Make Mother's Day Memorable
Anne Morrow Lindbergh sure had it right about moms! This Mother's Day,
when you make the elegant recipes below, go the extra mile and make the
dinner memorable with all the right touches. Here are eight tips
for creating the perfect meal.
1. Plan your meal and
keep it simple but elegant. There are a lot of easy recipes out there
that require the minimum of work and clean up. Mom will appreciate the
dinner better if you're not exhausted when you sit down to eat with her!
2. Set the table. Use your best silverware and those linen
napkins. you've got hidden away in a drawer. If you're interested in
folding the napkins in a elegant style it will take you less than a
minute to find a wesbite with instructions and pictures.
3. Set a spring bouquet of Mom's favorites in the center of the table.
Select short stemmed flowers so family members can see one another over
the top of the arrangement.
4. Chill the
wine. Remember -- white with fish; red with beef. Buy sparkling cider
for the kids. Use special glasses like stemmed or gold rimmed glasses.
5. Fill the room
with scented candles and light them about 20 minutes before starting
the appetizer. This will lend a warm, cozy glow to your surroundings.
6. Put her
favorite CD on the player and turn it down low. You want to be able to
carry on a conversation.
7. Make
something scrumptious for dessert, and you're all set.
8. Wow her with
your wisdom and expertise!
Elegant Mother's Day Dinner Menu
Appetizer: Serrano
Ham Crostini
Bread: Cloverleaf
Dinner Rolls
Soup: Tomato
and Spinach Soup
Salad: Orange and Almond Salad
Vegetable: Emeril's
Potato Truffle Charlotte
Entree: Chicken
Scarpariello
Side
Dish: Orzo with Parsley and Lemon Zest
Dessert: Peaches and Port
Beverage: Crowd
Pleaser Coffee
Serrano
Ham Crostini
Ingredients:
24
(1/4 to 1/3-inch thick) slices baguette
2 medium ripe tomatoes, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil
24 paper-thin slices Serrano ham
Very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the
broiler. To prepare crostini,
arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Broil,
turning, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack
to cool.
Rub crostini with tomato. Drizzle with olive
oil. Top each crostini
with a slice of ham. Brush with olive oil. Arrange on a serving platter
and sprinkle with parsley.
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Cloverleaf
Dinner Rolls
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup
plus 2 teaspoons butter
3/4 cup
plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1
teaspoon salt
1
(1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
2 eggs,
lightly beaten
4 1/2
cups all-purpose flour
3
tablespoons Nonfat dry milk
Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium
heat combine the
milk, 1/4 cup of the butter, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt and
cook, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the sugar has
dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to
cool to lukewarm before proceeding.
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Tomato and Spinach Soup
2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 ounces
2 cups good quality vegetable stock, available on soup aisle
1/2 ten-ounce sack triple washed spinach, stems removed and spinach
shredded with knife
Salt and pepper to your taste
Directions:
Heat a
medium soup pot over moderate heat. Add
oil, shallots and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes. Add drained tomatoes
and
crushed tomatoes, stir. Add stock and stir to combine soup. Stir in
spinach in handfuls to wilt it and combine with soup. Season soup with
salt and pepper to your taste. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat and
simmer 10 to 15 minutes to reduce.
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In a large mixing bowl
dissolve the yeast and remaining 1/2
teaspoon of sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water (110 degrees F). Add the
eggs and stir to combine. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add
the milk mixture to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Using a
wooden spoon, add the flour 1 cup at a time. The dough will be quite
stiff and somewhat sticky. If the dough gets too stiff to stir with a
spoon, use your hands to mix.
Lightly grease the inside of
a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of
the remaining butter. Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn to coat.
Lightly grease a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap with the
remaining teaspoon of butter and use it to cover the bowl. Set aside in
a warm place until doubled in size, at least 3 hours.
Melt remaining 1/4 cup of
butter and transfer to a small bowl
to cool. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead
until smooth and elastic, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to a thickness
of 1/2-inch. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 36 equal pieces.
Tuck the cut edges of each piece under so as to form a smooth round
ball of dough. Place 3 balls of dough side by side into each well of a
muffin tin. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top of each roll
with some of the melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside
in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees F.
