Avocado Potato Salad

Nothing says summertime quite like potato salad. My husband and I had just had a busy day in the garden: pulling weeds, watering, training our stubborn snow peas to climb, and setting up our calendula flowers for drying. Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we started to think about dinner. As we sat back with a glass of wine, looking out over our garden and looking at the work we had just done, the only words I could utter were, “potato salad”. We went inside and quickly realized we had no mayonnaise… but we did have an avocado. This recipe was born. Enjoy this delicious twist on a classic with grilled chicken on top of a bed of fresh greens from the garden.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 large yukon gold potatoes, diced into 1” cubes
• 2 large red potatoes, diced into 1” cubes
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon dill
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place the potatoes in the oiling water and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the avocado. Peel the avocados and remove the seed. Place the pulp in a medium bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a fork until combined.
3. When the potatoes are tender, strain them through a colander or sieve. Add the strained potatoes to the avocado mixture and mix to coat the potatoes and chill until ready to serve.

Yield: about 3 to 4 pounds

Cinnamon Plumcot and Wild Blueberry Hand Pies

Often I find my winter-self thanking my summer-self - I thank myself for the sewing and the watering and the weeding. For the foraging and the harvesting and, most of all, for the preserving. The moment I open a fresh can of cinnamon plumcot preserves, I am instantly taken back to that warm summer day when I plucked a ripe plumcot from that beautifully gnarled tree and took a big juicy bite. And when I pop a tiny frozen wild blueberry into my mouth, I remember swimming all day at the Pisgah and picking wild blueberries and huckleberries near the waterside. Suddenly, summertime seams not-so-distant, even though I’m covered in 2 feet of snow and ice.

What You'll Need

For the Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1/2 cup ice water

For the Filling:

1 cup cinnamon plumcot preserves, strained (or fresh plums or pluots, peeled and diced mixed with 1 tsp of cinnamon)

1 cup wild blueberries, fresh or thawed from frozen

juice of half lemon (omit if you are using plumcot preserves)

¼ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 egg for the wash

⅛ cup raw sugar

1. To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse or stir a few times to ensure the salt and flour are combined. Next, scatter the butter pieces over the flour. If you’re using a food processor, pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. If you are doing this the old fashioned way, use two knives or a pastry cutter and “cut-in” the butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Next, pour the ice water over the flour mixture and toss with a fork until the dough comes together in one ball. Divide the dough in half, place in a tupperware container and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight.
2. While the dough is resting, let’s make the filling. Combine the plumcots and blueberries and lemon juice (if you are using fresh plumcots, otherwise omit the lemon juice) in a large bowl and toss to combine. Sprinkle the brown sugar and flour on top and toss to coat the fruit. Set aside until you are ready to assemble your pies.
3. Next, in a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until the yolk and white are thoroughly combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
5. Now it’s time to assemble the pies. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out until it is about ¼” thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or even the rim of a cup, press firmly into the dough and lift up the resulting shape. Be sure to make your cut-outs as close as possible. You only want to re-roll the dough one more time. If you roll out the dough more than twice, it will get gummy and the texture of your crust will suffer.
6. To assemble the pies, place one shape in front of you. Dollop about a tablespoon of the filling on the cut-out. Place another cut-out on top of the filling and using the tines of a fork, gently fresh around the edges to seal the pie and pierce the top of the pie with the fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over top and sprinkle with raw sugar.
7. Place the pie on the prepared cookie sheet and repeat until you have used all your dough, or filling (whichever runs out first).
8. Bake the pies for 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve with French Vanilla or Bourbon Butterscotch Ice Cream.

Yield: sixteen 3” pies

Golden Beet and Citrus Slaw

When it gets to be 100 degrees in Boston, it seems hard to think straight, let alone cook anything. This lovely little slaw is a breeze to whip up and goes perfectly with grilled steak or chicken. The brightness of the lemon with the earthy spice of the raw golden beet makes this a healthy twist on traditional slaw recipes.

What You'll Need:

2 medium sized beets
Juice of 1 small lemon
6 oz. plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Grate the beet, either using a food processor or a good old fashioned grater.
2. Combine the grated beet, lemon juice, greek yogurt, and dill in a large bowl and stir until combined.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.

And there you have it! A lovely little slaw that requires next to no effort for those incredibly hot days.

Serves 4

Lemon and Almond Tea Cake with Dandelion Glaze

My husband and I hosted a lovely Mother's Day Brunch this morning. As I was putting the menu together, I knew I wanted to serve a dessert of some sort - something light but flavorful that would satisfy our pallets with a hint of refreshing sweetness. This little cake did just that. I whipped it up in a jiff and no one could resist a second piece (see my Dandelion Jam recipe for the glaze).

What You'll Need

3/4 cup cake flour*
1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons almond extract
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup Dandelion Jam

*If you do not have cake flour, substitute with 5/8 cup of all purpose flour and 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat your oven to 350. Butter and flour a loaf pan and set aside (the wider the pan, the shorter the cake).
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and white sugar. Beat on high speed until the mixture is light in color and fluffy. Do not over-beat. Add the almond extract and 3/4 of the zest. Set aside.
Pour the flour into a small bowl and whisk. Set aside.
In another separate bowl (I know... this recipe uses a lot of bowls, but it's worth it, I promise) beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. This means that when you lift the mixer out of the whites, the peaks left behind fall over gently to one side.
Add 1/3 of the whites to the yolk batter and gently fold in. Add 1/2 of the flour to the egg mixture and fold in. Repeat this until all ingredients are incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let's prepare a space for the cake to rest. Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet.
When the cake is done, take it out the oven and run a knife along the edges. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, we can prepare the glaze. In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the rest of the zest, the lemon juice, jam, and brown sugar. Stir and heat until the jam has melted and the glaze is smooth.
Next, take the cake out of the pan and place it on the cooling rack. Pour the glaze over the cake, making sure every inch is covered. Let the excess glaze run off the cake onto the cookie sheet below.
Let the cake stand until the glaze has solidified.
Serve with fresh fruit.

Lavender Flower and Mint Old Fashioned with a Twist of Lemon

As I mentioned in the Lavender Flower and Mint Syrup post below, this syrup makes a great addition to any cocktail. This is a delightful take on my favorite cocktail. It is spring in a glass - the freshness of the mint and lemon pairs wonderfully with the floral bitterness of the lavender, and let us not forget that lovely bite of the whiskey that I love so much. (This recipe is for a double…what can I say? I like a stiff drink!)

What You'll Need:

3 oz of your favorite whiskey (I love Four Roses)

2 tablespoons Lavender Flower and Mint Syrup

2-3 mint leaves

splash of fresh lemon juice

ice

1. Add the lemon juice and mint to the bottom of a cocktail glass. Using a spoon or muddler, muddle the mint and lemon. (To muddle just means to crush fruits and herbs together to release their oils and juices.)
2. Add the ice to the glass.
3. Pour the whiskey and syrup into the glass. Using a spoon, gently mix all ingredients together.
4. Next, take the lemon wedge you squeezed the juice from and run it along the lip of the glass. Do not squeeze the lemon as you do this.
5. Garnish with a few mint leaves, sit on your front porch and enjoy.