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Selected Recipes
Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwich
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and very
thinly sliced (about 32 slices)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves,
rinsed, spun dry, and chopped fine
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
16 slices best-quality white bread
Salt to taste
Place cucumber slices between layers of paper towels to
remove excess moisture.
In a small bowl, combine mint, butter, and cream cheese;
spread on one side of each slice of bread. Lay cucumber
slices onto the buttered side of 8 slices of bread. Sprinkle
with salt. Top with the remaining slices of bread, buttered
side down.
Carefully
cut the crusts from each sandwich with a sharp knife. Cut
the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half
again. Yield 32 tea sandwiches
Goat Cheese &
Watercress Tea Sandwich
16 thin slices cinnamon-raisin bread,
crusts trimmed
2 (5 1/2-ounce) logs soft fresh
goat cheese
atroom temperature
1/2 cup chopped watercress leaves
Salt to taste
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans*
Watercress sprigs (for garnish)
* To toast nuts, place in a shallow baking pan. Bake at
350*F for 15 to 20 minutes or until nuts are lightly
browned, stirring occasionally. Cool.
Carefully cut the crusts from each slice of bread with a
sharp knife.
In a medium-size bowl, mix fresh goat cheese and chopped
watercress; season with salt. Spread mixture evenly over 8
bread slices. Top with remaining bread.
Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half
again. Roll cut edges of each sandwiches in the softened
butter.
Place pecans on plate. Dip buttered edges of sandwiches into
pecans, gently pressing the pecans into the butter.
Arrange sandwiches on platter. Garnish with watercress
sprigs. Yield: 32 tea sandwiches
NOTE:
Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover sandwiches tightly and
refrigerate.
Chicken Curry Tea Sandwich
2 cooked whole chicken breasts, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Mayonnaise (enough to moisten)
Curry powder or paste to taste
16 slices best-quality white bread
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
In a large bowl, combine chicken, nuts, celery,
salt, and mayonnaise; stir until well blended. Add curry
powder or paste (Remember, a little goes a long way with
curry - be careful).
Spread one side of each piece of bread lightly
with butter. Top the buttered side of 8 slices of bread with
some of the chicken mixture and top with the remaining bread
slices, buttered side down.
Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with
a sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and
then cut in half again. Yield: 32 tea sandwiches
Egg-Yolk Butter & Asparagus Tea Sandwich
4 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayo
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
salt to taste
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed (look for the slimmest
ones)
16 slices thin white bread
Peel eggs and remove yolks. Mash yolks in a small
bowl. Add mayo, butter, mustard, vinegar and salt and stir
until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Blanche asparagus until just tender and bright
green, 2 to 3 mins. Cool completely, in ice bath or
refrigerate until ready to serve.Spread
egg-butter on two slices of bread. Layer one slice with
asparagus, place other slice on top of it. Trim crusts and
cut sandwich into triangles. Yield: 24 tea sandwiches
Lavender Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
4 Tablespoons (1/2) stick) sweet, unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lavender or 1 teaspoon dried culinary
lavender, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup milk, plus extra for glaze
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease & flour a large baking
sheet. Sift flour and baking powder together in a large
mixing bowl. Mix in the butter until the mixture looks like
fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and lavender (save a
small amount to sprinkle on top of scones before baking).
Add enough milk to make a soft, sticky dough. Turn dough out
onto a well floured surface. Cut dough into 1 inch thick
rounds with a cookie cutter. Place scones on the prepared
baking sheet. Brush the top of each scone with a dash of
milk and sprinkle with the reserved lavender and sugar. Bake
for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with rose
petal jam and Devon cream. Yield: 12 large/24 small scones
Rose Petal Jam
1/2 pound pink or red edible rose petals
2 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups water
juice of 2 lemons
Cut white bottom off of each petal. Place rose petals in a
bowl and sprinkle sugar to coat each petal. Save overnight.
In a saucepan place remaining sugar, water & lemon juice.
Dissolve contents over a low heat. Stir in rose petals,
simmer 20 minutes. Bring to a boil, continue boiling for 5
minutes until mixture thickens. Pour into a clean, warmed
jar, cover & label. Store in a cool place. Yield: 1-pound
Chocolate Ganache Cake
INGREDIENTS:
For cake layers
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon instant-espresso powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
For ganache filling and glaze
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
20 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened),
finely chopped in a food processor
PREPARATION:
Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (7- or 8-inch,
2-inch-deep) round cake pans and line bottoms with rounds of
wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with
flour, knocking out excess.
Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until
smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an
electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1
at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour
mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending
with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.
Divide batter among pans (about 2 1/3 cups per pan),
smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes
out clean, 30 to 35 minutes for 7-inch pans or 20 to 25
minutes for 8-inch. Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then
invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
Make ganache while cakes bake:
Bring cream to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and
remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer
ganache to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally,
until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours. (If ganache
becomes too thick, let stand at room temperature until
slightly softened.)
Assemble cake: Arrange 1 layer on a cake stand or plate
and spread 2/3 cup ganache evenly over it. Top with another
cake layer and 2/3 cup ganache, spreading evenly, then third
cake layer. (Chill ganache if necessary to keep at a
spreadable consistency.) Chill cake until ganache filling is
firm, about 1 hour. Keep remaining ganache at a spreadable
consistency, chilling when necessary.
Spread a thin layer of ganache over top and sides
of cake to seal in crumbs, then chill 30 minutes. Spread
remaining ganache evenly over top and sides of cake. Just
before serving, decorate with organic rose petals and sprigs
of lavender. |