I have to confess that I’ve made summer rolls three times in one week. After each meal, I still had dipping sauces leftover, and those sauces kept beckoning to me from the fridge. I also had prepped vegetables in the fridge, plus some leftover chicken. . . I simply couldn’t resist.

These rolls are perfect for summer – they are light and refreshing, and once you get the hang of rolling them, they assemble quickly. Don’t worry if they don’t look perfect – ahem, did you see mine?

I also really have to recommend making both dipping sauces. Both are delicious, but so different that it’s like having two meals in one night. They both bring out completely different personalities of the same roll. If you end up with leftover peanut sauce, simply toss it with pasta, some red pepper and carrot matchsticks (especially if you have some leftover from these rolls), scallions, and leftover chicken for a quick meal.

Summer Rolls
Adapted from Everyday Food, July/August 2010

Ingredients:

4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
spring roll wrappers
½ pound cooked shrimp
6 ounces cooked chicken, shredded
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 mango, peeled and cut into strips
cilantro leaves
mint leaves
chives

Peanut Dipping Sauce:
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup warm water
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

Spicy Hoisin Dipping Sauce:
½ cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons Thai chili sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
¼ cup water

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add vermicelli rice noodles and remove from heat; allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Fill a pie plate with cool water. Place a spring roll wrapper in water for 30 seconds, remove to a work surface. Add desired fillings (see below for suggested combinations) and some vermicelli to the lower third of the wrapper. Roll wrapper over fillings, then fold in each edge. Continue rolling the rest of the roll; place on a damp paper towel and cover with a damp paper towel. Assemble the remaining rolls. Cover rolls with damp paper towel and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the dipping sauces, whisk all ingredients until smooth. Serve rolls with sauce.

Summer Roll Ideas:

Shrimp, mint, carrots, chives, vermicelli
Chicken, mango, carrots, cilantro, vermicelli
Chicken, carrots, red pepper, cucumber, cilantro, vermicelli
Avocado, mint, carrots, cucumber, vermicelli

I’m in love. And perhaps slightly obsessed.

I’ve caught macaron fever. I’m even posting twice in the same day, I’m that excited to tell you about my adventure.

The time had come to tackle this little treat. I’ve heard how finicky and temperamental they can be, and I’ve even experienced it first-hand. You see, this was my second attempt at macarons; the first didn’t go so well. They did develop their little feet, but I had overmixed the batter a bit, piped them too big, and underbaked them slightly. I was so afraid of doing something wrong that I ended up doing everything wrong. This time, I took everything I learned from that first attempt, and applied it to my second.

How did things go this time around? A quick look at the pictures will probably let you know that I did just fine. Not perfect, but they’ll get better with practice. I actually relied much less on instructions and just kind of went by instinct. I also went crazy with making adjustments to the remaining ingredients based on the weight of my egg whites. Better safe than sorry, right?

I haven’t been this excited to take a bite out of a treat in a really long time. They’re everything I hoped they could be, and the sweet chocolate macaron pairs perfectly with the salty peanut butter filling! Now all I want to do is make more and more macarons. I’m already thinking about flavor combinations, upcoming holidays, practicing, and more practicing. But what on earth would I do with all of those macarons?

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Macarons
adapted from Cannelle et Vanille

87 grams egg whites (from 3 eggs)
22 grams sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
196 grams powdered sugar
109 grams almond flour
13 grams cocoa powder
pinch of salt

The day before, separate the egg whites and store uncovered at room temperature.

The day of, sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a large bowl.

Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until very foamy. Slowly add the sugar, continue to whip until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Add the egg whites to the almonds and fold; the process will be difficult at first, but keep going. Continue to fold until the mixture is shiny and flows like magma when you lift the spatula.

Pipe the macarons (I used a large plastic freezer bag and cut the tip of the corner off, as I seemed to have lost my piping bag) onto a silicon mat and sprinkle with gold sugar, if desired. Let the macarons dry at room temperature for 20 minutes or so. Bake them at 300*F for about 8-10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Cool completely and remove from pan.

Salty Peanut Butter Filling

125 grams creamy peanut butter
70 grams powdered sugar
25 grams softened butter
25 grams milk
5 grams vanilla extract
3 grams fine sea salt

Using a paddle attachment, mix the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until combined. Add the powdered sugar and salt, and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla, then slowly add the milk until well-mixed.

Pipe the peanut butter frosting onto the base of one macaron and top with another. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

(For the record, a couple of my macarons did not turn out – the jimmies and dragees were a little too heavy and kind of sank into the macarons. The macarons topped with colored sugar were just fine.)

