Vegetable Recipes

1-1/2 lbs broccoli crowns 1 cup crème fraîche 1 Meyer lemon Prosciutto

1. Stir lemon juice, to taste, into the crème fraîche.
2. Trim and steam the broccoli to tender crisp.
3. Place hot broccoli on a serving dish and pour over lemon crème fraîche.
4. Scatter torn pieces of prosciutto over the broccoli, and serve.

CABBAGE WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND SUMMER SAVORY
Serves 2

1 head white cabbage
1 cup crème fraîche
1 tbs chopped fresh summer savory
salt

1. Core, clean, and finely shred the cabbage.
2. Cook the cabbage in rapidly boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain and set aside.
3. Mix the savory with the crème fraîche. Place in a heavy skillet, and heat to bubbling.
4. Add the drained cabbage and mix well. Heat until the cabbage is heated through. Serve immediately.

CHAMPIGNONS À LA CRÈME
Serves 2

1 lb fresh mushrooms
2 to 3 tbs butter
1 cup crème fraîche
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced

1. Clean the mushrooms. If the mushrooms are small, cut them in half; if they are large, quarter them.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Add the mushrooms to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often.
3. When the mushrooms begin to release their liquid, add the crème fraîche and the rosemary. Continue to cook until the crème fraîche is well blended, but only until the mushrooms are al dente.
4. Serve at once in bowls and accompany with French bread.

CORN ON THE COB WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE

fresh corn
crème fraîche
salt, pepper, dill

1. Husk and clean the corn.
2. Select a large kettle with a tight-fitting lid. Fill with enough water to cover the corn, and bring the water to a full, rolling boil.
3. Slip each ear of corn into the water. Cover the kettle tightly and remove from the heat. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes, until the corn is tender.
4. When the corn is tender, drain and serve at once with large dollops of crème fraîche to be slathered on the corn. Sprinkle with dill, salt and pepper to taste.

COSTOLUTO GENOVESE TOMATO SOUP WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE PESTO
Serves 2 as a main course

I planted this heirloom tomato for the first time about seven years ago. I fell in love with its rich, intense flavor. Much to my delight, I have not had to re-plant! It “volunteers” every year in my garden. It is a late-harvest tomato, but it is always worth the wait. I oven-dry the bounty, cover with olive oil, and freeze for winter use. It is my all-time favorite.

3 large Costoluto Genovese tomatoes 1 medium onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 cups chicken stock crème fraîche pesto* one large croute per serving

1. Peel, seed and slice the tomatoes.
2. Put the tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper and stock into a sauce pan. Simmer about 15 minutes, or until the onion is cooked.
3. Transfer all to a food processor. Process to desired consistency.
4. Serve in warm bowls. Stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche pesto into each bowl.
5. Serve with a warm croute. (I like to put mine in the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup over. But that's optional.)

*See CRÈME FRAÎCHE PESTO in Sauces and Dressings

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE

2 lbs spaghetti squash
6 to 8 oz crème fraîche
1 tbs dried dill
1/4 cup chicken stock
prosciutto

1. Stir dill into crème fraîche. Set aside.
2. Cut squash in half, long way. Steam until tender.
3. To cool hot squash, place it in a colander over a bowl. When cool, remove pulp with a fork. Use a raking motion to preserve long strands. Place squash pulp in a colander over a bowl. Moisten the pulp with chicken stock. Leave to drain.
4. Collect the liquid that has drained into the bowl from the squash pulp. Stir the liquid into the crème fraîche-dill mixture. This is sauce for your squash.
5. Pour sauce over squash, lifting and mixing as you would with spaghetti.
6. Serve with shreds of prosciutto.

ZUCCHINI, CRÈME FRAÎCHE, AND BROAD NOODLES
Serves 2

3 small zucchini, about one pound
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 small Meyer lemon, juice and zest
2 handfuls minced Italian flat-leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper
nutmeg
1/2 cup crème fraîche
4 oz broad noodles

1. Slice zucchini thinly.
2. Heat butter in a saucepan. Add zucchini to saucepan.
3. Lightly salt zucchini and simmer until soft.
4. Cook noodles.
5. When the zucchini has softened, add chicken stock. Bring to a bubble. Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Add two grinds of pepper and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Add one handful of chopped parsley. Stir well to incorporate.
6. Add 1/2 cup crème fraîche. Stir to distribute. Check seasonings.
7. Pour zucchini mixture over drained, cooked noodles.
8. Top with remaining chopped parsley and serve.

ZUCCHINI AND FETTUCCINE WITH TARRAGON (OREGANO)
Serves 4

1 pound fettuccine
4 medium (or, 2 large*) zucchini
2 slices smoky bacon
1 large union, chopped
1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
2 tbs olive oil
1 large bunch tarragon (or, oregano)
1 small bunch parsley
8 oz crème fraîche
4 oz crumbled Feta
salt and pepper

*Even very large zucchini may be used for this dish. Just be sure to wring out a good amount of water before you cook it.

