Daylily Tarragon Chicken Salad

As I was looking at my daughter's vacation pictures from Cambodia on Facebook, my friend Debbie (another stew) called with a great idea. She just had a luncheon of lobster salad nestled inside colorful day lilies. She scooped up the lobster with the daylily petals, eating lobster salad and petal together. This sounded like a pretty and pretty unusual presentation. I did some research here and found that daylilies are not only edible, but have a long history in Chinese medicine and cuisine. I have a daylily bed with a wide variation in color and blooming time. I love the pinks, corals and purple all combined together, but today I was inspired by the golden and deep orange of the Cambodian Buddhist Monk's robe. The common orange daylily looked exotic as it enshrined the Tarragon Chicken Salad I made to go in it. It made me think of my daughter as she lives half way around the world, teaching art and learning about other cultures. Wanderlust seems to run in the family! Use your imagination and be inspired by your own daylilies and life to make this platter of happiness.
Tarragon Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1/4 inch cube
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup champagne grapes (you may use larger grapes, just cut them in half)

In a medium bowl, mix chicken, mayonnaise, and tarragon together. Salt and pepper to taste and fold in the grapes.

Serves 4.

To use a daylily to fill with chicken salad, remove the stamen and pistil. Lightly rinse the flower and shake any excess water out, before filling.

Tarragon Chicken Salad recipe (pdf)

Thanks Debbie and Sam for the inspiration!

An Orange Fancy

I have been working back to back to back Paris trips and feel like I live in Paris more than at home in Massachusetts. Oh, what a tease life is! Upon arrival, the morning Parisian sun glowed a soft orange, giving a feeling of warmth and brightness. It has certainly been warm in Paris lately and according to the traffic, most Parisians were headed for holiday or just out of the city. I went shopping. The summer sales are going strong now,and I had planned to go to a store near the Madeleine that sells handbags. I needed to add to my Longchamp collection. And I did! And it was orange! It is such a happy bag that I had to use it immediately. I even found a companion, but it was just a fantasy! As dinner time approached, my friend and I decided to go to Chez Papa. I had never been, and after shopping, a bistro was in the budget. It specializes in the south west cuisine of France, which is spicier than other regional food. My friend and I both had duck. I had Duck Confit that came with sautéed potatoes. On the side was a spicy and sweet red pepper jam, and a dry pepper condiment to spoon on top. Wow, that really made the dish. I thought how nice it would be to have those spices with chicken as well.

After a short walk back to the hotel, I managed to get a solid 8 hours sleep before my alarm went off. After the flight back home, I decided to give my idea for chicken a try. I marinated the chicken in orange juice, because I was in an orange state of mind, and herbs and spices. The chicken was marinating, the grill was firing up and I readied the plates. I then grilled the chicken, and served it with a red pepper jam mixed with orange zest. I think I have a new orange fancy...besides my new bag, of course!

Grilled Orange Chicken With Red Pepper Jam

2 pounds chicken breasts, split or cut of choice

For the marinade:
3/4 cup orange juice
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or 2 teaspoons dried
4 fresh sage leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix garlic, herbs, and cayenne pepper with orange juice. Put chicken in a covered glass pan or zip lock bag, and pour in marinade. Marinate 2 hours, drain and discard marinade. Grill until done.
Garnish with orange zest and serve with Red Pepper Orange Jam.

Serves 4.

Red Pepper Orange Jam

1/3 cup red pepper jam*
1 tablespoon grated orange zest, plus more for garnish

*I used a Red Pepper Jam with Ancho Chilies, by Earth & Vine Provisions, Inc.

Stir orange zest into red pepper jam and serve.

Makes 1/3 cup.

Written and photographed by Diane.

Grilled Orange Chicken With Red Pepper Jam recipe (pdf)

Through Rose Colored Glasses

It's the parade of roses today at The Darling Baker's, and it is a theme I can't seem to get enough of. My roses haven't bloomed yet, and I'm gearing up for the moment. I found some lovely roses at the market though, to inspire me for the rose festivities. A Rosé wine spritzer with rose petal ice cubes, seemed to be the perfect way to start the warm, late spring rose celebration. Pasta Roses were next on the menu, made earlier in the day and baked without any last minute fuss. Served with a simple green salad, warm crusty bread and butter roses....it lead into the simplest of desserts. Raspberry sorbet with Rose Chantilly Cream and a hidden raspberry treasure at the bottom, was the grand finale. It was a rosy day indeed.

Rose Chantilly Cream

Per serving you'll need:

1/4 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon rose water

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar and whip until just blended. Fold in the vanilla and rose water. More or less rose water may be used according to taste.

Makes 1/2 cup.

Written and photographed by Diane.

Rose Chantilly Cream recipe (pdf)