Advertisement Last week a request for Dawn’s potato salad, a specialty of Burnstad’s in Tomah, Wis., came from June Fowler, who loves it, and says “it is the best-tasting potato salad I have ever had.” Also last week, Sharon Bichel made a motion, enthusiastically seconded by me, for Outback’s chopped bleu cheese salad. When I go to Outback, I may bring home some chicken or steak, but I go there for that salad. So I, for one, was quite happy to find someone with “kindred taste buds.”
As we wait for salad recipes to come pouring in, however, we’ll continue sharing recipes from recent requests.
Requests are running a bit low these days, so if you have a long-lost old favorite in mind or just something you thought might be interesting to try, send it in. Quite often when I am shopping or in a restaurant someone will say, “Oh! I’ve been meaning to request such and such.” I will gladly institute a search for “such and such,” “I can’t quite remember-what it was called” or “you know, the one they served every Friday at school lunch,” but I need you to submit a request via U.S. mail, e-mail or fax. My memory isn’t what it once was, and while I’d hope to remember, there’s a good chance I won’t — at least not in a timely manner!
And if I jot the request on a napkin, look out. Like my mother before me, you could track my life history on the backs of envelopes and scraps of paper filled with small notes in my purse, but don’t ever expect me to find the one thing for which I am looking. (Mom’s purse/filing system was much more successful than mine.)
When I relax on my porch, I have a bird’s-eye view of the flourishing rhubarb patch in my backyard and I start formulating plans for furtive late-night excursions to leave bags of it on the doorsteps of my friends and neighbors. The beauty of it is that so many others will be doing the same thing, no one will suspect me! Rhubarb is delicious and versatile. And prolific. But like tomatoes and cucumbers toward the end of the season, you can only use so much. This is a somewhat wordy (moi? WORDY?!) way of telling you that I will try to include some rhubarb recipes in the next few weeks.
Today’s offerings are from the April/May 2006 Taste of Home magazine, which suggests that if you are using frozen rhubarb, measure it while still frozen. Then let it thaw completely and drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out.
Tune in Coulee Region Cooks on WIZM-AM from 10 to 11 a.m. every Thursday and give Mike Hayes and his guest(s) a listen. I’ll be visiting with Mike (or maybe Bob Schmidt) on June 28.
Send requests, recipes and/or cooking tips and techniques to Alice P. Clark at Reader Exchange, c/o La Crosse Tribune, 401 N. Third St., La Crosse, WI 54601; e-mail exchange@lacrossetribune.com; or send a fax to (608) 782-9723.
Loin of Lamb with Orange and Mint Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon (packed) brown sugar
½ cup orange juice
1 cup beef broth
1 cup low-fat chicken broth
2 (1¼ to 1½ pound) trimmed racks of lamb, boned (10 to 12 ounces each after boning)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Orange slices
Fresh mint slices
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar; stir until sauce is deep amber in color, about 3 minutes. Add orange juice and boil until reduced almost to a glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 3 minutes. Add beef and chicken broth; boil until reduced to ½ cup, about 12 minutes. Sauce can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add lamb; cook until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer lamb, in skillet, to oven. Roast until thermometer inserted into center registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 10 minutes. Transfer lamb to work surface; let stand 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add sauce and chopped mint to skillet. Boil until slightly thickened, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Slice lamb crosswise into ½-inch slices. Divide among 4 plates; spoon sauce over and garnish with orange slices and mint sprigs.
Exotic Leg of Lamb
Rub:
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons peeled and finely minced fresh ginger
2 small, dry red chilies, crushed or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Main dish:
1 bone-in leg of lamb (6 to 7 pounds)
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup lemon broth
Combine rub ingredients in small bowl; rub into lamb. Cover and let rest 4 hours at room temperature or refrigerate overnight (Note from Alice: These days refrigerating overnight would probably be the prudent route to take).
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place lamb in shallow roasting pan; pour lemon juice and broth into the pan. Place lamb in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees. Roast, basting occasionally, 1 hour 40 minutes for medium-rare, or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of leg registers 140 degrees. For less rare lamb, roast another 10 minutes.
Let lamb rest 10 minutes before carving. Internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests.
Roast Lamb
1 leg of lamb
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
1½ teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
Lamb may be boned or not and cut in steaks of your preferred thickness. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix oil, honey, rosemary and garlic; coat lamb. Place in roasting pan and roast 2 hours, basting from time to time, until lamb is a rich, dark color and is falling apart. The longer you roast it, the better the flavor.
Shared by Sally Kulmaczewski
Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup (half stick) butter, melted
3 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 tablespoons sugar
Batter:
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Whipped cream, optional
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In small bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter. Spread in a greased or sprayed 9-inch round baking pan. Layer with rhubarb; sprinkle with sugar and set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. In small mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold whites into creamed mixture, about ½ cup at a time; gradually spoon over rhubarb in pan.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until cake springs back lightly when touched. Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Frosted Rhubarb Cookies
1 cup shortening
1½ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
¾ cup flaked coconut
Frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray baking sheets.
In large mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar; beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in rhubarb and coconut.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting: In small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Spread over cookies (Note from Alice: If that seems like a lot of vanilla, try using 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 teaspoons milk or 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoon milk).
