Course the Fifth: Pistachio Cake with Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote and Orange-Blossom Scented Whipped Creme Fraiche

Long title, tasty sweet.

We had this with Kalyra's Gewurztraminer "Sticky Wicket". Yummy.

Again, professionally written per one serving. Multiply as needed.

Pistachio Cake with Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote and Orange Blossom-Scented Whipped Crème Frâiche

pistachios 2/3 oz shelled
sugar, granulated 1/3 oz
light corn syrup 1/3 tsp
orange 1/8 tsp zest finely grated
orange blossom water 1 drop

sugar, granulated 1 oz
butter, whole 1/3 oz
egg 1/5
sour cream 1/3 oz
vanilla extract 1/12 tsp
orange blossom water 1/12 tsp

flour, all-purpose 1/8 cup
baking powder 1/8 tsp
baking soda 1/12 tsp
salt pinch

rhubarb 2 oz cut into ½-inch pieces
vanilla bean paste 1/8 tsp
sugar, granulated .5 oz
white wine 1 TB
strawberry 1 oz trimmed, small dice

cream, heavy 1 TB
crème frâiche ¾ tsp
orange blossom water 1 drop
orange 1/16 tsp zest finely grated

pistachios 2, whole shelled
sugar, powdered 1/8 tsp
cardamom tiny pinch

Method: Grind pistachios finely in a processor. Heat sugar, corn syrup and 1/8 tsp water to 225F. Slowly pour hot sugar mixture into processor while running to make a smooth paste. Add orange zest and orange blossom water. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 325F. In processor, combine pistachio paste, sugar, room temperature butter, egg and sour cream until smooth. Pour into a bowl. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently add to the pistachio mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into a buttered 6-oz muffin tin cup to fill between 2/3’s and ¾’s full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack and remove cake from cup.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and ¼ tsp water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let turn brown without stirring or burning, about 5 minutes. When brown, add rhubarb, vanilla paste and white wine. Let cook until rhubarb just begins to fall apart and becomes jam-like, about 15 minutes. Let come to room temperature and stir in strawberry.

Whip cream, crème frâiche, orange blossom water and orange zest together until firm peaks form.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, toss together pistachios, powdered sugar and cardamom. Bake until nuts are toasted and sugar melts, about 10 minutes.

Plating: Place cake on one side of plate. Top with candied pistachios. Spoon compote to make a line through center of plate. On the other side of the compote line, place whipped crème frâiche.

Course the Fourth: Pecorino Custard with Fava Bean-Meyer Lemon Salad

Of all the courses in the menu, I'm most pleased with this one. In Rome, the first of the season's fava beans are eaten raw with chunks of Pecorino. This is an interpretation of that tradition.

Like the previous two courses, this recipe is written in the professional style: all amounts are for one serving only and the cook needs to multiply accordingly.

Pecorino Custard with Fava Bean-Meyer Lemon Salad

Unfortunately, I don't have access to a mini-blow torch so this custard didn't get the brulee treatment. It was still delicious.

Pecorino . 2/3 oz finely grated
milk, whole 1 oz
egg .5
Pecorino .25 oz finely grated
fava beans 2 oz shucked, boiled, peeled
Meyer lemon 1/8 whole lemon quartered, thinly sliced
shallot 1/8 tsp finely minced
extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ tsp
salt
pepper

Method: Preheat oven to 325F. Combine Pecorino, milk and egg. Pour into a small buttered ramekin and bake in a water bath until custard only slightly jiggles when you move it, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and turn out onto serving dish. Sprinkle with Pecorino and brulée until cheese is lightly browned and crisp.

Combine favas, lemon, shallot, oil, salt and a good grinding of pepper in a small bowl.

Plating: Spoon beans around custard and serve.

Course the Third: Lamb Tagine with Apricots, New Potatoes, Baby Artichokes and Moroccan Butter

More updates below. This is also written in restaurant style. As is, makes for one. Multiply as needed.

