Spring is here, but a lot of good produce is not!

With wildly varying temperatures in the D.C. area and produce tiptoeing in, sometimes it's hard to figure out what to make. These days I make foods that are wintry with spring foods or springy with wintry foods. With the corn-okra-tomato-squash-basil season a little ways ahead, I'm more Bretonne than Provençale.


Risotto with Petite Peas and Cremini Mushrooms
Tastes great with Lemon Chicken

1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. butter
8 oz. cremini mushrooms aka Baby Bella, sliced
12 oz Arborio rice
4+ cups warm stock (add 1 cup at a time)
Juice of 1 lemon or 4 oz. white wine, optional--add with rest of liquid
white pepper (or black if that's all you have)
thyme
nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen petit pois/petite peas--or use regular peas

1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmigiano or Romano cheese, grated
salt to taste at the end

Cook onion in butter in a heavy saucepan. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid goes away. Lightly toss rice in butter/mushrooms for 1 minute. Add stock, one cup at a time, stirring every two minutes. Keep rice between low and medium heat. Add liquid whenever you can still stir rice without it sticking but only a couple spoons' worth of liquid remain. Add herbs and spices to taste, except salt and parsley. This process usually takes just over 20 minutes. Rice should taste done and be soft but not sticky. There should be about 3 teaspoons of thick liquid in the saucepan.

Next, turn off stove. Add peas and parsley, then stir. Add cream and cheese, then stir. Last, add salt to taste. Serve hot.


Quiche -made with spinach, bacon and caramelized onions
Great with cream of asparagus soup, spinach salad and arugula. Trader Joe's frozen pie pastry is really good!


Croissant Bread Pudding, served with Strawberry, Rhubarb and Lemon Compote (and vanilla ice cream!)

Croissant Bread Pudding
9 croissants, cut into 2-inch wedges--used kitchen scissors
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs (used 3 egg whites)
3 cups 2%, low-fat or skim milk
dash salt
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon imitation

Grease 9x13 glass pan. Add croissant wedges, then toss with sugar. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees while assembling other ingredients. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, then add milk, salt and extract. Remove croissants from oven, then slowly pour milk, patting down croissants as they absorb the milk mixture. Bake covered at 375 for 40 minutes.

Strawberry, Rhubarb and Lemon Compote
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
12 strawberries
2 very long or 4 short stalks rhubarb
1 organic lemon

Heat sugar and water in a heavy saucepan (at least 2 quarts). Meanwhile, use a blender or food processor to coarsely liquefy strawberries, rhubarb and lemon. It should have the consistency of chunky ketchup. Scrape fruit mixture into sugar water. Cook on medium high about15 minutes, making sure it doesn't bubble over. Stir every five minutes.

Molten Chocolate Cakes
I made this at work. Quick to make & bake, especially since I put this in 12 cupcake portions instead of 6 cakes. I had lunch while this was in the toaster oven, then had some for dessert. Even enough time to clean all the dishes. Great use of a lunch hour!



Photo: Lisa Hubbard