell super crispy! I have tested this crust recipe with just chilled water and I do not recommend this substitution.

• Beets: For this recipe, whole beets are first roasted until tender. The skins come right off after roasting. Then, the beets need to be chilled so they can easily be sliced into thin “petals” with a mandoline. The slices get marinated in a simple, bright vinaigrette before being rolled into rosettes. The autumnal colors of this tart are achieved by roasting 1 red beet and 3 golden beets together. The red beet slices are a deep maroon, while areas of the golden beets that come in contact with the red beet become a more vibrant red shade. To keep some slices at their natural bright golden color, keep them separated from the red beet.

• Squash: I used a honeynut squash for this recipe but butternut squash would work just as well. Unlike the beets, I peeled and sliced the squash before roasting. Keep the squash slices separate from the red beet if you want them to stay solid orange.

This recipe is great for gatherings because much of it can be done the night before. In fact, it is even recommended that you get the components prepped well in advance, for an easy low-key assembly when you are ready to serve.

Considerations for prepping ahead:

• For best results, make your pastry dough the night before and let it chill, molded into the tart pan, overnight. Then all you have to do is pop it in the oven the following day.

• The cheddar and almond filling can be made the night before and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The day-of, just take it out and allow it to come to a spreadable consistency while the tart shell bakes.

• The roasted beets need to be chilled slightly in order to be sliced by the mandoline, so do plan ahead for this. I recommend doing all the prep for the beet and squash rosettes ahead of time. I used a mini muffin tin to hold the rosettes together before I arranged them all on top of the tart filling. You could do this the night before so the rosettes are ready to just pop onto the tart before serving!

If you need an additional shortcut:

• This tart can be simplified by using a ready-made pie dough for the crust. The overall flavor of the tart will be less complex and less cheesy but there is still a lot of flavor in the cheese and almond filling and the roasted veggie topping. If you choose to pursue this shortcut, mold the pie dough to the tart container and then follow the package instructions to fully bake the crust before following the recipe for filling the tart.

One thing that can be scary about baking for guests is that a lot can happen in an oven! You put your lovingly-prepared dough, batter, or pastry in but you can’t truly be certain what it will look like coming out. This is why I like to make tarts where the shell is baked completely through first; the filling and topping here do not require additional bake time. The tart can be served at room temperature so it’s one less thing to worry about keeping warm while you are enjoying the conversation of your dining companions.

How to Make a Cheddar Tart with Beets and Fall Squash

(Makes one 9-inch tart)

Ingredients for the Crust*

1/2 cup (1 stick) Cabot Salted Butter, cut into small cubes then frozen
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 oz (about 1/4 cup) Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, grated then chilled
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4–6 tbsp vodka, chilled

Ingredients for the Topping

1 medium (about 1/2 lb) red beet, trimmed and cleaned
3 medium (about 1/2 lb each) golden beets, trimmed and cleaned
1 medium (about 1 1/2 lbs) honeynut or butternut squash, peeled and cored
4–8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
kosher salt
black pepper
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
fennel fronds, for garnish (optional)

Ingredients for the Filling

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 oz (about 1/2 cup) Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, grated
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup sliced almonds, roughly chopped

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* For a shortcut version, see notes above about substituting a ready-made pie crust.

Procedure

To make the crust: Add the flour, Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, salt, and rosemary to a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Scatter in frozen Cabot Salted Butter cubes and pulse until the texture resembles wet sand. Add 1 tablespoon of vodka and pulse a couple of times; repeat vodka step, adding 1 tablespoon at a time and pulsing briefly after each, until the mixture looks like it is just barely starting to form clumps. Dump the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan and use a spoon to quickly press the mixture evenly against the bottom and sides, keeping everything as cold as possible. (A sheet of wax paper could also aid in smoothing out the mixture). Chill the unbaked tart shell in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight.

To make the topping: Preheat oven to 400°F. (Beets and squash can be baked simultaneously; just keep an eye on separate bake times.)

Coat beets lightly with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Tightly wrap beets in foil, place in a baking dish, and bake for 1 hour or until tender. (If you wish to keep some of the golden beet completely yellow, wrap and bake those separately from the red beet.) When beets are cool enough to handle, gently rub off the skins. Then, place in the refrigerator to cool completely. 

Use a mandoline to thinly slice the squash. Coat slices lightly with olive oil. Arrange evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. 

Slice cooled beets thinly with a mandoline and lay slices out on a baking sheet. Overlap red beet slices on gold beet slices to dye them as desired to create color variation, or keep some gold beet slices on a separate tray to preserve their color.

Whisk together apple cider vinegar, sugar, a pinch of kosher salt, and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Drizzle evenly over the trays of beet and squash slices and allow to marinade for at least 5 minutes.

