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Orange, Endive, Watercress and Walnut Salad with Chevre Crostini
Grilled Salmon with Herbed Sweet Onions
“Green” Rice Prima Vera with Asparagus, Peas & Pods
Roasted Rhubarb Honey Mousse

Suggested wine with dinner: Chinook Sauvignon Blanc
Do ahead’s: Up to 2 days in advance—for the salad make the dressing and toast the walnuts, for the dessert pre-roast the rhubarb.

My menu for a D’licious Mother’s Day dinner is totally Northwest and celebrates our local and regional products to the max! The menu serves 6 – but can always be doubled for a bigger crowd.

We start with a fresh and bright salad of sweet, colorful oranges, vibrant watercress, and slightly bitter Belgian endive—tossed with a tangy tarragon dressing and a scatter of toasted walnuts. (Okay, the oranges aren’t from here!) Serve the salad with baguette slices spread with creamy Chevre goat cheese –These are served hot from the oven—the perfect creamy-crunchy foil to the salad.

Then it’s on to salmon. Make sure it’s Pacific - and wild—not farm raised—as there is absolutely no comparison in flavor. The fish is simply seasoned, then grilled – or if the weather totally prohibits grilling, you could broil or sauté the salmon – hot and quick.

Top the salmon with herb-marinated slices of sweet onions. This is soooo pretty—the pink salmon peeks through the rings of green-flecked white onion slices. And it’s easy easy easy.

Mutual Fish, one of my long time favorite fish stores has Fresh Wild Troll-Caught King Salmon from Alaska for this weekend – but be sure to call to be sure they still have some before making the trip. Mutual Fish (206) 322-4368 location: 2335 Rainier Avenue S. Seattle

“Green” Rice Prima Vera with Asparagus, Peas & Pods is the perfect accompaniment to the salmon. Fragrant basmati rice is baked then you fold in asparagus, English peas and pea pods.

To top it all off, there’s a dessert inspired by my grandmother—who every spring and early summer had a pan of tart-and-sweet rhubarb stewing. For Roasted Rhubarb Honey Mousse, sliced rhubarb is tossed with sugar and then slow-roasted to a syrupy goodness. Then it’s chilled and folded with honey-sweetened whipped cream. It is heavenly and Mom will sure to be impressed!

Orange, Endive, Watercress and Walnut Salad with Chevre Crostini
Makes 4 servings

3 large oranges
3/4 cup finely julienned red onion (if onions are strong in flavor, soak in ice water for 10 minutes then drain well)
1 large head Belgian endive
1 -2 bunch watercress, (depending upon size) leaves and tender sprigs picked from coarse stems – (or substitute 3 cups mixed salad greens)
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, then toasted
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing
4 tablespoons regular or low-fat mayonnaise
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Chevre Crostini
12 1/4-inch-thick slices baguette
6 ounces Chevre-style soft goat cheese

Cut rind and all white pith from oranges, cut in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons. Rinse onion julienne in cold water, and drain thoroughly. Split endive in half lengthwise, remove core, and slice endive lengthwise into strips.

Place orange slices, onion, greens and walnuts together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, and honey. Gradually whisk in oil, emulsifying dressing. Whisk in tarragon. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Meanwhile, spread baguette slices with Chevre. Place on a baking sheet and toast in oven for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until bread is crispy. Keep warm.

Add dressing to salad ingredients and toss to coat evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss again. Divide salad among 6 plates and serve with the Chevre Crostini.
©2008 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Grilled Salmon with Herbed Sweet Onions
Makes 6 servings

Onions
1 large Walla Walla Sweet or other sweet onion, cut in 1/2-inch rings
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil or cilantro
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon 1/2-inch pieces fresh chives
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
…………………
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 fresh salmon fillet portions, skinless (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Dish D’Lish French Seasoning Salt (available at www.kathycasey.com or in the Northwest; Metropolitan Markets)
   or Kosher salt and pepper
lots of fresh herb sprigs for garnish

To make the onions: Carefully separate the onion rings and place in zip-style plastic bag. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt, chili flakes and oil. Pour marinade over onions, and close the bag, expelling excess air. Turn bag to coat onions evenly, then refrigerate. Marinate rings, refrigerated, at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally. Just before serving, place onions and marinade into a large bowl, and gently toss with the chopped herbs.

