Strawberry and Avocado Salad with Honey Maple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

This was the HIT recipe for today's entertaining. A local club out here serves this with some fresh orange and grapefruit sections (minus the avocado). It is so light and refreshing, not to mention delicious.

Honey Maple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juice and zest (2 Tbs. juice)
1/2-1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (do not use dark balsamic)
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 tsp poppy seeds

Salad:
2 cups of baby spinach
1 cup of mixed greens
1 cup of romaine
1/2 cup of strawberries, sliced
1 avocado, diced
1 small shallot, sliced thinly
2 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded


Combine the canola oil, olive oil, maple syrup, honey, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice & zest, white balsamic vinegar, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, and the poppy seeds together in a small bowl; whisk until well combined. Set aside for flavors to mingle for 20-30 minutes.

Combine the baby spinach, spring greens, and romaine lettuce together in a large bowl. Layer the salad with sliced strawberries, diced avocado, sliced shallots, sliced almonds, and shredded Parmesan. Drizzle the top with the vinaigrette and toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Lemon Meringue Pie with Raspberries or Blueberries

The meringue on this pie holds up real well, and the berries add a nice touch to this well-loved dessert. I omit putting the berries in the filling, and simply add them to the finished pie when serving (or just forget about them altogether and have an outstanding lemon meringue pie).

This is really good with the Macadamia Coconut crust (recipe follows), but you can use a regular pre-baked pie crust if you prefer. Any way you decide to do it, you're going to have an outstanding pie to serve your guests.

One pre-baked piecrust*

1 1/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup cold water

1 ½ cups boiling water
4 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon butter

Meringue:

4 large egg whites
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup fresh raspberries or blueberries, optional (use as garnish)

In a 3-quart sauce pan (non-reactive), mix 1 1/4 cups sugar with 6 tablespoons of cornstarch and salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup cold water, lemon peel, and lemon juice, blending thoroughly. Whisk in 1-1/2 cups boiling water.

Set pan over medium-high heat and stir with a flexible spatula until mixture boils about 7 minutes. 

Add about 1/2 cup hot filling to the egg yolks and stir quickly to temper. Add the tempered yolks to the hot filling. Return to a boil and continue to cook about one minute.

Add butter and stir until melted and absorbed. If adding berries, sprinkle 1 cup of fresh raspberries in the bottom of the prepared piecrust and pour hot lemon mixture over the berries. OR . . . pour half the lemon filling in the crust; add the raspberries (or blueberries), and cover with the remaining filling.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2-cup sugar with the remaining 2 teaspoons of corn starch. In a deep bowl or the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer on high speed until very foamy and no liquid whites remain in the bottom of the bowl. Continue to beat at high speed and gradually add the sugar-starch mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time. Then beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Spoon meringue onto hot pie filling. With a spatula, swirl meringue to cover filling completely, touching the rim of the pie shell all around.

Bake in a 325º oven until meringue is lightly browned, about 18-20 minutes. 
Set pie on rack to cool, about 3 hours. Chill before serving.

Macadamia Coconut Crust

NOTE: This makes too much dough for a 9"pie, so perhaps you should make a second, smaller pie shell. Using the entire amount of dough in a 9" pan just makes too thick of a crust . . . hard to eat. 

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

3/4 c butter

2/3 c macadamia nuts

2/3 c coconut flakes

1 tsp sugar

3 Tbsp milk, optional if needed (I prefer it without the milk)

If your macadamia nuts are whole, put them into a food processor and pulse till they are chopped in small chunks. If you chop them too small they just get lost in the dough, and you want to identify the taste of the macadamia. Set aside in another bowl.

Place flour, butter, teaspoon of sugar into a food processor and mix well. Stir in the coconut and chopped nuts. Add coconut milk, if using.  Pat the dough into the pie pan. Prick the crust’s bottom, sides, and the fold around the bottom of the pie pan (where the bottom crust starts going up the side of the pan). This will keep the crust where it belongs, not bubbling up.

If using the coconut milk, place ball of dough on floured surface and roll out.  Place in pie pan and crimp the edges.

Bake crust at 425º for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling.

Creamy Potato and Asparagus Soup

Makes: 4 servings

 1 1/4 pounds fresh asparagus spears, trimmed

1 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped (1/2-inch pieces or smaller)

1 12 - ounce can evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/4 cups water

6 slices bacon

1 tablespoon honey

Toppings such as finely shredded lemon peel, fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, coarse salt, and/or freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Reserve about one-third of the asparagus. Combine remaining asparagus, the potatoes, evaporated milk, salt, pepper, and the water in a saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly. In a blender or food processor, blend or process soup, half at a time, until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a skillet cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels; set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in skillet. Add reserved asparagus spears to the drippings in skillet. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

Coarsely chop bacon and place in a microwave-safe pie plate. Drizzle bacon with honey; cover with vented plastic wrap. Just before serving, microcook on 100 percent power (high) for 30 seconds.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with asparagus, bacon mixture, and, if desired, toppings

The Best Caesar Dressing

Process until well blended and salt is dissolved:

3-4 medium cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup fresh lemon juice, or less to taste

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2-3 drops Tabasco

1 Tbs. anchovy paste

¼ cup fresh Parmesan cheese

While processing, add in light stream:

1 cup olive oil

Should have a light mayonnaise consistency. Refrigerate.