eclaire (what's in a) name?

when i received a beautiful tart pan for my birthday this year (thanks, mom!), i decided that i had to utilize the new present and try my hand at tart making – something i’ve never tried before and frankly intimidated me a little bit. at about the same time, a coworker lent me a lunches, picnics & appetizers version of the tassajara cookbook, and while thumbing through the pages i found a lemon tart recipe that spoke of being the best of all lemon bar recipes, but reinvented into a tart. (i have to give credit to my talented husband for the gorgeous pic above, and while i’m at it, he also gets credit for about half the pictures on this website.)

i absolutely love lemon bars and figured that this would be a perfect way to ease my way into the art of tart baking – because how can you go wrong with lemons, butter, and sugar?

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i love polenta. it is one of my all time favorite foods — if, and only if, it is made from scratch. the first time i spied tubes of polenta at trader joe’s i literally squealed with delight and threw a package into my cart, imagining all sorts of possible delightful dinners. but when i got home and opened said tube, i was thoroughly disappointed. the polenta did not have a good texture, taste, or consistency, so i made the decision never to buy the tubed stuff again. the from-scratch-kind of polenta tastes like fresh corn, is creamy and smooth, and can be eaten porridge-like or allowed to congeal (sorry, k, know you hate that word!) into a smooth base for toppings. the latter is the way i prefer polenta, and even though it is a little time consuming, it’s a fantastic treat and quite simple to make.

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earlier this month, the new york times posted an article about the hunt for perfection in chocolate chip cookies. this article created a stir in the food blog world as everyone scrambled to make the recipe outlined in the new york times, critique it, and offer their own commentary about the best chocolate chip cookie.

i was planning on doing the same for you, dear readers, but every time i went to make the recipe from the ny times, my hands uncontrollably reached for my recipe box to get ahold of the card with my personal favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe instead.

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many years ago, when i moved into my first apartment in davis, i mostly alternated between the three quick stand-by dinners of spaghetti, burritos, and tofu/veggie stir fries on weekdays so i could save most of my time for studying. on the weekends, though, my roommate and i would make big dinners for the all the housemates (plus our then-boyfriends, now husbands) by rolling corn tortillas around massive quantities of cheese, dousing them in enchilada sauce, and making large pans of spanish rice and refried beans to serve on the side. these days, enchilada feasts are a much rarer occasion in my life, but every time i make a pan, i feel a twinge of nostalgia and think about those days in davis. ok, to be honest, it’s really only a small twinge, because my life has changed in so many ways for the better since the days when i thought cheese was the best enchilada filling in the whole world.

this recipe, for avocado bean enchiladas, is one of the best enchilada fillings i’ve ever consumed. it has a great spice combination and an unexpected crunch from the cashews, all mixed in between soft pinto beans and tangy lime juice. this recipe comes from the amazing cookbook eat, drink & be vegan by dreena burton, which was given to me as a birthday present (thanks, l & r!). i know that i tend to exaggerate or overstate things, but SERIOUSLY, this is one of the greatest cookbooks i have ever used (besides the standard joy of cooking, that is). since i received it in the middle of july, not a single meal that we’ve made at home has come from anywhere else, and all of them have been delightful. i really can’t rave about it enough, dear readers, and if i had the money, i’d buy all of you (yes, even the omnivores!) a copy. instead, i’ll be posting about the inspiration for delicious meals that i’ve gained from this cookbook’s author, who also blogs here, and maybe the tantalizing photos and descriptions will inspire you to go out and buy yourself a copy! i’m sure i’ll have some commentary and changes to her recipes later (although i’m madly in love with everyone so far and wouldn’t change a thing), so stay tuned!

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as i teeter on the brink of veganism (ie greatly minimizing but not yet completely eliminating dairy and eggs from my already veggie diet), and work my way slowly through michael pollan’s book the omnivore’s dilemma, i have been thinking a lot more about what i put into my body and why. the article below is a little long, but provides an interesting conversation about veganism, the wavy line of dietary classifications, honey, and the plight of the oh-so-important honeybee:

the great vegan honey debate