The Classics- Basic Vinaigrette

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This is my everyday vinaigrette recipe. I modify the vinegar to complement the flavor and texture of different lettuces but the basic recipe always stays the same. Throw out your bottled dressings (filled with sugar, chemicals and unhealthy oils) and make some of this once a week!

vinaigrette ingedients

The triumvirate of vinaigrette ingredients…according to me. Vinaigre de Banyuls, Maldon sea salt and Grey Poupon Dijon mustard. I just shake it all up in a saved mustard jar and store it in my fridge all week.

vinaigre de banyuls

In my opinion Banyuls vinegar is the perfect “salad dressing” vinegar. It’s tart like red wine vinegar but with WAY more depth of flavor. It is available at Whole Foods and other specialty markets.

vinaigrette close up

Basic Vinaigrette

make about 1/4 cup

1 tablespoon vinegar (sherry wine, Banyuls, champagne, red wine, white wine and apple cider vinegars all work interchangeably with this recipe)

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (use 1/8 tsp. if using kosher salt)

freshly ground black pepper- 2-3 twists of the pepper mill

1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced shallots or garlic (optional)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Allow to sit aside for 5-10 minutes so the salt can dissolve in the vinegar. Then slowly whisk in the olive oil until well emulsified OR just shake it all up in a jar with the lid closed tightly.

To gussy up this simple recipe try these additions…

add a tablespoon of mayonnaise, vegenaise or heavy cream if you want the vinaigrette a tad creamy, say for baby gem lettuces.

add 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs like tarragon, parsley, oregano or chives.

Composed Salads

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I heart composed salads.  There’s no better or more beautiful way to serve seasonal vegetables.  And it takes no longer to make than a traditional toss-it-all-in salad but the act of composing each ingredient into sections elevates it to something special enough for company.

Composed salads are traditionally hearty enough to serve as a complete meal, almost always incorporating protein–e.g. tuna in salade niçoise— which makes it the perfect way use up any chicken or steak left over from your weekend barbecue.

Thrifty, creative and beautiful to look at!

This  is our composed version of La Scala’s famous chopped salad–a bed of chopped romaine and iceberg lettuces, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, salami, fresh basil and a mustardy red wine vinaigrette.

Composed salads work beautifully in summer because you can choose ingredients that don’t require any cooking.  Here I mimicked the bowl shape by building my salad around a ball of burrata at the center.  I added mixed greens, fresh corn kernels tossed with basil and a little apple cider vinegar, prosciutto, and chunks of gorgeous yellow gold heirloom tomatoes.  I served it with grilled crusty bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side.

I composed this ahi tuna niçoise for friends one sultry July night.  I grilled the ahi ahead of time –using an electric stove for the first time and sadly overcooking the beautiful  tuna!– and boiled new potatoes, yellow and green beans and quail eggs.  I added crunchy peppers, anchovies and fresh basil and served it with mini pitchers of basil vinaigrette from David Tanis‘  A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes.

Lydia gave me the book for my birthday last year and I love flipping through it for ideas.  Tanis adds a magic touch to simple dishes, like drizzling homemade rosemary-infused olive oil over a basic bean soup, and builds a complete menu around each recipe.  Don’t you love it when cookbooks do that?  So helpful and inspiring.

What salads will you be composing this summer?

xoxosl

Basil Vinaigrette

from A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes

2 shallots, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt

3 or 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

a small handful of basil leaves

1-1/2 cups good olive oil

Put the shallots and garlic in the red wine vinegar, adding a little salt and pepper.  Crush the basil leaves and add them.  Let sit 10-15 minutes.

Whisk the olive oil into the vinegar mixture.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Let the dressing stand for half an hour, then remove the basil leaves.  Use the vinaigrette within a few hours.

Or you can do it my way which is to puree all the ingredients together in a mini food processor so you get a green basil vinaigrette.

The Weekend Dish

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Hi friends, what you do you have planned for this weekend?

Sarah and Angus- wedding

Drew and I are up in Marin visiting my family for the weekend. Sarah is attending a baby shower and then her and Angus are going “glamping” to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary SL and AF!

kate spade paper

For a first wedding Anniversary the traditional gift is paper, I bet Sarah would love this Kate Spade for Crane “Garden Bough” set.

kate spade paper- yellow

Or maybe this more jaunty set for the both of them.

mr boddington Peniston

The Peniston social stationary from Mr. Boddington’s Studio might be just right, his and hers envelope liners!

coenc1-150x150

We’ve mentioned my baby brother’s linen towel company Deck Towel featured in the New York Times Style section, here and here, but not my brother Wyatt’s incredible furniture.

bear-head-showroom_0

This Bear Head is for sale in his showroom in the SF Design Center or you can see more at WyattStudio.com

cluster-sculpture-1_0

This Cluster Sculpture is really beautiful…

slat-bench-showroom

and this Slat Bench is the chicest outdoor furniture I’ve ever seen!

Happy Weekend y’all from our families to yours.

Decor Inspiration- preppy bohemian

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I’m describing the decor for my upcoming wedding as “A J. Crew shoot in Morocco.”

monogram napkin, julip cups

The marriage of two opposites…

sailor french bulldog

Preppy- think stripes, monograms, silver Julip cups, red roses and pearls.

lanterns

Bohemian- think rugs on the grass, metal lanterns, drippy candles and leather poofs.

leather poufs

Coming together to make a beautiful whole. That’s what marriage is all about right? Let me know your thoughts and ideas for this concept.

The Classics- Tomato Sauce

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Once month I do an informal “cooking lesson” with my girlfriends. They come over and we make a simple dinner together, they ask me tons of cooking questions as we go and then they leave with the recipe. This BASIC tomato sauce recipe from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, is by far the most useful they have learned. Mary said she finally feels confident in her kitchen with this dish under her belt!

