My sis and I gave a nice tea party...in 95 deg heat yet!

C

cheezz

Well-known member
In the process of making "Thanksgiving" sandwiches...bread, cream cheese, stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, another bread, and skewered to hold together:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/D040F671-744B-4A94-A136-A7102188EB7C-19544-0000036CDA3561B1_zps4103a26b.jpg

Here is the savory plate with the sandwiches. To the right of the Thanksgiving sandwiches are cheese crispies...puff pastry topped with an egg-cheese mix and baked. We were disappointed because they weren't crisp enough. Next were little rye bread rounds topped with Brie, apple slice and tiny dab of onion jam. Lastly, frico cups filled with baby greens and a savory citrus salad. They didnt turn out as well as expected- nice idea but too large for tea:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/1A764B40-0361-44A7-A53A-49802C69FC0D-19544-0000036CCC1A91EE_zps5c15d79b.jpg

This was the sweets tray. Top tier is strawberry brown butter bettys (recipe to follow) and German chocolate cake truffles (milk chocolate dipped). Second tier includes mango tartlets (recipe to follow). Bottom tier includes an icebox cookie which was good, but too soft because they were made the day ahead:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/3E16F9FA-0B44-4DB7-BAFE-2513E287EDC1-19544-0000036CBE33EA17_zpse8dc09be.jpg

And this was the Easy Caramel Cake from Americas Test Kitchen, which was a real winner. It is decorated with apple roses as well as real ones (recipe to follow):

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/935030CA-7253-4AA1-A34B-3506D5130BB6-19544-0000036CA86D39BB_zps18488db9.jpg

And, of course, scones with clotted cream and citrus curd.

 
Strawberry Brown Butter Bettys, from Smitten Kitchen - very easy and everyone loved them!

We had some leftover cherry filling that we tried in these bread shells and they were AMAZING!!

Strawberry Brown Butter Bettys
Adapted generously from Gourmet

Makes 6 muffin-sized desserts (we made mini muffin size)

3/4 stick salted or unsalted butter
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
6 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar**
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
1/8 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs, or make your own, below*)
1 1/2 to 2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced (I forgot to jot down the weight, but it was less than a half pound of whole berries)
Softly whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, reduce heat to medium-low. The butter will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is less than a minute. Remove from heat.

Lightly butter muffin cups with some of brown butter, then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Roll bread slices with a rolling pin to flatten. Brush both sides with additional brown butter, then gently fit into muffin cups.

Stir together brown sugar, zest, salt and panko, then add strawberries and toss to coat. Stir in remaining brown butter. Heap strawberry mixture into cups, pressing gently.

Cover pan with foil and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until strawberries are very tender, about 10 minutes more. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* Make your own panko: Sure, it’s not exactly the same thing but I’m convinced that you can make very panko-like crumbs if you do the following — Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear one to two slices of soft, crustless white bread into 1-inch pieces and pulse them in the food processor until coarsely ground. This will make a generous half cup. Transfer crumbs to a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Use.

**Sweetness: (Updated 5/28/10) I “tested” this recipe with local, early-season not overly sweet strawberries. However, the ones you have may be sweeter. If you think your strawberries are on the sweeter side, you might want to dial the brown sugar back by one or even two tablespoons (the two tablespoon level, especially, if you like barely-sweet desserts). Hope that helps!

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/05/strawberry-brown-butter-bettys/

 
Mango Tartlets...not really a recipe, more of a method

Purée the fruit from a couple of mangoes. Whip together 1/4 cup cream cheese with 2/3 cup heavy cream until well whipped then fold in purée. Pipe into baked tartlet shells. Makes about 36.

A Great Savory Tart Shell
Adapted from Le Pain Quotidien
This doesn’t need par-baking to keep from getting soggy and barely shrinks in the oven. Sold!

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms. If this does not happen easily, toss it out onto a counter and knead it together. This dough is rather tough but with a little elbow grease, it does come together nicely. (Dough can also be made in a food processor, or as the original recipe suggests, in a stand mixer, though I have not tested in in the latter.)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Proceed with a filling of your choice, no parbaking required.

