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Flavors of Spring
Asparagus with Lemon Aioli ~ Wild Mushroom Risotto ~ Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Cherry Sauce and Pepper Oil Sugar Snap Peas ~ White Chocolate Mousse Domes with Raspberry Sauce ~ Macaroons Coffee
It’s spring, time for spring cleaning and cherry blossoms and a sense of renewal. What better time to throw a fresh, lovely spring dinner for some friends or family. Spring colors are clear, fresh and bright. I think of ice cream colors like pink, lemon yellow, apple green and tangerine. Your dinner should likewise have fresh, clean flavors. We’ll see nothing that has simmered for hours on this menu. But light flavor does not necessarily mean “lite.” The French have the right idea: to maintain health, eat beautifully presented, beautifully prepared food that satisfies you, rather than reduced calorie, reduced fat junk that leaves you still hungry.
For the table setting, I have chosen a mint green tablecloth and big, luxurious napkins. My “Wild Strawberry” china from Wedgwood looks beautiful along with silver flatware and crystal wine goblets, both in a simple pattern. My serving pieces will be white. I could use silver service plates for a more formal look, but in keeping with my desire to keep the look fresh, clean and light, I will skip them this time.
My favorite flowers for early spring are sweet peas, and tulips, so I’ll buy whichever looks best at the farmer’s market for a casual centerpiece. I’m putting Vivaldi and Mozart on the stereo. For party favors, I’m filling small, hand-made boxes with Medicis sugared almonds in spring colors. These almonds are the best ever, and are usually available at Williams Sonoma this time of year. They can also be ordered online from www.williams-sonoma.com, or search on “Medicis almonds” for a number of other sources. If you don’t want to actually make your boxes, scout out the options at your local craft store that you can paint, decoupage, or just leave as they are and tie with a gorgeous ribbon.
3-4 stalks of asparagus per person, trimmed (or more – see note at end of recipe) 2 egg yolks, room temperature ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon dry mustard 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup canola oil Kosher salt
Warm the blender by dipping the bottom of it in a bowl of hot water for a minute or two. Dry off the blender and add to it the egg yolks, salt, dry mustard, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Whirl together and begin adding the oil, drop by drop, until about ¼ of the oil has been added and an emulsion has formed. At this point you can add the oil a tiny bit faster in a thin stream until all the oil has been added and you have a thick mayonnaise. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Peel the asparagus with an asparagus peeler or a vegetable peeler. You want to take off only a very thin layer. Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl filled with ice water and a couple of tablespoons of kosher salt. Throw another 2 tablespoons of kosher salt into the boiling water and add your asparagus. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until crisp-tender – peeled asparagus takes hardly any time at all, so watch carefully. You don’t want it to be limp when you are finished. Immediately remove to the ice bath to stop the cooking. The salt will help keep the bright green color. Drain and refrigerate until cold.
Alternatively, you can toss the peeled asparagus spears with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast at 350 º in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray about 10 minutes, more or less, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Chill.
Arrange 3-4 asparagus spears on each plate and add a dollop of aioli alongside. Or place all the asparagus on a serving plate along with a bowl of aioli and let guests help themselves. Note: In that case, you might need more than 3 stalks per person. This dish is always wildly popular.
2 ounces thinly sliced pancetta 1 pound mushrooms, a mixture of some cremini and some wild, sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, very finely minced Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup water 1 tablespoon butter 1 shallot, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 ½ cups Arborio rice ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 tablespoon butter Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnish (shredded Parmesan works fine, too)
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay out the slices of pancetta in a single layer. Broil until crispy, about 1-2 minutes. Crumble and set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Toss in the mushrooms and sauté until nicely caramelized and all the juices have reduced to almost nothing. Stir in the parsley and keep warm.
Bring the chicken broth and water to a simmer in a saucepan. In a deep skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the shallot and the garlic clove and sauté until the shallot is softened, but has not begun to brown. Remove the garlic clove. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until all the rice grains have been well-coated.
Add a ladleful of the hot chicken broth and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is almost all absorbed. Add another ladleful of the broth and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is almost absorbed. Continue adding broth and cooking and stirring until the rice is creamy and tender, but firm to the bite. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and remaining tablespoon butter. Taste for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Divide risotto among 8 bowls. Spoon mushroom mixture on top, and sprinkle crumbled pancetta on top of the mushrooms. Garnish with Parmesan shavings or some shredded Parmesan.
Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Cherry Sauce and Pepper Oil
4 pounds boneless butterflied leg of lamb ½ cup olive oil Juice of one lemon 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves Few grinds black pepper Kosher salt
½ cup dried cherries 2 cups red wine 2 tablespoons sugar pinch salt 1/3 cup cold water 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, rosemary leaves and pepper in a large plastic storage bag with a zip closure. Add lamb and marinate for several hours, turning from time to time.
Simmer cherries and wine until reduced by half. Stir in sugar and salt until dissolved. Let cool. Purée in a blender until smooth. Return to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mix together water and cornstarch until smooth. Whisk into sauce and cook until clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Keep warm, or refrigerate until ready to use and reheat before serving.
Remove the lamb from the marinade. Season both sides with salt. Preheat the grill to medium. Cook the lamb on one side for about 15 minutes. Turn and cook for another 15 minutes. Turn down the heat and cook slowly for 15 minutes more. Check with a meat thermometer. Continue cooking to desired doneness.
Remove lamb from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest 10-15 minutes. Cut across the grain into slices.
To serve: Put a puddle of warm cherry sauce on a plate. Place slices of lamb on top of the sauce, and drizzle pepper oil over the meat. Add sugar snap peas on the side, and serve.
Black Pepper Oil
2 tablespoons very coarsly
cracked black pepper
Heat oil and pepper in a sauté
pan over medium-high heat until mixture sizzles. Let sit about 2
minutes. Strain through a fine strainer. Refrigerate until ready to
use. Bring to room temperature before serving.
A handful of fresh sugar snap
peas for each person you are serving
Wash peas and remove strings by
breaking off a tiny piece of the end and pulling across. Preheat a
large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and butter. Stir-fry
peas until crisp-tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. White Chocolate Mousse Domes with Raspberry Sauce
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
9 ounces white chocolate, chopped 3 tablespoons water 1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 16-ounce bag frozen unsweetened raspberries (don’t use fresh for this) about ½ cup sugar, or to taste t teaspoon fresh lemon juice 16 whole fresh raspberries for garnish 8 fresh mint leaves for garnish
8 ½-cup dome-shaped silicone molds
Make your raspberry sauce the day before your dinner because it takes a long time for the berries to exude their juice. This recipe is Rose Levy Beranbaum’s method for the freshest tasting raspberry purée, which is described in her book The Cake Bible. If you have the book (it’s worth every penny), follow her instructions. If not, follow these general instructions: Put the frozen berries into a colander over a largish microwave-safe bowl and let sit for several hours to thaw so that the juice runs into the bowl. This can take 5-6 hours or more. When you have a cup or so of juice, microwave the juice until it is reduced to about ¼ cup. Purée the berries in the blender, and then put through a food mill or sieve to separate the pulp from the seeds. If you are using a sieve, this step can take some time, so be patient. Combine the pulp, reduced juice and lemon juice. Sweeten with sugar to taste. Refrigerate.
Melt 4 ounces semisweet chocolate in a small dish in the microwave, 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each 10 seconds. With a pastry brush, paint the inside of 8 dome-shaped molds, using half the melted chocolate. Chill in refrigerator a few minutes until set. Paint a second coat of chocolate on the inside of each mold. Refrigerate.
Put white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl with 3 tablespoons water. Set over a pan of barely simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Watch carefully and remove from simmering water for a few seconds if it seems like it is getting too hot. Set aside just until it is room temperature but not starting to set up. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the white chocolate mixture with a whisk. Fill the chocolate domes with the white chocolate mixture until level with the top. Put plastic wrap on the surface of the mousse and chill.
Unmold the domes before your guests arrive so you are not trying to do this in a hurry: Put the molds face-down on a baking sheet. Warm them for a few seconds with a hair dryer to loosen the chocolate, and very carefully unmold the domes. Refrigerate.
To serve: Place a dome on a dessert plate and surround with raspberry sauce. Garnish with two fresh raspberries and a mint leaf.
1 8-ounce can almond paste ¾ cups confectioner’s sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1 egg white 1 drop almond extract
Pulse almond paste in a food processor a few times. Add confectioner’s sugar and salt and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to an electric mixer. Add egg white and almond extract. Beat at medium speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag and pipe 1½ inch mounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350º until lightly golden, 12-15 minutes. Slide parchment with cookies onto a rack to cool. When cool, carefully remove cookies from parchment.
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Copyright © 2008 by Charlotte Rose. All rights reserved. |
