SMOKED SALMON TARTARE WITH CAPERS AND DILL
KEY SCORPIO INGREDIENTS: Smoked salmon, capers, mustard

Salmon Tartare:
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely shopped red onion
1/2 pound smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons capers (drained)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Dill Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons shopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons whole milk
pinch of brown sugar

crostini bread or crackers to serve
dill sprigs to garnish

Combine salmon, onion, capers, lemon juice, olive oil and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and dill. Add the milk and sugar and mix again. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

To serve, spread dill sauce on the crostini or cracker, top with a spoonful of the tartare and garnish with a dill sprig.

SERVINGS: makes 6-8 servings
TIME: 15 minutes
 

POACHED OYSTERS IN FENNEL-SAFFRON SOUP
KEY SCORPIO INGREDIENTS: Oysters

3 cups freshly shucked oysters or three 8-ounce jars shucked oysters
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, each cut lengthwise into 6 wedges
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
4 8-ounce bottles clam juice
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add fennel and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup water; cover and cook until fennel is very tender, about 20 minutes. Puree fennel mixture in processor. Set aside.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saffron and sauté 1 minute. Add clam juice, cream, and Pernod and bring to simmer. Add fennel puree and continue to simmer. Add oysters with their liquor to cream mixture and stir to heat through. Ladle soup into bowls.

SERVINGS: makes 8 servings
TIME: 1-1/4 hours
Note: Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Simmer before continuing. Serve this with plenty of crusty bread.
 

ROMAINE & GORGONZOLA SALAD WITH ROASTED GARLIC DRESSING & SPICED PECANS
KEY SCORPIO INGREDIENTS: Garlic, gorgonzola, cider, vinegar (strong, pungent flavors and things that ferment)

Dressing:
6 tablespoons olive oil
10 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 cups bite-size pieces romaine lettuce (1 large head) 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Spiced Pecans (recipe below)

For the Spiced Pecans:
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup (generous) pecan halves
Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)

Combine 2 cups water, sugar, allspice, cayenne and paprika in heavy small saucepan. Bring to boil; boil until mixture registers 220°F on candy thermometer, about 3 minutes. Add pecans and cook until syrup clings to pecans, about 5 minutes. Drain pecans well.

Pour enough oil into heavy large saucepan to reach depth of 1 inch. Heat oil to 350°F. Add pecans and fry until brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Working quickly so that pecans don’t burn, use slotted spoon to transfer pecans to paper towels. Cool.

For the Salad:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss oil with garlic in small baking dish. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake until garlic is golden and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic from skins. Reserve oil.

Transfer roasted garlic to processor. Add honey, vinegar, cider and mustard and blend well. With processor running, slowly add reserved garlic oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss lettuce with 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese and enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and Spiced Pecans and serve.

SERVINGS: Dressing makes 4 servings. Spiced pecans Makes about 1 cup
TIME: about 1 hour
Note: Spiced pecans can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
 

HERB SPICED MUSTARD CHICKEN
KEY SCORPIO INGREDIENTS: Mustard, rosemary, garlic, black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil or water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, stir together mustard, olive oil and seasonings. Add chicken breasts and turn to coat well with sauce. Marinate in refrigerator for an hour or up to overnight.

Arrange chicken breasts in a baking dish and spoon sauce over. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

SERVINGS: makes 4 servings
TIME: 10 minutes to prep, 1 hour (or longer) to marinate, 1/2 hour to cook
Note: Chicken can be marinated over night
 

BABA GANOUSH & TAHINI SAUCE
KEY SCORPIO INGREDIENTS: Eggplant, yogurt, garlic

Baba Ganoush:
1 eggplant, long and lightweight
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
8 ounces plain yogurt
1 clove garlic

Tahini Sauce:
1/2 cup tahini sauce
salt & pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
water

Serve with warm Pita bread cut in quarters

Bake eggplant at 350 degrees until soft, about 1/2 hour. (Test with toothpick.) Cool, peel and remove head. Chop or put in food processor, whichever texture is preferred. Add garlic and continue to chop or process. Add lemon juice, yogurt, salt and pepper.

Tahini Sauce: Mix tahini sauce, salt, pepper and lemon juice in mixer. Add a little water to thin. Mix with eggplant mixture.

Serve with pita bread. Garnish with parsley.

SERVINGS: makes 4-6 servings
TIME: 45 minutes
 

ROOT BEER GRANITA FLOAT
KEY SCORPIO INGREDIENTS: Sarsaparilla root, burdock root, yellow dock root, ginger root

8 cups root beer (microbrew preferred)
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Pour 4 cups root beer into 13x9x2-inch baking pan; freeze until set, about 4 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile, boil remaining 4 cups root beer in large saucepan until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 30 minutes. Cool root beer syrup.

Using tines of fork, scrape frozen root beer into icy flakes, then mix gently in pan to blend. Spoon 3/4 cup root beer granita into each of 6 clear glasses or dessert cups. Top granita with scoop of ice cream. Drizzle each with 4 teaspoons root beer syrup and serve.

SERVINGS: makes 6 servings
TIME: makes 6 servings
Note: There's no true authentic root beer recipe, since there are so many different combinations and brews. Today, root beer is made from a mixture of flavorings, sweeteners and carbonation. Depending on the brew, bottler and manufacturer, root beer still contains a large number of herbs (burdock root, sarsaparilla root, yellow dock root, ginger root, juniper berries, wild cherry bark, birch bark, etc.), oils (anise, lemon, artificial wintergreen, etc.), sweeteners (sugar, molasses, corn sugar, fructose, asparatame, brown sugar, lactose, malt extract, etc.) and carbonation (yeast, artificial, forced carbonation).