Lamb Tagine with Apricots, New Potatoes, Baby Artichokes and Moroccan Butter

We had this with a very tasty Beckman 2004 Grenache.

lamb shoulder 4 oz trimmed, in 1-inch cubes
cinnamon, ground ¼ tsp
coriander, ground ¼ tsp
smoked paprika 1/16 tsp
saffron 1/16 tsp
olive oil 1 tsp
onion 2 oz diced
preserved lemon peel ½ tsp fine mince
dried apricots 2/3 oz rough chop

potatoes, new fingerling 2 oz cut in 1-inch pieces, boiled
artichokes, baby 2 oz trimmed, cut in quarters, boiled

butter 1 TB
cilantro ½ tsp minced
parsley ½ tsp minced
mint ½ tsp minced

smoked paprika 1/16 tsp
cumin, ground 1/8 tsp
salt
pepper
chives 2 fine mince

Toss lamb with cinnamon, coriander, smoked paprika, saffron, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat, when hot add lamb in a single layer. Cook until browned on all sides. Drain off all but 1 tsp of fat. Add onion and stir to combine. Cook until onion is translucent. Cover with water and scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and add preserved lemon peel and apricots. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until lamb is fork-tender.

Combine butter, cilantro, parsley, mint, smoked paprika and cumin in a bowl. Toss mixture with warm potatoes and artichokes. Salt and pepper.

Place vegetables and tagine side by side. Sprinkle with chives.

Course the Second: Halibut on a Bed of Sauteed Asparagus, Wild Mushrooms, and Pea Vines with Saffron Aioli

This recipe is written like a real honest-to-goodness restaurant recipe. The ingredient, amount and what to do with it all on the same line and then the instructions below. As is, it only makes one serving. I'm sure that you can multiply, if necessary.

If anyone makes any of these recipes, I would be most grateful if you could let me know what you thought of them. Thanks!

Sauteed Pacific Halibut on a Bed of Asparagus, Wild Mushrooms, Pea Vines and Saffron Aioli

I call for halibut, but any mild, white fish would be lovely.

white wine 1 tsp
saffron 1/16 tsp
garlic 1/16 tsp finely minced
fresh mayo 1 TB
halibut 3 oz skinned, boned
olive oil 1 tsp

butter 2 tsp
oyster mushrooms 1 oz trimmed, rough chop
asparagus 1 oz trimmed, in 1-inch pieces
pea vines .5 oz trimmed, rough chop

pea vine flower (from vines) 1
salt
ground pepper

Heat wine in a saute pan and add saffron. Set aside for 10 minutes. Stir mixture into mayonnaise with garlic. Pour into squeeze bottle.

Salt and pepper halibut on both sides. Heat olive oil in a saute pan. When hot, add fish. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until fish is slightly browned, then turn. Cook another 1-2 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook mushrooms until slightly browned. Add asparagus and cook until stalks turn bright green, about 4 minutes. Add shoots and stir until slightly wilted.

Place vegetables in center of plate and put fish on top. Decorate with aioli and pea flower.

Course the First: Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Cream and Radish Crostini

Lots of updates today. See below for more.

Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Cream and Radish Crostini

This soup tastes of springtime: light, barely sweet and ephemeral. The nasturtium and radish crostini help keep the sweetness in check. If nasturtiums are not available, watercress would make a fine substitute. We enjoyed a bottle of Ojai Vineyard Viogner 2004 with the soup and the two complimented each other well.

2 lbs English peas in shell
1 large bunch spring onions, sliced thinly and divided
5 branches parsley
2 tsp butter
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp fresh mint, finely minced
8 nasturtium blossoms, stamens removed

Shell peas and reserve pods.

In a soup pot, combine the reserved pods, the equivalent of three spring onions, parsley and 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and let cook twenty minutes. Strain broth and set aside.

Heat butter in soup pot over medium-low heat. When melted, add 1/2 cup of onion. Let cook until barely translucent, 2-3 minutes, being careful not to brown onions. Add 1/2 cup of broth the stew onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and peas to pot. Cook until peas are still al dente, about 4-5 minutes, then remove from heat. Add sugar and salt to taste.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until completely smooth, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add more broth if the consistency is thicker than cream. Chill until cold.

One hour before serving prepare the cream. Combine cream and mint in a bowl. Cover and chill.

Plating: Pour mint cream into a squirt bottle. Give the soup a good stir to recombine. Ladle soup into bowls and decorate however you see fit with cream and nasturtium. If you choose to serve them, don't forget the crostini like I almost did.

Serves 8

Radish Crostini

I found watermelon radishes at the market on Tuesday, which explains the deep pink color. Any kind of radish, as long as it is freshly picked and not too woody, would work well here.

