Susan Furstman, Author at Sous Salt

farro salad ~

Farro....wonderful, versatile, nutty and satisfying this grain in one of my favorites! This particular salad is just a starting point for ideas. You can add prosciutto or seared pancetta, use a different cheese either feta or parmesan. For this recipe I used haricot vert, the small French green beans, but you could use broccolini, asparagus or sugar snap peas. ingredients 2 c cooked Farro 1/4 c sliced Kalamata Olives 1/4 c diced Fennel 5 ounces Haricot Vert (Green Beans) 1/2 c grated Machego cheese 1/4 c toasted pine nuts 1 lemon, zest and juice 1/2 c olive [...]

farro salad ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:25-08:00

tea cakes ~

These lovely little tea cakes are yummy either with or without icing. Slightly sweet and delicate they are terrific for a snack cake, wonderful with fruit or ideal for breakfast with some jam. I made these in a muffin baby bundt pan but you could use a square or round muffin pan as well. These were done for Easter so I colored the icing spring green...your choice of coloring or natural whichever you prefer. Using purple beet juice gives the icing a terrific brilliant fuchsia color which can be fun. Or orange for Halloween. Limitless possibilities. ingredients 3 c cake flour [...]

tea cakes ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:25-08:00

tomato, bacon jam ~

I love pestos and tapenades...tomato, olive, artichoke... they are a necessary ingredient in preparing my go to sauces for pasta, vegetables, chicken and meat during the week. Versatile and flavorful they are easily prepped on the weekend and they make weeknight cooking easy and tasty. Recently I discovered tomato bacon jam! Right, who knew you could put so much flavor in a little jar! Being a foodie I love creating my own interpretation of what others are cooking ... putting my own spin on it so to speak. The original recipe I read that peaked my interest was published by The [...]

tomato, bacon jam ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:25-08:00

tomato crostini ~

Summer...summer...summer...ah the flavors of summer! Tomatoes being one of the seasons best gifts. With all the different colors, shapes and tastes of the heirloom tomato market now a days you have a bounty from which to choose to design your own masterpiece. We are plodding through a kitchen remodel and our outdoor kitchen is somewhat limited. However with the flavors and the weather of the summertime we are bravely shouldering through it. These lovely little crostini were created with a toothy sourdough artisanal bread lovingly made by Kneaded by Hand, a beautiful vibrant olive oil, lemon juice from my Mother's lemon [...]

tomato crostini ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:25-08:00

orzo & feta salad ~

This is such a lovely light salad with so much flavor from the saltiness of the feta and Kalamata olives, the crispness of the cucumber and sugar snap peas, the pairing of the dill and red onion, it's just refreshment in a bowl. Pouring the vinaigrette over the orzo when it is still warm insures that the pasta will blossom with flavor. Reserving some of the dressing to drizzle over the salad right before serving gives the salad a last minute glisten. Pasta is constantly absorbing what it's surrounded with so I save some of the dressing for the last minute, [...]

orzo & feta salad ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:26-08:00

chicken stock ~

Homemade chicken stock is very easy to make and without a doubt more flavorful than anything that comes in a box! You can season it any way you like. I add a few dried porcini mushrooms and a dried Guajillo pepper for an added depth of flavor. The chicken is browned in this particular recipe so it renders a darker, richer stock. If you want a light color stock don't brown the chicken. The stock is very easy and quick to prep....it just needs to simmer a bit on the stove so start it when you are going to be around [...]

chicken stock ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:26-08:00

spatchcock chicken ~

Once your roast a spatchcock chicken this way you will never go back to the old roast chicken method again...I promise. The beautiful part about roasting a chicken that has been butterflied is that none of the pieces are over or underdone. The skin is perfectly crispy with a beautiful golden brown color from the compound herb butter. You can substitute olive oil for the butter but it will have a different flavor. Don't skip the step of rubbing the herb mixture under the skin it really does add flavor to the chicken. ingredients 1 4 lb butterflied chicken, backbone removed [...]

spatchcock chicken ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:26-08:00

blondies & toffee chips

I know most peoples downfall are brownies but mine are blondies... love them... chewy with a hint of coffee flavor, the lusciousness of a dark brown sugar dotted with little Heath Bar and chocolate chips. When they come out of the oven they are warm and gooey perfect with a scoop of ice cream. I love them the next day after they've been in the fridge. The chocolate chips harden providing a perfect chocolate crunch to the blondie. As with all of my recipes feel free to alter the chips with nuts or different chocolate bits. I use Dark Muscovado Brown [...]

blondies & toffee chipsSusan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:26-08:00

shallot onion dip ~

This is a wonderfully easy and flavorful dip for any occasion.. and if you have some left over incorporate it into your weeknight dishes. I use dips and spreads in a lot of my cooking as "already prepped" bonus additions. So if you have extra onion dip left over from your Sunday dinner party...thin it out and use it as a salad dressing. Or add it to sauteed mushrooms and toss it in a pasta. Have ground chicken, beef or pork...saute the ground meat and add the remaining dip to this, serve it over rice and you have a perfect weeknight [...]

shallot onion dip ~Susan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:26-08:00

chocolate ganache cake ~ ina garten style

There are two chocolate cakes in my "go to" recipe file. Both are from Ina Garten and both are incredibly simple and gorgeous. One is her Beatty's chocolate cake that I put a cream cheese frosting on. The other is this chocolate ganache cake. You can do the chevron pattern she finishes the cake with or just the ganache topping...the only thing I add is our Sous Salt Pinot Noir. The salt adds a lovely rich, tangy and colorful finish to the cake. ingredients: 1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature 1 cup sugar 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature 1 [...]

chocolate ganache cake ~ ina garten styleSusan Furstman2022-01-15T12:30:27-08:00

About Susan Furstman