Mixed Citrus Salad with Thinly Shaved Shallots, Cubed Feta Cheese, Fresh Mint Chiffonade, a Drizzle of Homemade Spicy, Fresh Cracked Pepper Honey and Champagne Vinegar Vinaigrette, Olive Oil, + Fleur de Sel

Okay guys, prepare yourself mentally... I'm really going out of the box today with this recipe. It doesn't have butter, it doesn't have bacon, or buttermilk, or a crispy outer coating, or anything southern really ((let the shock set in for a few seconds)). This is something healthy and gorgeous and vegetarian. Woah, I know. At the peak of winter, every citrus fruit is practically at its best, so why not use them to our advantage? I bought multiple citrus... blood oranges, cara cara oranges, navel oranges, ruby red grapefuits, clementines, tangelos, meyer lemons, and limes (and probably more that I can't even think of). I'm not going to lie to you, prepping the citrus for the salad can be tedious and time-consuming, but if you're willing to eat a piece of artwork, like this dish, it's so worth it. Pretty much, you have to remove the rind and the bitter pith, leaving behind gorgeous "carpaccio" style slices. After you've done every citrus, the hard work is pretty much done! Arrange a plate with the prepared citrus in any colorful manner you like. I decided to do a rainbow/ombre pattern and I think it looked fabulous! Next, I whipped up a delicious and easy-breezy dressing to drizzle over the top. It's made with honey, raspberry champagne vinegar (you can use any flavor really though), dried red pepper flakes, and fresh cracked pepper. Cube up or crumble some fresh feta over the top of the citrus, followed by a drizzle of the homemade honey dressing and olive oil. I finished it all off with a scattering of mint chiffonade and a sprinkle of fleur de sel. The salad is so juicy and practically explodes in your mouth. The cheese offsets all of the acidity and heat because of its delicious creaminess, while the spicy + peppery honey perfectly accents all of the other components. Finally the fresh mint gives the dish a final herbaceousness that should not + cannot be missed. I really hope y'all get around to making this unique salad because it is so different than anything that I have made before. I imagine it would be fabulous during the spring or summer as well... with a bottle of white wine!! Enjoy :)

For the Spicy Fresh Cracked Pepper Honey + Champagne Vinegar Vinaigrette:

¼C Orange Blossom Honey

2T Champagne Vinegar

½t Fresh Cracked Pepper + Dried Red Pepper Flakes

 

For the Mixed Citrus Salad:

3 Blood Oranges

1 Ruby Red Grapefruit

1 Cara Cara Orange

1 Navel Orange

2 Clementines or 1 Tangelo

1 Meyer Lemon

1 Lime 

Cubes or Crumbles of Fresh Feta Cheese

Fresh Mint, Chiffonade

1-2 Shallots, Thinly Shaved

Prepared Honey Vinaigrette (listed above)

Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Flakes of Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling

 

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Honey Vinaigrette: In a mason jar, add the honey, champagne vinegar, fresh cracked pepper, and dried red pepper flakes. Shake the heck out of it until the dressing is cohesive, the honey has dissolved into the champagne vinegar, and the pepper/red pepper flakes are speckled throughout the vinaigrette. Set it aside until you are ready to use.

2. Preparing the Citrus: Slice the different citrus fruit into rounds, and then using very sharp kitchen scissors, carefully cut off the rind, making sure to get rid of the white bitter pith. Gently remove any seeds. Continue until all of the citrus have been finished and resemble a citrus “Carpaccio”.

3. Preparing the Salad: Cut the big block of fresh feta cheese into small cubes (or you can also decide to crumble it as well if you prefer). Shave a few shallots, using a kitchen mandolin, until you have thin slices of the onion. Chiffonade the fresh mint into small strips.

4. Assembling the Salad: Scatter a thin layer of the shaved shallots on the bottom of your serving dish. Shingle and layer the prepared citrus rounds in an overlapping fashion, so that they cover the entire plate (we decided to go in a rainbow colored scheme, but you could also do random or strips of color if you please). Place the cubes of feta into any holes that you see that need to be filled on the plate. I also scattered some crumbles on top, just for a little extra. Drizzle as much of the spicy honey vinaigrette as you want all over the salad, making sure to get all of the fresh cracked pepper + dried red pepper flakes (these ingredients really balance against all of the sweet flavors of the dish). Drizzle a few spoonfuls of olive oil on top of the dressing as well. Finish by garnishing with a sprinkling of fleur de sel and chiffonade mint.

