Lunch Outdoors, Yes

After the outdoor dinner that didn't happen outdoors, I was slightly trepidatious  about planning two outdoor lunches.   One involved a little voyage "upstate" - according to my NYC friends, I live upstate, but when I go to visit my friends in the northern Catskills it's real upstate - about 1 1/2 hours from Hudson.
It turned out to be a knock-out day, ever so blurred by an ounce or two of haze, enjoyable company, and delicious food.

My friend, Rita always sets pretty tables - this one on her screened-in porch overlooking the rolling lawn and pond - with the best flower (out of her garden) arrangements anywhere.  It's because they're so simple.  They feature the blossom.   And that's how she makes food she too.  It stars the main ingredients.

 

Rita found a locally-grown cauliflower at a farm stand in Middleburg, which is just that much farther north to have the cold nights that the compact white head needs to  thrive.  She made her interpretation of a frittata recipe out of Yotam Ottolenghi's book, Plenty.   Basically, Rita followed the recipe - she just didn't add as much cheese as it called for.  Could've fooled me - it tasted like it should have.  Super savory.

SMOKY FRITTATA

This is what Yotam says, " Scamorza affumicata  is an Italian cheese that melts fantastically well.  Often labeled 'smoked mozzarella', it is highly effective in adding depth and pungency to vegetarian dishes."    Rita didn't use scamorza - and as I said, I didn't miss it.  However, if it had been added to the frittata it would have elevated the flavor even further.   You might be able to substitute a more readily available smoked cheese.
Serves 4 - 6
1 small cauliflower, cut into medium florets
6 eggs
4 tablespoons crème fraiche  (or sour cream)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
3 tablespoons chopped chives
5 ounces smoked scamorza, grated (including the skin for extra flavor)
2 ounces mature Cheddar, grated
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Simmer the cauliflower in a large pan of boiling salted water for only 4 to 5 minutes, until semi-cooked.  Drain and dry.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Break the eggs into a large bowl.  Add the crème fraiche, mustard and paprika and whisk well, making sure the eggs and crème fraiche are thoroughly blended.  Now stir in the chives and three-quarters of the cheeses, and season well with salt and pepper.
Heat up the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan.  Fry the cauliflower for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side.  Pour over the egg mixture and use a fork to spread the cauliflower evenly in the pan.  Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Scatter the remaining cheeses on top, then carefully transfer the pan to the oven.  Cook for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the frittata is set.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes before cutting into wedges.  Eat immediately with a peppery green salad.

Our salad was full of stuff: nascent leaves and shoots from Rita's garden, cucumbers, crumbled blue cheese and walnuts.

Bread from Hudson's Bonfiglio & Bread.  Where else?

Dessert - Alice Water's recipe for baked rhubarb.  Rhubarb from the garden cut into 1 - 2-inch pieces, sugar ,and orange juice and zest baked 'til soft.  Not too long.  Rhubarb cooks quickly.  It was served with homemade kefir - sour milk.

Frankie, Rita's dog decided that she'd just watch Allegra cross the rapids

 

This fall's apples starting to grow

Then we went for a post prandial stroll through the lower meadow until we reached the usually docile creek which had become raging rapids from the previous stormy days.  My intrepid dog, accustomed to crossing the creek to get to the upper fields, did so - without thinking.  She made it - but thought long and hard about her return trip.   I told her that I couldn't go in to rescue her so she had better figure out a way to get back.  And she did at age 13 years and 3 months.  Brava Allegra.

Next outdoor lunch was planned a few weeks in advance.  Some friends were coming up from the city to attend a wedding on the other side of the river - the left bank.   As their destination was only about 1/2 hour from Hudson I asked them to come for lunch at my house the next day.  They accepted, and I invited some mutual friends who had recently moved to a hamlet near Hudson.

I made the meal easy for myself by buying just about everything at the previous day's farmers' market.   It's amazing how fresh ingredients can speak for themselves and give you the most delicious repast.

.    Grilled sausages from Pigasso Farm served with a sauce that I made by sautéing fresh, spring garlic in olive oil and adding chopped grape tomatoes, fennel seeds, chopped capers, hot peppers and fresh, from my garden, basil.
.    Roasted asparagus - easy peasy - place the spears on a parchment-paper covered baking sheet with sides, toss with olive oil and flaky sea salt and cook at 400 degrees F. until crispy on the outside and soft as asparagus flan on the inside
.   Tossed market salad with radishes, dressed with mustard-shallot vinaigrette
.   Assorted local cheese,  Amazing Real Live Camembert, Adirondack Cheddar, Ewe's blue
.   Bonfiglio & Bread.  Of course.

