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DESSERTS FOR DAD’S DAY

No matter what your menu for Father’s Day, whether it’s one of the healthy meat with salad recipes I discussed last week, a casual cook-out or a more traditional roast, the dinner must end with a dessert. Not just ice cream from the freezer, but something special to mark the occasion. If Dad has a favorite, your choice is easy, but if you’re deciding on something he would like, it’s more difficult and there are a few requirements.

The dessert should have an attractive presentation with a personal touch, but nothing elaborate or involved either to make or serve. It’s best to make it ahead and be able to bring it to table without disrupting the rhythm of the dinner. Serving should be easy, especially if Dad is expected to do it and dividing into various portion sizes should be no problem. Normally, above all, it should be seasonal. I personally, like pies, especially custard ones. They can be served chilled in keeping with the season, in fruit flavors and, besides, cakes are identified with so many other occasions.

However, there are exceptions to every rule. As long as the desert seems in step with the occasion it can become a hit, even appear ‘trendy’. My cousin was always recalling his Grandmother’s Baked Rice Pudding with Raisins and Currents. His wife questioned family, combed old cookbooks, baked a replica, in a lovely casserole dish, and presented it, chilled, with a golden, cinnamon garnished crust. Not only was it a hit, but it had been so long since this formerly, humble pudding was served, it was new to the younger members who though it ‘chic’. So, with such a vast number of recipes available, deciding on one should be easy, but if you want something really different and personal, consider antique desserts.

The Summer Pudding, below, came to America with the colonists, the Lemon Meringue Pie is a new twist on an old recipe, the Fruit Pizza is a traditional German dessert, re-named in the 1970s and the Rustica or Galette has been a favorite in Europe for centuries, all really ‘antiques’. The Key Lime Pie, Ice Cream Cake and Coconut Cream Pie are my own innovations. Only the Chocolate- Strawberry Meringue Pie is a ‘modern’ recipe. In cooking, it sometimes pays to look to the past for inspiration.

Lilly’s Ice Cream Cake: Serves 8-10 This was actually devised on Father’s Day. My daughter wanted to make a cake for her Dad. I forgot to prepare the pans, the cake baked on and forcing it from the pans broke it in chunks. Fortunately, I had a ½ gal. ice cream intended to go with the cake and was able to stem the tears with this recipe solution. It was not only a happy ending, but became a family favorite. We made spice cake, with coffee ice cream and caramel sauce but many flavor combinations will work.
(1) 2 1/2 quart freezer proof mold or large round, deep mixing bowl
Layer pans, tube pan or sheet cake pan to bake the cake
1 box of cake mix, cooked according to directions, cooled and removed from the pan(s)
½ gal—Or 1.5 qt. container ice cream.
Bake the cake according to box directions, remove from pans and cool.(It’s easier if the pans are greased-despite what I did)
Soften ice cream to consistency of whipped topping.
Rinse bowl or mold with water and shake out excess but do not dry. The film of water freezes and forms a protective coating on the container that makes it easier to unmold the finished dessert.
Smear a dollop of softened ice cream over the bottom of the mold. If it has a decorative top be sure to fill it all in. Then begin to fit chunks of the cake into the mold in layers. Be sure to separate the layers of cake, the pieces of cake in the layers and the cake pieces from the sides of the mold with enough ice cream that they don’t stick together or become exposed when the dessert is unmolded.
Also, have a thick enough layer of ice cream on the bottom of the mold to form a firm base when plated for serving. Both cake and ice cream should be used up.
Freeze the mold for several hours or overnight.
Remove from freezer and dip the mold in a larger bowl, or pan, of hot water, for the count of ten (10). Cover the bottom with a serving plate and invert to unmold.
Serve at once or store in the freezer until needed.
Pass any appropriate toppings: whipped cream, wet nuts, sauce, fruit etc. on the side.

Summer Berry Pudding – Serves 4-6
2 lbs. mixed berries-strawberries sliced if large
8 oz. raspberries
¾ cup sugar
8 slices white bread
Topping of choice to serve
Cut the crusts off the bread and use it to line the bottom and sides of a 4 ½ cup. bowl, making sure there are no gaps between slices. Bring the mixed berried and the sugar to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 8 min stirring once. Spoon the fruit into the lined bowl, add in as much juice as it will hold, making sure some gets around the sides of the bowl. Cover the top of the bowl with the remaining bread and place in a pan to catch juice overflow. Put a plate on top of the bowl and weigh it down with cans. Refrigerate overnight. Puree the 8 oz. raspberries with enough of the remaining berry juice to have a sauce consistency. Strain and chill. When ready to serve, unmold the pudding on a serving plate and pour some sauce over. Garnish with a dollop of topping and offer the rest and the sauce in bowls to add. Cut in slices to serve.

A RUSTICA, or GALETTE, is the easiest type of pie to make. This is a short version of the recipe from my book Dinners with Joy:
If making the crust: mix 1 ½ cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, cut in 1/3 cup shortening, add 3 to 4 Tbs. ICE water to form dough, and roll to a 12 inch round.
If buying the crust: roll only to 10 inches.
Transfer to a parchment or foil covered cookie sheet, or bake in a pizza pan.
Depending on size, fill the center with a 1 lb. to 1 ½ lb. fruit, leaving a 2 to 3 inch margin. (Apples pears and peaches should be peeled and sliced. Plums can be halved and stoned.)
Dot fruit with ½ Tbs. butter.
Sprinkle with 1 Tbs. cornstarch, 1 Tbs. sugar and ½ tsp. lemon juice.
Carefully fold edges of pastry up around filling, pleating as you go. The edges can be brushed with cream or egg white and sprinkled with sugar as decoration.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min. Cool on sheet; preferably on a wire rack.
This can be moved to a plate for serving, but as the name implies, it’s a “rustic” or casual pastry, and I like to bake it and serve it in a pizza pan.

FRUIT PIZZA:
Make dough as instructed above, increasing sugar to ½ cup and shortening to 2/3 cup.
If buying; purchase a roll of sugar cookie dough, not pie dough. Roll dough to fit a pizza pan, prick several times with a fork and bake as for cookies, 350 degrees for 10 to 12 min. until lightly browned, or as directions on package state.
Cool completely in pan.
Decoratively arrange raw fruit over the crust. The amount you will need depends on the chosen fruit, roughly about 1 ½ lbs. My favorite is a combination of strawberries and blueberries, but kiwi and peach slices work, as well as do many others. Top with a glaze made from a clear jelly, apple or current, melted with 1 Tbs. water per ¼ cup jelly. For a thicker glaze dissolve ¼ tsp. cornstarch in 1 Tbs. water per ½ cup jelly, which is the amount I use for one of these. Boil until clear and spoon over the fruit. Chill until completely set. Optionally pass whipped cream.

KEY LIME PIE: I always had trouble with Key Lime Pie, despite many recipes, even “authentic” ones from the Florida Keys, until I found this, which seems to be foolproof, perhaps because it’s so easy. There is one universal rule in making this pie however, the lime juice must be fresh, and, if possible, of the “key” variety. Key limes are small, dark green, very smooth with rounded ends. Their juice has an intense flavor, without the biting acidity sometimes found in regular lime juice. I understand the juice is sold in the baking supply aisles in some stores, but have never encountered it. The limes themselves, can often be found, usually labeled and bagged, in Supermarkets, especially ones with large Hispanic sections. It requires at least 15 to yield enough juice for one pie. If you can’t find them, the common Persian variety limes will do, but I might increase the amount of juice in the pie by a tablespoon or more. Test to taste the strength of the acidity and flavor of the juice. Do NOT use concentrated juice unless it’s labeled Key Lime, or lime drink mix.
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(1) 9 inch baked pie shell. Home made or purchased, regular or graham cracker.
(1) 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk MIXED WITH
Sufficient sour cream to equal 2 cups – about 2/3 cup
1/2 cup fresh Key Lime juice
1 Tbs. lime zest
1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin
Whipped cream
Soften the gelatin by soaking 5 min. in the lime juice. Combine the Condensed milk, sour cream and zest in a bowl. Dissolve the gelatin by heating the lime juice in the microwave 30 sec. If it doesn’t dissolve easily, heat it an additional 5 sec. or so, but be sure it is completely liquid before proceeding. Add the lime juice with gelatin to the bowl with the milk, sour cream and zest; whisk well to incorporate. Pour the filling mixture into the pie shell and chill at least 2 hours until well set. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Sour Cream, Lemon Meringue Pie
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. lemon zest
3 eggs-separated
3 ½ Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 baked 9 inch pie shell
Beat egg yolks well, and combine with sugar, milk and cornstarch, juice and zest in a sauce pan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until thickened, then stir in butter, incorporate and cool to room temperature; stir in sour cream and pour into pie shell. Heat broiler and move oven shelf up near coils. With clean bowl and beaters, beat egg whites until starting to form stiff peaks, add 1 drop vinegar, then begin to slowly add 2/3 cup sugar, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. With a spatula, spread meringue over the filling and place pie under hot broiler until peaks begin to brown, Cool pie and store, loosely covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Chocolate Strawberry (or Banana) Pie
3 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1 drop cider vinegar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
¼ cup cool water
1 envelope gelatin
(1) 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sour cream
½ cup vanilla yogurt
1 pt. strawberries halved OR 2 bananas sliced
Whipped cream for topping –optional
Preheat oven to 275 deg. and using directions above, make meringue adding the cornstarch mixed with the sugar. Cover bottom and sides of a lightly oil sprayed , flour dusted 9 inch pan and bake 1 hr. Turn off oven and leave shell in until cool or about 2 hr.
Soften the gelatin in the water. Whisking, dissolve the cocoa in the milk over low heat, remove, add the vanilla and gelatin and whisk until dissolved and blended. Cool to room temperature, add the sour cream and yogurt, mix well, pour into the shell and chill until serving. Top with fresh fruit and whipped cream if using.