NOTE: when making tartlets, just pinch off bits of dough and press firmly into tartlet shells, rubbing thumb across top edge to cut off excess pastry.

 
German chocolate cake balls...thanks to MarilynFL for this great idea!

This perfect German Choxolate Cake and filling recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated. You bake the cake in a rectangular pan, then grate it...easy instructions here -
http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=213488

Next, you make the frosting and (with your hand mixer) mix in enough of the frosting to hold the cake together (we used half the frosting recipe). Then just roll into 1" balls. Once chilled, the balls can be dipped in chocolate. We sprinkled a little chopped pecan on top of each one.

http://www.eatdotat.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=38465

 
Black Forest Icebox Cookies, from Taste of Home

These were very tasty, although I've got to say the picture looks nothing like the finished cookie!!! They say 1 tsp cream cheese mixture and 2 tsp cherry filling on each cookie - really, it's at least 4 times that to get anywhere near matching that picture! Also, don't make them more than 6 hours before serving as they keep getting softer and softer.

Black Forest Icebox Cookies

You'll want to keep these festive cookies on hand for when holiday company arrives. The rich chocolate wafers are the perfect complement to the creamy filling's sweet-tart tones. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Greendale, Wisconsin

20 ServingsPrep: 20 min. + chilling

Ingredients
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
3/4 cup fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries, thawed and coarsely chopped **
3/4 cup cherry juice blend **
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 to 2 drops red food coloring, optional
1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon cherry brandy
1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafers
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the
cherries, juice blend and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook and
stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir
in food coloring if desired. Cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, combine the Mascarpone cheese, confectioners' sugar
and brandy. Spread about 1 teaspoon cheese mixture onto 20 wafers;
top with 2 teaspoons cherry mixture and remaining wafers. Place on a
waxed paper-lined baking pan.
Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring
cream just to a boil. Pour over chips; whisk until smooth. Drizzle
over cookies. Cover and refrigerate cookies for up to 4 hours before
serving. Yield: 20 cookies.

Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich cookie equals 139 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

** NOTE: we used Trader Joes morello cherries, finely chopped, and cooked the juice down to use instead of the 3/4 cup juice blend

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Black-Forest-Icebox-Cookies

 
Easy Caramel Cake, from Cooks Country

The method of making this cake is very easy but unusual. I don't know how it happens, but it comes out tasting like it was made with brown sugar. The icing is like caramel fudge...yowza!

Easy Caramel Cake
From Cook's Country
December/January 2009
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We used the reverse creaming method for our Easy Caramel Cake, which meant beating the butter into the dry ingredients to achieve a tender, finer-crumbed cake. A more traditional large-crumbed cake wouldn’t be sturdy enough to support the thick frosting. Switching from cake flour to all-purpose flour also gave the cake more structure to handle the heavy frosting.

For a truly easy caramel frosting, we simmered just the brown sugar and butter before adding cream—the flavor of caramel was unmistakable. To ensure the icing wouldn’t stiffen before we frosted the cake, we beat a little softened butter into the finished frosting. The fat from the butter kept the frosting soft and spreadable for a few precious extra minutes.

Serves 8
Total time:

In step 5, the cooled frosting stays soft and spreadable longer than other recipes, but it will harden over time. If the frosting does begin to stiffen, you can microwave it for about 10 seconds (or until it returns to a spreadable consistency).

INGREDIENTS
Cake
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened

Frosting
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar, sifted

INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the cake layers: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in large measuring cup. With electric mixer on low speed, mix flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time, until only pea-sized pieces remain. Pour in half of buttermilk mixture and beat over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Slowly add remaining buttermilk mixture to bowl and beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds.

2. Scrape equal amounts of batter into prepared pans and bake until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks. Cool completely, at least 1 hour.

3. For the frosting: Heat 8 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and salt in large saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear around perimeter of pan (see photo at left), 4 to 8 minutes. Whisk in cream and cook until ring of bubbles reappears, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in vanilla.