.   Semolina, coconut & marmalade cake, fresh strawberries and sheep's milk yogurt


SEMOLINA, COCONUT & MARMALADE CAKE

Another recipe from my culinary crush, Yotam Ottolenghi.  This one comes from his and Sami Tamimi's  2012 multi-award winning Jerusalem.   He says,"  Semolina cakes soaked in syrup are so numerous all over the Middle East and vary in so many ways it is hard to find a single definition or an accurate enough name to fit.  Some cakes have coconut in them; some have yogurt; some bakers prefer  flavoring them with citrus syrups, others with flower blossoms; some use sugar and others honey.  In any case, the moist light texture and the aromatic flavors are what 's all about.

Makes two 1 pound loaf cakes

3/4 cup sunflower oil (I used canola)
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (the juice of 2 oranges)
1 cup orange marmalade (fine-cut or without peel)
4 large free-range eggs
grated zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup shredded dried coconut
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons semolina
2 tablespoons ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder

thick Greek yogurt with 1 or 2 drops orange blossom water to serve

Soaking Syrup
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.   Whisk together the oil, orange juice, marmalade, eggs, and orange zest until the marmalade dissolves.   In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients.   Mix until well combined.  The mixture should be runny.
Grease and line two 1-pound loaf pans ( 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 -inches) with waxed paper.  Divide the filling evenly between them.  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in a cake comes out clean and the tops turn an orangey brown.
Near the end of the baking time, place the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.  As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, start brushing them with the hot syrup using a pastry brush; you'll need to do this in a few goes, allowing the syrup to soak in for a minute or two before you carry on brushing with more syrup.  Make sure you use up all the syrup and it is all absorbed into the cakes.
Once the cakes have cooled down a little, remove them from the pan and leave them to cool completely.   Serve with the Greek yogurt flavored with a drop of orange blossom water.

These cakes will keep well for at least five days if wrapped carefully in parchment paper or aluminum foil.


SUSANSIMONSAYS:   This Saturday at the Hudson Famers' Market come meet Rebecca Miller Ffrench and let her sign a copy of her newest book, SWEET HOME, just for you - or a friend who's having a birthday, etc.  Rebecca will be serving samples made from one the recipes in her book.

A Few Weeks in May

On May 5th - Cinco de Mayo - it seemed as if we were having a real springtime in Hudson.  Finally.   I celebrated the Mexican national holiday at brunch with friends who served not Margaritas and burritos, but smoked salmon and asparagus topped with an herb-filled cold, cream sauce, and eggs baked in butter and cream.  They said it was French food to honor not the victors but the losers. The Battle of Puebla on May 5th  was a significant victory for the outnumbered Mexican army over the invading  French and gave our neighbors to the south a push towards establishing unity within their country.  The US government aided the Mexican army to achieve their victory and so Cinco de Mayo is happily celebrated stateside as well.  

Dessert is made easy when you own an illustrious ice cream  parlor on Warren Street 

Right on the heels of my first outdoor meal of 2013, I jumped on Amtrak headed towards New York City to meet one of my oldest friends, Nally Bellati who had just arrived from Italy.  Our plan was to meet at Uniqlo on 5th Avenue and 53rd street - I mean, where else?   Nally took the E train from Chelsea and I got on it at Penn Station - and don't you know, there she was standing in the car that I was about to board. It was NOT planned.  Uniqlo, the Japanese give-away fashion spot was filled with tempting colors and we were seduced into many purchases but wound up returning everything.  Our mid-town plan was made so we could see our friend, designer Christopher Young's stunning, Gatsby-themed windows at Tiffany.  The whole city is quite Gatsby mad right now.

Crispy Swedish Bread, Danish Rye  Bread, Brown Butter, Sea Salt

Cardamom Panna Cotta

We were both  hungry and couldn't quite figure out where to eat - it's always a problem in mid-town  for me.  I don't have a business expense account(!), and also tend to favor ethnic food when I'm in the city.  In the end we decided to return to the reliable Aquavit.    The restaurant calls itself a Scandinavian country dining experience.  However, this Michelin-starred place with its Arne Jacobsen chairs puts quite a sophisticated spin on "country dining".  The original food concept comes from the great Swedish chef, Marcus Samuelsson.  While no longer involved with the restaurant - Samuelsson's imprinteur   is clearly evident.   The restaurant serves a thoroughly satisfying prix fixe lunch.  Both Nally & I ordered the crudités salad  served with a shower of crushed sunflower seeds, salmon, pale and subtle, napped with cauliflower puree, and a fine twist on panna cotta infused with cardamom and filled with almond paste.