Roll the beet and squash slices into rosettes. Start with a small slice of squash, and roll into a tight spiral (the squash  can usually be rolled into a tighter spiral than the beet). Fold or cut subsequent slices in half and keep wrapping them around to mimic the appearance of rose petals. For best results, place rosettes into a mini muffin tin to keep them together, and pre-assemble all the rosettes before placing them on the tart. (This can be done a day ahead.)

To make the filling: Add cream cheese, Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, Greek yogurt, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and pepper to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip ingredients together until combined. Fold in almonds. (This filling can be made ahead. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator and allow to soften outside the refrigerator before spreading.)

To bake the tart shell: Dock the chilled shell with a fork to prevent it from puffing while baking. Line the inside with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights (or dry beans). Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake in the 400°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the lining and weights, then bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before filling.

To assemble the tart: Spread the filling evenly inside the baked tart shell. Gently press the veggie rosettes into the filling; extra beet and squash slices can be used to fill in empty spaces after the initial rosettes are placed. If desired, garnish with a few fennel fronds, or fresh herbs of your choice. Be sure to use a nice sharp knife when slicing, and enjoy!

Thank you so much to Cabot Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to find out where you can get their delicious cheeses, such as their naturally-aged cheddars, near you!

Recipe: Chili Cheese Scones

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For this recipe, I partnered with Cabot Creamery to create my version of a baked goodie that I think gets totally overlooked: savory scones! I feel like sweet scones get all the love, but as a diehard member of Team Savory for life, what I like about savory scones is that they can be such a satisfying handheld snack or a way to round out a real meal. 

These scones are filled with a combo of green chilies, scallions, black pepper, and lots of high quality Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar. The inspiration for this flavor grouping comes from Indian-style chili cheese toast, which I first experienced at a Bombay-inspired restaurant in London called Dishoom. There, the pairing of chili cheese toast and eggs is called Eggs Kejriwal. I’ll still go to Dishoom whenever I’m in London, but at home, I was happy to find it was easy to replicate the chili cheese toast and was blown away by how good the simple combo of chopped green chilies, scallions, black pepper, and melted cheddar tasted together. It really is an example of the whole being more than just the sum of its parts and I think a lot of credit can be given to the power of a high-quality sharp white cheddar, when it is all gooey and melty, for bringing everything together.

So when Cabot Creamery asked me to come up with a recipe to show off one of their wonderful cheddars, I thought it would be tasty to put the flavors of one of my favorite toasts into the lovely portable format of a scone. But despite the inspiration coming from London, these aren’t going to be the dry, crumbly, or bland scones you might get with an afternoon tea service. These are flavor-packed American style scones and they are super tender and light!

I opted to use Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar for this recipe, which has such a nice bold sharp cheddar taste. Cabot is a co-operative owned by farm families throughout New England & New York and 100% of profits go back to the farmers, which I think is so cool for a brand that is so widely distributed. They are also the world’s first dairy co-op to get a B Corp certification. This particular cheese offering from them has a creamy texture and buttery richness to it, and is equally as good for just snacking on alone as it is getting baked into scones—which made it really hard for me to resist eating it while I was prepping the ingredients to shoot this recipe. 

These scones are nice and cheesy, with a little bit of kick from the chilies, and a unique spiced undertone from the coriander seeds and black pepper. I hope you’ll give them a try!

What you need to know about the key ingredients for this Chili Cheese Scone recipe:

• Butter: Freezing the butter and then grating it is my go-to technique for any sort of baked pastry that I want to be airy and flakey. No one wants overly-dense, hard scones. In contrast, the frozen butter, and keeping everything as cold as possible in general, allows for the creation of steam inside the scones as they bake, which form air pockets that keep the texture light. I used Cabot Salted Butter for this recipe to add an extra note of rich savoriness.

• Cheddar: The cheddar is really the star of these cheesy scones! I went for the Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, which I think has a great classic sharp cheddar taste that really holds up nicely mixed into these scones. However, I think that Cabot Creamery’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar would also be great here. Be sure to grab one of their cheese bars and grate it fresh for this recipe.

• Green Chilies: The green chilies are what give the scones a nice little spicy kick. I used a mixture of jalapenos and serranos here (2 very large jalapenos and 1 long serrano) but you could also choose one or the other. I removed the pith and seeds from the jalapenos because I don’t care for the texture but kept it all in for the thinner serrano and this brought a noticeable amount of heat to the scones. If you remove all the pith, the scones will be much milder.

• Scallions: Chopped scallions add a nice savory and aromatic flavor to the scones. They get sweeter when the scones are baked and taste so good with the cheddar!

• Black Pepper: This adds a zingy spiced component to the scones. Please do not use the ground pepper that comes out of a store-bought spice jar. Whole black peppercorns and a pepper mill on a coarser setting, and subsequently nice freshly-cracked pepper, is what will give you the flavor impact you want.

