Saying Good-Bye to April

I'm sorry to be a 'Debbie Downer' but I'm so happy that April is on it's way out of my face. April is a month that plays with ones heart strings. April is all like, "Oh, hey, here's a beautiful sunny day, and then boom, how about more snow?" Last week I wore flip flops and snow boots in the same day! That's not cool. Glimpses of hope of beautiful spring weather are dashed as quick as they come, oh yeah and taxes, it all just makes me want to pull a blanket up over my head.

Well fortunately May is fast approaching and though that holds no guarantees or promises, it does mean we're that much closer to having real spring. Flowers budding, birds chirping, and delicious fresh things to eat and drink kinda spring. Until that time arrives, we make do with what we have. Early spring dishes that urge us back towards "the light". No more stews, no more casseroles, no more braises - it's time for searing, grilling, pretty tarts and fresh salads. Check out a couple early spring dishes below and say "See-ya" to April.

Herb de Provence Chicken Thighs and Spring Salad
Serves 4
*This recipe is as easy to make, as the wine is easy to drink, making for a speedy springtime meal you don’t have to wait to enjoy.

8 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless (about 2 per person)
kosher salt
Herbs de Provence, about a ½ teaspoon per piece of chicken
Olive oil
3 cups mixed spring greens (use what you like arugula, watercress, mircogreens or any combination)
4 radishes, washed, trimmed and sliced thinly
½ cup fresh shelled peas
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved (optional)
1 cup green beans
1 tsp maple syrup
2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
2 Tbl olive oil
salt and pepper
½ cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled

For the Chicken:
1. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet to medium high heat.
2. Sprinkle chicken thighs with Herbs de Provence and salt on each side. Place chicken thighs in hot oil and cook about 6-8 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.
3. Serve immediately with Spring Salad.


For the Salad:
1. Put greens and radish slices in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Prepare an ice bath. Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add peas and beans; blanch until vibrant green, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander, and transfer to ice bath. Let stand until cool. Drain in colander then add to salad bowl.
3. Make dressing by whisking maple syrup, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in small bowl.
4. When ready to serve toss salad with dressing and crumble in the goat cheese. Do this at the last minute so the lettuce doesn’t wilt.

Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 Savory Tart Shell, below, or recipe of your choice, in a 9-inch tart pan and ready to fill
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup half and half*
1 large egg
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoons finely chopped herb or herbs of your choice, such as a mixture of thyme and rosemary
Fine sea salt for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, cover potato slices with cream by two inches. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve cream.

2. Arrange potato slices, overlapping slightly, in concentric circles around the tart pan. Sprinkle blue cheese over potatoes. Whisk cream and egg together and pour into tart shell, then sprinkle tart with herbs of your choice and salt.

3. Bake tart on a baking sheet until bubbling and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on rack and serve warm or cold.

*The original recipe called for heavy cream but I used half and half because that’s what I had, it came out just perfect.

Savory Tart Shell

1 1/4 (5 1/2 ounces) cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, diced
1 large egg

In food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt. Drop in the butter and pulse until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and pulse until incorporated. I found this dough quite crumbly like it didn’t want to stick together, in fact the original recipe calls for rolling it out but I didn’t think it’d work, plus it’s easier and less messy to just press into the tart pan. Which worked just fine for me! Par-bake the shell for just 10 minutes while you assemble your filling.