Balmoral Scones

(Adapted from Royal Style, 1988)

Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Virginia this week for a round of walkabouts to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Remember, when you meet, she will extend her hand to you to shake and she speaks first. A curtsey is not necessary.

If you don’t get a chance to meet Her Majesty, you can still raise a cuppa in her honor. Don your garden party hat and bake some scones, using this recipe from the kitchens at Balmoral.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup of sugar

4 tablespoons cold butter

1/3 cup currants

1 egg, beaten with

1 table spoon plus 1 teaspoon milk

Process:

Sift the flour, salt and soda together into a large bowl. Next, thoroughly mix in the sugar. Cut the butter into the flour with two knives to create a course, crumbly mixture. Add the currents and the egg and milk, reserving a spoonful to glaze the scones. Stir the dough into a soft ball, then turn onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a circle about ¾ of a inch thick. With a sharp knife, slice into eight wedges and place on a foil-covered baking sheet. Brush the tops with the reserved egg-and-milk. Bake at 450 for ten minutes.

Serve piping hot with some strawberry jam. And for a serious treat, spread the scones with clotted cream, available at Whole Foods. The thick cream doesn’t keep for long—essentially the day you open it, you eat it. So invite a friend and have a tea party!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Wait to make the salad with in-season strawberries: the sweet tang of the fruit contrasts beautifully with the slight bitterness of spinach. After you try this spring version, use the recipe as a pattern to create your own seasonal combinations!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 oz Maytag Blue Cheese

1 pound of in-season ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced into bite-sized pieces

1 6 oz bag of washed baby spinach leaves

handful of toasted pecans*

In a wide salad bowl, crumble the blue cheese into the olive oil and beat with a fork until well mixed. Toss in the strawberries and coat evenly, then the spinach a handful at a time, mixing well after each addition. Top with the nuts and serve.

With some whole wheat rolls or a baguette, this salad is enough for a light dinner for two.

*Instead of toasting nuts, try drying them for a better crunch. Set the oven on 250, then spread two generous handfuls of nuts on a foil covered cookie sheet. Put in the oven and occasionally stir the nuts with a spatula to make sure they don’t burn. Depending on the type of nut, drying should take 20 minutes or so. Try walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts. (Almonds, for some reason, may take up to an hour to toast.) These are great for a “little something” to have with a drink.

Theme and Variations

• For a zingy winter variation, try thin slices of a Granny Smith Apple with a ½ cup of dried apricots, cut into quarters.

• For another winter combo, toss together sections from two oranges, half a fennel bulb thinly sliced and some feta cheese crumbles.

• In the fall, slice a red pear into sections and add a quarter cup of dried currents. Replace the pecans with walnuts.

Lentil Soup

Brrrr! It’s gotten cold again! Give yourself courage during Winter’s Last Stand with some hearty lentil soup.

This recipe comes from a marketing brochure found inside of an All Clad 3.5-quart soup pot Dave and I received as a wedding present. The original recipe was created by Mark Strausman of Campagna Restaurant in NYC. I’ve tinkered with the ingredients a bit to suit our household. Ham and wine give this soup a rich, deep flavor; but if you don’t eat meat, try the “veggie” version below.

Ingredients:

1 pound small green “French” lentils

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 slice of good quality ham, cut into small cubes

½ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon of a fresh savory herb like thyme or rosemary leaves, chopped fine

(or ½ teaspoon of dried thyme)

salt and pepper

1 quart chicken stock, plus one small can to thin soup later to your preference

Process:

In a deep soup pot with a lid, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent. Rinse the lentils in cold water and go over for “duds.” Add the rest to the soup pot and stir to coat the lentils in the onion mixture. Add the ham, wine and herbs and cook for a moment more. Next pour in one quart of the chicken stock and cover the pot so the lentils will cook down. Check on the soup occasionally and stir.

When the lentils are soft, the soup will have a thick “stewy” quality, sort of like dal from Indian restaurants. I like to eat it right then with some naan or rice. For a thinner soup, gradually add more chicken stock to suit your tastes.

Recipe makes six full servings.

Theme and Variations

To make a vegetarian lentil soup, omit the ham and add a half-cup of crushed tomatoes. Replace chicken stock with a vegetable broth and add a dash more of the spices.

St. Paul’s Cheese Soufflé

During Lent, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond runs an informal weekday lunchroom to raise funds for its outreach programs. The menus undermine any notion of Lenten discipline with crab cakes, lasagna and ice cream topped with St. Paul’s famous hot fudge sauce. Wednesdays tend to draw the most customers because it’s cheese soufflé day—really, a “Church Lady” casserole made with Pepperidge Farm white bread, eggs, milk, butter and lots of cheddar cheese. Here’s a home-sized version of this Lenten delicacy, developed by St. Paul’s parishioner Frances Carter.

Ingredients:

softened butter for spreading

18 slices of white bread (Pepperidge Farm)

4 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 eggs

2 ¼ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

½ teaspoon red pepper

Process:

Cut the crusts off the bread and generously butter each slice. While you’re at it, butter a 2.2-quart Pyrex dish or similar baking dish measuring about 7 ½’ x 11”. Cover the bread with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and set aside.

Blend the mustard, salt and red pepper together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the eggs and gradually add the spices, then the milk and Worcestershire sauce.

Place a layer of bread in the baking dish and cover with cheese. Repeat, reserving one cup of the cheddar. Pour the milk and egg mixture over the bread and top the casserole with the remaining cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least twelve hours.

To bake the soufflé, remove the casserole from the refrigerator to reach room temperature. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. The top should be gently browned. Remove and let the casserole “set” for 15 minutes.

You can serve the soufflé right them or reheat it later at 250, covered, for 20 minutes. This casserole makes six generous portions.

Easter Menu

St. Paul’s Cheese Soufflé makes a great “centerpiece” for Easter brunch. Serve with warm baguette slices, a green salad with vinaigrette and some champagne, orange juice and coffee. There’s enough Easter candy around already, so for dessert offer a dish of fresh strawberries, raspberries and blackberries with some crème fraiche and plain sugar cookies.