• Coriander Seeds: Sometimes when I make chili cheese toast, I also include cilantro, or coriander. For my scones, I opted to include coriander seeds because I think they bring such a great mysterious and complex spice flavor without adding any extra spicy heat. I measured out the whole seeds first, then toasted them in a dry pan until they became fragrant, then pulsed them a couple of times in a spice grinder. If you have a mortar and pestle that would be even better. You want to crush them up and get them to release their aroma but you don’t need a fine powder.

A couple of other techniques to get the best scones:

• Like I mentioned before, keeping everything cold is what gives you scones that are tender and airy instead of dense and firm. Popping the scones in the freezer while you wait for your oven to heat up will help the scones poof up instead of spreading out.

• Creating letterfolds with the dough before cutting out the scones is what gives them those nice layers similar to an American style biscuit. You can definitely just gather the dough together and cut out the scones right away, but this extra step of flattening it out and folding the slab of dough a few times is a quick trick that makes them extra special.

How to Make Chili Cheese Scones

(Makes 8 scones)

Ingredients

2 cups AP flour, plus extra for dusting
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds, toasted and then coarsely ground
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg
6 oz Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, grated
1/2 packed cup scallions, chopped
1/2 cup jalapeno or serrano peppers, cut into 1/8” dice (see note*)
1/2 cup (1 stick) Cabot Salted Butter, frozen
1 tbsp Cabot Salted Butter, melted
Cilantro leaves, for decoration (optional)

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Notes

* You can control the level of spicy heat in the scones by how much of the pith you choose to include. The majority of a chili pepper’s heat comes from the pith.

Procedure

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper, and ground coriander seed in a large mixing bowl and whisk together.

Set aside a few pinches of the grated Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar for topping off the scones later.

Into the dry ingredients, stir in the rest of the cheddar, plus the chopped scallions and chilies.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and egg.

Working quickly with cold hands, grate the stick of Cabot Salted Butter into the dry ingredient mixture, tossing together the ingredients along the way to ensure even distribution. 

Drizzle in about one-third of the wet ingredients. Incorporate gently with some of the dry ingredients. Continue gradually incorporating the wet and dry ingredients together, taking care to not overstir. (Mixture can be clumpy and uneven.)

Dump the mixture onto a work surface and gently press together with your hands until it all sticks together. Lightly flour a work surface, then shape the dough into a rough rectangle, about 6x9. Lightly flour the surface of the dough, then fold down the top third and fold up the bottom third (like you would fold a letter). Flip and rotate 90 degrees and repeat the shaping, rolling, and folding sequence. Flip and rotate again, then do the sequence one more time, for 3 sets of letter folds total.

Then, fold the dough in half and shape it into a flat circle, about 7-8 inches in diameter. Cut the dough into 8 equal wedges. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, place an oven rack one-third from the top of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Brush melted butter on the tops of the chilled biscuits. Sprinkle remaining cheddar on top. If desired, decorate with fresh cilantro leaves.

Bake for 25–27 minutes, or until tops begin to get golden.

Thank you so much to Cabot Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to find out where you can get their delicious cheeses, such as their naturally-aged cheddars, near you!

Easy Salmon Cakes Using Tinned Smoked Salmon

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I wrote up a recipe for Kvarøy Arctic Salmon for these cute little salmon cakes, which I served on top of a bed of labneh, with a lightly dressed salad of tender herbs and pomegranate arils. One of those meals that is super easy (since the salmon in the tins is already smoked and flavorful) and yet looks special and fancy. Combining lovely delicate leafy herbs with pomegranate arils gives any dish an instantly festive look.

You can get the recipe for these easy salmon cakes on Kvarøy Arctic’s website.

Also, I just really love the packaging design of the Fishwife salmon tins…

Mini Salmon and Kabocha Squash Pot Pies

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I wrote up a recipe for Kvarøy Arctic Salmon for mini pot pies filled with a creamy, hearty filling of salmon, kabocha squash, and corn. This was inspired by the herring and pumpkin pie from the Studio Ghibli movie Kiki’s Delivery Service. Ages ago, my friend Sandy gave me the idea to try to recreate the fish pastry design from the movie and I finally was able to do a version that I was really proud to share.

I am pretty late to watching all the Studio Ghibli movies. I watched Kiki’s Delivery Service for the first time last year. I happened to be in Stockholm when I watched it, and then found out the next day that the city in the movie was actually inspired by Stockholm! So I got to see one of the buildings that was recreated in the movie right after. Because the experience was so serendipitous, this movie will have a special place in my heart.

You can get the recipe for these pot pies on Kvarøy Arctic’s website.

