We love these summer rolls from the California Avocado Commission. It is adapted from Thai summer roll recipes.

Made with gluten-free rice paper, rice noodles, lettuce and pickled vegetables, it is light and refreshing: great summer fare.

You can make a lunch of them, snack on them, or serve them with summer drinks: iced tea, lemonade, frozen cocktails…plus wine and beer.

The recipe makes 12 spring rolls, which can be cut in thirds or sixths (photo #1) for bites. We can easily eat two whole rolls for lunch.

If you don’t want the spicy sambal condiment, you can use peanut dipping sauce.

You can also add chicken or shrimp—or substitute either for the avocado.
 
 
RECIPE: CALIFORNIA AVOCADO SUMMER ROLLS

Ingredients

 
Ingredients For The Pickled Vegetable Mixture (3 Cups)

 
Ingredients For Sambal Paste (1½ Cups) — Photo #3

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pickled vegetables the day before (or longer): Place the carrots, green onions, and cucumber in a heatproof bowl. Combine the vinegar, sugar, water, coriander, chili flakes and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

2. POUR the vinegar mixture over the vegetables and allow to cool for 2 hours at room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours to pickle.
House Sambal:

3. MAKE the sambal (we purchased a jar of it sambal). If making from scratch, combine all ingredients in a commercial blender. Process on low speed for coarse texture.

4. ASSEMBLE: Working one at a time, moisten a spring roll wrapper with water until it’s pliable and easy to work with. Place 2 Bibb lettuce leaves on the wrapper, 1 inch from the edge closest to you. Layer on 3 avocado slices, 1 tablespoon of Thai basil, 1 tablespoon of mint, ¼ cup pickled vegetable mixture, and ¼ cup cooked rice vermicelli.

5. STARTING with the edge closest to you, tightly roll the spring roll. Trim ¼” off each end, then cut into 6 equal pieces. Repeat with remaining spring roll wrappers.

6. PLATE each roll (6 pieces) standing up, and serve with 2 tablespoons of the sambal.
 
________________

*If you can’t find Bibb, you can substitute Boston lettuce, but the leaves are larger. You can also use red or green leaf lettuce, which are also larger leaves and will need to be torn to size.

†A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger avocados, adjust the quantity accordingly.

‡Thai basil has notes of anise and is slightly spicy. It works well with Southeast Asian recipes. If you can’t find Thai basil (best place is a farmers market), use conventional Italian basil (a.k.a. sweet basil) and add a few fresh mint sprigs to the recipe. However…since the recipe above already includes mint leaves, you don’t have to add more mint.

‡‡Xanthan gum is a common food additive used as a thickener or stabilizer. It binds ingredients together so they don’t separate. Many dressings, sauces and other products use it to prevent separation and increase the thickness of the product.

[1] Avocado summer rolls (photo and recipe © California Avocado Commission).

[2] Slice avocado wedges (photo © Love One Today).

[3] Sambal sauce (photo © McCormick).

[4] Carrots are julienned, then pickled overnight with scallions and cucumbers (photo © Juniart | Panther Media).

[5] Spring roll wrappers also called rice paper wrappers, can be purchased at any Asian food store or online (photo © Three Ladies | Amazon).

[1] Open-face Caprese sandwich for breakfast or brunch (photos #1 and #4 © Stella Cheese).

[2] Mozzarella, tomatoes and basil are the components of “everything” Caprese. Check out the recipes (photo © S Vario Photo | Panther Media).

[3] The same concept turns into crostini for snacks or cocktails. Here’s the recipe (photo © DeLallo).

[4] Thanks to Stella Mozzarella for the breakfast sandwich recipe.

August is National Sandwich Month.

Usually, we head to our Sandwich Glossary and pick a different type of sandwich each time we make one.

Go beyond the everyday tuna or grilled cheese to something more celebratory, bánh mì or a Croque Monsieur?

With the beautiful summer tomatoes at hand, we’re adding them to every type of sandwich.

Here, an open-faced sandwich for breakfast or brunch—although you can have one any time.

Think of it as a variation of Eggs Benedict or a sophisticated Egg McMuffin.

If you’d rather have a more conventional sandwich, make a:

 
And check our:

 
 
RECIPE: CAPRESE BREAKFAST & BRUNCH SANDWICH

Ingredients For 4 Open-Face Sandwiches

 
Preparation

1. THINLY SLICE the tomatoes and mozzarella. Lightly toast the English muffins (this can be done while you continue prepping).

2. POACH the eggs: Add a few inches of water to a cooking pot and bring to a light simmer. Add the white vinegar and swirl lightly.

3. CRACK the eggs and slowly guide them into the swirling water. Allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes (the whites should be firm but flexible when removed).

