Whenever I think of William Sonoma, I picture home decor inside a perfectly cream-colored house with green shutters. It wasn’t until recently that my love of William Sonoma turned into a full-fledged obsession. Given that one of their stores is conveniently located right on my street in San Francisco, I often find myself meandering inside with no real desire to buy anything—I just want to be near like-minded William Sonoma loving people who are equally as interested in food and entertaining as I am. Yet always it always seems to be one free cupcake, one type of specialized bread tin, and many new friends later, that I venture out of the store in my post-shopping daze. During Christmas time last year I found two of the “William-Sonoma Cooking at Home” cookbooks in TJ Max for half the price that they typically sell for. Are you kidding me? Talk about striking gold and although I seriously considered hoarding them both for myself, I gave one to my mother and one to my sister. When I go home to San Diego, I like to lounge outside with a glass of iced-tea by my side and that cookbook in hand, basking in the glory of relaxation and sunshine. To me, planning a meal and pairing different foods is like putting an outfit together—each item must serve a purpose. For this meal tarragon-mustard chicken and chilled cucumber soup were my chosen items alongside an arugula, cherry, and goat cheese salad. I dog-eared the pages (sorry, Mom) and brought the book to the store to accompany me on my quest for the necessary ingredients. And, as typically tends to be the case with slow moving life on the Ewald farm, I was able to enjoy each and every moment of my meal preparation and presentation without anything else on my mind except for nice food, nice people, and the melodic harmonies of The Shins moving through my home.
Chilled Cucumber Soup
Ingredients: yields 4 servings
2 cucumbers
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
salt & ground pepper
1/2 cup diced radish
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
Directions:
1. Peel the cucumbers, half them lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds. Dice enough cucumber to measure 1/3 cup. Set aside.
2. Chop the remaining cucumber and place in a blender or food processor with the onion, buttermilk, and yogurt. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
3. To serve, divide the soup among the bowls and garnish with the reserved cucumber, the radish, and the green onion.
Baked Tarragon-Mustard Chicken
Ingredients: yields 4 servings
1/3 cup dry white wine
2-3 tablespoons mustard (the recipe called for tarragon-flavored mustard…I used dijon)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the wine, mustard, oil, garlic, and two teaspoons of the tarragon, the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Scoop out and reserve 1/4 cup of the mustard mixture. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining mustard mixture evenly over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees 10 minutes prior to removing your chicken from the refrigerator.
Note: the original recipe was for grilled chicken. My recipe has been altered for baked chicken.
3. Bake your chicken for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to platter or plates for serving. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon of tarragon.
And for the salad…
I just put sliced pears, dried cherries, and goat cheese over a bed of arugula and dressed it with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. SO simple but the flavors work well to compliment the rest of the meal.
Chuck Williams opened the first William-Sonoma store in the California wine country of Sonoma in 1956 because he wanted to encourage people to explore the world of cooking. He has certainly encouraged me…has he encouraged you?
Cheers!
-Bay
No comments:
Post a Comment