Carrot Tartare with Microgreens, Fried Carrot Tops, and Edible Flowers

Carrot Tartare with Microgreens, Fried Carrot Tops, and Edible Flowers

Carrot Tartare with Microgreens, Fried Carrot Tops, and Edible Flowers

This carrot tartare plays with your senses, surprising and delighting you. On first glance, you might mistake this dish for beef tartare; the ground red carrots closely resemble raw ground beef. The presentation is visually striking; the colors draw you in, seducing you. It’s beauty on a plate and it’s so much fun to create.

Layering and textures play a critical role in this carrot tartare preparation, both in aesthetics and taste. The bottom layer of the carrot tartare consists of diced avocado with a squeeze of lemon juice, to prevent discoloration, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. The avocado provides a lovely creaminess to the tartare. read more

Russian Borscht Soup

Russian Borscht Soup with Toasted Bread

Russian Borscht Soup with Fresh Dill, Diced Hard-Boiled Egg, and Toasted Bread

Though it’s technically spring, it’s still quite cold here in Chicago and in much of the Northeast, which has kept me cooking all kinds of delicious soups. Last week, I made a Portuguese kale soup with chorizo, a creamy Thai coconut curry, and this robust Russian borscht soup.

Borscht is a very vegetable-heavy soup that features beets, cabbage, onion, carrot, and garlic. This combination results in a very earthy, sweet, and tangy soup. Some versions of borscht are completely vegetarian, while others incorporate beef, pork, or chicken. I like to add a little meat to borscht because I think it provides a nice textural contrast, but it’s great without it, so omit it if you prefer. read more