Spring Lunch featuring Mint, Lemon, Lime & Good Friends

A couple months back, Dan came up with an idea to do a lunch for a few friends - to try out some recipe ideas he had, test out 'lunch' as an alternative to getting together for dinner, and spend time with friends, of course. He came up with the guest list, the menu, and even some of the recipes himself - and planned it all beautifully. I helped out with some details, and making the food (with help from him), but it was truly his baby. And it turned out beautifully. Somehow, it worked out to fall on the first day of Spring - and the first sunny day in awhile - which was all the more wonderful.



We started with some green grapes, D'anjou pears, and a little hot appetizer of cocktail bread toasted & topped with a little melted brie cheese and some apricot preserves.



Then we began the meal with chilled cucumber mint soup, from a recipe Dan found online.



As the main course, we had a Challah bread sandwich, with pureed dates, goat cheese, and prosciutto, spread with a little butter & bacon fat, toasted, and paired with a salad of roasted asparagus, bacon & shallots with lemon.

For dessert, we had a lemon meringue pie. We made the crust last night, then whipped up the filling and meringue this morning, baking it until golden brown, then letting it cool to help the filling set (though we could've chilled it longer).



Or course, there were several options on hand to wash it all down with, including lemon mint iced tea (featuring mint from our garden), Mojitos, white wine, and lemon water.



Dan came up with the appetizer and sandwich recipes - while the pie crust came from Better Homes & Gardens The New Cook Book, the pie filling & meringue from American Home Cooking, and the roasted asparagus was adapted from a steamed asparagus in a paper bag recipe from Tyler Florence.

Jason, Anna, and Tricia seemed to enjoy the meal, though Otis was wary of everything we served - even when dipped in ketchup. Despite his love of cheese, goat cheese is apparently not yet fully embraced. Given his amazing parents, exposure to a wonderful mix of friends and family, his smarts, and his inquisitive nature, I suspect someday his culinary horizons will broaden and he may find goat cheese palatable. For now, I respect his choice to stick with Mozzarella.

Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tspn salt
1/3 cup butter
4 Tbspn cold water

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in butter until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle a tablespoon of water at a time onto the flour mixture, tossing with a fork and pressing the moistened dough against the side of the bowl. Continue adding water only until all the dough is moistened. Form a ball and roll out into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface. Wrap dough around rolling pin, then unroll into a pie pan and ease in. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate, then fold under any extra pastry. Press the tines of a fork down into the dough, all around the edge. Prick the bottom and sides of the pastry with the tines of a fork, then bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Meringue Pie
Pie crust
Minced zest and juice of 4 large lemons (about 2 Tbspn zest and 3/4 cup juice)
1 1/4 cups sugar
Salt
4 large eggs, separated, plus 3 large eggs
6 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
1/4 tspn cream of tartar
3 to 4 Tbspn confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 2 quart heavy saucepan, whisk together zest, juice, sugar, 2 pinches of salt, separated egg yolks, and whole eggs over medium-low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, and cook until thickened enough to coat a spoon heavily - about 15 minutes. Whisk in 3 more tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time. Remove filling from the heat and cool for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring a couple times to release steam.

In a chilled metal bowl, beat the egg whites with the vanilla until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Stir in the confectioners sugar gradually, continuing to beat until the egg whites hold their shape but are still glossy.

Pour the warm filling into the crust. Swirl the meringue over the filling, mounding high in the center. Make sure the meringue is spread so that it touches the crust all the way around the edge. Bake the pie for 15-18 minutes, until the meringue is golden. Let the pie cool uncovered for at least 1 hour before serving.

Steamed Asparagus in a Paper Bag
1 lb medium asparagus, tough ends trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
1/2 lemon, sliced paper thin
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the asparagus in a paper bag large enough that they all fit and there's enough room to fold the top over a couple times. Sprinkle the asparagus with salt & pepper, and toss in the bay leaf and lemon slices. Close the bag, folding over and creasing the folds well to hold in the steam. Put the bag on a baking sheet and drizzle the outside of the bag with olive oil to help prevent it from burning. Bake for 20 minutes. Dump the asparagus out onto a serving dish. We served it topped with some chopped shallots and bacon, cooked down while the asparagus was cooking.