Recipe: Brown Butter Sweet Potato Sage Streusel Muffins

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For this recipe, I partnered with Danish Creamery to come up with a tasty fall treat. I love baking in the fall, warming up the house with the smell of cozy spices. But as you may know by now, I do not have the biggest sweet tooth, so I wanted to create a recipe for something that feels like a treat and has all the best of flavors that the season has to offer but is *not too sweet*. These muffins are made by first making brown butter with Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter to give it a wonderful nuttiness, before using it in a batter that’s loaded with sweet potato, fresh chopped sage, and Chinese five spice, sweetened with maple syrup. The streusel topping is also made with brown butter and I added a touch of salt and ground peanuts, giving it a little bit of a sweet-salty vibe that I think is quite addictive!

I’m calling these “muffins” but don’t expect the bready, crumbly kind—these are rich and moist from all that brown butter and fresh mashed sweet potato. The texture on the inside is going to be similar to a decadent carrot cake or banana bread but to provide a nice contrast, the streusel topping is crumbly and light, almost like the edges of a cookie.

With the brown butter being such a major ingredient in both components, you’re going to want to use a high-quality butter to start. Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter is made with just high-quality cream and a touch of sea salt and it is slow-churned in small batches for a velvety texture and rich flavor. It contains 85% butterfat, which beats out most other European style butters that contain 82%–83%. Browning butter is actually a good way to determine the richness of a butter; avoid butters that create a lot of splatter as they are melting, as that is an indication of their higher water to fat ratio. This butter, on the other hand, melted very smoothly and foamed up gently before turning the rich amber-colored liquid gold that is toasty brown butter!

Let’s get into the details of what you’ll need to do to get these lovely autumnal muffins.

Key ingredients for the brown butter sweet potato muffin base:

• Brown Butter: What is brown butter? To make brown butter, all you need is good quality butter like Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter (and a pot and a spatula)! Nothing else goes into it; you are simply cooking the butter and toasting the milk solids in it to intensify the flavor. Bring the butter to room temp first, then cut it into a few smaller pieces and put it in a light colored pot or pan; you’ll want to be able to watch the color so a dark pan is not recommended. Cook the butter on medium-low heat, swirling or gently stirring occasionally until it starts to get foamy. Once it starts to foam up, stir constantly for 2–3 minutes, watching the color. Once the color starts to change, take it off the heat and keep stirring until all the foam subsides, and what you’ll be left with will smell amazing and resemble the color of amber; if you remember the color of the stuff they extracted the dinosaur DNA from in Jurassic Park, that’s the color you want! (But it’ll be way tastier.)

• Mashed Sweet Potato: This recipe requires the real stuff: fresh mashed sweet potato. You will need about 1 large-ish sweet potato to get the 1 cup needed for this recipe. I have tested this recipe with both steamed and roasted sweet potato and both turned out great. I do not recommend cooking your sweet potato by microwave as that will probably dry it out. My favorite method is roasting. To roast sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the sweet potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes directly on the middle rack of the oven. Place a foil-lined baking sheet underneath them to catch anything that drips. Bake for 40–50 minutes or until they are completely soft inside. You should be able to scrape them easily from the skins and mash them up with just the slightest amount of pressure. You do not need a perfectly smooth purée for this recipe but there shouldn’t be big lumps. This can most definitely be done ahead; just bring it to room temp before using it in the batter.

• Sage: I used 2 tablespoons of finely chopped sage for this recipe. I know that sage can be pretty divisive, but I love it. To me, it’s one of the flavors that makes Thanksgiving food special, even more so than the pie spices and the fall gourds. I actually felt that there could’ve been more sage flavor, but Spouse, who is not as much a fan of sage, thought that it was enough to notice it’s there without being at all bothered by it. I think that sage lovers could bump this all the way up to 3 tablespoons if they wanted. Conversely, if you hate sage, you can totally leave it out.

• Maple Syrup: I used maple syrup as the only sweetener in the muffin batter because it brings a gentle sweetness and complements fall flavors so well. And ol’ maple syrup will do, as long as it’s the real stuff. 

• Chinese Five Spice Powder: I wanted to do something a little different for fall baking here, so instead of a blend of classic American pie spices, I used Chinese five spice powder. What is five spice? It doesn’t always have only five spices, but the number five is called out because the ingredients are meant to represent the five elements in Chinese mythology. It typically has cinnamon, star anise, clove, fennel, and sichuan pepper. I opted for this because it is a pantry staple for me and I liked that it is a little bit more savory-leaning. You can substitute a pumpkin pie spice blend if you don’t have it, but I find that the heavy cinnamon content in those makes the blends a bit stronger than five spice, so I’d reduce the amount if making this substitution.

Things to know about making the streusel topping:

Once again, you’ll be making brown butter for the streusel that goes on top of the muffins, giving them that appealing, crackly mushroom top. You could brown all the butter for the recipe at once and then measure it out for each component; however, I found it was easier to do them separately and use the measurement markings on the butter wrapper. Either way, you will want to make the streusel first anyway to give it a little bit of time to chill. 

