Cheesecake Bars

These creamy, decadent cheesecake bars feature a citrus swirled top, vanilla cream cheese filling, and shortbread cookie base. We’ve been baking these for special occasions for over twenty years!

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I started making these cheesecake bars twenty years ago. They’re beautiful, wildly decadent, and the perfect special treat. Pools of citrus curd blend into a vanilla flecked cream cheese filling. A shortbread cookie crust provides crunch and structure as the base. With each bite you’re hit with a blast of citrus intensity, and the swirl top is dramatic and beautiful.
slice of a cheesecake bar on a small plate with a fork

Cheesecake Bars: The Inspiration

There was a moment in the early 00s where ripple-topped cheesecake bars were having a real moment. I clipped a number of versions from newspapers and magazines including one from Food & Wine magazine and another from the Spring 2004 issue of Donna Hay. These bars were typically lemon flavored but I found over the years that I really love making zesty grapefruit versions, or my absolute favorite (pictured here) – blood orange. I include instructions in the recipe below.
cheesecake bars served on a marble table on plates

The Ingredients

The ingredient list for these cheesecake bars is quite straight forward. If you keep cream cheese on hand, you might have the rest of the ingredients in your pantry. A couple notes related to key ingredients.

  • Cream Cheese: Go for the real deal, full fat version here.
  • Citrus: I call for a blend of orange and lemon juice in this version of the recipe, but you can play around with whatever citrus you have on hand. I’ve had it on my list to experiment with a key lime version (or makrut lime!) for ages.
  • Sugar: Opt for a fine, granulated sugar here.

cheesecake bars baked in a glass baking dish

How To Make Cheesecake Bars

There are three main components to these cheesecake bars. The shortbread base, the cream cheese filling, and the citrus topping swirl.

  1. Make the cookie base: You can see the concept pictured here (below). Press and bake cookie dough into your pan and bake until golden.
    cookie dough crust as first layer in glass baking dish
  2. Make the citrus curd swirl mixture: This is done in a saucepan using egg yolks citrus juices, sugar, cornstarch, heat, and patience.
    curd ingredients in stainless steel saucepan
  3. Make the cream cheese filling: This step is a breeze. You basically whip up a lot of cream cheese, then sweeten and flavor it.
  4. Assemble and bake. One of the keys here is avoiding baking too long. You want to bake these bars until they’re just set in the center.
    cheesecake bars baked in a glass baking dish

Cheesecake Bars: Variations

As mentioned above, the first way you can switch things up here is to play around with the shape of the pan you bake in. You can make individual tarts or mini-tarts, or bake in a long pan and slice into strips.

  • Lemon Cheesecake Bars: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest. Bonus points for using Meyer lemons – extra special!
  • Orange Blossom Cheesecake Bars: This version is beautiful. Use a small splash of good quality orange blossom water in place of the vanilla in the recipe. It accentuates the orange in the recipe and perfumes your entire kitchen as the bars are baking.
  • Rose Citrus Cheesecake Bars: This is the same idea as the orange blossom version above, substitute a splash of rose water for the vanilla in the recipe. Or! Leave the vanilla in. Rose, vanilla, and orange are a beautiful combination.

cheesecake bars baked in a glass baking dish
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slice of a cheesecake bar on a small plate with a fork

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Homemade Vitamin C Tea Blend

Hibiscus and rose hips are both Vitamin C power houses. This is a much appreciated homemade tea blend for when an immunity boost is needed, or for the times when you’re feeling stressed, over-worked, or dragging just a bit. I add a good bit of saffron, and lemon peel for dimension and flavor.