8 very thin slices of baguette
4 TB room temperature butter
2 tsp mint, julienned very finely
5 young, fresh radish leaves, julienned very finely
zest of half of a lemon
2 large radishes, or equivalent, sliced very thinly
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, mint, radish leaves and zest. Mix well.

Right before serving, construct toasts. Spread crostini thickly with butter and cover with radish slices. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Serves 8

Amuse Bouche: Deviled Egg with Smoked Salmon, Wasabi and Caviar

My practice run went swimmingly last night. Much thanks to A and M. Pants for their heroic clean-up efforts after I was too tired to move.

Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Wasabi and Caviar

We served this with Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut, my favorite sparkling wine. I'm trying to keep my menu mostly local and I've heard talk of Laetitia having some good bubbly. Obviously more research is needed.

4 large cage-free eggs
1/4 -1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 oz smoked salmon, finely diced
1 1/2 TB dill, finely snipped
1 1/2 TB chives, finely snipped
1 small shallot, finely minced
1 1/2 tsp dry wasabi
1/4 oz sturgeon roe

Place eggs in a medium sauce pot. Add enough cold water to cover and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. As soon as water begins to simmer, cover pot and take off heat. Let eggs sit in pot for ten minutes. After the time has elapsed, drain eggs. Crack the wider end of the eggs but do not remove the shells. Return the cracked eggs to the pot and cover with cold water and a few ice cubes. Let stand until cool, then peel.

Gently cut eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolks and place in a bowl. Set aside the whites. With a fork, mash the yolks until smooth. Add the smaller amount of mayo and all remaining ingredients, except for the roe. Combine well. If mixture is too thick, add more mayo until easily spoonable. Fill egg white crater with enough of the filling so it has a slightly rounded dome. If not serving immediately, gently cover and chill until needed.

Right before serving, add a dollop of caviar to each egg half and garnish with a tiny dill sprig or more finely minced chives.

Serves 8

The Big Reveal

Remember when I mentioned my top secret project? Well, the time is almost nigh for me to turn it in and I'm so gosh durned proud of it; I would like to share it with you, my adoring public.

One of my classes is taught by Jeremy Tummel, the executive chef of The Wine Cask, a fancy schmancy restaurant in town. Our first day of class, he assigned us to make a tasting menu with some sort of theme. The menu that he likes the most will be featured for one night at his restaurant and the creator will get to stage in the kitchen. I started schemeing about this from the moment he told the class. I'm normally not a competitive person, but I want this.

The project is due next Monday and I'm in the last stages of testing. Here it is:

Deviled Egg with Smoked Salmon, Wasabi and Caviar

Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Cream, Nasturtium and Radish Crostini with Radish Greens Butter

Crispy Striped Bass over Asparagus, Pea Shoots and Wild Mushrooms with Saffron Aioli

Lamb Tagine with Apricots and New Potatoes and Artichokes Tossed in Moroccan Herb Butter

Pecorino Custard with Fava Bean and Meyer Lemon Salad

Pistachio Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote and Orange Blossom-Scented Whipped Creme Fraiche

Over the next few days, I will be posting the recipes and pictures, so stay tuned, and cross your fingers for me, pretty please.

It's Spring! It's Spring! (Boing! Boing!)

I cannot tell you what a boost it is to see things growing and blooming right now. At the market on Saturday, it seemed like everyone was in great cheer and I'm sure the extra sunshine had a lot to do with it. I love these first few tentative steps into springtime. There were the first of the season peas, strawberries and favas. The strawberries still need a few more weeks of warmth but the peas and favas are (were) great. We were also pleasantly surprised to see Barbara with her tomato plants and we spent about 20 minutes at her stand trying to pick out which lucky ones were going to go home with us. In the end, we chose Aunt Ruby's German Green, Royal Chico and a Sweet 100. Yesterday afternoon was spent in the garden, planting our new acquisitions which also included some more herbs and flowers for the rose bed.

Last night, we had a celebration of the changing of the seasons on the table. While my love affair with Bon Appetit is dwindling, they still manage to publish a few interesting recipes in an issue and I had my eye on the grapefruit-avocado salad. So there was that, as well as tagliatelle with favas, homemade ricotta and spring herbs then a meyer lemon-buttermilk sorbet. I was disappointed with the sorbet. It was almost overwhelmingly tart and the elderflower syrup that I snuck into it was totally lost, as was the meyer lemon. Ah well, they can't all be winners. We cracked open a bottle of bubbly some friends gave us and toasted the season. Hurray!

