Classic Macaroni Salad - and Tuna Macaroni Salad

Macaroni salad is not the same as pasta salad. Follow this link for my more fashionable, vegetable-heavy, vinaigrette-dressed Pasta Salad. This is old-fashioned (retro) macaroni salad, comfort food from way before anyone ever thought of pasta salad or getting trendy with their food.

Classic macaroni salad is a hit at any picnic, potluck or barbecue (Notice I said "barbecue," not "BBQ," which is one of those things that's always irritated me!). It's great for Game Days, too, if you're into that sort of thing. It's perfect for the lunchbox, for parents or kids; everyone loves it.

After all these years, Mr Delightful, who grew up with tuna macaroni salad--and I'm sorry, but that's just crazy!--loves my Classic Macaroni Salad. I hope you will, too. But if you're on Team Tuna, don't click away; I've included that option as well. You can make Half Classic/Half Tuna.

I make this the way my mother made it, rather than the typical way. Nothing unusual about the ingredients--it's the method. She always layered on the ingredients in a particular order rather than stirring up the dressing separately. I don't know why, but it makes a difference. 

It's just not summer without Classic Macaroni Salad or Perfect Potato Salad! What dishes say "summer" to you?

Classic Macaroni Salad for Her / Tuna Macaroni Salad For Him

(Makes 12 servings)

8 large eggs

1 1-pound (16 ounces/454 grams) package salad macaroni (ditalini)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce/30 ml) sweet pickle juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
3/4 cup finely chopped sweet pickles
3/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup or more finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup or more finely chopped red bell pepper, patted dry
1 3/4 cup real mayonnaise, divided

1 tablespoon coarse "country" Dijon mustard

Options for the half with tuna:

1 5-ounce can tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas, thawed but not cooked

12 pimiento-stuffed green olives, chopped

1 To hard-cook eggs, place eggs in a single layer in large pan. Add enough room temperature water to cover eggs completely and an inch over. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water is bubbling lightly, remove pan from the heat and cover tightly with the lid. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and add cold water to pan; repeat twice. Leave eggs to cool for 15 minutes in cold water. Drain, and proceed with recipe or refrigerate until ready to use. (Notice that the egg yolks are yellow and velvety, not orange and shiny-gooey!) 

2 Cook macaroni al dente according to package directions in a 5- to 5.5-quart Dutch oven. Put in colander. Rinse repeatedly with cold water until macaroni is cool. Drain thoroughly. Put back in pan.

The Christopher Kimball Signature Timer is a bit larger with

larger buttons and can time two things at once.

Note: Don't get careless about the timing of the pasta--ever, but especially with salad macaroni (ditalini); it can get overcooked very quickly. I rely on one of my two ThermoWorks kitchen timers: the Christopher Kimball Signature Timer (above) or the TimeStick (below--Mine is yellow!).

The ThermoWorks TimeStick comes in an array of colors.

3 Sprinkle pickle juice, salt, pepper and parsley flakes over cooked and cooled macaroni. (Sure, you can use fresh parsley if you have it; but I didn't. Dill can be good, too.) Stir in pickles, carrot, celery, onion, red bell pepper, 1 1/4 cups of the mayonnaise, and the mustard. 

4 When ready to add eggs to salad, use egg slicer to slice eggs. Reserve 7 or more pretty slices for garnish (14, if using 2 bowls); cover and refrigerate. Roughly chop remaining slices and add to salad. Transfer salad to 4-quart serving dish (or two 2-quart bowls), cover and refrigerate. Chill for at least 4 hours; but making it a day ahead is best. 

5 Before serving, stir in the reserved mayonnaise (perhaps not all of it, or perhaps a bit more), as the macaroni will have absorbed the first portion and will likely be rather dry. (And this would be the case no matter how much you put in the first time!) Garnish with reserved egg slices and perhaps a bit of chopped fresh parsley or dill, if you have it.

The Tuna Option: Divide salad between two 2-quart bowls; add tuna, peas and olives to just one of them.

And now for something completely different … apropos of absolutely nothing … just a little something to make you smile.

