Because we think prep dishes should be pretty, ceramicist  Elaine Corn has been busy making one-of-a-kind hand done ceramic prep bowls for La Vie Rustic glazed with colors like Iced Aqua and Provencal Ochre and even glossy, Brilliant Black. The bowls are the perfect size for salts and spices, herbs, and other bits that go into whatever you might be making. They are so pretty to look at you’ll feel that once you are prepped for cooking, you’ve already accomplished something lovely. Look for them in the Cuisine and Marketplace sections of La Vie Rustic’s on-line store.

 

 

 

 

Elaine’s beautiful gratin dishes for La Vie Rustic, featured at the left of this page, are now out of stock, but she has more headed for the kilns, so they will be back in stock soon, so keep posted.

Coming soon to La Vie Rustic is a new seed collection, A Child’s Kitchen Garden.  However, as my friend and fellow gardener Jane says, “The collection is  perfect for anyone, not just children.” The collection, in a letter-press printed overpacket,  consists of 6 individualseed packets – Rainbow Chard, Green Globe Artichokes, a French pea and radish, runner and fava beans. Each variety of seed has its own instruction card with historical, botanical, planting and harvesting information and best of all, step by step indicators of what to look for as the plant develops from tiny seedling to time to harvest. That way, an adult – and the collection is meant  for adult and child to work together on the garden – even an adult with little or no gardening experience can be the garden guide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECETTE DU JOUR

Fava Greens Salad with Chicken, Walnuts, and Kumquats

Fava greens, which taste like the bean themselves but slightly milder, and kumquats are in season at the same time, so they make an obvious combination.

30 kumquats
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
4 cups young fava or baby spinach leaves, loosely packed
½ cup walnut haves
2 cups chopped roasted chicken meat

Cut the kumquats crosswise into thin slices, removing any seeds as you go.
In a serving bowl combine the oil and honey and whisk until the honey dissolves. Stir in the ginger and vinegar. Add the fava leaves, half the walnuts, and the chicken and toss to combine. Divide among individual plates or bowls. Garnish with the remaining walnuts and the sliced kumquats and serve
Serves 4

Adapted from Salad of the Day by Georgeanne Brennan, Williams-Sonoma