Perfect Lunch For Mom

You can always make reservations for Mother's Day, but why not make her something yourself this year?

Treat Mom to a fabulous lunch — and one that's not that difficult to prepare — with recipes from cookbook author and cooking teacher Tori Ritchie.

In The Early Show's "Five-Minute Cooking School" Thursday, Ritchie taught viewers how to make Blue Cheese Fondue (as an appetizer), Chicken Salad Provencal, and Raspberry-Rhubarb Fool.

She gave the lesson in the flagship store in Manhattan of specialty home furnishings retailer and The Early Show partner Williams-Sonoma.

RECIPES

Blue Cheese Fondue

Be sure to use a rubber spatula when stirring in the cheese mixture. A whisk will break up the cheese, causing the fondue to turn bluish-gray.

3/4 lb. Cambozola cheese, rind removed, cheese crumbled
3/4 lb. pungent blue cheese, rind removed, cheese crumbled
5 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
3/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
5 fresh chives, snipped
2 to 3 lb. assorted vegetables, such as blanched green beans, broccolini and asparagus, peeled baby carrots and radishes
1/2 loaf crusty bread, cut into cubes

In a bowl, combine the cheeses and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the wine and thyme and simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in the cream, cayenne and black pepper. When the cream mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the cheese mixture 1/3 cup at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula until the cheese is completely melted before adding more.

Fill a fondue pot with 1 inch of simmering water and place the ceramic insert over the pot. Transfer the cheese fondue to the insert and stir in the chives. Serve warm with assorted vegetables and bread.

Serves 6 to 8.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Chicken Salad Provencal

The potatoes and green beans can be cooked and the vinaigrette prepared up to a day in advance. Store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving.

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. small red potatoes
1/2 lb. slender green beans, trimmed
1 small head butter lettuce, leaves separated
2 cups shredded or sliced roast chicken, homemade or purchased
3 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup Niçoise olives
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup slivered fresh basil

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard, then whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook the vegetables: In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes with water to cover and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes. Add the green beans and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife and the green beans are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain the potatoes and green beans. Let cool slightly. Slice the potatoes and place in a bowl. Add the beans and 3 Tbs. of the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Assemble the salad: Line a platter or individual plates with the lettuce leaves. Arrange the chicken, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and olives on the lettuce. Sprinkle with the onion slices and basil. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve.

Serves 4.

Adapted from "Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Weeknight," by Melanie Barnard (Oxmoor House, 2006)

Raspberry Rhubarb Fool

Rhubarb grows in thick, celery-like stalks and has a tart, fruity flavor. Field rhubarb is available in summer and is a bright cherry red. Its flavor is more pronounced than that of hothouse rhubarb, which is a brilliant pink and is usually available year-round. Select crisp, unblemished, brightly colored stalks. To avoid a stringy filling, always slice the rhubarb no thicker than 1/2 inch. For this recipe, it is chopped even finer.

For the raspberry puree:
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 to 2 Tbs. granulated sugar

4 or 5 stalks rhubarb, about 1 lb. total, trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch pieces
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, preferably not ultra-pasteurized
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

To make the raspberry puree, in a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries until smooth. Add the lemon juice and salt. Add the granulated sugar to taste and puree again until well blended. Strain into a bowl through a medium-mesh sieve to remove the seeds, pressing the mixture with the back of a spoon to push it through. The puree may be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Prepare an ice bath by partially filling a sink or large bowl with ice water. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the rhubarb, 1D2 cup water, the granulated sugar and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the rhubarb into a large bowl. Set the bowl in the ice bath to cool, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture has come to room temperature, refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Put the raspberry puree in a large bowl and stir in the cream and confectioners sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted.

Spoon half of the rhubarb into 4 goblets or dessert cups. Layer half of the raspberry cream on top of the rhubarb. Spoon the remaining rhubarb on top of the cream, then top with the remaining raspberry cream. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Serve cold. Serves 4.

Note: A fool is a traditional English dessert, usually made from pureed fruit combined with whipped cream.

Serving Tip: To serve this dessert in tall, narrow glasses, put the rhubarb and the raspberry cream in separate pastry bags and pipe into the glasses using a large, round tip.

Adapted from "Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Fruit Dessert," by Carolyn Beth Weil (Simon & Schuster, 2004)