CHICKEN SALAD with GRAPES

• 6 cups poached chicken breasts, cubed
• 3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• a good drizzle of half & half or heavy cream
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 to 4 cups red grapes, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

  Combine chicken, mayonnaise, lemon juice and cream.  Add salt and pepper.  Gently toss with grape halves and serve.  Sprinkle each serving with toasted almonds. 
  Served with seared French Haricot Verts:  Bring water and salt to a boil in a large sauté pan.  Add the green beans and cook for approximately 4 minutes.  Drain.  Return to sauté pan and dry bean momentarily over heat before drizzling with a really good extra-virgin olive oil.  Stir beans and sear slightly.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with fleur de sel.  This is my favorite way to eat green beans!

  What could be better than a chocolate brownie and a glass of ice cold milk?  That was all I could think about when I finally caved and made these.  This has been my go to recipe for the last 10 years.  I'm sure there are other great chocolate brownie recipes out there, but I've never felt the need to search for them.  This one does just fine! 

                                     CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
                            adapted  from Martha Stewart Living

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 - 1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1.  Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Butter an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan
2.  Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together.  Stir well.
3.  In a bowl, combine the butter-chocolate mixture with the sugar, flour, nuts (if using), baking powder and vanilla.  Stir well.
4.  Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.  Stir in the chocolate chips.
5.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  You can also scatter the nuts on top at this point, if desired. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes.  The brownies should be moist and chewy.  Start checking at 25 minutes (better under-done than over-done).  Cool thoroughly before cutting. 

  We had our close friends and neighbors, Isla and Jeff (also participants in our annual New Year's Day Brunch) for dinner this past weekend.  Isla and Jeff are currently in recovery...  Jeff gave Isla his kidney.  Surgery was the last week of March.  They are both doing very well, and it was the first time we were able to get together for dinner since they returned home.

                                   (they look good, don't they?)

  We withstood the change in temperature outdoors with drinks and appetizers on the patio (next to a blazing fire) before we headed indoors for dinner and the warmth of the dining room.  I made an artichoke dip that has become a big favorite of mine.  This isn't your predictable artichoke dip recipe from  church or junior league cookbooks.  I found this recipe in Saveur magazine and it has quite the kick to it. Thank the cayenne pepper and lemon juice for that. 
  So, Where did I go wrong?... One of my daughters  (and I won't reveal which one) asked me what it was she was eating and I told her artichoke dip.  Her reply... "I knew it was fish!"  I have some work ahead of me...

                                     HOT ARTICHOKE DIP
                             adapted from Saveur magazine

• 2  14-ounce cans artichoke hearts
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 teaspoons organic lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

•  Drain the artichoke hearts and chop in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the Parmesan, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest and cayenne; puree until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine.  Taste and test for seasonings.  Place in a gratin dish ( can be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead).  Sprinkle generously with additional Parmesan and bake at 400˚F until heated and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

  Are you tired of apricots yet?  Not me.  Yes, here's yet another apricot dessert.  My third in less than a month.  But as I mentioned the other day, strawberries are still flavorless, and altho' my rhubarb is getting bigger each day, it will probably be mid-May before there's a freshly-baked rhubarb tart in this house.  In the meantime, I am using canned apricots as quickly as I can haul them home from the grocery.  My only disappoint with this Apricot Upside-down Cake was that I didn't have a third can of apricots.  I could have easily found room for a few more apricot halves on top!

                               APRICOT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
                             adapted from Gourmet magazine

Topping:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 to 3 cans apricot halves in syrup, drained and patted dry with paper towels
Cake:
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1.  Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Topping:  Heat butter in a 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron or heavy, nonstick, oven-proof skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides.  Reduce heat to low and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter, then cook, without stirring, for about 3 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and arrange the apricot halves, cut sides down, close together on top of the brown sugar.
3.  Cake:  Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt into a bowl.
4.  Beat together butter, sugar and extracts in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat until mixture is creamy and doubled in volume, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and beat just until combined.
6.  Gently spoon batter over apricots and spread evenly.  Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
7.  After removing from oven, immediately invert a large plate over skillet and, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate.  Carefully lift skillet off of cake and, if necessary, replace any fruit that is stuck to the bottom of the skillet.  Cool to warm or room temp.
8.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

  We eat a lot of salmon at our house; both fresh and canned.  Any Alaskan canned salmon is wild-caught and full of Omega-3's, making this tart a healthy addition to any lunch, dinner or brunch menu.
  I have been adding cornmeal lately to the crusts of my savory tarts.  I love that grittiness you get with cornmeal!

