Salmon in Parchment

Ingredients
2 salmon fillets
2 tablespoons splendid salad dressing
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 egg white
salt and pepper
1 roll parchment paper


Preparation
Remove any remaining bones from the salmon. Run your finger along the ridge and pull out bones using kitchen tweezers or needlenose pliers.

Mix together 2 tablespoons of the tarragon, the salad dressing, honey and olive oil in a dish large enough to hold the pieces of salmon. Lie the fillets, flesh side down, onto the marinade and allow to sit for at least 1/2 hour.

Rub butter on 2 sheets of parchment paper about 3 inches longer than the fillets.

Lie the fillets, skin side down on the parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. On each fillet spread 1 cup of chopped tomatoes.

Pour 1/2 of the marinade on each fillet.

Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of chopped tarragon on each of the fillets.

The egg white is your "glue". Using a basting brush paint egg white along the lengths of the parchment. Bring the edges of the lengths together and then fold them down, painting on addition egg white as needed.

Paint egg white onto the ends of the parchment, and then fold the ends over, adding egg white as needed to secure the "packet".

Slide the packets onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

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Fresh Berry Trifle

Ingredients
¾ cup brandy
1 tablespoon William Sonoma Vanilla Bean Paste
1 ⅓ cups whole milk
1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
12 soft lady fingers (store bought)
½ cup cherry jam
1 pint blueberries, washed and allowed to dry
½ pint raspberries, washed and allowed to dry
2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Preparation
Warm milk and cream in a saucepan.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then beat in the warm milk and cream.

Pour mixture into a clean pan and put over low heat.

Stir and whisk the mixture constantly until it thickens.

If there are signs of the mixture curdling (it will start looking grainy), fill a sink with a couple inches of water, and add ice. Put the pan in the cold bath and whisk rapidly until the custard smooths out. If it gets desperate, put an ice cube in the custard mix and continue whisking.

When the custard is thick, stir in the Vanilla Bean Paste and 2 tablespoons of the brandy. The custard can be covered with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill until needed.

Seperate the ladyfingers, spread on jam and sandwich the lid on top. Line the bottom of a clear glass container with the lady fingers.

Sprinkle Lady finger with 2 tablespoons of the brandy, toss on a layer of berries and spoon on a layer of custard.

Continue layering until container is full our ingredients are gone.

Cover with plastice wrap and chill (24 hours is best).

Top the trifle with whipped cream, a sprig of mint or more berries before serving.
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Duck rumaki

Ingredients
1 duck breast, skin removed, sliced and cut into 1" rectangles
12 ounces bacon, slices cut in half
16 ounces jar of sliced hot jalapeno peppers
24 decorative toothpicks

Preparation

In the center of each piece of bacon place a jalapeno slice and a piece of duck.

Wrap the bacon tightly around the duck and pepper and secure with a toothpick.

Can be chilled over night until ready to cook.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place rumaki on tray and position on center rack of preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, shaking occasionally.

Serve with fresh made 1000 island dressing and plenty of margaritas! Ole!

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Tuna Nicoise salad sandwich

Ingredients
1 batch "pate a choux" using salt and no sugar baked into a 12"-14" choux puff ring or 2 store bought baguettes
½ cup Splendid Salad Dressing
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed and washed
6 hard boiled eggs, quartered
4 inch ripe, firm tomatoes, cut ⅙ths
½ a head of red leaf lettuce, torn, washed and spun
2 tablespoons of capers
3 inch jars of Italian tuna packed olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation
This sandwich can be made using a store bought baguette, but fresh baked bread makes this especially delicious and the ring shape is unique. To make the choux puff ring follow the directions in the "Pâte à Choux", recipe, adding the salt, rather than the sugar. It will take about 1/2 hour and it is extremely gratifying!!
To make puff loaf
To make the round, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and adjust the racks so the tray can be in the lower middle section of the oven.
Cover a baking sheet with silpats (available in Splendid Items or at a kitchen shop). Make sure you have a platter or cutting board large enough to hold the puff ring and sandwich.
Use an appropriate sized pot lid (we used one that was 12 inches) as a guide and pipe the warm choux pastry in a circle around the lid on the silpat. Then pipe another circle of dough outside of the first circle, finally, make a third circle of dough on top of the first two. Trays and silpats can be combined to create a surface large enough for the ring of your desire.
The following baking process helps to dry out the dough on the inside of the ring - it can be very damp. If it still seems too damp when finished one can slice the ring open, lay the halves cut side up and crisp them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
Bake the circle in the 450 degree oven for 25 minutes, the circle should puff up about 3x and be nicely browned.
Reduce the heat to 400 degrees, pierce the puff in several places to allow steam to escape.
Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.
Then turn off the heat and leave the round in the oven for another hour or so with the door ajar.
The ring can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored for up to 24 hours.
To prepare the green beans for the sandwich, steam the beans over salted boiling water until they become bright green and are a little soft (about 2-4 minutes). Put the steaming basket in a sink, or toss them into a colander and top with a few ice cubes and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
To assemble the sandwich
Slice the ring across the center, remove the top half. Position all of the ingredients within reach.
Spread the bread lightly with mayonnaise, scooping out any mayo that fills holes in the bread.
Create a "tossing bowl" where ingredients can be tossed with the dressing.
Toss the lettuce in the bowl, drizzle on a generous amount of the dressing, toss and place the lettuce leaves on the ring.
Open and drain the jars of tuna, toss them in the "tossing bowl" and gently break up the gorgeous hunks of tuna and place them over the lettuce, trying to make sure everything is less than bite-sized.
Place the tomato slices in the bowl and very gently toss them and place them over the tuna.
Sprinkle on the capers and chopped parsley.
Toss the beans in the dressing and place them around the ring.
Finally, evenly distribute the egg quarters on top the ring and drizzle with more dressing.
It's hard to do, but now you must cover that splendid creation with the top of the puff ring.
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Vinaigrette Splendid

Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup tarragon vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon Vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced

Preparation
Add ingredients to a screw top jar and shake until fully emulsified.

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Green Goddess Dip

Ingredients
¾ cup mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellman's, preferably)
¾ cup sour cream
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint
1 tablespoon snipped chives
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon leaves
freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste

Preparation
Stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, chopped garlic, Worcestershire and vinegar, preferably in a bowl with a fitted lid for storage.
Pour in all of the gorgeous herbs and combine.
For best flavor, this should be stored in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.
Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
This dip is delicious with or without the anchovies.

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Rustic Pesto

Ingredients
1 large bunch of fresh basil
4 cloves garlic
½cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup walnut pieces or ⅓ cup pine nuts
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preparation
Wash and dry your herbs -- plucking the leaves and processing them through a salad spinner works well, you can do all of one (basil is the most traditional) or mix any combination of basil, parsley, cilantro....make sure they are very dry before proceeding.
Absent a salad spinner, rinse them in a colander and roll them in paper towels to dry.
Toss them on a cutting board and start chopping.
To chop: use some version of a chef's knife
Hold the handle with one hand, guide the blade with the other and use a gentle, rolling motion to cut the leaves; cut in one direction, and then the other (think north to south, west to east , or reverse).
Next, the nuts, walnuts or pine nuts are traditional, but feel free to experiment. Once again, north to south, west to east, be sure to scoop to the center peripheral bits that were left out during the previous round (they will be larger).
How finely you chop the herbs and nuts is a personal preference, depending upon your future plans.
Cut the garlic (in Italian, aglio) in to chunks, then sprinkle the sea salt over the garlic and continue chopping to desired size.
Mix all of the ingredients together, preferably in a glass bowl with a lid that fits airtight, and drizzle in your favorite olive oil. Sprinkle in the cheese and continue stirring and adding olive oil to make it a thick paste, or loose and spreading sauce, depending upon the ultimate destination of this creation. Use immediately or store in an airtight container to use in the following week.

Viva Pestare!
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Ciabatta stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients
Tomatoes stuffed with pesto ciabatta
1 ½ cups ciabatta breadcrumbs
9 small ripe, firm, ripe roma tomatoes (or round tomatoes)
½ cup of pesto (homemade or store bought)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the tops off of the tomatoes (save the tops for garnish later). Hollow out the cavities of the tomatoes by gently squeezing them and using your pinky finger.
Salt and pepper the inside of the tomatoes and put them on a rack, upside down, with paper towels below, to shed some water.
To prepare the bread crumbs: slice a day old ciabatta loaf lengthwise (so the slices can fit into the mouth of your food processor), using the steel blade attachment process the bread lengths until nicely "crumbed".
Thoroughly mix the pesto in with 1-1/2 cups of breadcrumbs.
Using a small spoon and your fingers, stuff the tomato cavities with the bread crumb mixture.
Place the tomatoes in a baking container. Drizzle the tops of each of the tomatoes with olive oil.
Place in the heated oven and bake for 40 minutes. When finished, the tomatoes should be soft but not collapsing. The bread crumbs should have a golden brown crust.
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Party Pavlovas

Ingredients
8 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons vinegar
3 teaspoons orange blossom water
2 ½ cups whipping cream
fruit for garnish (raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries)

