Menu du la Maison Kazana

We all have our tried and true favorite recipes, but every now and then it's quite fun to indulge a craving, find a use for an exotic ingredient or change up a staid classic. Here's a sampling of the menu at Maison Kazana lately:

Eric made these beautiful crepes with raspberry and lillikoi jam and cream with a little advice from Deborah Madison. This cookbook in particular continues to impress and inspire. Next time, we are going to try it with buckwheat and thin it out even further still.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup (made with a Kabocha Squash from the backyard garden of my favorite local coffee shop!) served with a dollop of whipped cream and lots of black pepper. Roasting vegetables before putting them in soup does so much to enhance their flavor, and it's a pretty easy step. I learned that little trick from the Contessa.

Kalamata olive tapenade on crackers with wine for a very elegant (and delightfully salty!) after school snack. The recipe is from this worldly cookbook.

Less elegant, the silly face contest that breaks out around our table after the food is gone.

Why is Eric's silly face so much cuter than mine?

What new recipes have you tried lately?