Super Easy Chocolate-Coconut Cream Pie-This is perfect ‘home-made’ dessert for the busy person. A store-bought chocolate, crumb crust will do.
30 chocolate wafer cookies in fine crumbs=1 ½ cups
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon – optional
3 Tbs. melted butter
(2) 3.4 oz. boxes of Jello coconut pudding and pie filling
1/3 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
2 ¾ cups milk
Mix the first 3 ingredients and drizzle in butter, until completely mixed. Press crumbs evenly on bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan and bake at 350 deg. for 8-10 min.; cool. Toast coconut on a foil sheet in the same oven about 3-6 min. and crush 2 Tbs. reserving the rest for topping garnish. Beat the pudding with the milk and 2 Tbs. crushed coconut until thick and fill cooled shell. Chill until ready use and sprinkle the reserved toasted coconut over the top just before serving.

COOL DINNERS FOR DAD’S DAY 2017

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are celebrated quite differently. Traditionally, the idea was that Mother needed to get out of the house, especially the kitchen, and deserved dinner in a restaurant. This wouldn’t do for Father, who might feel obligated to pick up the check. Besides, he spent long hours out of the house at work, and was entitled to a special dinner in his ‘Castle’.

Times have certainly changed. Now, both parents usually work away from home, and contribute mutually to any fund which would cover the restaurant cost. If either parent stays at/works from home, it’s as apt to be Dad as it is Mom.

Yet restaurants are still crowded on Mother’s Day. I think it’s because girls just naturally like to get dressed up and go out to celebrate. On the other hand, Father’s Day, especially the dinner, has evolved. Men have expressed a preference for spending time on an interest, hobby or sport, then relaxing in a casual atmosphere. The dinner is still a special one, but the presentation has altered to suit the mood, while the recipes have changed to fit the general concern for healthier eating habits.

Gone are the large roasts and rich side dishes. The emphasis now is on freshness, light treatments and natural flavors, The preparations, whether done in advance, or at mealtime, are best when designed to allow everything to come together with minimal fuss, maintaining the, hopefully, mellow atmosphere. With the warm weather starting, grilling is an option and perfect for the occasion, but meat cooked indoors, whether prepared in advance or just before serving offers many possibilities too. It’s all a matter of Dad’s preference and the particular details of the occasion.

It’s also a matter of preference if the dinner is served warm, room temperature or cold, because in early summer all those presentations are acceptable. In fact, there are some wonderful recipes for dinners that can be served all three ways and are great for spur-of-the-moment people, loose schedules or ‘iffy’ weather problems. I’m talking about the new take on salads which I mentioned last week and have discussed in detail in the posts of 8/12/15 and 1/26/17. These are not classic ‘dinner salads’ like Cobb and Nicoise, which are recognized dishes, but ones that become part of the entrée in a ‘free-form’ way, resulting in a nutritious and very personalized meal.

These salads have a wide ingredient range, basically everything found in a salad bar, and often include the usual roasted or steamed entrée vegetables, but usually ignore the ‘starchy carbs’. They go light on carbs in general, though I’ve seen torn yams, corn, beans and of course grains included. In fact, they rely on grains to provide substance, but not as bedding or a side as we’ve seen in the past, rather tossed with the greens or scattered over them. The usual quantity would be 1-1 ¼ cups cooked grain per 4 servings.

As a Note for those who doubt the suitability of serving salad on Father’s Day. The majority of comments I’ve received from previous posts mentioning including grains in our diets, have come from men. They thanked me for providing new recipes and ideas, because they are increasingly adding grains to their diets in place of other carbs, with lower fiber content and nutritional value.

The flavor composition of these salads is focused on the meat featured. They use the highest quality, but lesser amounts of it, increasing the protein value with nuts and seeds. Nor is the meat tossed in with the other ingredients, as in the past, but rather slices are placed on one side of the plate and the salad is arranged over the remainder. In this way the meat remains the centerpiece of the entree. The effect is one of elegant simplicity, with a promise of bright, fresh flavor; a dinner able to be totally consumed without guilt, adding the satisfaction of having eaten not just well, but wisely.

The following recipes are examples of these salads.* Please understand that they’re more suggestions as to quantity and compatible foods than set dishes. Feel free to change them, remove or add ingredients, or invent new dressings as you like. When considering these changes, think in terms of salad bar offerings and you’ll see the scope of ingredients available to you. Also note that these salads are assembled in layers, rather than chopped and tossed. A knife is still a must, but a mandolin is a handy kitchen tool to easily slice vegetables into even layers for a nicer presentation.

Grilled Steak Salad: Serves 4 ( Illustrated-I highly recommend this)
1-1 ½ lb. boneless sirloin or top round
2small Japanese eggplants
3 zucchini
2 red bell peppers
2 medium onions
4 oz. button mushroom caps
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. oil
2 oz. snow pea or bean sprouts–optional
1 small head green leaf lettuce
1 cup cooked wild rice
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
½ cup fresh basil leaves sliced thin
Trim meat of fat. Combine juice and oil and marinate beef at least 1 hr. Slice eggplant and lay flat, covered in salt until it ‘sweats’, about 15 min. Rinse well and pat dry. Meanwhile slice zucchini into 1 inch pieces, peppers into ¾ inch strips and onions into thick rings, halve rings and large mushroom caps. Remove beef from marinade, add vegetables and marinate at least 30 min. at room temperature, tossing often. Grill meat on a lightly greased rack about 2 min. on each side to sear. Remove to cooler side of grill and cook an additional 2 min. per side for medium rare. Cool on a plate and slice thinly. Drain vegetables and grill in batches until golden and crisp tender, about 5 min. per batch. Combine balsamic and oil in a bottle and shake well. Arrange meat slices around one edge of each plate. Fill the rest of the plate with torn lettuce leaves topped with the vegetables tossed with the rice. Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with the sprouts, if using, and basil.
This can be served hot as made, or done ahead with the lettuce, meat and garnishes chilled, while the rest is held at room temperature. The meat and vegetables can also be cooked under the broiler.

Shrimp-Avocado Salad: Serves 4
1 lb. cooked large shrimp
2 avocados-peeled, each half cut in 4 slices
(1) 8oz. bag spinach leaves
1 small cucumber thinly sliced
2 large oranges – sections removed and ½ tsp. grated peel
2 oz. watercress
1 cup cooked quinoa
3 Tbs. olive oil
1Tbs.lemon juice
1 ½ Tbs. orange juice
¼ tsp. honey
1 tsp. chopped parsley
Place the last 5 ingredients in a jar and shake well to make the dressing. Arrange the spinach on plates or a large platter, top with watercress, tossed with the quinoa, if using, then onion rings. Place the avocado slices and orange segments in a circle and pile the shrimp in the center. Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with the zested orange peel.
This salad should be served as made, but all the components can be prepped ahead and kept chilled.