And the main event was still to come - A big party at John Derian to celebrate his collaboration with the French ceramic company, Astier de Villatte (go to their link right now - it's extremely witty).
John's new shop - yup - another one, at 8 east 2nd street, right in between the his shops at #s 6 & 10 - was decorated like a French, country farmhouse  complete with straw-covered floors, and the piece de resistance - aside from John's beautiful designs on Astier de Villatte's very sturdy but delicate plates, mugs, vases, urns, compotes, was Livia Cetti's  jaw-dropping flower arrangement - paper flowers cut from hand-painted paper.

Cream of Asparagus Soup - recipe on Register Star column



Poached Eggs on Roasted Asparagus

Rhubarb Compote (sweetened with orange jam) on sliced Pain Viennoise topped with Roasted Cinnamon and Passion Fruit Ice Cream

Then Nally, and her husband, Manfredi came to Hudson for a few days.  Food was involved, of course - I've written about our at-home meals in my weekly column - Susan Simon Says (what else?), Food for Thought - which you can find here .  Once you get there click on Columnists and scroll down to mine.  Thanks.   We also had fine meals at Le Gamin, and Wasabi in Hudson - and at The newly reopened, resplendent in red and pink stripes, The Red Barn, in Ghent.  Nally says that
The Red Barn's mussels are deeeeeeeeeeee-liscious.

 

 

And then back to NYC for a dinner given by James and Mark to celebrate the publication of their Brooklyn apartment in New York magazine's special issue, design hunting, and the magazine's longtime design editor, Wendy Goodman.   James and Mark chose the Indian restaurant, Panna II in the East Village  - not for its food - apocryphal, maybe - but the word on the street is that all the Indian restaurants in the east 6th street area, between 1st and 2nd avenues share the same kitchen- no matter - the atmosphere trumped any food concerns.  The tiny room was a forest of Christmas lights, chili pepper lights, Christmas, Halloween, Easter and birthday banners.  Mark and James had arrived before the guests to cover the tables with shocking pink linens - "Pink is the navy blue of India", Diana Vreeland famously said - a copy of the magazine, place cards carried like bejeweled rajahs and ranees on the howdahs of  elephant holders, and cake pops made by Big City Little Sweets decorated in themes found in the couple's Park Slope apartment completed the table setting.

Whew.   May isn't over yet.   More to come

SUSANSIMONSAYS:
Great time at lunch with Nally and Louise Fili at Gramercy Tavern.  But, I must say - that Gramercy Tavern seems to be a shadow of its former self.  Oh, the rooms are still pretty and the attentive  Danny Meyer service still reigns- no complaints.  But, what happened to the food?   Greasy carrots, overcooked fish.  Nope.  Too many good restaurants in NYC to run back there.

 

Milk, eggs, and more asparagus

"The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star" is the often quoted piece of wisdom from the epicure Brillat-Savarin.   For me it's the discovery of the ingredients that go into the making of the dish that thrills me.  When my friend, Michael, told me about a small farm out on Fish and Game Road - Hudson, NY - that sold the "most creamy raw milk"  and most startlingly colored eggs - olive green ones in addition to blue, shades of white and brown - I was intrigued.  I couldn't wait to go there.   One sunny day last week I took a meandering ( it's several miles east of the route 9H junction) ride out Fish and Game Road until I reached Mary and Bill Koch's lovely Rocky Fresh Farms at number 671.   The contented, Dutch Belted cows who give the NYS certified raw milk are strictly grassfed.  The benefits, or not, of raw milk have been discussed since the industrial revolution when the process of pasteurization was devised.  My overly simplistic reason for liking raw milk, from grassfed cows (and I'm not a big consumer of straight milk - I prefer it fermented, as in cheese - or swirled with sugar and other flavorings and frozen into ice cream) is that I feel like I'm getting the benefits of all the good grass that the cows having been dining on - it's not boiled away.
The eggs from Rocky Fresh Farms are laid by a variety of chickens  from the ubiquitous Rhode Island Reds to the sturdy Buff Orpingtons to the more exotic  Araucana (becoming less so thanks to Martha Stewart) who lay baby blue to olive green colored eggs.  The yolks on all the eggs that I purchased that day were just about neon orange.

