On Mon 23 May 2005 03:48:25p, Debbie wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> "Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Friends of ours from Cleveland flew in this afternoon carrying with
>> them a small cooler filled with fresh Lake Erie Perch and Walleye
>> (Pickerel) on ice. We'll be having lightly breaded and pan-fried fish,
>> grilled new potatoes with rosemary, olive oil, and sea salt, and a
>> simple light coleslaw with a yoghurt and bacon dressing. I picked up a
>> wonderful mandarin chocolate mousse cake for dessert, as it was much
>> too hot for baking at home yesterday or today. Yesterday it was 116°F
>> at our desert house; today it's 105°F.
>
> Sounds good.. my dinner will be:
>
> Spring Pea Soup with Minted Carrot and Chevre Flan (recipe follows)
> Oven Roasted Chicken with Wine Sauce
> Pan Roasted Fiddleheads and New Potatoes
> might toss in some broccoli I need to use up
> Dessert will be a variety of fresh fruit in some form
>
> Spring Pea Soup
> Chef David Coyne
> 6-8 servings
>
> 2 lbs peas with pods, rinsed and chopped, or 1 lb peas podded [I used
> sugar snap peas]
> 2 shallots
> 2 slices of prosciutto or other bacon, diced (optional) [I didn't use
> any] 1 branch of thyme
> 2 T olive oil
> 1/2 cup white wine
> 1 liter of water, light chicken or vegetable stock [I used water to keep
> the soup as pure as possible]
> 1 cup loosely packed spinach, rinsed [I used a bit more than this]
> 3/4 cup heavy cream (optional) [I used the cream]
> Kosher or sea salt and pepper to taste
>
> In a large pot, sweat shallots (and bacon if using) and thyme branch in
> olive oil until translucent. Add peas and cook for a further 2 or 3
> minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until it has almost evaporated. Add
> the liquid and bring to the boil. Season and then simmer for 15
> minutes. Puree solids with just enough liquid to facilitate blending
> along with the spinach in a blender. I used the liquid to boil the peas
> in to blend. Don't precook the spinach.. it gives the soup a wonderful
> colour. Pass through a fine sieve, rubbing with the back of a ladle
> into another pot. If using cream reduce it by half in a small pot.
> Adjust consistency with any remaining liquid, add cream, bring back to
> simmer, season to taste and serve.
>
> Minted Carrot Flan with Chevre
>
> Chef David Coyne
>
> 1 cup carrot juice
> 1 cup whole or 2% milk
> 4 eggs, brought to room temperature
> 1 oz chevre
> 1 cup grated carrots
> 6 mint leaves
> (optional - 1/4 clove garlic, 1 small piece of shallot -- best if
> serving flan out of soup)
>
> Combine milk, juice, grated carrot and mint leaves in a heavy bottomed
> saucepot and bring to a low simmer. Continue to cook over a bare
> simmer, so as to not split the milk, stirring occasionally for 15
> minutes. Season with salt and pepper and let steep for 10 - 20 minutes
> or overnight. Strain off solids.
> Whisk together eggs and chevre until eggs are a uniform colour. Whisk
> in the carrot liquid. Strain through a fine strainer into a pouring
> vessel with a spout.
> Heat oven to 300F. Lightly butter 2-3oz Timbale molds or ramekins.
> Line a shallow baking dish or cake pan with a wet paper or kitchen
> towek, and set ramekins atop. Pour custard mix into ramekins. Be
> careful not to fill the ramekins to the top, leaving 1/4 inch rim, as
> the custard will rise slightly in baking. [Yes I know there are theories
> that say you don't put a towel in the baking dish. Do what works for
> you] Set pan upon middle rack in oven and pour boiling water, or very
> hot water into the dish so that the water comes halfway up the sides of
> the ramekins. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and let rest on
> counter. If you will be serving them shortly leave them in the water to
> keep them warm. Otherwise remove them from the water and let them cool.
> Wrap them well with cling film and refrigerate. To reheat, fill a fry
> pan or skillet with high sides with water and bring to a simmer, add
> ramekins, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until warmed through, remove,
> unwrap and un-mold. Un-mold by running a sharp knife, with the blade
> tightly against the side of the ramekin, around the circumference of the
> mold. Lift bowl over the top of the mold and turn the bowl right side
> up.
>
>
> To serve:
> Un-mold flan as directed above into soup bowl. Spoon soup around sides
> of flan. Garnish with mint leaf and or proscuitto chip if desired.
>
> Debbie

The recipes sound wonderful, Debbie! Saved for future use.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974