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ellabee - I have also made the sweet potato wedges from Plenty twice and agree that they are deelish! I too just tossed the wedges in as much oil as I otherwise would when roasting veggies and it was perfect.

My weekly selections come from Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen. I made both the Meat and Chinese Chive Pot Stickers and the Beef, Sweet Potato and Raisin Empanadas. Both turned out quite well but of the two, the pot stickers were my favorite. I come from San Francisco and there are no decent Asian restaurants near where I live in France. It is one of the things I miss the most!  So, these really hit the spot and tasted exactly as I had hoped! The wrappers were really easy to make too.  I found the filling for the empanadas to be a bit too tame for me, so I added some chipotle powder to give them a little more zip and was happy with the result.

Tonight I also skipped ahead for next week since we will be traveling, and made the Cheez-It-Ish Crackers from Around My French Table using a nice aged Gruyère. They were super flaky and tasty and a big hit with my book club (not to mention dead easy). I would definitely make them again.

Miquette - I'm impressed with your potstickers adventure.  They're fun to make and not difficult when you have your fillings all ready to go; this is a good reminder to me to revisit a couple of versions I've done in the past.

The Cheez-It-ish Crackers are calling my name - got the book, no excuse - they're on my list.

My Involtini were a huge hit.  I'm impressed with the simplicity of the starring ingredients which just celebrate themselves.  I have a tendancy to want to spice things up, but Im really glad I resisted in this instance.  This recipe may seem complex on the surface, but it's easily broken down into components which may be prepared in advance (my favourite thing).

I thoroughly enjoyed putting this together and having already prepared the tomato sauce and ricotta filling, I quickly seared the zucchini strips on the grill pan and assembled the rolls faster than you can say Polly wants a cracker.  The simple tomato sauce was really worth doing, although, I suspect one could certainly use a back-pocket favourite. 

Involtini di Zuchine is an elegant starter/first course, but also a delicious lunch option.  I could definitely see it as part of a more elaborate antipasto course. 

Earlier in the week, I made the Beef & Guinness Pie Via Leite's Culinaria as a belated salute to St. Patrick's day - it's a very flavourful dish with some nice unexpectd nuances, but the liquid quantities needed some tinkering.  I'm still enjoying leftovers with the bonus of a couple of servings for the the freezer.

Must start browsing for this week's selection.

Okay, this week I didn't exactly cook from the book, but I started there... 

A local butcher now has seafood once a week! A guy in a truck brings it over the mountains to us from the Cheseapeake Bay.  I hadn't cooked scallops since... well, ever, now that I think of it.  Bay scallops don't successfully sear, I understand, so I went old school, and opened up Julia to Coquilles St. Jacques a la parisienne.  While I was at it, I looked at versions in my other books, and poked around on the web.  In the end, what I made was a melding of Julia's and a simpler but still classic rendition from "St. Jacques" Pepin. The clincher was that his version uses tarragon, another unexpected delight I'd bought the same day as the scallops from the local-foods market.

Somewhere in the depths of the sitting-room cabinets are the scallop shells my mother used in the sixties when this dish was all the rage, but I decided just to go with a #24 gratin for the pound of scallops. A base of chopped mushrooms sauteed with onions, combined with chopped tarragon and parsley, topped with the poached scallops, then with a sauce made with the reduced poaching liquid and heavy cream, topped with cheese.  Fantastic with a salad of greens with blood orange vinaigrette. Super rich, of course; next time I'll only get a half pound for the two of us, and dig out those shells.  But what a nice treat; it helped us shrug off six inches of unseasonal snow.  Because the scallops were just barely poached, the leftovers stood up to being re-broiled under a layer of cheesy-buttery breadcrumbs the next day.

The snow is sticking around for at least another day or two, so I'm not feeling as desperate for spring foods as I'd expected, and not making anything for Easter that I haven't cooked several times before.  So will see y'all later on...

Go for it, Miquette - you could assemble in advance, transport and bake at your convenience, or take along the components and assemble when you're ready.

Ellabee - Scallops, tarragon, St. Jacques = the perfect antidote for snow; sounds delicious.

I'll finish making Lasagne with Tomato-Cream Sauce and Mozzrella from Patricia Wells' Trattoria this evening.  I so enjoyed the tomato sauce from the Involtini, I think it's sparked a craving.  This lasagne isn't new to me; it's the one I've been making for years and I'm told it's very close to what is commonly available in Rome.  The charm is the simplicity of the recipe.  Using fresh lasagne noodles makes all the difference, the thinner - the better.  A very nice flavour note is the lemon zest sprinkled in the baking dish.  This is actually a light, fresh-tasting lasagne, as far from the the mile-high conventional one as you can get.  I generally get a couple of office lunches out of the leftovers.

I made the sauce last night, two or three quarts actually, so I have some to stash in the freezer.  This is my favourite tomato sauce recipe and I like to have at least a couple of servings on hold in the freezer.  I add the cream (a great deal less than called for in the recipe) to taste, depending on what I'm using it for.  I've been using those giant cans of Italian tomatoes, so much more convenient than opening three or four cans.

I spotted a very intriguing Baked Ricotta at Leite's Culinaria website for an interesting twist on an appetizer.  I'm hoping to make this one over Easter, sometime.

My pick for this week is Cheez-It-Ish Crackers from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table influenced by Miquette's reommendation and the need for something very easy this week as things are heating up at the office. 

While I was unable to make the Baked Ricotta (mentioned in my previous post) over Easter, a friend did and got rave reviews from her guests; she's placed it firmly on her keeper list.  She made it part of an antipasto platter with breadsticks, marinated artichokes and array of olives, etc.  She remarked that it couldn't have been easier and wondered about making it in individual ramekins for next time.