I decided to shake things up a bit with this e-book. Previously, I had used a service to take care of the sending out the e-book to people, but the service cost money, so I charged a small amount for the e-book to help cover costs…and I just didn’t feel very good about doing that.

So now, I’ve decided to make the e-book available for download at no cost, right from my blog.

Now, if you find the recipes to be valuable and/or tasty, or would like to see me write recipes for future e-books, there is a button at the bottom of the page for donations – the amount is up to you.

With this e-book, I’ve tried to include something for everyone: desserts that are vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, and/or dairy-free. All of the gluten-free & sugar-free desserts have been tested by folks who do not follow that type of diet; if they give a sf/gf dessert the thumbs-up, I believe most people will enjoy the treat.

You’ll find desserts that showcase seasonal fruit, as well as heartier desserts that will comfort you when the temperatures drop. Here is what you have to look forward to:

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote* (vegan, dairy-free, egg-free)
Summer Fruit Crumble* (egg-free)
Peach Tarts
Cherry Cheesecake Galette (egg-free)
Poached Pears (vegan, egg-free, dairy-free)
Dulce de Leche Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grandma’s Molasses Cut-Out Cookies
Lemon Tea Cookies (egg-free, vegan if use trans-fat free margarine)
Pinwheels
Peppermint White Chocolate Truffles (egg-free)
Chocolate Mousse with Orange Vanilla Whipped Cream
Sugar-Free Chocolate Mousse (sugar-free & gluten-free)
Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (sugar-free & gluten-free)
Blueberry Muffins (sugar-free & gluten-free)
Peanut Butter Silk Pie (sugar-free & gluten-free)

*Both Strawberry Rhubarb Compoteand Summer Fruit Crumble are original recipes that have been featured on My Madison Bistro.

Click here to download the Madison Bistro Treats E-Book.

When the temperatures soar but you have a fierce craving for chocolate and custard, there is a wonderful stovetop version of chocolate pots de crème. The process is simple: make a crème anglaise, pour the cooked custard through a sieve over chopped chocolate, let it sit, then whisk to combine and add any additional flavors you choose (vanilla, espresso, liqueur…). No fussing with a water bath, just make the custard and refrigerate – simple, right?

Though making crème anglaise strikes fear in many people, as long as you have a candy thermometer and aren’t afraid of stirring, the process is really quite easy. And because you’re sieving the finished product, even if you do slightly scramble the eggs, no one ever has to know.

This is a truly decadent treat perfect for a special occasion or dinner party, but easy enough to make to satisfy a chocolate craving.

Chocolate Pots de Crème
adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

1 oz 60% cacao chocolate, chopped*
3.5oz 70% cacao chocolate, chopped*
3 large egg yolks
5 T powdered erythritol or sugar
2 pinches of salt
1 c heavy cream
1/4 c half n half
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp espresso combined with 1/2 T water

1. Place chocolate in medium heatproof bowl; set a sieve over the bowl and set aside.

2. Whisk yolks, erythritol, and salt in medium bowl until combined; whisk in heavy cream and half-and-half. Transfer mixture to medium saucepan. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until thickened and silky and custard registers 170-172 degrees** on a candy thermometer, 8 to 12 minutes. Do not let custard overcook or simmer.

3. Immediately pour custard through strainer over chocolate. Let mixture stand to melt the chocolate, about 5 minutes. While the mixture is sitting, combine the espresso, water, and vanilla. Whisk the custard mixture gently until smooth, then whisk in vanilla and espresso. Divide mixture evenly among four ramekins or dessert cups. Gently tap ramekins against counter to remove air bubbles.

4. Cool pots de crème to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 72 hours. Before serving, let pots de crème stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with berries and/or mint sprigs.

*You can play around with the % cacao you use; I prefer using 85%, but because I was planning on serving this dessert to a friend of mine, I went with a lower cacao % so we would both enjoy the dessert.

**Because I used erythritol in this recipe, I cooked the mixture to a slightly lower temperature than the original recipe (with sugar) called for. If using sugar, cook to about 175*F. To powder granulated erythritol, just run it through a coffee grinder.

In some ways, mid-August is one of my favorite times of year. Sure, I complain about it being a little too hot, a little too humid, but that very heat and humidity is so important to area crops, not to mention my own garden. The available local produce is at its peak, which translates into lots of fruit desserts.

