Baked Pastry Puffs by Martha

The recipe of these pastry puffs was developed by David Lebovitz and showed up in his spring newsletter. They are so easy to make (in the blender), beautiful when they puff up, smell great as they are baking and taste delicious. Watch out Krispy Kreme .... no frying for these!

Baked pastry puffs

For the puffs:

Softened unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup flour

For the sugar coating:
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, melted.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Liberally grease a nonstick popover pan, or a muffin pan with 1/2-cup indentations, with softened butter.
2. For the puffs, put the 2 tablespoons melted butter, eggs, milk, salt and sugar in a blender and whiz for a few seconds.
3. Add the flour and whiz for 5 to 8 seconds, just until smooth.
4. Divide the batter among 9 greased molds, filling each 1/2 to 2/3 full.
5. Bake for 35 minutes, until the puffs are deep brown.
6. Remove from the oven, wait a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Remove the puffs from the pans. You may need a small knife to help pry them out.
7. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Thoroughly brush each puff all over with melted butter, then dredge in sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat completely. Let cool on a baking rack. Makes 9 puffs.

Mini Steak and Cheese by Martha

As part of hors d'ouvres night, I made mini-steak and cheese sandwiches. It meant making my own little buns, but that was real easy and once the buns are made, you can top them with just about anything .... sliders, tuna burgers, etc. I just grilled a steak, sliced it thin, added some provolone and grilled onions. Here's the recipe for the buns:

1-3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp. bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried yeast
2/3 c warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1 tsp. honey or sugar

Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Sprinkle the salt around the raised edge of the flour. Pour the water with the oil and honey (or sugar) into the well and sprinkle the yeast over the liquid. Let stand for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Draw the flour from the sides of the bowl with a spoon and mix to make a rough, sticky dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use the heel of one hand to gently push the dough away from you. At the same time, use your other hand to rotate the dough slightly toward you, guiding it around in a circle. Repeat kneading actions until the dough is smooth, shiney and elastic. About 10 minutes. Or once the dough has been mixed, place it in to the bowl of a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook. Set to low speed and let it knead for 10 minutes.

Put the dough in a clean, oiled bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. Deflate the dough by pressing down with the palm of your hand. The dough is now ready to be shaped.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Divide the dough into small walnut-sized pieces and shape into smooth rolls. Place on a floured baking sheet and press down gently to flatten the buns. Cover the a cloth and leave for about 20 minutes until doubled in size. Brush each bun with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 10 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

You can make the buns 3 days in advance, storing in an air tight container, or shape the buns and freeze. Bake frozen buns in preheated 400F oven for 20 minutes.

Beach Blanket Bingo Cupcakes by Martha

I'm getting ready to go to the All Candy Expo in Chicago in May and Libby Taylor at the National Confectioners Association showed me a cookbook from a baker who is providing a demo for attendees. The baker is a cupcake specialist. I thumbed through the cookbook and found a photo of some cupcakes I thought would be fun to bring to the beach. I brought the “parts” with me to the beach and everyone assembled their own cupcake after dinner one night as a surprise project. They were really quite easy and would be a great little project for kids.

The blankets are made from Starburst candies. Unwrap three and put them on a plastic sheet and zap for about 20 seconds. Cover with a second sheet of wrap and roll them out with a rolling pin and cut to size. (I ended up rolling them, and zapping again to get them to roll to the thickness that I thought would work best. Cut them to about 2” x 2”). I decorated some of the blankets with icing.

The faces are mini vanilla wafers and were probably the most time consuming. I just got a couple of tubes of Wilton icing and used a #1 tip for the eyelashes and a larger one for the hair.

To assemble the cupcakes: ice the cupcakes with white icing. Cut a marshmallow in half length-wise. Put one of the marshmallow halves at the top of the cupcake surface horizontally. It becomes the “pillow”. The second half of the marshmallow is placed perpendicular to the pillow and it is the form for the body. Put a little icing on the back of the decorated “face” and place it on the pillow. Mold the blanket a little and place it over the perpendicular marshmallow. Then take two Jelly Bellies and tuck them under the blanket for the socks.

Really, these were quite easy and the cool thing is that you can make the blankets and the faces ahead of time and toss them in a zip lock. Remember, there were many glasses of wine consumed before we got to this part of the evening ... you can tell by the one who's wearing two different colored "socks" ...

