Spring Comes to Como Park

To celebrate the blooming of the lilacs, lily of the valley and the crabapple trees I had few people over for lunch the other day.

A huge thank you to my man, the King of Keratoconus, for all of the unsolicited help with the dishes and for forgiving me when I got crabby when he changed my playlist whilst I was having my last minute shower. I do not deserve his amiable nature most of the time, but he is very well fed.

Here are a few of the recipes I served.

First off credit where credit is due, and he will call me on it if I don't. My brother introduced me to this Barefoot Contessa recipe last summer at the cabin. It was the favorite main dish of the day. The runners up were Wild Rice Salad, which I made with half wild rice and half wheat berries and a crustless quiche, the recipe came from Cooking Light, enough said.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo


Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

All three desserts were winners but two have been previously unpublished here. This Rhubarb cake recipe comes from an old church cookbook of my mother's.

Rhubarb Cake

½ cup butter at room temperature, the original calls for shortening but I only use shortening in cookies and pie crusts
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk (soured or buttermilk)
2 cups rhubarb (cut fine)

Topping
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
The original topping calls for 3/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or spray a 9x13 pan. Cream butter, add sugar, egg and vanilla. Blend flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Milk in alternately with milk. Use low speed on mixer. Fold in rhubarb. Pour into pan. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.

Jockey Club Cheesecake

This is the first cheesecake that I remember having during the cheesecake extravaganza that swept America in the early 80’s. My sister has adapted it to avoid the unsweetened chocolate from seizing. The ingredient amounts are suspicious. We suspect that it should read ¾ cup of sour cream but neither of us is willing to take a chance with the familiar.


Crust
1 ½ cups crushed Graeme cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling
2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
¾ tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate melted

Topping
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the crust ingredients and pat into a 9 inch spring form pan. Surround the outside of the pan with aluminum foil in the event that the pan leaks excess butter.

Cream the cream cheese, mix in the sugar gradually and add the eggs one at a time. Blend in the orange juice, sour cream and vanilla. Pour cream cheese batter into the pan. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the top of the cake and cut through the batter with a knife several times for a marbled effect. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Combine the topping ingredients together in a separate bowl and spread evenly over the top of the cake. Bake 15 minutes longer. Allow the cake cool completely before refrigerating. Raspberry Coulis is a great accompaniment to this cheesecake.