Bake the dinner rolls in the
center of the oven until golden
brown and puffed, about 18 to 20 minutes. Be sure to serve the rolls
while they are still warm with real butter or flavored butter. |
Orange and
Almond Salad
Ingredients:
2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
3 navel
oranges
2
ounces, 1/4 cup, sliced almonds or slivered almonds, available on the
baking aisle, toasted
2
tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, 2 or 3 sprigs
Splash
orange juice
2
rounded teaspoons honey
2
tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1/4
teaspoon dry mustard, a couple of pinches
1/3 cup
olive oil, eye ball it
Salt and
pepper
Directions:
Arrange
chopped lettuce on a platter. Trim a
thin slice of orange skin down to the flesh off the top and bottom of
the orange. Stand the orange upright and trim off strips of the
remaining peel working from top to bottom around the orange. Cut each
orange then in 1/2 lengthwise. Slice the 1/2 oranges into 1/2 moon
shapes. Arrange the sliced oranges around the chopped romaine. Lightly
toast the almonds in a small skillet over moderate heat or in a toaster
or conventional oven. Top the romaine and oranges with toasted almonds
and chopped tarragon.
In a small bowl, combine honey, vinegar, orange juice and
mustard
with a whisk. Stream in the oil while continuing to whisk the dressing
to combine it. Pour the dressing evenly over the entire salad platter
in a slow, thin stream. Season the salad with salt and pepper. The
salad is pretty as is, no tossing.
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Emeril's
Potato Truffle Charlotte
Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound
long white potatoes, peeled
4
tablespoons butter
1/2 cup
cream
Truffle
oil to taste, plus a small amount for garnish
2
tablespoons olive oil
Salt and
pepper
1/2 cup
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 1/4 cup for garnish
2 black
truffles
Chopped
chives
Directions:
In a
sauce pot, bring the Yukon Gold potatoes,
covered with salted water, bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook
until the potatoes are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the
heat and drain. Place the potatoes back on the stove and cook for 1 to
2 minutes. This will dehydrate the potatoes. Add the butter, cream, and
truffle oil. Using a hand masher, mash the potatoes until almost
smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Using a mandoline, slice the
potatoes into shoestrings. In a mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with
olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover the bottom of a
non-stick saute pan with the shoestring potatoes. Allow the potatoes to
come up the edges two inches. Allow the potatoes to cook until golden
brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the potatoes over and finish cooking
until golden brown. Remove the potato from the pan and form into a deep
tart pan. Spoon the mashed truffle potatoes evenly over the potato
crust. Sprinkle with the cheese. Place in the oven and bake until the
cheese has melted and the potatoes are heated through, about 5 minutes.
Shave the truffles over the entire tart. Remove the tart pan and place
on a platter. Garnish with chives, cheese and truffle oil.
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Chicken Scarpariello
Ingredients:
1
1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 hot cherry peppers, drained and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped or thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
2 tablespoons juice from hot pepper jar
Orzo with Parsley and Lemon Zest
Directions:
Heat a large, heavy
skillet over medium high
heat. Cut chicken into large chunks and season with salt and pepper and
poultry seasoning. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin oil to the hot pan, 1
turn in a slow stream. Set chicken into pan and do not turn for 2 or 3
minutes or you will tear the meat. Brown chicken 3 minutes on each side
and then remove all of the chicken to a warm plate. Add bell peppers,
hot peppers and garlic to the pan. Saute the peppers and garlic for 5
minutes, tossing and turning them frequently. Add wine to the pan and
reduce 1 minute. Scrape up the pan drippings. Add the chicken stock and
bring it up to a bubble. Set the chicken back into the pan. Toss the
parsley with the chicken and peppers and cook the chicken through, 2 or
3 minutes. Scatter a little hot pepper juice over the pan and serve the
Scarpariello over a bed of lemon orzo.
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Orzo with Parsley and Lemon Zest
Ingredients:
1/2
pound orzo
Coarse salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
2 large lemons, zested
Black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
Directions:
Cook orzo in salted
water about 12 minutes, to
al dente. Drain orzo well. Do not run under cold water. You want the
cooked pasta to remain hot. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl. Drizzle
orzo with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt
and pepper. Add lemon zest and parsley and toss to combine the flavors
with the pasta.
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Peaches and Port
Ingredients:
4 ripe peaches
2
teaspoons sugar
4
jiggers port wine
4 scoops
vanilla ice cream
Directions:
Slice
peaches and place in a bowl. Sprinkle
peaches with sugar and add 4 jiggers of good port wine. Toss peaches in
wine to coat and let stand 15 minutes. Spoon peaches into dessert
dishes and top with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Crowd
Pleaser Coffee
Ingredients:
1/4-ounce
Bourbon
1/2-ounce Chambord
1/2-ounce Frangelico
Freshly brewed hot coffee
Serving suggestion: Garnish with freshly
whipped cream
Directions:
ombine ingredients in a sugar-rimmed, heat resistant glass. Garnish
with whipped cream, if desired.
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