Goat Cheese

Beets are back in style. Long thought of as the food of older generations, or deemed too messy to deal with, beets have come back with the help of great chefs across the world. A culinary staple for thousands of years, beets are among the more striking of vegetables, ranging in hues from yellow to dark crimson and all colors in between. There are even some varieties that resemble a bull's-eye. I usually roast beets and dress them with olive oil and a splash of vinegar, but sometimes I want to do a little more.

When they opened Eldersburg's County Cork Wine Pub in 2010, business partners Arlene Stecher and Chris McManus were thinking of their neighbors. McManus and Stecher, both Eldersburg residents, wanted to build a spot where adults could gather with their friends, enjoying good food and drinks. They succeeded - and those neighbors have noticed. On a recent Thursday night, County Cork Wine Pub was packed with couples and chatty groups of friends. We lucked into the last available spot, a high-top table in an alcove toward the back of the restaurant.

The flavor of a peach in hot weather can instantly transport you back to your childhood. The peach succumbing to the pressure of your grip while the juice cascades down your chin is a tactile memory that explodes in your cortex with every first bite of the season. Peaches can be had locally from June until September, and now is a great time to start cooking with them. Peaches are normally thought of as dessert fare, but when combined with more savory items, they can be used to create a mind-blowing appetizer at your next cookout.

All restaurants make mistakes. How they handle them is a test of their mettle. During our visit to 4 Seasons Grille in Gambrills, the kitchen messed up, serving a piece of undercooked chicken. But the staff handled the error professionally and swiftly, and raw chicken aside, the dish was good, leaving us with a positive impression of the place. Located in the Village at Waugh Chapel, 4 Seasons is part of a small, locally owned chain. Inside, the space is full of warm colors and comfortable booths, most of which were filled with families and small groups of friends on a recent Thursday night.

Grabbing a sandwich at Starbucks? If you choose the Goat Cheese & Roasted Mushroom sandwich over the Rosemary Ham & Swiss, you'll save 120 calories, 11 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat and 440 milligrams sodium. You'll also gain a few grams of healthful fiber. Kate Shatzkin Starbucks Rosemary Ham & Swiss sandwich Per sandwich (150 grams): 410 calories 23 grams protein 22 grams fat 9 grams saturated fat 30 grams carbohydrate 1 gram fiber 70 milligrams cholesterol 1,070 milligrams sodium Starbucks Goat Cheese & Roasted Mushroom sandwich Per sandwich (153 grams)

For a long time, I assumed that warm goat cheese salads were difficult to make and never attempted one at home. I was afraid I would overcook the cheese and that it would turn into a puddle in the oven, but my fears proved false. When I dredged the cheese rounds in flour, then dipped them in beaten egg and coated them, they held their shape beautifully until cut into. I also discovered that warm goat cheese salads make an ideal first course for entertaining, because most of the preparation can be done in advance.

Although I love roasting a big turkey and preparing the trimmings on Thanksgiving, I confess that I am even more enthusiastic about the dishes that can be made with the leftover bird on the following days. Of all the possibilities for surplus turkey, sandwiches are my family's favorite. Whether presented warm and open-faced, napped with gravy, or offered cold and enclosed between whole wheat, rye or pumpernickel, sandwiches made with homemade roasted turkey are irresistible. A new recipe for turkey clubs will be on the menu at our house this year.

Breaking with tradition, we spent the Christmas holidays in Paris this year. My spouse, the curious professor, was working in libraries, while I did research in markets, bistros and cafes, searching for ideas for this column. For lunch one day, I met a colleague at a restaurant on the Left Bank. We both ordered braised fennel with warm goat cheese on a bed of spinach and had the same reaction: The dish was impressive visually but lacking in taste. I experimented. Changing the technique from braising to roasting added a depth of flavor, caramelizing the vegetable and bringing out its sweetness.

A bowl of cold cereal and milk is fine during the work week. Nothing like milk splashing on those flakes to wake you up. No distractions to that breakfast. But on the weekend, prepare something pleasurable. You don't have to rush. The day is long, and you have plenty of time to enjoy it.To set the mood, imagine yourself in the French Riviera on a brilliantly sunny day and think of what you'd cook.You'd probably start with an oversized mug of cafe au lait. Begin by brewing extra-strength coffee.

