Mint Lemon Drops

Gosh, I just don't know what's up with me! I just haven't been in the mood to blog much lately, and cook/ bake really either. I mean of course, I've been cooking and baking, but mainly out of necessity and even then, I haven't had the chance to photograph any of it - for months! Hopefully I'll be out of my slump soon, but until then, I have a couple backlogged posts that will be showing up.

To me, mint and lemon is the perfect summer combination and whether its summer or not, this cocktail is so simple that it's the perfect porch sipper. It's January for peet sakes and we've been having uncomfortable warm weather - uncomfortable mainly for me because I'm longing for a cold, rainy winter  where I can don scarves and boots. But might as well make the best of it with something like this to sip on!

Mint Lemon Drops

Yields: 1 serving

2 shots vodka

1 large lemon, juiced

1 tbsn. sugar

1 bunch of mint leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra for serving

lemon wheels or twists, for serving

In a shaker filled with ice, add the vodka, lemon juice, sugar and mint. Shake vigorously for about 1 - 2 minutes until very cold and combined. Strain into a martini glass. Top off with a lemon wheel, twist or fresh mint. You can also sugar the rim, if desired. 

A Dinner to Remember, Plus Things I Want to Forget...

I think we all have this problem that I continually find myself having. Gift finding and gift giving. I love giving people meaningful gifts or at least gifts that someone will actually enjoy and actually use, but for someone like your father or mother, after 22 years of giving them gifts multiple times in the year, it gets well hard...

I cannot for the life of me think of what to get my dad anymore, so for the past couple years, it's become a tradition to just cook an extravagant, coursed meal. Anyways, isn't a great meal shared between loved ones the greatest gift of all?

First, we started off with appetizers. I looked no further than Smitten Kitchen for inspiration. She makes the best things, and I can always trust her when she tells me that I have to make something. Everything has always reached expectations. These eggplant salad toasts and creamed mushroom toasts were excellent in every way. Easy, simple to prepare and delicious. The eggplant was deliciously smokey from the roasting and the feta added this nice bit of zippy tang. The creamed mushroom was decadent and awesomely creamy, we could not get enough of either!

Eggplant Salad Toasts

Yields: about 8 toasts

Original recipe here.

1 medium eggplant, about 3/4 lb., cut into 1/2" cubes

2 tbsn. olive oil, plus more for oiling baking sheet

1/4 tsp. salt

hfreshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 scallion, thinly sliced

8 1/2" thick slices of baguette, brushed with olive oil

1 small clove garlic, peeled and halved

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet, set aside. toss the eggplant, olive oil, salt and a generous amount of black pepper together in a medium bowl until evenly coated. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, moving pieces around occasionally so they evenly brown. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and toss in the vinegar, feta and scallion. Broil or toast the baguette slices then rub them with a garlic clove, top with the warm eggplant salad and enjoy!

Creamed Mushrooms on Chive-Butter Toast

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe here.

1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms

2 tbsn. unsalted butter, more for toast

1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped

2 tbsn. dry white wine or white vermouth

1/4 cup heavy cream

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

slices brioche or good white bread, crusts cut off if desired

1 tbsn. fresh chopped chives

coarse sea salt, for garnish

Clean any excess dirt from the mushrooms, then slice in half lengthwise and brush away any grit. Chop into 1/4" pieces. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the shallots and saute until very limp, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the wine, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook, for about 5 minutes more. Uncover the pot and continue cooking, siring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, simmer until slightly thickened, 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toast the bread and spread with butter. Cut each slice diagonally and sprinkle lightly with chives. Top each toast with some of the mushroom mixture, sprinkle with additional chives, garnish with sea salt and enjoy!

For our main course, we decided to make lamb kabobs. Lamb isn't something we eat often, so when we eat it, you know it's a celebration! This lamb was easy to prepare, and although it is kind of a pain to heat up the grill to cook them, it's well worth the process. The stunner of this entree was definitely the couscous though. This couscous is something I will make over and over and over again because it's beyond simple and quick to prepare the and flavor is DIVINE. I wrote that in all caps because I was blown away by how delicious this couscous was! The sauce, simple though it looks, was really great too.

