Menu Plan for Summer I: Week 2, Friday

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Daily Recipes:

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Salad with Chevre (Goat Cheese) and Walnuts
Grilled Tuna with Mustard Sauce
Grilled Dijon Potatoes
Simple Fresh Spinach Gratin

Cooking time:  45 minutes for menu          Cooking schedule: see below for instructions

       We'll be using the rest of the goat cheese later in the week - and more walnuts, as well.

Salad with Chevre (Goat Cheese) and Walnuts

Total time: 10 minutes
    A classic summer salad at sidewalk cafes everywhere.  It's simple, bursting with flavor and, in a scaled down version, perfect for a summer first course... On the terrace perhaps?

Salad with Chevre (Goat Cheese) and Walnuts Ingredients:

 Instructions:

Grilled Tuna with Mustard Sauce

Total time: 15 minutes
     If you get sushi-grade tuna you will definitely want to have this rare (it has to be graded to a higher standard so it's okay to eat raw).  Regular tuna we normally have medium.  If it gets to close to well done it tends to be dry.  The Mustard Sauce adds a rich finish to the dish.

Grilled Tuna with Mustard Sauce Ingredients:

 Instructions:

Grilled Dijon Potatoes

Total time: 40 minutes
    The mustard keeps these from getting as brown as most grilled potatoes, but it also keeps them very moist.

Grilled Dijon Potatoes Ingredients:

 Instructions:

Simple Fresh Spinach Gratin 

Total time: 45 minutes 
   Fresh spinach cooks quickly, with a bit of stock to keep it moist.  It's topped with a seasoned mix of bread crumbs and shredded cheese for a quick, healthy side dish.

Fresh Spinach Gratin Ingredients:

 Instructions:

Note:  I could barely get all the spinach in my dish; I had to press it down. Heating the stock helped wilt it so that it wasn't higher than the sides of the baking dish.  As it bakes, it collapses, and the gratin topping comes together.

Cooking Schedule: 45 minutes
Assemble all food, utensils and serving dishes
Utensils: measuring cups, spoons, knives,
scissors, tongs, small saucepan, salad spinner
or paper towels, whisk, 3 small bowls, 2 medium
bowls, plate or dish for marinating, baking dish,
foil, barbecue grill, grill pan and/or mat and/or
basket (1 for fish, 1 for potatoes), BBQ tools
Light/turn on barbecue grill if using
Turn on oven 400F (200C)
Mix Dijon sauce for potatoes
Cut potatoes, add to Dijon sauce, cook
Prepare spinach, chop
Heat stock, pour over spinach
Mix crumbs, cheese, herbs. sprinkle over spinach
Cover spinach with foil, bake
Mix marinade for tuna, spoon on
Mix ingredients for mustard sauce, heat

Snip herbs
Add tarragon to mustard sauce, remove, cool
Prepare lettuce: wash, spin or towel dry
Tear lettuce, put in bowl
Make vinaigrette
Cut tomatoes
Slice Chevre
Mind potatoes, move off direct heat if needed
Add vinaigrette to lettuce, toss
Arrange lettuce on plates
Add cheese, tomatoes, walnuts, olives
Serve salad
Done? Cook tuna
Remove potatoes, put in serving dish
Uncover spinach, let brown for last 5 minutes
Turn tuna
Remove spinach
Remove tuna, drizzle with sauce, Serve

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