4. REMOVE the eggs from the pot with a slotted spoon and carefully air-dry them on paper towels.

5. TOP one side of the toasted English muffins with a slice of mozzarella, tomato and poached egg. Add the basil, and lightly drizzle with balsamic. Garnish with a grind of black pepper.
 

MORE CAPRESE RECIPES

It’s more than salad. How about Caprese sandwiches and pasta?

For those who like the idea of homemade jam but have never wanted to undertake the labor to make it:

This tip’s for you!

These fresh quick jam recipes—Strawberry Jam and Blueberry Preserves—came to us from Anson Mills, purveyor of organic heirloom grains: the finest grains, flours, grits, rices beans and peas we’ve ever had (check them out).

They recipes below make “fresh” jam because they have no pectin or other gelling agent, and aren’t sterilized in jars to preserve them.

They’re “quick” because they take just 45 minutes to make.

“They’re is so much tastier than a jar of [conventional homemade] jam,” says Anson Mills.

“We wonder why anyone goes through the labored orchestration of traditional jam.

“Fantastically perfumed, lightly jelled, perfectly balanced with bright berry acid and sweetness, this jam is great on ice cream, yogurt, in hand pies, or on toast.”

All you need are:

 
 
> Jam, Jelly, Marmalade, Preserves & Other Spreads: The Difference
 
 
RECIPE #1: FRESH STRAWBERRY JAM

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the strawberries and lemon juice in a 4.5-quart Dutch oven. Cover and bring to a very gentle simmer over medium-low heat, occasionally swirling the pot. Cook until the berries begin go limp and are swimming in juice, about 10 minutes.

2. ADD the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Return the mixture to a gentle simmer and continue to cook, uncovered and stirring infrequently—just to check for sticking—until the jam registers 221° to 222°F on a digital instant-read thermometer, 35 to 45 minutes.

NOTE from Anson Mills: Berry jams are typically cooked to 221°F. While temperature is an excellent guideline, pouring the hot jam into a bowl set on a scale to weigh it provides a more reliable indicator for us. Some jam-makers swear by a wrinkle-test whereby a spoonful of cooked jam is dropped from a spoon onto a frozen plate. If the jam wrinkles as a finger pushes through it on the plate, the jam is done. We tried that, too. It works!

3. TRANSFER the jam to a glass container or jar with a lid and let cool to room temperature (lid off). Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze indefinitely.
 
 
RECIPE #2: FRESH BLUEBERRY PRESERVES

The recipe stir 6 ounces of the cooked, strained berries back into the jelly. If all the cooked berries were added back in, the preserves would be too loose. Use the remaining cooked berries in another way; e.g., mix into yogurt, smoothie or shake; serve as a dessert sauce.

We made blueberry soda by mixing the preserves with club soda.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. POSITION a fine-mesh strainer over a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan and set aside.

2. COMBINE the blueberries and lemon juice in a 4.5-quart Dutch oven. Cover, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until the berries go limp and are swimming in juice, about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Pour the berries into the strainer and let the juices drip into the saucepan for 15 minutes without pushing on the fruit.

3. MOVE the strainer with the berries to rest atop a medium bowl to collect additional drips. Bring the juices in the saucepan to a simmer over medium-high heat, add the sugar, and stir until completely dissolved. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally to check for sticking and adding newly collected juice from the berries to the pot, until the jelly registers 221°F on an instant-read digital thermometer and weighs 9 to 10 ounces when poured into a bowl on a digital scale, about 10 minutes.

4. STIR 6 ounces of the strained blueberries into the jelly. Transfer to glass container or jar with a lid. Let cool completely, cover; refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze indefinitely.
 
 
© Copyright Anson Mills 2020. All Rights Reserved.

[1] Homemade jam in 45 minutes (photos #1, #2, #3, #4 © Anson Mills)!

[2] Beyond toast: Spoon it on oatmeal, pancakes,ice cream and other desserts.

[3] Look for firm, just-right strawberries. This isn’t a recipe to use up overripe fruit.

[4] Who needs the toast? You’ll want to eat it from the jar.

[5] Use fresh, not frozen, berries.

[6] Top ice cream or sorbet (photo © MS Photographic | iStock Photo

*Get more juice from a lemon by heating it whole in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds. No microwave? Roll it on the counter under heavy pressure from your palm. In either case, a room temperature lemon is best.

August 13th is National Filet Mignon Day.

The simplest way to garnish a steak is with a pat of butter, or a compound butter like blue cheese butter, garlic herb butter or truffle butter (photo #2).

While we’re fine with steak sauce with a sirloin steak, a tender, subtle cut like filet mignon benefits from a more complicated preparation like mustard sauce, red wine sauce (photo #3) or mushroom sauce (photo #4)?