4. Transfer hot frosting mixture to bowl and, with electric mixer on low speed, gradually mix in confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat until frosting is pale brown and just warm, about 5 minutes. Add remaining butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. To assemble: Place 1 cake round on serving platter. Spread ¾ cup frosting over cake, then top with second cake round. Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. Serve.

http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Easy-Caramel-Cake-Recipe-Cook-s-Country/17879/

 
Poppyseed Cream Scones with Grapefruit Curd

We made the cream scones at the link, adding in 2 Tbl. poppyseed in place of the currants or chocolate chips.

Citrus Curd
 *loosely adapted from Williams Sonoma

Yield: ~ 1-3/4 cups

Ingredients

4 lemons (or ~6 Meyer lemons), or 2 oranges, or 5 limes (or ~8 Key Limes), preferably organic
   (NOTE: I used 3 red grapefruit, juiced and reduced to 2/3 cup)
2 whole eggs plus 4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar (200 grams) (7 ounces) (NOTE: decreased sugar to 1/2 cup
4 tablespoons (60 grams) (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small even cubes

Method

1. Wash citrus really well (with a bristled brush under cold water) and using a Zester, remove all of the coloured portion of the peel from the fruit (not the white pith--it's quite bitter!) into a bowl or onto a piece of wax paper. Rotate fruit as necessary to get as much of the zest off. Repeat until you have 2 teaspoons (30 mL) of the zest, and set aside.

2. Slice the citrus in half crosswise (I find room temperature citrus is best for juicing) using a sharp knife, and extract as much of the juice as you can using a citrus reamer, or I use a small Citrus Juicer. Just be sure to catch all of the juice in a bowl and to completely strain the seeds before using. Repeat the juicing until you have 2/3 cup (5 fl oz/160 mL) of the strained juice.

3. Get your double boiler ready by filling a saucepan with 1" of water, then placing a metal bowl on top of the saucepan. You will need to ensure the bowl fits snugly into the top of the saucepan and that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water (important, or your eggs will cook!). You can now remove the bowl and continue with making the curd.

4. Whisk the juice, whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar in the bowl until smooth. Add the butter cubes to the bowl, but don't stir.

5. Heat the water in the saucepan over low heat until it simmers (not boils) and place the bowl atop the rim. Stirring gently, but constantly, using heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, cook until the curd has thickened and all of the butter has melted and is incorporated, about 10 minutes (this can vary). To test if the curd is thick enough, remove the spatula or spoon from the curd and check that it's coated.

6. Strain the curd over a bowl using a fine-mesh sieve and then stir in the zest. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the curd (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill for at least 3 hours (I like to chill it overnight). It also thickens up a bit more while chilling.

Sweetapolita's Notes:

You can use the chilled curd right away, keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze the curd in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the curd surface for up to 1 month. To use frozen curd, you can remove from freezer and use immediately--no need to thaw it as it doesn't really freeze, per se. You can either scoop out what you need and keep the rest in the freezer or use all at once.
www.sweetapolita.com

http://www.finerkitchens.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=20575

 
Apple roses for decoration...from The Great British Bake Off

I made the roses using only 10 petals, popped them into a mini muffin tin and baked them about 25 min.

This pic is before baking...
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/FD42DFCA-160B-4487-B91E-DC535042FAB5-6152-0000013A8DB03107.jpg

After baking...
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/A7B9DA06-0883-475D-A414-8D9C5EE7937F-19580-000003881CBC185E_zpsd38717d9.jpg

http://timetocookonline.com/2011/08/25/apple-rose-tarts/

 
Wow, your food and presentation look superb! Wish you lived closer so I could nab U 4 some

of my catering gigs. Thanks a ton for posting all the recipes, too. Lots of wonderful new ideas for my repertoire. I know precisely how much effort all that takes plus you had time to snap photos. I'm VERY impressed!

 
When you get time, could you please post (or lead me to) the recipe for the egg-cheese puffs?

They sound good, and everything looks gorgeous. Is that you in one of the photos?

Thanks cheezz.

 
wigs, attending one of your dessert galas is also on my bucket list. I visit Indiana

from time to time, so that may indeed be possible!

 
Aw thanks, wigs...high praise indeed! Wish I had gotten lots more pics but we were running smileys/smile.gif

 
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