mushroom soup with truffled straws

January 14th, 2013

 

chefmorgan mush soup1

mushroom soup with truffled straws

 

 

makes ~ 32 ounces

what you need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sliced and trimmed mushrooms
⅓ cup sliced leeks (whites only)
½ cup sliced shallots
½ pound diced and peeled Yukon or Russet potatoes Read the rest of this entry »

fennel and orange salad with toasted walnuts and Argan and honey dressing

January 7th, 2013

 fennel and orange salad with toasted walnuts and Argan and honey dressing

 

fennel and orange salad with toasted walnuts and Argan-honey dressing

 serves 4-6

what you need:

2 fennel bulbs, sliced (about 8 ounces)
1-2 beautiful oranges 
⅓ cup walnut pieces, toasted
2 tablespoons Argan oil (or toasted nut oil)
½ teaspoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon quality honey
gros sel de Guérande (or fleur de sel), as needed Read the rest of this entry »

“Newdorf” Salad (the Waldorf salad revisited)

November 1st, 2012

 

A new version of the Historic Waldorf Salad. The Newdorf

“Newdorf” Salad
(Waldorf salad revisited)

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Fruit, Neruda and enjoying the silence

October 3rd, 2012

fresh autumn figs with balsamic caramel,  fleur de sel and pomegranate seeds

Fruit, Neruda and enjoying the silence:
fresh autumn figs with balsamic caramel, 
fleur de sel and pomegranate seeds

Fall fruit reminds me of Pablo Neruda. Actually, his writing and in particular, the compilation of selected poems (translated by Stephen Mitchell) entitled: full woman,fleshy apple, hot moon. How wonderful is a man who appreciates both the honest curves of women and the beauty of seasonal fruit and can artfully write about both. 

 

figs pears and grapes

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fresh figs with balsamic caramel, fleur de sel and pomegranate seeds

October 3rd, 2012

 

 

fresh autumn figs with balsamic caramel,  fleur de sel and pomegranate seeds   

fresh figs with balsamic caramel, fleur de sel and pomegranate seeds

 

 serves many happy people

(makes approx. 11 ounces caramel sauce)

  

fresh autumn figs with balsamic caramel,  fleur de sel and pomegranate seeds

 

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creamy fennel purée

September 18th, 2012

 

fennel puree 

creamy fennel purée

stats:

serves 4-6
makes 1 pint (16 ounces)
4 ounce serving is approx. 176 calories 

what you need:

1 ½ pound rough chopped fennel bulbs, core, stalks, and fronds removed
⅛ cup fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
kosher salt (to taste) Read the rest of this entry »

harmony on your plate

August 13th, 2012

heirloom tomatoes  chef morgan

dischord on the farm; harmony on your plate: 
melange of garden heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée

Mean girls in the coop and a surprise male in the hutch. This is how we arrived to my home in Los Angeles. Despite the dischord amongst the animals, we also arrived to a hillside of sun-ripened tomatoes in all shapes, sizes and varieties. So while the animals were in a “time-out,” our harmonious plates inspired this week’s simple pleasure: melange of garden heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée.

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melange of heirloom tomatoes with whipped tomato purée

August 13th, 2012

melange of heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée chef morgan

 melange of heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée

serves 4

what you need:

5-6 beautiful heirloom tomatoes, various colors
burrata cheese (as needed)
fresh sweet basil leaves (as needed)
quality olive oil (as needed)
gros sel de Guérande or kosher or sea salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
8 yellow or orange heirloom tomatoes, juiced (seeds and skins discarded) Read the rest of this entry »

white asparagus as large as logs and lighting your fire: roasted white asparagus with browned butter

June 19th, 2012

white asparagus as large as logs

white asparagus as large as logs and lighting your fire:
roasted white asparagus with browned butter
(asperges blanches rôti au beurre noisette)

Greetings from Paris where it is raining off and on but quiet as the tourists have not yet arrived and the children are still in school. The calm before the storm. It is business as usual and joyfully I am left to pick up where I left off and nothing here – the daily urban Paris life that I so love  – has changed except for the market displays. Every market, from the neighborhood and open air markets to the Casinos (grocery stores), is prominently displaying end of the season white asparagus. They cannot be ignored. It is a combination of these hand-picked treasures and a cover of a Door’s song which inspired this week’s (very) simple pleasure: roasted white asparagus with browned butter (asperges blanches rôti au beurre noisette).

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roasted white asparagus with browned butter (asperges blanches rôti au beurre noisette)

June 19th, 2012

roasted white asparagus with browned butter

roasted white asparagus with browned butter 
(asperges blanches rôti au beurre noisette)

serves 4-6

what you need:

4-6 large white asparagus (or 12 smaller asparagus)
olive oil (as needed)
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground white (or black) pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1-2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley Read the rest of this entry »