Sam Beall's favorites from 'The Blackberry Farm Cookbook'

We asked Sam Beall for some of his spring and summer favorites from "The Blackberry Farm Cookbook":

•If you can get good buttermilk, Lemon Cucumber Soup (recipe below) "is to die for."

•Two nontraditional salads -- one made with sugar snap pea shells and cheese curds and the other with asparagus and country ham, dressed with muscadine vinaigrette.

•Oven-Baked Trout With Ramps and Morels: The ramps (wild mountain leeks) and morels (a type of mushroom) are so good, but throw the trout in, too, Beall says.

•Braised lamb neck can be "a little intimidating" but it's "absolutely the finest cut of meat." Serve it with wilted greens and crisp-roasted morels.

•Herbed Spoonbread is "an old school classic." Rhubarb has a unique depth of flavor in a Southern tart. It goes with wild raspberry cream.

-- Cindy Creasy

Recipe: Lemon Cucumber Soup

Makes 4 servings.

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

• 5 lemon cucumbers, seeded and diced

• 1 cup vegetable stock or low-sodium vegetable broth

• 2 cups buttermilk

• ½ cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves

• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste finely diced cucumber or cucumber flowers, for garnish (optional)

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cucumbers and cook 1 minute more. Add the vegetable stock and increase the heat to medium-high. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the buttermilk and mint. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in the vinegar, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Chill.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with diced cucumber or cucumber flowers if desired. -- "The Blackberry Farm Cookbook" by Sam Beall

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Foothills Coleslaw

Makes 6 servings.

• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• ¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons malt vinegar

• 1½ teaspoons mustard seed oil or very spicy mustard such as English or German

• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

• 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

• 1½ cups shredded carrots

• ¾ cup shredded red onion

In a large bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, brown sugar, malt vinegar, mustard seed oil, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, whisking until the sugar dissolves.

Whisk in the mayonnaise.

Add the red and green cabbages, carrots, and onion and toss until the vegetables are coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Strain the coleslaw. Taste and season the coleslaw with more salt or pepper if desired. -- "The Blackberry Farm Cookbook" by Sam Beall

Recipe: Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Wild Strawberries

Makes 6 servings.

• 1 packet (¼ ounce) powdered gelatin

• 1½ cups half and half

• ¾ cup plus 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar

• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

• 2¼ cups buttermilk

• 2 cups wild strawberries, hulled and halved

Combine the gelatin and ¼ cup of the half-and-half and microwave on high, stopping every 10 seconds to stir, until the gelatin is dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1¼ cups of half and half, ¾ cup of sugar, and the vanilla beans. Put on medium heat and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and add the gelatin mixture, stirring until it has completely melted. Pour through a strainer into a 1-quart container with a spout; discard the vanilla beans.

Place the bottom of the container in a bowl of ice water and stir until the mixture is no longer warm. Whisk in the buttermilk. Divide the mixture among six 6-ounce ramekins, cover the top of each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until firm.

In a medium bowl, toss together the strawberries and 3 tablespoons of the remaining sugar. Taste the berries and add another tablespoon of sugar if they're not sweet enough.

Serve the panna cotta with the berries on the side. -- "The Blackberry Farm Cookbook" by Sam Beall