Citrus Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds

One the great joys of cold dark December is the arrival of beautiful bright grapefruit and oranges. Bursting with sweet juice and full of life, these citrus remind us somewhere it is warm and the sun is drenching the soil. When you dig your fingernails into the fleshy peel the spritz of fragrant oil can awaken you out of the deepest of winter doldrums.


Citrus salad pairs beautifully with the rich warm dishes of winter.

Citrus Salad
1 head green leaf lettuce
2 Pink Grapefruit
2 Blood Oranges
1 lemon
3 oz. goat cheese
2 shallots
½ cup toasted sliced almonds
½ cup olive oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt

Wash, tear and dry the lettuce.

Supreme the grapefruit, oranges and lemon into a bowl. Reserve the segmented center of the fruit for making the vinaigrette. Slice the shallot very fine and add it to the citrus segments.

To make the vinaigrette squeeze the segmented citrus centers into a bowl. whisk in the olive oil, fish sauce, pepper and salt.

Dress the salad with the vinaigrette, add the supremed citrus, crumble with goat cheese and garnish with the almonds.

Mid-Winter Mussels

A mid-winter’s meal. Mussels are one of my favorite dishes. There is nothing more sumptuous than a large pot full mussels; fragrant, creamy and full of the sea. These are best served with crusty bread and a rich aioli.

Mussels
4 strips of bacon, diced
1 onion sliced
1 fennel bulb sliced
½ tsp chili flake
1 tsp salt
2 cups white wine
2 cups fish stock
2lb mussels, cleaned
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Clean and de-beard the mussels. Throw out any mussels with cracks or any that seem especially lifeless. Over medium heat render the bacon. Once the bacon is beginning to crisp add the onion, fennel, chili flake and salt. Sauté the onions and fennel until soft and translucent, add the white wine and fish stock. Once the liquid is simmering add the mussels and steam them until they open, about 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and a large dollop of aioli.

Rosalee Hodge's Vanilla Cheese Cake

One of the themes of this blog is the joy that comes from sharing recipes and traditions. Food has a magical way of connecting us to the ones we love, so I’d like to thank all who’ve shared with me.


This is my favorite cheese cake recipe. This cheese cake has won Best in Show at the Clackamas County Fair, and one year Peter and I made all the birthday cakes for Nick’s firm and this was the office favorite.

Vanilla Cheese Cake
Crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter softened

Filling
4-8oz pkg Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
6 eggs

Topping
2 cups sour cream (do not use reduced fat)
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease the bottom of 10” spring form pan. Combine together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and softened butter. Press the crust into the pan. Bake for five minutes at 350. Let the crust cool on a rack while you mix together the filling. Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla and mix on medium speed for one minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each. Pour the filling over the crust. Wrap the bottom of the pan with two layers aluminum foil and set it in a roasting pan. The double layer of aluminum foil will protect against any water seeping into your pan. Pour ½ inch of hot water into the roasting pan to create a water bath to keep the cheese cake from cracking while baking. Bake for 40 minutes. Discard the water bath and cool the cake for 15 minutes. Make the topping by mixing together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla and pour it carefully over the cake. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Chill 12 to 24 hours. Remove the sides of the spring form pan. Serve with fresh fruit. I highly recommend serving this with raspberry sauce.

In memory of Marlene Thornburg