WHAT’S COOKIN’

Creating a salmon tart

By Barbara Shark Redstone Review

LYONS – I’m planning to make a tart topped with a cream cheese / yogurt /l emon / scallion mix, smoked salmon and arugula for an Easter / spring celebration. The crust is a new one for me, from Dorie Greenspan’s latest book, Baking with Dorie. It is baked flat, like a pizza dough, covered with the filling, then cut into squares and served at room temperature. Serve it with steamed asparagus and the marinated carrots from last month’s column.

I used my Cuisinart to make this but you could do it by hand. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or a knife or as you would make any pastry.

In the Cuisinart, pulse together one and a half cups unbleached flour, one third cup almond flour, and one half teaspoon salt. Add four ounces unsalted butter and pulse several times until butter is in smallish pieces. Add two or

three tablespoons minced herbs. I used dill and parsley. Add one large, cold egg and pulse just a few times until dough is moistened and starts to come together. Add dribbles of cold water if necessary but don’t make the dough wet. Dump onto counter and grab it together. Form into a disk. Roll between parchment sheets to one eighth inch thick. It will be an irregular shape but that’s part of the charm. Prick and chill for two hours, or freeze for one hour, on the parchment, covered with parchment. Release the dough from the paper and place one of the Shark parchment sheets on the baking sheet. Lay the dough on it and cover with second parchment sheet. Bake at 400° for 18 to 20 minutes. This is the only baking so it should be lightly browned and cooked through. Cool. Spread with eight ounces cream cheese lightened to a spreadable consistency with yogurt or sour cream and mixed to taste with chopped scallions, lemon zest and juice, salt and black pepper. Top with eight ounces or more of smoked salmon and greens – arugula, baby spinach or microgreens. Serve at room temperature. Use a pizza cutter to make rectangular slices. Serves six.

Barbara Shark is an artist and author of How I Learned to Cook, an Artist's Life. She lives near Lyons, Colorado. For more recipes, read her blog - www.howilearnedtocookanartistslife.blog.

J.L. Hudson’s shrimp salad sandwich on toasted cheese bread – the Mez, please

By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Those of us who grew up in Michigan will never forget the wonders of J.L. Hudson’s on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Before it shut its doors in 1983, it was the shiniest, most elegant example of a department store one could imagine. First built in 1911 in a city that was known as the Paris of the Midwest for its beautiful architecture, the J.L. Hudson Building became one of the wonders of Detroit. From the Detroit Free Press in 1982:

“As late as the mid-1960s, the J. L. Hudson store downtown was one of the largest in the nation. The looming brick building boasted 49 acres of sales space, 25 floors and four basement levels – second in size only to Macy’s Thirty-fourth Street store in New York.

Hudson’s featured one of the world's largest switchboards, 553,921 items for sale, 51 passenger elevators, 17 freight elevators, five restaurants, 705 fitting rooms and a store hospital with four doctors, four nurses and a laboratory technician.”

The food, most notably from its Mezzanine Tea Room, is remembered still today in countless online posts and recipes. But of legend was its shrimp salad sandwich on toasted cheese bread. It appeared on its menu in the 1950s but later disappeared and was requested special order for years after by its devotees, including by my mother who is now 95 years old. She is still a big fan of this sandwich.

This sandwich brings back memories from the 1960s of my rare but impressive trips to J.L. Hudson’s at the height of the store’s popularity. As part of our shopping trip, my mother and my sisters and I would pile into the elegant brass, accordion elevator. The gates would close in front of us, and the elevator operator wearing white gloves would ask us what floor. We’d say, “The Mez, please,” and she would expertly drop us off at the Mezzanine Tea Room.

We invariably ordered my mother’s favorite, the shrimp salad sandwich on cheese toast. It was delicious – almost as delectable as the rare sense of sophistication that I felt while eating in the elegant tea room, so distant from Campbell’s tomato soup and saltines elbow to elbow with my five sisters at our kitchen table.

I agree with the great chefs who believe that simplicity is the key to the most flavorful and winning recipes. And summer is about simplicity. The following J.L. Hudson’s shrimp salad sandwich on toasted cheese bread is one of those simple, stunning recipes. The jalapenos were never in the Hudson’s sandwich but what a great addition J. L. Hudson’s shrimp salad on toasted cheese jalapeno bread Makes four sandwiches.

