Jennifer Fontaine

Summer is in full swing here in Los Angeles and our fridge has been stocked with a never-ending supply of watermelon for going on 3 weeks now! Not that eating it off the rind ever gets old, but it’s so fun to experiment and come up with different presentations. Here’s a great way to spruce up a watermelon! A simple summer salad that’s elegant enough to serve for company. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4 of a baby Watermelon

1 ball Burrata Cheese

2 baby Tri-colored Bell Peppers

3 cups Baby Arugula

2 tablespoons Whole Grain Mustard

1/4 cup Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

This summer salad is SO simple! Cut the watermelon off of the rind and cut it into large chunks. Slice the bell peppers and halve the ball of burrata cheese. On a platter, pile on the arugula, then arrange the watermelon, bell peppers and burrata cheese on top of the bed of arugula. In a measuring cup, add the rice wine vinegar, whole grain mustard and olive oil and whisk until it has emulsified, then drizzle the dijon vinaigrette over the entire salad. Serve and enjoy!

The first time I had risotto, my husband and I were traveling in the south of France, of all places. I was wearing a yummy chocolate-colored sweater that I had purchased the week before, as we made our way, small shop window to small shop window, through the winding cobblestone streets of Paris. For most of my adult life, I have been intimidated by risotto, for no apparent reason, until one day last year when I was standing in my mom’s kitchen watching her make it and I said, “that’s it?!” “Yes,” she replied and now I always have arborio rice stocked in my pantry. Enjoy!

Ginger Leek Risotto with Rosemary Prime Strip Steak

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of Arborio Rice
2 Leeks
1/2 cup chopped Brown Onion
1 inch piece fresh grated Ginger
1 clove of Garlic
1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary
1 cup Dry White Wine
2 1/4 cups Chicken Stock
2 1/4 cups Beef Stock
1/2 cup grated Goat Milk Gouda
1/2 cup grated Sharp Cheddar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 6oz Prime New York Strip Steaks
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a medium size sauce pan, combine your white wine, chicken stock and beef stock and set it on the back burner on low heat to keep it warm. Slice your leeks, finely dice your onions and grate the garlic and ginger, then toss them in a deep pan (or a dutch oven with the lid on) on medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute them for about 5 minutes. Add to the pot the arborio rice and saute for another 5 minutes until the edges of the rice are translucent. Then, add just enough of the warm wine and stock mixture to cover the rice and reduce the heat of the risotto to low. Make sure to stir your risotto frequently and each time the wine and stock mixture has absorbed fully into the rice add more just to cover the top of the rice. Repeat this process until the wine and stock mixture is gone! This usually takes about 45 minutes. You can use this time to grate your cheese, zest and juice the lemon and preheat your broiler. To prepare your strip steaks, sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper and freshly chopped rosemary. Place the steaks in the broiler and cook for 5 minutes (our steaks were about an inch and a half thick) on each side for a perfect medium rare. When all of your wine and stock has been absorbed into the risotto toss in your gouda and cheddar cheeses, lemon juice and lemon zest and simmer for just a minute, then serve and enjoy!