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So I’ve been doing calendars for a few years in a row now, and not once have I made it through without some kind of error or typo. Most of them are not egregious (although last year I did accidentally give November 31 days. Didn’t throw December off so it was okay, just embarrassing), but it does set me on edge every time I flip to a new month, knowing that I may be revealing a new stupid thing I did that a couple hundred people will be looking at every day for the next 28-31 days.
I did recipe calendars this year, and April is this tasty little dish. However, I must note that I adapted the calendar recipes from a document that I’ve formatted for an eventual cookbook I’d like to share, and thus have made a small error in the ingredients.
I do not have a “sauces” section in my calendar. I am a FOOL. An absolute MAROON!
I noticed a couple weeks ago but haven’t had a chance to issue a press release until now! So I thought I’d share two recipes today. One being April’s recipe and another being the missing balsamic glaze!
Bone appateet!
Previous 2024 recipes:
January
February
March
PORTOBELLO CAPRESE SALAD
About 25 minutes
This is a really easy dinner that seems fancier than it is. It’s especially nice in the late summer when you can get fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. I usually pair it with some nice oven-baked yam fries when I want to make something without meat for dinner.
INGREDIENTS:
Portobello mushrooms
Olive oil
Garlic
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella or goat cheese
Fresh basil
Balsamic Glaze (see recipe in Sauces)
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Gently scrape out the gills of the mushroom caps with a spoon. They’re perfectly edible, but we need to make room. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Slice your cherry tomatoes in halves, and slice/tear your cheese into similarly sized chunks.
- Stack and roll your basil leaves, and slice the ends until you have a pile of little shredded basils.
- Mince garlic and mix with about a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Brush garlic oil on the inside of the mushroom caps. If you have any leftover, brush the outsides as well!
- Try to evenly pile your tomatoes and cheese in your little mushroom bowls. Pop em in the oven on a baking sheet until the cheese has melted (more than 5 minutes but probably less than 10)
- Sprinkle basil and drizzle balsamic glaze. Add a pinch of salt to taste, if needed. Serve to your deeply-impressed guests.
BALSAMIC GLAZE
15-20 minutes
This is a very “do what you want” kind of recipe. Most recipes online will give you a roughly 4:1 ratio of balsamic to sweetener, but it just depends on how tart/sweet/thick you want it to be.
If your balsamic vinegar is a little bit sweeter or thicker, you might want to use less sweetener than if it’s very tart and runny, but it all depends on your taste and what you’re using it for.
Use this recipe as a jumping off point; alter future batches as needed.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar or honey
- Bring to a boil in a saucepan, whisking constantly.
- Once at a boil, lower the heat and simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to scrape the sides, until the liquid has reduced to about half, and it coats the back of a spoon.
If you don’t use it all right away, store in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can use balsamic glaze for SO MANY THINGS. Sweet, savoury, it’s all great. I love to drizzle it on caprese salad and bruschetta, but it’s also really nice with fruits like grilled peaches or berries. You can use it on sandwiches, crostinis, salads, chicken… it’s actually surprisingly good on vanilla ice cream too. Toss some chopped strawberries and fresh basil on there with it? Baby, you got a stew goin’.
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