Recipe(tried): Salad and Sunshine - Cold Roasted Chicken, Jeweled Couscous and Lemon Custard Cake

This Memorial Day means more than most such days in the past to me, while our oldest son is serving as a surgeon in Guantanamo Bay. He'll finally be coming home in 7 days. His homecoming reminds me that many families never had that happiness. My best to all American families who have lost a son, daughter, Mom or Dad, sister or brother, in their country's service.

Cold Roasted Chicken
Jeweled Couscous*
Raspberries
Whole Wheat Rolls
Lemon Custard Cake*
*Recipes Follow

To keep the day easy, I bought a rotisserie-roasted chicken. I'll slice it and put the chilled chicken on a platter, surrounding a mound of spiced, fruited couscous. A bowl of fresh chilled raspberries and some crisp whole wheat rolls round out the meal. Dessert will be just as simple, with a lemon custard and angel food cake confection, like a "down-home" version of trifle.

---

JEWELED COUSCOUS

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/4 cup each dried cherries and cranberries
1/2 long red chili, finely chopped and seeded [wear rubber gloves and don't touch your eyes!]
Zest/juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1/2 tsp mixed spice or ground cinnamon
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup toasted mixed nuts
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
4 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally
1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into small cubes
1/3 cup firmly packed mint, chopped
1/2 cup firmly packed flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 bunch arugula, leaves chopped
Salt, freshly ground pepper

Place couscous in large bowl with dried fruit, chili, orange and lemon zest and ground spice.

Combine orange and lemon juice in a bowl with vinegar, oils, and enough boiling water to make 1 cup. Stir well. Pour over couscous. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, sealing edges, leave for 5 minutes. Remove wrap and fluff couscous with a fork.

Add nuts, seeds, onion, cucumber, arugula and herbs. Stir gently with fork to combine. Taste, then add salt, pepper, olive oil, and extra lemon juice as needed. I like to refrigerate this a couple hours, then let sit at room temperature at least a 1/2 hour before serving.

---

LEMON CUSTARD CAKE

1 lb angel food cake bar, torn/cut into 1-inch cubes
Lemon custard [see below]
Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Place cake cubes in a 9x9 inch pan. Pour cooled custard [below] over. Chill, uncovered, at least one hour.

Serve scoops of the dessert in glass bowls, top with a spoonful of whipped cream.

LEMON CUSTARD

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice [fresh is best, but frozen works too]
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well. Beat the egg yolks and water together, then whisk into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

This recipe works well for the creative cook - add in fruit, nuts, broken amaretti, etc., when putting the cake together.

Enjoy!