Crackling Pancake with Caramel-Clustered Blueberries | The Art of Escapism Cooking

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm happy to be hosting today's TLC Book Tours stop for the recently released cookbook by Mandy Lee (of Lady and Pups blog) called The Art of Escapism Cooking: A Survival Story, with Intensely Good Flavors. I'll start by saying that this book is not for the weak. It's thick and meaty; it dares you to spend time getting to know yourself, your kitchen, and some ingredients and methods that you may not be familiar with.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef

Just when I dared to dream that we were done with snow, it dumped a good twelve inches on us. I thought if I didn't put voice to my wish, that I couldn't jinx it. Wrong. It's just a good thing that I had a chuck roast waiting in the fridge, a crockpot waiting on the counter, and a husband willing to go outside and shovel while I "prepared" the food. Somebody drew the short straw there.

I love being able to just throw a big hunk of meat into a slow cooker, then douse it with some sort of flavorful liquid and seasoning, and magically open the lid 4 to 6 hours later to an almost complete meal. In the case of this beef, I did pour out the liquid to reduce it a bit; this concentrates the flavors and thickens it up a bit. You don't have to take this extra step, but I like adding thickened cooking juices back to the meat once it's been shredded with a couple of forks. In this instance, the vinegar adds a good tang.

I suppose being stuck inside isn't so bad, as long as you've got something good cooking up in the kitchen, with a warmth and smell that envelopes the entire house in a cozy blanket. Maybe I'm not quite done with snow for this season yet after all.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar Black Peppercorn Jam Tarts

I'm a sucker for a good jam, preserve, marmalade, or jelly. Pretty jars, intriguing flavor combos, handmade in small batches. I have far too many jars crowding my refrigerator. Although, that's probably because I don't ever want to let the last of it go. I find myself saving a wee bit in the bottom of a special jar...you know, for a special occasion or whatever. That special occasion usually just turns out to be a piece of really good toasted bread or a wheel of melty brie.

So, when asked if I would like to try a jar of jam that uses locally sourced (within 12 miles of their kitchen) organic fruit from Department of Sweet Diversions, I couldn't resist. Seriously, I may have even tried. That go me exactly nowhere. With flavors like Strawberry Grand Marnier Liqueur Jam, Pear Vanilla Bean Chestnut Honey Jam, and Orange Dark French Chocolate Jam - can you really blame me?

The flavor that I tried was Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar Black Peppercorn, and I used it in one of my favorite ways to showcase the flavor of a good jam - in a simple jam tart. Normally I make one large one jam tart, but instead I pulled out my smaller tart tins and made some minis.

Spring Panzanella Salad w/ Balsamic and Spring Herb Vinaigrette

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you know that May is both National Vinegar Month and National Salad Month? Somebody totally planned that. And that's what I call great planning. I don't know about you, but my favorite way to dress a salad is with a vinaigrette, which is exactly why I'm excited to be partnering with Pompeian to bring you a simple, yet bright and tasty vinaigrette to enjoy over what may just be the perfect spring salad. If I do say so myself.

I've mentioned in the past how my favorite salads are the "salad as a meal" type of salads. Sure, I like a little roughage to close out a satisfying meal, but salads can be so much more than that. And personally, if I'm choosing to eat a salad as my meal, I usually opt out of heavy dressings, and instead choose a simple oil and vinegar-based one instead.

So, you're probably tired of hearing about the long, grueling winter that we had this year. So am I. But, it bears mention since we are just now beginning to see some glorious green vegetables starting to grow here in my part of the country, and we're already into May. After month upon month of frozen ground and either preserved or trucked in produce, I can finally find asparagus, baby greens, and even tender herbs bursting from the earth in my own backyard (or lining the stalls of my farmers' market).

Roasted Salmon with Burgundy-Balsamic Glaze

There's just something about a glaze that says "special" to me. All lacquered and shiny, it's an eye-catching finishing touch, just like the icing on a cake. This salmon, for instance, has a burgundy-hued sheen that will enchant you, should it make its way to your plate. I'd say it's only fitting that I prepare it in honor of 50 years of Gallo Family Vineyards Hearty Burgundy wine.