To grill salmon and serve: Heat your grill to hot. Meanwhile, place the olive oil on a large dinner plate; swipe each side of the salmon fillets through the oil, then season well with Dish D’Lish French Seasoning Salt or salt and pepper. Place on hot grill, and cook—creating crisscross marks on each side of the salmon. Cook fish till desired doneness. Different-sized salmon fillets will cook differently—just use good judgment and try not to overcook your salmon.

Place grilled salmon on plates and divide onions evenly among them, piling high and spooning marinade over. Garnish plates with fresh herb sprigs if desired, and serve immediately.

Note: For a summer buffet table, grill a whole side of salmon and serve on a large platter, festooned with the herbed onions and fresh herb sprigs.
Recipe from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books, San Francisco.
Copyright © 2006 by Kathy Casey.

“Green” Rice Prima Vera with Asparagus, Peas & Pods
Makes 6 servings

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained well
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons minced lemon zest
2 tablespoons cream
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
————————–
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup snap or snow peas, trimmed, stringed, and sliced on the diagonal
3/4 cup slant cut asparagus
1/2 cup frozen peas, partially defrosted, or shelled fresh peas
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
fresh pea vines for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the very well-drained rice in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Set aside.

Combine water and chopped parsley in a blender and blend to cut parsley very fine. Reserve.

Melt butter in a non-stick or heavy saucepan. Add onion and sauté over medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add water-parsley mixture, being sure to scrape the parsley into the pan. Add lemon juice, zest, cream and salt, and bring to a boil.  Stir the mixture into the rice, being sure to scrape up and include all the goodies. Seal tightly with foil and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. When rice is done, fluff with a fork, and keep warm while finishing the vegetables.

During the last few minutes before rice is done, heat oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add pea pods and asparagus, and sauté about 1 1/2 minutes. Add shelled peas, and sauté about 30 seconds more – or until just tender. Season vegetables to taste with salt and pepper, and fold vegetables and chives into rice before serving. Garnish with fresh pea vines if desired.
Recipe from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books, San Francisco. Copyright © 2006 by Kathy Casey.

Roasted Rhubarb Honey Mousse
Makes 6 servings

1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut in 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
1 cup sugar
…………………………………………………
3 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss together rhubarb and sugar and place in a 9- x 13-inch glass baking pan. Roast, uncovered, in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until rhubarb is soft and syrup is slightly caramelized. Stir thoroughly and carefully after the first 20 minutes.

Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours, until completely cooled.

Whip cream cheese with 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the honey in a mixer until very fluffy. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in chilled rhubarb mixture. Whip the cream with remaining tablespoon honey until firmly peaked. Stir about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the rhubarb-cream cheese mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Dish up into 6, pretty glasses. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then top with a little plain whipped cream if desired and an edible, spring flower, such as a pansy.

Note: If selecting edible flowers from your yard, be sure they are edible and have not been sprayed with pesticide or other chemicals. Rinse all blossoms thoroughly.
Copyright © 2003, Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Listen to me, Kathy Casey every Thursday at 4:15 on KOMO.

Upside-down cakes are a major comfort food. They have been a mainstay over the years at church suppers and family picnics. When I was a kid, my mom’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake was one of my favorites, partly because it was so mysterious and amazing to see it being put together with the pineapple in the bottom of the baking dish and then have the wonderfully gooey, caramelized pineapple slices end up on the top. Magical!

But hey, upside down cakes are not just for dessert. For a tasty wake-up variation I whipped up a Breakfast Oatmeal Apple Upside-Down Cake. This moist cake is not too sweet and is a real treat for a weekend brunch. My tasting team especially liked it topped with a pouf of yogurt.

