Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Garlicky Feta Dressing

Do you ever try a recipe and say two things? First, I could eat this everyday, and second, why had I had not thought of this before?

The genius of this recipe is creating a garlicky yogurt, then mushing feta into it—which creates this magical Greek-ish dressing that hits every spot. Also, pre-salting the veggies to bring out their flavor is a good twist too. Most good home cooks know that salt and tomato are a marriage made in heaven, and this recipe taps into that.

Served with anything, anything on the grill—any protein or veggie kabobs, this salad is a winner.

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Garlicky Feta Dressing

Serves 4. Adapted from Ali Slagel for the NYT.

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

1 large clove garlic, grated

1 1/2 pounds cucumbers, use English, Persian or mini seedless cucumbers if possible

1 pound ripe tomatoes

4 ounces feta, crumbled

Sea salt and ground pepper

Stir together the yogurt and grated garlic, add some grated ground pepper and set aside.

Wash and do a typical decorative peel on the cucumbers. Roughly chop them into bite size pieces and put them in a colander. Cut the tomatoes into bite size pieces and add to colander. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the cukes and tomatoes, stir and mix, and let absorb the salt and drain for about 10 minutes.

Add the crumbled feta to the yogurt and mash it together with a fork until it is well combined. Add the well-drained vegetables and stir together. Check the seasonings now for additional salt or pepper.

Note: You can easily add some sliced radishes (1/2 cup) or pitted, halved Kalamata olives (1/2 cup).

Ready for serving, I’ve been plating it up on top of fresh local lettuces just kissed with a bit of olive oil.

Pineapple Pavlova

Photo by Marc Pena.

A Sweet for the Season

By Aurelien Decaix, for Edible DC

Serves 6

Pavlova is the most genial of desserts, crisp on the edges, chewy on top and with a creamy marshmallow softness in the center. So easy to make, then top with seasonal fruits and whipped cream. You’ve just created a sexy, delicious gluten-free dessert that will win rave reviews.

This recipe uses a French meringue, which uses the same proportion of egg whites, confectioner sugar and granulated sugar.

Pineapple Pavlova

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup confectioner sugar (6x)

5 large egg whites

1/2 pineapple, peeled and cored and cut into bite size chunks

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Raspberries for garnish

Preheat the oven to 190˚ F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9-inch circle on the parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes). Add in the granulated sugar in 3 parts, beating for 30 seconds in between. Once all the granulated sugar is added, turn the electric mixer to the highest speed for an additional 2 minutes.

Take the bowl out of the mixer, and now with a spatula gently add your confectioner sugar (little to little) and mix until you get firm peaks, smooth and glossy texture.

Spread the meringue mixture on your 9-inch circle with a spoon or a piping bag (I use a saint honore piping tip for my meringue) and decorate as desired.

Bake your meringue for 2 hours at 190F. Do not open the oven during this time to keep a crispy meringue, this will impact your final texture.

While the meringue is cooking, melt the butter in a saute pan and add the sugar, letting it dissolve completely. Add the pineapple chunks and let them slightly soften, about 3 minutes. Let the pineapple cool completely. [Note: The pineapple can be sauteed the day before and chilled. Let it come to room temperature before you assemble the pavlova.]

Turn the oven off and let the meringue cool inside the oven.

Once it is cool, you can remove it and top it with whipped cream and then pile on the decorations of seasonal fruit.

Keep in the fridge until you serve. 

Bon appétit!

About Aurelien Decaix

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a passion for food. I grew up in my parents’ restaurant watching my dad, a chef, in his kitchen. I’ve always thought I would follow in his footsteps, but that changed when I made my first pastry with him, a Napoleon. The precision and meticulous detail of the pastry made me fall in love. I quickly traveled across France to start my career in Paris and enrolled in Ferrandi, one of the best pastry schools in the world. After I graduated, I stayed in Paris for three years to start my career and worked in the restaurants Le Train Bleu, Le Cafe Pouchkine, and La Patisserie Gerard Mulot.

I learned from all of my chefs, and had the opportunity to work with Julien Alvarez, a world champion pastry chef. After Paris, I had the chance to go to New York City for the opening of a pastry shop in the Upper West Side. I worked there for two years and then moved to Washington, DC and began working at Boulangerie Christophe under my supervisor, Stephane Grattier. I am lucky to work with my dream team making French pastries and making our customers happy. I am thankful to share my part of the world with Washington, DC.

Follow me on Instagram @aureliendecaix and @boulangeriechristophe

Make a Strawberry Shrub

There are so many ways to use this tart syrup. I like a ratio of 3 tablespoons to ½ cup sparkling water for a light, refreshing drink. Or try muddling some mint and mix the shrub with rum or vodka and a splash of bitters. You just made your new favorite spring drink! Makes 3–4 cups syrup.

1 cup sugar 1 cup water 4 cups strawberries, hulled and halved 4 cups chopped rhubarb stalks, cut in 1-inch pieces ½ teaspoon black peppercorns Vinegar—this is the fun part! (See tip)

Mix sugar and water in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add rhubarb, strawberries and peppercorns. Stir occasionally as fruit releases liquid and returns to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Cool and strain through a sieve, pressing on solids to release liquid.

Mix 4 parts fruit syrup to 1 part vinegar. Store in the refrigerator.

About the Chef

Jonathan Bardzik is a DC–based storyteller, cook and author. He is self-taught and inspired by the fresh produce he enjoyed from his family’s garden and now finds at DC’s wonderful farm markets, where he gives weekly demos throughout most of the year. His new book, Seasons to Taste: Farm-fresh Joy for Kitchen and Table, is a four-season look at farm- and garden-fresh food and the people we share it with. It follows his first book, Simple Summer: A recipe for cooking and entertaining with ease. Jonathan’s books and original recipes can be found at JonathanBardzik.com, along with a calendar of his live appearances.