Beach Bean Burritos from Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Ouvres by Nancy

For the cornmeal cups
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 c cornmeal
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Combine flour, cornmeal and salt. Add it, a little at a time, to the butter mixture, stirring constantly until well incorporated. Knead it lightly with your hands.

Divide dough into 1-inch balls and press them into small muffin tins, using your thumbs to form cups inside the mold. The dough cups should be as even as possiible and come to the top of the tins.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.


For the Filling
1 15-ounce can of pinto or red kidney beans
½ cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 package small flour tortillas (about 15)

Drain the beans, reserving one¬fourth of the liquid. Combine the beans and reserved liquid, onion, cilantro, pepper, and oregano in a mixing bowl. Spread 11/2 tablespoons of the bean mixture on one half of the tortilla. Roll once, tuck both ends toward the center, and continue rolling. Arrange the burritos in an oven¬proof dish and cover with foil. Bake the burritos for 10 minutes, or until they are thoroughly warm. Serve immediately. Makes 12 to 15 small burritos. Can be cut in half. Use Salsa Verde as a dip.

For the salsa verde: (From Eliza Gonzales' Master Recipe)
10 tomatillos, medium size
1 avocado
3 garlic cloves
2 - 3 chiles serranos (vary according to preference for piquancy)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped with a bit of stem
1/2 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
Salt

Peel the husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in halves. Blend the tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro and chiles in food processor. Peel the avocado and cut it in half. Add to salsa and blend again until it is the consistency of a thick paste. Adjust to desired consistency with water or add another avocado to thicken. Salt to taste and serve.

More from the Beach -- One Fabulous Raspberry Souffle by Martha

Our dear friend Ed Wheeless gave me a copy of The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth by Roy Andries de Groot which is said to have been Patrick O'Connell's inspiration for the Inn at Little Washington.

Besides being a wonderful read, there are some amazing recipes in the book, including one for a raspberry souffle, which although requiring tender care that all souffles ask for, holds up beautifully and can even be served cold.

Preheat the oven to 350. Set the shelves so that the lower one will be about 2 - 3 inches above the floor of the oven with a space of about 8 inches between the lower and upper rack. On the upper rack, set a 10" cake pan upside down so that it will reflect heat downwards onto of the souffle. Choose a 1-1/2 quartr souffle dish, about 7-1/2 inches in diameter, lightly butter its bottom and sides, then sprinkle with superfine sugar and knock out excess.

For the raspberries:
7 oz. (14 tablespoons) superfine sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 lb. fresh, beautiful raspberries

Measure the sugar into a heavy saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of water and bring up to a solid boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent sugar from burning, until the sugar is all melted and continues to boil down to a syrup and reaches "hard ball" on a candy thermometer, 250 - 255. Turn off the heat and gently stir in the raspberries. Let them soak in the syrup while you beat the egg whites.

For the souffle:
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Optional: 1 tablespoon lemon zest or 1/4 c grated walnuts

Quickly beat the egg whites, preferably in a copper bown by hand with a ballon whisk, at the same time beating in the 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, until the whites stand up in firm peaks. Usins a rubber spatula, quickly fold in the still-hot raspberries and syrup and the optional lemon zest or walnuts, folding rather than stirring. Avoid overdoing it--don't try to mix everything perfectly. At once, empty the mixture into the souffle dish and place on the lower rack of the oven, immediately below the reflecting pan. Close the door gently and don't open it for 15 minutes, after which you test it by pressing down lightly with your finger. If it is firm and springy to the touch, it is done. Serve immediately, piping hot, or allow to cool very slowly at room temperature. As the sugar syrup hardens, it will support the souffle, which, once it is set, can be refrigerated until needed.

Corn Cups from Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres by Nancy

Makes 2½ dozen hors d’oeuvres

Corn Cup Dough
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
Pinch of salt

To make the com cups, cream together the butter and cream cheese with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt. Add it, a little at a time, to the butter mixture, stirring constantly until well incorporated. Knead it lightly with your hands. Divide the dough into 1-inch balls and press them into small muffin tins, using your thumbs to form cups inside the mold. The dough cups should be as even as possible and come up to the top of the tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Fill with Chili Pepper and Cheese mixture and serve.

Variations: Two tablespoons of a variety of minced ingredients can be added to the com cup dough. Try jalapeno peppers, scallions, chives, green onions, or red peppers.

