Mark Bittman's Winter Citrus Salad

T., who was early to the Mark Bittman boat, makes this. And I like it. I will write out the recipe as it is found on the New York Times website, but the citrus complement of course can be changed, and you can section the citrus instead of slicing it.

2 blood oranges or tangerines
1 pink grapefruit
1 navel orange
salt
1/2 small red onion or 1 shallot, chopped
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T sherry vinegar
1/2 t honey
lime or lemon juice to taste
1/4 t freshly chopped tarragon or a pinch dried

Peel citrus, removing as much pith as possible, and slice into wheels. Remove any seeds. Layer onto serving dish. Sprinkle with salt and garnish with chopped shallot.

Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, citrus juice, and tarragon. Taste and adjust seasoning. Drizzle over salad.

Almond and Lemon Glazed Torte

I made this for Passover this year (on assignment) and I liked how my version turned out. I served it with sugared strawberries, but found them a little overpowering. I'm a cake lover so I'd enjoy this by itself.

A mish mash of Joan Nathan's recipe for Alabama Lemon Pecan Torte, online advice, and Diane Rossen Worthington's Almond-Lemon Torte.

For the cake:

Olive oil (for brushing the pan) plus 6 T
4 T matzo meal, divided
2 c almond flour/almond meal/ground almonds
1 c sugar, divided
6 large eggs, separated
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T orange juice
2 t finely grated lemon peel
1/2 t salt (I used more I don't know how much more.)
1/2 c sliced almonds


Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush 10 inch diameter springform pan with oil; line with parchment paper round; oil parchment. Coat with 2 T matzo meal, tap out excess.

Combine 2 T matzo meal, almond flour, 1/3 c sugar; whisk to blend. Add 1/3 c sugar to yolks and beat until thick and fluffy. Beat in 6 T olive oil, then lemon juice, orange juice, and zest. Mix in dries.

Add 1/2 t salt to whites; using clean beaters, beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 c sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture in 3 additions. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle almonds over.

Here it says to bake until golden brown and tester inserted in center comes out clean, "about 40 minutes"; to get to this point for me was 55 minutes, and I do think it came out right. Put on cooling rack in pan. Now, prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

1 large egg yolk
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
1 t unsalted butter or margarine
1 T lemon rind

Combine ingredients, except zest, in sauce pan. Bring to simmering over medium heat, whisking constatntly. Remove from the heat and stir in the zest. When cake has cooled about 15 minutes, poke holes in the top of the cake with a long skewer. With the cake still in the springform pan, spoon the glaze over. Let the cake stand a few minutes until the glaze seeps into the cake. Then remove the cake from the pan by running a thin knife around the rim to release the cake.