I set out to paint Peter Rabbit, but this chap looks more 

mature than Peter. So I'm thinking of him as Old Mr Rabbit, 

Peter's father who was made into a pie by Mrs McGregor.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Grated Carrot Salad - Salade de Carottes Rapees

A simple grated carrot salad, Salade de Carottes Râpées, is one of the classics of modern French cuisine, found on every bistro menu, or so I’m told. Of course, I’ve put my own spin on it, so I should probably delete that French name.

Lemon juice is the acid for the classic version, but I think sweet carrots are just calling out for a good red wine vinegar. And I’ve skipped the chopped flat-leaf parsley and added chopped capers (I love capers). Les câpres.

It’s a salad that’s not supposed to be swimming in dressing, and this small amount of dressing is perfect for this amount of carrots. Doing a pound and a half of carrots? Just up the oil and vinegar to 3 tablespoons each.

This is one of those dishes that is so fast and so easy, you can’t quite believe it could possibly be so good. Are you a carrot salad fan?

Grated Carrot Salad - 

Salade de Carottes Râpées

(Makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 pound (16 ounces/454 grams) carrots
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained, chopped
2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 Scrub, peel and grate the carrots. 

Note: For long shreds, I cut the carrots into about 4.5-inch lengths to fit the big feed tube and use the medium shredding disc on my Cuisinart DLC-2011CHBY food processor.

2 Put the carrots in a 1.5-quart bowl and add the capers.

3 In 1-cup glass measure, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add to the carrots and toss to mix well. This small amount of dressing is exactly the amount needed for this amount of carrots. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Pumpkin Custards - Individual Crustless Pumpkin Pies

Pumpkin Custards are the solution when you’ve got gluten-free, wheat-free, grain-free or refined-starch-free people coming for dinner. As long as they’re not also sugar-free, egg-free or dairy-free, that is. 

I don’t do sugar-free desserts using stevia or artificial sweeteners, but those who do will know how to adapt the recipe for whatever they use. (Is anyone else having a hard time giving a dinner party these days?!) 

Of course, at this time of year we are bombarded with pumpkin recipes, so many readers will have already moved on. But I’m a year-round pumpkin fan and couldn’t resist putting another one out there.

This time I used a couple of little round half-pint jars, too, because that turns an individual pumpkin custard into a totable/toteable (?) lunchbox dessert. And there’s enough room in the jar for whipped cream!

Mr Delightful was missing the pie crust, so I crushed a couple of Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Rounds to sprinkle on top. Loved it!

Baking these in a water bath is really easy and gives the custards such a wonderfully smooth texture. No need to get complicated, putting a tea towel in the bottom of the baking dish or anything; the ramekins won’t rattle around.

Are you ready for some pumpkin?

Pumpkin Custards – Individual Crustless Pumpkin Pies

(Makes 6)

1/2 cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon non-GMO cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce (425 grams) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) or 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cup (10 fluid ounces/296 ml) milk

1 Preheat oven to 300F/150C/Gas2. Put the kettle on, heating water for the water bath. Place six 7-ounce ramekins or custard cups (or half-pint jars) in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

Note: These are similar but slightly larger white ceramic 8-ounce ramekins. 

2 In medium bowl (using a 2-quart glass measure makes it easy to pour the filling into the custard cups), whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt and spices. Whisk in the eggs, then the pumpkin and then the milk. 

3 Pour the filling into the ramekins. Close to the oven, pour the hot water into the baking dish at least halfway up the side of the ramekins and nearly to the level of the custard. Place in oven, being careful not to slosh water into the custards.

My very favorite thermometer: ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen MK4

4 Bake for about 60 minutes (maybe check at 55 minutes, all depends on your oven) or until it registers 175F/79C on an instant-read thermometer. The custards should still be slightly jiggly and will firm up as they cool. Forget about the old knife coming out clean thing; they would be waaay overbaked.

5 Cool completely, about 1 hour, on wire rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 or 4 days. Serve with softly whipped cream. I sweetened and flavored 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of real maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Note: If you’re making these in the half-pint jars for a picnic or lunchboxes, whip the cream to a stiffer consistency so that it will hold up for a few hours. Top the custards with the cream (and shortbread crumbs, if you like) and put the lids on. Don’t forget to pack spoons!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites.