And with autumn and winter right around the corner, they usher in a whole new slew of desserts. So I figured, what better time to share with you some of my favorite recipes?

With this e-book, I’ve tried to include something for everyone: you’re find desserts that are vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, and/or dairy-free. All of the gluten-free & sugar-free desserts have been tested by folks who do not follow that type of diet; if they give a sf/gf dessert the thumbs-up, I believe most people will enjoy the treat.

You’ll find desserts that showcase seasonal fruit, as well as heartier desserts that will comfort you when the temperatures drop. Here is what you have to look forward to:

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote* (vegan, dairy-free, egg-free)
Summer Fruit Crumble* (egg-free)
Peach Tarts
Cherry Cheesecake Galette (egg-free)
Poached Pears (vegan, egg-free, dairy-free)
Dulce de Leche Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grandma’s Molasses Cut-Out Cookies
Lemon Tea Cookies (egg-free, vegan if use trans-fat free margarine)
Pinwheels
Peppermint White Chocolate Truffles (egg-free)
Chocolate Mousse with Orange Vanilla Whipped Cream
Sugar-Free Chocolate Mousse (sugar-free & gluten-free)
Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (sugar-free & gluten-free)
Blueberry Muffins (sugar-free & gluten-free)
Peanut Butter Silk Pie (sugar-free & gluten-free)

*Both Strawberry Rhubarb Compoteand Summer Fruit Crumble are original recipes that have been featured on My Madison Bistro.

This e-book is available at no charge, but if you like the recipes or would like to help fund the recipe development for future e-books, donations are greatly appreciated.

Click here to download the Madison Bistro Treats E-Book.

This compote is one of my favorite spring/summer treats. Whether you want a cheerful start to your day by spooning it over greek yogurt, or a sinless finish by serving it with a scoop of ice cream, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.

It’s a delicious balance of sweet and tart, everything you’d expect from this classic combination, with an endnote of a little something special.

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients

4 stalks rhubarb, chopped
1 quart strawberries, cut into quarters
½ – 1 c sugar (depending on sweetness of berries)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Place rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in medium sized sauce pan. Cook over medium until bubbly, then reduce heat to low and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and add vanilla, stirring to combine. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Serve over ice cream or plain yogurt.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve loved yogurt. Granted, my taste in yogurt has changed greatly over the years, but I can’t think of a time when I didn’t like yogurt in some form or another. I remember the pre-mixed yogurts being popular when I was young, but I soon discovered a love for the fruit on the bottom variety. I ignored the instructions, however, and refused to mix in the fruit; I found it was much more delicious to eat the lightly sweetened yogurt first, leaving the fruit/jam mixture on the bottom.

It was likely my blatant disregard for the package instructions that resulted in my making an easy switch to plain yogurt as an adult. I enjoyed the tartness, and I loved the interplay of tartness and sweetness between the plain yogurt and seasonal fruit.

I pretty much eat yogurt daily for breakfast, taking advantage of whichever seasonal fruits are available, but also utilizing the frozen fruit stash in my freezer. Since my discovery of Greek yogurt, I pretty much have been eating it exclusively; it keeps me full, but also because the thought of the thick, creamy texture of this yogurt helps get me out of bed in the morning!

While I admit I’m likely in the minority here, the texture of this yogurt is reminiscent of frosting. I’m not going to go so far as to say it tastes like frosting, but it has a mouth-feel that falls somewhere between frosting and…cheesecake batter.

It doesn’t hurt that this particular breakfast requires relatively zero preparation. The first thing I do in the morning is head to the freezer and take out some frozen fruit, usually wild blueberries. Then, I simply let it thaw at room temperature while I get ready for the day. If the fruit is in larger chunks, nuking it for a few seconds works just fine. Then, mix the thawed fruit and yogurt – the natural juices from the fruit will help to flavor and sweeten the yogurt, and of course, you can add whatever fresh fruit is on hand.

If you want your yogurt breakfast to fill you up and keep you going all morning, walk right past the nonfat yogurt in the market. Frankly, it doesn’t taste very good, it won’t keep you full, and who wants the fillers that replace the fat in an attempt to replicate the texture the fat gave the yogurt? Blech! Instead, try the real deal – you just might love it.

I stumbled across this recipe last week. I’ve always loved roasted tomatoes, and I’ve frequently taken advantage of roasting to make various varieties of tomato soup in the winter; the roasting process makes even a winter tomato not just palatable, but quite tasty.