Asian Chicken Salad: Serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 1 whole chicken in 4 parts.
1 tsp. grated ginger root
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 large clove garlic-crushed
2 Tb. oil –to lightly grease the grill or sauté indoors
1 cup cooked short grain brown rice
1 avocado-peeled and sliced
3 scallions sliced diagonally
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1 head of red leaf lettuce
¼ cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. oil
¼ cup chopped dry roasted peanuts or pistachios
Marinate the chicken in the next 3 ingredients at least 3 hours or overnight. Grill the chicken or sauté in oil, drain and cool. Place the cooked rice in the used pan or a lightly oiled one, spread it out and allow to crisp in the bottom. Remove pan from heat. Quickly blanch snow peas. Place Chili sauce, 2 Tbs. vinegar and 2 Tbs. oil in a jar and shake to make dressing. Place the chicken pieces around one side of a platter or each plate. Place pieces of the ‘rice cake’ around the opposite one and fill the center of the platter or plate with the torn lettuce leaves, top with the snow peas, avocado slices and scallion. Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with the nuts.
This too can be served hot as made or prepped ahead and the ingredients, except the nuts, kept chilled, but the flavor of the meat is best at room temperature or above.

Lamb Salad with Mint: Serves 4
1-1 ½ lb. boneless lamb—a small rolled leg or tenderloin are best*
1 large head red leaf lettuce
3 scallions sliced diagonally
4 oz. grape tomatoes- halved
1 cup cooked barley–optional
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. chopped mint + extra for garnish
½ tsp. sugar
4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese
1 Tbs. oil
¼ cup chopped, toasted pecans or cashews
Combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar and mint in a jar, add barley, if using, and shake well.
Trim meat well and sauté over medium heat in 1 Tbs. oil until medium rare, about 8 min., turning often, or grill on a lightly oiled rack. Cool meat, thinly slice diagonally and tent until ready to serve. Place the sliced lamb around a platter or plates. Tear the lettuce and toss with tomatoes, scallions and barley with dressing and fill the remainder of the plates. Top with cheese, and garnish with extra mint and nuts.
This like the other dinners can be stored, chilled separately until ready to be served or served warm.
*Note: Very thinly sliced rib chops can be used as well. 12 chops =2 ½ lbs. will yield the same amount of meat as the recipe states, allowing for the weight of the bones. The same cooking directions apply.

Ham and Cabbage: Serves 4—A wonderful ‘special event’ presentation with a baked ham, the salad in a large bowl and the garnishes passed on the side.
1 – 1 ½ lb. Deli ham sliced ¼ inch thick—or freshly carved from a baked ham
8 oz. red cabbage- shredded
8 oz. green cabbage-shredded
2 baked medium sized yams, cooled and torn in bite size pieces
4 scallions thinly sliced
1/3 cup + 1 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. caraway seeds-divided 1 tsp.in reserve
Combine the last 5 ingredients in a jar and shake to make a dressing. Allow flavors to meld for several hours. The yams can be cooked in a microwave until tender and torn when cool. Toss the yams and cabbage with the dressing. Place in a bowl and garnish with the reserved seeds. Slice the ham at table and pass the salad with extra caraway seeds on the side.
Alternatively, line one side of each plate with sliced ham and fill the rest of the space with the cabbage mix. Garnish with the caraway seeds.

Sweet and Sour Pork Salad: Serves 4
1- 1 ½ lb. pork tenderloin*
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. warm honey
1 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. oil
8 oz. Chinese cabbage-shredded
1 carrot- shredded with a vegetable peeler
3 scallions thinly sliced diagonally
4 red radishes—thinly sliced
½ cup Bulgar
(1) 15 oz. can pineapple rings-drained, juice reserved
2 Tbs. oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbs. Wasabi cashews if available or toasted chopped walnuts
Marinate the meat in the next 3 ingredients overnight. Saute pork in the 1 Tbs. oil, basting with the marinade, until just done, about 10 min. or grill on a lightly oiled rack; cool, thinly slice and tent. Meanwhile, measure reserved juice minus 1 Tbs. and add water to make 1 cup. Place ½ cup Bulgar in the juice and allow to sit for 30 min. Combine vinegar, 2 Tbs. oil, 1 Tbs. juice and brown sugar in a jar and shake to make a dressing. Toss the vegetables with the Bulgar. Plate the meat slices around the edge of a plate, or to one side, fill the center with the cabbage mix and lay the pineapple rings decoratively on top. Drizzle with the dressing. Garnish with the nuts if using.
*NOTE: Very thin, boneless center-cut chops will do, in the same weight as stated above. The same cooking directions apply.
*NOTE: Most of these recipes are adapted from ones in Confident Cooking’s Sensational Salads published by Konemann.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT LETTUCE FOR A SALAD

Writing the post on potato salads last week started me thinking about salads in general. Our perception of ‘salad’ has really changed over the past years, as proven by the many varieties of lettuce found in supermarkets today. We no longer think of them as a way to line a serving plate or as low-cal ‘bunny food’ needing a dressing for taste. We’ve come to appreciate the different types for their individual textures and subtle flavors and understand the choice of lettuce can determine the character of a salad and that a combination of one or more types can create a delightful flavor experience.

In addition, though the entrée salad has maintained its position on the menu, the ‘dinner side’ is moving into its original place as a separate course, served just before the meat. I think the trend began in the 1980s with the arrival of restaurants, mainly steakhouses, with expansive ‘Salad Bars’. The restaurants were usually part of a chain and the salad bars were really an economy move. They could be maintained by kitchen assistants and wait staff, whereas an array of cooked vegetable dishes required a sous chef at least. Kitchen help could be reduced to a couple of ‘grill masters’, not trained chefs, who need only add a ready carb, a baked potato, fries or a quickly sautéed vegetable to complete the entrée plate.

Salad Bars offer other bonuses as well. They keep the customers busy and happy while waiting for dinner, take the edge off their hunger and give them the comfort of getting full value for their money. However, the real advantage has been for the public, by introducing it to the fun, creativity, diversity, individuality, not to mention the health benefits making a salad with lots of add-in choices offers. Today there are restaurants serving only salads, salad bars in supermarkets and fast food stops. Salad has become not only a welcome but an intrinsic part of our diet. So much so, in fact, that it is posed for another move, to become part of the entrée itself.

Since most salads are based on lettuce, either one type or a mixture of several, it’s important to know the characteristics of the main varieties to make the proper choices. I list the major players below with brief descriptions of each, but first, a word about handling lettuce in general.

When buying lettuce, avoid wilted, discolored or damaged leaves and, naturally, any signs of insect activity. Freshness is important because lettuce lose vitamins quickly after being picked. A head should always feel dry and firm at the base, but crisp head types like iceberg and Belgian endives should feel firm when squeezed. Due to the leafy structure, lettuce can be sandy and/or harbor insects even tiny snails, so it needs washing before using. If it’s to be served soon, separate the leaves first and spin or pat dry with paper towels, then store in a plastic bag, squeezing the air out before chilling. If it’s to be kept for a time, wrap the unwashed head in a damp towel and place in the vegetable crisper. Crisp lettuces can last for a week, but soft types like Bibb should be used within 2-3 days. Above all, be sure lettuce leaves are dry before making a salad otherwise the dressing will be diluted.

MAJOR LETTUCE VARIETIES

Arugula or Rocket—Dark green, tender leaves with a peppery taste, more assertive in the larger leaves. An excellent accent when used with other ingredients.
Belgian Endive—Firm, cone shaped with crisp yellow edged leaves and a slightly bitter taste. Excellent sliced into rings or with the leaves stacked, drizzled with dressing, held by the pointed end and eaten with the fingers.

Bibb, Butter or Boston Lettuce —A loose, soft head with rounded leaves and buttery flavor. Best with light vinaigrettes or French Blue Dressing (See post May 25,2017-French Potato Salad)

Coral Lettuce—Both red and green varieties have tightly curled, crisp leaves with rippled edges and a subtle, sweet flavor; often mislabeled as ‘Red’ or ‘Green’ leaf lettuce; combines well in salads.

Curley Endive or Chicory—Slender, light green, frilled leaves. Has a mild, bitter flavor that can add a zing to a combination of lettuces.

Iceberg—A round, firm head with tightly packed, crisp pale green leaves. It’s currently lost favor because of its lack of nutrients and bland taste, but it’s still a great choice to add bulk to a salad, especially one prepared for crowds.

Mixed lettuces—Small, young leaves of many lettuces. Delicate in flavor and tender in texture, makes an excellent salad with an equally light dressing.

Red and Green Leaf Lettuce—Often confused with coral lettuce, but is a loose headed lettuce with long variegated leaves and a delicate flavor that is best served alone with a light dressing.

