Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

 

Sometimes the best dishes are the simplest ones; this beautiful heirloom tomato salad is a perfect example. It’s very simple to put together, can be assembled ahead of time, and drizzled with the dressing just before serving, a dressing that is both sophisticated and flavorful. If, like me, you’d prefer not to work with anchovies, do like I did, and use the paste instead. If you grow tomatoes in your garden, consider growing heirlooms. That way you can have this beautiful salad all summer long.  Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

Adapted from foodandwine.com

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

4 anchovies, minced*

1 garlic clove, minced 

1 t. finely grated lemon zest

1 medium Melissa’s shallot, thinly sliced

2 T. red wine vinegar

2 hard-boiled eggs

1½ lb. assorted Melissa’s heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Fleur de sel

Freshly ground pepper

Flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Marjoram leaves, for serving 

In a small skillet, combine the olive oil, anchovies, garlic and lemon zest.

In a small bowl, toss the shallot with the vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes.

Arrange the tomatoes on 4 plates and season with fleur de sel and pepper. Scatter the shallot and vinegar over the tomatoes.

 Warm the anchovy dressing over moderate heat to a gentle simmer; pour over the tomatoes. Cut the eggs in half crosswise and place a half on each plate. Scatter the parsley and marjoram over the salad and serve at once.

*I used ½ t. of anchovy paste

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Gathering Boards by Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill, Reviewed

 

I am a bit charcuterie board obsessed, which is why whenever I see a unique board, book, or card deck relating to the subject, I succumb. What can I tell you? I love cute food. I also love easy and relaxed food and entertaining.

Gathering Boards by Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill (scheduled for publication June 4, 2024) is one of the best books on the subject that I have seen. More text than photos, although there are plenty of those, I enjoyed reading about Sarah and what she’d learned from her mother, as much as I did reading about the various ways to make food boards to serve, to gift, and to pair with cocktails. If you only buy one book on food boards, make it this one. 

Sarah stumbled upon food board entertaining quite by accident. Her mother (to whom the book is dedicated), like mine, knew that if you’re serving cocktails, you also need to serve nuts. Sarah took it one step further, grabbed three different types of nuts, dumped each into its own bowl, added bowls of olives, and put everything on the entrance hall table. When her evening of entertaining was over, no one commented on the dinner over which she had slaved, but more on the clever way that she had served snacks. I loved that story.

  

Everything that you need to know about charcuterie boards is in this book, from selecting an appropriate board, choosing your cheeses, choosing the proper knives, prepping, arranging, and serving. Not only that, but there are photos and ideas for making specialty holiday boards for holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Mother’s Day. Her “Lakeside Snackle Box” is one of my favorites, and one of her most inspired. All ingredients are assembled in a [clean] tackle box, making it not only immensely clever, but perfect for Lakeside or Seaside dining.

 

There are special sections in the book containing information and ideas on every day gathering boards for winter, spring, and summer, making seasonal entertaining so easy for you. You will also find recipes for cocktails, snacks, and making your own cheese spreads.

 

 I don’t think I have seen a book on the subject as cleverly put together as this one. From the beautiful photos, to the various recipes for accompaniments such as cocktails and dips, to the delightful stories of her youth, this is one of the most informative and readable books you’ll find.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher Globe Pequot, and Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Asparagus Martini

 

 My dad was a martini man. His recipe was simple — a 5:1 ratio of gin to vermouth. This became my “go to,” and it never fails.  As you know from the book review that I posted on Sunday, April 28^th, I recently read Death in le Jardin by Ian Moore. When main characters Richard Ainsworth and Valérie d’Orçay are served an asparagus martini, it gave them pause. In all honesty, it would me too. I mean, I like martinis, and I like asparagus, but I don’t know that I would like a combination of the two. Naturally, I had to look into this, and it’s actually a thing. I found a number of recipes, and because Richard and Valérie found that they not only began to tolerate it as the book progressed, but began to actually like it, I figured that I should give it a try as well. I am a new convert. Refreshing, complex, and satisfying, this will make many appearances come summer. Asparagus martinis for all!

Asparagus Martini

 2½ oz. gin

½ oz. dry vermouth

2 stalks fresh asparagus, cut into thirds

Few drops of fresh lemon juice

You’re going to need to plan ahead for this, because the ingredients have to infuse. So the night before you plan to serve it, chill your martini glass in the fridge, combine the gin, vermouth, and broken stalks of asparagus in a cocktail shaker, or jar with a lid*, and refrigerate overnight.

When you’re ready to serve your asparagus martini, remove the asparagus, set aside, place ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes, and shake. Pour into your chilled martini glass, and place the top end of one of your asparagus spears into the glass. Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice, and serve.

 * I placed my ingredients into a ball jar, and vacuum sealed it before I refrigerated it to make the infusion more intense. I used this vacuum sealer that I absolutely love!

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Lemon Blueberry Loaf

 

I was craving blueberries, so when I found them on sale at the local market, I had to pick up a pint. I wasn’t paying very close attention at the time, so just grabbed one at random. When I got them home I found that they were the smallest blueberries that I think I have ever seen. In addition, they were pretty tart. Suffice to say that everything I had planned on doing with the blueberries suddenly screeched to a halt and I had to come up with a contingency plan. Because I had been craving lemon as well as blueberries, this Lemon Blueberry Loaf was like the answer to a prayer.Lemon Blueberry Loaf

 Loaf:

1½ c. flour, plus 1 tablespoon extra

1 t. baking powder

½ t. kosher salt

⅓ c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs

2 t. fresh lemon zest

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ c. whole milk

1 c. fresh blueberries

Lemon glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with Baker’s Joy.

