ChezSuzanne

ChezSuzanne is a cooking teacher and caterer living in the San Francisco Bay Area who has been a consistently inspiring presence on food52 since early last fall. Her submissions exude class and creativity, often fusing sweet and savory and always reflecting the seasons (see her Quiche aux Bruxelles and Autumn Grilled Salad with Figs and Apples). The recipes she writes are underpinned with thoughtful details and practical substitutions, making it clear that she's really thinking about how her recipes will work for other cooks and testing and re-testing to get them right.

The cheffy flourishes she adds to her dishes make us think dinner parties at her house must be splendid affairs -- especially once the dessert course is served. She makes all kinds of ice creams from scratch and even briefly considered opening a wholesale business to sell her fetching little tarts, so you can't go wrong with her  Sweet Potato Rum Tart with Rum Whipped Cream or her Strawberry Tarts with Lemony Mascarpone Filling.

She was also a finalist in both the broiled steak and brussels sprouts contests and you'll be seeing her wildcard-winning Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Chimichurri and Poblano Creme Fraiche and her winning bread recipe Rosemary Ciabatta with Stout Beer in the food52 cookbook. See ChezSuzanne's profile page and fan her here.

Read ChezSuzanne's profile Q&A below:

• What do you cook when home alone?
  Linguine con Vongole. I think I could eat this every day.
• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  My Shun chef's knife - I can't get far without it.
• Your ideal meal:
  That depends on the season. Right now in the fall: a pork roast with fig and garlic chutney, something featuring butternut squash, apples and swiss chard, and something with plums and figs for dessert.
• Something you'd like a chance to eat or cook:
  Any kind of really fancy dessert.
• The number of bottles of wine you own:
  60-70
• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  8
• Kitchen pet peeve:
  Finding dishes in the sink that still has food on them.
• Your favorite cookbook:
  Lately, anything by Alice Medrich.
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