In addition to the brown butter, the other key ingredients for the streusel are a touch of five spice, dark brown sugar, regular white sugar, kosher salt, and unsalted roasted peanuts. 

Why roasted peanuts?  I included finely chopped peanuts in my streusel because I wanted the crumbly topping to have a salty-sweet quality to it, in the vein of kettle corn or salted caramel. The peanuts helped bring in a savory quality as well as nice texture to the streusel mixture, and combined with the kosher salt, the result is definitely a nice little touch of a salty balance for the maple and sweet potato muffin base. You can substitute in any nut you’d like for this. If you have a nut allergy, you could also sub in breadcrumbs, or finely crushed chicharrones!

How to get the most visually appealing muffins: 

To get bakery-style muffins that are nice and full with a mushroom top, there are a couple of special but easy tricks I used here that I will now share with you. (Note that in the photos, I used a vintage muffin tin that is proportioned a little differently but to actually test the recipe and bake the muffins shown, I used a modern, standard muffin tin and standard paper liners.)

You’ll notice that this recipe makes 9 muffins. I filled the muffin cups all the way to the top using an ice cream scooper to scoop out the batter into a nice domed shape. The amount of batter will rise and fill out the muffin cups nicely this way. You can certainly divide the batter into 12 muffin cups, but they just won’t have the muffin top you see in the photos, and you’ll want to test for doneness a couple minutes early.

Another major trick is to give the muffins a burst of high heat at first to get the tops to really rise up, and then lower the temp for them to bake evenly through the rest of the way. I start the oven at 425°F for the first 5 minutes, and then turn it down to 350°F for the rest of the time. You can skip this step if you don’t have time to watch the oven, and just bake them at 375°F for 20–25 minutes.

The last tip is to really pile on the streusel topping. Even if the top looks totally covered when you first put the muffins in the oven, keep in mind that as they rise, the surface area of the tops will increase, creating gaps in between the chunks of streusel. This recipe makes a very generous amount of streusel for if you are making 9 muffins; you might not end up using every single crumb of it, but get on them as much as the muffin tin will allow to get fully streusel-covered muffins in the end. 

Now that you know all my tricks for how to produce aesthetic muffins, happy baking!

How to Make Brown Butter Sweet Potato Sage Streusel Muffins

(Makes 9 muffins)

Ingredients for the Streusel

5 tbsp Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter, cut into chunks
1/3 (packed) cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Ingredients for the Muffin Batter

1/2 cup (1 stick)  Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter, cut into chunks
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup milk or nut milk
1 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed*
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp sage, finely chopped

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Notes

* Recommended method for mashed sweet potato: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the sweet potato(es) and prick all over with a fork. Place directly on the middle rack of the oven. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below. Bake for 40–50 minutes or until completely soft inside. You should be able to scrape the flesh easily from the skins and mash with slight pressure. Sweet potato mash can be made ahead. Measure 1 cup and allow to come to room temperature before using in the recipe.

Procedure

To make the streusel: 

Brown the butter: Cook the butter on medium-low heat, swirling or gently stirring occasionally until it starts to get foamy. Once it starts to foam, stir constantly for 2–3 minutes, watching the color. Once the color starts to change, take off the heat and keep stirring until all the foam subsides. The melted butter should now be the color of amber. Set aside.

Whisk together brown sugar, sugar, and five spice in a small bowl. Mix in brown butter. Add flour, chopped peanuts, and salt. Use a folding and pressing motion with a spoon or spatula to gently combine everything together; texture should be similar to a dry shortbread dough. Pack together into a disk and place in the fridge to chill for 5–10 minutes; it should feel slightly firmer but not be hard or solid.

To make the muffin batter:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Follow the same instructions above to make brown butter. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, five spice, baking powder, and baking soda.

Once brown butter has cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in salt, maple syrup, milk, sweet potato mash, eggs, and sage in that order. Gently fold in one third of the dry ingredients at a time. Combine until just homogenous. Batter should be thick but wet.

To assemble:

Line or grease 9 cups in a standard muffin tin. Divide the batter evenly among the 9 lined cups (using an ice cream scooper is recommended for this). 

Use your hands to crumble up the disk of streusel dough into mixed sized chunks ranging from the size of a pea to finer crumbs. Cover the tops of the muffin batter with the streusel and press in gently.

Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 15–18 minutes. Muffins are cooked through when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to set for about 3–5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. If desired, add a sage leaf on top of each to garnish. 

Once fully cooled, store leftover muffins in an airtight container. However, the streusel will soften over time.

Enjoy them on their own, or give them a swipe of some softened Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter for some extra indulgence.

Thank you so much to Danish Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to learn more about their legacy of carefully-crafted Old World-quality butter made with milk from family farms since 1895.

Recipe: Miso Garlic Butter Noodles with Lobster Tails

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For this recipe, I partnered with Danish Creamery and created a dish that feels completely luxurious and indulgent, yet is actually simple and quick to make. A wonderful, umami-rich miso butter with a sweet undertone is infused with lots and lots of garlic and this forms the sauce that coats every strand of noodle before the whole lot is topped with pan-seared lobster tails slathered in the extra miso garlic butter. It’s good for when you want to make a home cooked meal that feels special but you don’t actually want to spend that much time on it. 

This noodle recipe combines two amazing and easy Asian-American dishes: Vietnamese-American garlic noodles and Japanese-American miso butter pasta. I make a lot of fusion food because often when I think about what I feel like cooking, I think of two things I’m craving and then explore what it would be like to combine them. And when I realized how well these dishes would overlap, it was way too obviously meant to be to pass up. 

Garlic noodles were actually invented by a Vietnamese chef right here in San Francisco and it was one of the first dishes I had after moving in to the city over 10 years ago (though not at the original restaurant). At the time, I was still terrified of driving downtown and still not all that into Asian food; I was still in my phase of wanting to binge on all the Western foods I didn’t get to have very much of when I was growing up. But my new landlady at the time recommended a Vietnamese restaurant right in our neighborhood and I fell in love with their garlic noodles. I think that was really a turning point in my exploration of food—especially Asian x Western fusion food.

This dish doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients so it’s important that the ones that are in it are good. Ultimately the foundation for the sauce here is butter, and I used Danish Creamery European Style Unsalted Butter, which is slow-churned in small batches for a velvety texture and rich flavor. This extra time and extra care make the butter so extra delicious. As I folded it in with the mellow, slightly sweet miso, I knew things were gonna be good! And then allowing that miso butter to melt slowly over low heat with lots and lots of chopped garlic to get it infused with that garlic flavor—absolutely dreamy!

Here are some notes about the short list of key ingredients you’ll need to make this dish:

• White Miso: White miso is the most mellow and mild of the types of miso you would find at a specialty foods store or Asian supermarket. It is made of fermented soybeans like other misos but also has rice and barley. It’s important to use the right miso here as the mellowness and sweetness of white miso is what you want to make that subtle but luxurious miso butter. I would not recommend substituting other types of miso, which may be too salty.

• Butter: This recipe utilizes Danish Creamery European Style Unsalted Butter and the starchy water from parboiling the noodles to create a very simple emulsified sauce for the noodles. Danish Creamery’s European Style butters contain 85% butterfat (which is more than most other European style butters) and that’s what helps make  the sauce for this recipe rich and dreamy.

• Garlic: This isn’t one of those recipes that just uses a couple cloves of garlic! When I say “garlic noodles” I mean it. This recipe uses a whole head of garlic—about 10–12 cloves—and gently infuses garlic flavor into the miso butter over low heat before the whole mixture is tossed with the noodles to coat them. Don’t worry about chopping them up super fine, I think being able to see the bits of chopped garlic is welcomed in this dish. 

• Noodles: I used fresh Chinese style enriched egg noodles to make this dish. These noodles come in the refrigerated section of Asian supermarkets and they only need to be parboiled very quickly in boiling water to rinse off the excess starch before they can be incorporated into a stir fried noodle dish like this. You could definitely also use spaghetti; in that case I recommend cooking it until about 1 minute short of al dente.

I got the idea to top my miso garlic butter noodles with lobster from a night market that pops up in the SF Bay Area; one of the stalls served up a split open lobster on garlic noodles but I don’t really understand how you’re supposed to eat it with no shell cracker and when you’re at an event where most people eat standing. So instead of getting it there, I created my own version that I could enjoy in the comfort of my own home. I opted to just use lobster tails because I thought they’d be much less intimidating than working with a whole lobster; I wanted this recipe to be genuinely easy in hopes that you’ll try it!

Some alternative versions:

At the core of this recipe is delicious and easy miso garlic butter noodles! Feel free to leave out the lobster entirely, and the result will be a plate of the most flavorsome dream for lovers of carbs and garlic. Just reduce the amounts for the butter, miso, and garlic to about 75% if you decide to serve just the noodles alone. 

You could also substitute shrimp in place of the lobster tails. Skip the step of parboiling the lobster and instead cook them in a hot pan on each side, just until they change color and start to curl. Follow the rest of the recipe as written, then add the shrimp after the noodles are coated in the sauce and give everything a few extra tosses.

How to Make Miso Garlic Butter Noodles with Lobster Tails

Ingredients

1 stick Danish Creamery European Style Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup white miso paste
2 6–7 oz lobster tails, fresh or completely thawed
10–12 cloves garlic (about 1 head), roughly chopped
3 tbsp oyster sauce
8–10 oz fresh Chinese-style thin egg noodles
Thai basil, for garnish (optional)
2 tbsp tobiko, or other fish roe (optional)
4 lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Procedure

In a small bowl, combine the butter and miso paste and mix together until smooth and homogenous. Set aside.

