Sunday Dinner with a Local Flair

The menu...

Salmon on a plank

Baby zucchini and yellow squash

Steamed fingerling potatoes

Roasted beets

Mixed greens with nasturtiums 

dressed with an orange muscat vinaigrette

Baguette slices with Boursin cheese

Individual Berry Pavlovas

The salmon was a gift from a friend, caught in the North Umpqua river just a few miles from our home.  The squash, potatoes, beets, lettuce, flowers, raspberries, and cherries came from the farmers market.  Even the eggs for the meringue and the whipping cream were local.  Our blueberry harvest hasn't begun yet, so those were from Salinas and, of course, the sugar, vanilla, olive oil, salt and pepper came from far off places, as did the flour and yeast I used for the baguettes.  Still, without being a true locavore, putting together an Umpqua Valley feast during the summer is pretty easy.  

 

 

 I sliced the baby squash in half and cooked them quickly on a hot griddle, turning once halfway through.

 

 The nasturtiums looked lovely in the salad.  My family thought it was strange to be eating flowers, though.

 

 The salmon was delicious.  I brushed it with olive oil and sprinkled it with freshly ground pepper and some of the Pink Himalayan salt my daughter gave me for Christmas before my husband placed the fillets on cedar planks for grilling.

Dessert was a hit!  Raspberry coulis, meringue, whipped cream, berries, another layer of meringue, more cream, more berries, and a bing cherry on top.  Details here.