halibut and asparagus in parchment

We took these basic ingredients from an epicurious recipe and made it ourselves - delicious.

• 2 large pieces of parchment
• 2 serving size pieces of halibut (probably other white fish of choice would work just as well)
• salt and pepper
• 2 tblsp butter
• 1 pack asparagus, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  
• about 20 leaves of fresh tarragon
• 1/2 large orange
  

1. Preheat oven to 400.
   
2. Place one piece of parchment on a cookie sheet and lie the halibut skin-down in the center. Salt and pepper the top of the fish.
3. Cut 1 tbsp of butter into small cubes and lie in a row down the top of the fish.
4. Pile 1/2 of the cut asparagus on top.
5. Sprinkle 1/2 of the tarragon leaves on top of that.
6. Squeeze 1/2 of the juice of the orange on top of that.
7. Wrap the pile in the parchments so that all sides are wrapped in and then folded over on top (it may start to unwrap a bit at the top; that's OK as long as the sides are contained).
8. Repeat steps 2 - 7 for the other piece of fish on the same cookie sheet.
9. Cook until halibut is flaky, about 17 minutes.

easter 2009 menu

We really enjoyed this meal (my husband says it is his absolute favorite!) for Easter, and it wasn't very difficult to make. We enjoyed it on our new fine china which was also a treat.

Drink: Kir Royale

Starter: Cantaloupe wrapped with prosciutto

Main

Pork tenderloin, seasoned with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper

Asparagus salad with cucumber and herb dressing

Apple, potato and onion gratin

Asparagus Salad with Cucumber and Herb Dressing

Another find from Epicurious, this salad I loved eating cold. I didn't weigh the amount of asaragus that I purchased so I basically "winged it" and just used all of the ingredients except the chervil that the original calls for. So here is my take on this recipe:

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

• 1 package asparagus, trimmed
• 2 cups thinly sliced green onions
• 1 large peeled seeded Kirby or English hothouse cucumbers, cubed
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

For dressing:

Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil.

For salad:

1. Fill large bowl with lightly salted ice water; stir until salt dissolves.
   
2. Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
   
3. Transfer asparagus to bowl of salted ice water to cool.
   
4. Place green onions in another large bowl; pour hot reserved asparagus cooking liquid over onions until covered and let stand until cool, about 30 minutes.
   
5. Drain asparagus and green onions well. Transfer onions to clean kitchen towel and squeeze dry. DO AHEAD: Asparagus and onions can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap separately in several layers of paper towels, then enclose in resealable plastic bags and refrigerate.
6. Combine green onions, cucumbers, and herbs in mixing bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Arrange asparagus on platter. Spoon cucumber mixture over and serve.
   

Original recipe from Epicurious.

Apple, Potato and Onion Gratin

This is a fabulous dish! We absolutely love it, although we will mark it as "special occasion" given the amount of butter -- it would certainly have Paula Dean's blessing. I cut it in 1/2 from the original (provided by bon apetit) and the directions were difficult to follow so I've reworked them below.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons, divided
• 1 large sweet/white onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons (packed) chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold, yellow Finn, or German Butterball potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 pound tart apples (such as Granny Smith, Pippin, or Pink Lady), peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
   
2. Butter 9x6-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
   
3. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, thyme, and 2 teaspoons salt; sauté until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
   
4. Increase heat to medium-high; sauté until onions are tender and begin to color, about 8 minutes longer.
   
5. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup water, wine, and sugar to skillet; stir and swirl skillet to combine. Bring to boil.
   
6. Remove from heat and cool onion mixture to lukewarm.
7. Combine potatoes, apples, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and onion mixture in large bowl; toss gently to blend.
   
8. Transfer to prepared baking dish, spreading evenly.
   
9. Cover dish with parchment paper, then cover with foil, shiny side down. Bake gratin until potatoes are tender, about 55 minutes.
   
10. Uncover and bake until top browns and juices bubble thickly, about 20 minutes longer.
11. Let gratin stand 15 minutes before serving.

carrot and tarragon (or thyme) tart

I found this on EatingWell.com which strangely has a lot of recipes labeled as healthy that I would not quite qualify myself. This one is 1/3 of the day's fat, but it seems savory enough to be a complete meal, so I'm going for it.What I think sounds nice about this recipe is that both the crust and filling have herbs in them.

Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh tarragon leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive or canola oil
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Filling

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive or canola oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 1/2 cups grated carrots
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice vinegar, divided
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or 3/4 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. To prepare crust: Coat a 9- to 10-inch tart pan with cooking spray. Place all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, tarragon and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter one piece at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition, until incorporated. Add 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup yogurt and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan (it will be crumbly), spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom and all the way up the sides to form a crust.
   
3. Bake the crust until set but not browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
4. To prepare filling: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrots and 1 tablespoon sherry (or rice vinegar) and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
   
5. Spread mustard over the crust. Sprinkle with Cheddar, then evenly spread the carrot mixture in the tart shell.
   
6. Whisk 1/2 cup yogurt, milk, eggs, tarragon, the remaining 1 tablespoon sherry (or rice vinegar), 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and pour in the filling.
7. Bake the tart until the filling is firm and the edges are golden brown, 40 to 60* minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or chilled.
   * The original recipe said 40-45 minutes, but my oven required 60.
   

Credit: EatingWell.com. The website provides additional tips and nutritional information.