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Many of you have seen my spice drawer, it’s always in some state of disarray. I also have another area filled with ingredients I use to make herbal tea blends. You’ll find dozens of little white bags filled with chamomile, hibiscus, dried nettles, citrus peels, ginger and the like. Inviting a spectrum of teas into your life is great way to supplement different vitamins and minerals, and hydrate at the same time. Along those lines, my philosophy is that every glass of tea is an opportunity to do something nice for your body. So, whenever inspired, I blend a couple of small containers full of different ingredients to brew – usually some sort of seasonal or supportive blend, and then keep the containers on hand at both the house and our work studio.

vitamin c tea in a glass teapot

Homemade Vitamin C Tea Blend

I thought I’d share an easy favorite with you today – a Vitamin C Tea Blend. This one is much appreciated when an immunity boost is needed, or for the times when we’re stressed, over-worked, or just dragging a bit. Hibiscus and rose hips are both Vitamin C power houses, and I like to add a good bit of saffron, and lemon peel for dimension and flavor. The pronounced tang and vibrancy of this tea is something I love straight, but feel free to sweeten if you prefer. 

ingredients to make vitamin c tea on a counter plus a glass teapot

More Homemade Tea Blends

Enjoy! Also, click here if you think you’d also like to make more of your own homemade spice blends. -h

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Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Imagine a Shepherd’s Pie with the flavors of an Indian samosa – that’s what’s going on here. Vegan, make-ahead, one-dish meal with a split pea (or lentil) base, mashed potato crust, and spices.

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This recipe uses a number of my favorite techniques: mashing, slathering, and drizzling. Imagine a Shepherd’s pie meeting the flavors of an Indian samosa. That’s where we’re headed. Shepherd’s pies are typically lamb or meat based, but this is a veg-friendly version.
Make Ahead Vegan Samosa Shepherd's Pie

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie: The Process

Here’s how this shepherd’s pie comes together. It’s pretty straight-forward. You make a hearty, flavor-packed, vegan base using split peas (or lentils), chopped mushrooms, spices, and crushed tomatoes. Layer this under a thick slather of mashed potatoes and baked until the top is golden and a bit crusted. If I know the week ahead is going to be a crusher, I’ll assemble everything over the weekend, and all I have to do is pop it in the oven a bit later in the week. Give it a go, this has been on repeat all winter.

Individual Pies!

You can certainly create smaller, individual pies – they’re cute, and people love getting their own individual pie.

Sweet Potato Variation

You can absolutely swap in sweet potatoes here, just give them a quick peel first.

More Pie Recipes

 

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Best Chocolate Cookies

This is the best chocolate cookie I bake. And I don’t say that lightly. It’s a crackle-edged puddle of chocolate with a texture like a collision between a soft meringue and a fudgy brownie. Part of my essential cookie repertoire!

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I came across the perfect chocolate cookie when I visited Portland years ago. The cookies were popular in the coffee shop I would visit, and I loved them. Each cookie was a crackle-edged puddle of chocolate with a texture that made me think of a collision between soft meringue and a fudgy brownie. I fell hard. In the years since, we’ve come to call them chocolate puddle cookies, and there are just six ingredients between you a baking sheet of them. No mixer necessary, just a big bowl and wooden spoon.
chocolate cookies on parchment paper after baking

Chocolate Cookie Inspiration

As far as the origins of this recipe? I came across a recipe shortly after my return from Portland that sounded very close to the cookie I tasted there. The Portland chocolate cookies seemed to be a version of François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookie. But, the recipe I was working from didn’t work all that well for me. The good news is, it did provide a good starting point. I adjusted a few ingredients, tweaked my technique, and now I’ve been able to make them reliably making little tweaks along the way. All my insights and ingredient notes are integrated into this page and recipe.

Chocolate Cookies: The Ingredients

The ingredient list here is short and direct. There’s a good chance you have all the ingredients on hand – cocoa, powdered sugar, egg whites, walnuts, vanilla, and a bit of salt. A few related notes:

  • Cocoa powder: I’ve used a wide range cocoa powder in these cookies over the years. The key here is to use unsweetened. For a long time I tended to use non-alkalized cocoa powder (Scharffen Berger or Dagoba) but also tested with Droste, which is a Dutch-process cocoa powder. And! I just made a fantastic batch using Guittard Cocoa Rough last week. Pictured here. So, use what you like, just be sure it’s not sweetened.
  • Walnuts: On the walnut front, be mindful of how you toast your walnuts, it’s the single factor that impacts the personality of these cookies most. Using deeply toasted walnuts makes for a much more intense, nutty cookie. Lightly toasted walnuts can sometimes be mistaken for chocolate chips, and make for a much more mild cookie. Both good!
  • Powdered sugar: I’ve used both 365 organic powdered sugar from Whole Foods, and Hain organic powdered sugar with success.
  • Eggs: Use large eggs, I suspect if you use extra-large, the batter will run, and you’ll have to compensate with more powdered sugar.