                                     SAVORY SALMON TART
Crust Ingredients:
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
• 3-4 tablespoons ice water
Salmon Filling:
• 3  6-ounce cans Alaskan wild salmon, drained
• 3-4 green onions, finely sliced, white and some of the green included
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 organic eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• black Greek Kalamata olives (amount is up to you), sliced
• salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• chopped fresh chives, for garnish
1.  Combine the flour, cornmeal and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse briefly until combined.  Add the COLD butter and pulse until the size of small peas.  Add 3 tablespoons of the ice water while pulsing.  If the dough has not started coming together, add a little more water.  Put the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap, press into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
2.  Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to fit into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Trim the edges and place in the freezer while mixing the salmon filling.
3.  Combine the salmon, green onions and cheddar cheese in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine the eggs and milk.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set both aside.
4.  Preheat the oven to 400˚F.  Line the tart shell with foil and fill with rice or beans.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and its contents and continue to bake the tart shell until golden and dry.  Take the shell from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375˚F.  Fill the shell with the salmon mixture; carefully add the egg mixture, and scatter the olives over the top.  Return the tart to the oven and bake approximately 20 - 25 minutes, or until the egg custard is set and the top of the tart is beginning to brown.
5.  Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle chopped chives on top.

  The upside of this cake with berries:  It's a delicious, light, and easy little sponge cake to make.
  The downside of this cake with berries:  It is still too early to find flavorful strawberries at the grocery.  I couldn't help myself when I purchased these.  I passed by them at the store and got this big whiff of sweet, summer berries... But when I tasted the strawberries at home they were less than desirable.  I tried to compensate by slicing, tossing with sugar, and mounding freshly whipped heavy cream onto them before sandwiching between the two cake layers.  Not perfection, but still better than nothing.

                                          SPONGE CAKE
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons flour
• whipped heavy cream and strawberries, or any flavorful berry, tossed with sugar if desired
1.  Butter well, and flour two 7 or 8-inch shallow cake pans.
2.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until mixture becomes light and white.  Sift flour into egg mixture and carefully fold until fully incorporated.  Bake at 350˚F 25 to 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch.  Take cakes from the oven and cool slightly.  Gently remove the cakes from their pans and continue to cool on a wire rack.
3.  Fill the cake with whipped cream and fresh berries.  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

  It's spring, I'm outdoors working in my formal vegetable garden, and I'm making pasta salads.

  In addition to adding several new planting beds for my heirloom vegetables, I also decided it was time to raise the original bricks that have been edging the garden for the past eleven years. 

  Needless to say, after three days of hauling bricks home from the brickyard, digging up the original bricks, and laying the old and new, I wanted something simple for dinner last night.  Along with a grilled flank steak, I served this Tortellini Salad with Snow Peas. 
  We are now having a gentle, cool rain, and temperatures are predicted to warm up nicely by the middle of the week.  At that point I will start planting haricot verts, my favorite green bean in bush form.   My husband is getting extremely anxious to plant his heirloom tomatoes that he started as seedlings in March, but it is still too early.  No matter how nice the weather is, it's always the safest bet to wait until Memorial Day weekend for planting tomatoes in Minnesota.

                          TORTELLINI SALAD with SNOW PEAS
               adapted from a very old House Beautiful magazine

• 1 1/2 pounds uncooked, meat or cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 pound snow peas

Dressing:
• 3/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese hot oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Pinch of each: cayenne, salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 cup fresh ginger, finely diced
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds

• 3/4 cup pine nuts (pingoli)
• 2 cans sliced water chestnuts

1.  Cook tortellini until al dente in boiling water.  Plunge into cold water to stop cooking and drain.  Toss snow peas into boiling water and cook for only 20 seconds.  Plunge into cold water and drain.
2.  Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and beat well with a whisk.  Add dressing to the tortellini and stir in the rest of the ingredients.

