Cheater’s Sriracha Cheese Bread

My dear foodie friend Oakley, who I mention  often, hosted a dinner party. After we had our fill of tandoori chicken and a half-naked Ryan Reynolds on tv, there was gifting!

I came away with a cookbook dedicated to all things sriracha, aka rooster sauce. I put this on everything, when I’m not using (or—gasp!—out of) salsa verde. So it was only natural that I’d want to make little vittles with it too. Well, it turns out the book is a bit simple (add sriracha to whipped cream cheese and voila! A new dip…?), but the one recipe that intrigued me was a loaf of sriracha cheese bread. 

I’ve stopped saying that I don’t bake, but I’m still not in love with getting flour all over my kitchen. When you have tile countertops, cleaning flour particles out of the grout is a huge pain in the ass. But you could cut 15 steps out of the recipe by simply using pre-made pizza dough and I’m all for shortcuts! Trader Joe’s sells pizza dough for all of $1.50. With that, a quarter cup of rooster sauce, and a cup of cheese, you’re done!

Homemade bread!

Of course, flour still gets all over the kitchen because you have to roll said pizza dough out to a 9-inch rectangle, so it’s still a pain in the ass. But it wouldn’t be baking if we missed this crucial step.

Spread about a quarter cup of the sauce out, leaving a 1-inch border. Cover with shredded cheese (I used cheddar—but you can substitute your fancy sriracha cream cheese dip…?), roll it up jelly roll style, and bake for 20 minutes in a bread pan at 400 degrees. You will want to slice the top to give the bread room to puff up. And give it a good egg or olive oil wash, to crust the top. You’ll have a spicy bread within the hour (once you let it cool, lest burning your tongue is on your agenda).

I didn’t do the wash part and my loaf looked a bit albino in the end. Note for next time.

For the original recipe, check out The Sriracha Cookbook.

Look at me. I bake. Huh.

Dulce de Jicama

The same day I tested the Mexican chocolate cookies, I tested a recipe courtesy of The Sweet Life.  Vianney has spent more time in Mexico than I have, and I was excited to taste this dish I’d never even heard of.

The only way I’ve ever eaten jicama is raw, cut into sticks and sprinkled with chile for pico de gallo. I really like it this way, so I was intrigued by the sweet turn.

Jicamas are ugly on the outside. They look like dirty roots. But you know what your mother said about judging books by their covers. They’re similar to potatoes in firmness, but blander in taste. They actually don’t have much flavor at all, which is why you often see them with the chile! Or with lime juice (or both).

Apparently my sweet tooth is of a Mexican variety, given I made this and the chocolate cookies at the same time. But I really liked this recipe. It's simple, as cooking should be. And I love Vianney's stories. Of course, I had to make modifications, because when do I ever take the easy route? I couldn't find unsweetened coconut, so that's where it started.

The orange juice took far longer to boil off than Vianney’s recipe stated. Maybe she boiled at a higher level of heat. I was being overly cautious, not wanting to burn this. And since I was using sweetened coconut, I simply left out the sugar…though it still came out tremendously sweet. This is something you eat in small quantities, like a tiny bit on ice cream.

The G+F taste testers were all on board. Luckily none of them hate coconut, like some people who confound me. I love coconut! Especially the fresh coconuts we’d have in Mexico when I visited as a child. The street vendors had huge green ones they chopped open with machetes and then stuck a straw in for your slurping delight. Such good memories of visiting family.

Maybe next time, we’ll all indulge in this dulce!

Original recipe over at The Sweet Life.

Ajad – Thai Cucumber Salad

For the last 25+ years, my family has been frequenting the same Thai restaurant in Burbank. To pass it on to the next generation, my brother’s family orders take-out from it regularly. I have always ordered the chicken satay. I love slathering the chicken skewers with peanut sauce and then sprinkling on the sweet vinegar from the cucumber salad before popping it in my mouth. To this day, it reminds me of being seven years old.

But what is that sweet and sour relish filled with cucumbers and onions? Oh, it’s known by many names, but the proper name is ajad. Or ajat, ached, or อาจาด. My Thai friend Oakley, she of the Oakmonster food blog—and the catalyst for the bacon scotch we always keep on hand in the G+F kitchen—told me ajad is correct. And because she will play tour guide on my eventual trip to Thailand, I believe her. She’s also originally from Bangkok, so she should know.

And who knew it was the easiest dish to make? Certainly not seven year old me, who believed this sweet and sour concoction must be magical. I was always afraid to finish it for fear that there would be none the next time. The innocence of childhood!

