Springtime In Paris-Ellen and Olivia

What an incredible night!  We stepped right in to Paris with Olivia and Ellen as the perfect hosts!  Everything was tres manifique.  Merci for the amazing time, ladies!

Every detail was perfect!  It made us miss Elizabeth who was actually IN Paris instead of with us.  We are so lucky that Kate agreed to come and join us and take amazing pictures.  Be patient with me, I don't pretend to be as awesome as Elizabeth.  I have no idea how to do these photos justice, aka make them big ;)

Little hints of France everywhere

The appetizer table was incredible!  So much fun and flair of a French Market.

Everyone loved all of the flowers

There was great chalk art everywhere

Ellen is a hoarder of antique linens.  They were such luxurious touches throughout the room.

Kylee even read us the menu in French!  She said she was rusty, but we all loved it and clapped after.

More great details.  The room was completely transformed from how it usually looks.

Such a great quote!  Love Julia!!

Olivia with Rose Lemonade, which was delicious.

We're so glad that Cierra could make it, being 2 weeks overdue with her first little girl!

 Kate, Darcey, Julie, Niki, Cathleen, Cierra, Olivia, Kim, Angie, Kylee and Julie

Petit cucumber with Brie, Blackberry puffs with Brie and Croque Monsuier sandwiches, accompanied by fresh berries, baguette, soft cheese and preserves.  Oui! Oui!

Beautiful mix of antique dishes

The table was set to perfection.  Those chalkboard chargers were amazing!  Loved all the feminine details.  

Lovely bunch of ladies

Gorgeous radish salad

These were AMAZING!  French onion soup dumplings.  The soup was inside each bite sized wrapper.  So unique and fun!

Everyone was so impressed with the entree.  The visual presentation was off the charts.  Tasted wonderful too!  Salmon en croute with beets and carrot salad

We finished with Creme Brûlée Macarons and Passion Fruit Creme Brûlée.  It was so pretty.  We felt so French!  

All of that lovely food creates quite a scene in the kitchen.  It is so much work to put these magical nights together.  We are so lucky that we only have to do it once a year and the rest of the time, we just show up!  I like that "don't even offer to help clean up" rule more and more each time! 

We got to take home lovely pistachio and lemon macaroons.  Ellen is such a master at making these delectable French cookies!  We also got to take home the flowers from the "market".  Perfect for Mother's Day.

Our gracious hostesses, Ellen and Olivia, with adorable Kate

What a fantastic evening!

Springtime In Paris Recipes

Blackberry Pâte Feuilletée (Blackberry Puff Pastry)

Puff pastry sheet

Blackberry jelly

Brie

Fresh blackberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin.

Roll out puff pastry sheet and cut into squares. (About 1/4" thick & 2" squares for a mini-muffin tin)

Place a small cube of brie and a little jelly in each square.

Wrap the pastry up around the brie & jelly & pinch closed at the top.

Place in a muffin tin & bake, check at 10 minutes. Take out when pastry is lightly browned.

Top with a fresh blackberry & serve warm.

Cucumber Petit 

Cucumber slices

Brie 

Chives

Fresh ground pepper

Croque Monsieur 

Adapted from: http://www.madebyaprincessblog.com/2012/08/recipe-mini-croque-monsieur-sandwiches.html

Ingredients for Bechamel Sauce:
2.5 tbsps butter
3 tbsps all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper *optional

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium low heat until melted.  Add the flour and stir until smooth.  Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light golden sandy color, about 6-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil.  Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth.  Bring to a boil.  Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper (if using), and nutmeg.  Set aside until ready to use.  Mixture should be kind of thick.  You are going to spread it on bread so if you need to thicken it add flour and whisk but only little bits at a time.

Ingredients for Sandwiches:
1 loaf good quality, bakery, white bread
1 lb good quality ham
Round of brie cheese
Butter for spreading

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with slices of bread. Assemble the sandwiches by spreading Bechamel sauce on the bread then placing ham down on one slice and thin brie wedges on the other.  Put halves together and repeat process until you have a full sheet of sandwiches.

Bake the sandwiches for about 5 minutes on each side, making sure not to overcook or burn. You want each side to be golden brown and the cheese to be melted and gooey.  Bake longer if necessary just don't burn it!

This should make about 6 full sized sandwiches and about 24 minis possibly more depending on how big your bread is. Spoon a bit of the sauce over top of it after plating. 

FRENCH ONION SOUP DUMPLINGS

RADISH SALAD

Salmon en Croute

Source: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/salmon-en-croute.html

Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
Salt
1/4 cup/60 ml creme fraiche
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zest of 1 lemon
Freshly ground pepper
1 pound puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
Skin and bone the salmon and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the tips off the asparagus. Reserve the stems and poach the tips in boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, refresh in ice cold water, then drain again, leaving to sit so that all the water comes off. Puree the asparagus and stir in the creme fraiche, dill and lemon zest to blend. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a damp baking sheet with the long edge facing you. Lay the salmon on the pastry, like a picture in its frame. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the top of the salmon with the asparagus puree. Lay the raw stems of asparagus on top of the puree, like pencils.

Brush the margins of the pastry with the egg wash. Lay the second sheet of pastry over the salmon and press the edges to seal, like a giant ravioli. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch border. Press with the tines of a fork, then, with the dull edge of a knife, scallop the edges. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush all over with the egg wash and bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. This dish is also good at room temperature.

Cossettes de Betteraves (Beet Chips)

3 large beets
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean beets with a sponge. Wearing gloves, thinly slice beets (about 1/8” thickness) and mix in bowl with olive oil until fully coated.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lay beets flat with slight overlap. The beets will shrink in size when cooked.
Sprinkle with dried thyme, salt and pepper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes removing when beets are browned and crisp.

 PASSIONFRUIT CREME BRULEE

MACARONS