poached fish

Not just any old plain poached fish - this one had artichoke hearts and a sherry-tomato vinaigrette with it.  I loved the colors and it was delicious too.

braised lamb shanks

This inexpensive cut of meat needs long, slow, moist cooking.  I oven braised the shanks with lemon and oregano, and then finished by roasting with chunks of Yukon Gold potatoes.  For dessert I glazed some fresh pineapple wedges with brown sugar, roasted them until caramelized, and layered with pound cake for a pineapple shortcake (topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and garnished with some of the fresh mint in our yard).

salmon in springtime

This is Dijon-herb roasted salmon that I paired with sage-brown butter topped asparagus.

spring brunch

We started with a yellow bell pepper soup (garnished with asparagus). The main course included Maple-Peach glazed grilled ham, herb roasted fingerling potatoes, and asaparagus-balsamic salad.  I got the bundlet dessert cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. 

duck confit quesadillas

I love duck confit - as I took the last stash from the freezer I decided to go a bit fancy with it.  These are duck confit quesadillas, topped with a squash salsa and a honey-chipotle sauce.  On the side are my house-made refried beans, a great excuse to cook too many beans and then turn the leftovers into refried beans (great made with either bacon fat or duck fat).

spring luncheon

I hosted some friends for lunch - we enjoyed prosciutto-basil wrapped grilled shrimp (with a mustard aioli dipping sauce), crustless asparagus-swiss cheese quiche, and herb-roasted potatoes.  Not pictured here is the blackberry & cream fool that we enjoyed for dessert. 

duck confit over potato-leek ragout

We had stocked up on duck confit legs so I took some out of the freezer to crisp up and serve over a ragout (stew) of potatoes and leeks and herbs.  A nice French dinner for a cool spring evening. 

vegetable tacos

These beauties can be enjoyed at Zacatecas Tacos in Albuquerque:
http://zacatecastacos.com/