But it truly is so simple. Cut up a cucumber, some shallots, a pepper (I prefer red Fresnos for color, as do the folks at Saveur), boil some water, mix it with vinegar and sugar, toss in some cilantro, and you’re done. Waiting for it to cool enough to eat is the hardest part.

This keeps well in the fridge for quite some time, given the preservative qualities of the vinegar (and sugar). I now consistently keep it on hand. Because it IS magical. And I never want it to disappear!

Saveur’s recipe calls for a LOT of shallots. I rarely use more than one small one for a large cucumber. Your mileage may vary.

Original recipe on Saveur's site.

Spicy Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Before it got super ridiculously hot, I was doing crazy things, like baking. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, since cleaning up after baking can be soooooooo time consuming. But when I found this recipe for Mexican spiced chocolate cookies, I was intrigued. Plus, it was another opportunity to use my shiny red mixer.

When I read through the recipe, I was dismayed that it didn’t actually call for Mexican chocolate. Come on, brown people aren’t the only ones that use cayenne and chili powder! No, what this really needed was authentic Mexican chocolate, the kind my mom used to make us hot chocolate with when I was little. Chocolate Ibarra, to be exact. The octagonally-shaped cylindrical package was a staple in our house like Nestle Quik probably was for my school mates (though we indulged in Nestle Quik too). There’s a comfort in my memories of that steaming cup of chocolate.

But because this is not unsweetend chocolate, I had to cut back on the sugar too (by half—though I probably could have done without it completely). I also had to double the spices because a quarter teaspoon of cayenne is child’s play. Even with that modification, they spice factor still wasn’t up to my expectations. More spices!! You can't call something "spicy" if it isn't, indeed, spicy!

This also didn’t need the additional chocolate chips, but walnuts would’ve been nice. Or spiced cacahuetes (peanuts). It was a bit of chocolate overload. Not that that is a bad thing...

The recipe calls for an entire stick of butter, so the cookies are exceptionally chewy. If you’re calorie-conscious, this isn’t the recipe for you. I suppose you could cut back, but not being a baker I’m not sure exactly how that would impact the final product. Other than giving you a slightly more brittle cookie. Diet cookies? Ick.

Finally, the cookies should be finished with a bit of sea salt. The G+F taste testers agreed the salted cookies were superior to the non-salted version. Plus, they just look prettier!

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Spicy Mexican Chocolate Cookies

by August-20-2012

Adapted from Cooking Channel's Spicy Mexican Chocolate Cookies, with real Mexican chocolate. 

Ingredients

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces Chocolate Ibarra or other Mexican chocolate (available in the ethnic aisle or a Latino supermarket)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• medium coarse grain sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.2. In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together, whisking until glossy and smooth. Alternatively, the butter and chocolate can be melted in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) in 25-second increments, whisking between each interval. Cool the chocolate mixture to room temperature.3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and eggs on low speed until well combined. Pour in the cooled chocolate and continue to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed.4. In another bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper). Add this to the chocolate batter and mix on low speed until just combined and no visible flour remains.5. Working in two batches, scoop 12 balls of dough (about 1 1/2 tablespoon size) onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches of space between each cookie (they will spread greatly). Bake the cookies, one pan at a time, for approximately 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. The cookies should be puffy and still fairly soft when removed from the oven.6. Immediately slide the the parchment paper onto a wire cooling rack. Cool just a bit before serving, 5 to 10 minutes, then finish with a sprinkling of sea salt. Cookies can be stored in airtight container for up to three days.

Details

Prep time: 20 minutesCook time: 15 minutesTotal time: 35 minutesYield: 2 dozen (24 cookies)

Feta & Tomato Biscuits

I'd taken a nice summer hiatus from blogging, but heading to the August Food Bloggers LA meeting kicked the habit back. I even went so far as to bake (!!!) a recipe I'd never tested. I threw all caution to the wind.

Go big or go home, right?

The theme for the August meeting (always a potluck gathering) was to use either tomatoes or zucchini, or both, since they are abundantly available. At first I was tempted to make a tomato jam. But then muffins became a more attractive option. And from muffins I went to biscuits.

Notice how zucchini was never a part of the discussion?

It's hot as hell everywhere in this country, even out here on the west coast, and yet I risked burning to a crisp to turn on the oven. Thankfully these only take 20 minutes. And I did it at 7 am when it's still under the Hades heat level.

And they were good. Half of them disappeared at the meeting and thankfully Dorothy from Shockingly Delicious took the rest home. No overly carby leftovers for me to munch on!

The original recipe is actually for muffins, but it's so easy to drop batter on parchment-lined baking sheets instead. Using Greek yogurt instead of the typical milk makes for a light, tangy biscuit. And these spread. You'll end up with little disks instead of actual biscuits, but hey, they still taste good.