1. Shred zucchini. Salt liberally and put to drain in cloth-lined colander for 1/2 hour. Wring the water from the zucchini.
2. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Put the bacon, olive oil, chopped onions, and whole, peeled garlic cloves into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until bacon is rendered and onions are slightly translucent.
3. Put fettuccine to cook.
4. Add zucchini to skillet. Stir well to coat zucchini with oil-bacon mixture.
5. Cover skillet and reduce heat. Cook about 5 minutes or until the zucchini has lost its starchy flavor.
6. Add crème fraîche to skillet. Stir to mix well. Turn off heat.
7. Chop all herbs medium fine. Add to zucchini-crème fraîche mixture.
8. Drain pasta and add to zucchini-crème fraîche mixture. Lift with two forks to coat the pasta well.
9. Crumble the Feta over the dish and serve.

TAGLIATELLE, FAVA BEANS, AND CRÈME FRAÎCHE
Serves 4

1 lb fresh tagliatelle
5 leeks, white only
3 lbs fava beans, shelled and skinned (if not fresh)
3 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 lbs prosciutto, in narrow strips
1/2 cup crème fraîche
nutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
grated zest of one Meyer lemon
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

1. Clean and thinly slice leeks
2. Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add leeks and saute until soft.
4. Add shelled fava beans, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Saute for a minute.
5. Add chicken stock and simmer for about 5 minutes or until favas are tender.
6. Cook pasta.
7. Stir crème fraîche and lemon zest into fava beans.
8. Put cooked, drained pasta into a serving bowl and top with the fava bean mixture. Toss to coat pasta with sauce.
9. Add 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. Toss. Top with prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper. Pass remaining cheese at table.

ALSATIAN TARTE FLAMBÉE
For a 14" tarte

About the Ingredients

   Tarte Flambée is very simple. It has only four ingredients. It is essential that these ingredients have the correct quality and character. The ingredients must be cooked separately so that you can taste the parts that make up the tarte.

1. Bacon: Select an American-style bacon. The bacon should be lightly smoked and lightly salted. There should be more lean meat than fat (about 2/3 meat to 1/3 fat). If necessary, trim excess fat.
2. Onion: Use a white or yellow onion. The yellow is slightly sweeter. Red onion is not appropriate.
3. Crème fraîche: The crème fraîche should have a light, pleasing flavor. If the crème fraîche is strong tasting (acid, diacetyl), it unbalances the flavors of the tarte. A well-made tarte flambée is sweet and aromatic. The flavors should be in balance; none should dominate. You should taste the parts.
4. *Tarte flambée crust: Traditional tarte flambée, unlike pizza crust, is made without yeast. It contains flour, water, salt and oil. No yeast. The crust must be rolled thin. Do not do "the pizza toss."
5. Herbs and spices: Black pepper, a few grinds over the tarte before cooking. Nutmeg is essential. It must be fresh-grated. Distribute liberally over the tarte before cooking. Chives are optional. Fresh-chopped (snipped) chives add to the appearance of the tarte. Distribute over the tarte just before serving.

*Source for traditional tarte flambée dough: White Toque (www.whitetoque.com)

Preheat oven and stone for 1 hour at 475 to 500 degrees F.

1 lb American-style bacon
1 medium onion, white or yellow, coarsely chopped
1 cup crème fraîche
1 14" tarte flambée crust*
black pepper, a few grinds
nutmeg, freshly grated
2 tbs fresh chives, minced (optional)

1. Remove excess fat from bacon. Chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Fry the bacon to render the fat. Fry until it is just starting to color. Do not brown. Leave the fat in the pan. Remove the bacon and drain it on paper towels. Set aside.
2. Add the coarsely chopped onion to the rendered bacon fat. Cook until caramelized. Do not overcook. The onion will cook more on the tarte.
3. Using a rubber spatula, spread the crème fraîche on the tarte crust. The crème fraîche should be about 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick.
4. Distribute the cooked onions evenly on the crème fraîche and, then, distribute the bacon evenly over them.
5. Add a few grinds of black pepper. Generously grate fresh nutmeg over the tarte. Be generous.
6. Deliver the tarte to the stone on a crisping pan (or, cookie sheet). At 10 minutes, remove the tarte from the crisping pan and place it directly onto the stone so that it can finish crisping properly.
7. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes more. Total cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes. Check to be sure the tarte is cooking evenly. If it is sticking, carefully lift it free with a metal spatula (pizza paddle).
8. When it is done, the crust should be browned around the edges. (Optional: distribute freshly-chopped chives over the tarte just before serving.)

BROAD NOODLES WITH GREMOLATA
Serves 2

8 oz broad noodles
1/2 cup crème fraîche

The Gremolata

1 lemon, preferably Meyer
1 orange
1/2 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
2 tbs grated Parmesan

1. Remove zest from half the lemon and half the orange. You should have equal amounts. Adjust quantities if necessary. Finely snip (with scissors) the parsley leaves. Mix with the citrus zest. Squeeze the zest with your fingers so that the zest infuses the parsley. Stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.

The noodles

1. Cook the noodles. When they are done, drain and dress with the crème fraîche.
2. Top with the gremolata and serve.

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