Radicchio—Dark red leaves in a tight head with a very bitter taste. Best used as an accent with other ingredients.

Romaine or Cos—Large, elongated heads with green, crisp, succulent, sweet leaves and high vitamin content. Excellent salad base or can stand alone.

Sprouts—Snow Peas, Alfalfa, Beans etc.—An excellent decorative addition to a salad to add crispness to the texture and a slightly grassy note to the flavor. Not to be used alone.

Spinach—There are 2 types of spinach in the stores, the bagged ‘baby’ and the field grown found in bunches. The ‘baby’, also called ‘English’, or when I first encountered it in Italy years ago, ’New Zealand’ spinach, is actually a different variety which grows in bush form with only the leaves harvested. It’s not a young version of the field variety which grows from the ground in separate plants and is cut at the roots like lettuce. Both types have dark green rounded leaves, a hearty flavor and are loaded with vitamins. Either can carry a salad alone and support a substantial dressing.

• I often serve Kale as a salad green in winter. It has the same qualities as spinach, but requires the stems be removed, a slight blanching and then a chance to re-crisp in ice water before inclusion in a salad.

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Watercress—Small, glossy, dark green leaves with a peppery, yet cool taste. Excellent chopped and mixed with cream cheese in sandwiches or used as a bedding to showcase one ingredient, but tends to get lost in a mixed presentation.

Edible Add-Ins—Herbs: I grow my own and love to add the leaves to salads for special flavor effects. The choice of herb depends on the other ingredients and the rest of the meal, but chives, oregano, basil, mint, sage, thyme and lemon balm are my special favorites. I freely add the flowers of these herbs when I can, but as for other edible flowers, though they can give color and flavor to a dish, I’m careful to buy only commercially packaged ones and those specifically required by the recipe I’m making at the time. This is definitely something I won’t ‘stock up’ on and keep.

NOTE: Cabbage—is not included in the above list, because it isn’t a lettuce. It’s a vegetable of the mustard family. However, it is served so often as a salad that it deserves a mention here. There are many types of cabbage in a wide range of colors, Chinese and round head, white, red, green, purple. They all have firm, crisp, leaves so tightly packed that it’s advisable to cut into the head to wash it. Cabbage has a hearty flavor and is loaded with nutrients but differs from lettuce in its versatility. It can be cooked in a number of ways, brined or pickled because the leaves have more stability than lettuce leaves. As a salad, its distinctive flavor needs an assertive dressing.

POTATO SALADS THAT LOVE SUMMER’S HEAT

Memorial Day Weekend almost seems to be a double purpose event. Since 9/11, The Day, itself, has become increasingly more revered as a commemoration of those who died in the service of this country but the weekend also marks the official start of summer. To one growing up in a seaside resort town, it was full of excited anticipation and hopes for the season ahead. For those involved in the tourist trade, it offered a last chance to spend time relaxing with family and friends before the busiest time of year.

This welcoming, celebratory attitude isn’t restricted to resorts. All over the U.S., patios, decks, outdoor furniture and grills are cleaned and ready for us to begin spending more time outside enjoying the warm weather and longer days. That means it’s time to break out the summer menus, most of which usually include a potato salad. For years, this opened the door to concerns about keeping it stable in the heat, but that isn’t the case anymore. There are lots of options for potato salads that will stay safe on hot days and, better still, most of the dressings can be used in Cole Slaw and pasta salads as well.

In fact some of these alternative potato salad recipes might be more in sinc with the rest of the menu than the traditional one with mayonnaise dressing. The sweet potato salads are great with chicken, the Tex-Mex version just fits barbequed meats and the German salad is goes well with burgers. The other dressings compliment seafood, cold meats and egg dishes. So why not have some fun and explore all your choices? Below are some general tips on making potato salads, some ideas for alternative ingredients to personalize your creations and two recipes which can be adjusted to any menu.

Suggestions for Making Traditional Potato Salad ‘Summer’ Safe:
Choose flavorful potatoes like red skins, Yukon Gold and/or fingerlings, not Idaho or Russet potatoes which bake but don’t boil well. In fact mixing different type can add taste. To keep all the flavor and nutrition as well as to add color to the salad, don’t peel them.
The options for additional ingredients are endless. A few of the most frequent, sliced or chopped, are olives, celery, onions (red ones add color), scallions, cucumber, radishes, peppers( fresh, cooked or jarred), mushrooms, corn, cut green beans, broccoli, peas, green as well as sugar snap and snow peas, baby spinach leaves, zucchini, yellow squash, jicama, a variety of beans and of pasta shapes. Exploring other cuisines opens even more options.

The nutritional values can be changed by substituting a portion of the potatoes for beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, carrots or cauliflower. The first two vegetables should be quickly blanched and the last two cooked to crisp-tender to render their texture compatible with the potatoes.

The options for the dressings are equally open. They are generally oil based using one of the nut or seed oils such as walnut or olive, and include a vinegar or citrus juice. The flavor is built through adding other condiments like mustard, and/or seasonings such as smoked paprika or curry and seeds like fennel, celery, or poppy. Herbs play a major role too. The favorites are basil, rosemary, oregano and dill. I also like lemon balm. The usual proportion for 4 cups of salad is:
1/3 cup oil
3 Tbs. vinegar of choice or citrus juice or a combination
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs. chopped fresh herbs or 1Tbs. dried
If using:
2 tsp. of a condiment
1 tsp. of a seasoning
2 tsp. of a seed

Cheese can also be an option; Feta, Blue and Parmesan are favorites. A chef I knew created an “Italian” potato salad served on red leaf lettuce, with Parmesan blended into the dressing and leaves of oregano and basil tossed in. The colors of the Italian flag with a taste to match, it was a big success with her clients. The important thing to remember when making the dressing is to blend the ingredients, except fresh herbs and seeds, adding the oil in a stream to create an emulsion. This sets the taste and gives the dressing a creamy smoothness that won’t ‘break’ or separate. Then toss with the potatoes adding the herbs or seeds and allow at least 30 min for the flavors to meld.

Potato Salad with Summer Coleslaw Dressing: Makes 2/3 cup vinaigrette covers 5-6 cups salad Serves 6-8
½ cup oil
2 Tbs. white or white wine vinegar.
3 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. Dijon or brown mustard
1 ½ tsp. celery seed
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ tsp. paprika for garnish
Whisk first 5 ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill and allow flavors to meld for at least 30 min. Stir again and pour over cabbage in a bowl. Toss well. Garnish with paprika before serving.

Sweet Potato Salad with Lime: 4 servings
2 lbs. sweet potatoes
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno minced
2Tbs. brown sugar
¼ cup oil
Salt to taste
1 Tbs. lime zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup toasted cashew pieces—OR wasabi coated peanuts roughly chopped
Cut the potatoes in half if necessary to fit in a single layer in a deep skillet with a lid. Add water to depth of ½ inch. Cover and simmer about 15 mins. or until crisp tender—not mushy—check by pricking them. Peel skins off while warm. Blend the next 4 ingredients adding oil in a stream to make a vinaigrette; season with salt to taste. Pour 1/3 of the vinaigrette in a shallow bowl. Diagonally slice potatoes in ½ inch rounds. Put into the serving bowl and drizzle with the rest of the vinaigrette. Toss gently with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and marinate for 2 hrs. Mix mint and lime zest and gently toss with potatoes just before serving. Garnish with about 1 Tbs. of nuts, and pass the rest on the side.

A simpler rendition of this salad is:
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Island Sweet Potato Salad: Serves 6
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, unpeeled
3 Tbs. oil
½ tsp. lime zest
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup cashew pieces
Boil potatoes until crisp tender, then cut in half and into thick slices. Alternatively, slice, toss in 1 Tbs. oil and roast at 400 deg. for 20 min, turning once. Whisk remaining oil, lime zest, juice and cilantro. Gently toss with potatoes. Chill until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature garnished with nuts.

German Potato Salad: Serves 6 *
2 lbs. small potatoes- cut in bite sized pieces and boiled to crisp tender with skins on
1 medium onion – thinly sliced
2 Tbs. oil
4 slices turkey bacon
1 Tbs. cider vinegar or to taste
½ Tbs. sugar or to taste
Drain potatoes. Gently sauté bacon until crisp, remove, drain, crumble and reserve 1 Tbs. Cook onion in oil until soft, then add vinegar and sugar until taste is pleasantly sweet-sour. Add potatoes, non-reserved bacon and toss. Allow to marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hrs. Serve warm in winter or at room temperature during summer, garnished with reserved bacon.