Lamb Kabobs with Couscous

Yields: 4 - 6 servings

Original recipe here.

For the kabobs:

lbs. top round lamb

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsn. minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves

good olive oil

1/4 cup dry red wine 

2 tbsn. red wine vinegar

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 - 3 small red onions

2 pints cherry tomatoes

For the sauce:

1/2 cup good chicken stock

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 tbsn. freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of minced fresh rosemary leaves

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the couscous with pine nuts:

4 tbsn. unsalted butter

3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 - 4 shallots)

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups couscous

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup dried currants

2 tbsn. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cut the lamb into 1 1/2" cubes - you should have about 20 cubes. Combine the garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1/4 cup olive oil, red wine, vinegar and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Add the lamb cubes, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for up to 2 days. Toss occasionally. Heat a grill with coals. Spread them out in one dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Cut the red onions in quarters and separate each quarter into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 - 4 pieces of lamb onto the skewers, alternately with sections of the onion. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb with salt and pepper. Next, place the cherry tomatoes on the skewers, threading them through the stems of the tomatoes. Brush the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Place the lamb skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, turning 2 - 3 times until the lamb is medium-rare. Approximately 5 minutes before the lamb is done, place the tomato skewers on the grill, turning once, until seared on the outside but still firm inside. For the sauce, bring the chicken stock, olive oil and lemon juice to a boil in a small pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper. 

To make the couscous, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook them over medium-low for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, stir in the couscous, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts, currants and parsley and fluff with a fork to combine. Serve the couscous alongside the lamb and tomato skewers, with the sauce on the side. 

On to things I want to forget... these lemon souffles. We wanted a stunner, but something light to finish the meal, what better than a souffle right? That was the plan anyway. Souffles are pretty tricky, they require love, patience and care. In the midst of chaos in which we were preparing dinner, the souffle process kind of got pushed to the side and I shouldn't have been surprised with the results I was faced with. Out of the oven, they showed such promise, they actually rose!  

When we digged in... oy vey. Something had definitely gone awry. They weren't lemony enough, they weren't cooked through, and near the bottom they actually tasted kind of like scrambled eggs. No, no, no. Definitely not what we had planned on ending our fabulous dinner with at all. In the end we just enjoyed our fabulous homemade blueberry compote with some vanilla bean ice cream and all was well again.

Lemon Souffles

Yields: 6 servings

Original recipe here.

1 tbsn. unsalted butter, plus more, room temperature, for dishes

1/4 cup sugar, plus more for dishes

4 large egg yolks, room temperature

5 large egg whites, room temperature

1 tbsn. flour

3 tbsn. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsn. finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup whole milk

powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter 6 12-oz. souffle dishes, then dust with sugar. Whisk together the yolks, flour, zest and 2 tbsn. sugar. Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Slowly pour the milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent yolks from cooking. Return mixture to the pan and whisk until thick like a pudding, about 1 - 2 minutes. Strain through a sieve and whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Beat whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup + 2 tbsn. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whites into the yolk mixture and gently fold in. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula. Fill each prepared souffle dish to the top and smooth. Run your thumb around the edges to remove batter from the rims. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until the souffles rise and are golden, about 16 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.  

Blueberry Compote

Yields: about 1 1/2 cups

2 cups blueberries

2 tbsn. sugar

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup water

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the blueberries have opened and the sauce has reduced. It should be the consistency of maple syrup.

Lemon Sabayon Tartlettes

These may be called 'Little Lemon Tarts' but there sure is nothing little about their flavor. Lemons are like little balls of sunshine, they bring joy to everything they take part in. That being said, it must be nice to be a lemon! And it must be even lovelier to be made into a pretty little tart and enjoyed by many. 

These lemon tarts have many counterparts, but really you could easily simplify them. The candied lemon peel and meringue are not necessary but just pretty little add-ons. But don't get me wrong though, they are delicious little add-ons! 


I really loved the lemon sabayon of this tart - it was the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The tart dough, on the other hand, was less loved. Though it was easy to make and put together, it wasn't my favorite tart dough. It shrank, which made it stumpy and thick. I made it again using a sugar cookie dough which I liked a lot more. It was nice and chewy and added a perfect sweetness. 

