Recent Posts by Jenn

Switzerland: Mountaintop Rösti with Ham, Tomatoes and Fried Egg

Published by Saturday, August 10, 2013 Permalink 0

Switzerland: Mountaintop Rösti with Ham, Tomatoes and Fried Egg

by Jenn Oliver

A photo essay with recipe

Sometimes we need to let go of the world around us, our daily cares, issues that cause stress, and get away for a few days – relax, recollect, and come back ready to face the world with new resolve and vigor.  This Summer my husband and I have been doing just that, in a series of short little trips. Last weekend, we went to the top of the world (well, it felt like it to us) to slip away for three beautifully brisk and sunny days in Zermatt. It was majestic, incredible, awe-inspiring, and magical.  It was pure escapism as we explored the fantasy-like region around Zermatt and the Matterhorn, and all of our day to day cares floated with the clouds that sailed on past the mountaintops. No worries, no stresses, nothing but pure meditative existence, scenery, and a sense of childlike exploration. What more can one want in a holiday?

Continue Reading…

Never miss a post
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries

Gluten-Free Cooking: Buttered Apricots and Goat Cheese

Published by Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Permalink 0

 

by Jenn Oliver

Incorporating fruit into your starters and main courses: an untraditional approach

Fruit deserves to have a place outside of dessert. Dessert is often shunned for fear of ingesting too many sugar-filled calories and a myriad other reasons, and sadly fruit is often under-appreciated, being associated only with a guilty, and even naughty, indulgence.

How often do we associate certain fruits solely with pies, tarts, scones, cakes and other sweet delights? Such a view not only limits our appreciation for fruit, but forces upon us a paradigm that fruit should be “improved upon” by making it even sweeter than it already is. Maybe for some acidic fruits, such as certain berries or citrus fruit, this is true, but many are already pleasurably sweet and unfortunately get overlooked as a valid component in other parts of a meal.

What if fruit were the star of other dishes too? Maybe a first course, served with meat, etc.?  Some of my favorite dishes involve fruits, and it’s not just for the sweetness – many fruits pair really well with savory items and I think provide a balance to other strong elements. One of my most frequented pairings this summer has been to add herbs and the tang of locally-made goat cheeses to baked or roasted seasonal fruits. The markets are absolutely brimming with succulent produce, and every two weeks it becomes a “new” mad rush to enjoy as many ways as possible: first strawberries, then cherries, then apricots & peaches, and soon  plums and other berries will arrive en masse.

And you know what? Sometimes I think the taste of fresh fruit is even more enjoyable when it is not a part of le dessert.

Click here for the recipe.

Never miss a post
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries

Recent Comments by Jenn

    No comments by Jenn yet.

UA-21892701-1