Steeplechase Menu #2
Spring
is upon us! It's time to break out the picnic supplies before the flies get
here. I live in the South ya know? The Atlanta Steeplechase is next weekend.
I am therefore choosing to give you a menu for a French style picnic that you
can impress everyone with, because the goal is never to see a horse go by, just
be a social butterfly. Next week I'll outdo myself with an Easter menu.
Wesley's
French Horse Watching Menu (so to speak)
Serves
4
Smoked
Chicken and Wild Rice Salad
Potato
and Sausage Salad Lyonnaise
Roasted
Asparagus with Citrus Vinaigrette
Bacon
and Corn Muffins
Chocolate
Raspberry Torte
Smoked
Chicken and Wild Rice Salad:
2/3 cup
wild rice
6 ounces
thickly sliced smoked chicken, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 ounces
mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/3 cup
walnuts, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup
seedless grapes, quartered
1/2 cup
mayonnaise
Boil 2
cups of water in a medium saucepan. Add the wild rice, cover and
turn the heat to low. Cook until just tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain
the rice and allow to cool. Toss with the rest of the ingredients.
Potato
and Sausage Salad Lyonnaise:
3 pounds
boiling potatoes
1 1/2
pounds garlicky sausage such as keilbasa
3 tablespoons
white wine vinegar
1 1/2
tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup
dry white wine
1/2 cup
olive oil
Coarse
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1
bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal.
1/2 cup
minced fresh parsley
Place
the potatoes in a large pot and cover amply with water. Bring
to a boil and simmer uncovered until just tender but not mushy,
25 to 30 minutes. Drain. While the potatoea are cooking, place
the sausage in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring
to a boil and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, drain. Whisk
together the vinegar, mustard, wine, and oil in a small bowl. Peel
the hot potatoes and slice them 1/2 inch thick, place in large
mixing bowl. Immediately pour the dressing over the warm potatoes,
tossing well to coat all over. Slice the sausage on the
diagonal into 1/2 inch slices and add to the potatoes, tossing
well again Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper. Mix
in the scallions and parsley and serve at room temperature.
Roasted
Asparagus with Citrus Vinaigrette:
Preheat
the oven to 500 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of olive
oil, the grated rind of 1 small orange, 2 teaspoons orange
juice, 1 tablespoonraspberry vinegar, and salt and pepper to
taste. Set aside. Trim and peel 1 pound of asparagus. Place in
a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Lightly drizzle with
olive oil all over. Cook until the stalks are crisp tender,
6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a dish and drizzle the citrus vinaigrette
over, let cool.
Bacon
and Onion Corn Muffins:
6 strips
thick cut bacon, diced
1 1/2
cups diced onions
1 cup
buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup
plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 1/4
cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon
baking soda
2 teaspoons
baking powder
4 tablespoons
butter, softened
4 tablesppons
vegetable shortening, softened
2 eggs
Preheat
the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease and flour 12 large
muffin tins (or line with paper liners). Saute the bacon overmedium-high
heat until golden brown and just crisp. Do not overcook.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to paper towels. Reserve
the fat and set the bacon aside to cool. Saute the onions in
the baconfat over medium-high heat until llight brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Place
the onions in a strainer set over a bowl an=d allow the fat to drain.
In a smalll bowl, combine the buttermilk with 1/2 cup of cornmeal
and stir well. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the
remaining cornmeal with the flour, baking soda and powder.
Set aside.
Cream
the butter and shortening with an electric mixer in a large
bowl until light. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each
addition. On low speed, stir in the buttermilk and mix until
just combined. Do not overmix. Scrape down the sides and bottom
of the bowl and stir in the onions and bacon until just
combined. Fill the muffin tinss 2/3's full. Place in the oven and
reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until
golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the muffin should come
out clean. Cool on a rack.
Chocolate
Raspberry Torte:
One 10-ounce
package frozen raspberries, in syrup, defrosted
4 ounces
unsalted butter, room temp
6 ounces
bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2/3 cup
sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup
cake flour, sifted after you measure
Confectioners'
sugar for dusting Press
the raspberries through a sieve or use a food mill fitted with a small
disk. Place the raspberry juice in a small saucepan and boil until
it reduces to about 1/2 cup syrup, about 7 minutes. Let cool. Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and dust it with
flour. Line the bottom with parchment. Using
an electric mixer, or by hand in a large bowl, beat the butter until
pale and creamy. Add the chocolate and sugar. Beat until the mixture
is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat
in the raspberry syrup, and then the flour. Beat until the mixture
is just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and
bake untila toothpick inserted int he center comes out clean, 25
to 30 minutes. Let the torte cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Invert
onto cooling rack and cool completely. On the day of the picnic,
dust with confectioners' sugar.
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