Chili Peppers and Cheese. Makes 1 ½ cups2 jalapeno peppers
(fresh or canned), seeded and chopped
1 fresh chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Saute the peppers in olive oil until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Mix with the grated cheese, season, and spoon into corn cups immediately.

Amish Cheese by Martha

The week before the beach, I stopped at the Del Ray (Alexandria, VA) market to visit with Tom, the Amish cheese guy. He comes to the market rain or shine, just about 12 months a year, bringing food made by the Amish. He's not Amish, himself, but brings cheese, yogurt, baked goods made in Pennsylvania.

I picked up a piece of cheese to bring to the beach that's my favorite. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. It's bouche, an unpasteurized cave cheese. Aged 12 months, it is tangy and sharp and left to age at room temperature, you can actually see this cheese change in character. At first the cheese is semi-soft, but as it ripens (never to a hard cheese stage), it develops a lacy texture. I like to just shave a taste off and pair it with a slice of tart apple and a good red wine.

Because it's unpasteurized, it's unavailable in any stores, so it's a real treat.

Banana-Citrus Compote by Janet

In a small, heavy saucepan combine 3/4 C. each water and sugar. Bring to a boil and add 2 Tbs. finely julienned lime zest and 1 Tbs. each lemon and orange zest. Boil 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Peel 8 ripe bananas and slice diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Toss with juice of 1 lime. Pour warm syrup over banana mixture and stir to coat. Let macerat 30 minutes at room temperature. Serve at once or chill for 2 hours. The compote must be used within 24 hours for optimum flavor and color.

Crostini with Mushrooms,Prosciutto and Blue Cheese by Janet

Makes about 18

3 Tbs. butter
1/2 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms stemmed, caps chopped
4 oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. whipping cream
1/2 C. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 C. chopped, thinly sliced prosciutto
18 1/2 inch thick diagonal bread slices from a baguette
Chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and garlic and saute until mushrooms are cooked through and brown, about 10 minutes. Add cream and boil until liquid is completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add blue cheese and stir until cheese melts. Mix in prosciutto and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mushroom topping can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange bread slices on baking sheet. Bake until just golden, about 5 minutes. Mound a generous tablespoon mushroom topping on each slice. Return to oven and bake until topping is heated through, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Chocolate Chip Cookies by Janet

Janet's recipes from the beach

Clipper Chocolate Chip Cookies--makes about 3 doz.

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 C. sugar
3/4 C. firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. coffee liqueur
1 Tbs. Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
2 large eggs
2-1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 11-1/2 oz. pkgs. milk chocolate chips
1 C. chopped walnuts
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. chopped macadamia nuts.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using electric mixer, beat first 6 ingredients in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Stir into butter mixture. Mix in chocolate chips and all chopped nuts. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing apart. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 16 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool.

Cornmeal Rosemary Cake with Pine Nuts & Orange Glaze by Janet

This recipe comes from Seattle chef Tom Douglas and can be found in his cookbooks and on-line at the Fine Cooking site.

For the cake:
Soft butter for the pan
6-3/4 oz.(1-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
4-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) finely ground yellow cornmeal (Quaker brand is fine)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted pine nuts (about 1-1/2 oz.)
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbs. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
5 oz. (2/3 cup) mascarpone, at room temperature
4 large eggs
10 oz. (1-1/3 cups) granulated sugar
1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
For the orange syrup:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
For the orange glaze:
1 Tbs. whole fresh rosemary leaves (stripped from the stem but not chopped)
5 oz. (1-1/2 cups) sifted confectioners’ sugar
5 Tbs. heavy cream
2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange zest

Make the cake:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x2-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with a round of parchment, and butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, pine nuts, rosemary, orange zest, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, briefly whisk the mascarpone to loosen it. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the wet ingredients, mixing until smooth. Stir in the melted butter with the rubber spatula until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and bake until the entire top of the cake is a rich golden brown and springs back when pressed gently in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. A skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out looking a bit moist, and the sides of the cake may have begun to pull away from the pan.

Make the orange syrup:
While the cake is baking, combine the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat. Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a small knife around the cake. Set an inverted plate over the cake pan and, protecting your hands with a kitchen towel, invert the whole thing. The cake should slide right out onto the plate. Peel off the parchment and set a 9-inch cardboard round or another inverted plate over the cake and, again, invert the whole thing. Remove the top plate and the cake will be right side up. With a wooden skewer or toothpick, poke a few dozen holes all over the top of the cake. While the cake is still warm, brush the cake with the warm orange syrup. Continue brushing for several minutes, giving the syrup time to sink into the cake, until you’ve used all the syrup. Let the cake cool completely.