This week, the Sunday Supper Movement is celebrating  by sharing a menu full of recipes highlighting Ways to Pair, Cook, and Entertain with Hearty Burgundy.

When deciding what to make for this occasion, I changed my mind no less than 7 times. My ideas ran the gamut from drinks to dessert, pasta to beef, comfort food to lighter fare. In the end, I decided to lean towards the lighter side with fish, but still go slightly decadent by choosing a rich, oily variety.

Balsamic-Honey-Fig Roasted Butternut Squash {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

When this post goes live, I will be in the air somewhere between Chicago and New York City. This makes me happy for oh-so-many reasons. One of them being that while I'm in New York, I'll be meeting one of my long-time blogging friends, and 12 Weeks of Winter Squash co-host Joanne, in person! Can. Not. Wait.

But that being said - this week is the FINAL week of this round of the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash. What at first seemed like weeks of endless possibilities, flew by in rapid fashion! I used tons more pumpkin this year than I did last year, but that seemed to come at the cost of sacrificing some of the usual spaghetti squash and butternut squash that I love the most. Seriously, I blinked and week 12 was here.

If you've been following along with my posts, you probably know that I semi-swore that I was going to use that darn Blue Hubbard squash that's taken up residence in my kitchen this week. What you probably didn't know was that I totally had my fingers crossed behind my back. That thing is glaring at my from the kitchen table as I type. It's mocking me, really. But don't worry, I'll teach it a thing or two before long. I think.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Brown Sugar-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Sticky glaze with crispy bits on the outside. Fork-tender on the inside. Pork doesn't get much better than that. Well, unless it's bacon. Upon presenting this dish, your family might think that you spent the entire day working on it - if they didn't know better.

In reality, the hands on time is 30 minutes or less.  It starts with a simple pork massage consisting of garlic paste, sage, and some simple salt and pepper.  Pop it into the crockpot. Swoon every time you walk back into the house from being gone for a while (the smell!).

Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops

These fat pork chops smothered in a rich and tangy sauce pack such a massive flavor punch that you'd never guess that they went from fridge to plate in 30 minutes.  Two types of Balsamic vinegar are reduced down with brown sugar to bring out their sweetness, until they are concentrated and silky. Although onions usually have to cook low and slow for a long period of time to become sweet and caramelized, simmering them in this reduction tricks you into thinking that that's exactly what happened.

Who said quick weekday suppers had to be basic, because the complex flavors going on in your mouth after you pop a bite of these smothered chops in there, would tend to disagree.

Roasted Vegetable Salad w/ Garlic & Rosemary

 The sun shines deceptively through my windows.  As I close my eyes, I let the glass of the kitchen window act as a conductor and feel the warmth kissing my cheek.  But one simple motion...pressing the button on the screen door and descending onto the top step...reveals that sneaky trick that the sun is playing.  The day that I can go out and till the garden is still a few weeks off, but I am glad that I still have some good end of winter tubers and some some veg from the market to roast up.  I don't mind sitting by the window with the sun streaming in and playing along with this deception...as long as I can have a bowl of this and a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine to keep me company.

Roasted Vegetable Salad w/ Garlic & Rosemary

adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

serves: ~4

1 large russet potato, peeled & cut into 1" cubes

1 large sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1" cubes

1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 yellow onion, cut into bite-sized chunks

2 c. mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, halved if large

10 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

¼ c. olive oil

1½ Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.  Add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.  Drain and let sit in strainer for a minute or so.  Preheat broiler.

Toss potatoes with all of the rest of the ingredients except the vinegar.  Spread veggies on a broiler pan that has been lined with foil (so that you can keep all of the gorgeous juices that escape the veggies).  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and broil for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through.  You want the veggies to be slightly crisped and brown at the edges.

Pick up the foil by all four corners, taking care to keep all of the juices in the center, then pour the roasted vegetables and any accumulated liquid into the bowl.  Toss with the vinegar.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serve this as a main course with some good bread and cheese...perhaps some warm, sweet cherry tomatoes from the vine in summer.  Or serve as a side dish with a simple fish or bean dish.

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