5 Star Makeover: White Asparagus Roundup

White asparagus is a very special spring ingredient and it was a terrific challenge for our 5 Star Makeover this month. My co-host Lazaro and I appreciate all the hard work everyone put into first finding the white asparagus and then preparing unique creative gourmet dishes, really highlighting the different flavors of our chosen ingredient and making it shine. With all of the wonderful entries here, we have a real Spargel Karte, a whole menu featuring white asparagus!

Please, enjoy looking through all the different creations and don't forget to click on the title link to check out the recipes and more details of all the dishes.

White Asparagus Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate and Rooibos Tea

by Evelyne, Cheap Ethnic Eatz

White Asparagus and Crab Salad

by Priscilla, She's Cookin'

Savory Profiteroles with White Asparagus Mousse, Kabosu Marinated White Asparagus, Black Forest Ham Relish

by Natasha, 5 Star Foodie

White Asparagus Potage, Wild Rice, Prosciutto, Edible Garden

by Lazaro, Lazaro Cooks!

White Asparagus Risotto Cakes with Scallion Pistou

by Faith, An Edible Mosaic

White Asparagus & Ricotta "Mini Malfatti" with a Ramp & Pea Pesto

by Trix, Tasty Trix

Gratin of White Asparagus, Coconut & Lemongrass

by Aoife, The Daily Spud

White Asparagus with Tarragon Cream and Toasted Bread Crumbs

by Debi, Table Talk

White asparagus custard, roasted shallots and pancetta crisp, baby spinach salad in creamy white balsamic vinaigrette

by Marisa, Cook's Book

White Asparagus in Puff Pastry with Foie Gras Custard and Ezssencia

by Deana, LostPastRemembered

White Asparagus Crepes filled with White asparagus and Morels

by Jennifer, The Adventuresome Kitchen

White Asparagus Debuts as Pasta Ribbons

by Angela, Spinach Tiger

Chilled White Asparagus & Ginger Soup W/Grilled Shrimp

by Bren, Flanboyant Eats


White Asparagus Wrapped in Japanese Eggplant
by Lori Lynn, Taste With the Eyes

White Asparagus and Shrimp on the Wok

by Tanantha, I Just Love My Apron





Please, also check out the 5 Star Makeover roundup post at Lazaro's blog!

Savory Profiteroles with White Asparagus Mousse, Kabosu Marinated White Asparagus, Black Forest Ham Relish

Our 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group's theme for April is a special seasonal ingredient, White Asparagus. For a brief two weeks at the end of April and/or beginning of May, the prized white asparagus is in season. In Germany, this mini-season is celebrated with a mania not to be missed, and every restaurant in on the tradition offers a special menu, called a Spargel Karte. These menus include anywhere from three to thirteen courses, all featuring the tender, sweet, white asparagus. Typical classic dishes include a white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce or a white asparagus soup.

Our challenge this month was to come up with unique gourmet preparations of white asparagus. My dish features the white asparagus in two different ways. First, I made a very delicate silky-smooth white asparagus mousse flavored with garlic, white pepper, and nutmeg. A hint of a special Japanese citrus juice, Kabosu, from Marx Foods is a very refreshing addition to the mousse.

Kabosu's tangy complex lemony flavors with hints of mint and melon shine even more in the marinated white asparagus tips where this citrus juice is the main component. The Black Forest ham relish features complimentary sweet and "pickled" flavors with a hint of nutmeg that are complimentary to both the marinated asparagus and the asparagus mousse.



Ingredients:

white asparagus mousse
1 bunch of white asparagus (approx. 20 spears)
3 tablespoons onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Kabosu juice
1 teaspoon gelatin
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup cream
1 egg white

Kabosu marinated white asparagus
1 bunch of white asparagus (approx. 20 spears)
1 cup Kabosu juice
1 tablespoon Tamari (or soy) sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt, pepper to taste

Black Forest ham relish
1 cup finely chopped Black Forest ham
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon apple sauce
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon pimentos, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt, pepper to taste

profiteroles (makes 12)
1/2 cup water
1/2 stick of butter
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sifted flour
2 eggs

Directions:

white asparagus mousse

Trim the asparagus and cut into 1-inch pieces. Boil in salted water until very tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over Kabosu juice, then simmer the mixture over very low heat stirring until the gelatin is dissolved.

Place asparagus in a food processor along with Kabosu juice mixture, onions, garlic, white pepper, nutmeg and salt. Mix until pureed. Strain through a very find mesh sieve (this is very important as the puree has to be perfectly smooth in texture).

Whip the cream to stiff peaks and mix the asparagus puree in. In another bowl, beat the egg white to high peaks and gently fold it into the cream and asparagus mixture. Chill in the refrigerator until set for at least 4-6 hours.

