Food

The Perfect Blend

A handy-dandy kitchen appliance can take most of the work out of Mother's Day.

sor and blend until just combined.
Transfer to a small serving bowl or plate
and serve. Makes 2 cups of spread.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

Bs

other's Day is just around
the corner. This year, the
date set aside expressly to
pay tribute to mothers everywhere is
Sunday, May 8. So you have time to
think about how you'll show Mom
just how much you appreciate her.
My own mother claims to want or
need "nothing," and would rather just
spend a special meal with her family.
So, in my family, there will be cooking.
Breakfast or brunch is the easiest
meal to prepare and a delightful way
to begin the day. And preparing foods
with a blender or food processor is a
fail-safe way to make breakfast food
fancy, fast and delicious.
Imagine a delicious quiche — quick
and savory. With a pre-made pie crust
and a blender, it can go together in a
few minutes. Just bake — the oven
does the hard work. Steamed aspara-
gus gets a slightly flamboyant
makeover with a blender lime Hol-
landaise sauce. Or serve that quiche
with a fresh, bright spinach salad with
blender-made sweet-and-sour dressing.
For variety, dish up banana pecan
pancakes. The quick blender batter is
easy and you can "pour" the pancakes
directly from the pitcher. Need more
ideas? Below is a small cache of blend
and cook recipes just about anyone
can prepare flawlessly.
Of course you don't have to wait
until Mother's Day to whip up these
recipes. They're perfect for anytime you
want something simple, yet special.

ASPARAGUS WITH
LIME HOLLANDAISE
2 pounds asparagus spears
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. hot red pepper sauce (such as
Tabasco)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
salt and white pepper to taste
Trim the woody ends from the
asparagus. If the stems are very thick,
peel the bottom three inches with a
vegetable peeler (so that they are the
same thickness as the upper stems).
Melt butter in the microwave oven,
in a microwave-safe bowl (cover loose-
ly with plastic wrap and cook on high

for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes). The
butter should be very hot.
Meanwhile, place egg yolks and hot
pepper sauce in a blender and blend
on high until foamy. With the motor
running, slowly drizzle in the melted
butter (the sauce will thicken). Drizzle
in the lime juice. Add salt and white
pepper to taste. Set aside.
Steam or microwave the asparagus
until just al dente. Serve the asparagus
hot with the Hollandaise sauce
spooned over. Makes 8 servings (you
may have extra sauce left over).

QUICK SPINACH AND
SWISS QUICHE
1 deep dish pie crust
2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen
chopped spinach, thawed, drained
well
1 cup chopped scallions
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere of other
Swiss cheese
Filling:
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill (or 1
Tbsp. dried dill)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. brown sugar
Preheat oven to 375F. Adjust the

oven racks so that one is in the center
of the oven and one is just below it.
Place pie crust in a deep-dish pie
plate (you may also purchase the crust
already in its own pan). Sprinkle the
spinach, scallions and cheese over the
crust. Combine all the filling ingredi-
ents in the pitcher of a blender or
bowl of a food processor and blend
until smooth. Pour this mixture in the
crust and place the quiche on the top
rack of the oven with a baking sheet
on the rack just below (to catch poten-
tial spills).
Bake for 1 hour, or until the filling
is set and puffy. Remove from oven
and allow to cool for about 20 min-
utes or more before serving warm or at
room temperature. Cut into wedges
and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

HONEY WALNUT CINNAMON
CREAM CHEESE
This a wonderful spread for bagels,
toast, nut breads or waffles. For vari-
ety, substitute 1/2 cup of your favorite
jam or preserves for the honey and
cinnamon for a fruity spread.
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup walnut halves
Combine all ingredients in the pitch-
er of a blender or bowl of a food proces-

TAPENADE
This French olive spread is similar to
olivada, the Italian olive pesto. Serve
- this as a spread for crackers or a top-
ping for scrambled eggs. It's rich, so a
little goes a long way
1 1/2 cups Kalamata or good quality
black olives, pits removed (about 1
pound with pits)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. drained capers
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup packed fresh flat-leafed pars-
ley leaves
Rinse and drain olives. Combine the
olives, oil, capers and garlic in the
pitcher of a blender or bowl of a food
processor. Blend until the mixture is
very finely chopped (do not puree).
Add the parsley and blend or pulse
until just combined.
Transfer the mixture to a serving
dish and serve at room temperature.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.

FROZEN BERRY SMOOTHIE
This is a fresh and chilly alternative to
morning 0J.
2 cups frozen berries (any variety or
combination - do not thaw)
1 cup (8 oz.) fruit yogurt, any kind
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup ice cubes.
Combine all ingredients in the
pitcher of a blender and blend until
smooth. Makes 2 servings.

BANANA PECAN PANCAKES
2 cups milk or orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium ripe bananas
3/4 cup pecan halves
butter or oil for cooking
Accompaniment: sliced bananas,
toasted pecans and chocolate or
maple syrup
Combine juice, oil and eggs in the
pitcher of a blender or bowl of a food

THE PERFECT BLEND on page 67

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4/28

2005

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