Lemon Sabayon Tartlettes

Yields: 1 9-inch tart or 8 - 10 mini tarts
Sabayon recipe here. Tart dough recipe from Dessert Fourplay by Johnny Iuzzini. 

For the tart dough:

3 1/2 cups flour

4 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. baking powder

12 tbsn. cold, unsalted butter (cut into pieces)

about 1 cup whole milk

For the lemon sabayon:
2 large eggs, cold

2 large egg yolks, cold

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (reserve the lemon peels)

6 tbsn. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces


For the meringue (optional):

2 egg whites

1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar

For the candied lemon peel (optional):
reserved lemon peels
1 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 cup water


To make the tart dough, put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and pulse again until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out into a bowl and gather it into a ball. If the dough is still a bit dry, add a little more milk, tossing the dough with your fingers (you may not need all of the milk). Shape the dough into a brick, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. The dough will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and for several months in the freezer. Defrost before rolling. To pre-bake, roll out the dough to fit your mini tart pans. Bake at 350 F for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

To make the sabayon, bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a pot that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl you will be using for the sabayon. Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl, whisk the whole eggs plus additional egg yolks and sugar for about a minute or until the mixture is smooth. Set the bowl over the pot and, using a whisk, whip the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even heating). After about 2 minutes, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened, add 1/3 of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously and, when the mixture thickens again, add another 1/3 of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again, then add the remaining lemon juice. Continue whisking vigorously, still turning the bowl, until the mixture is thickened and light in color and the whisk leaves a trail in the bottom of the bowl. The total cooking time should be 8 - 10 minutes. 

Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The sabayon may loosen slightly, but it will thicken and set as it cools. Pour the warm sabayon into the tart crust and place the pan on a baking sheet. Preheat the broiler. While the sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Leaving the door open, brown the top of the sabayon, rotating the tart if necessary for even coloring (this will only take a few seconds, so do not leave the oven). Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. 

To make the meringue, combine the egg whites and sugar in the metal bowl of an electric mixer. Bring an inch of water to boil then place the metal bowl on top. Whisk constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, remove and place back into the electric mixer. Whisk until peaks form, about 5 - 7 minutes. To make the candied lemon peels, remove any excess white piff from the peels (this is the bitter part), then slice the peels however you'd like. Bring the water to a boil, then add the lemon peel and boil for 5 minutes. Remove the peels, add the sugar to the hot water and bring to a boil again. Toss the lemon peels back in and boil until translucent (about another 5 minutes). Drain the peels then toss them in some sugar to coat. Let them dry on a counter for about 2 - 4 hours. To assemble, spoon the lemon sabayon into the pre-baked tart shells. Pipe the meringue on top of the lemon sabayon in whatever fashion you'd like, then top with some candied lemon peels!

Jasmine Green Tea Lemonade

There's something so thirst quenching about Arnold Palmers - just the perfect hint of sweetness from the lemonade with the subtle earthiness from the tea - I love it so! I think it's pretty swell to have a drink named after yourself - especially one as delicious as this. Hmmm... I wonder what kind of epic drink I could create? For some reason though, I don't think a drink with the name 'Michelle Huynh' would catch on as well!

Anyways, I adapted this recipe from Hannah. It's the perfect recipe with just the right amount of sugar and the right amount of tanginess. If it's a bit too strong or too sweet, the recipe is easily adaptable - just add water! I used jasmine green tea since it's my favorite but you could use whatever you'd like. Hannah told me that it's imperative to drink with stripe-y straws, so that I did! It was fantastic.

Jasmine Green Tea Lemonade

Yields: 6 - 8 servings

Adapted from here.

4 - 6 tea bags, depending on your preference of strength (I used jasmine green tea, but you can use any)

6 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup water (for the simple syrup)

1 cup lemon juice (from 4 - 6 lemons)

Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat, add the tea bags and allow to steep for 8 - 10 minutes. To make the simple syrup, heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Combine the lemon juice, simple syrup and steeped tea in a pitcher, stir and refrigerate until cold. Enjoy!

