Farm Stands For Inspiration

Is everyone ready for summer entertaining? This week’s produce and fresh fish inspired me to share the following three recipes.

I love unadorned blanched asparagus. However, this asparagus dinner salad with lemon, shallot and chervil dressing is especially tasty when it’s served with baby arugula or watercress. And it’s perfect with whatever you are grilling this weekend.

A private chef made this striped bass dish for a dinner party I recently attended. She graciously shared her recipe with me and, luckily, it couldn’t be easier to make. Serve the fish with roasted new red potatoes and a fresh green vegetable.

This old-fashioned rhubarb cake comes from my niece’s grandmother. I like it because the rhubarb counterbalances the sweetness of the cake and its crunchy topping. I rarely eat cake, but this is an exception. Serve it with tea and top with whipped cream.

Bon appétit!

Asparagus Dinner Salad(Serves 4)1 pound asparagus, trimmed and peeled

8 ounces arugula, or watercress, tough stems removed, washed and spun dry

Juice of 1 Meyer lemon

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh chervil, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 grilled lemon, sliced thin (place slices of lemon on hot grill and cook, just until grid marks appear)

Shaved Grana Padano, or Parmesan, to taste

1/3 cup roasted salted pistachios, choppedTo prepare:Combine shallot, chervil and lemon juice in a mini-chopper.

Slowly add olive oil, until the mixture becomes an emulsion.

Add salt and pepper.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Trim and peel asparagus.To grill:Place asparagus in a single layer in a vegetable basket.

Grill over high heat, until they are crunch tender, about 2 to 4 minutes (cooking time will depend on the thickness of the stems).To blanch:Add asparagus to boiling, salted water in a large skillet over high heat.

Cook, until crunch tender, or according to personal preference, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.

Drain well.

To serve:

Drizzle a few tablespoons of salad dressing on the asparagus, until coated.

Toss greens with salad dressing.

Transfer greens to a platter.

Top with asparagus.

Garnish the platter with lemon slices, shaved cheese and pistachios.

Serve at once.Joanne’s Striped Bass(Serves 4)4 5- to 6-ounce sea bass fillets, weakfish or your favorite fish, boneless and skinless

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Splash of mirin

1/3 cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced, peeled and seeded

4 thin scallions, trimmed and finely chopped

2 tablespoons ginger, freshly grated

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, or 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Pinch red pepper flakes, to taste

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to tasteTo prepare:Whisk mustard, mirin and vinegar together in a small mixing bowl.

Slowly add oil, whisking continuously until it is an emulsion.

Stir tomatoes, scallions, ginger, soy sauce and cilantro (or thyme) into the sauce, until well mixed.

Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Set aside and do not refrigerate.

Preheat the grill to high, or the oven to 425°F.

Spray grid with cooking oil, or line a roasting pan with parchment paper.

Place a sprig of thyme on each fillet.

Season with salt and pepper.

Grill covered, or roast, until the flesh is opaque, about 4 to 5 minutes, or according to your personal preference.

Remove thyme sprigs.

Spoon sauce over each of the fillets.

Serve at once, passing remainder of sauce at the table.Granny’s Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Bundt Cake(Serves 8 to 10)1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup sour milk (1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in milk, let stand for 15 minutes to clobber up)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2½ cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 cup sliced almondsTo prepare:Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Tap out excess flour.

Set out the butter to soften.

Stir lemon juice into the milk.

Beat butter with an electric mixer, until creamy.

Gradually add granulated sugar.

Beat, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Add egg.

Beat well.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together.

Alternately add flour mixture and sour milk, beating well after each addition.

Beat in vanilla.

Fold rhubarb into the batter.

Stir light brown sugar, cinnamon and almonds together in a bowl.

Scatter the mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Pour batter over the nuts.

Spread evenly.

Place the pan in the center of the oven.

Bake, until a toothpick comes out almost clean when inserted into the center, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Cool on rack for 10 to 15 minutes.

Invert onto a cake plate to cool.

Serve with vanilla-flavored whipped cream.