Roasting tomatoes at a high temperature tends to render them a pile of mush, so I was quite intrigued by the concept of slow-roasting at a very low temperature. The results are quite spectacular; all of the sweetness you’d expect is there, but they still hold their shape beautifully, enabling you to conduct endless experiments with them. I can tell you already that you’ll enjoy them in panini, salads, on burgers, or simply a plateful as breakfast.

Having just planted my garden this weekend (with my mom’s help), I’m gleefully awaiting the fruits of my tomato plants. And yes, this year we planted a Roma tomato plant, with this recipe in mind.

Molly’s Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
from Orangette

Ripe tomatoes, preferably Roma
Olive oil
Sea salt
Ground coriander

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Wash the tomatoes, cut off the stem end, and halve them lengthwise. Pour a bit of olive oil into a small bowl, dip a pastry brush into it, and brush the tomato halves lightly with oil. Place skin side down on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and just a little ground coriander.

Bake the tomatoes until they shrink to about 1/3 of their original size but are still soft and juicy, 4 to 6 hours. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature. Place them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator.

We’ve still been getting snow, but it’s now warm enough that it only sticks around for a day or two. As I watch the progress of my flowers, the price of asparagus continues to fall – yes! I had plans for the first major asparagus purchase of the year, but at the very last minute, I changed those plans, and the result was this dish.

The best thing about risotto is that once you master the basic recipe, you have an infinite number of possibilities at your disposal. This dish came about because I wanted to do something a little different with my vegetables, and I had some freshly made chicken stock that needed to be used.

I made a rather basic risotto to begin with, and as I tasted it during cooking, I realized it needed a little something more. I looked at my bowl of blanched vegetables, and then my gaze wandered over to a basket of Meyer lemons I had sitting on the table. Bingo! A hint of lemon would be perfect. I added the zest of one lemon, another tiny pinch of salt, and the result was light and fresh, perfect for my bright green vegetables.

Lemon Risotto with Spring Vegetables

1 lb asparagus
1 bunch broccolini
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 c Arborio rice
1/2 c white wine
4 c chicken stock
tiny pinch saffron (optional)
salt
pepper
1 Meyer lemon, zested
1 T butter
1/2 c shredded Parmesan
Shredded Parmesan for garnish

1. Prepare an ice water bath in a medium-sized bowl. Heat a large pot of water until it’s rapidly boiling. Lightly salt the water.

2. Cut the woody ends off the asparagus. Chop into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Cut the ends off the broccolini and chop into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

3. Add the asparagus in batches to the boiling water for 1 minute (1 1/2 minutes if the asparagus is thicker), then shock it in the ice water bath. Add the broccolini to the boiling water for 2 minutes, then shock it in the water bath. Remove the asparagus and broccolini from the water into a clean bowl, set aside.

4. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat chicken stock over medium heat.

5. Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat in large saute pan or dutch oven. Slice 4 shallots, add to oil mixture. Saute until lightly browned, add garlic until fragrant. Add rice, stir to make sure each grain is coated in fat. Let it sit for about 2 minutes.

6. Add the wine to the rice mixture, stir until absorbed. Add chicken stock, a couple of ladels at a time to cover the rice mixture. Add a pinch of saffron and salt, and add the lemon zest. Stir stock frequently until absorbed, continue this method of adding stock.

7. When rice is still a bit al dente, turn off the heat. Add the butter and stir until it’s melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parmesan and add the blanched vegetables. Garnish with parmesan, if desired.

This is another one of those meals that I’m almost embarrassed to post. However, fifteen minutes after I turned on the oven and the stove, I was sitting down and enjoying my dinner. This really is the epitome of a quick weeknight meal, and it’s just perfect for those nights that you’re exhausted and hungry. This is faster than takeout or delivery, and it doesn’t result in a lot of dishes (which automatically gives it high marks in my book).

Fast & Easy Chicken Parmesan
Serves 1

1 chicken breast
Good bottled marinara
Shredded mozzarella
Shredded Parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

1. Heat the broiler and heat a non-stick, oven-proof skillet over medium high heat.

2. Slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise with a very sharp knife (alternatively, you could pound the chicken breast so it’s very thin, but this method is simply faster). Season both sides with salt and pepper.

3. When pan is very hot, drizzle with a little olive oil and add the two halves of chicken. Flip the breasts over when the underside has a nice brown color, about 2 minutes. When the second side has also browned (about another two minutes), add two spoonfuls of marinara to each breast and top with the mozzarella and parmesan.

4. Throw the pan under the broiler and broil until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about a minute or so. Remember – the pan handle is HOT!