Make the orange glaze:
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Have ready a small bowl of ice water. Put the rosemary leaves in a small sieve and dip it into the boiling water to blanch them for 1 minute. Drain the rosemary leaves and immediately set them (still in the sieve) into the ice water. Drain and spread the rosemary leaves on a paper towel to dry. In a bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cream, and orange juice until smooth and then whisk in the blanched rosemary and the zest.

When the cake is cool, transfer it to a rack set over a baking sheet. (If your cake isn’t on a cardboard round, use a wide spatula to transfer it.) Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and let it drip off the sides. You can gently tilt the cardboard or the wire rack back and forth to encourage the glaze to completely flow over the top of the cake. While the glaze is still wet, transfer the cake to a cake plate.
Let sit for an hour or more before cutting the cake into wedges and serving. The glaze may or may not become firm, depending on the weather; it’s delicious either way.

Make Ahead Tips
You can bake and glaze this cake the day you serve it. Or bake it a day ahead, brush it with the syrup, let it cool completely, wrap it in plastic, and store at room temperature. The afternoon before your dinner, glaze the cake.

Rack of Lamb by Martha by Martha

This is a recipe from the current issue of Martha Stewart Living. The recipe appears with a caper-mint sauce which was not my favorite, but the marinade worked very well. Even though, because of an oven mistake, the lamb was a little over-cooked (140 on the thermometer when it came out of the oven), the meat was still juicy and tender and infused with gentle flavors of mint and garlic that did not overwhelm the wonderful flavor of the lamb.

FOR THE LAMB
Serves 8

4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 c fresh mint, roughly chopped
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/4 c fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 racks of lamb (about 2 lbs.) frenched
2 tablespoons safflower oil

FOR THE CAPER-MINT SAUCE
1/2 c salt-packed capers, rinsed well
2 c fresh mint
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c minced shallots
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

Make the lamb: Whisk together garlic, mint, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, 2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Place lamb in a large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade and refrigerate overnight.

Let the lamb stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400. Remove lamb from marinade, brush off any garlic and mint and pat dry with paper towels. Discard marinade. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat safflower oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb; cook, flipping oven, until browned 2 - 3 minutes on each side. Transfer skillet to oven; cook until lamb registers 130 on an instant-read thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare. (We did not have a skillet large enough to accommodate 2 racks, so after browning, I transferred the racks to a roasting pan.)

Make the mint sauce: Pulse capers in a food-processor until roughly chopped. Add mint, lemon zest and juice, shallots. Pulse until mint in roughly chopped. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, pulsing until combined but still coarse. Transfer to a small bowl.

Serve the lamb: Transfer lamb to platter and coat racks with a third of the caper-mint sauce. Let rest for 20 minutes. Cut lamb into chops, single or double thickness; transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and mint sprigs; serve with remaining sauce.

Tilapia in Achiote by Eliza

Achiote is widely used in the Mayan region of Mexico. Made from annatto seeds that are soaked overnight, ground and mixed with spices. Achiote paste takes over as one of the most flavorful, bold and colorful seasonings in this part of the country. It works beautifully with fish, seafood, pork and chicken. Serves 6.

Ingredients

For the achiote marinade:
2 ounces achiote paste (available at Latin markets)
3 cloves garlic
1/3 white onion
1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt or to taste

For the fish:
6 tilapia filets
3 banana leaves
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Half orange and one lime, quartered
5 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400oF

Prepare the achiote marinade: Cut the achiote paste into little cubes so that it dissolves easily in the marinade. Transfer it to a blender along with all other ingredients and blend until there are no more chunks of achiote paste. Cover the fish filets with the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prep the banana leaves: It’s easier than it seems—just takes a lot of space to explain! Banana leaves are available at Asian and Latin markets in frozen packages of around 10 leaves. When ready to use, thaw and unfold the leaves carefully as they are brittle. Some banana leaves can be very long and cumbersome to use in which case is better to cut them in half or thirds, depending on the size. Clean them with a damp paper towel. One by one, pass them directly through the flame of your stove burner for a few seconds. The leaf will respond immediately to heat, turning a bright green color where it is being heated, thus becoming manageable and aromatic. Do not overheat because it will turn brittle again. Repeat this process with other leaves. Set aside.