Bill Granger's Ricotta Hotcakes

After my trip to New York, I've been desperately trying to re-live my glory days. Glorious food days that is. I miss everything about the city from the stuffy subways to the gorgeous foliage but of course the one thing I miss most is all of that food!! One thing I'll always remember fondly are the pancakes from Clinton St. Baking Company, ohhh the pancakes...

I made Eggplant Parmesan the other day (recipe to come soon) and I had some extra ricotta left over. I decided to make these precious little hotcakes. The eggs are separated and the whites are whipped to airy perfection and then gently folded into the batter. If that isn't enough, ricotta is just barely mixed into the batter, leaving little chunks of ricotta goodness all throughout. Yep, it's true.

To top it all off, and to fully re-live my Clinton St. days, I made a maple butter syrup. The saltiness of the butter and the sweetness of the maple was enough to drive me over the edge. Make these and you'll be looking over the ledge soon yourself!

It's not so obvious, but that little white blob is a chunk of ricotta goodness!!

Bill Granger's Ricotta Hotcakes

Yields: about 12 large hotcakes

Original recipe here.

For the hotcakes:

1 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup milk

4 large eggs, separated

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsn. sugar

dash of salt

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. baking powder

1 - 2 cups blueberries or other berries, if desired 


For the maple butter syrup:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup salted butter

Pour the milk into a mixing bowl, then add the egg yolks; mix until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix well. Add the lemon zest and mix. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry peaks form. Gently fold throughout the batter, leaving some streaks of white. Lastly, add the ricotta and mix gently (take care not to overmix as you want it to be slightly chunky). Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat, then grease lightly with butter or oil. Pour 1/2 cup of the batter (per hotcake) into the pan. If using berries, sprinkle the top of the hotcake with a few berries. Cook on one side until little bubbles appear, about 2 minutes, then flip over and cook on the other side for about 1 minute. Serve with more fresh berries. 


To make the syrup, combine the syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the butter is melted and everything is thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and serve alongside the hotcakes. 

La Palette's (Straw)berry Tart

It's summer here where I live more than ever - the sun is beating down and the second I step outside of my oh-so-nice-and-cool-house is the second I hiss like a vampire and begin to melt into a pile of goop. Sooooooo not pretty. But do you know what is pretty? This tart!

It's possibly the epitome of summer desserts and perfect because it doesn't require much slaving over hot stoves or burning ovens. It's delightfully simple. A tart dough that practically makes itself in the food processor and doesn't require rolling! Just a simple pat, pat, pat into the tart shell and poof, that's it.

Taste wise, this tart is equally as stunning. The tart dough is lightly sweetened and buttery, sort of like a shortbread. The jam adds a sticky sweetness that's always desired and of course the fresh fruit is the real stunner. I used a combination of berries because I just happened to have them, but any combination will do. I added a little lemon cream for an extra dimension, which personifies summer even more so!

La Palette's (Straw)berry Tart

Yields: 1 9-inch tart, about 6 - 8 servings

Adapted from here.

best quality strawberry jam, or any berry jam you have on hand

1 quart ripe strawberries, trimmed and halved if large (I used mixed berries)

For the sweet tart dough:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

9 tbsn. very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

For the lemon cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup lemon curd, store-bought or home-made

To make the tart dough, combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in, with varying pieces in size. Stir the egg yolk to break up and add it to the food processor, a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the whole yolk is in, process in long pulses until the dough begins to clump together. Turn the dough out onto a board and knead it enough to incorporate any flour that didn't get mixed in. Press the dough into a well-buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit it tightly across the crust, buttered side down. Bakke for25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 8 - 10 minutes, or until the crust is evenly browned and firm to the touch. Let crust cool completely.

To make the lemon cream, whip the heavy cream using a hand mixer or a stand mixer until peaks form. Do not over beat or else it will turn into butter. Use a spatula to fold in the lemon curd and vanilla until no streaks appear, refrigerate until ready to use. To assemble the tart, spread a thin layer of jam on the crust. If your strawberries are not sweet enough, you can toss them in a little sugar, to taste, otherwise assemble them on top of the jam. The tart is best when eaten immediately after being assemble. Enjoy with lemon cream!

LOOK at that cross-section! Buttery tart shell, ooey-gooey jam, fresh fruit & refreshing lemon cream :)