Technique and Pro-tips

Reading this far will pay off, I promise. Here are a couple things that really make a difference here.

  1. Sift. Really, don’t skip this step. Get all those lumps out.
    chocolate cookie ingredients sifted into a bowl
  2. Add ingredients in the correct order. This is what your mixture should look like after mixing in the walnuts. (below)
    chocolate cookie dry ingredients combines in a mixing bowl
  3. Consistency. This is roughly what your cookie batter should look like after mixing in the egg whites.
    chocolate cookie batter in a mixing bowl
  4. Bake & Cool Completely. Do your best to avoid under-baking, and after baking, allow the cookies to cool completely. A couple hours is best. They will set up beautifully. The goal is a clean break-away from the parchment paper. It’s sometimes hard to tell when these cookies are fully baked, the ones in the picture directly above are slightly underbaked for my tastes. So I adjusted with the remaining two cookie sheets.
    chocolate cookie cooling on racks in a kitchen

Chocolate Cookie Variations

I like to make these just as written in the recipe below. It’s one of those rare cooking endeavors where I don’t mess around much. But there have been many great comments over the years. A lot of people make these chocolate cookies with toasted pecans in place of the walnuts. Some add the zest of an orange. And another person recommended dried cherries. Espresso powder was something I’ve considered but never tried (although some of you have!).And numerous people like to freeze these cookies, and crumble them over ice cream for the win!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have. They’ve become family favorites.

close up of chocolate cookie on a marble countertop

Best Cookie Recipes

chocolate cookie on parchment paper after baking

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Pomegranate Yogurt Bowl

A simple breakfast yogurt bowl made with Greek yogurt, fresh pomegranate juice, puffed quinoa cereal, toasted sunflower seeds, and honey.

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I’m hoping this breakfast yogurt bowl sets the tone for my entire day. I love the pretty pomegranate swirl intertwined with ribbons of a Turkish black pine honey a friend gifted me. There are little puffed BBs of quinoa, toasted sunflower seeds, some bee pollen, and creamy clouds of Greek yogurt. It was a fluke, with everything just falling into place after I reached for the pomegranate juice leftover from my ongoing juicing experiment.

yogurt bowl topped with pomegranate juice and honey

Pomegranate Yogurt Bowl: Extra Credit

I can imagine cooking down a bunch of the fresh pomegranate juice to make a thick homemade pomegranate molasses the next time around, although I love the brightness of the fresh juice and the way it tangles with the honey and yogurt.

yogurt bowl topped with pomegranate juice and honey

How To Make Fresh Pomegranate Juice

The quickest way I’ve found to juice a pomegranate is to cut it in half or quarters. Use a citrus juicer, I like the hand squeeze type, to press the juice out.

small bowls filled with toppings like honey and bee pollen for yogurt bowls

So, for today, it’s just a quick hi, and this bit of inspiration to make your breakfast pretty, tasty, and special.

yogurt bowl topped with pomegranate juice and honey

More Breakfast Recipes

breakfast bowl nearly empty with spoon

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My Induction Stove: Pros, Cons and Real Talk

We purchased an induction stove a few months back. I cook on it three meals a day, and then some. This is an ongoing list of all the things I love, loathe, and am surprised by related to induction cooking.

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For anyone induction curious, this is a page that talks about my experience using an induction stove. We purchased a Bertazzoni induction range in late 2023, and it seems like a lot of you have questions. I’m happy to relay my first person account as someone who is a serious home cook. I write cookbooks, test recipes professionally, and generally hit any stove (and kitchen!) pretty hard.

induction stove in kitchen with marble counters

An Induction Stove: Why now?

I’ve cooked primarily on Viking ranges for the past fifteen years. Amongst other issues, we’ve always had trouble with the igniters related to the oven. Recently, our Viking gas range racked up more repair bills than it was worth, so we had a recycler come pick it up. We needed a replacement, and I figured it was as good a time as any to see if we liked induction.