Bake the fish: Line a baking mold with a banana leaf and put another one on top. Place the fish and half the marinade in it and arrange the onion slices on top. Wrap the fish tightly with the banana leaf and secure it with more leaves to create the effect of a steam chamber. Bake for 25 minutes. Cut open the top of the package and bake for 3 more minutes.

Dry Packed Scallops--Another Seafood Lesson

At the recommendation of a good friend, I called Annapolis Seafood Market yesterday to find out if they would have scallops that Susan and I could pick up on our way to Rehoboth tomorrow. Not only do they have scallops, but they have "dry packed scallops" ... a new term to me.

I did a little internet research today and came up with the following information about dry packed scallops from a website called www.tonysmarket.com:

"Buying scallops, those delicious, sweet white morsels of shellfish muscle, used to be simple: you had your large "sea" scallops and your small "bay" scallops, and you could get them fresh or frozen anywhere. Now, in addition to these choices, scallop buyers need a whole new vocabulary, including "chemical free," "dry pack," and "day boat" scallops.

Lets put it simply. Dry pack means “chemical free” or “unsoaked”. For years, inexpensive frozen scallops (as well as many other frozen seafoods) have routinely been treated with phosphates, particularly sodium tripolyphosphate (STP), to reduce so-called "drip loss." STP and other related phosphates are GRAS (generally recognized as safe) food additives, and used in moderation, they help bind the natural moisture in seafood through the freezing and thawing process.

As useful as phosphates are with frozen seafood, they are subject to abuse when applied to fresh seafoods, especially scallops. If a little STP can keep the natural moisture in seafood, a lot can cause it to soak up additional water -- increasing in weight by up to 25 percent -- and since water is a lot cheaper than scallops, there is a powerful economic incentive to "soak" them.

Reports of abuse of phosphates in fresh seafood processing led to a crackdown by the Food and Drug Administration in the early 1990s, and the establishment of an upper limit on the moisture content of scallops that can be sold as natural and unadulterated. If the amount of moisture exceeds 80 percent of the weight of the scallops, presumably the maximum natural water content, they fall into a separate product category which must be labeled "scallop product -- water added."

In practice, this standard does not prevent the use of STP on fresh scallops, but it prevents processors from using STP to increase the weight of scallops without labeling them as such. The most common sea scallop in North American markets, and the one that sets the standard for flavor are found in relatively deep water from Newfoundland to North Carolina. Weather permitting, they are fished throughout the year, mostly by dredging the bottom with a large rake that gathers the shellfish into a chain net. Tony’s carries only dry packed North American scallops, which, in truth, are as natural as when they leave the beds they are harvested from.

... expect:

A slightly stronger scallop scent...very normal ...
Better cooking performance in the pan, on the grill, or in the oven - since they don't steam, or poach in their added water.
A 'meatier' and more satisfying texture and flavor
A color from creamy ivory to a slight tan.
A slightly higher price...but why pay for added water and chemicals?

Scallops are found the world round and vary in quality from one location to the next. Sea scallops harvested from the deep, cold waters of the North Atlantic, sometimes as north as Newfoundland, are considered by the industry as one of the world's finests ... To get these fishing grounds, and to keep fishing profitable, some boats stay out 2-3 days fishing for scallops. Unfortunately, scallops CANNOT survive out of water like mussels, clams & oysters, so they're usually shucked immediately on the boat." Dry packed scallops usually come only from "day boats"

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Sur La Table and Cindy Mushat on the recent James Beard Award for the fabulous cookbook, "The Art and Soul of Baking". It's a beautiful book with great recipes and wonderful directions. It's definitely on my wish list!

Easter Boscht -- by Martha

My grandfather and his friend built St. Michael's church, brick by brick with their own hands. That tells you the role that the Catholic Church played in our Polish-American family. Easter, next to Christmas, was the most important day of the year. On Holy Saturday, the priest would come to the house to bless our food, and as I recall, there was little eating on Holy Saturday. But Easter morning was an annual ritual. First there was the discovery of the huge, candy-filled Easter basket that had been hidden under the bed by the Easter bunny. (I actually remember the disappointment the year I got too old for the Easter bunny. I still peeked hopefully under my bed.)