One little mistake I made was thinking my dried mint was basil. Oops! So a little bit of mint ended up in the finished product. And cilantro, along with the basil. Great combo. But it was only a teeny pinch of mint. Though if I make these again, I probably would repeat this happy accident.

I'm going to try not to bake again until the heat index goes back to less hellish levels. But I might finally be getting the hang of it.

It's about time.

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Feta & Tomato Biscuits

by August-15-2012

Adapted from Savoury Tomato Muffins, the biscuits are a light breakfast snack 

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, deseeded, finely chopped, and drained
• 1/2 cup feta
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch dried herbs, like mint!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.2. Lightly fry the minced garlic (30 seconds), then drain. Mix with the chopped tomatoes and herbs.3. In a bowl, beat the eggs, salt, oil, and Greek yogurt together.3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and cheese together, then add the egg mixture. Fold in the tomato mixture.4. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on top of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before eating.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: about 15 biscuits

Guacamole with Nectarines

My father, not a Mexican and therefore not entitled to tell me—who IS half a Mexican!—how to make my guacamole—the food of MY people—hates that I don’t add jalapeño to my guac. You know what? I’m an adult now, I can have my guac any darn way I want.

Of course, even though he’s only Mexican by association to my mother, to whom he has been married to for 36 years this month, he does make the most kick ass salsa verde. We’ve established this. But I don’t like the guacamole that comes out of MY kitchen to be spicy. I like it to have a hint of sweetness instead.

Avocados are absolutely perfect on their own. They’re filled with good fat. They’re a gift through the centuries from the Aztec people (I might be embellishing). They’re green. The skin on some of them looks like it was birthed by a dinosaur. You can sub them for bananas in baking. And they’re delicious! But if you add a teeny bit of garlic salt and a cubed nectarine, you have a dip that will blow your mind.

I am not overstating that fact. Take a bowl of the green stuff topped with stone fruit to a party, and people will look at it askew. Then, after you dare them to taste it, they suddenly turn rabid. Every single time I take this to a party it disappears immediately. Every single time I make myself a single serving of it, I seem to inhale it. Something about avocado + nectarine = food orgasm.

The original recipe I found nearly 10 years back, before the popularity explosion of all things culinary. Nowadays, the pairing of these two items doesn’t seem that unusual, but back then, people were weirded out. And this is California, for crying out loud! Weird food is where we’re at. Anyway, the original recipe called for peaches. But when I did the grocery shopping for this particular dish, the peaches were ridiculously expensive. Their non-furry pals, on the other hand, weren’t going to cost me un ojo de la cara (Spanish for “my first born” or some such saying). And thus my new go-to party dip was born.

The ratio of 2-3 medium avocados to one nectarines scales easily. Nectarines seem to bear more flesh than avocados, which is why you want more of the green fruit than the peachy. Add a sprinkle of garlic salt to taste, squeeze a lime over, and you’re done. 

And don’t kid yourself that saving the pit will keep your guac from turning brown. What you need to do is cover with plastic film, but push it down onto the dip so that no air enters the bowl before you’re ready to dig in. 

If you, like my dad, just can’t abide by guacamole sin jalapeño, then by all means, add it in! Who am I to tell you how to make your food. They’re your tastebuds. 

Plus, I’m only half-Mexican, after all.

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Guacamole with Nectarines

by Paulette Fontanez, August-13-2012

A sweet twist on your favorite summer party dip. For a spicier take, add a jalapeño or chile flakes.

Ingredients

• 6 medium avocados
• 1-2 medium nectarine
• garlic salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Slice the avocados in half. Discard pits and remove meat into bowl. Mash to a chunky consistency.2. Cube nectarine and add to mashed avocadoes. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add salt to taste. 

Details

Prep time: 5 minutesCook time: Total time: 5 minutesYields: 1 medium bowl

One Last Hurrah for Foie Gras

We've been on a bit of a hiatus lately. Indulging in the pure enjoyment of food and not the constant recording of it. But later this week, the California ban on tasty duck liver goes into effect. No more foie gras for Californians! We had to get our last taste in before it goes away for good, and found some at Umamicatessen.

It's a controversial debate, this banning of food. But will it spawn a black market for the delicious pâté, replete with an underground network of distributors? Will the privileged few hold hush-hush dinner parties behind bolted doors that you can only access blindfolded and with a password? Are we in for another Prohibition era? Bathtub gin and duck liver, mmm!

