Sunday, March 25, 2012

little blue box

So delighted to find this adorable invitation in my mailbox a couple days ago!
Can't wait to see what Gentri and Rachel have in store for us!
So clever.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

first meeting!

Niki recently recruited a group of fellow party-planning/food/decor/favor/flower obsessed ladies to form DC Gourmet Club. She had friends who were in another group.
The rules are: you have to a) send real paper invitations (yay!) b) have an appetizer and a dessert (dessert's a no-brainer!), c) you must do a take home favor (oh stop it!) and d) no "cream of" anything allowed!

She had me at real paper invites you send in the MAIL.

Here are the photos of our very first fete.
Partners Kastell and Niki totally blew us away!
Way to set that bar high!

Everything was amazingly DELICIOUS and absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
It was quite an honor to be included.

Recipes are up on the fledgling DC Gourmet Club blog so we can all share the recipes used.
Enjoy!

Lumenaria to light the way.

Looooove Frizzante! And striped straws, of course.

Yummy appetizers. LOTS of them.




Gentri, Elizabeth, Rachel


Emily and Kastell
Merianne

Oh I love spring rolls.

The Elizabeths :)


Niki, Olivia, Hillary


The table.
Wow!

Adorable clementine place cards.

Delicious mango punch.

Gorgeous flowers!

The very ambitious menu.


More decor.


This soup was soooo good.

The salad may have been my favorite, except that everything was my favorite, haha.
No seriously, everything was my favorite.

Main course: Miso Salmon with Cucumber Salad. Yeah, it tasted as good as it sounds.


The Sunset Delight drink was to die for.

Dessert: Mango Sorbet with fresh fruit and gingersnaps and Key Lime Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream.
Yep.
It was pretty hard to fit anything in by this point, but we somehow managed. :)

The favors were packaged soooo cute:


With little potted cupcakes with marzipan leaves.

And when I got home, I opened the bag and was delighted to find a packet of seeds (how clever) and a beautiful little flower clip! (Gwyneth wore it to church the next day!)


I think heaven must be a lot like Gourmet Club.
Especially when it's not your turn to host!
:)


Note: I hope people use these images elsewhere, just please don't forget to give credit to
Elizabeth Moon Photography--'cause I work really hard on these pictures, y'all !!! :) Thanks!

Monday, March 5, 2012

SPRING Into Gourmet Club!

March 2012 Recipes

Sunset Delight

1 can frozen piƱa colada concentrate, thawed (Bacardi makes a good one)
1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
4 liters of diet lemon-lime soda (I used Sprite Zero)
1 bag of pebble ice
1 bag of frozen raspberries

Directions:
Pour the completely thawed concentrates into your punchbowl and stir.
Use one of the empty cans and fill it with water four times and add it to the mixture. Stir.
Slowly add your diet soda to the mixture. Do not stir, or you will get a lot of foam.
Next, add about half your bag of pebble ice.
Top with raspberries.

Mango Punch

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups mango juice
2 cups orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 tsp lime juice
In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Let the syrup cool. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar syrup, mango, orange, pineapple and lime juices. Chill until ready to use.

Cucumber Feta Rolls

Adapted from goodlifeeats.com

2 cucumbers
6 ounces crumbled feta
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 tablespoons finely diced sundried tomatoes
8 - 12 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped (optional: I didn't use them)
1 tablespoon roughly chopped dill
2 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch of pepper, or to taste

Directions:
Thinly slice the cucumbers longways on a mandoline at a 2mm thick setting. Lay the cucumbers on top of a paper towel lined cutting board while you prepare the filling.
Add the feta and yogurt to a medium bowl. Mash to combine using a fork. Add the sun dried tomatoes, olives, dill, lemon, and pepper to the bowl. Stir well to combine. In a bowl, mash the feta using a fork.

Place 1 - 2 teaspoons of mixture at one end of a cucumber strip and roll up. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining strips. If not serving immediately, chill until ready to serve.


Green Herb Dip
from Barefoot Contessa At Home

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/2 C good mayonaise (I use Hellman's)
3/4 C Chopped scallion (white and green parts)
1/4 C chopped Italian Parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (I use more)
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper (I use more).


Place all ingredients in the food processor, fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 10 to 12 times, until just blended. Serve at room temperature.


Spring Rolls

1 pound of ground meat ( turkey, chicken or pork)
3 carrots, diced up
1 cup of dried Shitake mushroom soaked in water for 30 minutes then drain, then dice up
2 bundles of dried vermicelli soaked in water for 30 minutes then drain, then dice up
You could add any other veggies you like, cabbage, bean sprouts... 