*NOTE: Traditionally this salad is made with regular bacon, preferably a thicker, fattier slicing and the grease is used in place of the oil. This is a healthier, less caloric version which I think works well, but the original is always a tasty choice.

Tex-Mex Potato Salad: Serves 6*
2 lb. red skinned potatoes- cooked to crisp-tender and cut in ½ inch round slices
6 green onions-white and light green parts sliced on an angle
1 small jicama peeled and in small dice
(1) 15 oz. can golden hominy-drained
¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro-divided
½ cup olive oil
6 Tbs. lime juice
3 ½ tsp. dried cumin
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbs. chopped jalapenos- jarred is fine
1 tsp. dried oregano
Puree the last 6 ingredients taste for salt and pepper and marinate the jicama, hominy, green onion and ½ cup cilantro for 30 min.at room temperature. Gently add and toss in the potatoes and remaining cilantro. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least 2 hrs. before serving.
* Recipe adapted from one by Bon Appetit.

French Potato Salad: Serves 4
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes- cooked to crisp-tender, in large dice, well drained and chilled
2 lemons—juiced
2 bunches of Arugula- washed and tough stems removed, spun dry and chilled
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. crumbled blue cheese
Chopped or dried parsley flakes for garnish
Whisk the lemon juice and oil until well mixed. Optionally add the cheese and whisk until dissolved*, or save it for garnish. Toss the arugula with ½ the dressing, and line 4 plates. Divide the potatoes among the plates and drizzle with the remainder of the dressing. Garnish with the cheese, if separate from the dressing, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve cold or room temperature.
*The lemon juice and olive oil with the blue cheese whisked in is the recipe for French Blue Cheese Dressing, and can be used on any salad that suits a blue cheese dressing.

ENJOY SPRING STRAWBERRRIES ALL YEAR

Fresh spring greens make us happy because we see them as signs that winter is over, but it’s the arrival of strawberries that really gets us going. They tell us that warm weather is here to stay and summer is near. This message is especially clear if you buy locally grown berries. Their taste is wonderful! Strawberries thrive in almost all climates and freshly picked are so different than the ‘plastic’ transported ones market-available all year. If you can’t get to a farm or farm market, most food stores run specials on ‘local’ ones at this time.

I was lucky when my children were young, because we lived close enough to the country to have farms with ‘Pick your own’ policies a short drive away. Taking the kids out to the fields gave them a way to use that end-of-school-year energy and desire to ‘be free’ as well as safely satisfy the annual summer urge to explore and forage, with the added bonus of tasty rewards.

We would bring ‘our bounty’ home, often a couple of pails full, hulling and eating our fill that day but the problem was keeping the rest edible and for how long? This is a problem whether you have access to farm produce or simply want to take advantage of seasonal sales.

As I’ve often said, my Mother was expert at freezing all kinds of berries. I’m not! I’m all about avoiding waste by finding ways to use the berries, especially those of ‘lesser’ quality by discovering recipes to preserve them for future enjoyment or by making them quickly ready for future preparations.

I learned that the simplest, least space consuming way to preserve berries is to puree and freeze them, for me, in 1 cup freezer containers or bags. I cover the puree in containers with plastic wrap and press the air out of the bags to prevent ice crystals from forming and liquefying the contents. Later, I can thaw it and add it directly to recipes like soufflés, or make a sauce for a tart by cooking it with cornstarch and covering transported, available off-season berries, thus giving them the special taste of ‘Fresh Spring ‘strawberries ‘. There are lots of options for desserts all year, and trust me, they’re show stoppers for every dinner from New Year’s on.

Of the recipes below, only the first, Strawberries Romanoff, requires fresh berries, and truly shines with the fresh field-picked ones. But hey, it’s the season! The tart is also better with fresh berries, but, as explained, can be made later in the year. The Strawberry Preserves, which will last for many months, are an easy way to use up excess or damaged berries. The Soufflé and Mousse recipes are great with fresh berries, but do equally well with thawed, pureed ones. The ice is a done deal, but don’t try to substitute it for the puree. It contains far too much water!

All these recipes seem impressive, but are really easy to make. Give them a try and really enjoy strawberries this year—all year!

Strawberries Romanoff: Serves 6-8 A traditional, elegant dessert, but so easy it seems like cheating.
2 pts. Ripe strawberries
2 cups + 2 Tbs. sugar
1/3cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
Peel of 1 orange- with no pith attached, in thin 1 inch long strips
¾ cup heavy cream
Wash, hull and dry the berries; place in a bowl with 2 cups sugar, orange peel and liqueur. Stir gently and refrigerate for several hours. Whip the cream with the 2 Tbs. sugar and chill. Serve berries in individual dessert dishes and pass the cream on the side.

Glazed Strawberry Tart: (1) 9 inch cooked tart shell or (6) 2 ½ inch tart shells
6 cups washed and hulled strawberries—divided in 2 parts= 3cups of the best berries and 3 cups regular
1/3 cup sugar
1Tbs. lemon juice
1Tbs.cornstarch
Drop+ red food coloring—as needed to give a rich color
Arrange the 3 cups of the best berries in the pastry shells and mash the others well. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing down to release juice. Cook the juice with the other ingredients over low heat until they form a thick, clear sauce. When slightly cool, pour the sauce over the berries in the shells. Serve chilled, optionally with whipped cream.
NOTE: See tip above for using this recipe all year

6 Minute Preserves: Yields 5-6 cups preserves- A simple colonial recipe that still works
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6 cups sugar
4-6 Tbs. lemon juice
Wash the berries by placing in a colander and dunking up and down in a large pot of water. Do not let water run over the berries. Place the colander in a large container and cover with boiling water and let stand 1 min. then drain well. This allows the berries to absorb the sugar. Place the berries in a 6-8 quart kettle with half the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a rolling boil, one that can’t be stirred down and cook 3 min. Remove pot and skim. Add the rest of the sugar, repeat the process. Remove from the heat and allow to stand overnight, occasionally pushing the berries down into the syrup. If the growing season was rainy, or the syrup seems too thin, boil again for 1-2 min. When completely cool, seal in sterilized jars or paraffin covered jelly jars. Keeps for months in a cupboard

Strawberry Souffle: Serves 6 -This is really a cinch, but very impressive.
1 pt. berries
8 eggs separated
½ cup + 1/3 cup sugar
½ lemon –juiced
1 Tbs. Cointreau – optional
Butter to grease the soufflé dishes
Powdered sugar for garnish
Wash, hull and drain the berries and process to a fine puree. Scrape the puree into a bowl. Add the egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, liqueur and beat thoroughly until light and fluffy. With clean, dry beaters whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the yolk mixture. Spoon mix into 6 well-greased soufflé dishes and place on a baking sheet in a pre-heated 450 deg.oven Bake 7 min. reduce heat to 425 deg. and bake 7 min. more. Serve hot garnished with powdered sugar.

Strawberry Mousse: Serves 6-8 Better than ice cream because it’s all natural
1 quart strawberries-washed and hulled
1 pt. heavy cream – whipped
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
Add sugar to the berries, let stand 1 hr. and mash well. Whip cream with vanilla and gently stir into berries along with salt. Pour into freezer containers or into a mold and cover bottoms with a piece of lightly oiled waxed paper. The cream tends to form a dry crust when frozen. If using a mold, rinse with water firs, but don’t dry it out. This makes unmolding easier. Freeze at least 4-6 hr. preferably longer. Will keep for weeks.

Strawberry Ice: Serves 6-8 Great to have on hand for a quick ‘dessert fix’
2 quarts strawberries- washed and hulled
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
Puree the berries. The yield should be about 2 cups. Boil the water with the sugar until it dissolves, then cool. Mix all the ingredients, beat well and pour into a covered freezer container. Freeze until slushy, a few hours, turn out into a bowl and beat again. Return to container and freeze until firm. Keeps as long as commercial ice cream. Very good with meringues or a whipped topping.

START MOTHER’S DAY RIGHT FOR EMPTY NESTERS

Last week’s posting was about Mother’s Day meals for young, active families. This week is about pleasing my group of mothers, those with older children; children in their late teens or out of the house, perhaps with families of their own. After a busy week, these moms like to sleep-in a bit and many are looking forward to dinner in a restaurant or with family. Planning three meals doesn’t really do for them, but a late morning brunch is perfect. It removes morning hunger and keeps it at bay until dinner.