As I write this, we’re a couple months in, and I suppose the main question is, would we make the same purchase today? The answer is a very strong yes! The Bertazzoni and I have become easy friends. The jury is out on how it will hold up over time, but I am generally thrilled with the induction side of things. There are a few downsides though, so let’s talk though the details.

Induction Cooking: Some of the things I love!

I’ll continue to add to this list as my experience cooking with induction develops over time. For now, these are my thoughts after about three months of daily cooking on this range. It has an induction stovetop and electric oven.

  • Speed: The induction burners are wildly fast. I think of all the weeks of my life I’ve wasted standing around waiting for water to boil. Friends, I’m here to tell you, this alone is a game changer. So incredibly fast.
  • Dreamy cleanup: My days of cleaning crumbs and spills out of the cracks in my stovetop are over. A few gentle swipes with a soft sponge is usually all it takes to get things back to looking new.
  • Breathe easier: Induction seems to translate to better air quality in the kitchen when compared to gas. I could see it when running our air filter in the kitchen while cooking with gas. The air filter would signal a drop in air quality. I’m not seeing the same drop with induction. If you search for “induction better air quality in your home” you can read more about this from a number of sources.
  • Steady simmer: The induction burners pass the low, low simmer test. I often have something going at a low simmer (for ex: this ragù or soup). One of my pet peeves is gas burners often cut out, or, don’t allow for a true low simmer. The induction here gives real nuanced degrees of control in the low range.
  • Good oven modes: Specific to the Bertazzoni, the oven modes on it are great. They include a “bottom bake” and “top bake” mode. So, for example, if a pie you’re baking is getting a little dark on top, you can switch to “bottom bake” mode and that takes some of the intensity off the top of the pie. No official “proof” mode on mine but the oven light works nicely for keeping dough cozy.
  • Durable: Also related to the Bertazzoni. We’ll see over time, but short-term indications are strong. While baking sourdough I accidentally bounced the hot cast iron lid of my dutch oven off the oven door glass. Miraculously it didn’t shatter.

two men installing an induction stove in kitchen with marble counters

Things I Don’t Love about My Induction Stove:

You can see the Bertazzoni being installed up above. I was genuinely nervous about swapping out the gas range. I absolutely count on having reliable cooking appliances in my kitchen, so anytime there’s a shake up I cross all my fingers and toes. In this case, we fired it up, and this beauty has been going hard in the months since. That said, here are a few of the things I’m putting in the negative column.

  • Focused burner intensity: The heat from each “burner” is intense and very focused, particularly at higher settings. If you remember those old-school cigarette lighters, the ones they used to have in cars, the intensity reminds me of that. Like, if you burned something with one of those lighters it was a perfect circle burn. So, in this case if you walk away with something in a skillet wider than the burner heating element, you run the risk of scorching/burning the ingredients onto the pan exactly where the heating element is. It’s just something I need to be more mindful of.
  • 220v: We had to put in 220v power to enable this range. So, an added expense here. To be fair, this isn’t necessarily an issue specific to induction, we’ve had to run 220v to another gas/electric range in the past. It’s just an expense you should be aware of when you’re looking at new stoves.
  • Bad popcorn: Related to the above note. I still haven’t cracked the code here. Even at settings 5 or 6 I’m burning part of the popcorn to the bottom of the pan.
  • Cooking on glass. I have trouble keeping the pan on the glass. This is taking some getting used to. You need to keep your pans in direct contact with the stovetop or you lose the heat. I was used to being more physical with my pans while cooking, lifting them up, moving them around a lot, but cooking on induction has quieted things down a bit. Learning curve.
  • Pots & Pans: I had to evaluate which pans could make the jump to induction. I’ll do a separate post at some point related to the ones that have become go-tos. A preview: I haven’t loved using my largest All-Clad skillet on induction, but the All-Clad saucepan I bought is perfect. I’m enjoying the performance of a range of carbon steel pans with induction *and* they’re much less costly. More to come!

The verdict:

Let’s see where we are six months or a year in! I’m optimistic. I thought I’d miss cooking with fire more than I do. Thankfully, we do plenty of outdoor cooking over open flame up on the patio or when we’re camping – so this became a non-issue. Although it was the thing I was most nervous about!

Let me know if you have any specific questions related to induction stoves, cookware or anything I missed here.

