From floral cocktails to lemongrass-scented pork, here are the recipes you should brave April showers to find the fresh, seasonal ingredients for.
Now’s the time to take advantage of spring produce like avocados and asparagus, and to squeeze the last drops out of oranges and other fruit that won’t be grown locally much longer. April’s bounty can take you from pre-dinner cocktails right through dessert.
Refreshing Cocktails
Veggie First Courses
Light Entreés
Meaty Mains with Spring Herbs
Spring Desserts
Brandon Boudet, chef at Dominick’s, Little Dom’s, the 101 Coffee Shop, and Tom Bergin’s (all in Los Angeles), came up with this refreshing twist on a classic Old Etonian cocktail.
A twist on the classic Champagne cocktail, it’s made with cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and pacharán liqueur.
The juniper flavor that predominates in gin goes really well with the herbs and celery in this refreshing combo.
Although the drink is strong, gin and refreshing citrus flavors keep it tasting light.
Cassie Winslow, founder of the blog Deco Tartelette and the author of Floral Libations shares her fruity and floral take on the gin and tonic.
The flavors are springy, but you’ll enjoy this chilled soup all through summer.
Edible squash blossoms provide a pop of spring flavor–and color.
This salad, from San Francisco cookbook author and teacher Michelle McKenzie, benefits from a variety of greens: at least one sweet (pea shoots and flowers, fava greens), one peppery (watercress or peppercress), and one bitter (dandelion greens or amaranth). For the herbs, she likes a mix of mint, dill, parsley, or chervil; fennel fronds work too.
The simple salt-and-pepper crust of this tart is worth making from scratch. If you do use a ready-made crust, pick one without sugar. You can substitute button or cremini mushrooms for the chanterelles.
This pretty side dish makes a nice accompaniment to salmon or a simple roast chicken. Using all three types of peas makes it special, but it’s also delicious with any single type or two combined.
Sushi burritos were created in 2008 by Peter Yen, founder of the Bay Area’s popular Sushirrito, as a way to combine two of his favorite foods: sushi and burritos. You’ll need a bamboo sushi-rolling mat, which you can find at kitchenware stores, Asian grocery stores, or online. This easy sushi burrito recipe includes salty, crunchy, fresh, sweet, and creamy notes by using avocado, potato chips, mirin, and cucumber to accompany the fresh tuna, nori and rice.
Israeli chef Alon Shaya, of Denver’s Safta, buys bunches of young carrots. “The skins are more tender,” he says. “I roast them skin-on for the added nutrients.” Rather than throw out the carrot tops, he blanches them quickly in salted water to pull out the bitterness and turns them into a pesto.
For parties, says Portland chef Scott Ketterman, paella is a host’s dream. “You do most of the work beforehand, and then you just stand at the fire adding things to the pan, sipping wine and creating this amazingly impressive dish. People love to watch it cook.”
Lamb makes for an interesting flavor break from beef. If you prefer less spice, just reduce the amount of chipotle powder.
The flavor in this dish just doesn’t stop. The sharp, slightly herby marinade tenderizes and flavors the meat and makes a great bridge to the chimichurri.
In the world of mid-1970s cooking, horseshoe-shaped salmon steaks were far more common than the now ubiquitous fillet, says L.A. chef Nancy Silverton, who cites the cut as her proving grounds when learning to cook. Now the old-school cut is back, seared in a hot pan, then roasted in the oven and topped with herby compound butter.
Tangy yogurt meets bold harissa in the topping for this gutsy chicken dish. Fletcher adapted the recipe from one by her friend Ed Blonz, author of the syndicated column On Nutrition.
“Fab, fuss-free dinners are my holy grail,” says Michelle Tam (nomnompaleo.com,@nomnompaleo) about sheet pan meals. This one is adapted from her and husband Henry Fong’s latest Nom Nom Paleo cookbook, Ready or Not! “Sheet pan suppers allow me to maximize the amount of veggies for dinner,” she says. “And cleanup is a breeze.”
Vietnamese cooks love thin pork chops because the chops pick up seasonings quickly, cook fast, and taste great—perfect for a weeknight meal. Sold at many supermarkets, the skinny chops have either a curved rib bone or T-shaped bone. An edge of fat and marbling signal good flavor. You can marinate the pork many ways, but lemongrass is a signature Viet flavor.