Breakfast Oatmeal Apple Upside-Down Cake
Makes one 10-inch round cake, serving 8 to 10

Batter:
2/3 cup rolled oats
½ cup golden raisins
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup boiling water
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

Apple layer:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup chopped pecans
1 Gala apple, cored, skin on, sliced in thin wedges
Vanilla yogurt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch round cake pan with vegetable cooking spray and set aside.

To prepare batter: Mix oats, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg in a heat-proof container and pour measured boiling water over mixture. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the apple layer: In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and the pecans; pat out into the bottom of the cake pan. Then lay the apple slices out evenly on the brown sugar mixture. Set aside.

To finish batter: In a large bowl, combine the 2/3 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and oil; mix well. In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, soda and salt, then add to sugar mixture. Add plumped oat mixture and stir well.

Without disturbing the apple layer, add batter to the cake pan carefully, and then lightly rap pan on counter to release any bubbles. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done.

Let sit 5 minutes after coming out of the oven, loosen sides of cake from pan with a table knife, and then immediately invert cake onto a large plate. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with dollops of vanilla yogurt if desired.

Copywrite 2005 Kathy Casey Food Studios

It signals the beginning of spring when vibrant stalks of rhubarb poke their heads out of the ground and wait for the sun to shine upon them—brush stroking them to brilliant pink or ruby red, all ready to show up at grocers and local farmers markets.

When I was a kid, there was a neighbor’s garden right up against the playground’s cyclone fence, with openings just big enough for small hands. We dared each other to reach through the fence, pull up a super-tart, under ripe rhubarb stalk and take a big bite. Ooooew! It is still one of my favorite prankster jokes to play on the non-rhubarb-savvy. “Hey, have you tried this cool new red celery? Isn’t it beautiful—here, try a bite!” Hee-hee.

Rhubarb stalks range in color from pale green, sometimes speckled with pink, to pink and bright red—coloring depends on the variety, and is not a guide to quality or degree of sourness. Hot house rhubarb is the first to come into the grocery stores, but it doesn’t have as big a flavor as local crops or that grown in backyards

The one thing to be cautious of if using home-grown, is to be sure that only the stems are eaten and that any leaf is trimmed off as the leaf portion is poisonous.

Rhubarb has lent its tangy flavor to pies and applesauce over the years and is most commonly used in desserts. Try baking up my Apple Rhubarb Sour Cream Tart with Walnut Crust. The sweet apple, tart rhubarb and delicate custard are wonderfully set off by the nutty flavors of the crust and crunchy topping. You can either make this pie before dinner and pop it out of the oven about 30 to 60 minutes before you plan on serving it, or bake it early in the morning then refrigerate it until dinnertime.

Apple Rhubarb Sour Cream Tart with Walnut Crust

Makes 1 (9-inch) tart

Crust

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons walnut pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cold, cut in pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
Topping2 tablespoons butter, cold
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup regular rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnutsFilling

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
2 cups peeled, 1/2-inch-diced Gala apple
2 cups of 1/2-inch-sliced rhubarbTo make the crust: In work bowl of food processor, combine flour, cinnamon, walnuts and salt. Process until nuts are very finely chopped. Add butter and pulse in until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

With processor running, add ice water, about 1/2 tablespoon at a time, and process only until dough starts to form a ball. Do not over-process dough. Remove dough from processor. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes before rolling.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl make the topping: Cut the butter into small pieces, and add the remaining topping ingredients. Combine with fingers until crumbly. Set aside.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, stir sugar, flour and salt together. Add the egg and sour cream and whisk till smooth. Add the diced apple and rhubarb and mix in gently. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a bit bigger than a 9-inch pie pan. Brush excess flour off crust, then gently roll up crust onto rolling pin. Unroll into pie pan and fit crust into pan. Roll excess crust over to make a thick edge, then crimp decoratively.Spoon filling into crust. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes.

Remove pie from oven and sprinkle with topping, distributing evenly. Return pie to oven for about 30 minutes more, until topping appears to be slightly crispy and lightly browned.Cool thoroughly before cutting. Store refrigerated. ©2006 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®