The brunch doesn’t have to be elaborate, just something a bit different. The day’s honoree will usually pitch in and help, so long as the meal can be enjoyed in a leisurely way with good companionship and conversation. The following recipes are for dishes that can be dressed up with pastries, fruit and salads or simply served with coffee and toast. They require little effort, both to make and better still, to clean up. In short, they’re perfect for the occasion.

The first five recipes are from my book SOME RECIPES FOR MOTHER’S DAY. The last two are my favorites. One is my own Mother’s take on a classic, Creamed Chipped Beef. The Creamed Mushrooms on Toast is my own invention. Recipes for 2 can be doubled and those serving 4 easily halved.

Eggs Florentine: Serves 4
(1) 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach
4 eggs
1tsp. salt OR 1 envelope bouillon powder-beef or chicken
Pinch nutmeg
Grated Parmesan cheese
Thaw and drain the spinach in a sieve until it is moist but not wet. Mix in the bouillon or salt and nutmeg then divide it between 4 greased custard cups or ramekins. Top with a raw egg and sprinkle with cheese. Place cups in a pan with ½ inch water and bake at 350 deg. 15 min. or until eggs are set.

Frittata; Serves 4
Count on using about 1 cup vegetables, leftovers or canned are perfect. If using frozen or raw, they must be sautéed or blanched first. Frittatas are also forgiving. If one sticks and won’t slide onto a plate, slice it in wedges and serve it in the pan.
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetables*
2 Tbs. oil
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup milk or water, or milk + water to equal this amount

Pinch salt
¼ tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp. paprika
Ground pepper to taste
Optional toppings- for example ¼ cup grated cheese or 1 cup tomato sauce.
Cut vegetables to ½ inch size or thin slice In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs, with all other ingredients except the oil and the vegetables. Heat the oil in an 8-9 inch skillet over medium. Turn on the broiler. Sauté the vegetables, or if cooked, turn them over in the oil to coat and warm. Reduce the burner heat to medium-low and pour in the eggs. Cook, gently pulling the eggs away from the sides of the pan, and tilting it to allow the uncooked portion to run into the spaces, until the eggs are fairly set, but still quiver in the center. Put the pan under the broiler, until the top begins to tan and all the eggs are cooked. Add the cheese, if using, before broiling and the sauce as serving. Be careful not to put the handle of the skillet in the oven, unless it is metal. Slide the frittata onto a plate to serve.

* If not using leftovers, substitute an equal amount of cooked fresh or frozen vegetables. Broccoli and green beans can be parboiled. Others, such as a zucchini and onion combination.

* ½ cup diced meat can replace ½ cup of the vegetables

Baked Eggs in a Cloud— Recipe for 4
4 large eggs separated
4 thin slices of ham or smoked turkey
2 drops of cider vinegar
Butter for the [an
Salt and pepper
Optional seasonings
Lightly butter a 7X7x1 ½ inch square ovenproof pan. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Lightly grease the bottom of the pan, and line the bottom and sides with a single layer of ham leaving a slight overhang all around. Whip the egg whites until they stand up in peaks, incorporating the vinegar half way through. Add seasonings. Spoon them over the ham. Using a spoon, make 4 dents in the whites, evenly spaced for portions. Put a yoke in each depression. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until whites are slightly brown and yokes are just set. Serve at once. I like a bit of curry powder or dry mustard in the whites. Alternately serve with Worcestershire sauce to top.

Eggs Adeline: Serves 2
2 eggs
2 slices Canadian bacon- cooked
2 Deli slices Swiss or Cheddar cheese
2 thick center slices of beefsteak or other large tomato
1 English muffin
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Split and toast the muffin. Layer equally on each half in order the bacon the tomato and then
cheese. Run under a hot broiler until the cheese just melts Meanwhile, poach the eggs. Top each muffin half with an egg and sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce.
Note: Substitute toasted slices of Italian bread for the muffin and put the topped slices in the microwave for 30 sec. instead of heating the broiler.

Classic Quiche Lorraine: Serves 4
Quiche is a dish that allows a lot of room for variety, yet is quite simple to prepare. If one of these won’t be enough for your family, make two and use different ingredients. Think of it as if you were making pizzas with different toppings.-but here it’s bottoms!
(1) 9 inch deep dish pie shell-store bought is fine—baked
1 Tbs. butter
4 oz. sliced mushrooms—(1/2) 8 oz. can will do
1 small onion diced
4 eggs
1 cup light cream or whole milk
½ tsp. dried mustard OR prepared Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheese -Swiss usually preferred
Salt and pepper.
8-10 slices bacon cooked and crumbled OR ¼ lb. sliced Deli smoked turkey
Dash of ground nutmeg
Paprika and dried parsley
Spray skillet with cooking spray and cook bacon until crisp or frizzle smoked turkey and dice. Melt butter in skillet add mushrooms and onion and cook until they render their juice.-about 3 min. Line a 9 inch pie plate with the crust. Put mushrooms, onion and bacon in the bottom of the pie shell and cover with the cheese. Then pour over the eggs beaten until frothy with the milk, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the nutmeg, garnish with the paprika and parsley and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 min .Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 30 min. more. Allow to stand 5 min. before cutting.

Creamed Chipped Beef: Serves 4
(1) pkg. dried beef—about 6-8 oz.*
2 cups milk or 1 ½ cups milk and ½ cup heavy cream or half and half
4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. flour
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms
¾ cup peas or cut green beans cooked to crisp tender
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp. curry powder – optional
Parsley
Pull off any strands of fat and cut the meat into 1 inch squares. Prepare the cream sauce by heating the butter until it foams and stirring in the flour to form a roux or paste. Add the milk quickly and return to the heat, stirring constantly until a smooth, creamy sauce develops. Add the other ingredients and cook over warm, stirring until the mixture is heated through.
Serve hot, garnished with parsley over toast, in patty shells or in baked potatoes.
*Substitute and equal amount of Deli sliced ham or 2 cups cubed leftover ham.

Creamed Mushrooms on Toast: Serves 2
8 oz. button mushrooms-try to get large ones
¼ cup white wine
1 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 cup half and half
¼ tsp. marjoram
Salt and pepper—optional-taste before adding
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley-for garnish
4 slices of toast—I like rye bread
Clean the mushrooms and coarsely chop the stems.
Briefly broil the caps on a foil covered sheet, turning once and reserving any juice that appears. Melt the butter in a skillet and gently toss the stem pieces until slightly wilted. Add the wine and flour and make a roux. Add the liquid, marjoram and any reserved mushroom juice; stir over medium heat until sauce thickens. Taste for salt and pepper. Divide the toast between the plates and arrange the caps on top, then spoon the sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

LET KIDS HELP COOK ON MOTHER’S DAY

I love cooking with children. It can be such fun. I learned this one spring, years ago, when I agreed to bake cakes for three events scheduled on three successive weeks. The first Saturday, I saw I had an audience of my daughter and friends, eager to lick the batter. The second Saturday, they were waiting for me and by the third, were perched on the counters asking questions. I realized I had a cake fan club when they showed up the fourth Saturday, though I had no cake to bake. I simply reached for a box of mix and got started cooking, thus beginning what was dubbed ‘Cake Saturdays’ that summer.

Our weekly project soon evolved from layer cakes into sheet cakes that were consumed at the pool over the weekend. By September, I had a rather accomplished crew of sous chefs who participated in the baking process. In fact, over the coming years, they anticipated when I would be contributing food to certain events, school fairs, community gatherings, bazaars and club occasions, and showed up to help. We baked many a cake or pie, made doughnuts, meatballs, and quantities of side and main dish salads and casseroles together. It’s interesting to note that each of these kids, at some point during their school years, worked in a restaurant.

Today they are all food knowledgeable, nutrition conscious adults. One is a professional in the food industry, holding two degrees from The Culinary Institute of America. Perhaps it was a trend of the times, and I’m sure a lot of family influence was involved, but I like to believe that early positive kitchen experience was partially responsible for their healthy attitude toward and appreciation of food.

The key phrase is ‘early positive kitchen experience’. Children are different in the kitchen. They’re curious, interested, perhaps because they’re reward oriented, and so enthusiastic it’s contagious. Their eagerness to learn lowers their defenses. They look to you to teach them tasks for which they will be responsible, and recognized as such. In doing so, you gain their trust and they begin to open up to you. It’s the best bonding opportunity ever, but only if you give them a skill or responsibility they can take away with them. Chastise them, or relegate them to being spectators and the door shuts.

