Saturday we had friends, Shawn and Michael over for dinner. With Shawn being a destination wedding planner and me a wedding photographer, it takes some doing to find a Saturday when all four of us are free. It was so great to catch up.
Shawn and I’s cocktail wine was a bottle of the French, La Galoche, Beaujolais Blanc 2016. Gary and Michael started with the Greek, Galavas Voudomato 2016 Rosé. With dinner, we drank the Spanish Casa Morales, Rioja 2016 Rosé and ended the night with a bottle of the French, Puech Haut Prestige 2016 Rosé. We were all over the map, but it worked for us. All of our wine choices I have previously reviewed.
These recipes are for at least six people. We had lots of leftovers. By the way, Lemon is Tonight’s Dinner Theme
Deconstructed Deviled Eggs on Toast
You know when you plan on making deviled eggs, but the hard boiled egg whites are not cooperating as you peel off the shell. This is when you decide to deconstruct the recipe. Or it’s when you want to dress up a deviled egg to an “hors d’oeuvres.”
Ingredients
- 1 dozen large eggs
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- french baguette sliced this and toasted or 1/2 a loaf sliced and quartered white sandwich bread
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Paprika, for dusting
Preparation
Hard boil your eggs in a saucepan covered with water and add the vinegar. In a large saucepan, cover the eggs with water, add the vinegar and bring to a rapid boil. Cover the pan and remove it from the heat; let stand for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs and cool them under cold running water or ice cubes.
While eggs are cooling, slice the baguette or quarter the bread slices on the diagonal and arrange them in a single layer on a large cookie sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for about 6 minutes, turning once, until barely browned.
Shell the eggs and halve them lengthwise. Rough chop half of the egg whites and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the remaining whites and all of the yolks to a food processor along with the mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice and process until smooth. Scrape the mixture into the bowl and blend with the chopped egg whites. Season with salt and pepper.
Top the toast points with the egg spread and dust lightly with paprika. Arrange the toasts on a platter and serve. Alternatively, serve the egg spread in a bowl with the toast points alongside.
Download Recipe Here: Deconstructed Deviled Eggs on Toast
This recipe was modified from Katie Lee’s Recipe in Food & Wine magazine
Salmon with Pasta & Peas in a Creamy Lemon – Dill Sauce
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 whole salmon filet
- One whole lemon, sliced into 10 thin slices
- 2 leafy sprigs fresh dill, whole
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 pats salted butter
Sauce
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 stick of butter
- 1 clove of garlic
- zest and juice of 2 large lemons (zest first in two separate containers)
- 1 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost)
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 3 sprigs fresh dill, finely chopped with thick stems removed
Pasta
- 1 – 16-ounce box of pasta, uncooked
Preparation
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Roll out enough heavy duty aluminum foil to create a pouch to wrap the salmon. Place this foil on the sheet pan for baking. Place three pats of butter on the foil. Lay the filet on top of the butter so that the butter is placed evenly under the fish. Pour the wine on the salmon from end to end. Pour the olive oil on the salmon from end to end. Place the lemon slices in two rows from end to end. Evenly distribute the dill sprigs from end to end.
- Cover tightly with more heavy duty foil and bake for 8 minutes for medium-rare or 10 minutes for medium or 12 minutes for medium well. Once the salmon is cooked to proper temperature, open the foil to release steam and heat and allow the fish to cool. Move salmon to a dish and pour poaching liquid into a small bowl. Set both aside.
- Cook the pasta until just al dente. I usually cook it a couple of minutes LESS than the package tells me to, this way the pasta retains some bite. Drain, and lightly toss with olive oil and set aside.
- Place the fish and pasta in the refrigerator until 30-40 minutes before you begin making the sauce.
You can do the above in advance
- Twenty minutes before serving time, heat the cream in an x-large saute/skillet pan. Add the poaching liquid and bits and bring to a slow boil. Next add the frozen peas, the flaked salmon, the lemon juice, zest of one lemon, and the salt and pepper to taste and heat everything through and through. Finally, add the cooked pasta mix everything well. Allow pasta to simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes to meld the flavors making sure the sauce is good and bubbly hot. Take the time to give it a taste, and adjust the salt and pepper, and maybe add more lemon if it needs more pow! or cream if it needs more sauce.
- Garnish with finely chopped dill and the zest of the second lemon.
Note: You may choose only to use half of the salmon for a lighter meal. Then refrigerate the remaining half for salads later in the week.
Download Recipe here: Salmon with Pasta & Peas in a Creamy Lemon – Dill Sauce
Mâche & Fennel Salad with Lemon Agave Vinaigrette
Our salad green: Mâche. A European salad green that grows in small, rosette-shaped bunches. It has dark green leaves on short stems with a distinctly sweet taste. I bought a 3.5-ounce container of OrganicGirl Mâche at Earth Fare, a regional Whole Foods equivalent. Next, I thinly sliced a fennel bulb for crunch and flavor contrast and added to the mâche. I served it with a Lemon Agave Vinaigrette. Olive oil, Meyer Lemon juice, agave nectar, salt, onion powder and lemon pepper. Remember the 3:1 ratio of oil and acid. Sweet is to taste.
Now for dessert… Fresh Strawberries served with Lemon Ricotta Cheese and a Lemon Sweet Cream. The Lemon Ricotta Cheese I bought at Costco but loved it so much I searched and found recipes to make it myself next time. But I made the Lemon Sweet Cream and here is the recipe. It is super easy and so deliciously sinful.
Lemon Sweet Cream
Ingredients
- 8-ounce package of cream cheese
- 7-ounce jar of marshmallow fluff
- zest from one Meyer lemon
Preparation
Whip together the room temperature cream cheese and the marshmallow fluff with an electric mixer until well blended (no lumps). Blend in the lemon zest. Put in a bowl and serve with fresh strawberries.
Download Recipe Here: Lemon Sweet Cream
Well, that was dinner on Saturday. I hope you will try any or all of these recipes.
Cheers,
rick
