This isn’t exactly dinner, but we quite enjoyed it last night. I wanted to buy as little new groceries this week and make my leftovers from last week stretch, like cheese, and basics I have in the pantry. I bought some asparagus for $4.00 and used half of it for this dish. Last week I took another class at The Astor Center and learned how to make my own mayo so I wanted to practice that as well. And who doesn’t love a toasted baguette with a poached egg and cheese? I also roasted some garlic for another layer of flavor and made an aioli, which just means mayo with roasted garlic - fancy I know… Here’s how I made it:

Serves 2

1/2 lb apsaragus

1 head of garlic, top cut off

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 cup veg or canola oil

1/2 cup melty cheese ( I used fontina, you could cheddar, gruyére, whatever you have on hand)

2 slices leftover baguette

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Drizzle garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in tin foil and place in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until cloves are soft.

2. In a large bowl that won’t slip (I put my stainless mixing bowl on top of a pot so it won’t move while whisking) put in your egg yolks, dijon, lemon juice, and 2 cloves of the roasted garlic. Whisk until emulsified (everything is mixed together). In a dripping stream, while constantly whisking, dribble in your oil. This is the tricky part, this is where you know whether your mayo will come together or not. Keep whisking and adding oil until you get your desired consistency. I used about 1/2 cup of the oil because I wanted mine a bit looser and less like a spread. Add salt to taste. You’ve just made mayo without all the junk from store bought!

3. Bring a pot of water to boil and drop in asparagus for 2-3 minutes. Remove and immediately place in an ice bath (this is called blanching). Remove from cold water and dry on a paper towel. Bring a second pot of water to boil and add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar for poaching your eggs. Drop your eggs one or two at time into the vinegar water. I break mine into a ladle and put the ladle in the water, it helps keep the egg white from floating everywhere. Remove eggs after about 3 minutes or when the white is cooked.

4. Spread one roasted garlic clove over each piece of bread. Top with cheese and broil in the oven for about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melty. Top bread with poached egg, asparagus, and drizzle with aioli.

I haven’t eaten a baked potato in a really long time. It’s not a comfort food I crave when it gets cold. It was however something really easy to make and I needed to use up some veggies and toppings before they went off. I also baked the bacon in the oven, and it tastes so much better - crispy, flat, and the fat drips below, so it’s not cooking in it. The salad is all from the farmer’s market, and was a nice warm compliment to the potato, rather than a cold salad. Here’s how it happened:

Serves 4 (or 2, then 2 for lunch the next day)

4 Large Russet Potatoes

4 strips of bacon

1 shallot, minced

1/2 lb green beans

1 bunch of spinach

1/4 lb of Shitake mushrooms

salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375. Wash potatoes, and puncture with a fork so they don’t explode. Rub with salt and olive oil. Place on a foiled cookie sheet in the oven for 1 - 2 hours. They’re done when you can stick your fork easily through the skin.

2. Place bacon on a roasting pan, with slats, and bake in the oven with the potatoes for about 20 minutes.

3. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat add couple tablespoons of olive oil and add the shallots. Let them cook for about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for another couple minutes. Add mushrooms, cook for a minute, and then add spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Salt and Pepper to taste.

4. Slice open potatoes and fill with your favorite stuff - I used creme fraiche, bacon, raw onions, and chives. Johnathan had cheddar cheese on his rather than the creme fraiche. Use whatever you have on hand!

I usually like to use my homemade pizza dough the day I make it, but life happens, you end up at a friend’s birthday party, and the dough goes in the fridge. It still works though, and the dough still get fluffy and crunchy. Just make sure you bring it to room temp before you start rolling it out. I’ll put my favorite pizza dough recipe below, and you can add oregano, parm, garlic, whatever you’re craving that day, just to the dough. The fillings are endless, and it’s a good way to use up things you have in the fridge before they go off. Most of the ingredients for the dough you already have in your pantry, and its good to have the active dried yeast in there too, and you can make homemade leftover calzones or pizzas any night. I used cherry tomatoes from the farmer’s market, buffalo mozzarella torn, and prosciutto. Bake at 500F for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is oozing and the crust is hard to the touch. Note: Make sure you slice a few vents in the calzone so it doesn’t explode. No fun. Here’s how I make my pizza dough:

1 cup warm water (105-115F)

1 envelope active dry yeast (Fleischmans is the most common)

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Add about 1.5 cups flour and the salt, mixing by hand or with a large spoon, until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until the dough is smooth but slightly sticky. You might not need all the flour. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, 3-7 minutes.

3. Oil a large mixing bowl with remaining olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place (I place it on my stove while the oven is preheating), until its doubled in size, about 1.5 hours. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces for calzones, roll out with a rolling pin, place fillings in the center. Fold dough over and pinch down the ends. Cut vents in top of calzone, and bake for 15-20 minutes at 500F.