Spring Newsletter 2006

Here are some easy-to-prepare Spring recipes

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Make this easy, decadent recipe the day before, and chill; then bake and serve hot.

• 1 (16-ounce) French bread loaf, cubed
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into pieces
• 3 cups fresh blueberries, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 (10-ounce) jar blueberry preserves
• Garnishes: fresh mint leaves, edible pansies

Arrange half of bread cubes in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan. Sprinkle evenly with cream cheese and 1 cup blueberries; top with remaining bread cubes.

Whisk together eggs, 4 cups milk, sugar, butter, and maple syrup; pour over bread mixture, pressing bread cubes to absorb egg mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 more minutes or until lightly browned and set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Stir together remaining 2 cups blueberries and blueberry preserves in a saucepan over low heat until warm. Serve blueberry mixture over bread pudding. Garnish, if desired.

Lemon-Marinated Asparagus

We limited the marinating time to 2 hours because lemon juice tends to discolor and toughen asparagus.

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke heart quarters, drained
• 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
• 2 pounds fresh asparagus
• Garnish: lemon rind strips

Whisk together lemon juice and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add artichoke quarters and diced pimiento, and gently toss. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Snap off tough ends of asparagus; cook in boiling salted water to cover 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Drain asparagus, and plunge into ice water to stop cooking process. Place cooked asparagus in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and store overnight in refrigerator, if desired.

Add asparagus to artichoke mixture, and gently toss. Cover and chill 2 hours. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Pork with Berry Chutney

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
**Chill time: 30 minutes

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper
• 1 (11/2 lb.) boneless pork loin chops
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 1/3 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

1. Combine 2 tablespoons brown sugar, flour, cumin, paprika, salt and red pepper. Rub over pork and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Combine berries, onion, ginger, remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan; stir well. Bring to a boil. Cover reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add pork, and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from skillet and serve with Berry Chutney.

Serves 4

Herb Roasted New Potatoes

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 11/2 lb. new potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
• Vegetable cooking spray

1. Stir together olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, paprika and pepper in a medium size bowl. Add potatoes, tossing gently. Place potatoes in a 13-x-9-inch pan coated with cooking spray.
2. Bake at 500ºF for 25 minutes or until tender, stirring every 10 minutes.

Serves 4