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Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

There are a couple details that take this coconut cream pie to the next level. Like many versions, it is made with a homemade, flaky, all-butter pie crust filled with a creamy coconut pudding. It is finished with clouds of whipped cream and plenty of toasted coconut flakes. Using buttermilk and a confident amount of salt to offset some of the sweetness is how you take this pie from good to great.

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This pie was inspired by my dad. He requested coconut cream pie in place of cake for his birthday, so I got to work. I knew he was after a homemade, old-fashioned version. It needed to be a creamy, sweet coconut cream pie loaded with whipped cream and coconut flakes. He reminisces about Marie Callender’s version, so I kept a photo of one of their pies on my desktop as reference. Lol. At the same time, I was also aiming for a pie that had some balance. After a few rounds, I landed on using buttermilk and sea salt in the coconut filling for a filling that is hard not to love.
coconut cream pie in a glass pie plate with a slice cut out of it

Coconut Cream Pie: The 3 Main Parts

A classic coconut cream pie has three main components.

  1. A really good pie crust: Golden, flaky, with good structure. The pie crust will be fully baked prior to filling. Instructions below! I use this pie crust dough for a lot of pies.
    a fully baked pie crust prior to filling
  2. Creamy coconut pudding filling: Arguably the heart and soul of this pie. Spread it across the fully baked pie crust (pictured below). Then refrigerate until set.
    a fully baked pie crust filled with coconut cream pie filling
  3. Whipped cream topping with toasted coconut: Just before serving whip some heavy cream with a kiss of powdered sugar and pile it on top of the coconut cream filling. Add a finishing touch of toasted coconut flakes, slice into wedges and enjoy!

How To Make the Coconut Cream Pie Filling

There are basically two major ways to approach coconut cream pie filling. You can make a homemade coconut pudding on the stovetop or you can make the filling using pudding mix as the base. This pie uses vanilla pudding mix to provide a quick, stable, reliable foundation. The pudding mix is combined with buttermilk and sea salt to balance out the sweetness contributed by the pudding mix and a lot of sweetened coconut. A bit of whipped cream is folded into the mix to bring a bit of lightness to the filling. You will be able to make the filling in five minutes flat. It’s fool-proof and absolutely delicious.

There’s certainly an argument for making homemade coconut pudding for the filling here. But because this has become one of my favorite “quick” pies to throw together, I go the pudding route. No egg tempering required.

a pie crust after blind baking with pie weights and dried beans

How Do I Blind Bake a Pie Crust?

A pie like this requires a fully baked pie crust also known as a blind baked crust. Blind bake pie crusts are used for pies with a no-bake filling. I include detailed instructions in the recipe, but the picture (above) demonstrates the general set-up. To blind bake a pie crust, line a pie plate with your pie dough. Place a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil to cover the dough. Then fill completely with pie weights, or dried beans. Bake until the edges of the pie crust become golden. Carefully remove the pie weights, dock with a fork to prevent air bubbles, and brush the edges with an egg wash. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the entire crust is beautiful golden.

What Kind of Vanilla Pudding Mix Should I Use?

When you go to buy pudding mix for this pie, you want instant pudding mix. That’s the first thing. My recipe calls for two boxes of 3.4-ounce vanilla instant pudding mix. I’ve been using the 365 Whole Foods Market Vanilla Instant Pudding most often – works great. But I’ve also tested with Jell-O instant vanilla pudding (3.7-ounce boxes). Seems a bit sweeter, but works well. Basically, don’t get hung up on the weight of the pudding boxes, just aim for something in the 3.5-ounce size range and confirm it is instant.
A whole coconut cream pie photographed from above

Coconut Cream Pie: Variations

Little tweaks to your coconut cream pie filling and topping can have big impact. If you want a classic flavor profile, go the vanilla route. Personally, my favorite version is made with a couple generous splashes of bourbon. It’s boozy, decadent, and wildly good. Instructions for both versions are included in the recipe below.

