Selected Recipes

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Ingredients

2 cucumbers

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

2 tablespoons margarine

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon farina

    salt to taste

1/8 tablespoon dried tarragon

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Peel, seed, and chop 2 cucumbers.

2. Cook the chopped scallions in the margarine until soft. Add the chopped cucumbers and the wine vinegar. Pour in the broth, and stir in the farina. Salt to taste, and add tarragon. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cucumbers are soft.

3. Put the soup into a blender, and puree it.

4. Pour the puree into a bowl, and whisk in the sour cream. Taste the soup for seasoning. Pour the soup into bowls, and garnish with cucumber slices and chopped parsley. Source: American Cookery by James Beard

Tarragon Chicken Salad Tea Sandwich

Make this delicious chicken salad at least several hours or one day before serving to let the flavors blend together. I like to serve it on a nice, sturdy brown bread, cut into finger sandwich triangles, or circles with a biscuit cutter.

For the chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup fresh herbs - your preference
1 onion, thickly sliced
juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

For the salad:
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped toasted pine nuts
1 TBSP. finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
¼  cup plain yogurt (low fat OK)
¼ cup mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste


Roasting the chicken: Spray a shallow roasting dish with cooking oil spray. Layer the bottom with thinly sliced onions, 1/2 cup fresh herbs of your choice. Lay chicken breasts on top and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast uncovered for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool and chop for salad.

Making the salad: Combine chicken with remaining ingredients. Taste for salt and pepper, and chill for several hours or overnight to let flavors blend. Cut bread into small finger sandwich size and place a tablespoon of salad on each. Top with a few tarragon leaves and serve.

Smoked Salmon & Green Onion Tea Sandwich

Ingredients

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3/4 pound sliced smoked salmon

1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup crème fraîche

3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

4 scallions, green parts only, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped watercress leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

24 thin slices white sandwich bread

Directions

1. In a small skillet, toast the sesame seeds over moderate heat, shaking the pan, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool. 

2. In a food processor, combine the salmon, wasabi, ginger and crème fraîche and pulse until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe out the processor. 

3. Add the cream cheese, scallions and watercress to the processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper. 

4. Using a small spatula, spread a scant tablespoon of the scallion cream cheese onto each of 3 slices of bread. Spread a scant tablespoon of the salmon mixture onto each of 2 slices of bread. Stack the bread, beginning and ending with a scallion layer; top the stack with a plain slice of bread and press to close. Repeat with the remaining bread, scallion cream cheese and salmon mixture to form 4 sandwich stacks. 

Minted Melon Salad

This is a simple, fresh fruit salad with a refreshing taste, and it’s pretty to look at too. It’s topped with alcohol, but juice can easily be substituted.

2 honeydew melons
2 cantaloupe melons
2 Persian melons
1 bunch (small) red grapes
2/3 cup Grand Marnier (or peach or pear schnapps)
Alternates for alcohol: Try orange juice or mango nector.
2/3 cup fresh mint, chopped

Cut fruit into bite size pieces. This can be done in the morning. If you are using the alcohol, add it just before serving, along with the mint. If you are using juice, you can add it and chill the fruit until serving. The mint should be chopped and tossed in just before the salad is served.

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lavender flowers, chopped finely

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

2 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cream together butter, sugar, lavender and mint with a mixer until light and fluffy.

Add flour, cornstarch and salt and beat until well mixed.

Divide dough into two, flatten into discs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness on a floured board.

Cut into 1 1/2" squares or into rounds.

Bake 20-25 minutes on parchment covered cookie sheets, or until golden.

Let cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

When completely cool, dust with lavender-flavored powdered sugar

Earl Grey Ice Cream

Ingredients

6 cups milk
1 vanilla bean
8 Earl Grey tea bags (purchased or make your own using t-sacs®)
1 1/2 cups sugar
24 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 cups cream

Preparation

Split the vanilla bean open and scrape the seeds into a heavy, 1 gallon pot. Put in the milk and 1 1/2 cups sugar and bring to a scald. Put in the tea bags and let steep for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Using a tabletop mixer, place the yolks and sugar in the bowl and mix at medium-high speed until the yolks are stiffened and are a pale, yellow color.

On low speed, gradually add about 2 cups of the hot milk and vanilla bean mixture.

Bring this mixture back to the pot.

Cook on medium-low heat until just thickened, and coats the back of a spoon.

Immediately strain through a fine strainer and chill overnight. (Putting the tea bags back into the ice cream mixture.) This helps to infuse the flavor of the tea into the milk and cream. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Note: This is a larger batch and can be made in smaller batches.

For a stronger flavor, use more tea bags.  Source: www.epicurious.com

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