Tarragon Salad Dressing

This is a tangy dressing with lots of flavor, great with a romaine or butter lettuce salad.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Whisk the olive oil into the mayonnaise, then whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar until smooth and consistent.  Stir in the remaining ingredients, and let the dressing rest for an hour or so before tossing with a salad.  Store in the refrigerator.

Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb has a tart, tangy flavor that makes a great sweetened pie.  We've made a few variations of this and like this method the best.  Some of the variations are listed below; the photo above is of a rhubarb/strawberry pie.

2 pie crusts
4 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1" pieces
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons white flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Lay one pie crust in a pie baking dish and pinch the edges.  Combine the sugars, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and sprinkle 1/4 of the mixture onto the pie crust in the dish.  Add the rhubarb to the pie dish, and sprinkle the remaining sugar/flour mixture over the top.  Dot with butter pieces.  Cut the top crust into 1" wide strips, and weave them on the top of the pie, leaving 1/2 gaps between each strip (see photo).  Sprinkle a small amount of white sugar over the top crust.  Bake for 15 minutes at 450° (oven must be preheated), then reduce the oven temperature to 350°, and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes.  The pie can be served warm or cold.

Variations:
- Replace 2 cups of the rhubarb with 2 cups sliced strawberries
- Use 2 tablespoons minute tapioca instead of the 4 tablespoons flour

Blue Salad

This is our attempt to duplicate a delicious salad that they serve at a neighborhood restaurant, Bossa Nova.  The toasted almonds and the blue cheese dressing make a great combination.

3 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup toasted almonds (sliced or slivered)
blue cheese dressing (amount to taste)
1 head Romaine lettuce

Toast the almonds, cook and slice the eggs, chop and wash the lettuce.  Toss ingredients with the dressing and serve.

Hard Boiled Eggs

This method works perfectly, but any variations will likely not work.  For instance, if you boil the water and then add the eggs, they can crack.  Eggs are easy to over-cook, so be sure to remove the pan from the heat at the proper time, and use the cold water rinse to stop the cooking process.

Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with cold water.  The water level should be about 1 inch above the eggs.  Cover, and bring to boil over medium heat (high heat may cause eggs to crack).  As soon as the water comes to a full boil, remove the pan from heat.  Let stand, covered, for 15 minutes (4 minutes for soft boiled eggs).  Drain hot water, and fill with cold water and a few ice cubes to stop the cooking process.  Let them cool in the cold water for a few minutes.

As a stand alone snack, peel and slice the eggs, salt and pepper to taste.  We use them in salads, like Darwin's Potato Salad and the Blue Salad.

Toasted Almonds

Toasting brings out the flavor of the almonds.  These are great in salads, breads, cakes, etc.  This calls for slicing the almonds first, they can also be toasted whole if desired.

Slice the desired amount of almonds, spread them into a heavy ungreased skillet over medium heat.  Stir frequently until golden brown.

An alternate method is to spread them onto a shallow, ungreased baking pan and bake at 350° for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Note that no oil is required, as the almonds will toast in their own oil.

Blue Cheese Dressing

From The Palm Restaurant Cookbook.  They suggest using Danish or French blue cheese.  The better the blue cheese, the better the dressing.

4 ounces blue cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Crumble the blue cheese into a bowl and whisk in the olive oil with a fork.  Let stand for about 40 minutes.  Whisk in the mayonnaise and vinegar, and chill.  Whisk again just before serving.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

This is a nice twist to 'twice-baked' potatoes, with fresh rosemary and blue cheese.  They can be prepared a day ahead of time - refrigerate the stuffed potatoes prior to the final baking.  This is derived from a recipe I found online - some people recommended using caramelized onions in place of the garlic for a nice twist. I haven't tried this yet but I will.

6 baking potatoes (large-ish russet potatoes), rinsed and pierced with a fork
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 cloves minced or crushed garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Bake potatoes directly on oven rack (do not wrap in foil) until cooked through,  about 75 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Cut the top third (width-wise) off of each potato, scoop potato 'meat' from potato bottoms into a bowl, leaving about a 1/4 thick shell.  Scoop all 'meat' from the tops, add to the bowl.  Discard the top skins.

Combine remaining ingredients with the potatoes, season with salt and pepper.  The mixture can be left somewhat lumpy if desired, or mixed until smooth.  Scoop mixture back into reserved potato bottoms.  If preparing ahead of time, cover and chill.

Bake prepared potatoes at 400°F until they begin to brown and are heated through, about 25-30 minutes.  Garnish, if desired, and serve.  Garnish can include chopped chives, chopped green onions, sour cream, crumbled blue cheese, etc.

For a more decorative dish, potato mixture (mixed until smooth) can be piped into the skins with a pastry bag with the large star tip.