Use a sharp pair of kitchen shears to split each lobster tail lengthwise.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lobster tail halves and boil for about 3 minutes or until shells are bright red and meat has started to firm (they should not yet be cooked through). Pull them out of the boiling water and carefully pat away excess water with paper towels. Set aside to continue to dry off.

Add noodles to the boiling water and parboil for 1 minute, or according to package instructions. Reserve about 3/4 cup of starchy water before draining the noodles. Rinse noodles thoroughly in cold water to remove excess starch and prevent overcooking. Set aside to drain thoroughly. 

Heat a large skillet or wok on medium heat. Add about a tablespoon of the miso butter mixture, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, then add the lobster tails, cut side down. Sear for about 1 minute, or until lobster meat has some browning on the surface.  Turn off heat, flip tails over, cover, and allow the residual heat from the pan to cook the lobster tails through, about 1–2 minutes. Remove them from the pan. If there is charred residue inside the pan, safely wipe it off using tongs and a damp paper towel.

Add the remaining miso butter mixture into the pan and set heat on low. Once it starts to melt, add chopped garlic. Cook garlic on low heat, stirring constantly to allow it to infuse the butter, for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the garlic start to turn golden. Turn up the heat to medium-high;  immediately add oyster sauce, stir to combine, then add noodles and about 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss vigorously to combine, adding more water a little at a time if needed to help the sauce coat the noodles. Once sauce is distributed evenly, continue to stirfry until there is no longer excess water.

Use tongs to transfer noodles to a serving dish. Top with lobster tails, then scoop the remaining fried garlic mixture from the pan and spoon it on top of the lobster tails. If desired, garnish with Thai basil and scoop small mounds of tobiko over the lobster tails before enjoying immediately.

Thank you so much to Danish Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to learn more about their legacy of carefully-crafted Old World-quality butter made with milk from family farms since 1895.

Recipe: Stone Fruit & Herbed Goat Cheese Tart with Cheesy Crust & Hot Honey Butter

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For this recipe, I partnered with Danish Creamery to celebrate my favorite time of the year—stone fruit season! I came up with the idea for this tart because I love making hybrid baked goods in the summer that feature raw seasonal produce in all of their peak-flavor glory. I still want the satisfaction of crafting and baking some kind of base or crust—something where I can proudly say “I made this from scratch!”—but when fruits are already ripe and bursting with their natural juices, I think baking them is honestly a waste, so I add them at the end to be enjoyed fresh.

So, this tart features a snappy cheesy buttery shortcrust, which gets baked solo and then gets filled by a creamy blend of whipped goat cheese and fresh herbs and topped with fresh, raw stone fruit before getting finished off with a drizzle of hot honey butter. Because my taste preferences are always leaning towards savory, I love to experiment with combining sweet fruit with savory ingredients and I think that the balance is just wonderful; it allows for savoring the natural sweetness of a beautifully ripe fruit without limiting the result to something that can only be served as a dessert. Instead, I recommend that this sweet-savory beauty be considered for your next al fresco brunch or picnic potluck; it holds up well when made a bit ahead so it would certainly be a low-stress addition to any sun-soaked gathering where smiles and good vibes are the objective.

Though the nectarines, apricots, and pluots are obviously the star here, don’t sleep on this cheesy crust! I am so proud of how much flavor I was able to pack into something that is often overlooked or perceived as just a vessel when it comes to tart making, and it is definitely a recipe that I will be using as a base for more than just the fruit tart idea you see here. Loaded with asiago cheese and high-quality butter, this savory shortcrust is so snappy and yummy that it would even be delicious broken up into chunks and eaten alone as a snack! This sturdy shortcrust is what helps make this tart a good menu item for summer gatherings, and the munchable texture is a result of keeping all the ingredients super cold while putting together the dough and keeping the moisture content to a minimum. Using Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter, which has a higher butterfat content than most other European butters, is one trick I used getting the right texture and flavor for the crust. A good butter is key for a shortbread or shortcrust, and Danish Creamery’s  butter is made with just high-quality cream and a touch of sea salt, slow churned for a rich flavor that really sets this shortcrust dough recipe up for durable and delicious success.

I also used Danish Creamery’s European Style Sea Salted Butter in the hot honey butter drizzle that serves as the finishing touch for this tart. This creation is something akin to drizzling a dessert with salted caramel at the end, but I think the hint of spicy chili mixed with the honey and the salted butter is the perfect way to really bring together this combination of sweet and savory flavors. You will end up making more than you need for the tart when following the recipe below, and I recommend saving the extra to drizzle on toasts, pizza, or anything where a little spicy indulgence is welcomed.

