MARCH 19, 2009 ISSUE
Mountain Living
Daffodil Days
Smiling Sun Daffodil has a yellow center just like Daffodil Dip. Photo by Amy Cooke.
Our first daffodil blossom was late this year, but Rijnveld's Early Sensation helped decorate our biggest snowfall with bright golden flowers. This variety is often our first, and is a great one to plant where winter sun first warms the earth. Next time we have a good, deep snowfall, pay close attention as it melts and identify the spots that are quickest to dry. Plan to plant early crocus, iris and daffodil bulbs in those spots next fall and your spring ‘Daffodil days’ will begin earlier and last longer each year.
While Early Sensation is our first flower almost every year, there are plenty of other early daffodils, including February Gold, February Silver, Little Gem and Gigantic Star.
Breathing in sweet daffodil perfume is one of the garden's first treats and fertilizing daffodil bulbs is one of the year's first chores. Every bit of green that grows from a daffodil bulb this spring means more blossoms next spring. As soon as you see the first leaf tips emerge from the soil, begin fertilizing. You can use any good, balanced fertilizer because you want to feed the leaves and the bulbs. Some specialty bulb fertilizers neglect nitrogen because they incorrectly think they only need to feed the bulbs, but bigger, sturdier, greener leaves do make for bigger better bulbs that produce bigger better flowers. Either use a long acting fertilizer or plan to fertilizer again every few weeks all spring.
Also, be sure to let all of the foliage grow and die down naturally. Cutting, or even tying the leaves, reduces next year's flowers. Fertilizing well and letting the leaves grow means your daffodils will increase each year and your ‘Daffodil days’ will be colorful and sweet.
Celebrate narcissus season by serving this charming retro Daffodil Dip. During the 1950s and 1960s, foods that looked like other things were all the rage. A beautiful yellow and white Daffodil Cake was very popular, along with salads that looked like candles and pancakes made to look like people.
Daffodil Dip recipes filled magazines and you can occasionally find a 'daffodil dip plate' in an antique store. The center is an attached yellow cup and the white plate held the potato chips.
Daffodil Dip
The original dip was a little bland for our 2009 tastes, so I add the horseradish. The ground has thawed enough to dip the first flavorful roots of the season and they add an explosion of flavor. If you do not have horseradish plants sprouting at your house, commercial prepared horseradish is in the grocery store dairy case and will also add great zest to the dip. If you are not sure about how much zesty flavor your family wants add just a little horseradish to start and then more if you like it. I've included directions for hard cooking—not hard boiling, which would make the eggs tough and green-ringed—the eggs because many of you will be needing beautiful cooked eggs next month. Sweet onions are making their spring debut in our stores but I could only find very large ones. Use about 1/4 cup for a small onion or go wild and just have more sweet onion flavor. The cream cheese and mayonnaise can be regular or, because there is plenty of add flavor, you can substitute low fat versions. You can use a combination of beautiful spring herbs to decorate the top or select one favorite one.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 small sweet onion
1 tablespoon grated horseradish (or more to taste)
salt (coarse)
black pepper (freshly-ground, coarse)
2 tablespoons parsley, chives, mint, basil, cilantro, dill or other green herbs
Preparation:
Hard cook the two eggs, and place into a small saucepan. Add cold water to about one inch above the top of the eggs and then heat until the water almost starts to boil. Remove from the heat, cover with the pan lid and let sit for 17 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your eggs. Pour off the hot water and immediately cover with very cold water. If your tap water is not very cold add a few ice cubes. If the water surrounding the cooked eggs becomes warm or tepid, pour it off again and add more very cold water.
Let the eggs sit until they are cold, remove them and gently tap them until the shell is cracked all over the egg. Begin at the small end—where there is usually a small air pocket—and carefully remove the shell along with the thin membrane under the cracked shell. The white should be firm but not tough, the yellow cooked but not hard and there should not be an ugly green ring around the yolk.
Separate the whites and yolks and chop them. The whites should be chopped into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice, and the yolks should be diced as finely as possible. Keep the yellow and white separated the entire time.
Place the cream cheese into a small bowl and stir vigorously with a fork until very smooth. You can also combine the dip ingredients with an electric mixer, if you like. Add the mayonnaise and stir well again until everything is combined.
Peel the onion and chop into very small cubes. Grate the fresh horseradish, if using, or add a small amount of prepared jarred horseradish, and stir in the chopped egg white while, reserving the yolk.
Taste for seasoning and add the salt, pepper and more horseradish, if needed.
Spoon the dip into a bowl that is just big enough to hold all of it. Sprinkle the finely chopped egg yolks into the center so that it looks like the center of a flower.
Chop the fresh herbs and sprinkle them around the outside of the bowl, leaving a section of white showing between the 'yolk' and the 'leaves.'
Chill and serve with fresh vegetables or chips.
To make a comment, ask a question or find out more about sources, contact Amy at amycookehcp@bellsouth.net.
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