  • Bourbon Coconut Cream Pie: Add 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the coconut cream filling and mix until the pudding begins to thicken. Follow the instructions for whipping the cream with powdered sugar. Adding 1 tablespoon bourbon to as soft peaks are forming and continue to mix.
  • Vanilla Coconut Cream Pie: This is my basic recipe. Some recipes use coconut pudding or coconut pudding mix, and/or coconut extract, and coconut milk in their coconut cream pie. But I feel like the amount of sweetened coconut in the filling delivers plenty coconut flavor. And I prefer the texture and mouthfeel here. I use 2 teaspoon of good vanilla extract in the filling, and 1 teaspoon in the whipped cream topping. 

close up of side view of a coconut cream pie in a glass pie plate with a slice cut out of it

Make Ahead!

This is one of the easiest pies I make. And least time intensive. And it’s a breeze to thread into your life. Even if you only have a few minutes here, and a few minutes there. The most intensive aspect is keeping an eye on the pie crust as it is baking, to get it just right.

  • Make the pie dough: You can do this weeks ahead of time and place each round of pie dough double-wrapped in the freezer. Or make it a few days ahead of time and keep refrigerated.
  • Make the filling and fill the pie: You can do this up to a couple days ahead of time.

More Pie Recipes

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Sweet Potato Tacos

These sweet potato tacos are so simple, and so good! Tortillas are slathered with smashed, roasted sweet potatoes. Top with black beans, sliced avocado, quick pickled red onions, a bit of cheese, and squeeze of lime. Fantastic.

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This is a quick write-up of the smashed sweet potato tacos we’ve been making for lunch recently. They couldn’t be more simple to make and are loaded with great ingredients to keep you going for the rest of the day. Tortillas get slathered with a layer of roasted, smashed sweet potatoes which are topped with a sprinkling of black beans. From there it’s all about the extra toppings like sliced avocado or guacamole, quick-pickled red onions and serrano chiles, and a bit of cheese. I use Bulgarian feta, but cotija would be good, or skip it altogether if you’re vegan. A squeeze of lime, and some sliced scallions are the finishing touch!

Sweet Potato Tacos on a plate with lots of toppings

Sweet Potato Tacos: Added Bonus

To make these tacos extra specia,l use homemade tortillas. My favorite way to make them is to use freshly made masa. There’s nothing quite as perfect as a hot tortilla made from fresh masa. Check at a local market or grocery store specializing in Mexican ingredients to start. Ask around. My second choice here, use masa harina. There are some fantastic brands like Masienda selling masa harina made from heirloom corns.

Smashed Sweet Potato Taco Recipe

A Few More Ideas

I love sweet potato tacos like these served with something bright and fresh. Something to cut the creaminess of the sweet potato.  This coleslaw, or this corn salad are great options. They’re also A-plus with a dollop of homemade guacamole slathered on top, the onions deliver some crunch and are strong enough to punch through. Also, if you love good homemade salsa, this is a favorite.

small bowls of sweet potato taco toppings including pickled onions, sliced avocado, black beans

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Winter Penne Pasta

An inherited produce box packed with greens inspired this simple, one-pot winter penne pasta with a sauce made from a full bunch of kale, shallots, garlic, and goat cheese.

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This winter penne pasta was inspired by the contents of a produce box. I seem to inherit CSA boxes. Friends and neighbors forget to put holds on their subscriptions before leaving town, and sure enough, they end up in my kitchen. When I was a kid there was a house that was always happy to take in stray animals, I’ve become the equivalent for CSA boxes. And I have to say, it’s pretty great.

penne pasta made with winter greens like kale and goat cheese on a floral plate

That said, cooking through a box is always a challenge of sorts. I mean, you want to cook your way through it before things start to go bad, sad or wilted. This always forces me to adapt and try out ideas I might not have considered otherwise. You also have the element of surprise that comes along with each box because you never know exactly what will be inside each one. Although, there is one thing I do know. The box, whichever farm it comes from, usually includes lots and lots of greens – kale, spinach, lettuce, chard, arugula. If I’m lucky, all of the above.