Kabosu marinated white asparagus

Trim the asparagus at the natural breaking point, leaving only the tender tips to use. Drop in a boiling salted water for one minute and then plunge into iced water.

Combine Kabosu juice, Tamari sauce, oil, tarragon, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Place in a plastic bag along with asparagus tips. Refrigerate for at

Black Forest ham relish

Combine Black Forest ham, agave syrup, apple sauce, Champagne vinegar, pimentos, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to develop.

profiteroles (makes 12)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water and butter in a pot and bring to boil. Add flour gradually, stirring continuously until the mixture is smooth and forms a ball. Remove from heat and let it cool. Then, beat in 2 eggs, one at a time. Using a pastry bag, pipe the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet to form small puffs. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

to assemble:
Cut the tops of the profiteroles off and fill them with the white asparagus mousse.



Place a few marinated white asparagus tips in the center of the plate, spoon a little bit of the marinade over, if desired. Top with a rounded tablespoon of Black Forest ham relish on one side near the tips.



Place a profiterole filled with the white asparagus mousse on top of the other side of the asparagus spears.

Grilled Kingklip, Pineapple Salsa, Orange-Scented Barley Pilaf, Cumin-Paprika Cream

This Kingklip, a fish from cusk eel family similar to grouper, is prepared simply on a grill and served with the fragrant orange-scented barley pilaf, refreshing pineapple salsa, and flavorful cumin-paprika cream sauce. The smoky cumin-paprika cream sauce really makes this dish shine, pairing wonderfully with both the fish and the barley pilaf. This sauce is also very versatile and could be used with any kind of seafood, meat, poultry or even pasta dishes.

Ingredients:

orange-scented barley pilaf
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley
Salt, pepper to taste
1 2/3 cup stock
1 teaspoon orange zest

pineapple salsa
1/2 cup pineapple, small chunks
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper to taste

cumin-paprika cream
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 tomato, peeled, chopped
2/3 cup cream
Salt, pepper to taste

grilled Kingklip
2 Kingklip fish fillets
Salt, pepper to taste
Oil

Directions:

orange-scented barley pilaf

Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan. Add onion and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add barley and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Add stock, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil. Then reduce the heat to low, and simmer until barley is tender, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in orange zest, cover and let it stand for at least 10 minutes.

pineapple salsa

In a small bowl, combine pineapple, cilantro, green onions, ginger, and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

cumin-paprika cream

Melt butter in a skillet. Add onion and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add paprika, cumin, and red chile flakes. Cook for a minute, stirring. Add tomato, and cook for another few minutes. Pour cream over, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then simmer for a few minutes. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and strain. Keep warm until ready to serve.

grilled Kingklip

Lightly brush Kingklip fillets with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for a few minutes on each side.

to assemble:

Serve Kingklip atop orange-scented barley pilaf, pour the cumin-paprika sauce over, and top with pineapple salsa.



I am away on a spring break vacation this week and will respond to comments when I return. Thank you all for your feedback!

Medieval-Style Spiced Salmon Pie with Dates, Dried Plums, and Godlen Raisins

Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most influential and powerful women of Middle Age Europe. She was actually a queen two separate times, of two countries, having first married Louis VII of France and after divorcing him she married Henry II of England. She was famous for throwing lavish banquets where the best of gourmet specialties of that time were served. In the book that I am reading right now, Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman, there are a number of detailed descriptions of the Medieval dishes that would have been served at one of Queen Eleanor's parties.

One dish that caught my attention was a spiced salmon pie with dates, figs, and raisins, especially because my daughter and I just received a variety of dried fruit samples from Marx Foods. I didn't have figs available, so I used dried plums instead. I knew from my research of Medieval-style cuisine that some of the most popular spices used included: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This was the combination of spices I chose to feature in this salmon pie. My recipe also included almond milk, which was used in nearly every Medieval style banquet dish.

The warm aromatic spices and sweet dried fruits paired together with salmon proved an interesting combination. It is certainly not a subtle dish, with spices dominating the flavors, and the course is probably too sweet for a fish pie, according to modern standards. This flavor profile is however very typical of Medieval cuisine, and it is definitely worth trying at least once, to get a good idea of “fine dining” in Middle Age Europe.



Ingredients:

crust
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
pinch of salt
2/3 stick butter (or butter substitute)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup iced water

filling
0.6 oz salmon fillet, sliced in small chunks
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 dates, chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
6 dried plums, chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup almonds

Directions:

Add flour, salt, butter, and vegetable oil in a food processor and pulse until the texture resembles a resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water by spoonfuls, continuing to pulse, until the dough holds together. Take the dough out of the processor and knead by hand to form a disc. Cover in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured into a 10-inch round. Place over a 9-inch pie dish (lightly greased with nonstick cooking spray) and trim the extra dough.