2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

1 Tbsp of chicken bullion powder

1 tsp of white sugar
1 tsp of black pepper
1 pkg Spring Roll wrappers-The brand can be found at Super H mart called TYJ Spring Roll Pastry by SPRING HOME. It will be in the frozen section.

Use food processor to dice up carrots, mushrooms, and vermicelli noodles. Put in a big bowl with the rest of ingredients. Mix well.

Taste test by putting a tablespoon of filling into a bowl and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Check the flavor. Add more sugar if you want it sweeter, salt if you want more salt.

Put a tablespoon of the filling into the wrapper ( just like the back of the roll wrapper package demonstrates) and wrap.

Fry them in veggie oil until they are a nice tan color and rest them on a cookie rack and let oil drip off a little bit.

*This filling could also be used in egg rolls, with wonton wrapper.

Dipping Sauce
2 cups of water,
1 cup of white sugar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp vinegar (or lime juice)
Place sugar and water in a small pot. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and move from stove. Let it cool then add fish sauce and vinegar (or lime).

Summer Rolls

1 Rotisserie chicken shredded
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 bunch of clilantro
1 bunch of mint
1 package of Vermicelli Noodles
1 package of Rice Paper wrappers
Layer ingredients in the wrapper and fold according to package.

Dipping sauce
1/2 C Peanut Butter - crunchy or smooth
1/3 C Hoisin Sauce
2/3 C Water
3TB Sweet Chili Sauce or Sirracha

Mix ingredients in a saucepan. Cook on low until thickened.

Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut and Lime

Adapted from tlc.com
6 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes (about 3)
3 1/2 C Chicken stock
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (I use more)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 C sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 C cilantro, chopped

In a saucepan, combine potatoes, ginger and stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, roast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until golden. Use immersion blender in the pot, or transfer out to food processor or regular blender to puree soup until smooth Return to saucepan. Whisk in coconut milk and lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat, until heated through. Serve with almonds and cilantro for garnish. You can make this ahead to the puree step and refrigerate for up to one day.

Tropical Green Salad with Pina Colada Dressing

Dressing:
½ cup sugar
½ cup Pina Colada drink mix
1/3 cup rice vinegar
½ tsp ginger powder
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cup vegetable oil

Salad:
Lettuce greens, blueberries, fresh pineapple, fresh mango, raspberries, toasted shaved coconut, toasted macadamia nuts

Miso Salmon with Cucumber Salad

Adapted from oprah.com

2 Tbsp. sweet white miso paste
2 Tbsp. mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 1/4 pound center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Fresh sprigs of parsley or cilantro, for garnish

Cucumber Salad
6 Persian cucumbers, sliced paper-thin (I used one English)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Preheat broiler.

For the salmon: Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Coat foil with cooking spray. Whisk miso, mirin, soy sauce and ginger in a small bowl until smooth. Place salmon fillets, skin side down, in the prepared pan. Brush generously with miso mixture. Broil salmon, 3 to 4 inches from the heat source, until opaque in the center, for about 8 to 10 minutes.

For the cucumber salad: Wash and slice the cucumbers paper-thin. Squeeze out excess liquid and place in a medium bowl and toss with soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame seeds.

Arrange cucumber salad on plate. Place broiled salmon on top. Garnish with scallion, sesame seeds, cilantro

Warm Blackberry Sauce over Mango Sorbet

from myrecipes.com

2 pints fresh blackberries, halved
1/4 C sugar
2 1/2 tsp fresh orange zest
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
6 gingersnaps, crushed
1 pt mango sorbet

Stir together first four ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat .
Cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Serve over mango sorbet, sprinkle with crushed cookies

Key Lime Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting
2 C Sweetened Coconut Flakes
3 sticks Butter ( 1 ½ cups)
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 Tbsp Lime Zest
3 Eggs
1/4 C Lime Juice (I use Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice)
2 tsp vanilla (I use vanilla bean paste)
2 1/2 C Cake Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 C Buttermilk
4 C Powdered Sugar
3/4 C Cream of Coconut (I use Coco Lopez)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill cupcake tine with liners.

Spread the coconut flakes on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir a couple of times during baking. Remove from oven and let cool.

Beat 2 sticks of butter until smooth. Add sugar and lime zest. Beat well. Add eggs, one at a time. Add lime juice and 1 tsp vanilla and beat until combined.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and ¼ tsp salt. Sift ingredients.

Alternate adding all dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the butter/sugar mixture. Be careful to not overmix! Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way. Bake for 18-20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Coconut Buttercream
In a large bowl, beat 1 stick of butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt, cream of coconut, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

Add more cream of coconut for smoother frosting.

*A note: you can make buttermilk by adding white vinegar to regular milk. You can make cake flour by adding corn starch to all purpose flour. All ratios can be found on the internet or in some cookbooks!