Tarragon Chicken Salad

  • 4 chicken bone-in chicken breasts
  • good quality olive oil
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup good quality mayonnaise
  • 1 t. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 T. chopped, fresh tarragon
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1 cup grapes, quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts on baking sheet lines with foil. Rub breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and 1 T. tarragon. Set aside.

After chicken has cooled, remove meat from bones and cut chicken into small pieces. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add celery and grapes then pour mayonnaise mixture over chicken and stir. Add remaining tarragon and salt and pepper to taste.

Dainty Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

  • 1 small sweet onion
  • 1 large English cucumber
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • Dash of garlic powder
  • Dash of red pepper
  • Loaf of white bread

Chop onion and cucumber in food processor. Place on paper towels to drain and pat dry. Place onions and cucumbers in a medium bowl. Stir in softened cream cheese and other ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Trim crusts from bread. Spread cucumber mixture on one slice of bread. Top with another slice. Cut sandwiches in half diagonally and serve.

Traditional British Tea Scones

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 t. salt
  • 6 T. unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 T. sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1/2 t. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter cubes to flour mixture and rib them with your fingers until the mixture looks like course meal. Stir in sugar.

Place milk in a small, microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave until warm, approximately 30 seconds. Add vanilla and lemon juice to milk and stir until blended.

Make a well in flour mixture and add milk mixture. Blend together just until moistened. Turn onto floured work surface and sprinkle lightly with flour. Fold dough in half and rotate 1/4 turn around on work surface. Fold again and rotate 1/4 turn, continuing to do this until dough is smooth. Pat dough out to 1 1/2 inch thickness.

Using a 1 1/2 inch round biscuit cutter, cut dough into 12 disks. Place disks on baking sheet. Bake until scones are golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Place scones on wire rack to cool slightly.
Serve with clotted cream and jam. Enjoy!

“Almost Devonshire Cream”

  • 1/2 pint whipping cream
  • 1 Tablespoon sour cream
  • 3 Tablespoons confectioners sugar

Chill bowl and beaters.

Pour all ingredients into a medium bowl. Whip until peaks form.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemon Bars

Crust:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 t. kosher salt

Filling:

  • 6 large eggs at room temperature
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 T. grated lemon zest (5-6 lemons)
  • 1 c. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust:
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Combine flour and salt and gradually add to butter. Mix just until blended. Shape dough into a ball and place in a 9 x 13 baking sheet. Flatten with floured hands creating an edge along all sides of the baking sheet. Chill dough.

Bake the crust for 15 – 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Filling:
Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Pour mixture over crust and bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is firm. Cool at room temperature.

Cut into squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread

  • 3/4 cup toasted pecan halves, divided
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 10 T. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. orange zest
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • Parchment paper
  • 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
  • 1/2 t. shortening

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Process 1/2 cup pecans in food processor until finely ground. Add powdered sugar and next 4 ingredients; pulse until cranberries are coarsely chopped. Add flour and pulse just until blended.

Spread dough on a lightly greased 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; press remaining pecans into dough.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove sides of pan and cut shortbread into 10 wedges; transfer to a parchment paper-lines baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until firm. Transfer wedges to a wire rack and cool completely.

Microwave chocolate morsels and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH one minute or until melted and smooth, stirring halfway through. Drizzle melted chocolate over cookies; let cookies stand 10 minutes or until chocolate is set.