Preparation
Adjust oven racks to accommodate 3 baking trays. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place silpats (silicon sheets that make removing the desserts and clean up much easier) on each baking tray (in place of silpats, parchment paper can be used).
Beat egg whites on a high speed until soft peaks form.
Then, continue beating and slowly pour in the sugar.
Beat until the mixture becomes thick and glossy and holds a stiff peak.
Sprinkle in the cornstarch, vinegar, orange blossom water and fold in lightly.
Scoop out large spoonfuls of the egg whites mixture and drop them onto the prepared trays. Use the backside of the spoon to create a little indentation in the mound, leave any fun curls or waves in place. Meringues can also be enjoyed without the cream and berries, in which case they can be left shaped as mounds with a curled peak.
Slide the trays in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes and then turn off the heat. Leave in the oven for another 2 hours as the oven cools (or until you need them).
The meringues will emerge from the oven looking similar to how they entered, but there will be a slightly golden, crunchy, flaky shell surrounding the soft, chewy mixture inside. They may spread when the humidity is high.
Peel the meringues from the sheet and store in an airtight container until ready to serve (they can be stored for up to a week).
When ready to serve, whip the cream until very thick. Put each meringue on a dessert plate. Use a large spoon to drop a large dollop of the whipped cream over the indentation (it is good to have cream spilling out of the indentation). Top with a scattering of berries or pomegranate jewels.
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Splendid Strawberry Tart

Yield: 10

Ingredients
7 ½ ounces of Italian Amaretti Cookies (available in grocery and specialty shops)
7 tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 cups (16 oz.) creme fraiche or sour cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound strawberries, washed, topped and sliced in ½
Preparation
Using a rolling pin, lightly tap the cookies to shatter them, then roll the cookies until they are a smooth and consistent crumb.
Put the cookies crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the melted butter, mix thoroughly.
Once the crust ingredients are mixed press them into the tart pan. Cover the mixture in plastic wrap and give the crust a final "smoothing" with your hands.
Chill the crust for at least 2 hours and up to 4 days.
Cream together the creme fraiche and the brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the creme is a consistent color.
Up to 3 hours before serving, one can finish making the tart.
Spoon all of the creme onto the crust and smooth it with a spatula.
Allow about a 1 inch margin of crust around the perimeter of the tart.
About Splendid Strawberry Tart : This recipe is for a 12" false bottom round tart pan.
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pate a choux

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 inch stick butter (½ cup) cut into ½ pieces
1 tablespoon sugar (for sweet) OR 1 teaspoon salt (for savory)
1 cup all purpose flour
5 cups large eggs, lightly beaten, about 1 cup

Preparation
Bring water, butter, and sugar (for sweet) OR salt (for savory) to a boil over high heat until butter melts,
When butter is melted, remove from heat, and pour in all of the flour and beat vigorously until it is smooth.
Put the pan over the heat and beat a little longer, until the batter leaves a trail, this allows more of the moisture to evaporate, and the eggs to absorb more easily in the next step.
Scoop the batter into a mixing bowl and stir for about a minute to allow the batter to cool.
Create a well in the center of the batter.
Pour in 1/4 cup of the beaten eggs, using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer on a slow setting, stir until they are fully incorporated.
When the batter is smooth again pour in another 1/4 cup of the eggs and repeat the process, Repeat 2 more times.

About Pate A Choux: This is the base for a myriad of delicious delights.



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Lobster rolls

Yield: 2-4 people

Ingredients
2 cups lobster chunks
2 tablespoons good quality mayonaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped Tarragon (or chives, or parsley)
4 brioche buns or hot dog buns
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation
Mix together the first 4 ingredients.
Brush both sides of the bread with the melted butter
Toast bread in skillet until just golden brown on each side
Fill with lobster mixture

Recipe can be incresased. In place of lobster, one can use prawns or crab.
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Ahi Tuna Steaks au Pierrade

should serve 2-4 people.
Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilanatro
⅛teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 ahi tuna steaks

Preparation
Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a glass baking dish. Add the steaks to the marinade making sure to cover both sides with a combination of the ingredients. Cover with plastic and let sit in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Heat slate stone on grill, brush with olive oil. Test to make sure the stone is hot enough with a dribble of water -- it should sizzle on the stone.
Place steaks on stone. For thick steaks, it should take about 6 minutes per side. Flip steaks and finish cooking.

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Thousand Island Dressing

Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
¼cup chili sauce (ketchup style)
1 medium to large sized shallot
1 inch stalk celery (cut 2" pieces)
5 cornichons
1 slice a red pepper
1 quartered hard boiled egg
Preparation
Step 1
Put all ingredients (except egg) in blender. Cover and blend on a medium setting until vegetables are coarsely chopped (just a couple of seconds). Add egg. Cover and blend just until egg is chopped (another second).

About 1000 Island Dressing: This dressing is reported to have been invented at the small resort town of Clayton, NY in the Thousand Island area in the St. Lawrence River between Canada and New York State by Sophia La Londe, the wife of a guide in the area. The owner of the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC was said to have summered at this Clayton Herald Hotel. He brought the recipe back to the big city and it has been enjoyed, copied and modified ever since!

The fresh vegetables mixed with refrigerator staples in this dressing put it leaps above anything in a bottle, it takes seconds to make and lasts for about a week in the refrigerator. It is delicious on salads, sandwiches and as a dip for duck rumaki at cocktail hour.

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