Last week, I wrote about the terrifically diverse dinner party I attended.  As promised, here are the some of the recipes from that fabulous meal.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Soup, photo via foodnetwork.com

Broccoli soup for 4:

• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups organic chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 cup white wine
• Croutons for decoration or a sprig of mint

Directions

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the flour reaches a blonde color. Add stock and wine and bring to a boil.

Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. You can either put the soup in a food processor and puree, or you can use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and then replace the lid back on the pot. Serve hot with Homemade Croutons. Or you can chill overnight and serve with a sprig of mint.

Cold chicken and snow pea salad, photo via mainfoodandlifestyle.com

Cold chicken and snow pea salad for 4:

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 pound snow peas
• 2 cans of water chestnuts

Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 lemon – zest and juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup corn oil
• 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
• salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350. Put chicken in baking dish with the skin side up. (Skinless doesn’t have enough juice to keep the chicken moist for the salad.)  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and lemon juice and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.
2. Blanche snow peas in a large pot for 30 seconds – just so they get a nice bright green. Drain them and immediately cool them in ice water to stop the cooking.
3. When chicken is cooled, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat by hand.
4. Arrange the chicken in a serving bowl with the water chestnuts and snow peas.
5. Toss salad and then add the salad dressing.
6. Taste and if you need a little more salt, add a touch of sea salt or a touch of soy sauce and re-toss.

If you want to make in advance, after cooling the chicken, put it in a plastic baggie with half the salad dressing in the bag so as to marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge.  The snow peas may also be put in a baggie to chill overnight and then you just add the water chestnuts and the rest of the dressing at the last minute and toss.

Lemon mousse

Lemon Mousse:

• 2 lemons
• 4 eggs, separated
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon gelatin (this is one packet of Know unflavored gelatin)
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• berries

1. Grate the rind of the lemons and reserve then squeeze the lemons for the juice and reserve.
2. Combine the egg yolks, rind and sugar and beat until the mixture is light and lemon colored.
3. Mix the lemon juice and gelatin and let stand for ten minutes.  Then heat the mixture over very low heat until the gelatin is totally dissolved.
4. Stir the gelatin mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
5. Whisk the cream and fold it into the egg yolk and lemon juice mixture.
6. Whip the egg whites until stiff ( they make peaks) and fold into the mousse mixture.
7. Pour into individual glasses/bowls (I like using martini glasses).  Put saran wrap over the top and refrigerate for at least two hours but you can easily keep over night in the refrigerator.
8. Just before serving place a few berries on top.

You can add bite size cookies or Pirouettes on the side.