This stone fruit and herbed goat cheese tart is made up for the following components:

• Cheesy Shortcrust: A durable tart shell is what holds all the magic together, but it also brings plenty of its own flavor. I start by cutting Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter into small cubes and then freezing them—keeping the crust ingredients super cold is what gives you a short, crisp, snappy texture instead of a dreaded soggy bottom, so planning a little ahead and giving the cubes of butter time to freeze will make that goal easier. The rich, creamy butter, made with cream from healthy grass-fed California cows, becomes the savory foundation that gets supplemented with asiago cheese and black pepper to give the crust its addictive flavor. While using high-quality butter should be a given for a crust like this, there’s also an unexpected ingredient: vodka. Using vodka instead of water further ensures that this crust does not get bogged down by moisture; it brings together all the dry ingredients but evaporates quickly in the bake, along with any concerns about having alcohol in your pastry. These ingredients get pulsed together in the food processor and then pressed into the tart pan, so you don’t even have to bother with rolling. 

• Herbed Goat Cheese: Whip together room temp chèvre with Greek yogurt and fresh chopped herbs to form the first layer of filling that goes inside the cheesy tart shell. Not only does the mixture help hold the stone fruit in place if you choose to arrange it in a decorative manner, but the tangy, creamy goat cheese and herbs are such a lovely flavor complement. You can really use any soft herbs of your choosing here but I opted for chives, basil, and thyme.

• Stone Fruit: This is the main event! In case you didn’t know,  the term “stone fruit” refers to fruits like peaches and apricots that have a singular stone-like pit inside to house the seed. Feel free to use a medley of nectarines, apricots, and pluots like I did, or whatever is your personal fave. When selecting your stone fruit for this tart, seek ones that are fragrant but still have some firmness to them, so that they are easy to slice and will keep well on top of the tart. You can either slice them thinly and arrange them like I did, or opt for chunkier wedges that you can just dump into a somewhat-even layer on top.

• Hot Honey Butter: This finishing touch brings a unique spicy kick to the sweet-savory creation and helps to unite all the other flavors. A mix of gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) and red chili pepper flakes are given a chance to bloom in a bit of velvety Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter before being combined with honey. This recipe yields more than what is needed for the tart; save the extra in a microwave-safe jar and heat for a few seconds to improve viscosity for drizzling on other creations afterward.

How to Make the Stone Fruit & Herbed Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients for Crust

1 stick Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter, cut into 1/4”-inch cubes then frozen
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup asiago, grated then chilled
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
4–6 tbsp vodka, chilled

Ingredients for Filling

5 oz goat cheese/chèvre, at room temperature
4 tbsp Greek yogurt, drained
1/2 tsp chives, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp thyme leaves
2 tbsp basil leaves, finely chopped
2–3 stone fruits, sliced
fresh herbs and edible flowers, for garnish (optional)

Ingredients for Honey Butter

1 tbsp Danish Creamery European Style Sea Salted Butter
1 tsp gochugaru/Korean chili flakes
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp honey

Special Equipment

food processor
tart pan with removable bottom
dry beans or pie weights

Procedure

To make the crust, add flour, asiago, salt, and pepper to a food processor and pulse briefly to combine. Scatter in frozen butter cubes and pulse until the texture resembles wet sand. Add 1 tablespoon of vodka and pulse a couple of times; repeat, adding 1 tablespoon of vodka at a time and pulsing briefly after each, until the mixture looks like it is just barely starting to form clumps. Dump mixture into tart pan and use a spoon to quickly press mixture evenly against the bottom and sides, keeping everything as cold as possible. (A sheet of wax paper could also aid in smoothing out the mixture). Chill unbaked tart shell in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

Dock chilled shell with a fork to prevent it from warping and puffing while baking. Line with parchment paper or foil and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Gently remove the lining and weights, then bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

In the meantime, combine goat cheese, yogurt, and chopped herbs in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip together until incorporated and fluffy. Set aside.

When the tart shell is cooled, spread the goat cheese mixture in an even layer. Arrange sliced stone fruits on top. 

To make the hot honey butter, add butter to a small stainless steel pot and heat on medium-low. When the butter is completely melted, reduce heat to low and add gochugaru and pepper flakes; stir continuously with a silicone spatula for 1–2 minutes, allowing the spices to bloom and the mixture to get completely foamy. Add honey and keep stirring until the mixture becomes completely foamy again. Remove from heat and once the bubbling resides, drizzle hot honey butter immediately over the tart, to taste. 

If desired, garnish with pretty edible flowers and herbs.

Thank you so much to Danish Creamery for sponsoring this recipe! Visit their website to learn more about their legacy of carefully-crafted Old World-quality butter made with milk from family farms since 1895.