Jean

Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake - Texas Sheet Cake My Way

Chocolate cake is always a hit at any gathering. I'm not that keen on chocolate myself, but nearly everyone else in the world is. My quick and easy feeds-a-crowd chocolate buttermilk sheet cake is served right from the pan—perfect for any large casual party. I took it to a big party on Saturday and it disappeared in no time. Everyone was talking about it! 

Inspired by a cake popular in the '70s, Texas sheet cake, I developed this recipe for a larger, more flavorful, slightly less sweet cake. It yields 32 servings and can be made start-to-finish, including frosting, in under an hour. The only special equipment required is a half sheet pan, the same one I use for my Meyer Lemon Sheet Cake and many other things. Hope you'll try it and let me know what you think.

It has just enough espresso powder to punch up the chocolate flavor without giving it a coffee flavor. But if you don’t use coffee, it will still be delicious without it. And if you have buttermilk on hand, you can use it instead of the cider vinegar-milk. For those who pay attention to such things, one serving of this cake, with the frosting, comes in about 3/4 teaspoon under my maximum daily sugar allowance.

I go a little nuts with the pecans (no pun intended); you can use half the amount or none at all, whatever suits you. For less rustic looking, perfectly smooth and shiny little squares for afternoon tea, I'd be willing to sacrifice the pecans.

Are you a fan of sheet cakes? 

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Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake

(Makes 18x13x1-inch half-sheet, 32 servings)

The Cake

1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces/296 ml) water or cold coffee*
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 packed cup (1.5 ounces/42 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa*
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (12.5 ounces/354 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups (12.25 ounces/347 grams) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cider vinegar plus milk to make 3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces/177 ml)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The Frosting

1 teaspoon cider vinegar plus milk to make 1/3 cup (2.67 fluid ounces/79 ml)
1/2 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter

1/4 packed cup (0.75 ounce/21 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 firmly packed cups (12 ounces/340 grams) unsifted powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces/170 grams) finely chopped pecans, toasted

* I always buy organic, fair trade certified coffee and chocolate products.

1 Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. Spray half sheet pan (I have both this heavy-duty half sheet pan and this Nordic Ware lidded half sheet pan) with cooking spray; don’t try to make-do with a smaller pan, or the batter will overflow.

2 In 2-quart saucepan, combine water, butter, cocoa and espresso powder. Heat, whisking occasionally, over medium heat until the butter melts.

3 In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisking for about 30 seconds sort of sifts the dry ingredients. In 2-cup glass measure, stir together vinegar and milk; let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in eggs and vanilla extract. 

4 Add warm cocoa mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine (set the pan aside, as is, for the frosting); beat for about 30 seconds. Add the soured milk mixture and beat for another 30 seconds. (A wooden spoon works perfectly well, but I use an English cake whisk, a kind of stainless steel wire spoon that has been made in Britain for over a hundred years.)

The English cake whisk is the one at the bottom

5 Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly (5 to 10 minutes) on wire rack while making the frosting. The slight cooling before pouring on the frosting gives the cake a better texture. In 1-cup glass measure, stir together vinegar and milk; let stand for 5 minutes.

6 In same 2-quart saucepan used for the cake (no need to wash it), combine butter, soured milk, cocoa, vanilla, espresso powder and salt over low heat. When butter is melted, bring to a boil; remove from heat. Whisk in confectioner’s sugar, whisking vigorously until smooth. Stir in toasted pecans. 

7 After cake has cooled slightly for just 5 to 10 minutes, pour warm frosting over warm cake and spread quickly. Cool in pan on wire rack. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites.

Jean

Banana Sheet Cake - Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana Sheet Cake is the perfect cake to make for a picnic, potluck or any kind of feed-a-crowd occasion. Especially during summer, when you really want to get out of the kitchen as soon as possible.

In hot weather, bananas can go from just right to rotten overnight. So when you need to use up those perfectly freckled, overripe bananas, this recipe will get you in and out of the kitchen quickly.

No messing about with layers. No need to get out the piping bag. Just bake it in a half-sheet pan and serve it right from the pan. Of course you can cut it into three or four equal pieces and make a fancy layered creation, but not this time.

Bake it in the pan. Frost it in the pan. Carry your pan to a picnic or potluck. Serve it from the pan. No muss, no fuss. It's summer, people, and I'm keeping it easy but real.