I decided to experiment and make a caramelized rhubarb custard with my most recent purchase.  As you can see it looked like a disaster.  Should I even be sharing this with you?  Sure.  Do as I say, not as I do - did.  The idea was good - it tasted dee-licious - it just didn't stay together.  I know why.   I made it in a charlotte mold which was way too deep to accommodate all that liquid.   Had I cooked it longer - the outer part of the custard would have gotten too tough.  It just needs to be cooked in a more shallow receptacle - and it will work.  Promise.
The previous week I had stewed some rhubarb with the zest and juice of an orange, rapadura sugar -  organic brown sugar which I like to use with fruit because I think it adds deep flavor - and a cheese cloth bag filled with a cinnamon stick, a few cloves and a few whole cardamom pods.  Cook at medium heat until the rhubarb is soft - 15 - 20 minutes.  Let cool with the spice bag before you remove it.
In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar  with 1/4 cup of water.  When the sugar has melted and become dark amber pour it into an oval or rectangular baking dish.  Repeatedly tilt the dish in a circular motion until the sides and bottom are evenly coated with the caramel.   Place on a wire rack to set.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the custard:  Beat 5 whole eggs and 4 yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth and creamy.   Bring 2 1/2 cups milk an to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and pour it into the egg mixture beating continuously.  Pour the custard into the caramel-lined  dish.  Swirl a cup and a half  cooked rhubarb through the custard.   Place the dish in a large baking dish and fill with hot water.  Bake for about an hour  or until the custard seems firm and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.   Remove the custard from the water and let cool.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.  Run a knife around the edges of the dish and invert onto a serving platter.   Eat as is - or decorate with peaks of whipped cream.   The custard that I made with the raw milk and fresh eggs was super creamy and rich and didn't need embellishments.

More Asparagus:

As I mentioned in my last post I only eat local asparagus.  Right now I'm eating them more or less daily because all of a sudden they'll be gone.  The other day I decided to make an asparagus, taleggio cheese and lemon pizza because I had all the ingredients at the ready.  Including the pizza dough.  When I make the dough and I'm not feeding at least 4 people I freeze the leftover dough in individual serving portions.   My pizza dough is not conventional - it's actually more like a schiacciata - a flatbread.

Makes enough for 4 good-sized individual  pizzas

1   1/2 ounce package active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water, about 90 degrees F.

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for moistening the mixing bowl

1.   Combine the yeast, sugar, and water (I use a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup).  Let stand until foamy (draft-free environment), about 15 minutes.  Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.  Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture.  Mix well.   Turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead until soft and elastic, 3 to 4 minutes.

2.   Swish a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large bowl and place the dough in it.  Turn the dough so it's thoroughly covered in oil.  Cover and place in a warm draft-free environment to rise.   It should double in size in 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Punch down.  Cut into 4 pieces and return to the bowl.  Re-cover.

3.   Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F.  Prepare your choice of topping.  For my pizza I scattered pieces of taleggio  - an aromatic cow's milk cheese that's tangy and rather mild from the Lombardy region of Italy - on the stretched dough, topped with blanched asparagus and thin lemon slices.  I drizzled a bit of extra-virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkled some sea salt on it.  

4.   Bake until the crust is golden and the topping is sizzling, 12 - 15 minutes

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

 

Even more asparagus.  Blanched asparagus tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and grated Parmesan cheese.   Top the asparagus with sliced radishes.  I grated (because it arrived in chunks), just-delivered, black salt from Uganda - by friends who had just returned from that country aglow with tales of walking into the impenetrable forest to find gorillas.

Summer in the City???

What's up with this weather.  It was boiling hot last week (and today I turned the heat back on - which I really don't mind), but I just happened to choose to spend a few days in NYC then.  Ugh. Swollen feet on me, and a panting dog.  We needed to walk around.  Why else go to the city?   At a certain point I left Allegra, the dog, home and carried on.  I met friends for various delicious meals.

MONDAY NIGHT DINNER WITH ROBERT at the East village location of Zabb Elee.   Zabb Elee is a unique Thai restaurant.  You're not going find chicken satay with peanut sauce or pad thai or fish coconut curry there.  Oh no.  This place specializes in the cuisine of Northeastern (near the border with Laos) Thailand.  It's meat heavy and very spicy.  Not for the faint-hearted. 
We ate:
.   Larb Ped - ground duck with shallots, mint, scallions, with chili and lime sauce.  You can choose from a variety of meats to star in  the larb which is the restaurant's most famous dish.  It's wisely served with big, thick cucumber slices.  You need a bite every now and then to cool your tongue.
.   Yum Moo Krob - crispy pork with shallots, celery, tomatoes, pickled garlic, with chili and lime sauce.
.    Som Tum Thai - papaya salad with dried shrimp, peanuts and - you guessed it - chili and lime sauce
All of this was served with little peaks of the best sticky rice.  Thank goodness.  It got a bit too spicy for me.   Robert loved it.

