Asparagus Salad with Chervil Vinaigrette

Last year I planted chervil for the first time. It's a delicate, lacy looking herb with undertones of anise and fresh citrus flavors. I was surprised to see it sprout up this spring and didn't think it had the strength to come back on its own. Now, after some sunshine and spring rain, it's quite abundant and healthy so I have been thinking up all sorts of ways to use it.

I came up with this salad after buying my weekly bundle of asparagus. The thin stalks needed only a quick blanch in some simmering water for a couple minutes before they were ready. I had some leftover toasted hazelnuts from the Rhubarb Raspberry Tarts so gave them a quick chop and added them in. It was finished off with some shavings of pecorino and the chervil vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette itself can be modified in all sorts of ways by switching out different herbs and vinegars. I wanted something light that wouldn't overwhelm the other ingredients and so chose the white wine vinegar and a touch of lemon juice for acidity. This vinaigrette comes together in no time in the blender and also emulsifies nicely.

For 4 servings:

• 1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 3-inch lengths
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup chervil leaves, stems discarded
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• pinch of kosher salt
• pinch of sugar
• 4 cups lettuce mix
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• Shavings of pecorino, to taste

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of simmering, salted water for a couple minutes and then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, chervil, lemon juice, salt and sugar. Blend, scraping down the sides once, until emulsified.

In a salad bowl, combine the lettuce, hazelnuts, asparagus and vinaigrette and toss to combine. Shave the pecorino over the top and serve immediately.

Warm Jasmine Rice Salad

I have been in love with Spring more so than usual this year. It's been an early warm one featuring April lilacs, annuals in the garden that curiously survived the winter, loads of pretty chives, and grass that has required several mowings before it reached May 1st.

While I sit in the sun, I crave foods light and green and lemony and so one night tossed together this salad. It was one of those things that was so good that I wrote down how I sort of did it and then made it again so I could present it to all of you. I've been working on the yogurt dressing recipe that I've used here for a while and am pretty enamored with it. I love that it is creamy but not mayonnaise-based (for health reasons only, I could eat an entire jar of Hellman's with a spoon if no one was watching).

The salad itself is a simple combination of sweet peas, tangy artichokes and fragrant jasmine rice along with loads of chopped fresh herbs and lemon. It tastes best warm so try and eat it right away but leftovers are perfectly fine cold. I have eaten this on it's own for lunch and also had it as a side dish along with some grilled lamb.

For 3-4 main dish servings or 5-6 side dish servings:

• 1 cup jasmine rice, uncooked
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/3 cup chopped mixed herbs (I used basil, chives and oregano)
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 cup canned quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Steam or boil the rice. Meanwhile in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, yogurt, lemon zest, poppy seeds, herbs and shallots. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

Stir in the warm, cooked rice until thoroughly coated in the dressing. If using frozen peas, stir them into the warm rice which will "cook" them. If using fresh peas, blanch them for 1-2 minutes and then add them to the rice. Stir in the artichokes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste if necessary and serve, with lemon wedges on the side.

Frost-Proof Produce

I thought it noteworthy that the bundle of herbs and vegetables photographed above were picked out of the garden today - after 3 unwelcome, albeit brief, October snowfalls, several hard frosts, and generally cooler temperatures than normal.

After the first weird, early October snow, I wrote about running out into the garden and rescuing my tomatillos. I wrongly assumed that besides my Brussels sprouts, everything else left in the garden would wilt and die an unfortunate snowy death. This was true for the tomatoes, of course, but my peppers did not fare any better, almost instantly becoming soggy and strangely translucent. I really blew it by not picking all the peppers sooner.

However, what has remained and even continued to grow has been bountiful. Pictured above is Lacinato Kale, Curly Parsley, Flat Leaf Parsley, Garden Sage, French Tarragon, English Lavender, Greek Oregano, Thyme and Rosemary. Not pictured are my adorable Brussels Sprouts which I have been routinely slicing off the large stalks and eating with pleasure.

Very soon I will dry the rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme in my food dehydrator which works like a charm because it seals in the green herbal color while maintaining the plant's strong flavor. As for the parsleys, those are best frozen as I personally don't think they provide much flavor as a dried herb. The kale is currently being blanched and frozen in 1 cup portions to eat throughout the winter.

