New cookbook inspiration...

Tony and I went to the mall last weekend to get out of the house during an open house and we had to stop at a favorite store of mine called "Anthropologie".  I saw this cookbook called La Tartine Gourmande and loved the pictures and different ideas in it.  We didn't buy it there, we did our thing where we look on Amazon for a better price and we got it about $10.00 cheaper, so I had to wait 2 days...for $10 it's worth it.  The author is from France and she cooks healthy so it's perfect.  I've already made many of the recipes, of course I forgot to take some of the pictures but here are some that I did....

I made this last night and served a parsley and bella mushroom salad along side.  The salad was not from her book but this eggplant stuffed with white sweet potato.  I used hannah yams which are very sweet and yummy.  The other ingredients in this include onions, celery, carrots, lemon thyme, tomatoes, Emmentaler cheese and flavored with ground dry coriander and fresh cilantro.  You use Italian eggplants because they are a better size and the skin is more tender.

Here it is served with the parsley and mushroom salad.  The dressing is a fresh lemon juice and olive oil dressing and the mushrooms are sliced thin and parsley leaves left whole.

This was an appetizer last night it's what she calls Verrine Nordique.  It's layered with sliced fingerling potatoes, Greek yogurt flavored with chives, parsley, lemon juice, horseradish and shallot, slices of cucumber and topped with smoked salmon and topped with chives.  Yummy. 

Here was the dessert from last night called Petits Pots De Creme (little custards).  I couldn't resist the photo in the book with a cute little pink and white spoon deep into the little glass jar filled with this rich looking custard.  It's an apple sauce at the bottom that is very delicious made with a fresh vanilla bean, sugar, lemon juice and zest and a cinnamon stick.  That first goes at the bottom then the custard is made and flavored with cardamom pods, cinnamon, vanilla and whole milk.  Fill the jars and bake in a water bath.  So good!  I'm loving canning jars lately.



I made pancakes this morning from her book but forgot to get a picture, I guess I didn't have my second cup of coffee yet.  They were Buttermilk, lemon, and poppy seed quinoa pancakes.  Served with fresh berries and syrup.  They were light and delicious!

This is not from the book but I made it earlier in the week.  I have been trying to make a caramel sauce by just using sugar, water, cream, butter and of course Fleur de Sel.  I have a recipe from Thomas Keller where is works every time but with the addition of corn syrup that I want to not use, but it seems you have to.  I kept getting crystals no matter how hard I tried, until I drizzled a teaspoon of corn syrup in and it worked out nicely.  I roasted slices of fresh pineapple and made a banana ice cream.  I learned this from a friend and love it... you take banana slices that you froze and drop into the food processor with the blade attachment.  Wiz it up a bit and drizzle in agave, almond milk and vanilla.  Process until it looks like ice cream.  Love it.

Here is the same as above but with out the pineapple and with pistachios.