In the mood for a Tea Party, Southern Style!

     Although you never need an excuse to have a tea party, this one has a special purpose.  The folks at Foodbuzz have joined forces with Kelly Confidential  to raise money for The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and are donating $50 for every tea party posted today.  And on Friday, these tea parties will be the subject of a Foodbuzz "Top 9 Takeover"!  Fun stuff... and all for a very important cause.  You too can help raise money by going to Kelly Confidential and simply voting for an outfit for Kelly to wear to her "virtual tea party". 

So welcome to my tea party....southern style!

A southern style tea party needs iced sweet tea, of course!

Pimento Cheese, Tomato and Chive Finger Sandwiches

Two of the South's favorite sandwiches in one.  How can something so simple be so sublime?  When I was little, I used to pick the slivers of red pimento out of my pimento cheese sandwich so I appreciated the version that my Aunt Caroline made in a blender.  My version uses mild yellow cheddar and those wonderful sweet fire roasted red peppers that you find in a jar.  And although I no longer have an aversion to colorful specks in my food, I still like to blend my pimento cheese.  It just seems to take that lovely pimento flavor all throughout the spread.

For the pimento cheese:

1/3 pound mild cheddar

2 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise 

several strips of roasted sweet red bell peppers (I use the equivalent of 1/2 of a med. red pepper)

Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding more mayo if needed to get to a nice consistency for spreading.

For the sandwiches:

Very Thin White Sandwich Bread (I use Pepperidge Farm)

mayonnaise

2 ripe tomatoes, sliced very thinly

1 bunch fresh chives, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Stack the bread and trim it so that each piece is approximately 3x3 inches.  To construct a sandwich, spread one slice of bread with mayonnaise and top with one or two slices of tomato.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Spread pimento cheese on second slice of bread and set that on top of the tomato.  Top with a third slice of bread and press slightly.  Wrap sandwich in plastic wrap until all sandwiches are assembled and you are ready to set your tray.

To serve:  Cut each sandwich twice on the diagonal to create 4 equal triangles.  Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise onto the long end, the "uncut" side, of the triangle and gently press this side into your minced fresh chives.  Repeat with remaining sandwiches and arrange on a platter.

 Brown Sugar Shortbreads with Smashed Blackberries and Sweet Cream

Slightly sweet flaky biscuits slathered with smashed fresh blackberries and whipped cream...a southern take on the traditional British scones with jam and clotted cream.

For the shortbread:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

1 cup heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing tops of biscuits

coarse brown sugar for sprinkling (such as Sugar in the Raw or Demerara Sugar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder sugar and salt.  Cut cold butter into small pieces and toss into the flour.  Then, with a pastry knife, two table knives, or your fingers, blend butter into flour mixture until it is the consistency of coarse crumbs.  Add the cream and stir quickly with a fork until flour is just moistened (do not over work the dough) then turn it onto a lightly floured surface and pat it gently to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.  Use a 2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out shortbreads and place them 1 inch apart onto baking sheet.  Brush with additional heavy cream and sprinkle generously with coarse brown sugar.  Bake 12-14 minutes or until puffed and just lightly brown.  Remove from oven and cool.

For the berries and cream:

1 pint fresh blackberries

3/4 cup heavy cream

sugar to taste

Wash the blackberries (don't dry) then toss them with a tablespoon of sugar (or more, to taste).  Using a table fork, smash berries, leaving some whole until you get a nice chunky jam-like consistency.

Whip cream with a couple of teaspoons of sugar (once again, you can use more if you like).  With this amount of cream, I prefer to whip it by hand with a whisk.  It only takes a few minutes and is good exercise...at least for one arm!

Serve and shortbreads with the smashed berries and cream.

 Hush Puppy and Deviled Crab Bites

 There is nothing dainty about the flavor of this little treat.  Crispy hush puppies, hollowed out slightly and filled with a cool and creamy crab salad.

1 package frozen hush puppies  (I use Savannah Classics original recipe) 

8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shell fragments

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon coarse grain Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Prepare hush puppies according to directions on package.  Let cool slightly then cut top 1/3 off of each hush puppy and remove some of the interior to make room for a nice portion of crab meat.  You may also want to take a tiny sliver from the bottom of each hush puppy so that the finished product will stay level on a serving tray instead of rolling about.  

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and horseradish.  Gently stir in crab until it is well coated then taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  

To serve, fill hush puppies with crab salad and top each with a fresh parsley leaf.

In which I make our favorite Butter-Roasted Potatoes!

Today I am adding a new feature to my little recipe blog.  I've decided that I will, from time to time, publish a post that I will call an "In which I..." post (as opposed to an "In the mood for...." post).  In these posts, I will highlight a recipe or a method with detailed instructions and photos.  Mostly this will just be a fun way for me to continue to cook and learn photography at the same time...but it also occurs to me that it might help my kids, grown and almost grown, in their kitchen adventures. So, I'm starting off with something that they love.  It's very easy but it feels pretty special when you get it right...crispy, buttery, roasted potatoes. 

In the photos below, I am making butter roasted potatoes to serve 6-8 people.  

