You know you’ve been away long enough when you’re happy to go home. After eating my way through New York and the North of England, I am delighted to be cooking in my own kitchen again — my domain!
My first meal was improvised from what I had on hand along with some portobello mushrooms that came home with on a co-op run for some cold relief tea. I happened to have pappardelle, wide ribbon-like noodles, a jar of marinated artichokes, and frozen spinach. Even without the fresh mushrooms it would have been good, but with them it was just what this weary traveler wanted. Simple, comforting, and light. jump to recipe
Being able to rummage through the pantry and freezer to rustle up a tasty dinner is good clean fun for this feeder, and something I take pride in doing fairly well. Ahead of a move once, I had a “clean out the fridge” party. Like a tiny car at the circus emitting a constant flow of clowns, my guests enjoyed a constant flow of commestibles issuing forth from my refrigerator. It was an utterly random menu, but there were no complaints.
Along with feeding myself, I had a cooking class at the co-op to prep for this week. Inspired by my “dairy-free delights” topic for the class, I finally got around to making cashew cheese. Not only did I knock my own socks off, my guests were equally impressed. Having made extra, I took the rest to a little gathering and watched it disappear. We have a winner!
I was particularly delighted to have found another use for my coeur à la crème molds, which I generally only ever use once a year for Valentine’s Day. The French classic, which translates into “heart of cream,” is something I fell in love with in cooking school, but am still perfecting a plant-based version. Because my job while in cooking school was at a high-end kitchen shop, I am the proud owner of 12 heart-shaped molds, made of fine French porcelain.
It should be said that virtually no one needs a dozen of such a thing, but having discovered the ease and yumminess of cashew cheese, I may well end up getting a lot of use out of them! New favorite thing… You only need a strainer or a small colander to make this — the fancy French molds are overkill. The flavor possibilities are endless, but I went with a basic lemon Dijon here. Feel free to fiddle with the ingredients once you get the hang of this one. I sprinkled mine with mild chili garlic powder before serving, but paprika or an herb would be nice too. My second batch I upped the olive oil quite a bit and got something more like a mousse. Eat within a week. Ingredients Instructions