Grapefruit-Avocado Salad with Cassis Dressing, adapted from Bon Appetit

The original recipe calls for sherry vinegar, but we were out, so I subbed in the grapefruit vinegar from TJ's. Any mild vinegar would be fine here, champagne, perhaps, if you have it handy. A Kir Royal is an excellent accompaniment.

1 TB fresh ginger, finely minced
1 TB shallot, fine dice
1 1/2 TB olive oil
1 1/2 TB mild vinegar
1 1/2 TB cassis, black currant liqueur

1 pink grapefruit
1 avocado, sliced into eighths
1 small head of lettuce, or equivalent

Combine ginger through cassis in a bowl. Taste for salt and pepper.

Using a paring knife and working over a bowl, carefully remove all of the rind and pith from the grapefruit. Cut between the membranes of the fruit to loosen the segments. Set aside.

Line plates with lettuce. decorate with grapefruit segments and avocado. Taste the dressing again, if it's too sweet, you can add some of the grapefruit juice. Whisk dressing to reincorporate and drizzle over salad. Salt and pepper

Serves 2

Tagliatelle with Ricotta, Fava Beans and Fresh Herbs

If you decide to make your own ricotta, and I hope you do, you can have the leftover cheese drizzled with honey for breakfast the next day. It's what I eating right now, actually. The picture is what the dish looks like when everything is combined and tossed. The directions below make for a much nicer presentation.

2 lbs favas in pods, shucked, parboiled and peeled, you'll end up with 1 1/2 cups beans
8 oz tagliatelle, cooked, 1 cup cooking water reserved
fresh spring herbs, we used chives and green garlic
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cups fresh ricotta (we use Heidi's recipe)
pecorino romano

Toss hot pasta with favas, herbs, zest, juice and enough reserved pasta water to help evenly distribute. Salt and pepper. Divide on plates. Dollop each portion with ricotta. Serve, passing pecorino.

Kir Royal

Special bonus recipe! You didn't think that I would hold out on you, did you?

sparkling wine
cassis

Method 1: Place 2 tsps cassis in the bottom of a champagne flute. Gently pour wine into flute.
Method 2: (My favorite) Gently pour wine into flute. Drop 2 tsps cassis into wine. Watch cassis sink to bottom.

A Birthday and a Confession

This is what I made for my friend's birthday dinner last night:


C's Birthday Dinner Menu:

Red Butter Lettuce Salad with a Pomegranate Vinegar-Olive Oil Dressing and Pomegranate Seeds and Chevre
Pork Stew with Butternut Squash and Fennel over Soft Polenta
Apple Slices Sauteed in Browned Butter and Brown Sugar over Cinnamon Ice Cream from here
and lots of sparkling wine (Jacob's Creek Chardonnay-Pinot Noir Cuvee NV; which we both enjoyed and highly recommend)

C is gluten-intolerant so we had the stew over polenta instead of noodles as the recipe suggests. I actually preferred it that way. The polenta soaked up the liquid far better than noodles and was heartier. I am looking forward to leftovers today.

Pork Stew with Butternut Squash and Fennel over Soft Polenta, adapted from Bon Appetit

1 1/2 lbs 2-inch pieces trimmed pork shoulder (Boston butt)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried rubbed sage
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta or bacon (not smoked) about 2 oz
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup broth (I used veg because it was in my cupboard, but the recipe calls for chicken)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 large fresh fennel bulb; cut into 1-inch cubes, reserve fronds
15 1 1/2-inch cubes peeled butternut squash

Place pork in a bowl. Mix next 6 ingredients in small bowl; sprinkle over pork, turning pork to coat evenly. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat oil in oven-proof pot (that has a lid) over medium-high heat. Add pancetta/bacon and saute until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to medium bowl. Add enough pork to pot to just cover in a single layer, you may have to do this a few times; saute until brown, about 8 minutes. COOKING SCHOOL TIP: Do not move or turn meat until you can easily pick it up off the pot. If it sticks to the bottom, it means that the Maillard reaction (browning) has not finished. Wait until it has, your stew will be more flavorful this way. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl with pancetta. Repeat with remaining pork. Add onions and garlic to pot, saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, broth, wine, and pork mixture. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits (the fond).

