Almond Cake with Lemon and Crème Fraîche Glaze

When we were at the pediatrician's office on Thursday, I happily perused the June '12 Food & Wine while snuggling with J and managing O. In that issue was the most glorious looking almond cake, and I snapped a photo of the recipe. The batter is a combo of super-whipped eggs and sugar, plus home-ground almond meal, polenta, flour, butter, rosemary and lemon zest. When it emerges from the oven, you pour a lemon syrup you've made over the top and then let the whole thing cool completely. Then, a bit before you serve, you slather it with a marvelous crème fraîche-powdered sugar-lemon juice glaze. I decided I must make it for dinner tonight and presently, it's in the douse-with-syrup-and-cool phase. I will let you know how it is!

Radish fritters with pistachio yogurt sauce

Do y'all remember several months ago when T was out of town and I decided to try the radish fritter recipe I'd found? How it was so disappointing and completely unmemorable? I was sad about that because I love radishes but, like celery, often wish for a greater variety of ways to serve them. In salads, lovely. Seared with anchovy butter on crostini, a la Melissa Clark? Beyond! With butter and salt a la Le Français? Oui, oui. But still. There must be another way. I have found it.

This week's food52 contest is "your best radishes or turnips" and I'm still grooving on that pistachio-yogurt that accompanied my fava shoots at Ripple on Saturday night. What about a fritter of my design served alongside my interpretation of Ripple's yogurt sauce? Oh my lord, y'all. This is fabulous and has surely made for a decadent lunch for me today. Mamma mia!

Irises and flowering shamrocks, turkey cutlets, farro salad

So we had some painters here today because what we thought were a few boards on the house and garage that needed repainting were actually rotten strips of wood just hanging on by a splinter. All repaired and repainted now but damn if those guys didn't trample some of my plants. Why are workers blind to landscaping? The deck guys ravaged a number of my planted loves, and you should just see the sad mess of steam-rolled nettles I'd worked so hard to cultivate and direct now wasting away along the flagstone walk. GRR. At least their trail of damage was minimal and contained. On the flip-side of all that is that the flowering shamrocks I planted for Oliver (born on St. Patty's) are blooming again and the irises my mom has brought up from Louisiana over the years are going gang-busters. This is a true Louisiana blue. Gorgeous, eh? Dinner tonight was super satisfying. I decided to coat the turkey cutlets in mustard, egg and panko and then pan-fry them in a little butter. Delightful! And what to do with the asparagus? I didn't want to roast them as I usually do because I'm bored with that method and wanted something more substantial. Puttering in the pantry, I came across some pearled farro I had my sister bring me from Italy and immediately decided on a grain-based salad. I also saw some dried chanterelle and portobello mushrooms that I keep meaning to use. What about making a mushroom broth in which to cook the farro? Yes!

While I gave the boys their bath and tucked them in, the dried mushrooms steeped in boiling water. I used this stock as the farro cooking liquid and then again as the base in which to cook a mess of leeks and scallions, the asparagus, some tarragon and the now soft mushrooms. A hefty dose of lemon zest, some salt and pepper finished the veggie bit nicely.

The salad had nuttiness and herbal springiness in spades, but I wanted a touch of creaminess and an element of brightness. Into the mix went blue cheese crumbles and chopped apples. T said the final dish reminded him of a reconceived Waldorf. Whatever it was, it was good!