Don't try to make this in a smaller pan, like a 15x10 jelly roll or a 17x11; it would surely overflow and make a total wreck of your oven. Believe me, I'm not in the mood for that!

If you don't have a couple of good half-sheet pans (and quarter-sheet pans), it's time to get some. They are true kitchen workhorses, and I'd hate to be without them. A half-sheet pan with a plastic lid makes taking it on the road super easy.

If you're not a banana fan, you might want to try my Meyer Lemon Sheet Cake or Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake.

For afternoon tea, cut the cake into 1.25- to 1.5-inch squares to stand in for petits fours.

If you like nuts, finely diced walnuts or pecans (toasted, of course) can either be added to the cake batter or sprinkled on top of the frosting. What do you think - nuts or no nuts?



Don't forget to Pin it!

Banana Sheet Cake - Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes one 18x13x1-inch half-sheet, 32 servings)

The Cake

2 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (12.5 ounces/354 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups (about 1.5 pounds/680 grams, unpeeled bananas) mashed very ripe bananas
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
Milk to make 1 1/3 cup (10.67 fluid ounces/315 ml), room temperature
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces/170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The Frosting

3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
2 ounces (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 packed cups (12 ounces/340 grams) unsifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Up to 2 tablespoons milk, as needed for spreadable consistency

1 Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. Grease, butter or spray an 18x13x1-inch half-sheet pan. In small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Note: If you want to remove it from the pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, overhanging a bit on the ends, and spray the paper as well.

2 In medium bowl, mash bananas and 1 tablespoon lemon juice with large fork or potato masher.

3 In measuring cup, put vinegar or lemon juice, add milk to make 1 1/3 cups; stir gently and let stand for 5 minutes.

4 In large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients and soured milk alternately to wet ingredients, and stir just until combined. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top.

5 Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for an hour in pan on wire rack before frosting. Get out the butter and cream cheese to be softening during that hour.

Note: If you are removing it from the pan, let it cool in pan on wire rack for ten minutes before turning it out onto wire rack and removing the parchment.

6 In bowl of stand mixer or a 2.5-quart bowl and hand mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, in three batches, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and enough milk to make the frosting a good spreading consistency. We're not piping this frosting, so the consistency isn't so crucial; it just needs to be easily spreadable. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting.

Jean

Broccoli Salad - Daddy's Version

Being half Southern (on my Daddy's side), I always called my father "Daddy." Anyway ... Daddy made a great broccoli salad, the first one I ever had. I've been meaning to post it ever since I posted Broccoli Salad - A High-Protein Version, where I tell the amusing story of one of his rare forays into the kitchen. Years later, after my mother died, he did learn to make a few things. 

Note: As you can see, it's a perfect picnic or lunchbox salad, individual servings easily transportable in half-pint jars.

This salad was something he started making huge batches of anytime he was expecting anyone to come stay with him for a few days. He would just get out his biggest stainless steel bowl, which held at least 6 quarts, and start chopping stuff up until it was filled to the brim. We'd have to eat it at every meal until it was gone, or he'd say "I thought you liked broccoli salad"!

One time we stayed five nights, so we had it at nine lunches and dinners! It was a good thing we liked it because I can eat something once just to be polite, but nine times? This was the first time I've made it since he died. I feel a little rebellious writing this because he was such an introvert he wouldn't have liked being written about on the internet! 

This broccoli salad is a non-creamy, vinegar and oil, "Italian" dressing kind of salad, unlike the other one which has more ingredients and a creamy dressing with a touch of sweetness. Which kind do you prefer? I like both. Oh, at some point I'll have to tell you another salad story--one where Daddy refused to eat "that damn hippie crap"!

Daddy's Broccoli Salad

(Makes 8 servings)  

1 to 1.25 pounds broccoli, chopped
1 large green* bell pepper, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup very finely chopped red onion, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

* Yellow would have been lovely, but the yellow bell peppers were imported; so, of course, I bought the more "local" green ones.

1 In 2-quart bowl, combine chopped vegetables. Aim for 1/4-inch dice on the broccoli stems and bell pepper.

2 Add the remaining ingredients directly to the bowl--no need to make the dressing in a separate bowl. Stir until well combined. 

