Who among us doesn’t feel “entertaining anxiety” when it’s our turn to host a simcha? Even if we’ve done it many times before and know the drill, pre-party panic lurks in the back of our minds.
Will there be enough, will it be ready when my guests arrive, will it taste delicious?
I have a go-to menu this time of year featuring poached salmon and asparagus–potato salad. These dishes require no last minute warm-ups or tending. They can be made the day before and taste best served at room temperature. And both are a feast for the eyes, as well as the palate.
Of course, no celebration is complete without dessert. If time is of the essence, visit your neighborhood bakery and purchase a pound cake. Sliced and grilled or toasted, it makes a wonderful base for a scoop of your favorite ice cream topped with fresh berries.
Oven-Poached Salmon with Watercress Sauce
Serves 6
1 cup dry white wine
11⁄2 cups water
1⁄8 cup sugar
1 tsp. peppercorns
11⁄2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
11⁄2 tsp. salt
1 onion, sliced
6 salmon steaks, 1 inch thick
dill sprigs for garnish
1 lemon slice for garnish
Watercress Sauce
11⁄4 cups mayonnaise
1⁄2 cup finely chopped watercress leaves
1 Tbs. coarse-grain Dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
In a saucepan, combine wine, water, sugar, peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, salt and onion. Simmer mixture for 15 minutes, and let cool to room temperature.
Butter a large and shallow baking pan. Arrange steaks, ladle the wine mixture around them and poach, covered with a buttered piece of foil, in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. Let steaks cool, venting the foil, and chill them in the poaching liquid, covered, for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Discard bones from the salmon, brush steaks with some of the poaching liquid and arrange on a platter. Garnish salmon with dill sprigs and lemon slice. Make sauce by combining all ingredients and serve with the salmon.
Asparagus-Potato Salad
Serves 8
2 lbs. asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces and cooked just until tender
1 lb. small red potatoes, quartered and cooked
Dressing*
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. grainy mustard
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
3 Tbs. fresh tarragon leaves
1⁄2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl, combine asparagus and potatoes. Whisk dressing and toss with salad.
*Make ahead and dress the salad as close to serving time as possible.
Strawberries in Raspberry Sauce
Serves 6-8
1 pint strawberries
16 oz. package of frozen raspberries
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 cup raspberry jam, preferably seedless
1⁄2 cup sugar (or to taste)
Hull strawberries and cut into quarters. Set aside in a medium bowl. In a food processor or blender, purée remaining ingredients until smooth. Strain sauce in a fine meshed strainer. Pour over strawberries and mix well. Taste for sweetness. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight before serving, especially as a topping for ice cream or pound cake.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Feasts.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].