What is it about this buttery pâté that is so delicious? Cow liver tastes like mushy black death, and I know this because my mother made me eat it once as a child, and it was the most revolting thing ever. Nothing I've eaten since has ever been that bad. The memory still haunts me to this day. Some people like it; I'm not one of them. Eww.

Duck fat is highly prized, called liquid gold in some circles. Peking duck, which I had for the first time in San Francisco's Chinatown (a resplendent city center of chaos and divine odors wafting through the air as I walked through it, wide-eyed and entranced) defined what Chinese food should be for me at as a young teenager. So it's no wonder that duck innards, in this case the delectable liver, are equally as popular.

Popular, but not inexpensive. When Grub Street, reporting on the looming ban, listed several places at which one could steal a final mesmerizing duck-filled feast, we opted for the most economical: Umamicatessan's foie gras doughnut. That such a high-end food product could be found in a piece of fried dough was perfectly incongruous. It was also an excuse to check out the Umami chain's downtown locale.

What we found was a full service restaurant and bar, which we walked into right at the start of happy hour. An auspicious beginning! The bar menu boasted many offerings but all I saw was a truffle slider. It was no contest: a truffle slider with a Belgian-style wheat ale and foie gras donut for dessert! The perfect last meal.

 

The burger was exceptionally juicy, my mouth is watering at the mere memory. With a trademark U seared into the bun. Cute.

Then came dessert. A jelly donut, the insides sharing space with a creamy foie gras mousse. A teesy weensy amount of foie gras mousse. About $8 worth of mousse. I ordered 3.

I know you're asking yourself how I could spend $24 on a mere three doughnuts. Am I insane? Can I write it off? If you've been reading this blog for any length of time I don't need to answer that because the answer is, clearly, when it comes to food, a resounding duh. (And no, I can't write it off.)

I had to devour one and save the other two for your photographic pleasure, obviously. And also my breakfast pleasure.

So how does one feel after savoring $24 worth of FG&J doughnuts? Not well. That's a lot of fried food. And NOT a lot of duck liver. Would I have preferred the foie gras sushi at the prohibitively expensive neighborhood restaurant n/naka? Absolutely, but the rent is due.

Though you might find me at Tasting Kitchen at some point in the next few days, like an addict, looking for one last score.

Pomegranate Molasses Yogurt Bread

I don't know why I shy away from baking. I even bought myself what has been termed the gleaming red Ferrari of a mixer to try to overcome this. I really should be more enthused about it, it's like chemistry! I liked chemistry.

So when the ladies at Food 52 posted a recipe for Maple Yogurt Pound Cake, I decided to experiment. I switched out the maple syrup for pomegranate molasses, and use tart Greek yogurt.  Super tartness!

The first time the bread came out tasting pretty good, but it didn't rise much. I realized my baking powder was probably too old. I liked the sweet tartness of the pomegranate molasses, and it was so very moist. So I made it again for Mother's Day.

The second time around I also tripled the sugar, using brown sugar too. Since the original recipe used maple syrup, I had to make up for the lack of sweetness. And I love brown sugar. 

The reviews were definitely mixed. I loved it, super moist and tart, but it a good way. My mom loved it, but my niece, nephew, and older brother did not. I told them their palettes weren't sophisticated enough to appreciate it, but they would get there eventually. These are the same people who love my pancakes, after all.

The original recipe is here.

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Pomegranate Molasses Yogurt Bread

adapted from Maple Yogurt Pound Cake 

A tart but exceptionally moist loaf of cake bread.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or butter a metal loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches).2. Whisk together the molasses, yogurt, eggs, sugars, vanilla, and lemon zest. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to the wet ingredients. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add in the oil until fully absorbed by the batter.3. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes. If a toothpick tester doesn't come out clean, cook for another 5-10 minutes.4. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then cut around the sides to loosen. Turn the cake onto a rack and cool completely.5. Top with butter, whipped cream, or simply stuff it naked in your mouth.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 1 loaf

Turkey Goat Cheese Meatballs

You know how this story starts. I had some turkey and a hankering for goat cheese, so I looked for an easy way to combine them. Hence, meatballs. Turkey goat cheese meatballs. Balls of meat oozing goat cheese.

It's like a mini version of food nirvana for me.

Since I was only cooking for two, I used half a pound of ground turkey meat. And about two ounces of soft herbed chèvre. If I hadn't put it in the meat, I would've spread it all over crackers. This is an arguably healthier option.

This is just about when I discovered lemon pepper, too. I've had it for a while, but have been hesitant to use it. This time I threw caution to the wind. Somehow the lemon pepper, turmeric, coriander, and paprika were perfect together. Quite deliciously perfect.