In a bowl, mix dates, dried plums, raisins, salmon, and spices together. Pour almond milk over and mix gently until the milk is completely soaked in. Arrange the filling in the pie crust, with the dried fruits toward the bottom and salmon chunks toward the top. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake the spiced salmon pie for about 30 minutes on 375°F or until the crust is golden brown.



I am away on a spring break vacation this week and will respond to comments when I return. Thank you all for your feedback!

Mini Mulberry Tea Cakes with Brown Sugar Frosting

Today's creation is the last one in the April "Dried Fruits" edition of 5 Star Foodie Junior, Mini Mulberry Tea Cakes with Brown Sugar Frosting. These cakes were truly incredible, with the perfect soft texture and the most unusual and fantastic flavor profile due to the combination of dehydrated dried mulberries and the spices my daughter picked out all by herself. Enjoy!

5 Star Foodie Junior:

Dried mulberries were the most unique of all of the dried fruits that we got from Marx Foods. The mulberries tasted like raisins except they were sweeter and crunchier and they had yummy spiky parts. We decided to make little mulberry tea cakes with brown sugar frosting.

First, I put the mulberries in a pot and poured a little water over.

We put the pot on the stove and heated the mulberries until they were boiling. Then, we added spices that I picked which were coriander, vanilla extract, and Valencia orange zest. We pureed the mulberries and the spices in a food processor.

Then I mixed all the dry ingredients and then mixed the mulberry puree and an egg white in.

With the ice cream scooper I scooped the batter into the muffin tin cups.

Then, we baked the cakes and Mommy made the brown sugar frosting for the cakes. The cakes were really delicious and they tasted of peppermint and vanilla.

Ingredients: (yields 6 mini cakes)

1 cup cake flour
1/4 sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup dried mulberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Valencia orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons egg white (1 egg white)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1.5 cups Confectioner's sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.

Place the dried mulberries in a small pot, cover with water. Bring to boil and cook for just a minute. Take off the heat and let the mulberries stand for a few minutes. Place in a food processor, along with oil, coriander, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Blend into a puree.

Mix the mulberry puree into the dry ingredients. Add the egg white and mix well. Using an ice cream scoop, place equal portions of batter into greased muffin cups (should be enough batter for half of the 12-cup muffin tin). Bake on 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool in a muffin tin for at least 5 minutes then take the mulberry cakes out.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in brown sugar, stirring on low heat until the brown sugar is dissolved. Add milk, bring to boil. Then take off the heat and cool. Slowly whisk in the Confectioner's sugar. Transfer to a bowl and beat until thickened. Refrigerate to chill, then frost the mulberry cakes.

5 Star Foodie Junior: Dried Rainier Cherry Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Welcome to the special April "Dried Fruits" edition of 5 Star Foodie Junior, a series of monthly posts that feature my daughter learning how to cook in the kitchen. Today 5 Star Foodie Junior is proud to have her very first guest post featuring our recipe for Rainier Cherry Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.

Go to MARX FOODS BLOG FOR THE DETAILS, PICTURES, AND A RECIPE

5 Star Foodie Junior: Blondie Bars with Almond Paste Chunks, Chocolate Chips, and Dried Plums

Welcome to the special April "Dried Fruits" edition of 5 Star Foodie Junior, a series of monthly posts that feature my daughter learning how to cook in the kitchen. Today we made Blondie Bars with Almond Paste Chunks, Chocolate Chips, and Dried Plums.

5 Star Foodie Junior:
Another dessert that we made with dried fruit samples that we got from Marx Foods are Blondies with Almond Paste Chunks, Chocolate Chips, and Dried Plums.

In one bowl, I mixed brown sugar and melted butter together.

In a second bowl, I whisked the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts.

In a third bowl, I mixed all the dry ingredients.

Then, I added the brown sugar butter mixture to the eggs, and then mixed the flour mixture in too.

Next, we mixed in dried plums, and half of almond paste chunks and chocolate chips.

After we put the batter in a baking pan, we sprinkled the rest of the almond paste chunks and chocolate chips on top.

Then we baked the blondies, and after they were cooled down we cut them into rectangles. The blondies were sweet and buttery. The dried plums and chocolate chips and almond paste chunks went very well together.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond paste chunks
(made by tearing little pieces of almond paste and shaping into balls or square chunks)
1/2 cup chopped dried plums
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray the paper.

In a bowl, mix brown sugar into melted butter until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder together. To the egg mixture, first add the brown sugar-butter mixture and then the dry ingredients. Gently mix all of the dried plums and half of each of almond paste chunks and chocolate chips into the batter.

Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining almond chunks and chocolate chips. Bake for about 25 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes, then gently take out of the baking pan, and then cool completely before slicing into rectangular bars (or squares if desired).