Cuisine at home March/April 2021

It's the season of awakening. It's also a time when many of us reflect on how we want to begin anew and what we're thankful for. At the top of my gratitude list are the people I work with to create this magazine, especially after this past year. Not only did we figure out a way to keep producing Cuisine during a pandemic, we weathered (yup) a catastrophic derecho, dealt with various accidents and health issues, and kept going even as our masthead got smaller and smaller. It's humbling to me that our team of creators banded together to do a job we each love, because we care about all of you, our readers. And I'm immensely proud that we've created an issue full of fresh flavors just in time…

THE BUZZ | WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPRING INGREDIENT? Goodbye winter, hello spring! After a long, cold winter, spring's bounty is something everyone looks forward to, or at least we do. Yes, most ingredients can be enjoyed year-round, but fresh produce from a farmers' market can't be beat. What's your favorite spring ingredient that makes you know the new season has arrived? Share yours with us on Facebook or Instagram by using #springveggieshavesprung and don’t forget to tag us @cuisineathome. OUR FAVE SPRING INGREDIENTS Peas! I love fresh spring peas. When I was gardening, I always planted them and looked forward to picking them. I like them steamed with a little butter (OK, maybe it's more like a lot of butter) or creamed with baby potatoes. I used to live on an acreage and…

BUTTER UP It’s usually about 8 o'clock in the evening when the cookie craving hits and I decide to bake a batch. Then it hits me – while I have all the ingredients I need, the butter hasn't been softened. (I’ve had too many incidents of butter explosions in the microwave to go that route!) To fix this problem, I slice the cold butter into the thinnest slices possible, and lay them flat on a piece of plastic wrap or parchment. In less than ten minutes the butter is soft and I’m ready to proceed to cookie nirvana. KATHERINE WILLIAMS ST. PETERSBURG, FL WINNING TIMESAVERS MAKE YOUR MARK With all the extra cooking I've done over the past year, I often find my fridge full of mysterious, unmarked leftovers that end up getting tossed on…

GOOD LOVIN’ They won’t fade away, even though you may have a touch of grey, you win again. The Grateful Dead have collaborated with Vosges chocolates and they aren’t candy, man, and not sugaree. These limited edition chocolates — curated by Katrina Markoff, the chocolatier founder of Vosges — are as intricate and deep as the music that inspired legions of fans. Shown here is the Dancing Bears in Space, an amalgam of cocoa butter infused with strawberry and raspberry and confetti sugar sprinkles. The Raw Honey Smoked Almond bar is almost savory with dark chocolate and hints of onion and burnt sugar. Vosgeschocolate.com DRINK UP ON YAUPON Yaupon is the only caffeinated plant native to North America and is so much more. Yaupon tastes like regular tea, but unlike regular tea doesn’t have…

CREAMY CARROT TART with fresh herbs Rainbow carrots may be found in large grocery store chains; failing that, small orange carrots or baby carrots will do nicely. Makes 6 servings Total time: 45 minutes ROLL: 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (8.65 oz.), thawed MEANWHILE, PURÉE: 4 oz. goat cheese, softened1/2 cup whole milk ricotta1/4 cup heavy cream1 egg yolk1/4 tsp. kosher salt Black pepper TOSS: 1 lb. small rainbow carrots (3–4 bunches), trimmed, sliced lengthwise, and cut into 3-inch lengths2–3 shallots, peeled and quartered, lengthwise2 Tbsp. orange juice1 Tbsp. olive oil1/8 tsp. ground fennel or coriander seed, optional1/2 cup crumbled feta (1 oz.)1 egg white, beaten1 Tbsp. each roughly chopped parsley and dill Preheat oven to 400° with rack in middle position. Roll puff pastry into an 11-inch square on a lightly floured surface; transfer to a baking sheet. Score…

WHEN YOU’RE BRIDGING THE SEASONS sometimes you want a big bowl of comfort and sometimes you want a brighter, more veggie-prominent meal — these two menus deliver one or the other. And while gumbo isn’t something you normally think of for a weeknight dinner, this “pot pie” version gets that Louisiana mainstay on the table in just an hour. Relying on purchased puff pastry makes the pie part quick and easy, while Cajun seasoning brings in tons of flavor. And the expected trinity is present and accounted for, because it’s just not gumbo without it. The slow-cooked dark roux is replaced with a simpler sauce, thickened with a little flour, more in keeping with a standard pot pie. Andouille sausage (you can also sub in kielbasa as it’s more readily…