Entertaining with Ralph Vincent

And you will too!

A CASUAL SPRINGTIME SUNDAY BRUNCH Hosting a relaxed Sunday brunch can be a most enjoyable way to entertain friends and family without undue stress. My spring inspired brunch menu of quiche, salad, and a few store-bought extras is ideal for casual and worry free entertaining. Entertaining should be a pleasure and never a burden - these simple to prepare time saving dishes will allow you to enjoy your gathering as much as your guests. Prep the ingredients for the Madrigal Cheese and Asparagus Quiche in advance, and let it bake while your guests enjoy Strawberry Prosecco Cocktails. You can make the Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette ahead of time and have your salad ingredients ready to combine just before serving. Set your table beforehand and let a vase full of colorful tulips be your centerpiece. Make your party preparations easier and eliminate stress by including locally prepared items to round out your menu. How about a fine artisan cheese and cracker pairing from the Putnam Market to accompany your pre-meal cocktails? And do not forget dessert. The Putnam Market’s Celestial Chocolate Torte or an assortment of their exquisite Macarons will bring your brunch to a delicious conclusion!

You will love this pretty pink cocktail! This recipe makes enough for one drink. To make a batch, measure out the vodka and bitters for the number of cocktails you need and chill in the refrigerator. To serve, divide the mixture among champagne flutes and add strawberries and prosecco to each glass. Ingredients for each cocktail: 1 oz. strawberry vodka, I like to use “Pick Six Strawberry Jam Vodka” 3 drops of orange bitters Chilled Rose’ Prosecco Thinly sliced strawberries for garnish

Place the strawberry vodka and orange bitters in an ice filled cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled and strain into a champagne flute. Drop in a few strawberry slices and pour in enough prosecco to fill the glass. That’s all there is to it… Enjoy!

This salad combines springtime produce and almonds with tangy mustard vinaigrette. The choice of salad greens is yours - I like to keep things simple and use a prewashed bagged salad blend with Butter Lettuce or Spring Mix. Rubbing the salad bowl with a garlic clove is a retro technique that imparts subtle flavor.

Ingredients: 1 generous tablespoon of premium Dijon mustard, or more to taste 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Mix the white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil using a fork until the ingredients are emulsified. Alternatively, pour the ingredients into a clean jar, secure the lid and shake until the vinaigrette is well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ingredients: 7 to 8 cups of salad greens ½ cup of sliced almonds ½ cup thinly sliced radishes 4 scallions trimmed and thinly sliced 1 small garlic clove

Wash the salad greens, radishes and spring onions in advance and keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use. Just before serving, slice the garlic clove in half and rub the inside of your serving bowl with the cut side of each piece. Place the salad greens, radishes, spring onions and almonds in the serving bowl. Add a grinding of black pepper and toss gently. Serve with the Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette.

Madrigal cheese is a semi-hard cheese from France made in the style of classic Swiss cheese. This cheese has a nutty sweet flavor and is available in local supermarkets. I stopped making pie crust years ago. Although good, my hand made pie crust was not significantly better than the ready to bake products at my local market. Now I save time and effort by using a premade frozen pie shell. Ingredients: 1 premade frozen pie shell 1 pound of fresh asparagus cleaned and woody tips cut or snapped off. I use thinner asparagus stalks for this recipe. 4 large eggs 1 cup heavy cream 1 and ½ cups shredded Madrigal cheese ¼ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon salt Pinch of nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Using the tines of a dinner fork, prick the bottom of the frozen pie shell 10 to 12 times. When the oven is ready bake the pie shell for five minutes, then remove from the oven. In the meantime, cut the asparagus into bite size pieces and set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, heavy cream, and seasonings until well blended. Stir in the asparagus and 1 cup of the shredded Madrigal cheese.

Carefully pour the mixture into the pie shell and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of Madrigal Cheese. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top in nicely browned and the filling is set. Cool for 15 minutes before slicing. S S