 In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

 In a separate large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the lemon zest and lemon juice until well combined.

 Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Begin and ending with the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

 Reserve about a dozen blueberries and toss the remaining in 1 tablespoon of flour thereby preventing them from dropping to the bottom of loaf during baking step. Gently fold in the coated blueberries.

 Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and scatter the reserved blueberries over the top, pressing down lightly.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.

 Lemon glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and glossy.

 Drizzle the glaze over the cooled Lemon Blueberry Loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides.

 Let the glaze set for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

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Curried Chicken Salad

 

I like chicken salad, but let’s face it, chicken, on its own, particularly the breast, is rather insipid. I generally like to season it within an inch of its life with Montreal Chicken Seasoning to ensure the chicken salad is flavorful, but I also like to add lots of other ingredients to give it various textures, interest, and crunch. I like to not only add crunch, but also, savory, sweet, and tart. All of these tastes can be found in this toothsome Curried Chicken Salad.Curried Chicken Salad

 ½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice

2½ t. curry powder

½ t. kosher salt, plus more to taste

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

3 c. cubed cooked chicken*

½ c. diced celery

½ c. diced, peeled Granny Smith apple

½ c. golden raisins

2 scallions, chopped

½ c. cashews

Paprika, to garnish

 In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Fold in chicken, celery, apple, raisins, and scallions until well coated. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

 Just before serving, fold in cashews and sprinkle with paprika (if desired). Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.

 This is wonderful when served on romaine lettuce leaves, but it also makes a nice filling for lettuce cups, and no carbs!

 *It has to be cubed. That is the only way you’re going to get the proper chicken to celery to scallion to apple to cashew ratio.

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Fettuccine with Asparagus Cream

 

Springtime means fresh asparagus. Don’t you just love those tender, young stalks? If you’re anything like me, you want to make the absolute most of fresh asparagus while the season lasts. This means that you are going to want to incorporate it into your meals from morning to night. You can start your day with asparagus quiche or frittata, enjoy it pickled with a sandwich for lunch, or have it in a salad or soup as a starter for dinner. Failing that, you can try this unique and beautiful pasta dish that works equally well as a side dish or entrée.

 It is quick and easy to make, pretty on the plate, and company worthy.

Fettuccine with Asparagus Cream

 1 bunch asparagus

⅔ c. heavy cream

2 garlic cloves, peeled, but left whole

Copious gratings of fresh nutmeg

1/8 t. white pepper

⅓ c. grated Parmesan

Kosher salt, to taste

8 oz. fettuccine

Snap off woody ends of each asparagus spear and discard. Cut off tips; set aside. Cut remaining stems into thirds. Keep the tips and stalks separate.

In a small saucepan bring the cream and garlic to a boil. Remove from heat, remove the garlic, and stir in nutmeg, white pepper, Parmesan, and salt to taste; set aside.

 Cook the reserved stalks in boiling salted water for about 4-5 minutes until tender; drain. Add to cream mixture. Blend with an immersion blender, or with a mini food processor, until smooth and creamy.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Two minutes before the end of cooking time add reserved asparagus tips.

Gently reheat the cream, drain pasta and asparagus tips, and toss with cream.

 Divide into two bowls. Top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook by Alan R. Moon, Reviewed

 

 Years ago on PBS there was a program hosted by delightful Englishman, Graham Kerr, called “Dinner on the Diner.” Each week he and a number of fortunate guests would board a luxury train and explore one part of the world or other. Celebrity chefs were invited to cook along with the train chefs while touring, doing local food shopping, all the while seeing exciting points of interest along the way. I was a big fan of that show, and ever since then, have been very interested in taking a train trip, not only to see beautiful scenery, but also to stop in quaint towns, and be served marvelous meals, prepared by awarded chefs, and served by handsome young men in tuxedos.

 Sigh. Where was I? Oh, yes…

Because this doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me, I have to live vicariously in other ways, and have done just that by way of the recently published (April 2024), Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook by Alan R. Moon based upon his iconic board game of the same name. Prior to being introduced to this cookbook, I had heard of neither Moon nor the game, but having investigated, I must say that the game looks pretty darned cute. If only, she sighed heavily, I had someone to play with, but I digress.Those familiar with the game will find this cookbook easy to navigate as the recipes are organized by the destination tickets awarded in the game. These feature dining car menus inspired by the cities visited during your railway adventure.  Those unfamiliar with the game may be interested in knowing that it was first published in 2004, and later that year won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres Board Game of the Year award. Whether you are familiar with the game or not, this cookbook is a real winner. Visually it is most attractive. There are some truly wonderful pictures inside, the layout is inviting, and I love that there are specially designed menus for each destination, including a cocktail.The recipes look absolutely delicious, each of which is accompanied by a photo. I like that in a cookbook, in fact, I have come to demand it. In order for a cookbook to engage me, it has to be visually appealing first and foremost, and this one most definitely is. The recipes in the book, in nearly all cases, are easily doable, and utilize ingredients that you generally have at home. My mouth watered as I paged through. At the back of the book there is a comprehensive index of all of the recipes, handy conversion charts, and a map showing all of the train routes. There is a code in the back that you can scan in order to get the game so that you can play it yourself.Game fan, or not, train fan, or not, this is a delightful culinary tour of North America featuring recipes for delicious regional foods, accompanied by beautiful photography. Seasoned veteran or novice cook, gamer or otherwise, this is a must have for your culinary library.

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 Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.