5.  Enjoy this refreshing salad with a glass of white wine!

Pickled Cranberries with Champagne + Vanilla Bean

Pickled Cranberries with Champagne + Vanilla Bean

We're still continuing on with recipes inspired by Thanksgiving :) Only 5ish days away until we reach a turkey coma, yippee!! I have been enamored the past year with pickling, jamming, and preserving. It's been almost a weekly ritual. Well, this is one of the first recipes I saw and I was immediately excited. Who makes pickles with fruit?? Who makes pickled cranberries?? One fabulous food blogger did and the results were fabulous, I stored it away, knowing I would eventually make these before the big day (and no the big day isn't a wedding day). I used her recipe as a base, but decided to change it up a bit by making it with champagne vinegar, vanilla bean, and fresh citrus. All of those are lovable, so my pickled cranberries nailed it! I love this variation, it seems so festive doesn't it? There's something about citrus and champagne that remind me of the holidays. Speaking of champagne, this is also amazing mixed into cocktails for an-even-better mimosa. Don't question it, just try it. I love it's vinegary power, but it's totally rounded out with unfounded sweetness from the vanilla bean and mulling spices. Not only is this great for the "cranberry sauce" element at the table, but is worth every calorie on a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich or on top of some cheese. It is just unbelievably versatile and we're totally digging it!! Are ya'll... I hope so!! Enjoy :)

holiday edition boursin cheese + pickled cranberries... delish crostini :)

For the Pickled Cranberries:

24oz Fresh Cranberries

3C Champagne Vinegar

3C Sugar

2 Cinnamon Sticks

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

1 Orange, Zested

1t Allspice Berries

½t Whole Cloves + Pink Peppercorns

¼t Juniper Berries

Directions:

1. Prepare a boiling water bath and mason jars. Place lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Wash the fresh cranberries and pick over for any stems or bad berries.

2. For the Pickled Cranberries: Combine the champagne vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, and orange zest to the brine. Put all of the spices into a spice bag or tie them in cheesecloth. Add them to the brine. Once the brine is boiling vigorously, add the cranberries. Stir to combine and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the cranberries begin to pop and bring has returned to a rolling boil. After the cooking time has elapsed, remove the pot from the heat. Pull out the spice bag, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean. Break the cinnamon sticks in halves or thirds and set aside.

3. Finishing the Pickled Cranberries:Using a slotted spoon, ladle cranberries into prepared jars. Cover berries with brine, leaving about a ½-inch headspace. Place a cinnamon stick segment into each jar. Wipe the jar rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. When time is up, remove jars from canner and place them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and check seals. Any unsealed jars should be kept in the refrigerator. Let jars sit for at least 24 hours before eating to all the flavors to settle.

source: pickled cranberries.

Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini’s with Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes

Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini's with Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes

What's more fitting than a Bellini or Mimosa on a Sunday-Brunch-kinda-morning? I'm a sucker for any champagne cocktail, so when we recently got engaged, I knew I had to make a specialty drink for our little pre-engagement party. These were perfect, absolutely perfect. We used fresh + ripe Georgia peaches and roasted them in the oven for an even more concentrated peachy flavor, and then boosted them with some vanilla bean for sweetness. The glasses are topped off with champagne and frozen strawberry puree ice cubes. I happened to see some heart shaped ice cube trays at Target the day of our party and just somehow had to incorporate them that night, and this was the perfect way! The hearts were so adorable, and added a lovely sweetness + just the slightest pink tint at the top! We had to put some cute, vintage paper straws because it is an obvious addition. Feel free to do as you please :)

the heart shapes are so cute.

For the Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Puree:

4-5 Large Peaches, Seed Removed & Split in Half

Honey, For drizzling

Sugar, For Sprinkling

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

For the Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes:

20oz Fresh Strawberries, Cut into Pieces

½C Sugar

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, To Taste (optional)

For the Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini’s:
Prepared Roasted Peach Puree, Chilled

Champagne, For Filling

Prepared Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Peach Puree: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare the peaches by cutting them in half and removing their center seed. Toss the peaches with the honey and place them cut-side down in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, and then flip them over, sprinkle heavily with sugar, and continue roasting them for another 15-20 minutes. For the last 5 minutes of roasting, turn the oven up to broil and let the fruit flesh caramelize and brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. After cooling, remove the peach peels and puree them in a food processor until smooth. Add in the vanilla bean seeds and pulse until thoroughly mixed. Pour into a jar and cool completely.

2. For the Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes: Put the strawberries and their juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process the berries until they are pureed.  Add ¼C of the sugar to start and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Also add a little lemon juice to taste. Pulse until smooth and pour into a measuring cup. Using the measuring cup, gently pour the puree into the heart shaped ice cube containers. Freeze until hard.

3. For the Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini’s: Pour some of the vanilla bean peach puree into a flute or glass, and fill the rest of it with champagne to the rim. Add in a few strawberry puree ice cubes and serve with a pretty vintage straw.