Cover pot; place in oven. Cook 1 hour. Add fennel and squash to stew. Cover and cook in oven until pork and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. At this point, my meat wasn't quite done but the squash was. I ended up fishing out the squash because I didn't want to end up with puree and returned the stew to the oven for another half hour. The I returned the squash to the stew. My stew was a little to thick, so I added a bit more liquid. The original recipe recommends that you thicken the liquid by removing the solids and cooking down the liquid, but I didn't need to. Your results, as always, may vary. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve over egg noodles or polenta. Garnish with reserved chopped fronds.

Serves 4

Easy Slow Cooked Soft Polenta

1 cup coarse cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
5 cups liquid (water, stock, or broth)
3 TB butter
Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste.

Preheat oven to 350F. Or if you are lucky enough to have an oven big enough for both the stew and the polenta cook simultaneously. I am not. Grease oven-safe pot. In pot, stir together cornmeal and liquid until there are no lumps. Add 1 TB butter. Bake in oven for 80 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in remaining butter, cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Easy, no? If you prefer your polenta softer, add more liquid. Firmer? Add less.

The Confession: I think I need to give up the ghost and admit I am now firmly re-entrenched in the omnivore category of human diets. The partner is still a pescatarian, so most recipe posts here will continue to be vegetarian and all though I am eating some meat in no way will it be everyday. I prefer a more flexible diet but I can't imagine making meat the center of most meals. Not only is it pretty selfish for humane, environmental and sustainability reasons, it's also boring and I enjoy meatless meals and like the challenge of creating them. For these reasons, any meat I do purchase needs to be humanely raised and organic. Yes, it is more expensive but since it's not something I am going to indulge in too often, it's do-able. And I do believe that meat ought to be an indulgence, not a requirement. What do you think about that? I'm planning on the reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, has anyone out there read it yet? What did you think about it? If you eat meat, how do you explain why? If you don't, why don't you? I'm all ears.

Rosh Hashannah and Fall Celebration Dinner

Rosh Hashannah (Head of the Year) begins on Friday, the 22, this year. Rosh Hashannah also marks for me the beginning of fall. I love this time of year, not only does it include my two most favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Halloween, but it is the world's last burst of energy before it goes to sleep for winter. I've always felt that fall is a much more reasonable time to begin a new year. People go back to school, the season is changing and we are embracing the riches that earth has to give us. It makes way more sense to me than starting over in the middle of winter. My pagan friends will tell you that the new year in winter marks welcoming the return of the sun. Reading about fall is making me very excited particularly when it is that eloquent.

A tradition for Rosh Hashannah is to eat apples with honey for a sweet new year. One is also encouraged to combine the sweet with savory for the same reason. I like including typical autumn fare to celebrate the harvest. Without further ado, here is my menu plan for my Autumnal appreciation meal:

Caramelized Onion Challah (recipe soon here)
Apples and Honey
Three Beet Caviar with Endive and Goat Cheese, from Local Flavors
Poulet au Normandy, from Chez Panisse Fruit
Chard with Lemon Oil, from Zuni Cafe
Flageolet Gratin (really cannellini beans because flageolets are bloody
expensive) from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
Buckwheat-Walnut Cake with Poached Apples and Caramel Sauce
adapted from Ripe for Dessert

P.S Other celebrations are also in order for the engagement of my Hebrew school partner in crime, A, and his lovely fiance, P. And for my brand spanking new cousin A and her newly minted parents G and E. I'm so happy for all of you, I could just burst!

Birthday BBQ Menu

For N who just couldn't wait:

One of my favorite parts about having a birthday is throwing myself a party. I decided that for my entrance into my second quarter century, I wanted to be surrounded by my women folk, so the poor partner gets kicked out of the house and I get to spend a fantastic evening with some of my favorite people. The most important part of this party planning is, of course, the menu. I wanted lots of summer-y food, some of my favorite things to eat (and make), while also trying to include some recipes I've had my eyes on. So, with much editing and renting of garments, here is my birthday BBQ feast:

White Sangria (recipe coming here)
Ice Tea

Spicy Chickpeas and Pistachios
Spinach Dip with Greek Flavors
Perfect Salsa
Corn Chips

Vodka-Spiked Cherry Tomatoes with Pepper-Salt

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Sage Pesto and Apple on Homemade Grilled Foccacia
Grilled Ratatouille Salad
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chive Butter

Butter Biscuits with Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar and Whipped Cream

MENU: Mothers' Day Supper *****UPDATED*****

Have I mentioned how much I love making lists? And by relation, menus too? I do. I believe that if I have a list, I can do anything. It is so very satisfying to cross something off a list, even if it is just for the grocery. Am I revealing too much of my slightly obsessive nature? Says the woman who posts her plans for dinner every week.