3 Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. After a couple of hours, give it a stir and taste and adjust seasoning. 

Jean

Classic Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs, or devilled if you're in the UK, are a classic party food. Have you ever been to a barbecue, picnic or potluck that didn't have at least a few batches of deviled eggs? There's a reason for that: everybody loves them! Some people say, it's not a party until you break out the deviled eggs!

There are several ways to boil (hard-cook) the eggs, some of which are supposed to be vastly superior to the others; but I'm not even going there, except to say that the best way is whatever works for you. I'm just including one method, in the directions, and leaving it up to you to sort out.

I'm only going to comment on the degree of doneness because, well, they need to be actually done. As you may know, I adore Jacques Pepin, but he and I don't see eye to eye on this subject. I say a hard-cooked egg yolk should be yellow and matte, and he says it should be orange and shiny. That's just wrong!

I'm blogging this recipe at the request of a reader. I do that, you know. So if there's anything you'd like to see here at Delightful Repast, or if you have a cooking question, just let me know. What's your favorite thing to take to a gathering? (Mr Delightful would say, "My cavernous appetite!") 

Vintage dish is Indiana Glass Company clear Hobnail Egg Plate first made in the 1940s, other colors being added later.

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Classic Deviled Eggs

(Makes 24)

12 large eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons country Dijon mustard 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 

1/8 teaspoon dried dill 

1/8 teaspoon curry powder 

Garnishes (fresh dill, pimiento slivers, stuffed olive slices, minced parsley or paprika) 

1 Place eggs in a single layer in large pan. Add enough room temperature water to cover eggs completely and an inch or two over. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water is bubbling enough to make even one egg rattle, remove pan from the heat and cover tightly with the lid. Let stand for 14 minutes. Drain and add cold water to pan; repeat twice. Leave eggs to cool for 15 minutes in cold water. Drain, and proceed with recipe or refrigerate until ready to use. 

2 Peel the eggs, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the yolks. Place egg whites on a plate and yolks in a 1-quart bowl.

3 With a fork, mash yolks well. Add mayonnaise, mustard and seasonings; mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

4 Using a spoon or a pastry bag (Pfft!), fill the egg halves. Garnish. Chill until serving time.

Savory Summer Tart with Easy No-Roll Tart Crust

Savory Summer Tart is the perfect dish for a summer picnic. It tastes great at any temperature. And the heavy lifting can be done a day ahead, so you can just relax on the day of your picnic.

Slice and roast the vegetables on a half-sheet pan, cool to room temperature, cover with lid or foil and refrigerate till the next day, if you like. Whip up the easy pastry, press it (yes, I said "press it") into the pan and pop it into the freezer until you're ready to assemble the tart and bake it.

If you've been not making tarts because you don't like to roll out pastry (as described here for the sweet version in Lemon Tart), you'll love this pastry. It's exactly the same dough I roll out, but you can just press it in the pan and it will come out exactly the same as if you'd rolled it.

(You might also want to try my no-roll pie crust used in my Blackberry Cobbler.)

What's a picnic without wine, right? I've been trying to find the perfect summer picnic wine, and I think I have. Besides having the right flavor and weight, this refreshing rosé called Gioia, has a screw cap; and if that's not handy on a picnic, I don't know what is!

Call me old-fashioned, but I love a nice wicker picnic hamper, a tablecloth and real dishes and glasses for a picnic. My wicker hamper holds all the accoutrements, while the food stays at a safe temperature in an insulated cooler. Put a larger picnic blanket on the ground before putting down the tablecloth. And a few cushions might not go amiss either!

Savory Summer Tart 

(Makes one 9-inch/23cm tart, 8 servings) 

The Vegetables

2 smallish to medium (2- to 2.5-inch diameter) tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium bell pepper, cut vertically into 1/4-inch strips
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch rounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

The Pastry - Pâte Brisée (a savory shortcrust pastry) 

1 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (7.5 ounces/213 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (4 ounces/113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk (reserve the white for the filling)
1 tablespoon water, milk or cream 

The Filling 

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese* or crumbled fresh goat cheese
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 

* I like to use a mixture, including a couple tablespoons of Parmesan. 