I also made a very quick cilantro yogurt sauce for them (chop cilantro and add to Greek yogurt with ground ginger, ground coriander and garlic powder). It was a damn good combination overall.

And disappeared far too quickly. Next time, I'll go for the full pound of meat.

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Easy Bake Turkey Goat Cheese Meatballs

by Paulette Fontanez May-15-2012

A simple baked meatball recipe, stuffed with creamy goat cheese goodness.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 ounces soft herbed goat cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray.2. Combine all the ingredients until well mixed. Make sure cheese is evenly spread throughout.3. Roll the mixture into golf ball-size balls. Space evenly on the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Cheese might ooze out.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 9 meatballs

Quicky Appetizer: Bacon-Wrapped Goat Cheese-Stuffed Dates

It will take you longer to say the name of this appetizer than it will to either make them or eat them all.

I had these recently at a friend's party, and that reminded me of a little snack I'd made at home a few weeks prior. She had stuffed hers with blue cheese, which I usually don't care for (yes, there are some cheeses I don't like), but when paired with salty bacon and sweet dates, it somehow just worked.

And that's another benefit of these delicious little bites: you can stuff them with anything. Don't fancy cheese? I don't understand what that means, but stuff it with mango instead. Don't eat bacon? Wrap these in...ha, funny! Ok, fine I do understand that some people don't eat bacon. Don't wrap them. Dip them in chocolate instead.

Ooh, something new to try...

Don't like dates? Use figs instead. Or jalapeños.

I told you: so many possibilities.

Each pitted date uses one-half of a slice of bacon. Stuff with a small bit of cheese, wrap the bacon around,  and bake on a lined sheet for 15-20 minutes (until bacon reaches the crispiness you desire) at 350 degrees F. 

Let them cool lest you burn your tongue.

It takes longer to say the name than to write the recipe. Enjoy.

Adventures in Homemade Whiskey Marshmallows

My birthday is next week, so as an early birthday present, I bought myself this beautiful red stand mixer. And the first thing I made was gooey marshmallows.

Ooey gooey sticky vanilla marshmallows. And then at the last second, I added in a bit of bacon whiskey.

Like you're surprised.

Another non-surprise: making marshmallows is messy business. You're going to get sugar and cornstarch everywhere. Clean that up, you don't want ants! I hate making a mess. I also hate waiting overnight for dessert.

Why did I do this? I don't even really like marshmallows. I definitely do not crave them the way I do that other messy time-intensive cooking project, cheese.

People who make their own marshmallows say things like "you'll never eat store bought again." Why not? Buying and then devouring a bag full of mass-produced marshmallows will make you just as fat as eating the ones you make yourself. The only difference: there's no mess in the kitchen to clean up before the ants get to it.

I guess it was the challenge presented by this. And the way they looked in the morning light, once I finally cut them all to size:

That took forever too. I really started to hate marshmallows once this was all said and done.

This recipe from Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook was very easy, at least. No need for candy thermometers, just boil some sugar, water, and corn syrup together, then beat it for 12-ish minutes with bloomed gelatin, add the flavorings (I tossed in the whiskey with the vanilla), pour into a pan and let it sit for a while. Cut, dust with confectioner's sugar, eat, done. In the end you'll be left with a trillion squares and powdered sugar everywhere.

There are other recipes that call for egg whites. That's probably messier still.

I'm not doing this again. It was a complete waste of whiskey and now I have a trillion of them in the pantry.

Or if I somehow forget this lesson, I'll use the Alton Brown method of making mini mallows.

As for my birthday present, what will I use it for next?

Lemony Pasta with Lox

Dorothy, the genius lady behind Shockingly Delicious, has awesome ideas. Need to caramelize onions? Use your slow cooker. Want grown up rice krispie treats? Brown the butter and add rosemary.

Those are just two of my favorites.

So when she posted her take on Lemony Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Dill, I knew I had to try it. It sounded so easy. I love easy.

I finally got my hands on some Meyer lemons. Dorothy and Erika (of In Erika's Kitchen) both mention Meyer lemons a lot. Sweet lemons is how my grocer labeled them. I like sour stuff. But I trust these ladies.

Still, I had to make a few modifications. Instead of crème fraiche, I used a wheel of Boursin herbed cheese. It never melts the way I want it to, but it always tricks me into using it. And I also forgot the capers. This would have helped out in the sour department.

In the end, it tasted fine. I really like lox. It's about the only way I tolerate salmon. I also really like it raw (drowning in lemon juice). But lox and pasta is good. I should have used the crème fraiche. And the capers. How could I leave those out? That was dumb.

Also, next time, regular lemons. Because I like to pucker up when it comes to lemons.