BREAKFAST, EVERYDAY, WITH ALLEGRA (that's not Allegra in the photo) at The Bean, at their 2nd avenue & 3rd street location, where they've just moved having been kicked out of their 1st avenue and 3rd street location by Starbucks.  Guess what?  The Bean moved  to the other end of the block and is doing a thriving business, and Starbucks is empty.  Yay!   The Bean is dog-friendly (a counter-top bucket of biscuits welcomes them) and makes a nice, smooth iced coffee.

TUESDAY LUNCH WITH LOUISE  at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria about which I've waxed rhapsodic on more than one occasion on this blog.  It continues to delight.

We ate:
.   Tiny fried artichokes - crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside
.   Chicory salad - which was a mixture of bitter greens including radicchio and that beautiful pale green leaf with deep rose brushstrokes called Castelvetrano, dressed with anchovy flavored breadcrumbs, lemon, and peppery, Umbrian olive oil.
.   Grilled octopus with thinly sliced green almonds, roasted kumquats, and farro with yogurt.
.   Grilled, house-made sausage with fabled Umbrian lentils.
.   Orange polenta cake - something like an orange upside-down cake - with amaretto ice cream sitting on a bed of amaretti dust
The basket of house-made bread served with a little dish of that peppery olive oil disappeared.  Quickly.

TUESDAY DINNER - take-out from Souen.  Curry miso ramen with vegetables.

WEDNESDAY LUNCH WITH ROY -  at Balaboosta the newish restaurant of the Israeli chef/owner, Einat Admony.  Balaboosta is a Yiddish word meaning a woman who can do everything. The perfect housewife, etc. The eponymous restaurant is filled with well-thought interpretations of all your favorite Middle Eastern food, and then some.  Chef Einat drives a baby pink Vespa.  Need I say more?
We ate:
.    Fried olives - offered by manager, Laurent, who managed Mogador (another favorite spot) for years - sitting on top of house-made labane - thick yogurt - with a ring of harissa oil.
.   Patatas bravas - fried potato chunks coated with za'atar - a Middle Eastern spice mixture - served with roasted garlic aioli
.   A Mediterranean Sampler; hummus with  a faint finish of orange blossom water, roasted red pepper salad with almonds, and the smokiest babaganoush, all served with za'atar pita. My mouth is still watering
.   Chard-wrapped meatballs in a lemony broth with fresh fava beans served with grilled bread.
.   Banana bread pudding with date sauce served with yogurt ice cream

WEDNESDAY DINNER - crackers with almond butter

By the time I left the city it had cooled down to beautiful spring weather.  Lots of puffed-out pink, and white trees giving the city just the punctuation it wants.

SUSANSIMONSAYS: 

I took a trip out to Kinderhook to visit the Samascott Garden Market.  Their truck was at the Saturday morning Hudson Farmer's Market but they didn't bring  the newly harvested asparagus and rhubarb with them.  I've been waiting all year for asparagus.  Yes, I know it's available the year 'round in supermarkets.  But, on this one, I won't budge.  Asparagus needs to be local.    I came home and made what must be one of my all-time favorite meals - blanched asparagus with poached eggs with a shower of grated Parmesan cheese.

A Bridge between Two Holidays

Sometimes it just works out this way.  I was born on April 7th.  So, my birthday can be on Passover, or on  Easter - or, as this year on a gorgeous Hudson Valley Saturday sandwiched between both holy days.  Like most people born under the sign of Aries the ram, I have some rather headstrong ideas about the way things should be.  Like celebrations.  I like to celebrate, to mark occasions - almost always with food.  The celebrations don't have to be loud, or dressy, or involve printed invitations - they must, however, have a good selection of guests, food and drink. And so, with those essentials in mind, I invited a group of people that I had recently met in Hudson, some people that I have known for ages, and others who live in the area to stop by for a drink and some food between 4:30 - 7:30 on Saturday afternoon.   The majority had no idea that it was my birthday - and I was happy to leave it that way.  I liked being in on a secret.
I made a menu that included some of my all time favorite  afternoon snacks -  kind of tea party/cocktail party fare.

