Fluctuating weather patterns notwithstanding — a windy, bone-cold day here, a welcome but surprising 70-degree day there — most of us will agree that winter is over. With trees in bloom and daffodils popping up, nature whets our appetite for a spring meal. This menu features asparagus (harbinger!), wild salmon (the season opens!) and strawberries (stone fruit soon!).
Blanched asparagus dressed in a mustard vinaigrette is the star here.Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Asparagus is a true delight. When it first arrives, it’s best enjoyed plain, eaten with fingers and dipped into butter, olive oil or a very simple sauce. As time passes, you can get more elaborate, using it in stir-fries or more complex salads. This recipe, a simple salad, splits the difference, with two-inch lengths that are briefly blanched, cooled and dressed in a mustard vinaigrette. Just before serving, the asparagus is tossed with a handful of arugula, a shower of freshly chopped dill and chunks of sharp feta, a winning combination. It’s a very pleasant way to begin a meal and quite refreshing. For the best outcome, make sure your asparagus is really fresh: Smooth, shiny and tightly closed tips mean that it is.
Black pepper coats these fillets, enhancing their flavor.Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
When the season for wild king salmon begins, the excitement is palpable. And for good reason: The meat of wild king salmon is lean, flavorful and a brilliant color, compared with farmed varieties. If you can get it, go for it.
Most people say the less you season salmon, the better. I generally agree. However, when it is coated liberally with coarsely ground black pepper, the flavor shines through. Instead of roasted potatoes, I opted for old-fashioned parsley potatoes. Does anyone still make them? Ideally, they are new potatoes (I used small, yellow potatoes) boiled, with the skins rubbed off, then generously buttered and showered with parsley. When the freshly chopped parsley hits the hot spuds, there’s a subtle aroma.
I then anointed both fish and potatoes with toasty, nutty brown butter. Just toss a knob of butter in a hot pan, let it sizzle and foam for a minute, then add a squirt of lemon juice. This simple sauce makes just about anything taste better and it really complements the peppery fish, my riff on a supper of salmon-potatoes-butter.
Sweet, ripe strawberries are essential to top this almond tart.Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
A classic French strawberry tart involves a buttery pastry shell filled with a light custard, with strawberries on top, but this version has an almond frangipane filling baked in a pastry shell. It’s then topped with berries and served with a dollop of crème fraîche. Sweet, ripe strawberries are de rigueur, and the smaller the better. Though one pound is sufficient, buying extra allows you to choose only the best specimens, saving overripe or bruised berries to make a little jam or smoothie.
A heavy shower of powdered sugar gives it an impressive look, but another option is to paint each strawberry with a little apricot or raspberry jam (warmed and strained as necessary). Either way you present it, it’ll fill your belly with the taste of spring — and perhaps even put a little spring in your step.
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