Sauces – The New Vintage Kitchen

Maine Crab Fritters with Potato Chip Crust and Horseradish Sauce

Had you at the potato chip crust, right? These could be a lovely little starter, or a fun addition to a party buffet. Not quite as fussy as a crab cake, easier to cook, but still filled with crab flavor. A cup of good crab is better than gallons of preservatives I’ve used the meat…

Finally, we have asparagus! Now, let’s make some mayonnaise.

They’re here, and what a glorious season it is in the north! That first bite of fresh local asparagus is like a gift from the heavens. There are certain vegetables I only eat when they are in season. I’ve learned disappointment is likely to follow if I’m tempted to buy corn on the cob or…

A Spring Salad of Three Peas and Some Pods

Peas are the star of this delightful spring salad, but the Meyer Lemon and Ginger Vinaigrette is one you’ll surely use again! A large salad can really set the tone for a holiday meal, especially if it is one that is a little different and makes its own statement of the season. Spring salads can…

Shrimp and Artichoke Paella: Sometimes it does matter what pan you use.

The hand-me-down pots from your mother are more than just kitchen utensils! My kitchen is lusciously littered with items from the women in my life. My grandmother’s cast-iron frying pan, my mother’s bread bowl, my sister’s coffee press. Various pastry making items from aunts. A special wooden spoon from a reporter from a rival newspaper….

Cranberry Sauce with Pearl Onions and Ginger

Homemade cranberry sauce is like a sparkling jewel on the table. This jewel also packs flavor and a bit of warmth. I had some cranberries left over from Thanksgiving and a package of frozen pearl onions. They asked to be put together. If you are looking for a really quick side dish to make for…

Apple Purses in Buttered Cider Rum Sauce

Did you pick too many apples? Our wonderful apple season is in full swing, and after a delightful trip to the orchard this week, apple dishes began to dance around in my head as I stared at my abundant haul. The weather was sunny but crisp, definitely fall air. The leaf peepers were out in…

After the Beach Salad with Low Fat Herbed Ranch Dressing

We’ve indulged, and now we want goodness that still tastes good. This ranch dressing recipe has no saturated animal fat, but tons of garden-fresh flavor and tang. There are many days when all I crave is a beautiful green salad, especially if we’ve been out of town and eating less healthful than we should. Last…

Grilled Napa Cabbage with Spicy Avocado Dill Dressing

A simple salad with the delightful high summer flavors of dill and smoke! When I was growing up, my Aunt Jeanette had a marvelous stand of self-sown dill plants by the edge of her garden. Her dill was happily shared with those in the family making pickles or dilly beans this time of year. I…

A Spring Fling! Roasted Cod and Sugar Snaps with Rhubarb Sauce

Spring treasurers unite for a memorable meal! Spring in Vermont means lots of delicious happenings, including vibrant red rhubarb, and delectable sugar snap peas bursting with freshness. Combine these wonderful ingredients with locally grown shiitake mushrooms and sweet Atlantic cod, and you’ve got a winning dish. Not for everyone Rhubarb is one of my favorites,…

Potato Crusted Sesame Tuna with Spicy Lime Dressing

Lightly seared tuna is a once in a while indulgence, and sesame is always a great partner. My mother-in-law Pat was an accomplished chef and she taught me quite a few little tricks of the trade. One of her favorite ingredients to sneak into a high-end meal was potato flakes! This humble ingredient makes pretty…

Seven Roasted Autumn Vegetables and One Exquisite Sauce

Pick a rainbow of autumn vegetables, top a bed of wilted greens, and enhance with a simple Maple, Miso, and Mustard Sauce. It is the perfect time of year to think about a big platter of roasted vegetables, especially the delicious roots of the season. I feel truly blessed to live in a beautiful and…

Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic

Autumn flavors combine with pasta for comfort food delight! The weather finally turned this weekend to crisp and cooler, and then rainy and dank. Lulled by a long, warm early Autumn, we’re all scrambling now to finish those yard chores before snow. Although the thermometer dipped and hovered close to freezing, and the chilly rains…

