When we were growing up, my mom had a white meal. She served it frequently (almost weekly), usually when she wasn't very hungry and my dad wasn't going to be home for dinner. It was white rice, steamed cauliflower, and sauteed tofu. In my mom's memory, she always served it with a nice, white cheese sauce. In mine (and my brother's) memory, the cheese sauce was an infrequent, special treat, and it was usually served with a bottle of soy sauce for flavor. It was not a favorite of ours! My mom, on the other hand, still has quite fond memories of this dish. She insists it's what she'd like us to serve when we sit shiva for her, and I don't think she's joking.
When I saw that we were making all-white salad, and especially after I read through the recipe, I was about as excited as I used to be when my mom would tell us that we were having the white meal for dinner. It just sounded so bland, and boring. Also, I know it's partially my fault for not peeling the celery, but the salad isn't even white. It's much more of a pale green salad. After all of that complaining, I actually didn't mind this. I really like celery, thought it paired nicely with the tart apple, and liked the dressing. I also toasted the sesame seeds, which made this salad even less white, but added a lot of flavor. I doubt I'll ever make this again, it just wasn't that interesting, but it was fine as a one-time thing.
To serve with the salad, I made buckwheat crepes with (turkey) ham, egg, and cheese. These were excellent. I got the recipe from a Canal House cookbook, but you don't really even need a recipe except for the crepes. I made buckwheat crepes, topped them with diced ham and some cheese, and then cracked an egg on top and baked them in a very hot (500 degree) oven until the egg white was set. The crepes are definitely something I'll make again.
I think this week's recipe was split about half on likes and dislikes. I enjoyed
ReplyDeleteit, especially the dressing. Those crepes look great and sound delicious. I
have been practicing the crepes for about a week now trying to make a perfect
one. Probably will gain more weight than perfection. But, oh, are they tasty.
I enjoyed it, but it's definitely not the most exciting recipe in the book. Your Mom's white dinner reminds me a bit of what my Mom used to give us when we had upset stomachs - white rice mixed with a little butter. Soothing, but not exciting.
ReplyDeleteMyself, I wasn't a huge fan of this salad. Now, those buckwheat crepes look amazing. I want to eat those for dinner tonight! Hope you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I would take the crepes over the salad any day :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about the White Meal. It's funny how our parents have different memories of dinners than we do. I didn't love this one but your crepes sound really good. I may have to try them!
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