Made this dish for an afternoon tea party I hosted on Saturday. It can be served by itself as a chicken salad or with bread as a chicken salad sandwich. The recipe comes from Brian Yarvin's The Ploughman's Lunch and Miser's Feast cookbook. The origin of this dish, according to the author, is that it was one of the dishes served on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It looked like there was too much mayonnaise in it. I made adjustments after the fact and the updated recipe is below.
Ingredients
3 c (1.5 lb) cooked chicken meat, chopped into small pieces
1 c apricot preserves
1/2 c dried apricots, finely chopped
3/4 c organic mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp red wine
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp mild curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 bay leaf
Directions
1. In a small pot, cook onion in olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add curry powder, tomato paste, lemon juice, a bay leaf and red wine. Stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture forms a paste-like consistency. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine onion mixture with the diced chicken, mayonnaise, cream, apricot preserves and chopped dried apricots. Season with salt and ground white pepper.
3. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Apricot Shortbread Cookies
These cookies came out softer instead of hard and crisp like typical shortbread, probably due to the moisture in the preserved apricots. I had to use a lot more flour for dusting to roll these out. Since the dough is going to go into the refrigerator after mixing, it's better to use chilled butter than room temperature butter.
Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c dried apricots, finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
1. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse briefly until combined. Add butter by the tablespoon and pulse into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add vanilla extract and pulse to combine.
2. Take dough out and put it into a re-sealable container. Let dough chill in the refrigerator for an hour, or until firm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and roll out half the dough until it is 1/4" thick. Cut into shapes. Prick each shape with the tines of a fork.
These cookies will not expand much, so laying out the cookies half an inch apart will suffice.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are browned and the tops are lightly browned.
5. Let finished cookies cool on a baking rack before eating or storing.
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| apricot shortbread cookies, a perfect complement to tea |
2 c all purpose flour
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c dried apricots, finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
1. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse briefly until combined. Add butter by the tablespoon and pulse into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add vanilla extract and pulse to combine.
2. Take dough out and put it into a re-sealable container. Let dough chill in the refrigerator for an hour, or until firm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and roll out half the dough until it is 1/4" thick. Cut into shapes. Prick each shape with the tines of a fork.
These cookies will not expand much, so laying out the cookies half an inch apart will suffice.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are browned and the tops are lightly browned.
5. Let finished cookies cool on a baking rack before eating or storing.
Spinach and Strawberry Salad
If you see strawberries at the supermarket, they are probably from California or Mexico, because there they are in season. Our Pacific Northwest strawberries usually don't become sweet until we see a lot of sunlight, and that can come as late as June. This nice light salad with fruity tones.
The Salad
The estimate to serve four adults is one bunch of spinach (approx 1 lb); likewise for eight adults, use two bunches of spinach.
In a large salad serving bowl, combine baby spinach leaves and sliced strawberries. Toss with vinaigrette and top with toasted sesame seeds.
The Dressing
1/4 c organic granulated sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (pomegranate flavored)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/8 tsp smoked paprika, or to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegars and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then whisk in paprika and olive oil.
The Salad
The estimate to serve four adults is one bunch of spinach (approx 1 lb); likewise for eight adults, use two bunches of spinach.
In a large salad serving bowl, combine baby spinach leaves and sliced strawberries. Toss with vinaigrette and top with toasted sesame seeds.
The Dressing
1/4 c organic granulated sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (pomegranate flavored)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/8 tsp smoked paprika, or to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegars and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then whisk in paprika and olive oil.
Parmesan-Thyme Pizza Dough
Pizza dough is pretty easy to put together. This one has grated cheese and thyme in it. Hopefully there is enough of each to taste it in the pizza crust.
Ingredients
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tbsp freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese
2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, separated
1 tsp each dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried basil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c water, room temperature
1 c water + 1 tsp organic granulated sugar + 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
Directions
1. Dissolve yeast in one cup of water (110 degrees F) and sugar. After 10 minutes the yeast should be foamy at the top.
2. In a 7-cup food prep, add flour, 1/2 cup water, olive oil, spices, salt and grated cheese. Pulse until combined. Add yeast water and pulse on "dough" setting until the dough comes together into a ball.
3. Pour 1 tsp into a resealable container. Add dough and seal container. Let rest in a warm spot until doubled in bulk.
Ingredients
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tbsp freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese
2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, separated
1 tsp each dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried basil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c water, room temperature
1 c water + 1 tsp organic granulated sugar + 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
Directions
1. Dissolve yeast in one cup of water (110 degrees F) and sugar. After 10 minutes the yeast should be foamy at the top.
2. In a 7-cup food prep, add flour, 1/2 cup water, olive oil, spices, salt and grated cheese. Pulse until combined. Add yeast water and pulse on "dough" setting until the dough comes together into a ball.
3. Pour 1 tsp into a resealable container. Add dough and seal container. Let rest in a warm spot until doubled in bulk.
Almond-Flax Pizza Crust (wheat-free)
This nut/seed crust came out better tasting than the yeast-free, gluten-free pizza crust. Made this version for a pizza night dinner. It is a pre-baked crust where toppings and fresh cheese are added later and then briefly baked again. It might have helped to have these ready beforehand on a pie plate lined with parchment paper. The crust stuck to the bottom of the pie plates that I had cooked them in, making the pizzas hard to remove. This recipe ratio comes from A Gourmet Girl Cooks blog.
Also, all I had on hand were brown flax seeds. This made the dough come out dark colored. Golden flax seeds can be substituted. I doubt there is much difference in taste.
Makes: two 10-inch round pizzas
Ingredients
1/2 c almond flour (can also grind raw almonds into flour with a food processor)
1/2 c flax seeds, ground
1 1/3 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp each: dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano, and dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
pinch of cayenne powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
1. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and mix well. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
2. Spread dough onto an oiled cookie sheet or oiled pie plates. Place a ball of dough in the center and press the dough outward with an oiled spatula. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through and it feels dry to the touch.
If there are other pizzas in the oven and the temperature is already set to 450 degrees F, reduce the cook time so the crust does not burn. For two crusts on pie plates, I let these bake for 10-12 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and add pizza sauce, cheese and other toppings. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
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| Crusts came out darker using brown flax seeds |
Also, all I had on hand were brown flax seeds. This made the dough come out dark colored. Golden flax seeds can be substituted. I doubt there is much difference in taste.
Makes: two 10-inch round pizzas
Ingredients
1/2 c almond flour (can also grind raw almonds into flour with a food processor)
1/2 c flax seeds, ground
1 1/3 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp each: dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano, and dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
pinch of cayenne powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
1. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and mix well. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
2. Spread dough onto an oiled cookie sheet or oiled pie plates. Place a ball of dough in the center and press the dough outward with an oiled spatula. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through and it feels dry to the touch.
If there are other pizzas in the oven and the temperature is already set to 450 degrees F, reduce the cook time so the crust does not burn. For two crusts on pie plates, I let these bake for 10-12 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and add pizza sauce, cheese and other toppings. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
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