Aunt Mary’s Salt Cod Cakes

The fish that fed the world, traveled from my Aunt’s kitchen to mine, with a few changes along the way. My Aunt Mary made cod cakes frequently, with a flavor that still tickles the memory after all these years. An old New England standby, these were extremely economical, although usually a bit on the bland…

Sushi Salad with Shrimp, Pickled Ginger, & Wasabi Dressing

A salad using some common components of a sushi roll fits the bill as a light offering, and it’s also quick and easy to make. Now, one might not immediately associate Vermont with the growing of ginger, and yet, in the past few years these exotic tropical nuggets, along with their cousin turmeric, are making…

Salad Niçoise with Sesame Ginger Dressing

A little French, a little Asian, and a lot delicious! I love a composed salad! It is like creating a miniature salad bar on a platter, everyone gets to pick out what they like best, take a little of this or that, and make their own creation. These salads are also quite beautiful! The classic,…

Polenta with Shrimp and Cherry Tomatoes

Yes, the cherry tomatoes are still coming strong, and this dish is a perfect accompaniment to shrimp atop a lovey batch of polenta, otherwise known almost affectionately as cornmeal mush in New England! First, the cornmeal The cornmeal is definitely half the main act here. Creamy and full of corn flavor, polenta makes a wonderful…

Grilled Peaches with Ginger Rum Sauce

It’s Peach Season and we simply can’t get enough! This is the week when it seems we have every wonderful local fruit possible. Muskmelons, blueberries and raspberries, tasty apples, plums, and the show-off of the season – fresh, juicy peaches. I stopped at the farm stand and smelled the peaches the second I walked through…

Stuffed Napa Cabbage Leaves with Peanut Sauce

We love the ease of feeding ourselves a rainbow of nutrition in high summer in Vermont! You never know what you will find at the farm stands and farmers markets in July in Vermont, but it’s a sure bet there will be lots from which to choose and enjoy. This week, I found everything I…

Strawberry Orange Crêpes with Nutella Sauce

Strawberries, chocolate, hazelnut, and a hint of orange make this a memorable breakfast. My guests at the inn always loved crêpes, any kind of crêpe, sweet or savory. When it is strawberry season, and they are starting their annual bounty so nothing else will do, of course. It’s a show-off kind of breakfast that is remarkably…

Sweet and Spicy Broccoli and Pea Salad

Not quite Mom’s Broccoli Salad, this one’s a little sweet, a little sour, a little spicy, and a lot flavorful! My mom used to make a broccoli salad in the summer that included a mayonnaise dressing, lots of bacon, apple, walnuts, and purple onions. Everyone loved it, but I thought it might be nice to…

Roasted Carrots and Blood Oranges

The secret ingredient? Kombucha! When I head to the market, especially these days, I try to have a list or at least a pretty good idea of what meals I am shopping for, a plan! However, sometimes we find something beautiful and need a little course correction. I was looking for some fresh broccoli, and…

Cherry Tomatoes and Grilled Artichokes over Couscous

A quick meal that is filled with flavor and nutrition! I love sauces made from cherry tomatoes. They are easy to make, sweet and delicious, and taste quite a bit different than their larger cousins. When shopping this week, I found some beautiful yellow and red cherry tomatoes, stems and all, and they just begged…

Mushroom Croquettes with Saffron Lemon Sauce

We need to please a wide range of dietary needs in our family and friends circle, so I thought a special redux of the traditional croquettes recipe was in order. I swapped out lightly cooked shiitake mushrooms for the cooked turkey in this recipe, and bumped up some of the seasoning.

Blackberry Syrup, or would you rather a slice of pie?

Berries are plentiful right now, and the squirrel in me is transforming and tucking away these treasures for the rest of the year. I went to the berry farm today and what a selection! I was looking for blackberries, but went away with more blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries! They also offered currants and black raspberries, but…

Grow Your Own Simple Salad; Create Your Own Signature Vinaigrette

It doesn’t take a lot of space, a widow box or even a pot on your stoop can hold a cherry tomato plant and some lettuce! One of the things I love the most about this time of year is putting out the first lettuce and kale starts. I’m impatient to begin again, so I…