Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups redskin potatoes, cut into uniform chunks (about 10 ounces)
2 cups all red potatoes, cut into uniform chunks (about 10 ounces)
2 cups purple potatoes, cut into uniform chunks (about 10 ounces)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
3 hard-cooked large eggs, finely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Preparation:
Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook on medium/low for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool slightly. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add onion, parsley, dill, chives, and eggs to bowl; toss gently.
Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients. Pour over potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup); adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman
Frangipane Red White and Blue Tart with Mixed Berries
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites; I’ve been making it since I first saw it in the July 1991 Gourmet Magazine. The original recipe calls for strawberries and raspberries, but you can make it with any berries you like, practically. For this adaptation I’ve called for blueberries and red raspberries (available at the market now), which will make a fine ‘red white and blue’ tart for the Fourth of July. Also, if you want to make it even easier you can use frozen puff pastry from the store in place of the pâte brisée.
Ingredients:
1 recipe pâte brisée (recipe follows)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup blanched almonds, ground fine
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon Amaretto or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups blueberries, picked over and rinsed
2 cups raspberries, picked over and rinsed
1/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jam, melted and strained
Preparation:
Roll out the dough 1/8- inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into an 11-by 8-inch rectangular or 10-or 11-inch round tart pan with a removable fluted rim, and chill the shell while making the frangipane. In a small bowl cream together the butter and the sugar and beat in the egg, the almonds, the almond extract, the Amaretto, and the flour.
Spread the frangipane evenly on the bottom of the shell and bake the tart in the middle of a preheated 375°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the shell is pale golden. (If the frangipane begins to turn too brown, cover the tart loosely with a piece of foil.) Let the tart cool. Arrange the blueberries decoratively with the raspberries in rows on the frangipane, and brush them gently with the jam. Serve it forth!
Pâte Brisée:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl blend the flour, the butter, the vegetable shortening, and salt until the mixture resembles meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water, toss the mixture until the water is incorporated, adding more ice water if necessary to form a dough, and form the dough into a ball. Dust the dough with flour and chill it, wrapped in wax paper, for 1 hour.