So what can children safely do in the kitchen, especially those in the first years of grade school? Actually plenty! They can spread bread and fill sandwiches, stir and mix, particularly if it involves squishing things with their hands, like meat balls, rinse and drain, or strain and sieve. They can spray oil on pans, shake items in bags to flour coat them, sprinkle herbs for flavor or garnish and they love forming patties, cutting dough shapes, chopping nuts with the bottom of a can and stringing skewers. Older children can measure ingredients, even combine them in to a recipe, open cans, use a grater or chopper, with supervision run a blender or processer and many other tasks.

The trick is to give a child a job that requires they pay attention and then more difficult jobs as they progress. Keep an eye on them but don’t hover. Play up their pride in accomplishment but don’t overly praise, especially the older ones and treat them as colleagues achieving peer status in the kitchen.

The person in charge of cooking for the family on a regular basis usually does these things instinctively, because they welcome help on a regular basis. However, for other family members, they are tips to help get to know a child and what better time to try them out than Mother’s Day, when the object is to keep Mother out of the kitchen?

To help achieve both goals, I’ve written a book, RECIPE SUGGESTIONS FOR MOTHER’S DAY. It contains lots of delicious recipes for all three meals, plus desserts, which can easily be made with the help of children. Also included are two full days of menus, which I worked out for neighbors. In the first, the father was away and the children wanted to make Mother’s Day special. In the second, the family was packing to move and only had limited equipment to work with. They may offer some suggestions or pointers. In addition, I’m including recipes from each meal category, showing how simple it is to involve children in your kitchen plans.

Yogurt with Bananas and Nuts: Serves 4
3 large, ripe bananas –or 3 very ripe bananas (the brown won’t show when they’re mashed)
16 oz. Greek yogurt
4 Tbs. toasted chopped nuts, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts
Using a fork, mash the ripe bananas or peel the fresh bananas, wrap separately in plastic wrap and microwave 1 min. on high. Cool, unwrap and mash. Gently mix with the yogurt and spoon into 4 dessert dishes. Chill briefly to cool and sprinkle nuts equally over the tops as garnish. Serve chilled with baked goods, buns, biscuits, muffins or croissants. To chop nuts, put them in a plastic bag and pound with the bottom of a tin can. Children can mash, mix and chop.

Tuna and Bean Salad: Serves 4
6 oz. can solid white tuna in water- drained
16 oz. can cannellini or other white beans
4 plum tomatoes quartered OR 16 grape tomatoes (optionally,the tomatoes can be diced and mixed in)
2 tsp. dried basil
Ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. powdered garlic
1 Tbs. oil
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Mix the last 5 ingredients well and set aside to let the flavors form a dressing. Gently toss the first 5 ingredients, then add the dressing. Allow the whole to chill for 30 min. at least to meld flavors. Serve on lettuce lined plates garnished with a sprinkle of basil and the tomatoes fanned on top. Excellent with a loaf of artesian bread. Children can prepare almost if not all of this dish.

Beef Kabobs This is calculated for 5 skewers but 4 servings, so that the excess can be shared.
A crowd pleaser! Marinate the meat the night before or early in the day and the meal comes together quickly.
2 lbs. Top round London broil 20 cherry tomatoes
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar 2 large green bell peppers
1/3 cup oil 2 large onions
1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce 25 button mushroom caps
2 tsp. dried thyme – divided
2 tsp. dried oregano – divided 1 box long grain and wild rice mix
1 tsp. paprika – divided
2 tsp. dried rosemary – divided 5 skewers 12” long
2 tsp. garlic powder – divided
2 tsp. dry mustard powder – divided
Trim any fat off the meat. Place in an oblong glass dish; pour on the vinegar, oil and Worcestershire Sauce. Sprinkle half the given quantity of each of the herbs over it.
Allow to marinate for 2 hours, turn it over and sprinkle the rest of the herbs on the other side .Keep turning the meat every few hours for about 6 hours, or overnight. This is to give both sides of the meat equal time in the marinade. When ready to cook, cut meat into 25 large pieces. Reserve marinade.
Cut the peppers into 20 large pieces, and cut each onion in 8ths, then separate those pieces to make a total of 20 segments. Wash the mushrooms, saving the caps and slicing the stems. Thread 5 skewers, alternating meat and vegetables, starting and ending with meat. I find the vegetables hold better during cooking if the natural curved shape of the pepper and onion pieces is used to form parentheses enclosing the tomato and mushroom caps. Use a mushroom cap as a ‘stopper ‘ on the end of each skewer. Grill as per your usual routine but don’t overcook. If broiling, I like to do it on a lower shelf, for 8-10 min. That way the vegetables have a chance to cook through without burned skins. Do not cook kabobs until rice is ready.

Cook the rice according to package directions, substituting the marinade for an equal amount of the water required, and adding the sliced mushroom stems. Hold on warm while meat cooks.
This only needs a simple green salad

Children can mix and marinate the meat. Once the items are prepared, they love stringing the skewers.

Easy Berry Angel Cake
(1) 1lb. purchased pound cake
(2) 8 oz. tubs of Whipped Topping
1 pt. box of strawberries
Save several nice berries for decoration. Slice the rest and sprinkle with sugar. Allow to rest a
few hours for the juice to extract itself. Just before serving, cut the cake into 3 layers. Spread first with 1/3^rd of the whipped topping, spoon ½ the sliced berries over it allowing the juice to drip down the sides. Repeat with 2^nd layer. Finish with 3^rd layer topped with the rest of the whipped topping and the reserved decorative berries.

Children can sort and marinate the berries and assemble the cake.

AN OLD FAVORITE RETURNS

There’s a prediction circulating in the food industry that the next big topic of interest will be lamb. It’s about to reappear on our menus and in our diets in major ways for strategic reasons I’ll discuss in a bit, but first, some basic facts about the meat as we’ve known it in the U.S.

When I was little, we always had leg of lamb for Easter. Though it was my favorite roast, I really preferred the stew, made with fresh spring potatoes, carrots, peas and onions, that came a few days later, but best of all was the lunch I carried to school Easter Monday; thin slices of lamb between slices of Jewish rye, one spread with mint jelly and the other with a veneer of home-made mayonnaise. (Post 4/20/17). Yum!

By the time I reached high school, our family, sadly, had shrunk, and Easter had become a far more social day. The only meal we had at home was brunch after church. The roast lamb had become a memory. Even that faded, as lamb in general, all but disappeared from the market and, except for an occasional special featuring rack of lamb, from restaurant menus as well.

Lamb was a staple of the American diet, especially in spring, until the West opened and focused on the cattle industry, which put a halt to the expansion of sheep herding. Cattlemen were possessive of the grass lands, because the two animals can’t coexist in the same areas. Cattle yank high grass out by the roots and leave a barren area to re-seed itself. Sheep nibble the grass down to the ground. They leave a field looking like a mowed lawn. It needs only to re-grow; great ecologically, but impossible for cattle.

By the 1920s beef was more plentiful than lamb, and far less expensive. It became the “What’s for dinner?” meat. In the ‘30s and ‘40s that was important. The ‘flower-power’ attitude of the ‘60s did a number on lamb too. ‘Lamb’ was depicted not as the full gown sheep it is in reality, but as an innocent, defenseless baby and considered politically incorrect to eat. In the late ‘70s or early ‘80s lamb made a brief comeback in the form of frozen legs from New Zealand, but they disappeared as well.

Recently, I heard a woman in her 40s admit she’d never tasted lamb, and her friend remarked that it had too strong a flavor for her. Apparently, it’s been absent from the American table long enough to become an acquired taste and from the American kitchen to have a few facts of prepping it forgotten. It does have more flavor than beef but the strong taste comes from leaving too much fat on the cut to cook with the meat. Another reason to remove the fat is that lamb meat is protected by a thin silvery membrane called ‘the fell’ which must be removed or the cut will resist carving. My family also rubbed the lamb with cider vinegar, which mellows the flavor

There are several misconceptions about the terms applied to lamb. First, the ‘lamb’ on the plate, despite its label, is not technically a ‘lamb’; it’s a full grown sheep. ‘Baby lamb’ is an oxymoron, but the only places you’ll find that served are, occasionally in Europe, and in the Middle East. Another misconception is the definition of ‘mutton’. Mutton is not an old, tough sheep on its way to the glue factory. Mutton is a cut, usually a leg that has been allowed to hang long enough to become well ‘aged’. Sometimes it’s rubbed down with wine during the process, but it’s always quite fatty, which accounts for its distinctive flavor. Any of the recipes for lamb can be used to cook mutton.

