In Love with Meyer Lemons

Enter to win a collection of food items from France, selected by Sandy, along with Around my French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. To enter the sweepstakes, go to http://bit.ly/YGrDyy. Follow Sandy in France on Twitter to keep updated on new goodies for the prize package.

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Whether it’s the color, the floral scent or the memories of lemonade on hot days that it brings to mind, Meyer lemons are always the fruit that makes me smile widest. Yes, they’re basically just fancy, sweet lemons, but because of that, they’re so much more interesting and attractive.

I definitely never shy away from regular lemons in cooking, and for good reason: their bracing, strong acidity is needed in heavy dishes, both savory and sweet, to cut through the richness. But when Meyer lemons pop up, I like to use them in applications where their sweet, very noticeably floral notes come through clear and bright.

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Airplane Snacks

While Sandy is in France, she’ll be collecting little French food items as she travels, building a sweepstakes prize package, day by day. One lucky winner will receive the collection from Sandy plus Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table cookbook. To enter the sweepstakes, go to http://bit.ly/YGrDyy. Follow Sandy on Twitter to keep updated on new goodies being added to the prize package. (Hashtag: #SandyinFrance).

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

We took our boys on their first trip to Europe when Dave was seven and Chris was two. In addition to little toys, coloring books and other diversions, we packed granola bars, nuts and box juices in anticipation of days when we might not have convenient foodservice options for hungry and thirsty kids.

Steve and I woke up that first morning in Amsterdam to find that our two boys had wiped out most of the rainy-day provisions. Out of sync with the time change, they were up all night, and with nothing to do, they decided to sample the food stores.

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Almost Tomato Time

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

As the weather warms up and the days grow longer, I begin to anticipate tomato season. I’ll revel in the first good tomatoes, sweet and flavorful, drizzled with a good olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. But as the season progresses, we’ll all be challenged to be more inventive.

Some tomato recipes call for peeling and seeding the tomatoes. Tomato skin can have a plastic mouthfeel so it’s luxurious to eat it when the skin is removed and all you get is the juicy flesh. Seeding rids the tomato of the pesky seeds and when you take out the seed sacs, you also eliminate the extra moisture, ensuring that your tomato dish will not be watery.

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Noodle Pillows

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

We’ve just returned from Japan full of noodles. The boys ate noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner and even took a ramen noodle cooking class.

And so I started getting sentimental about my noodle pillow past at The China Moon Café where I was the chef de cuisine … a very stylish Chinese restaurant before Chinese food was stylish, owned by Barbara Tropp, who was dubbed the Julia Child of the Chinese kitchen. BT, who has since passed away, was a dear friend and mentor. I still ask BT for advice on all flavors Asian.

The kitchen was in the basement at the bottom of a very steep and narrow staircase that BT painted bright red. One evening I was making noodle pillows downstairs while BT was having dinner with Jacques Pépin upstairs.

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Very Berry Fruit Salad

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

While it’s still a bit blustery around here, we have glimmers of warm sun and temperatures. Just this past weekend, I noticed all of the buds struggling to get some attention and warmth.

My hydrangea plants are already budding and my addiction to tulips is unparalleled this year with a plant or vase of them in practically every room. So if spring hasn’t arrived just yet outdoors, at least I’m getting a dose of it indoors.

I can’t wait for the farmers’ market to open in Pennsylvania, with all of the fresh herbs, produce, plants and fruits that will be laden on every farmer’s table. I haven’t had a fruit-full year in terms of eating enough fruit. So in an effort to jump-start my intake, I made a fruit salad this past weekend for company, to round out my brunch of eggs, bacon, and breads.

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