Last weekend, we invited several students at the college where my husband teaches for Sunday night dinner at our house. The young people had just arrived to start their senior year, and we thought they might like a home-cooked meal. I settled on an autumn grill meal. At the market I found beautiful sirloin steaks, which I marinated in freshly squeezed lemon juice, crushed garlic, cumin, oregano and olive oil before cooking them over a charcoal fire. To go with the meat, I prepared mashed potatoes seasoned with creamy goat cheese and chopped cilantro along with cumin and cayenne pepper.

Beets are back in style. Long thought of as the food of older generations, or deemed too messy to deal with, beets have come back with the help of great chefs across the world. A culinary staple for thousands of years, beets are among the more striking of vegetables, ranging in hues from yellow to dark crimson and all colors in between. There are even some varieties that resemble a bull's-eye. I usually roast beets and dress them with olive oil and a splash of vinegar, but sometimes I want to do a little more.

The flavor of a peach in hot weather can instantly transport you back to your childhood. The peach succumbing to the pressure of your grip while the juice cascades down your chin is a tactile memory that explodes in your cortex with every first bite of the season. Peaches can be had locally from June until September, and now is a great time to start cooking with them. Peaches are normally thought of as dessert fare, but when combined with more savory items, they can be used to create a mind-blowing appetizer at your next cookout.

The Reserve in Federal Hill shut itself down at the end of February and reopened on March 9 as 1542 Gastropub. The chef at 1542 Gastropub is Cyrus Keefer, formerly of Saute and Brasserie 10 South. 1542 Gastropub has a new website , a new Facebook page and a new Twitter account (@ 1542Gastropub )/. You can read about the restaurant's rebranding efforts here . A menu of snacks, greens and meats and cheese is posted on the website.

Although winter in these parts hasn't been a terrible hardship this year, it's still pleasant to anticipate more moderate temperatures when you can put away the winter Crocs and start looking for your sandals. And who can blame you if you jump the proverbial gun and invite friends in for a petite soiree with a springtime theme. To celebrate the onset of a purportedly milder season, we present this simple - emphasis on simple - seasonal dinner for eight. Begin with goat cheese triangles used as a "garnish" on a salad of spring greens.

From: Rueda, Spain Price: $17 Serve with: Shellfish, light seafood, goat cheese This dry white blend of the Iberian verdejo and viura varieties is yet one more example of the great, moderately priced wines coming out of Spain these days. It's a crisp, fresh, un-oaked wine with an excellent blend of tropical fruit, citrus, pear, mineral and herb flavors. It's penetrating, intense and finishes very cleanly. — Michael Dresser

Bluegrass has posted its Valentine's Day menu. The February menu is up and running, too, at the South Baltimore restaurant. Ray Kumm's Valentine's menu begins with an amuse bouche and canapes before launching into the meal proper. Appetizer choices include tuna tartare, venison carpaccio, wild-boar scrapple and Cherry Glen goat ricotta. Entree options are seared scallops with chorizo, Maine mussels and saffron risotto, red snapper with Russian tea broth, chocolate braised sort ribs with turnip-green porridge and rack of lamb with sauce Robert.

I love potlucks, so when an invitation to one organized by my women's investment group arrived, I immediately began thinking of what I might prepare. Unlike some, our hostess made no requests for specific dishes such as vegetables, salads or desserts. "Bring what you'd like," she enthusiastically wrote in her e-mail. Although I never mind being assigned a particular food, I was delighted to have carte blanche this time. I did keep a couple of things in mind. There would be close to a dozen attending our meeting, so a recipe that could feed a crowd was important, and since the host's home was several miles away the dish had to be one that could be transported easily.

Several days ago, while rummaging in my refrigerator for something for my culinary assistant and me to have for a quick bite, I found leftover slices of smoked salmon, a small package of creamy goat cheese and a bunch of partially used dill. On a kitchen counter, there was a loaf of country-style crusty bread in a bread basket. It didn't take me long to figure out that we could make ourselves delectable sandwiches with such enticing ingredients. At first, we were going to assemble open-face sandwiches, but then it dawned on us that grilling them, as Italians do when making their celebrated panini, would be even better.

Summertime is a prime season for babies — for anticipating them, having them or just watching them go about their napping, toddling and drooling business. Maybe we just see more babies this time of year, perspiring in their jogging strollers with their fitness-oriented parents, sitting in laps on lawns with their melting snowballs, or being held aloft in front of frighteningly toothy giraffes at the zoo. Whatever the reason, you can't escape the abundance of babies in the summer, and it's delightful because these mini-humans remind us that life is a journey that is unpredictable, joyful and sometimes just plain gross.