Fine Dining for Summer Lunch

Eric Ripert is one of the best-known chefs in the world and caters to the rich and famous, but that doesn't mean his food is unapproachable for the at-home cook.

Ripert, executive chef of Le Bernardin, is all about using the best ingredients available and letting their natural, great flavors shine through.

On "The Early Show" Tuesday, Ripert shared recipes from his cookbook "A Return to Cooking" to make a great summer lunch. The recipes are actually quite simple, according to Ripert. The difference, he says, is all in the ingredients. If you start with the best products you can get, Ripert adds, you don't need to dress them up and hide the flavor.

RECIPES:

Salade Monique

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1/2-pound small potatoes
1/4-pound haricots verts, ends trimmed
1/4-pound asparagus, tips only
1 ear corn, shucked
1/2-pound mesclun greens
1/4 hothouse (seedless) cucumber, cut lengthwise in half and thinly sliced
12 grape tomatoes, halved
2 scallions, white part only, thinly sliced
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 green banana pepper, cut into tiny dice
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 apple, cored and thinly sliced
Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:
Place the potatoes in a small pot of cold water, add 2 tablespoons salt, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool in the refrigerator. Once they are cool, peel the potatoes and thinly slice them.

Place three pots of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add salt to each pot. Drop the haricot verts, asparagus, and ear of corn into the pots. Blanch until the vegetables are tender but still a bit crisp: about 3 minutes for the asparagus and corn and 4 minutes for the haricot verts. Plunge all the vegetables into an ice water bath to stop the cooking.

Cut the corn kernels off the cob.

Place the greens and all the vegetables and fruit in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the balsamic and olive oil over and toss to coat. Divide the salad equally among six chilled plates.
Serve immediately.

Smoked Salmon Croque-Monsieur

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
6 ounces Gruyère cheese
Twelve 1/2-inch-thick slices pullman bread (or good-quality white bread)
3/4-pound sliced smoked salmon
1 tablespoon Lemon Confit, cut into tiny dice
1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

METHOD:
Using a Japanese mandoline or a vegetable peeler, slice the Gruyère very thin. Lay the bread slices out on a work surface. Place the Gruyère on 6 slices and the smoked salmon on the other 6 slices. Sprinkle the salmon with the lemon confit and chives. Close the sandwiches. Cut off the crusts, using a serrated knife. (You can make the sandwiches up to this point 2 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Spread the softened butter on both sides of the sandwiches. Heat two large nonstick sauté pans over medium-high heat. Add 3 sandwiches to each pan, Gruyère side down, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn them over and cook for 1 minute longer.

To serve, slice the sandwiches in half on the diagonal, then in half on the diagonal again (to make 4 triangles), and arrange the triangles on a plate.

Lemon Confit

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups kosher salt
6 lemons

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
1-quart canning jar with tight-fitting lid

CURING:
At least 1 month, preferably 3 months or more

METHOD:
Place the canning jar and lid and in a pot of boiling water to sterilize them. Dry on a rack upside down.

Pour a layer of salt into the bottom of the jar. Cut 1 inch off one end of a lemon, then quarter the lemon, starting at the cut end, but leaving the uncut end intact. Open the lemon over a bowl and pour salt inside. Place the lemon in the bottom of the jar.

Continue with the remaining lemons (use the remaining salt and the salt that falls into the bowl), packing them into the jar and covering each layer of lemons with salt.

Seal the jar and refrigerate.

The lemons can be used after 1 month, but they are best after 3 months and will keep for up to a year.

To use the confit, cut the lemon quarters apart. Cut away all the flesh from the rind; discard the flesh. Use as directed in the individual recipe, or blanch briefly, dice or julienne, and add to salads, stews, or grain dishes.

For a Peach and Plum Tart recipe, go to Page 2.

Peach and Plum Tart

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
4 peaches (about 1 pound), pitted, peeled, and cut into small dice
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4-cup sugar
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (7 to 8 ounces), thawed
5 plums, thinly sliced

METHOD:
Place the peaches in a medium pot over medium heat, add 4 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches begin to break down and are the consistency of jam, about 1 hour. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate to cool. (This can be done early in the day.)

To make the tarts, on a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 1/4 inch.

Using a large cookie cutter or an inverted small plate and a knife, cut out six 5-inch circles. Place the pastry circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a fork, prick holes all over the puff pastry circles to prevent them from puffing during cooking. Spread peach puree over each circle. Arrange the plum slices in an overlapping circular pattern on each tart.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and brush the plums with the butter. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the tarts.

Place the tarts on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are caramelized. If necessary, turn on the broiler to achieve a beautiful golden brown on the top; be careful-they will brown very quickly.

Serve the tarts warm or at room temperature.