Roseanne Cash’s Potato Salad

Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2004

Makes 8 servings.

3 pounds medium red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
8 dill pickle spears or a handful of cornichon, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain; cool. Cut potatoes into chunks pieces and transfer to large bowl. Stir in pickles, celery, onion, eggs, mayonnaise, mustard vinegar and dill. Season potato salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of corn starch
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon of soy sauce*
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
3/4 cup of straw, enoki, or sliced shitaki mushrooms

Method
1 Reserve 1/2 cup of the stock and mix with the cornstarch until dissolved.
2 Place the chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, green onions, mushrooms and white pepper in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch and stock mixture and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer.
3 Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup. The egg will spread out into ribbons. Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Strawberry Asparagus Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 bunch spring lettuce
1 bunch baby spinach
2 strips crisp bacon
3/4 lb fresh asparagus
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup hazelnuts
2 oz goat cheese

For the vinaigrette
2 oz avocado oil
2 oz pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar*
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 strawberry, mashed

Directions:
Place the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar or salad dressing mixer. Shake until a smooth, emulsified dressing forms. Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Top with the spinach. Cut the bacon into bite sized pieces. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain and cut into manageable sized pieces. Arrange on the salad. Add the sliced strawberries. Dot with goat cheese. Toss in the hazelnuts and bacon. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

S'mores Truffles

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk chocolate chips (12 oz.)
24 mini-marshmallows
1 cup finely crushed graham crackers

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat; whisk in cream and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Chill saucepan in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until chocolate is solid and rollable; roll into 24 balls, stuffing a mini marshmallow into the center of each. Chill truffles a few minutes before rolling in graham cracker crumbs; chill for a few minutes again so they solidify a little more.
Makes 24 truffles.

Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

Makes about 4-6 servings.

What You’ll Need:
3-4 ears of fresh corn
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
Cilantro Lime Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1-2 tablespoon fresh lime juice (depending on taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (reserve a bit for presentation)
Good pinch of salt (I use Fleur de sel)
Pinch pepper
Few dashes of Tabasco

Directions:
1.) Remove the corm from the cob. Place in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes on high. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Drain on a tea towel thoroughly.
2.) Combine the prepared corn, sliced avocado, halved tomatoes and diced red onion in a large glass bowl.
3.) Mix the dressing ingredients together in another bowl and then pour over the salad. Gently toss to mix. Add some additional cilantro on top prior to serving. Taste. If you feel it needs salt, add some. The corn can take a good amount of salt - it brings out all of the flavors.

Sautéed Vegetable Orzo

1 package orzo (rice-shaped) pasta
1 red onion or 2 shallots (the latter has a milder flavor), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 portabello mushrooms, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
3-4 fresh tomatoes, cubed
grated parmesan, cubed feta, or bocconcini (tiny mozzarella balls)
olive oil
1-2 T butter (adds flavor)
optional: chopped fresh basil, fresh lemon juice, chopped prosciutto (find with the specialty cheese & deli meats)

Cook orzo in boiling, salted water until toothsome (6-8 minutes). Drain and set aside in a large bowl or serving dish.

Heat olive oil & butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion & garlic and sauté until fragrant. Toss in mushrooms and zucchini, cooking until desired tenderness is achieved (5-8 minutes).

Mix cooked veggies in with the pasta, adding the uncooked tomatoes. Blend in cheese and prosciutto (if using), adding more olive oil if needed to keep the pasta coated. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with basil.

Serve immediately or cover with foil & keep warm in a low oven. Enjoy!

Bake Cherry Crumble

Ingredients
Cherries1/2
Cup of Flour
4 Tbsp. Of Butter
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. of White Sugar
1 Tsp. of Cinnamon
A Pinch of Salt

Steps
Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Prepare the cherries by washing and pitting them. Cut the cherries in half and line them on a bottom of a 8×8″ baking dish or whatever sized baking dish you have on hand. Sprinkle the white sugar over the cherries.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the butter. Mix everything until it forms together. After the dough has formed, take pieces of it and layer them over the cherries.

Place the baking dish into the oven for 20-25 minutes.