Treat of the Week: A Sweet and Savory Springtime Supper

Though random snowstorms are still popping up across the United States, the fact of the matter is...it's Spring.  Really.  As is often the case, when the weather turns warm, our appetites turn to lighter fare, often prepared out-of-doors.

I'm fortunate to come from people who know how to cook and who have all of the tools required.  An idea springtime meal is a rotisserie chicken.  I lack the requisite appliances to make such a treat.  However, my parents' fancy grill has a rotisserie.  And, look at the attractive results.  A meal such as this is perfect with fresh snowpeas.  My mother makes them with a little soy sauce and some roasted sesame seeds.  Why not grill some potatoes to go with it?  The leftover chicken, I might add, is ideal for chicken salad!

After such a meal, a cool and creamy dessert adorned with fruit is "the way to do it."  Take this cake, for example--a creation of my mother's, bursting with the flavors of lemon curd and spring berries.  Of course, my mother makes her own lemon curd, but if you're not as adventurous, you can buy some pre-made in a jar in the "jams and jellies" section of your grocery store.  

This gorgeous dessert features layers of light and fluffy homemade sponge cake sandwiched with lemon curd and fruit and topped with piped whipped cream and more fresh fruit.  It's a cooling treat for the end of a warm, bright meal.  And, really, that's the kind of springtime I like--fresh and flavorful without the pollen and bees.