Recipes

All recipes © Copyright 2001 by Melissa Diane Smith. Recipes may be printed out for personal use but may not be reproduced in any publication or other media.

Endive Boats with Shrimp Tapenade
1 Tbsp. black olives, chopped
1 Tbsp. green olives, chopped
1 Tbsp. capers, drained
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup thawed baby salad shrimp
Red and green endive leaves

Combine all the ingredients except the shrimp and endive in a food processor. Pulse, but do not puree. Transfer to a bowl, add the thawed shrimp, and refrigerate several hours until ready to serve. Fill individual endive leaves with the tapenade and arrange the appetizers on a plate with chevre- and ground-hazelnut-filled celery sticks or endive boats and toasted pecans.


Holiday Salad
2 small to medium oranges
4 Tbsp. small hazelnuts, divided (1 Tbsp. per plate)
4 tsp. dried cranberries, divided (1 tsp. per plate)
12 cups red and green baby romaine lettuce leaves
Unrefined hazelnut oil and balsamic vinegar to taste (in roughly even proportions)

Peel and remove the thick white lining from 2 oranges. Cut the fruit into slices, remove any seeds and cut the slices into quarters. Set aside. Toast hazelnuts in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool. Toss greens in a large bowl with oil and vinegar to taste. Arrange the greens on 4 plates, then add orange pieces, toasted hazelnuts and dried cranberries, and serve.

Note: If you have trouble finding or affording unrefined hazelnut oil, substitute the oil from the top of roasted hazelnut butter.

Roast Cornish Hen with Fresh Rosemary, Roasted Garlic and Bok Choy
4 Cornish hen split down the middle into 8 halves
1-1/2 ounces fresh rosemary (2 packages or approximately 16 sprigs)
12 to 20 peeled fresh garlic cloves
2 heads of green bok choy leaves (white ribs removed)
1 Tbsp. melted butter and 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In two large baking dishes large enough to fit 4 hen halves, line the bottom of the baking pans with most of the rosemary sprigs. On top of the rosemary, add a single layer of bok choy leaves. Place 4 hen halves in each baking dish and evenly distribute the remaining bok choy leaves under each half. Slice 2 to 6 peeled garlic cloves, lift up the skin of the hen breasts, insert garlic slices and small rosemary sprigs or leaves, add salt and pepper, and pull the skin back over the breasts. Distribute remaining whole garlic cloves throughout the dish, partially under hen halves and bok choy leaves. Pour melted butter and olive oil evenly over both dishes, rub the combination well over each hen half, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 1 hour. Arrange on plates, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, and decorate with a fresh rosemary sprig if desired. [Note: Some guests may want 2 halves, others may want one half, so you will probably have leftovers.]

Fresh Pear Tart

For the crust:

1 cup ground pecans
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup ground macadamia nuts and 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the filling:

4 medium pears, peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

In a saucepan large enough for all the pear pieces, heat the water and lemon juice and add the honey. Stir until completely dissolved, to make a syrup. Add pear pieces, mix well, cover and simmer, mixing every few minutes, until just done, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove pear pieces from the poaching liquid, place in a bowl, allow to cool at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator. An hour before dinner, fill crusted ramekins with the pear pieces (and additional crust crumbles if desired) and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve the pear tarts plain; with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg and a few raspberries; or topped with fresh whipped cream made with vanilla and, if desired, a pinch of stevia or a few drops of maple syrup or honey.