From top left: minty pea soup with fresh herbs; salmon with cucumber-caper sauce; glazed lemon cake with flesh strawberries. Opposite: asparagus with orange-shallot dressing.
MINTY PEA SOUP
WITH FRESH HERBS
This soup tastes like the very essence of
summer, made with peas, tender herbs,
and just a bit of seasoning. It delicate
in both color and flavor, and makes an
interesting addition to any meal. Serve
hot or chilled
6 cups whole milk
4 cups fresh or frozen peas
(thawed if frozen)
4 mint leaves
Leaves from 2 sprigs thyme
4 parsley sprigs
1 1/2 teaspoons onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
In a blender, combine milk, peas,
mint, thyme, parsley, onion and garlic
salts, sugar and white pepper. Cover
and puree until smooth. Place a fine
sieve over a saucepan and strain the
pea mixture, pressing as much liquid
as possible into the pan. Discard the
pulp. Place saucepan over medium-
low heat and bring to a simmer. Taste
to adjust seasonings. Serve immediate-
ly or cover and chill until serving.
Serves 6.
SALMON WITH WARM
CUCUMBER-CAPER SAUCE
Poached salmon is a classic summer
entree, here dressed with-a dollop of rich
sour cream, cucumber and caper sauce.
The fish fillets are gently poached in a
vorfitl broth of wine and aromatic vegeta-
bles, traditionally called court-bouillon.
1 bottle dry white wine
3 cups water (plus 1 to 2 cups
boiling water, if needed)
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Several sprigs parsley
Several sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
6 skinless salmon fillets
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 seedless cucumber,
peeled, halved lengthwise
and thinly sliced
1/4 cup capers, drained
(plus extra for garnish)
2 tablespoons finely
chopped dill (plus extra
for garnish)
In a large, deep skillet, combine
wine, 3 cups water, carrots, onion,
celery, garlic, parsley, thyme and bay
leaf Bring mixture to a boil and cook
over medium-high heat until the liq-
uid has been reduced by half, approx-
imately 10 to 12 minutes. Strain the
liquid, return it to the skillet, and
bring back to a simmer. Season with
salt and pepper. Place salmon fillets in
skillet, making sure the fillets are
completely covered by the hot liquid
(if needed, add boiling water). Turn
off heat, cover, and poach salmon
until slightly rare in the center,
approximately 10 to 12 minutes (or
longer if preferred). Meanwhile, melt
the butter in a saucepan. Add sour
cream, cucumber and capers and cook
over moderate heat, stirring until
heated through. Add dill and season
with salt and pepper.
When salmon is cooked to desired
doneness, transfer fillets to a platter or
individual serving plates, using a slot-
ted utensil to remove excess liquid.
Top with a dollop of sauce, and gar-
nish with capers and dill. Serves 6.
ASPARAGUS WITH
ORANGE-SHALLOT DRESSING
This is one of my most requested recipes.
Arranged on a pretty platter and decorat-
ed with orange slices and a stripe of
chopped red pepper, this salad looks beau-
Oil on a summer party buffet. It can be
doubled or tripled to feed a large crowd
2 1/2 to 3 pounds asparagus,
trimmed
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 large oranges, zested and juiced
(plus extra for garnish)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
1 cup finely chopped red pepper
Line a baking sheet with paper tow-
els. Bring a pot of salted water to boil.
Add asparagus, using a spoon or tongs
to distribute evenly. Cook for 3 min-
utes, then empty into a large colander
and place under cold running water to
stop cooking process. Drain and
spread on prepared baking sheet to
cool completely.
In a bowl, combine the shallots,
both vinegars, orange zest and juice.
Add the olive oil, whisking to com-
bine. Season with salt and pepper. In a
large ziptop plastic bag, combine the
cooled asparagus with the vinaigrette.
Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, arrange asparagus on a plat-
ter. Garnish with red pepper and
orange slices. Serves 6.
GLAZED LEMON SUNDT CAKE WITH
FRESH STRAWBERRIES
This humble, old-fashioned bundt cake,
made with lemon gelatin and a pack-
aged cake mix, is one of the best lemon
cakes I've tasted Fill the center with
whole fresh strawberries to really gild the
lily.
1 3-ounce package lemon gelatin
1 cup hot water
1 18.25-ounce package yellow
cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon extract
2 cups confectioners sugar
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh whole strawberries, washed
and dried
Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a
small bowl, dissolve gelatin in hot
water. Set aside to cool. In a larger .
bowl with an electric mixer, combine
cake mix and vegetable oil. Add eggs
one at a time, beating well after each.
Add the lemon extract and the cooled
gelatin mixture, beating well. Transfer
batter to prepared-pan. Bake for about
45 minutes, or until golden brown
and pulling away from sides of pan.
Remove from oven and cool in pan
for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine confec-
tioners sugar and lemon juice. Turn
cake out onto a wire rack placed over
a sheet of aluminum foil (to catch
glaze drippings). While cake is still
hot, drizzle glaze over top and sides.
Cool completely and allow glaze to
harden before slicing. (Cake can be
made 2 days ahead.) Tr - ansfer to a
serving platter. Serves 8.
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