The Best Lemon Bars

June 10, 2011 Clare Schapiro

I'm really not sure why, but as the sweltering heat of the last few days commenced, all I could think about was lemons. I kept finding myself thinking that a little lemon zest would improve, well, just about everything. Consequently, it felt as though my trusty microplane grater didn't leave my hand all week.

While I was grating merrily away into mostly savory dishes, I started thinking about lemon bars. Upon reflection, I realized that it had been ages since I'd made them and I got all sentimental remembering that they were a great favorite of mine long ago. I realized with some horror that I couldn't quite remember whose recipe I was in the habit of using in the lemon bar-centric days of yore. I did recall trying a great many different ones. This in turn resulted in several happy hours delving into my embarrassingly vast library of cookbooks comparing and contrasting recipes and trying to figure out which one I used to regard as the best.

Pasta with garlic scapes, shrimp, and fresh peas

June 4, 2011 Clare Schapiro

A trip to the farmer's market inspired a new take on an old favorite this week. I was able to find these beautiful garlic scapes as well as oodles of beautiful "English" peas...at least that's what I call them.

But what to make with this delicious booty? I was reminded of my one and only attempt at entering a food competition. Many year's ago I somehow or other was inspired to submit a recipe to the California sun-dried tomato growers. Needless to say, I lost and was so annoyed that I ceased making the stellar recipe that I'd invented for the competition. As I surveyed my peas and scapes, I was reminded of it as it featured peas and tons of garlic.

Black and Blue Salad

May 30, 2011 Clare Schapiro

Last night while I was trolling the refrigerator for dinner ingredients, I admit to laughing out loud when it came to me. The perfect thing would surely be a black and blue salad.

It's been a wild few days, chock-a-block with activity and emotion surrounding Felix's stellar high school graduation on Friday. We've been surrounded by family and friends and lots of fun which by last night left a fridge full of inspirational ingredients and a tired Jeff and Clare, home alone and looking for something quick and delicious for dinner. Black and blue salad was the perfect thing, and the name was just a little humourous jab administered by the universe.

Pimento Cheese

May 21, 2011 Clare Schapiro

I'd like to say right up front that I love pimento cheese. Although I was born in New Jersey (if Princeton counts as New Jersey) I think I've always loved the quintessentially southern treat since I first encountered it on rubbery store-bought white bread made into crustless sandwiches when I was a little girl transplanted to Virginia. In the old days, one used to be able to buy "good" pimento cheese at the grocery store, which, I'm very sad to say, is no longer the case. I've made it a little game to look at the ingredients on containers of pimento cheese I've stumbled upon in recent years, and, frankly, have been horrified with some of the completely unacceptable things I've found listed. Believe me, cream cheese has no place in real pimento cheese.