Add Dijon mustard to taste for a Dijon sauce, add a bit of cream for a cream sauce.

We’ve even tried it with creamy parmesan sauce (our suggestion is to save this preparation for a less expensive cut, like sirloin).

But we actually like the “more is better” approach, and serve grilled filet mignon and other cuts of steak with three or four sauces (photo #5).

Different bites, different experiences.

Don’t want a sauce, per se? Use a topping:

 
 
WHAT IS FILET MIGNON?

The most tender cut of beef comes from the small end of the tenderloin, inside the rib cage of the steer. It accounts for less than 1% of the entire carcass (see the small red triangle on image #6).

That’s why it’s so expensive.

The tenderloin runs across the back of the steer. Because this area of the animal is not weight-bearing, the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise. This results in extremely tender meat.

Filet mignon is lightly marbled and mild flavored compared to other cuts, and is best served rare to medium rare.

Boneless, it is ideally 2-1/2 inches thick (although it is sliced thinner) and 1-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.

The term “filet mignon” is a French term. The literal meaning is small, cute or dainty (mignon) boneless slice (filet).

Chateaubriand is the center, thickest cut from the tenderloin, and a specific preparation.

Filet mignon can also be served raw, as carpaccio.

On restaurant menus it is called filet mignon, tournedos, medallions, filet de boeuf and tenderloin steak.

But the term filet mignon is not used in France!

It was invented in 1906 by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) in his book, The Four Million.

Some Other Names For Filet Mignon

 
 
> Check Out The Different Cuts Of Beef In Our Beef Glossary

[1] Filet mignon naked, waiting of a sauce or garnish (photo © Chianina Steakhouse | Long Beach).

[2] Filet mignon with truffle butter (photo © Eddie Merlot’s).

[3] Filet mignon in red wine sauce (photo © Palm Restaurant | New York City).

[4] Make a mushroom sauce, or add mushrooms to the red wine sauce. Mushrooms and filet mignon are a perfect pairing (photo © Bagatelle Restaurant | New York City).

[5] Fun food: a choice of sauces for dipping (photo © Fleming’s Steakhouse).

[6] See the little red triangle? That’s the filet mignon (image © Joe Smack | Wikipedia).
  

[1] A summer cassoulet made with corn and summer squash. The recipe is below (both photos © Rancho Gordo).

[2] Tarbais beans are perfect for cassoulets—so much so that Rancho Gordo calls them “cassoulet beans.” Get them at RanchoGordo.com.

[3] In attractive packages, Rancho Gordo beans are welcome gifts for your favorite cooks.

[4] Use zucchini, yellow squash, or a combination (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] The easiest way to remove kernels from the cob is to place the cob in an Bundt pan (photo © Hidden Valley).

[6] A classic winter cassoulet with chicken, sausage and bacon, at Church & State in Los Angeles (photo © Church & State).

[7] A deconstructed gourmet cassoulet, here with a duck breast and duck sausage. Instead of everything served from a cassoulet dish, the components are cooked separately (at Rebelle restaurant in New York City, photo © Rebelle).

Most of us think of cassoulet as a winter dish, chock full of hearty meats like duck, pork, sausage and beans (photo #6).

The most famous bean for a traditional cassoulet but versatile enough to become an everyday favorite.

The recipe below (photo #1) is a summer version that uses a different bean. Here’s the story, from Steve Sando, America’s rare bean guru and proprietor of Rancho Gordo beans.

“I first enjoyed French Tarbais beans [from Tarbes, France] made by the great Paula Wolfert.

“I had been recommending flageolet, another great French legume, for the dish, cassoulet.

“It turned out that Tarbais and Flageolet are very different. You can make a cassoulet with the Flageolet but the Tarbais has thinner skin and all the ingredients involved with this slow-cooked masterpiece seem to get along better with the Tarbais.”

It was a revelation. Sando acquired seeds from Tarbes to grow in California (photo #2).
 
 
THE CASSOULET BEAN

Out of respect for the terroir* and the French farmers, he re-christened them as Cassoulet beans.

“They are delicious on their own and it would be a shame to save them only for cassoulet,” says Sando. “My favorite Bean Buddy (and co-author of The Rancho Gordo Vegetarian Kitchen), Julia Newberry, came up with the following dish, perfect for your Cassoulet beans and your finest summer crops.

In addition to casseroles, Tarbais beans are also excellent for baked beans and pot beans; and in dips, fagioli, salads and soups.

In fact, every bean sourced by Rancho Gordo delivers a superior flavor and performance.

We give bags (photo #3) as gifts. But note: When a particular bean sells out, it won’t be available until the next harvest.
 