To make this sandwich sing, all ingredients need to be top drawer. Fresh, that is. And the cheesier the bread the better. On Wednesdays in Lyons, the St. Vrain Market bakers make an incredibly delicious loaf of cheese and jalapeño bread. It costs $6.99 a loaf but you can freeze what you don’t use and bring it out again when you need your next shrimp salad sandwich fix. Sliced thinly and toasted with butter, this is a sensational snack. And add our simple shrimp salad recipe, and you’ve got a knockout. If you can’t find cheese bread, use brioche or challah bread, toasted and buttered. 2 C cooked, deveined and chopped large shrimp 1/2 C Hellman’s or real mayonnaise 1/2 C chopped celery Freshly ground pepper Loaf of cheese jalapeno bread • Mix all ingredients, except bread, together, cover and chill in the refrigerator. Just before serving, toast and butter the bread and spread the shrimp salad mixture on it. Sit down, close your eyes and think of elegant old Detroit, and enjoy.

Catherine Ripley Metzger has been cooking professionally and privately since 1979. She was a French cuisine journeyman at the celebrated Henri d’Afrique restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, VA. Today she is the proprietor of the food blog www.foodfortheages.com and cooks with curiosity from the ground up in her log cabin home on the Western Slope of Colorado.

LCF Continued from Page 9

be a positive marketing plan. It also demonstrates how local businesses support their community through LCF. Several local businesses readily agreed to Monica’s plan: Uniquely Lyons, Red Canyon Art, HJB Designs, Sage and Grace Botanicals, and Western Stars all have Beanie Babies available in their stores. Currently, Red Canyon Art, Uniquely Lyons, and Western Stars Gallery & Studio have Easter-themed Beanie Babies to fill your child’s Easter basket.

LCF will also have some on hand at the concession stand in Lavern Johnson Park on Saturday, April 16 from 10 a.m. until noon during the Calvary Foothills Church Easter Egg Hunt. Come join us for some familyfriendly fun in the park.

Do not fret if you miss the Easter-themed Beanie Babies, there will be more for Graduation Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, July Fourth, Halloween, Christmas, etc. LCF will be sure to have some on hand at community events such as the Artisan Market on June 4 and at the Sandstone Concert Series every Wednesday evening this summer. If you are a collector and you are looking for one in particular, please reach out to LCF at info@lyonscf.org.

When current LCF Chair, Jeanne Moore tried to thank past LCF Chair, Monica McGuckin for her fundraising efforts, Monica replied, “It’s not about me. It’s about inspiring other people to give back to the community. It’s a team effort.” Indeed, it is. Thank you Monica for inspiring all of us to give back.

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May brings a change of pace with a Zoom workshop focusing on journaling and mindfulness on Wednesday, May 11, from 4 to 5 p.m., facilitated by local yoga and meditation teacher Diana Laughlin. Through centering practices, guided meditation, and journaling with prompts, participants will practice techniques to stay calm and centered during challenging times.

The Lyons Community Library is open Monday through Saturday at 10 a.m. We close at 5 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays; 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays; and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Our online catalog is available 24/7 at lyons.colibraries.org and we’re always open for digital downloads on both the Libby and CloudLibrary apps. Give us a call at 303-823-5165 or email info@lyonslibrary.com with any questions.

B• R • I • E • F • S

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done by late June,” said Kim Mitchell, director of communications for the Town of Lyons. This is the last bridge to be repaired or replaced that was destroyed in the 2013 flood. “It's very exciting and the town will be planning a grand opening,” said Mitchell.

Public transportation to Boulder

LYONS – There will be public transportation service again to /from Boulder beginning in June – details are being worked out currently with Boulder County.

All Stages of Tree Care

Residential & Mountain Properties

Kara Bauman is the Director of the Lyons Community Library and holds an MLIS from the University of Kentucky. She’s an avid fly angler, enjoys craft beer, and in non-COVID times travels extensively to see her favorite band, Widespread Panic.

Relax & Rejuvenate!

Enjoy the Benefits of Massage

Hot Stone Massage Shiatsu Reiki Pre-Natal & Postpartum Massage Aromatherapy Treatments

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24 years of experience Celebrating 20 years in Lyons!