Thai Basil Stir Fry

We grow four different varieties of basil in our garden: Thai, Genovese, Lemon and Purple. I hold a special place in my heart for Thai Basil because it often provides a perfect stand-in for gag-inducing cilantro in most Asian recipes. When there are plenty of purple-hued, licorice-scented plants I love making this stir-fry. The protein and vegetables can certainly be switched out to suit your own tastes.

As with all stir-fries, all the ingredients must be prepped and ready to go before the cooking starts. Also, fair warning, when adding the garlic and pepper to the ripping hot wok make sure that all windows are open since the spicy fumes made me choke/cough/cry like a lunatic.

• 2 cups of lightly packed Thai Basil Leaves
• 3 cups chopped mixed vegetables (I used wax beans, green beans, peas, pattypan squash)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 red jalapeno peppers, minced (seeded if you're a wimp)
• 1 package extra firm tofu (not silken)
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 teaspoons soy sauce
• 5 teaspoons sugar
• 1/3 cup roasted salted cashews, coarsely chopped

Cut the tofu lengthwise into 3 slabs and place between a couple sheets of paper towels. Press down, blotting as much water off as possible. Cube the tofu into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok over high heat and add the tofu. Stir frequently until the tofu is golden on all sides. Remove the tofu with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add the additional tablespoon of oil and then add the garlic and pepper, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add the tofu back to the wok and stir for a minute. Turn the heat down to medium and pour the reserved sauce into the wok. Stir frequently for another minute. Add the thai basil leaves and stir until wilted.

Serve the stir-fry over steamed jasmine rice with the cashews sprinkled over the top.

Sorrel Butter

I''ve been too hot to cook so thankfully Guestblogger: The Chef came through for me. How can you go wrong with some extra-fancy herbed butter? I would imagine that any dinner guest would be impressed. -- A Crafty Lass

Compound (flavored) butter is used in almost every professional kitchen across the land, and yet absolutely ignored by home cooks. I’ve never quite understood why, considering how easy it is to whip up.

Remember when Jabba the Hut bronzed Han Solo? Same concept: flavorful bits like chives, Roquefort, or Harrison Ford circa 1983, are added to softened butter, chilled, and become suspended animation in your fridge until they are released by a sizzling steak, a steaming potato, or…Princess Leia?

One of our herb containers was downright bushy with sorrel, so I decided to give it a trim and lock the lemony leaves in a butter that would add zing to grilled chicken or salmon fillets, the latter combination being a rustic riff on the French classic, Salmon in Sorrel Sauce.

For at least 4-6 servings:

• 1 stick unsalted butter ignored until room temperature
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped sorrel leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• One pinch each of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly, and chill until solid. It will keep, chilled, for 1-2 weeks or frozen for millennia.

Mint Sugar

Besides being less minty, I wonder what my life was like before I discovered Mint Sugar.

Several years ago, when the Gourmet Cookbook came out, I wrote down a list of things I wanted to make out of it and a recipe for Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar caught my eye. The simplicity of it belies its greatness. What results from only two ingredients and a few spins in the food processor is a summery condiment, herbal and fragrant.

I keep a container of this in the fridge and find that its freshness particularly marry well with peaches, melon, and blackberries. And, in the case of a Mojito emergency, a few teaspoons of mint sugar replaces the traditional muddled mint quite nicely. If a pitcher of Mojitos would suit the occasion, then mint sugar is the surefire way to make cocktails for a crowd.

For about a cup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh mint leaves

Place both ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mint is finely chopped and the sugar turns green. Use immediately or refrigerate. The mint sugar will last about a week in a sealed container in the fridge.

German Chamomile

The summer after we moved into our house, we got to work on the landscaping. I must have dug out and gave away 50 hostas and just as many daylilies which still crop up here and there to taunt me. We cleared out areas for a rose garden, a perennial garden, an herb garden and of course, a vegetable garden.

That first year we learned a lot and the mistakes we made were many. For one, we planted 12 tomato plants because we apparently were intent on solving the hunger crisis one tomato at a time. I let the weeds get the best of me in the perennial garden. And, we discovered that two Labrador puppies do not care that they are stepping on tender seedlings and sprouting seeds, hence the chicken wire fence that now goes up around the vegetable garden soon after planting.

