Favourite Things for the Cusp of Spring

Smoked trout and roasted potato salad; piles of shaved fennel and my LEMON LABNE CAKE

The weather is slowly shifting and the rollercoaster of emergent spring weather is in full swing. Today there are flurries of snow, but last last week there was sun and warmth enough to coax the yellow of the daffodils and forsythia out from hiding.

My preference for food is following the same pattern, feeling the need for light salads to hearty stews in a single day. This smoked trout salad with roasted potatoes and a creamy, dilly dressing is a great go-to for this in-between weather- light and hearty at the same time. Smoked fish always reminds me of summers in Northern Michigan and I am more than happy to be channeling that energy right now!

The dressing amount given below makes more than what you need for the salad. I like to have dressing stocked in my fridge to use throughout the week on my ‘kitchen sink’ lunch salads (where I throw any bits and pieces I have lying around together in a bowl). I used this one on a salad with chickpeas that had been tossed in a pan with turmeric and black pepper as well as roasted sweet potato, cabbage, herbs, a few pine nuts. Delicious. It’s also really good to use if you are making a smoked fish platter, such as the one pictured here, with a pile of shaved fennel, capers, onion and good bread. A good easy spread with minimal actual cooking involved.

For all the things my kids will not eat, they will both eat a mountain of shaved raw fennel, so we have been having plenty of it lately. Using a mandolin, shave a bulb of fennel as finely as you can. Sprinkle sparingly with salt and give a small squeeze of lemon before tossing in good olive oil. Some shavings of parm take it to another level and a few capers or herbs such as parsley, chives, mint or dill are excellent additions too. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a smoked fish platter.

I come from a long tradition of dessert lovers. We are a people who will happy eat only salad for dinner if it means we can have an extra helping of dessert. And so, while I think I have published ample cake recipes of late, there can always be more! This is a favourite lemon cake, I would maybe describe it as ‘a flirty lemon cake’ because it flirts with lemony goodness without being too intense- it has some vanilla to round it and a splash of olive oil for a little fruit. This is one of the few cakes that I actually ice, though it doesn’t need it- a sprinkle of icing sugar is perfectly nice- but it is really fun with a nice thick layer of vanilla-y buttercream. This is a great cake for this time of the year when there is not too much in the way of fresh fruit around.