Dining In: Mother’s Day lunch

This is a lovely, light spring menu that is perfect for a Mother’s Day celebration, but is also ideal to serve at a graduation party, bridal or baby shower, book club get-together or any other spring or summer brunch or lunch.

The Smoked Salmon-stuffed Eggs are an easy and elegant way to start off such a meal. The recipe is a new twist on an old favorite—stuffed or deviled eggs. If you’ve never been partial to them, this recipe may help change your mind.

The Avocado and Grapefruit Salad is a wonderful combination of tangy citrus and buttery avocados. This salad goes well with many dishes, though it’s particularly appropriate for spring. It also looks impressive and is very easy to make.

For the main course, we suggest Curried Chicken Salad. This recipe is a particular favorite of ours. It is delicious and filling but lighter than traditional chicken salad, as it uses plain Greek yogurt as the base dressing instead of mayonnaise. This simple substitution saves hundreds of calories. It also adds an element of tanginess to the dish, which complements the earthy flavor of curry. What’s more, the sweetness from dried cranberries and crunch from toasted almonds make this dish very well-rounded.

The Buttermilk Sorbet is a light and refreshing way to end the meal. It is easy to make in an ice cream maker and is just sweet enough to satisfy your need for dessert. 

We pair it with Maggie’s Candied Ginger Snaps, a creation that was a happy accident in Tracey’s dining room. One afternoon, Maggie and Tracey had made gingerbread men. Tracey carefully carried the plate of sweets to the dining table, but as she set the plate down, she knocked a glass of red wine all over the gingerbread men. We quickly pulled the wine-soaked cookies off the plate and tasted them, discovering a delicious, spicy confection with a surprising complexity of flavors. They’re the perfect way to end a happy, seasonal meal.

 

• Smoked Salmon-stuffed Eggs
• Curried Chicken Salad
• Avocado, Grapefruit and Bibb Lettuce Salad
• Buttermilk Sorbet with Candied Ginger Snaps

Serves 6.

6 large eggs
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. grated red onion
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 oz. smoked salmon, minced
1 Tbsp. capers
Ľ tsp. salt
Ľ tsp. pepper
Chopped chives for garnish

1. Place the eggs in a single layer on the bottom of a large pot.

2. Cover the eggs completely with cold water and bring them up to a boil.

3. Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let the eggs stand for 15 minutes.

4. Gently drain the eggs and run them under cold water to cool them down.

5. While the eggs are cooling, cream together the softened cream cheese and butter until well combined.

6. Peel the eggs, slice them lengthwise and gently scoop out the yolks.

7. Add the yolks, grated onion and lemon juice to the butter and cream cheese mixture.

8. Once again, cream this mixture until everything is incorporated and smooth.

9. Fold in the minced smoked salmon and capers and season with salt and pepper.

10. Use a small teaspoon to fill the egg whites with the smoked salmon filling. Top the stuffed eggs with fresh chopped chives and cover them lightly. Chill the smoked salmon-stuffed eggs for a couple hours until ready to serve. These may be made one day ahead. Store the leftover eggs in an airtight container for up to two days.

Serves 6.

6 grilled or roasted chicken breasts
˝ cup chopped celery
˝ cup dried cranberries
˝ cup chopped green onions
˝ cup toasted slivered almonds
1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
Ľ to 1/3 cup water
˝ tsp. salt
Ľ tsp. black pepper
Ľ tsp. onion powder
Ľ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. curry powder

1. Cut the cooked chicken into bite-size cubes and place them in a mixing bowl.

2. Add in the celery, dried cranberries and green onions.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, Ľ cup of water and the spices. If the dressing is too thick, add in a little more water.

4. Toss the dressing over the chicken, cover and chill it for 30 minutes for the flavors to come together.

5. Toss in the toasted almonds and serve.

Serves 6.

2 large ruby red grapefruits, sectioned
2 large ripe avocados
1 head Bibb or butter lettuce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup champagne vinegar
˝ cup olive oil
Ľ tsp. salt
Ľ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Using a serrated knife, cut the peel off the grapefruit, leaving the fruit attached to the membrane.

2. Slice in between the fruit and the membrane to release slices of grapefruit. Place the grapefruit slices into a bowl and set aside.

3. Wash the lettuce, pat it dry and tear it into bite-size pieces.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and vinegar. Slowly add the oil until all is incorporated and season it with salt and pepper.

5. Peel and slice the avocados.

6. Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter. Place the avocado and grapefruit slices on top of the lettuce.

7. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Serves 6.

1 ľ cups sugar
˝ cup lemon juice
˝ cup water
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
4 cups buttermilk

1. In a small saucepot, combine the sugar, lemon juice and water and bring up to a simmer. Stir to make sure all the sugar has dissolved and remove from the heat. Let it cool completely.

2. Stir together the buttermilk and vanilla along with the lemon sugar syrup and pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker.

3. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make the sorbet.

4. Once the sorbet has set, keep it in the freezer until it is ready to serve. Store the sorbet in the freezer in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Makes approximately 3 dozen.

Ľ cup softened butter
1 cup sugar (plus ˝ cup for dredging)
1 egg
Ľ cup cane syrup
1/3 cup red wine
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1˝ tsp. baking soda
Ľ tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Ľ tsp. ground cloves
˝ tsp. ground black pepper
Ľ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and one cup of sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Lower the mixer speed to medium and add in the egg, followed by the cane syrup, red wine and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

4. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet until all is incorporated.

5. Scrape down the sides and fold in the crystallized ginger. The dough will be very sticky.

6. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Roll the dough in the plastic wrap to form 12-inch by 2-inch logs. Chill the dough logs for about an hour.

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.

8. Slice the dough logs into ˝-inch thick disks. Dredge each disk in the remaining ˝ cup of sugar. 

9. Place the ginger snaps on the lined baking sheet two inches apart and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes.

10. Allow the snaps to cool a bit and then transfer them to a wire rack where they can cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.