As to why lamb is about to make a reappearance on our tables, the answer is simple. It’s a more sustainable meat source than beef and with current cattle raising and slaughtering practices, a safer one as well. Most of all, with the current situation, depletion of natural resources, global warming, climate change, loss of grazing land and extreme, disruptive weather patterns, sheep appear to be a solution.

• They take up far less area, are less labor intensive and leave no footprint.
• They mature faster
• They produce meat and hides as do steers but also milk and an annual supply of wool, which has kept sheep farmers in business.
• Sheep don’t naturally produce E.coli
• Sheep can thrive in many terrains, including mountains and marshes, surviving on the native foliage, weeds, reeds, lichen, and moss. It doesn’t affect the texture of the meat but gives it nuances in flavor, much as flowers do honey.
• With beef so high, the price is competitive

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The very best thing about cooking with lamb is the wide range of recipes in different cuisines globally. Open any ethnic cookbook and you’ll find numerous ways to serve it. Lamb is an ancient meat, probably the earliest, domesticated herbivore. It’s a shame the American kitchen has neglected it for so long, because we too, in our comparatively short history, have a tradition in preparing it. An excellent collection of American recipes, many based on Continental classics is to be found in James Beard’s American Cookery. It was written in 1972, but its informative material is timeless.

Because of the sheer number of ways to prepare lamb, and the various ethnic interpretations, I can’t begin to select a mere 5 or 6 to relate here. So, instead I’m going to pass on the methods my Grandmother and Mother taught me for handling cuts of lamb. This will cover the basics, and then you can take off in any direction(s) you choose.

Roast Leg of Lamb or Mutton: 5-8 lb.
Trim the leg well and remove the fell (see above).Rub with cider vinegar, and drizzle a little over the leg after it’s in the roasting pan. Roast in a 325 deg. oven for 25-30 min. per pound, until the internal temperature is 165-170 deg. for rare and 175-180 deg. for medium.

NOTE: French and Jewish chefs make slits about 1 inch long and ½ inch deep, 3-5 inches apart, over the surface of the meat and stuff them with mashed garlic and/or butter and/or rosemary to infuse flavor while cooking.
Traditionally, peeled potatoes and onions are added to the pan 1hr. before it’s done. Another choice would be to add the onion stuffed potatoes I described in my post of 4/6 / 17. Be sure to baste them frequently. If the juice in the pan evaporates, maintain its level by adding beef broth. New potatoes in a variety of colors, with a strip peeled around the middle, are another attractive option.
GRAVY: Allow ¼-1/3 cup per serving. Measure quantity of beef broth needed, allow 1 tsp. mint sauce* and 1 Tbs. flour for each ½ cup fluid. If pan drippings are ½ cup or more, add one extra Tbs. flour. Remove roast to rest and add drippings to the pan. 1 tsp. of rosemary can add flavor too. Whisk the flour in the liquid to dissolve, place pan over medium high heat and continue stirring until sauce thickens, about 3 min. Add salt and pepper if needed, and I like a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet for color. Serve hot with the meat and pass mint jelly.
*MINT SAUCE: Per 1 bunch of mint; make as much as you want. Remove the leaves from a bunch of mint; cover with cider vinegar and add sugar until the taste is sweet-tart. Bring to a boil; simmer for about 5 min. correct taste cool and blend. Pour into bottles and seal tightly. Keeps for months in a cool dark place.

Lamb Stew
The quantities here depend on the amount of lamb leftover, but allow at least 1 ½ -2 cups of solids and ½ cup gravy per serving.
Calculate: 1 new potato, 1 small onion, ½ a large carrot sliced in 4, 1/3 cup tiny spring peas per serving. Quarter the onion and potato, and cook them, with the carrot, in beef broth to cover until tender. Remove from pot and make the correct amount of gravy, using the recipe for the roast. Include any leftover roast gravy. A pinch of rosemary may add flavor. When gravy is ready, return vegetables to pot, with peas and meat. Correct seasonings and heat through. Serve hot as soon as peas are tender.

Crown Roast of Lamb: 4-6 lb. Serves 6-7-Bake at 325 deg. 35-45 min. per lb.

A Crown Roast is double loins, with the chine bones split, attached end-to-end and tied into a circle by a butcher. To serve, cut between the bones into chops, allowing 2 chops per portion. The bones should be ‘Frenched’ or stripped of tissue, and can be decorated for presentation with grapes, grape tomatoes or paper ’panties’. Traditionally this roast doesn’t have gravy but is served with mint jelly or mint sauce. The center is usually filled with a choice of stuffings; the most popular being
1) 2 lb. potatoes, ½ lb. onions, both thinly sliced, 3 Tbs. butter, salt and pepper. Parboil the vegetables and layer alternately, dotting each with butter, pressing down to pack tightly. Begin and end with potatoes. Garnish the center with ¾ cup lightly cooked new peas and decorate the bones as suggested above before serving.
2) Substitute quartered new potatoes, tiny pearl onions and baby carrots for the sliced vegetables, in optional quantities. Parboil about 2 min. Drain well and sprinkle with 1 tsp. rosemary. Proceed as directed above, dotting with 2 Tbs. butter. Garnish with 1 cup peas and suggested decorations.
3) Mashed potatoes, flavored with sautéed, diced onion, salt and pepper

Rack of Lamb: Serves 4-6
2 racks of lamb called a French Rack, because the bone ends are stripped and interlocked-about 12 chops
½ cup mint jelly
2 Tbs. orange or pineapple juice
SAUCE
2 Tbs. red currant jelly
2 Tbs. hot water
1/3 cup mint sauce
For sauce mix all the ingredients together and cook over low until warm through.
Place the racks bone side up in a pan. Mix the mint jelly and juice, using a microwave for a few seconds if necessary to dissolve and brush ¾ of the mixture over the racks. Bake at 375 deg. for 45-65 min. until internal temperature is 140 deg. for rare or150-155 for medium. Baste with the rest of the mint mixture and allow to stand for 10 min. keeping warm. Serve with sauce.

Shepard’s Pie: Serves 4-6
it’s claimed the colonial settlers brought this dish with them. Long regarded as a way to
use leftover roast lamb, its popularity with children has surely also contributed to its
endurance. In modernized form it’s an easy casserole to make, even without leftovers!
1 lb. ground or minced leftover lamb*
2 large onions each in 8 pieces
(1) 10 oz. box frozen peas thawed
¼ cup mint sauce – See recipe above but Lea & Perrins and Hampshire House are good
1 envelope beef bouillon granules
½ envelope chicken bouillon granules
2 cups water – divided
2 Tbs. cornstarch

Kitchen Bouquet – as needed @ ½ tsp.
Cooking spray
1 box instant mashed potatoes – enough for 2 cups
Milk – as per box directions
1 egg
1 Tbs. butter
Pepper to taste
¼ cup grated Parmesan
Dried parsley and paprika to garnish
Spray a skillet with cooking oil, and over medium heat cook the meat until no longer
pink, with the onions until soft. Add 1 ½ cups water, bouillons and mint sauce. Dissolve cornstarch in ½ cup water, mix in and stir until gravy thickens. Remove from heat and add enough Kitchen Bouquet to turn the gravy deep brown. Stir in peas, and pour the mixture into an oiled ovenproof casserole. Make mashed potatoes according to directions, remove from heat and stir in egg. Spread the potatoes over the meat mixture, covering completely. Top with parmesan, paprika and parsley. Bake 350 degrees for 30 min.or until top is golden brown.
* This can also be made using ½ lb. ground lamb and ½ lb. ground beef OR ½ lb. ground beef and ½ lb. ground turkey

Lamb Burgers: Serves 4
1-1 ½ lb. ground lamb –I like the larger amount for 4. I lb. Meat handles 3 servings well
½ cup mint sauce (see above)
2 large onions – thinly sliced
1 Tbs. oil
Home-made mayonnaise(see above)
4 hamburger, or other favorite rolls –split and toasted
Saute the onions in the oil until soft and golden, keep warm; split and toast the rolls.
Mix the meat with the egg and form into 4 patties which will comfortably fit the rolls. Place the patties on an aluminum covered sheet; pour 1 Tbs. mint sauce on each. Turn patties and repeat with the other side. Bake in a 350 deg. preheated oven until cooked through, about 15-20 min.
Assembly: Optionally spread one side of the rolls with mayonnaise. Place a patty on each roll; top with onions and serve warm.
NOTE: The meat can be served as a regular dinner entrée, with sides. For this presentation, don’t flatten the patties.