There were new Easter clothes, hats, gloves ... of course to be covered by the winter coat, because in New England, it may have still be snowing on Easter! All this happened before we would go to 8:30 Mass. Mass was NOT the highlight of my day. The liturgy was in Latin and the sermon in Polish ... I was not impressed. But then, off to my grandmother's for Easter soup --- borscht. There were no beets, no sour cream, so beats me where the name came from. But borscht it was called. I have never seen a recipe for this soup. I'm sure its roots came from Austria and Poland where my grandparents were born and some of the ingredients suggest a Seder meal of sorts.... horshradish, boiled eggs.

We did not have traditionally colored eggs. Ours were dyed in onion skins, giving them a beautiful amber color. (Martha Stewart talks about doing this with her family.) The onion skins were collected throughout the year in a brown net bag hung from a nail in the basement. The ham had been boiled the day before and the broth saved. The kielbasa had been fried and was all cut up on a plate and we picked up the bread from the Jewish bakery on the way back from church.

Here's the way the soup was made. The fat skimmed off the broth and raw egg yolks were added to give the broth some body. To that, "sour salt" was added to taste. Everyone would take their hardboiled egg(s) and cut it into a bowl. Add pieces of ham, kielbasa and chunks of rye bread. Now, take a fresh horseradish root and scrape horseradish onto the soup. Finish it off with a ladle of piping hot broth.

Soup of the Gods ... eaten at 10 AM on an empty stomach!

My family has dispersed, St. Michael's Church has been torn down, but the soup endures. I still make it most Easter Sundays, even if it is only a small bowl for me. The ingredients have been adjusted to make it a little more healthful ... I use Canadian bacon instead of ham, turkey sausage for kielbasa. I cannot find a good loaf of rye bread to save my life. But the smell of sour salt and horseradish make me feel like I'm sitting at my grandmother's kitchen table.

Healthy Hearty Salad--by Monica

Healthy and Hearty Salad

Ingredients:
½ c. Fava Beans, shelled and cooked
1/2 c. White Butter Peas (found in the frozen vegetables section at Harris Teeter supermarkets), cooked
1/2 c. Peas, either fresh or frozen, cooked
6 Asparagus, cooked and chopped bite size
1/2 c. Speckled Beans (or any other heirloom variety, also found in the frozen vegetables section at HT supermarkets), cooked
6 artichoke hearts, chopped bite size (I like the brand found in jars at Trader Joe's; the artichoke hearts are meatty, very tasty and are slightly marinated already)

Optional:
6 cornichons, chopped small
6 cocktail onions, chopped small


Dressing:
The juice of 1 large lemon, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chopped Dill
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, preferably a fruity type

Mix well until the vinaigrette emulsifies.


Preparation:
Cook all the ingredients in salted water, but separately (once cooked, the veggies all go into one big salad bowl.) Drain the veggies from their cooking liquids and place in a shallow salad bowl. While still warm, add 3 Tbsp. of red wine or white wine vinegar. Let rest for about 5 minutes, then pour the dressing and toss well. This salad can be served warm or cold. It also reheats very nicely in the microwave and serve as side dish to meat/fish/poultry.

Strawberry Tiramisu (March Hint of Spring Dinner at Eliza's) -- by Janet

Strawberry Tiramisu
8 servings

1-1/4 C. strawberry preserves
1/3 C. plus 4 Tbs. Cointreau or other orange liqueur, divided
1/3 C. orange juice
1 lb. mascarpone cheese at room temperature
1-1/3 C. chilled whipping cream
1/3 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 lbs. fresh strawberries, divided
about 52 crisp ladyfingers

Whisk preserves, 1/3 C. Cointreau, and orange juice in 2-cup measuring cup. Place mascarpone cheese and 2 TBS. Cointreau in large bowl--fold just to blend. Using electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, vanilla and remaining 2 TBS. Cointreau in another large bowl to soft peaks. Stir 1/4 of whipped cream mixture into mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whipped cream.

Hull and slice half of strawberries. Spread 1/2 C. preserve mixture over botton of 3-quart oblong serving dish or 13x9x2inch glass baking dish. Arrange enough ladyfingers over preserve mixture to cover bottom of dish. Spoon 3/4C preserve mixture over ladyfingers, then spread 2-1/2 C. mascarpone mixture over. Arrange sliced strawberries over mascarpone mixture. Repeat layering with remaining ladyfingers, preserve mixture, and mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. Slice remaining strawberries, arrange over tiramisu and serve.