allow the jelly to cool (it should take approximately an hour). Refrigerate and use within two weeks. Makes 10 ounces (285 g).
Rose-scented geranium jelly can be used between layers of pound cake or piped into delicate rolled cookies to make little treats to serve at a shower or fancy party.
Mint Whipped Cream
Nobody can boast of the health aspects of cream, but it sure does taste good. Add mint to the cream, whip it to serve with chocolate cake, steep it with savory for a sauce for potatoes and leeks, or steep it with basil and add it to custard. Flavored creams are the greatest.
¼ cup (20 g) chopped fresh spearmint or peppermint
1½ cups (375 ml) whipping cream
1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the mint and cream in a small saucepan over a low heat until small bubbles just begin to form around the sides of the pan. Do not let the cream boil. Cool. Pour the cream through a mesh strainer and discard the mint. Chill.
Just before serving, place the cream in a mixing bowl and whip it until the cream just starts to hold its shape. Add the sugar slowly as you mix. Add the vanilla and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Makes 1½ cups (180 g).
Decadent and delicious, mint-flavored whipped cream is a good complement to rich, dark chocolate desserts.
Sensational Salads
mesclun
Mesclun is a Provençal term for a mix of many varieties of young red and green lettuces, arugula (rocket), endives, and chervil, either grown together or grown separately and then mixed in the salad bowl. Mesclun is traditionally served with a simple vinaigrette. There are endless variations using different vinegars, lemon juice, sprinklings of fresh herbs, and all different types of croutons and seasonings.
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
6 to 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
4 to 6 large handfuls of mixed mesclun greens
To make the dressing: Mix the vinegar, salt, and pepper and using a whisk blend in the oil to taste.
To make the salad: Toss the dressing gently with the mesclun greens and serve. Serves 4 to 6.
basic garden salad
One of the great things about a salad is that you can usually take whatever is in the garden, produce section, or farmers’ market and mix it in the bowl, from early spring to late fall—even in the winter if you have a cold frame or a little greenhouse. Most times the base of your salad will be a lettuce or some other neutral green. To determine quantities, figure on one large handful of greens per person. To the greens you can add all sorts of goodies like baby beet thinnings, wild chickweed, pea shoots, cooked vegetables, meats, nuts, and croutons. The list is almost endless. The following is a jumping-off-type recipe; the point is to let your imagination dictate what goes into your glorious salads.
For the dressing:
1½ tablespoons balsamic or rice wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh dill or basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
1 small head butter lettuce
1 small head Oak Leaf lettuce
1 small Belgian endive, base removed and leaves separated
1 small head of frisée
10 arugula (rocket) leaves
6 dill flowers
1 large red chard stem, cut into 2-in (5-cm) pieces
To make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, garlic, mustard, oil, and herbs; add salt and pepper to taste; and whisk until emulsified.
To make the salad: Combine the greens in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the greens, and toss. Garnish with dill flowers and chopped chard stem. Serves 4.
wild party salad
This salad has a festive feeling and a bright minty flavor. It can include a dozen varieties of greens, even wild ones like violets or miner’s lettuce, or a tamer mix of three or four lovely lettuces and baby spinach. Much depends on what’s available in your garden or at the market.
For the dressing:
5 tablespoons avocado oil
5 tablespoons chardonnay
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
For the salad:
1 large head romaine lettuce
2 large heads leaf lettuce
1 large handful arugula (rocket), stems discarded
1 small bunch of young spinach
2 to 4 handfuls of greens, such as baby bok choy or chard, upland cress or watercress, violet leaves, miner’s lettuce, minutina, and chrysanthemum leaves, or other seasonal greens
½ cup (20 g) violet and violas, petals of calendula and chive blossoms, small florets of mustard or broccoli blossom
Garnish: whole calendula or viola flowers, florets of mustard or broccoli, and a few sprigs of whole greens
To make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine the oil, wine, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mint. Stir the ingredients with a wire whisk. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the salad: Wash the greens and dry them in a salad spinner or on paper towels. Tear the greens into bite-size pieces and place them in a very large serving bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic
