Citrus Tart, Basil Pecan Pesto and Chicken Cacciatore for Spring

Spring is here. “Men thatch the roof. The dogs bark. The rooks, rising in a net, fall in a net among the elm trees. The wave of life flings itself out indefatigably.” Virginia Woolf, in her essay on illness, somehow incensed me to live with vigor and vim… As I read her in Spring, she reminds me that the Sun will burn itself out. “Even so, when the whole earth is sheeted and slippery, some undulation, some irregularity of the surface will mark the boundary of an ancient garden, and there, thrusting its head up undaunted in the starlight, the rose will flower, the crocus will burn.” O, how TS Eliot and Dante and Shakespeare swirl and fairy-step like sugar plums in her prose.

Thank you, Virginia Woolf, for letting your pen, like a rebel crocus, burn.

I’ve been up to something in the kitchen of late. I’m taking my cues from the sprouting lime behind the house.

Citrus Tart

For the tart:

14 whole graham crackers

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 batch curd

Whipped cream, for topping

For the curd:

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime zest, plus 1/2 cup lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)

Pinch of salt

3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make the curd: Whisk the sugar, zest, lime juice and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl, then whisk into the lemon mixture. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

Make the tart: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Break the graham crackers into pieces, then pulse in a food processor with the sugar until finely ground; drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine.

Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and about 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Pour the curd into the prepared crust and gently press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Remove the springform ring and transfer the tart to a platter. Top with whipped cream.

Basil Pecan Pesto

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup toasted pecans

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pulse basil leaves in food processor. Add garlic, salt, pecans, and cheese and blend well. Drizzle olive oil while blending to form a thick paste.

Cook up some tasty gluten-free Explore Pasta—so many types!—and put this delicious pesto on top.

THEN. The Chicken Cacciatore on top from Fix It and Forget It cookbook by Phyllis Good. Guh, the recipes in this book are nearly infinite (700!) –so many soups and roasts and delicious ways for a busy person like myself to treat myself to a noseful of dinner aroma when I finally bust back through that front door. The smell of dinner already done is even more welcoming than the wagging tail of a lovesick bulldog.