Moving on...

The partner's mum and dad are coming over next weekend for an early Mothers' Day celebration. K, the mum, wants to take us out for her day(!) and we have insisted that we make dinner ourselves. They haven't seen our new digs yet, so we can show off our garden and cute-as-pie neighborhood.

I am rapidly becoming very interested in simple French-ish food, so our menu so far is this:

Minted Butter and Thinly Sliced Radishes on Baugette Slices with Sea Salt adapted from Local Flavors
Beet "Caviar" with Goat Cheese(?) from Local Flavors or Trio of Salads (too many salads, how about soup?)
Elixir of Fresh Peas from Local Flavors
Nouveau Salade Nicoise (with seared Ahi, not canned tuna)
Almond-Lemon Curd Tart on a Shortbread Crust with Fresh Strawberries

I'm thinking that I might want another munchy thing or a different first course. First, I thought of a mini-souffle, but then I came back down to earth and realized that I do not want to make myself crazier than necessary. If it is chilly, do I want to make a simple soup instead? (*****Yes, I do*****) Also the Boy's dad, M, cannot ingest too much acid, so I am concerned that a salad with little dressing will be boring and that the lemon curd might be too much for him to handle. Any thoughts?

MENU: Middle Eastern Feast

My sister, J, is graduating at the end of the month (Yay sister!) and I have volunteered myself to make lunch for her celebration party. My mother keeps on insisting that pasta salad is the way to go, while J is vehemently opposed to such a plan. I spoke with J about what she wants and her answer is "Whatever you think is best."

Going along with that useful information, I have come upon this menu:

Hummus, Tzatziki and Baba Ghanoush with Mini Pitas
False or Lying (Meatless) Dolmas
Marinated Olives with Feta
Tabbouleh
A Different Greek Salad from Best American Recipes 1999 via The Barbeque! Bible by Steve Raichlen
Broiled Lemon-Garlic Chicken Skewers with Fresh Mint

I was struggling with sweets because J is a very odd duck and does not like nuts in dessert and I could not think of a single thing that would fit the theme and would please the guest of honor. My aunt has graciously taken on that responsibility. Anyone know of anything sweet that would fit the bill? Also, any beverage ideas? Claudia Roden in her fantastic The New Book of Middle Eastern Food has a interesting recipe for a hibiscus drink but I don't know how welcome that would be here. Perhaps just some minty lemonade?

RECIPE: Easter Dinner Eggstravaganza!

After volunteering to make dessert for the boy's family's Easter supper, I ended up making the whole thing because I wormed my way into his mommy's kitchen, with her permission, of course. The best part is that we made it sans recipes (mostly) and in under two hours!

We had: Salmon Roasted on a Bed on Meyer Lemon, Brown Butter Orzo with Almonds and Dill, Steamed Asparagus and Broccoli and Homemade Ricotta with Balsamic Berries. Everything turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

For the Salmon: Preheat oven to 450F. Slice two large lemons (Meyer, if you've got them) very thinly and place half of the slices on a baking sheet. Rub a big piece salmon with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper on each side. Place salmon atop lemon slices. Put remaining lemon slices on top of fish. Bake until salmon is cooked through about 15-25 minutes depending on how big the piece of salmon is.

For orzo: Cook a pound of orzo in boiling salted water. While orzo is cooking, melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan. Add 3/4 cup slivered almonds. Cook until butter and nuts begin to brown. Drain pasta. Toss with butter, nuts, and 1/3 cup snipped dill. Salt and pepper. Add the zest of one lemon and the juice of half of a lemon.

For the Ricotta with Honey and Berries: Make ricotta. While ricotta is chilling, prep about 4 cups of assorted berries (we had strawberries, raspberries and blackberries). Toss fruit gently with 3 TB sugar and 3 TB balsamic vinegar. Let sit for 45 minutes. Taste for more sugar or vinegar. Mix drained ricotta with 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup of honey. Mix well. Taste for salt and more honey if desired. In a bowl serve a dollop of cheese with the berries. A sprig of mint on top would be pretty.