French Toasted BLT Sandwiches with a Fried Egg, Candied Bacon, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, & Baby Arugula Salad Tossed in Mimosa Vinaigrette

Brunch is the best. I'm convinced. Especially when I'm eating this sandwich. The title is a mouth-ful, I know. But, I had to describe every thing that is going on. I bought a beautiful loaf of brioche bread yesterday, so I cut it into thick slices and let it become stale overnight. This morning, I soaked the stale brioche in a batter of eggs, heavy cream, grated parmesan, and fresh chives. Then, I fried the battered bread in lots of butter until they were golden brown and crispy. I stacked the browned fresh toast into sandwiches with the slow roasted tomatoes, candied bacon, and a baby arugula salad tossed in a homemade mimosa vinaigrette. I loved the salad, especially the mimosa vinaigrette. It was certainly unique, but provided the sandwich with some acidity, which is obviously needed with all of the other ring ingredients. The vinaigrette is composed of fresh orange juice and zest, champagne vinegar, and a few other ingredients. Finally, I covered a few slices with a pile of shredded gruyere & parmesan cheese and broiled them until nice and bubbly (similar to a French Croque Madame sandwich), and then topped them with a fried egg. These sandwiches are amazingly decadent. I mean they are obviously not your ole' regular BLT. A hint to the wise... don't try to pick these up and eat them with your hands, you won't make it. Just get a fork and a knife and go at it. You'll get so much satisfaction when you cut into these sandwich and see all the glorious layers, and mainly that runny yolk spilling over the edge!! Enjoy :)

French Toasted BLT Sandwiches with a Fried Egg, Candied Bacon, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, & Baby Arugula Salad Tossed in Mimosa Vinaigrette

Yummy Fried Egg On the Top

For the French Toasted Brioche:

3 Eggs

¾C Heavy Cream

½t Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

¼C Fresh Chives, Minced

¼C Parmesan, Freshly Grated

Brioche Bread, Cut into Thick Slices (or Challah Bread can be substituted)

For the Candied Bacon:

8 Slices of Thick Applewood Smoked Bacon

2t Light Brown Sugar (per each slice of bacon)

For the Slow Roasted Tomatoes:

4 Barely Ripe Roma Tomatoes, Cut into ½inch Thick Slices

Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Baby Arugula Salad & Mimosa Vinaigrette:

Fresh Baby Arugula

1 Small Orange, Zested & Juiced

2T Champagne Vinegar

½t Dijon Mustard

¼t Fresh Garlic, Minced

Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

2T Olive Oil

2T Honey

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the French Toasted BLT Croque Madame Sandwiches:

Prepared French Toasted Brioche Slices, Cooked & Warm

Candied Bacon Slices, Cooked

Prepared Slow Roasted Tomato Slices

Baby Arugula Tossed in Mimosa Vinaigrette

Gruyere Cheese & Fresh Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Fried Eggs, Cooked to Your Preference (I like mine with a runny yolk)

Directions:

1. The Day Before: Cut the Brioche Bread (or Challah Bread) into thick slices, and then place them on a cookie sheet and let the bread become stale overnight. The next day, retrieve your stale bread slices for the French toast.
2. For the Savory French Toasted Brioche: Make the batter for the French toast by whisking together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and chives. Dip the slices of stale brioche into the batter, making sure they are completely coated. Soak the slices for 10-15 minutes, and then flip them over and let the other side soak for another 10-15 minutes. Melt some butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter sizzles, add the soaked bread slices and cook until golden brown & crispy, about 3-5 minutes on each side, flipping once. Transfer the cooked pieces of bread to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve.
3. For the Candied Bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Sprinkle each slice of bacon with 2t of brown sugar. Bake for 12-16 minutes. Midway, flip the bacon over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until it is as dark as mahogany. Remove from the oven and cool the strips on a wire rack. Set them aside until ready to assemble.
4. For the Slow Roasted Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees and lay the slices of tomato onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the fresh rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper. Bake for 4 hours until shriveled around the edge, but still maintaining their juice. If you have leftover tomatoes, simply cover the leftovers with olive oil and place into the refrigerator.
5. For the Arugula Salad Tossed in Mimosa Vinaigrette: Place all of the ingredients (besides the arugula) into a jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds to 1 minute to emulsify. Set the arugula & vinaigrette aside until you are ready to toss them together and assemble the sandwich (so that arugula won’t get soggy).
6. To Assemble the Sandwiches: Preheat the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. Place one slice of French toasted brioche onto the pan, and then layer the bacon, slow roasted tomatoes, and another slice of French toast. Spread a thick layer of Gruyere cheese and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on the top slice. Broil the sandwich in the oven until the cheese has melted and browned slightly. Remove the sandwich from the oven and toss the arugula in the mimosa vinaigrette. Place the tossed salad in between the layers of tomatoes and top slice of French toast. Finish the sandwich with a fried egg on top and garnish with a sprinkle of salt & pepper.
7. Enjoy immediately!

source: french toast BLT. toasty french BLT.