SWEET AND SALTY ALMONDS - these tasty nuts come straight out of my friend, Amy Chaplin's granola.  Amy moistens her legendary granola with olive oil and - this is important, brown rice syrup which gives all the granola ingredients a kind of crackling glaze.  So, I extrapolated the almonds that are part of the granola mix and coated them with them with extra virgin olive oil, brown rice syrup and sea salt and roasted them at 325 degrees F. for 15 or 20 minutes - until deep gold.

FEGATINI DI POLLO ALLA TOSCANA - which is Tuscan chopped liver.  My nod to Passover.  I sauteed chopped onions with fresh sage leaves in lots of unsalted butter until the onion was translucent.  I added chicken livers to the butter and tossed to coat with the other ingredients.  I added a generous splash of dry white Vermouth, the juice of a lemon and some salt preserved capers.  Simmer until the liver is no longer pink.  Remove from the heat and let cool. You might taste for salt and add as needed.  Since I don't rinse the salt-preseerved capers - they add enough salt.  Add to a food processor and blend until smooth.   I served the liver paste with cornichons and matzos.

CUCUMBER, DILL AND CHIVES SANDWICHES.  To my mind there is no afternoon party without cucumber sandwiches.  They are the food that refreshes. These sandwiches add the crunch and moisture that's needed as a antidote to the other richer offerings.   Hothouse cucumbers are found in most supermarkets year 'round.

Make 4 dozen 2 bite sandwiches

24 very thin slices white bread
one hot house cucumber (the ones shrink-wrapped in cellophane) rind peeled off in stripes and thinly sliced. Store for a few hours in double layers of paper towels so the cucumber can sweat and won't make soggy sandwiches
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup good-quality commercial mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1.  Line up the bread in pairs, 4 - 6 at a time.
"mask " each slice with a thin film of butter (masking the bread not only adds flavor to the sandwich, but also protects it from becoming soggy).
2.  Stir the dill, chives, salt and pepper into the mayonnaise.  Spread each bread slice with a thin layer of it.
3.  Cover one side of each pair with the sliced cucumbers.  Cover with the other slice of bread pressing gently but  firmly.  Trim away the crusts and cut on the diagonal to make 4 triangular 2-bite sandwiches.
4.  Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered with damp paper towels until ready to serve.

SMOKED SALMON FOCACCIA.   This very thin focaccia (recipe to come in another post) is covered with sliced red onions before it's baked.  I coat the cooled strips of focaccia with an ersatz mascarpone - sweet butter blended with cream cheese, some lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.  The cheese mixture is topped with sliced smoked salmon and cut into 1-inch strips.  I like to serve strips piled onto a platter in log cabin pattern groups.  

EGG SALAD SANDWICHES.  I woke up on Saturday morning in a panic.  I worried that I didn't have enough  food.  Isn't that an age old worry?   I also heard my friend, Nally's voice in my ear saying that I "had to have something with eggs for Easter."   Okay.  I was on my way to the Hudson Farmer's Market so I picked up 2 dozen eggs instead of one.  I came home and hard cooked 8 eggs while I put together the cucumber sandwiches.     Because the eggs were very fresh I added copious amounts of salt to the water which eases the peeling.  Sort of.    I peeled the cooled eggs. Then separated the yolks from the whites. I pushed the yolks through a sieve and finely chopped the whites.  I added some mayonnaise, chopped dill, chives, salt and pepper.  The finished mixture should resemble an egg salad paste. It makes for a less oozing-out-the-edges tea sandwich.
Line up very thin white bread as you do for the cucumber sandwiches and mask each side with softened unsalted butter.   Spread egg salad on one slice and cover with the other.  Trim away the crusts and carefully cut on the diagonal to make 4 triangular 2-bite sandwiches.

The offering was supplemented with my favorite buttery, salty black olive shortbread cookies made by my friend, Cynthia.  And  to-die-for pecan bars made by my friend, Margaret,  And a sumptuous variety of chocolate dragees filled with praline, with marzipan and with salted caramel made by the French company, Maison Pecou brought by my friend, Clementine.

It was a lovely party.  Nice to see everyone.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

At this time of year when there's a large variety of potted flowering plants I like to decorate the house with them instead of cut flowers.  Just take them out of their unattractive plastic containers and put them into terra cotta pots, ceramic bowls or glass vases.  I'm especially fond of the pink-flowering strawberry plants.