  This potato salad is a great accompaniment to any meat.  We ate it along with grilled steaks, but with a green salad, a baguette and a glass of wine, you've got dinner!

                  Potato Salad with Roasted Red Peppers and Olives

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds small red potatoes
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 5 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Several black olives, pitted and sliced
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved or grated
1.  Roast the red peppers under the broiler, turning until the peppers are blackened all over.  Put the peppers in a paper bag, close, and let steam for about 20 minutes.  Peel the charred skin from the peppers and slice thinly.  Set aside.
2.  Place the potatoes in a 350˚F oven to bake for 1 hour or until tender when pierced. Take from the oven and cool slightly.  In the meantime, make the vinaigrette:  In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, dried tarragon, garlic and red onion.  Add salt and pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil.  Adjust seasonings if necessary.  Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices and toss immediately with the vinaigrette.
3.  Spoon the potato mixture onto a platter.  Sprinkle with the capers.  Lay the roasted red peppers evenly over the top and toss on the black olives. Shave the Parmigiano-Reggiano generously over the top of the salad. 
                   

  I'm still on a canned apricot roll.  There couldn't be anything easier than these free-form tarts.  If you don't feel like making your own pastry, use store-bought puff pastry.  Definitely fine on their own, a good quality vanilla bean ice cream makes them exceptional.

                                     Free-form Apricot Tarts
     adapted from a recipe by Sally Schneider in House Beautiful (1994)

• pastry dough (recipe follows)
• Flour for rolling pastry
• 2  16-ounce cans apricot halves, drained and patted dry with a paper     towel
• 1 tablespoon kirsch or brandy
• a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 egg, beaten slightly
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• additional sugar for sprinkling
1.  Divide chilled pastry dough into 6 pieces.  Roll each piece on a lightly-floured surface into a disc approximately 5-inches in diameter.  Stack the discs between pieces of waxed paper and refrigerate while preparing the apricots.
2.  Slice each apricot half in two and place in a medium bowl.  Toss apricots with the kirsch or brandy, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla extract.  Set aside.
3.  Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar with the 2 tablespoons flour.  Set aside.
4.  Remove the tart dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle some of the sugar-flour mixture onto the center of the disc.  Take 1/6 of the apricots and mound in the center of the tart dough.  Fold the edges of the dough in over-lapping folds over the apricots. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Shave a piece of butter onto the apricots, brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg, and sprinkle the dough with some sugar.  Repeat with remaining dough and apricots.
5.  Place baking sheet in the center of a preheated 425˚F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

TART DOUGH:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 10 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 egg
• ice water, if needed
1.  Combine first 3 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times.  Add the butter and pulse until you have small pieces.  Add the egg and pulse to combine.  You may need to add several drops of ice water if the dough is too dry.  Add additional water only until the dough just starts to come together.  Remove from the bowl and flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours before using.

  My aunt that lived next door to us when I was growing up in Amana, Iowa, always made a lamb cake at Easter.  Of course, I looked forward to this, and especially the phone call telling me it was finished and I needed to come by and take a look.  Aunt Lillie had a wonderful, big old lamb mold that she used to make her Easter cake.  We never found that old mold after she died, but my sister and I talked about it often, wondering what may have happened to it.  Several years ago Susan found a newer  mold, probably at a garage sale, and gave it to me.  It has now become our family's Easter tradition to have a lamb cake on the table.  One thing that changes, however, is the recipe I use for the cake.  This year I tried an orange pound cake from an old Martha Stewart Living.

                                       Orange Pound Cake
                          adapted from Martha Steward Living

• 2 cups unsifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1  2/3 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• Zest of two large, organic oranges
1.  Heat oven to 325˚F.  Butter and flour a 6 cup mold.  Set aside.
2.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3.  Beat the butter until light and fluffy.  With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the sugar until the mixture is creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gently fold in the flour mixture in 3 batches, blending well, and pour into mold.
4.  Bake for approximately 60 minutes, or until the cake springs back.  Carefully unmold and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.