Winter Penne Pasta: Inspiration

Tonights box? A quick glance told me I would need to put a dent in the greens right away. That was the tone setter. Everything else I grabbed from staples in nearby cupboards and the refrigerator. It all came together into this simple, one-pot, winter penne pasta. The sauce is made from one bunch of kale, shallots, garlic, and goat cheese blended.  It creates a vibrant green sauce to coat the penne, offering a nice alternative to tomato sauce, mushroom ragù, or pesto.

green sauce in food processor to pour over penne pasta

Winter Penne Pasta: Variations

You might tweak it with a different cheese – Parmesan or pecorino, for example. Or even ricotta. You could top it with a some chopped black olives or toasted nuts. I kept it simple here. You can reheat any leftovers the next day, with a splash of water. The pasta holds up nicely. Penne is a nice shape to hold the green sauce, but a second favorite choice is actually a version with gnocchi in place of the pasta.

I know a lot of you subscribe to CSAs and I’d love to hear your favorite ways to use up your greens. I have a bunch of go-to green-intensive recipes I rely on, but if you’re doing something unique or unexpected with them on your end please share. I suspect Melissa Clark’s kale salad will continue to be in high rotation around here all winter. I keep making it, in part because unlike other green salads that go south shortly after being dressed, this kale salad likes to party. It’s delicious, and just gets better as it sits around, fully dressed, waiting for people to notice it. Other favorites? You can’t go wrong with a hefty pot of Ribollita – I trade off between that and various takes on this lentil soup to which I add lots of chopped kale.

penne pasta made with winter greens like kale and goat cheese on a floral plate

More Pasta Recipes

More Kale Recipes

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Anna Jones’ California Salad

A California-inspired Miso, Avocado, & Lima Bean Salad from A Modern Way to Eat, by Anna Jones. Seasonal greens and beans are tossed with an assertive, creamy miso dressing. There are crunchy seeds, and broccoli, and avocado – it all comes together into a brilliant, beautiful, feel-good salad.

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I think of this as my friend Anna Jones’ California Salad. I discovered it when cooking through her cookbook, A Modern Way to Eat. The book is a 352-page stunner, and an example of a first book going very right. You have Anna, who has substantial professional experience as a London-based writer and stylist (you’ve likely encountered her work on the pages of Jamie magazine). She paired up with one of my favorite photographers Brian W. Ferry. The book was published last year by 4th Estate under the guidance of Louise Haines (Nigel Slater’s editor) and Georgia Mason in the U.K., and is set for U.S. release by Ten Speed Press in the United States. It’s really good. And this salad is a good indicator. Anna Jones california salad with beans, miso, avocado in big ceramic salad bowl

The Salad

I thought I’d share Anna’s California-inspired salad made with miso, avocado, & lima beans. It’s the kind of substantial salad I love, particularly in the winter. Seasonal greens are tossed with an assertive, creamy miso dressing. There are beans, crunchy seeds, broccoli, and avocado – it all comes together into a brilliant, beautiful, feel-good salad. It’s inspired by her time spent in the golden state.

Anna Jones california salad with beans, miso, avocado in big ceramic salad bowl

Anna’s California Salad: Ingredients

A few thought on the salad ingredients here.

  • Beans: Use whatever white beans you like here – butter beans, corona beans, limas. I couldn’t resist pan-frying mine and then chopping them, Anna uses them whole.
  • Ponzu Sauce: Related to ponzu sauce, Anna says, “Ponzu is a sweet-sour-salty mixture of soy sauce and a Japanese citrus called yuzu lime–the zippiest citrus flavor I know. It’s available in most Japanese shops. If you don’t have ponzu, a little soy mixed with lime juice will work.”
  • Miso: The dressing really takes on the character of whatever miso you choose. Just keep in mind some miso pastes are stronger and more salty than others. You can always adjust to your tastes.

Anna Jones california salad with beans, miso, avocado in big ceramic salad bowl

I’ve taken a few snapshots of some spreads from Anna’s book down below. To give you a sense of what the vibe and aesthetic is.
Anna Jones California Miso Avocado Salad
Anna Jones California Miso Avocado Salad
Love all the charts like the one above.
Anna Jones California Miso Avocado Salad

More About Anna Jones

You can read more about lovely Anna here, and here. You can follow her on Instagram here. She also comes to the West Coast now and then for book signings & events, so keep an eye out. xo Anna, and congrats!
Anna Jones California Miso Avocado Salad

More Salad Recipes

Continue reading Anna Jones’ California Salad on 101 Cookbooks