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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
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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
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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
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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.
