lemon tart recipe on a plate image

Lemon Tart Recipe (Tarte au Citron)

One of my favorite parts about living in California is the abundance of citrus. I just love lemons and oranges, and I love that their trees can be found everywhere here. I regularly have fresh squeezed orange juice and lemon juice on hand for beverages and desserts, including this lemon tart, or tarte au citron as the French call it. Unfortunately for the French, they don’t have quite as much access to beautiful and delicious lemons like we Californians do.  While there are some lemons grown in the French Riviera, there aren’t quite as much, and they’re much pricier than the ones we get here in California.

Sole Meunière: Fish pan-fried in a lemon-butter sauce. 10 minute meal! Recipe via MonPetitFour.com

Sole Meunière

While I’m usually prepared to slow-cook, braise, and marinade my meats and poultry, I can’t say the same for fish. I’ve learned that fresh, wild-caught fish is most delicious when it’s romanced with simple ingredients. This sole meunière is the perfect example of that. A light dredge in flour, then the fish is off to a pan of brown butter to become succulent and moist beyond belief. This easy fish recipe is then finished off with a drizzle of lemon butter sauce and a garnish of parsley.

honey and orange madeleines

Honey and Orange Madeleines

I’ve always been naturally inclined to love anyone or anything with the name Madeleine. This is because I used to be obsessed with the cartoon “Madeline” as a young girl. I loved to watch the 12 little French girls go through daily life in Paris and experience French cultural traditions, such as enjoying a gouter, or late-afternoon snack, like most French children do. Le gouter can be anything sweet, like a chocolate biscuit, bread with jam, or even these honey and orange madeleines.

winter citrus salad

Winter Citrus Salad

Before I started shopping for my produce at the farmer’s market, I really didn’t know which fruits and vegetables belonged to which season. Aside from the watermelon that I could only find in the summer, I was pretty clueless when it came to choosing the best produce for the season. It wasn’t until I bought a particularly sweet and wonderful batch of oranges during one winter day at the farmer’s market that I realized there was a difference. There are definitely fruits and vegetables that have heightened flavor and quality during certain times of the year, and this includes the oranges and spinach I used to create this winter citrus salad.