3 1/2 pounds red potatoes

5 tablespoons melted butter

salt 

coarse ground black pepper

12x17 inch heavy rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

To peel or not to peel?  That's easy.  If your potatoes look like this

Don't Peel!

On the other hand, if your potatoes look like this...

Peel!

Cut potatoes into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Put potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Let boil one minute then...

Use a slotted spoon to transfer potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.  Toss to make sure potatoes are evenly coated then arrange them in a single layer with the largest flat side down.  (if the potatoes are unpeeled, make sure that they are arranged cut side down.)

Potatoes should be no closer together than this in order to roast properly.

Let potatoes roast undisturbed for 40 minutes or until dark golden brown on the bottom.  (If you try to  toss them around before this bottom crust is formed, they will stick to the pan) Remove from the oven and let sit for 2 minutes then toss them around with a spatula.  At this point, you can either taste for seasonings and serve right away or put them back in the oven for a few minutes.  In any case, they are at their best piping hot out of the oven.

Variations:   Before roasting....season with fresh rosemary and or garlic

                    After roasting....toss with fresh either fresh parsley, chives, or slivered basil

                                             toss with freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

In the mood for Orange!

Orange is the subtle citrus...sweet and delicate compared to the power of lemon or lime.  Oranges and their juice and zest are a surefire way to bring a little sunshine to all types of dishes.

Tomato Soup with Orange and Cumin

I've been making this all winter and see no reason to stop now.  It is like a light tomato cream soup with no cream in sight, just a hint of orange juice and the warmth of cumin. If you have an immersion blender, now is the time to use it as it makes this soup a breeze to puree.  This recipe is from Food and Wine Magazine.

1 small yellow onion, peeled and quartered

2/3 cup fresh orange juice

1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into large chunks

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 bay leaves

2 cans (28 0z each) peeled whole tomatoes with their juices (I like San Marzano)

1 tablespoon packed finely grated orange zest

1 tablespoon kosher salt, more to taste

freshly ground black pepper 

snipped fresh chives for garnish

Put the onion, orange juice, potato, butter, cumin, bay leaves, and 3 cups of water in a large saucepan.  Cover, bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a summer.  Cook  until a skewer easily pierces the potato, 15-20 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juices and the orange zest.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a steady low simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the potato chunks are falling apart, another 20 minutes  Discard that bay leaves; puree the soup with an immersion blender,  hand blender, stand blender, or food processor.  Strain through a medium/large sieve; discard the contents of the sieve. Season immediately, let cool completely if refrigerating or freezing.  Heat gently, adjust the salt and pepper as needed garnish with the chives and serve. (makes about 10 cups)

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Scampi Al Dragoncello

This bright and beautiful shrimp recipe is from Christina's Tuscan Table by Cristina Ceccatelli Cook.  The only change I made was to segment the oranges instead of slicing them.  It's super easy if you have a small, sharp knife.  Just cut a bit off of both ends of the orange so that you can set it flat on a cutting board then,  slicing from top to bottom, remove all of the peel and pith from the orange.  When it is completely clean, you will be able to quickly slice between the membranes to remove the orange segments. 

24 large shrimp, cleaned and deveined, tails left on
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for cooking
juice and zest of 2 oranges
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
a few sprigs fresh tarragon, for garnish
orange slices for garnish
salt to taste

Combine shrimp, 1/4 cup olive oil, juice and zest of oranges and lemon, tarragon, garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley in a bowl.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook the shrimp on high heat for 3-5 minutes,  adding a splash of marinade as you cook to keep them moist.

Season to taste and serve hot, garnished with fresh tarragon sprigs and orange slices. (serves 4-5)

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Berries with Orange Sabayon

I could live without a microwave.  For the most part, I use ours to melt chocolate for baking and to warm a tepid cup of coffee.  When I prepared to try this recipe, I almost pulled out the double boiler to cook the eggs then decided that if Chef Laurent Tourondel suggests the microwave, I should at least give it a try.   It came together like a dream and I am thrilled to have such a quick and easy make ahead dessert recipe for entertaining this spring and summer. (And the flavoring possibilities are endless!) This recipe is based on one in his book, Bistro Laurent Tourondel, New American Bistro Cooking. 

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 cup heavy cream

scant 1/4 teaspoon pure orange extract

fresh berries, like raspberries, blueberries or strawberries (about 5 cups to serve 6)

Make a simple syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from heat and let cool.

In a microwave safe bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the cooled simple syrup (the rest will keep in the refrigerator for another use, if you like) and the orange juice until frothy.  Cook 8-10 seconds on high heat in the microwave.  Remove from the oven and whisk until smooth.  Repeat 9-10 times, until the sabayon is cooked and thick.  Let cool for 10-15 minutes. (I cooked it 8 times for 10 seconds and then 2 times for 8 seconds, whisking between each and it turned out perfectly)

In a large chilled bowl, whip the cream with the honey and orange extract until soft peaks form.  

Fold the whipped cream, gently but thoroughly, into the egg mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours.  

Serve the sabayon over fresh berries and garnished with orange zest if desired.  

Mint would be nice as well, of course, but I just couldn't spend money on fresh mint when it will be popping up all over the place around here in just a few weeks!  The daffodil below is the first to bloom in my woods this year...Spring is here!

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