Work responsibilities shouldered my cooking responsibilities rudely aside and I didn't get to the Cheez-it-ish Crackers from last week, but I'm hoping to get them baked this evening.

For this week I've chosen Chicken Fricassee w/Artichokes & Mushrooms from Molly Stevens' All About Braising.  We're meant to be celebrating spring, but it's been a little too cold and rainy around here.  There appears to be a little aura of spring in this dish even though it's a braise, it's not a heavy-duty winter braise.

Notwithstanding plenty of rain and coolish temperatures, there's been enough sunshine that I harvested the first of the rhubarb yesterday and now I'm cruising rhubarb tart recipes.

Hi, Vickster -

There's a Rhubarb and Brown Sugar Tart recipe I'm considering found here attributed to the pastry chef at a well-known Toronto restaurant.  And - I'm a fan of rhubarb clafoutis, too.

I've just finished my first batch of Cheez-it-ish Crackers and they are very addictive, so crisp and tasty - did someone suggest a glass of Champagne with these?  If not, then let me suggest it.  I made very small ones and while I did find the dough a little tricky to roll out it's probably because I left it chilling in the fridge overnight.  The second disc of dough is resting on the counter and I'll make another batch when it's not quite so cold. 

I chose cave-aged Gruyere which was a touch on the pricy side but delivered a delicious flavour.  I dithered between this or an even more expensive Comte, but I think a standard Gruyere would be just fine.  Ementhal was another option and a good Cheddar would be a nice variation, too.  I love the hints of Aleppo pepper and I'm already wondering about the addition of some snipped chives.

If you want to win friends and influence people, these crackers are the way to go.

Vickster - I just spotted this Upside Down Rhubarb Cake on the Saveur magazine site.  It looks intriguing, done Tarte Tatin style.  It might be an option, too.

My Chicken Fricassee w/Artichokes and Mushrooms was a big hit.  It had nuances of spring with all the silkiness of a braise.  Notwithstanding, I couldn't find artichoke bottoms anywhere, using quartered artichoke hearts instead - this dish delivered on every level. 

Subtle with the nutty influence of the artichokes, earthy tones of the mushrooms and the bright splash of a little lemon juice with the hint of thyme and marjoram makes this a perfect springtime dish.  The evenings are still on the chilly side and this recipe fills the bill.

I'm checking out the books for next week's recipe.

Thanks Foodelf. Like the looks of that Upside Down Rhubarb Cake also!

For next week's recipe, I'm tempted by Goan Chicken also from Molly Stevens' "All About Braising".  I'm in the mood for curry flavours and this might just fit the bill.  I'm adding a rhubarb recipe into the mix for next week, as well.

Hi Foodelf,  I'm glad you liked the Cheez-It-Ish crackers. They are indeed tasty served with some bubbly!

I've been gone for two weeks and am now making up for lost time. Saturday I made the leek bread pudding from Ad Hoc At Home. I've been meaning to make it for ages and am so glad I finally did! The slightly sweet flavor from the brioche really compliments the leeks. And what's not to love about anything with cheese? I already dove into the leftovers for lunch the next day!

I also made the roasted asparagus bundles from The Tra Vigne Cookbook. While they can mostly be prepared ahead presented beautifully, they did not stand out among the other dishes. 

For dessert, I made the chocolate macadamia nut pie  from the Hali'imaile General Store Cookbook. This is my favorite dessert at this restaurant in Maui but my first time making it at home. Next time I would adjust the amount of cream in the crust as mine was a little dry and quite tough to roll out. As a result, I think it was too thick as I had a TON of filling left over and had to cut the baking time down to 40 minutes. It was still delicious but next time I would use a deeper tart pan and maybe use bittersweet chocolate in the filling to up the intensity factor.

This week, I'm thinking of trying the beef with cumin from Fuchia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. But since the weather is so nice this week (yippeeee!), maybe it's time to fire up the barbecue. 

Gerard's Mustard Tart was absolutely fantastic!  A few modest ingredients delivered gorgeous flavours and the mustards mellowed into subtlety.  This tart would be wonderful as an appetizer, lunch or light dinner with salad and will certainly be served frequently at my house. 

The pastry came from Tartine, Flaky Tart Dough which is my favourite savoury pastry recipe.  It's truly flaky and behaves beautifully when rolling out.  For me, the solution to difficult pastry is to make it the day before, rest it overnight, then roll it out, line the pastry tin and freeze for at least an hour.

The Tartine recipe makes enough for two tart pastry cases, so I have the second one in the freezer ready for the next savoury tart - maybe something with asparagus...

Checking the books for next week's recipe.

Hi Foodelf,

The Goan Chicken sounds soooo good, I will have to try it! One more reason for me to get the cookbook :-) Gerard's Mustard Tart is also on my "to make" list so I'm glad to hear it was a success.

We had the Beef with Cumin last night and it was delicious and tender. I used flank steak and I think it was the biggest beef stir fry success in a long time in terms of texture. I think I am now inspired to try the Spicy Beef Slices with Tangerine Peel from Fuschia Dunlop's Land of Plenty next. 

I have made Gerard's Mustard Tart and love it also!

It's a while since Foodelf started this thread with the story of oxtails.. but I actually cooked some for the very first time just this week.. I was looking for a great filling for meat pies, and by happenstance caught a FoodTv program featuring Heston Blumenthal, and what was he making but steak & kidney puddings... based on oxtail.. so I adapted his recipe leaving out the kidney and it was one of teh best meat fillings I've ever made.. now to feature as a reguar for my pies ! If you are looking for a great meat pie filling this is it. enjoy! Hope the snow clears for you soon ;-) We're still enjoying the last of autumn here in Oz!