The most exotic thing (in my mind anyway) we planted in our herb garden was German Chamomile. My knowledge of chamomile didn't extend much beyond tea, so to see it in its flowery form was intriguing. We planted five little chamomile seedlings and were charmed by their frilly foliage, dainty daisy flowers and lovely scent. To me, chamomile smells like how honey tastes.

The next summer, when I was clearing out the herb garden, I saw tiny sprouts that were unmistakably chamomile...but...more sprouts than we planted last year. The Chef did some reading up and discovered that chamomile is indeed a perennial and is sometimes used as a ground cover. Yes, that's right, a ground cover.

We now have German Chamomile growing not only in the herb garden, but in cracks in our sidewalk, near my roses, around the lilac bushes, and sprigs of it against our fence. It's a sweet reminder of our first year as gardeners.

If you happen to have chamomile or want to grow it, here are some ideas for using it up:

• Chamomile and Vanilla Bean Ile Flotante from Canelle et Vanille
  
• Meyer Lemon Curd and Chamomile Vanilla Mousse from Tartelette
  
• Fresh Peaches with Chamomile Ice Milk and Toasted Brioche from The New York Times

Vichyssoise

I love that Guestblogger: The Chef decided to whip this up for us on a whim the other day, because I love it so. Leeks are one of my favorite vegetables and a pleasure to grow in our garden. This deceptively simple soup is sophisticated, lovely and a springtime favorite in our household. --A Crafty Lass

Vichyssoise (vihsh-ee-SWAHZ) is the perfect soup for the particular type of Spring we’re having here in the Midwest, where we are alternately quenching our gardens as an antidote to record-breaking heat or shrouding our tender plants with bed sheets overnight for fear that they may be frozen stiff come morning. This versatile, creamy potato leek soup can be served either hot or cold depending on your mood or the prevailing unseasonably seasonal weather. Either way, Vichyssoise for me is a “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” soup that features a pureed harmony of potatoes, leeks, and vegetable stock, all gilded with everyone’s favorite ingredient, heavy whipping cream.

My version celebrates Spring with its showcase of the often-overlooked flowers of the chive plant along with finely chopped fresh chives, the garnish of which we’ve dubbed a “chive bomb” in my restaurant, because a hearty “bam”-like scattering of these punchy herbs over the soup’s silky surface is a must…a flourish of white truffle oil doesn’t suck either.

For 6-8 servings:

• 3½ cups vegetable stock
• 3 cups (1#), peeled, chunked russet potatoes
• 1½ cups (¼#) diced leeks (white and light green parts only)
• 1 cup (¼#) julienned yellow onion
• 1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
• White pepper, finely ground, to taste
• Garnish: chopped chives, chive flowers, and white truffle oil

Simmer potatoes, leeks, and onions in the vegetable stock until very tender and breaking apart, 30 to 45 minutes.

Puree with a hand blender until smooth, or in batches (once at a safe temperature) in a traditional blender. At this stage, the puree can be chilled or frozen for use at a later time.

Return puree to heat in a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in heavy whipping cream. If the soup is too thick, more vegetable stock or milk can be added. Add white pepper, and if necessary, salt to season.

Immediately ladle into soup bowls and “chive bomb” to garnish. Cap the opened end of the truffle oil bottle with your thumb and release just a suggestion of this elixir over each bowl. Lick thumb and reflect.

The First Sign of Spring

One week ago I was standing at the bus stop, the wind was howling right through me and I was wondering for the billionth time this Winter why I live in the Midwest. When the wind chill is -20 and the actual temperature is -5, there are no comforting answers to that question.

Oh, but fickle Minnesota went ahead and decided to have a 50 degree jump in temperature in just one week's time. Yesterday when I was out enjoying the unfamiliar warmth, something caught my eye...something GREEN. Hallelujah! At least the chives think it's warm enough to wake up and show themselves. And no, I will not consider the fact that a blizzard could still descend upon me at any moment. I simply refuse to believe it.

These chives were planted in our yard 3 years ago and have always flourished. My love for chives is strong, and I absolutely prefer them to scallions. I adore the green, subtle onion flavor, the slight crunch, and the myriad ways there are to use them.

In case you also have chive-love, here are some tasty-sounding recipes:

• Chive and Pine Nut Dip with Sourdough Toasts from Gourmet
• Skillet Cooked Potatoes and Cheese from Saveur
• Salmon Carpaccio with Lime and Chives from The New York Times
• Cheddar Chive Scones from Martha Stewart