June 2006 | Choice Eating
Spicing Up Your Wedding
By Gay Ingram
Whether you are planning a wedding or some other joyous event, there are many ways to incorporate your love of nature into the festivities. Planning a menu that uses flavorful herbs and edible flowers is a subtle way to convey your message.
A tossed salad of torn greens can be dressed up with the small whole flowers of salad burnet, a cucumber-tasting herb, and nasturtium if you want to make it peppery. Leaves of rocket will make it taste surprisingly like fresh mushrooms and sorrel’s sourness will pep up bland lettuce. You can even substitute basil leaves for a portion of the lettuce to spice up an ordinary salad.
If you season your entrée with herbs, you will be able to awaken taste buds and produce rave reviews. Chicken will never taste the same after you’ve had it baked with sprigs of rosemary nestled in the cavity. Bay leaf, sage, rosemary, thyme and winter savory, used individually or combined, add subtle nuances to any meat dish. For sublime fish, try a combination of finely chopped parsley and fennel or a mixture of dill, parsley and onion chives.
The crowning glory of a bridal feast is the wedding cake. Nothing displays the artless beauty of nature more than flowers. The traditional basic cake can become a taste delight if the baking pans are lined with rose-geranium leaves before the batter is poured. And white frosted layers can become something special if the decorations are real flowers. Whole flowers such as roses, nasturtiums, sage, marigold and begonias make lovely additions and are edible. Choose ones that echo the colors of the bridal bouquet or table centerpieces.
Creamy Marinated Vegetables
This dish can be made ahead and is better if left in the sauce for a day or two in the refrigerator.
64-ounce jar artichoke hearts, including juice
8 to 10 ripe avocados, peeled and cut up in large pieces
8 to 12 large carrots, chunked
1 bunch celery, cut up
2 cups chopped onions or pearl onions
3 Tablespoons chopped chives
2 Tablespoons chopped garlic chives
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
Combine all ingredients, mixing lightly. Refrigerate. Drain before serving.
Marinated Fresh Vegetables
3/4 cup safflower oil
balsamic vinegar to taste
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
3 Tablespoon finely chopped sweet onion
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon salt or salt substitute
3 to 4 cups cut-up fresh vegetables, such as carrots, onion rings, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, pea pods, celery slices, diced sunchokes, broccoli, cauliflower, celery root and olives.
In a bowl, whisk all ingredients except vegetables. Pour marinade over fresh vegetables in a flat, shallow container. Cover and marinate for at least 3 hours; overnight is preferable. Drain and serve.
Garlic Mayonnaise
Keeps in refrigerator about two weeks.
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 to 3 cloves garlic (or more)
1 c. canola or safflower oil
Place vinegar, egg, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic cloves in the work bowl of a food processor or in a blender. With machine running, drizzle oil slowly in until the mayonnaise is the thickness of whipped cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.
From The Herb Companion, June/July 1992
Tarragon Potato Salad with Garlic Mayo
4 to 5 large boiling potatoes
rice wine or tarragon vinegar
about 1 cup garlic mayonnaise (see recipe at right)
1/4 cup red or green onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4 to 5 large sprigs tarragon
Boil, bake, or microwave the potatoes. As they cool, slice or dice them with or without the skins and sprinkle them liberally with vinegar. After potatoes have cooled, drain excess vinegar.
Add garlic mayonnaise and onions. Season to taste. Add tarragon sprigs and mix thoroughly. Allow flavors to blend for at least 3 hours.
Gay Ingram, a writer from Texas, enjoys writing about herbs and their special uses
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