 
RECIPE: BAKED CASSOULET BEANS
WITH SUMMER SQUASH & CORN

This recipe from Julia Newberry uses some optional pancetta or bacon for a smoky flavor. It is easy to adapt to a vegetarian or vegan dish.

After you cook the beans, which you can do the day before, the dish comes together in under an hour.

Here’s how Rancho Gordo recommends that you cook the beans.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an ovenproof gratin dish.

2. MELT the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir, frying until light golden. Set aside.

3. ARRANGE the tomato slices so they cover the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of squash slices, then top with corn kernels and cherry tomatoes. Save about one-fourth of the squash, corn and cherry tomatoes for the top layer.

4. SPRINKLE the first squash layer with the minced garlic, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a layer of beans on top of the vegetables. Pour about 1/4 cup of bean broth over the beans (just enough to wet them).

5. ADD another layer of squash, corn and cherry tomatoes. Top with the breadcrumbs and pancetta. Drizzle with olive oil or, if you prefer, dot with butter.

5. BAKE for about 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden and the squash is tender. Before serving, drizzle with a bit more olive oil (or a few more dots of butter) and dust with a generous amount of cheese, fresh herbs and more lemon zest.

NOTE for pressure cooker users: Cook the unsoaked beans in an Instant Pot for 40 minutes, with natural pressure release (NPR).
 
 
MORE CASSOULET RECIPES

 
 
> The History Of Cassoulet
 

THE HISTORY OF BEANS

Beans are a genus in the Fabaceae family, which is commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family.

In addition to beans, chickpeas, peas and soybeans, the family includes other foods such as alfalfa sprouts, carob, licorice and peanuts (plus, numerous non-foods).

Beans are one of the earliest-cultivated plants and have been a staple food and an important source of protein from pre-history onward.

They can be dried and stored for years, maintaining their nutrition and ensuring there would be food during lean times.

Nutritious, beans are rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, folate, and iron and protein.

While beans no doubt grew wild for many millennia, the earliest archaeological evidence to date, from Thailand, shows that beans were cultivated almost 12,000 years ago(carbon dated to 9750 B.C.E.).

Evidence also suggests that the native people of Mexico and Peru were cultivating bean crops as far back as 7000 B.C.E.

But before cultivation in the West, around 7000 B.C.E., wild broad beans (fava beans), were gathered in Afghanistan and the Himalayan foothills—the size of a small fingernail.

These Old World beans were not cultivated until the second millennium B.C.E. At that time, large-seeded broad beans appear in the Aegean, Iberia and transalpine Europe.

About the same time, beans found at an archaeological site in Peru showed that beans appeared everywhere from Asia to Europe and the Americas. everywhere and where one of the staple foods of the early peoples [source].

The early farmers who grew beans also grew grains (barley, corn, millet, rice or wheat).

This is why, even in the absence of animal proteins in the diet, the combination provides the foundation for human growth and development.

In addition to everyday folk, beans were enjoyed by the elite: They were buried with the kings of ancient Egypt.

In 17th-century America, When the first colonists arrived, Native Americans taught them to grow beans together with corn so the bean plants could climb the corn stalks.
 
 
TYPES OF BEANS

There are many different types of beans grown worldwide—from soybeans initially from Asia to ceci beans (chickpeas) from the middle east to Phaseolus vulgaris, also known as the common bean and French bean, which is native to Mesoamerica†.

Beans are now grown on every continent, except Antarctica.

New World varieties include black beans, cranberry beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans and many others.

> Check out our Bean Glossary

________________

*Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is the French word for soil, land or terrain. It can be loosely translated as “a sense of place,”the sum of the effects that the environment has on the creation of what is grown there. It has long been used in wine and coffee analysis to denote the special characteristics of soil, climate, weather, geology, aspect (how many hours it gets direct sunlight, e.g.) and altitude that give the grape or bean its individuality. The term is now being used, appropriately, to describe other agricultural products.

The original Tarbais bean is a New World bean and most likely originated in Mexico. The Tarbais beans were developed by generations of farmers in Tarbes, France. Once it was cultivated there, it expressed the characteristics of its particular terroir (soil, climate, etc.). Given that Rancho Gordo’s beans are grown in a California terroir, they decided to call it the Cassoulet Bean to avoid confusion (and price—imported Tarbais beans are much more expensive).

†Three native Mesoamerican crops, beans, corn (maize) and squash, constitute the “Three Sisters” crops that were central to indigenous North American agriculture.

‡In Roman antiquity, this was Gallia Transalpina, the land bounded by the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Pyrenees, the Atlantic, and the Rhine. It included what is now France and Belgium, along with parts of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.