1 Preheat oven to 450F/230C/Gas8. Line a half-sheet pan or other large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Spread prepared vegetables on parchment. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, marjoram and red pepper flakes. Turn vegetables to coat with oil, placing tomatoes skin side down. Roast for 20 minutes. Let stand at room temperature to cool completely. 

Tip: Can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated. 

2 Add flour and salt to work bowl of food processor; turn on for about 3 or 4 seconds to combine. Add chunks of butter; pulse to a crumb texture. Add egg yolk and cream; pulse until the dough starts clumping together. This is to be a crisp, more cookie-like crust, rather than a flaky pastry; so there's not quite the concern about over-processing. 

3 Lightly butter a 9-inch/23cm tart tin (1-inch deep) and set it on a baking sheet. Take 2/3 of the dough and press it evenly around the sides of the tin. Put the remaining 1/3 of the dough in the bottom and press it with your hand into an even layer. Using a straight-sided, round stainless steel measuring cup coated with a little flour, press it against bottom and sides to compact and smooth out the dough. Pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas5.

4 Cover chilled pastry with a piece of foil, pressing it to fit well. Spread 2 cups of ceramic pie weights (that's two packages of Mrs. Anderson's ceramic pie weights), also called ceramic baking beans in the UK, over the foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights; continue baking for 10 minutes, until lightly browned to a pale golden. Cool completely on wire rack.

5 While pastry is cooling, make the filling. In small bowl (I use a 2-cup glass measure), whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper until well combined. Let stand until pastry is ready. 

6 Turn oven temperature down to 350F/180C/Gas4. Arrange roasted and cooled vegetables in prebaked and cooled pastry shell. Cover with shredded cheese. Pour in filling. Bake (with tart tin on baking sheet) for about 30 to 35 minutes, until filling is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from tin and cutting. Allow to cool for about an hour to serve at room temperature.

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Perfect Potato Salad - The Summer Classic Comfort Food

My potato salad recipe is one I can brag about and say it's the best because it isn't my own; it's my mother's. It wasn't just my opinion. All my life, everyone who tasted my mother's potato salad declared it the best they'd ever had and wanted to know the secret. She always said "There's no secret. It's just the typical potato salad ingredients."

Of course, she had no recipe. So one day when I was a teenager I grabbed pen and paper and settled in to watch her make it. As she finished chopping each ingredient, I measured it and wrote it down. Later I compared it to recipes in her vast collection of cookbooks that she read like novels and noted the differences.

The main differences were that she: 1) cooked the potatoes whole and unpeeled, 2) created layers of flavor as she went along rather than making a dressing and 3) used only Hellmann's/Best Foods real mayonnaise, never Miracle Whip or sour cream.

If you've been reading Delightful Repast for any length of time, you know I'm all about organic; still, I buy that mayo! Let's all write to the company and tell them to go organic! And do leave a comment and tell me what you like in your potato salad.

Perfect Potato Salad

(Makes 12 very generous servings)

5 pounds russet potatoes
6 large eggs
5 tablespoons sweet pickle juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet pickles
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper, patted dry
1/4 cup very finely chopped onion, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups real mayonnaise
3 teaspoons coarse "country" Dijon mustard

1 Cook potatoes whole with skins on in boiling, salted (1 tablespoon) water in covered 5-quart Dutch oven for about 40 minutes; drain immediately. Cool for about 45 minutes, then peel and cube. Put back in pan to mix.

2 Meanwhile, to hard-cook eggs, place eggs in 3-quart saucepan and cover with cold water to at least one inch above eggs. Bring to a rapid boil; remove from heat and cover tightly with lid. Let stand for 18 minutes. Cool at once in cold water.

3 Sprinkle sweet pickle juice over the cubed potatoes; stir. Add salt, pepper and parsley flakes (or parsley); stir. Add celery, pickles, bell pepper and onion; stir. Add mayonnaise and mustard, and sort of stir them together on top of everything else to mix well before stirring the combination into the other ingredients. (Note: Rinsing the onion takes a bit of the "bite" out of it and makes it edible to some people who normally can't eat raw onion.)  

4 Use egg slicer to slice eggs. Reserve 7 slices for garnish, then roughly chop remaining slices and add to salad. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer salad to 3-quart serving dish, garnish, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (I prefer to make it the day before). 

Jean