Curried Yellow Split Pea and Carrot Soup with Mint Yogurt

My favorite part of this perfectly light yet satisfying lunch was the mint yogurt. I know, I know. Some of you might be tiring of my incessant "minting", thinking to yourselves "there she goes again with the mint." Well, here's the thing. Mint and I are very close. However, I recognize that my affinity for this refreshingly bright and versatile little herb is not shared by all (or even most for that matter), so I promise to limit the frequency of mint-related recipes, insofar as I am able. And, in the case of this very tasty soup, you can omit the mint altogether if you'd prefer and go with another herb of your choice, or simply do plain yogurt, or even abort the yogurt portion completely. I won't be offended and would love to hear about any modifications or substitutions you make to any of the recipes you see here. May your visits here serve as a source of inspiration. Maybe inspiration to use mint more? Just kidding.

For the soup:
                    1 cup yellow split peas
                    1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
                    1 medium onion, chopped
                    2 garlic cloves, chopped
                    1 teaspoon curry powder
                    1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
                    2 carrots, peeled
                    1 teaspoon kosher salt
                    salt and pepper

For the topping:
                    1/2 cup plain yogurt
                    3 tablespoons chopped mint 

Cover the peas with enough hot water to cover by 1 inch in a large bowl. Let stand for 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry, and turmeric and stir for 1 minute. Drain the peas and add them to the saucepan with 4 cups of water, the carrots, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the peas are very tender, about an hour.

Puree the soup in a blender (in batches if necessary) until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir the yogurt and mint together in a small bowl. Serve the soup with a spoonful of yogurt over the top.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Jeanne Kelley, Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes.    

Late Morning Tartine

With James in one arm, I casually made this stunning snack without any intention of blogging about or photographing it. Then I stood there for a moment, taking in it's beauty and thought it would be criminal not to post this delightful little piece of heaven. I make variations of this all the time...the basic vehicle is a Wasa cracker spread with cream cheese. Then I have a look around and decide what to throw on top. Usually it's avocado sprinkled with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, sometimes it's thinly sliced apples, in which case I opt for brie (instead of cream cheese) and drizzle a little honey over the top. Today, it was dried cherries and mint, inspired by a compelling little recipe I adapted from my newest cookbook, Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, by Jeanne Kelley. Kelley uses toasted whole grain bread with ricotta, which also sounds fantastic. I am loving her book for many reasons, one of which is the fact that she uses mint everywhere, and I currently have two mint plants on my kitchen sill that look at me auspiciously every time I go near them. (Really, they do!)

          1 Wasa cracker (I like the "Fiber")

          enough whipped cream cheese to spread

          4-6 dried cherries

          4-6 small mint leaves

          honey for drizzling

Simple, lovely, tasty. 

Adapted from Jeanne Kelley, Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Dan and I went through an intensive natural frozen yoghurt phase last summer and consequently our ice cream maker has been on sabbatical. Until this weekend. I had been looking forward to making this delightful treat ever since my dearest Libby told me about it months ago. Every now and then I fantasize about something so often, I inadvertently build castles in the sky, believing that when it finally happens it will be the GREATEST THING EVER. And then it's not. Woolgathering, so to speak. Well, folks, let me just say that this was not the case here. This was the pot at the end of the rainbow. Seriously.

I omitted the food coloring the original recipe called for (soooo much prettier), and used bittersweet chocolate exclusively (as well as a little less) rather than half semisweet and half bittersweet. The mint came off a fresh plant that has been existing peacefully on our window sill for the last couple of weeks. The results were magical.

                       6 egg yolks
                       3/4 cup sugar
                       2 cups whole milk
                       2 cups fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
                       1 cup heavy cream
                       6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

In large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar.

In heavy medium saucepan over moderately low heat, stir together milk, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and mint. Heat until steaming but not boiling, then remove from heat.

Ladle about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from cooking, then slowly stir the egg mixture back into the hot milk, whisking constantly. Place over low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat back of spoon (finger drawn across spoon will leave clear path), 5 to 6 minutes total (do not let boil or custard will curdle). Strain through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. Whisk in heavy cream.
Cover and chill until cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Process custard in ice cream maker, adding chopped chocolate during last minute of churning. Transfer to airtight container and freeze until hard, about 3 hours.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

Adapted from Isaac Mizrahi's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Epicurious, September 2007.

Minty Innocence

Well hellooooo there, beautiful, unsuspecting mint plant enjoying the brief sun coming through my kitchen window. Little do you know I will be enjoying you after we freeze your essence with milk, cream, eggs, and sugar this weekend.