FRENCH FRIDAYS with DORIE: A LOVE STORY

FRENCH FRIDAYS with DORIE: A LOVE STORY

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Let’s just call a leek, a leek and put a name to it. LOVE. This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice, Leeks Vinaigrette with Mimosa, made my heart flutter. Oui, oui, il était délicieux.

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I’d wager my winnings from California Chrome’s victory in the Derby that few of you cook with leeks. If I’d open your veggie bin, I probably would not discover this nutritional, high-in-protein allium. Called the poor man’s asparagus, although it’s now pricier, and first cultivated over 5,000 years ago, it’s time for us to take a leap into leek country.

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After simmering until tender, about twenty minutes, drain, dry, cover tightly and put in the refrigerator.

Last Saturday evening my friend, Ann O’Brien, and I made dinner to welcome home our neighbors, Fred Venrick and Cathy O’Connell, who had just returned from two months in Europe. (Yeah, Readers, I know. I know. Me, too.) Bernie Grauer, a weekend bachelor, also joined us. Spur of the moment. Not much planning. The menu All-Stars would be Mint Juleps and Leeks Vinaigrette with Mimosa. Everything else was fair game.

I just have to made a bed of walnuts and the leeks dish is ready for the table.

I just had to make a bed of walnuts and the leeks dish would be ready for the table.

Besides Dorie’s leek recipe, I turned to Liz Berg at That Skinny Chick Can Bake and Joy the Baker for inspiration. Liz’s Orange Marmalade-Glazed Leg of Lamb was the perfect meat to grill. I paired that with Pistachio-crusted Asparagus with Feta created by Joy the Baker. To die for. Ann made Jacques Pepin’s very rich, yummy scalloped potatoes. Perfect. The dessert?  Martha Stewart’s Chocolate, Peanut Butter Icebox Cake. Clean Plate Club.

Liz Weber Berg's Glazed Leg of Lamb with Garlic & Rosemary

Liz Weber Berg’s Glazed Leg of Lamb with Garlic & Rosemary

I even turned to Susan and John Lester at Create Amazing Meals for my wine choices. When the Lesters visited me in Cambria in February, John suggested I try local winery Peachy Canyon’s 2012 Vognier “Concrete Blanc”. A good recommendation. With the lamb, I opened an Italian wine, 2006 Conte Ottavio Piccolomini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane, a gift to me from the Lesters. (Memo from Bernie:  Hey, John, send more.)

Asparagus, Lamb, Leeks. Potatoes - Buffet Ready

Asparagus, Lamb, Leeks,  Potatoes – Buffet Ready

As the pictures hopefully show, the meal was wonderful, thanks, in part, to the many talented chefs and food bloggers who inspire me every day. I urge you to try this week’s FFWD recipe which, as usual, is written very carefully and clearly by our Dorie. Since I could not find young, smaller leeks, I bought large and cut them closer to the white part called the shank. Unlike other vegetables, you want leeks to be tender, not crunchy. For this recipe,  in a normal altitude, try simmering them for twenty minutes. Because I live in the mountains, mine took thirty minutes.

Joy the Baker's Pistachio-crusted Asparagus with Feta. I also mixed Dukkah, a nut & spice blend with the pistachios.

Joy the Baker’s Pistachio-crusted Asparagus with Feta. I also mixed Dukkah, a nut & spice blend, in with the pistachios.

When the leeks were tender, I drained and dried them, untying each packet of three before plating. Next I covered them tightly to put in the refrigerator. Before serving I brought the vegetable to room temperature, poured on the vinaigrette and garnished with a chopped egg. Mimosa refers to the hard-boiled egg garnish which is thought to resemble the edible yellow mimosa flower. I used walnut oil in the recipe so also garnished the platter with walnuts. (Although I do think some refrigeration to “set” the tender shanks is necessary, you may choose to warm the leeks just before saucing and serving.)

 

Cathy and Bernie are dishing up their chow.

Cathy and Bernie are dishing up their food.

Ann and I were both pleased with our efforts. We certainly fed those efforts to an appreciative crowd. Everything about the evening was happy, joyful and even quietly raucous. You will not be seeing photos of Ann’s and my Welcome Home dance/skit which, like the dinner, was spur-of-the-moment. We used the fireplace hearth as our stage. Although our dance moves were, in our opinions, Usher-extraordinary, those photos were deleted.

We even had room for Martha Stewart's  Chocolate Wafer, Peanut Butter Icebox Cake.  Photo by marthastewart.com

We even had room for Martha Stewart’s Chocolate, Peanut Butter Icebox Cake. Photo by marthastewart.com

French Fridays with Dorie is an international cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table. Although all the recipes in this post are already linked, you can again grab the recipe for leeks here. If you wish to see the efforts of my colleagues, go to our FFWD site.