San Marzano tomato tins

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan

Yield: Enough sauce for about 1 pound of pasta, or 4 servings

One 28-oz. can whole, peeled, canned plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices (preferably imported San Marzano tomatoes)

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half

dash of red chili flakes (optional)

Salt, to taste

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, and the onion halves in a medium saucepan. Add a big pinch or two of salt and the chili flakes if desired. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a very low simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free from the tomato. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and salt as needed.

Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta.  If you like smooth sauce then run it through your blender before serving. This recipe has worked well using cubed or crushed plum tomatoes if that’s all you have on hand.

tomatoes_3-1

This recipe will break your $8 jarred tomato sauce habit. It is the answer to “what should I make for dinner without having to go to the store for groceries?” It elevates simple spaghetti noodles to dinner party status. It is fantastic over grilled chicken, sauteed with turkey meat and then stuffed into bell peppers or to used to jazz up steamed vegetables.

Better pictures and more eloquent description of this fantastic sauce seen here and here.

I hope this inspires you to make more dinners at home as it did for my girlfriends, Bon Appetit!

The Weekend Dish

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By Sarah Lagrotteria

Friends, what do you have planned for this beautiful weekend?

Lydia and Drew are hitting the courts for her grandmother’s annual family tennis tournament.  Angus and I will be toasting our friends’ upcoming wedding  with dinner in the garden at Gjelina.

Here are some great posts-new and old–for your reading pleasure…

The Sartorialist misses Gourmet as well

A collection of pretty décor ideas for fête-ing al fresco

We’ve celebrated French-themed and vintage-themed bridal showers.  This lingerie theme, courtesy of Mochatini, makes gorgeous inspiration for the next!

Springy speckles plates from Anthropologie — blooming freshness for your table

The top 5 OrGLAMic kitchen items, courtesy of Sandra

Sunday Styles is featuring one of our favorite companies– Deck Towel–this weekend!

xoxosl

P.S.  Do you tweet?  We’ve only just begun. Follow us for more recipes and entertaining tips!

French Themed Bridal Shower

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by Lydia Ellison

A few weeks ago I co-hosted a bridal shower for a dear friend along with her sister Nicole. We were fortunate to hold the shower at Kiki de Montparnasse, a fantastic Los Angeles party location. Take a walk through the event and see for yourself…

guest book

Guests were greeted by a trio of mirrors and a polaroid guests book

Kiki courtyard

they entered the courtyard strung with French cafe lights

drink tubs

helped themselves to a drink of lemonade, rose wine or champagne

bellini bar

added peach puree and St. Germain liqueur to their champagne cocktails

kiki food table

nibbled on a simple spread of French inspired sweet and savory platters

crudite with tapenade

crudite with olive tapenade

french macaroons

French macarons from Paulette in assorted flavors and colors

gruyere cheese straws

and gruyere cheese straws. Rustic chic purple flowers by Sandra!

kiki tub

The mood of the party was set by Kiki’s romantic and whimsical decor outside in the courtyard

kiki store

and inside the shop.

gold hand cuffs

Fin!

Peanut Noodles

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By Sarah Lagrotteria

What should we have for dinner?

Peanut noodles.

Again? We had those last week.

Peanut noodles.

But I’ll make anything.  Seriously, pick a cuisine and I’ll do it.  I want to try something new.

Peanut noodles.

But I’m a chef!  I need to work on my craft.  Challenge me!  I’ll make you anything you choose

Peanut noodles.

Whatever romantic explanation Angus may create for the benefit of friends and family, the truth is that he married me for my peanut noodles.

Luckily, I love them too.  And they’re easy–a mix of pantry staples plus whatever veggies and herbs you have on hand.  The base is a cool, slurpy, toothsome, peanut-buttery noodle and the best toppings are cold and crunchy.  Perfect for this hot weather.

While you can play fast and loose with the veg and protein toppings, be sure to top it all off with chopped roasted peanuts and a spoonful of spicy chili paste or siracha.  They take the dish to a whole other level.

Ingredients

For sauce:

1/4 cup roasted peanut oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter.

12 ounces chow mein noodles

3 large carrots, julienned (cut into matchsticks)

2 small or 1 large cucumber, skin on and large seeds removed, julienned (cut into matchsticks)

Any other vegetable of choice, cut into matchsticks.  In the image above I used beets, but sugar snap peas and radishes work beautifully too.  It’s an anything-goes, clean-out-your-fridge kind of dish.

Already-cooked shredded chicken, sliced steak or raw cubed tofu as desired

Fresh mint, Thai basil, basil, cilantro or any combo of the four, roughly chopped

Roasted peanuts, chopped

Chili paste and sea salt, to taste.

Directions

If the day feels particularly sticky, I recommend crisping your cucumbers and carrots in an ice bath before adding them to the dish.  Once you cut them into matchsticks submerge them both in a bowl of ice water in the fridge.  Let sit while you prepare the sauce and noodles and then drain just before adding to the dish.  Even a short soak in an icy water bath will give the vegetables more crunch.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat.  Cook the noodles according to the package directions.   Drain and rinse until cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut oil, vinegar, soy, garlic and jalapeno.  Add the peanut butter and continue whisking until smooth.  Add the cool noodles and gently toss until evenly coated.

To serve I like to to make a nest of noodles in each individual bowl and then add separate little haystacks of each vegetable and whatever protein I desire.  I finish with a sprinkling of peanuts, fresh herbs, sea salt and a dollop of chili paste, offering more of all four final toppings at the table.

xoxosl

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