Rascally Rabbit

Unfortunately, the Easter Bunny did not visit Mr. Charlestown Culinary and I on Sunday morning. SO-- we tried to lure him to our home with a dinner menu that we thought no bunny could resist:

• Golden Beet Salad
• Carrot Risotto
• Lemon Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms
• Hazelnut Lemon Meringue Tart

All dishes were made from scratch with my own recipes. But-none-the-less, that chocolate-carrying bunny was a no-show. If he only knew what he missed... Charlestown Culinary’s Golden Beet Salad

8 small golden beets, remove and reserve greens
1 orange
¼ shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chives
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Rinse and dry beets. In bunches of 4, wrap beets in foil. Roast in 425°F oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and segment 1 orange, squeezing excess juice into a bowl. To the orange juice add the shallots, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, chives, salt and pepper. Removed roasted beets from oven, cool, peel and quarter. Toss beets with orange segments and vinaigrette. Plate on beet leaves. Charlestown Culinary’s Carrot Risotto

3 cups carrots, peeled and diced
4 tablespoons olive oil
¾ shallot, finely chopped
½ onion, diced
1 ¼ cup arborio rice
1 cup white wine
6 cups chicken stock
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chives, chopped

In a 10 inch sauté pan add chopped carrots and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add water until carrots are just covered. Cook until all water is reduced and carrots start to caramelize, remove from heat. In a blender, puree 1 cup of carrots with ½ cup hot water. Set remaining carrots aside. In the meantime, bring chicken stock to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.

In the same pan used for the carrots, heat the remaining olive oil and sauté shallots and onions until soft. Add rice and stir until translucent. Add wine and stir until evaporated. Add carrot puree and 1 cup of stock. Stir until evaporated. Repeat process, stirring a cup of stock at a time. Towards the end of cooking, add the caramelized carrots, salt and pepper. Garnish with the chives.
Charlestown Culinary’s Lemon Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms

4 chicken drumsticks
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup vermouth
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, halved
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon corn starch
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Combine first 3 ingredients and marinade for at least 4 hours. Combine chicken and marinade with mushrooms, and bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully pour the lemon, mushroom sauce into a pan over medium heat. Turn oven up to 450°F and continue baking chicken until skin is crispy. Meanwhile, add chicken stock and corn starch to sauce and whisk until smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with the chives.
Charlestown Culinary’s Hazelnut Lemon Meringue Tart

½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, peeled and finely ground
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup sugar
¼ cup corn starch
¾ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ cup cold water
4 eggs, separated
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar

For the crust, combine the ground hazelnuts, flour, brown sugar, olive oil, salt and water. Press into a deep 8 inch tart plan. Bake tart crust in a 425°F oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove crust and cool.

For the lemon filling, over medium heat, combine sugar, corn starch, lemon juice and water. Whisk in yolks, 1 at a time. Continue whisking until lemon mixture comes to boil. Pour thickened lemon mixture into the cooled tart crust.

For meringue topping, beat egg white with cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and continue beating until shiny, stiff peaks form. Cover lemon mixture with meringue topping. Bake tart crust in a 325°F until golden brown, about 20 minutes.