Refreshing and bright, with the tropical flair of pineapple and coconut, these little tarts are a fun departure from typical desserts. Even better, most of the elements can be prepared a day ahead, then assembled just before serving.
Pie crust wraps around a sweet mixture of strawberries and rhubarb in this mouth-watering pastry recipe.
These light, sweet meringue clouds with fresh fruit filling are named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The dessert originated in Australia and New Zealand, where numerous variations make it as common as apple pie is in the United States. Jane Shapton adapted this classic from a recipe her parents brought back from a recent trip.
This coconut avocado ice cream is silky smooth, luscious, and surprisingly good with chocolate sauce.
Chopped into colorful confetti or served whole on a cake or candy tray, the petals have a delicate crunch, inviting flavor, and subtle fragrance.
The flavors are springy, but you’ll enjoy this chilled soup all through summer.
Edible squash blossoms provide a pop of spring flavor–and color.
This salad, from San Francisco cookbook author and teacher Michelle McKenzie, benefits from a variety of greens: at least one sweet (pea shoots and flowers, fava greens), one peppery (watercress or peppercress), and one bitter (dandelion greens or amaranth). For the herbs, she likes a mix of mint, dill, parsley, or chervil; fennel fronds work too.
Sushi burritos were created in 2008 by Peter Yen, founder of the Bay Area’s popular Sushirrito, as a way to combine two of his favorite foods: sushi and burritos. You’ll need a bamboo sushi-rolling mat, which you can find at kitchenware stores, Asian grocery stores, or online. This easy sushi burrito recipe includes salty, crunchy, fresh, sweet, and creamy notes by using avocado, potato chips, mirin, and cucumber to accompany the fresh tuna, nori and rice.
Israeli chef Alon Shaya, of Denver’s Safta, buys bunches of young carrots. “The skins are more tender,” he says. “I roast them skin-on for the added nutrients.” Rather than throw out the carrot tops, he blanches them quickly in salted water to pull out the bitterness and turns them into a pesto.
For parties, says Portland chef Scott Ketterman, paella is a host’s dream. “You do most of the work beforehand, and then you just stand at the fire adding things to the pan, sipping wine and creating this amazingly impressive dish. People love to watch it cook.”
Lamb makes for an interesting flavor break from beef. If you prefer less spice, just reduce the amount of chipotle powder.
The flavor in this dish just doesn’t stop. The sharp, slightly herby marinade tenderizes and flavors the meat and makes a great bridge to the chimichurri.
In the world of mid-1970s cooking, horseshoe-shaped salmon steaks were far more common than the now ubiquitous fillet, says L.A. chef Nancy Silverton, who cites the cut as her proving grounds when learning to cook. Now the old-school cut is back, seared in a hot pan, then roasted in the oven and topped with herby compound butter.
Tangy yogurt meets bold harissa in the topping for this gutsy chicken dish. Fletcher adapted the recipe from one by her friend Ed Blonz, author of the syndicated column On Nutrition.
“Fab, fuss-free dinners are my holy grail,” says Michelle Tam (nomnompaleo.com,@nomnompaleo) about sheet pan meals. This one is adapted from her and husband Henry Fong’s latest Nom Nom Paleo cookbook, Ready or Not! “Sheet pan suppers allow me to maximize the amount of veggies for dinner,” she says. “And cleanup is a breeze.”
Vietnamese cooks love thin pork chops because the chops pick up seasonings quickly, cook fast, and taste great—perfect for a weeknight meal. Sold at many supermarkets, the skinny chops have either a curved rib bone or T-shaped bone. An edge of fat and marbling signal good flavor. You can marinate the pork many ways, but lemongrass is a signature Viet flavor.
Refreshing and bright, with the tropical flair of pineapple and coconut, these little tarts are a fun departure from typical desserts. Even better, most of the elements can be prepared a day ahead, then assembled just before serving.
Pie crust wraps around a sweet mixture of strawberries and rhubarb in this mouth-watering pastry recipe.
These light, sweet meringue clouds with fresh fruit filling are named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The dessert originated in Australia and New Zealand, where numerous variations make it as common as apple pie is in the United States. Jane Shapton adapted this classic from a recipe her parents brought back from a recent trip.