potato & leek soup

last week i shopped the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. it's a great market. known as the market "where all the chefs shop", it boasts some of the most amazingly fresh produce you'll find in LA. if you live in LA and haven't been yet, i urge you to check it out!

i came across a booth selling an assortment of root vegetables. the farmer had everything from jerusalem artichokes, fingerling potatoes, to a wide variety of carrots and baby carrots. when i saw the pile labeled "french fingerling potatoes", i had to buy some. they looked so creamy just as is, i knew they'd make for a fabulous soup. i've been wanting to try making potato & leek soup so i picked up some leeks as well and my menu was set.


fingerling potato & leek soup
serves 4 (generously) - 6
2 large leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. fingerling potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup cream

*reserve some of the leeks to use as garnish. see instructions below.

you only want to use the white and pale green parts of the leeks. cut off any dark green part and discard. leeks have a lot of layers which hold a lot of dirt so it's really important to clean your leeks well. to do so, split the leeks length wise and rinse under water. then dice them and put in a large bowl with water. rinse and strain. repeat a couple times until leeks are clean and free of all dirt.

in a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter. when the butter melts and starts to foam, add the leeks, salt and pepper. cook until tender but not brown, about 8-10 mins.

add the garlic and diced potatoes and mix in well with the leeks. add the wine, bring to a boil and simmer for approx 3 mins. the wine will mostly absorb into the vegetables. add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 30 mins or until the potatoes become extremely soft. add the cream and simmer for a couple more minutes.

blend 4 ladle fulls of the soup in a blender and return back to the pot. i wanted a chunky soup so i only blended 4 ladle fulls. if you want a smooth, pureed soup, you can of course blend all of it.

for garnish, julienne the leeks, approx. 2-3" in length. heat a small skillet with enough oil to coat the bottom. once the oil is hot, add the leeks and fry until lightly golden brown. make sure to keep an eye on them as they will brown quickly.

remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

serve the soup with freshly ground black pepper and the fried leeks!

bon appétit~!

banana sour cream pancakes

this recipe comes from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten, which was one of my very first cookbooks. these pancakes aren't particularly 'light & fluffy'. in fact, they're pretty substantial. more cakey and dense than your average pancake but not any less delicious. the bananas give the pancakes a contrast of texture which adds a nice creamy surprise. plus, it's a great way to use up those overly ripe bananas you have laying around!

mise en place

banana sour cream pancakes
from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten
*her recipe says it makes 12 pancakes but i only got 10
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (i used 1 teaspoon table salt)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest (i made w/o since i didn't have any lemons)
unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
maple syrup

in a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. in another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, mixing only until combined.

melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. use a 1/4 cup measure to drop the pancake batter into the pan. distribute diced bananas on each pancake.

cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the top and the underside is nicely browned. flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two, until browned.

wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. pancakes will stay warm in a preheated 200 degree oven for 15 to 20 miutes.

serve with butter, sliced bananas and maple syrup.

bon appétit~!

brussel sprouts with bacon, shallots and figs

i dont know why brussel sprouts got such a bad reputation, because they are delish. they are a great side dish with just about any entree. sometimes, i just eat them as the entree. over cooking brussel sprouts can make them stinky. the recipe below cooks the sprouts with a hot water bath, just enough to brighten the color without the stinkiness. and as always...bacon makes everything better =)

mise en place

brussel sprouts

serves 2-4
1 dozen brussel sprouts, cleaned, trimmed and halved
4-5 cups of boiling water
3 strips of bacon, diced
1 tablespoon of shallots, minced
3 dried figs, quartered
1 1/2 tablespoon of parmesan cheese
salt and pepper


place the brussel sprouts in a strainer that has been set in a large bowl in the sink. slowly pour the hot water over the brussel sprouts. take the strainer out of the bowl and using the same hot water, pour it over the brussel sprouts once again and let the water drain. the hot water "splash" gently cooks the brussel sprouts.


heat a large pan on medium- high heat. render the diced bacon, about 2 mins. lower the heat to medium and saute the shallots, about 2 mins. take out the bacon and shallots out of the pan and set aside. reserve some of the bacon fat in the pan, return the heat to high. add the dried figs and brussell sprouts, cut side down, until its slightly browned, about 3 mins.

toss the bacon and shallots back into the pan and season with salt and pepper. plate the brussel sprouts and top with parmesan cheese.


bon appétit~!