Dinner Service

New Glasses

Over at the LA Times they're reporting on a trend they're calling, Layered Luxury in a Glass. The article includes some beautiful recipes and helpful step-by-step recipes (complete with photos) to whet your imagination and inspire you to create your own layered appetizers and desserts.

"[W]hat are they? They're called verrines. You haven't heard of them? Well,  most American chefs haven't, either. A verrine is an appetizer or dessert  that consists of a number of components layered artfully in a small glass. (The word verrine refers to the glass itself; literally it means "protective glass.")

Intriguingly composed, they're a study in textures, flavors, colors and temperatures. A beautiful glass might be filled with a layer of mushroom flan, sautéed wild mushrooms, a julienne of prosciutto, parsley gelée, wild mushroom emulsion and topped with a potato and prosciutto galette. Another will have clementine and mint syrup, fresh clementines and a gingerbread "crumble."

Imagine a bright seafood salad starter or a sweet berry compote layers with cake and cream (individual trifle) to get started. The possibilities are only limited by the size of your glass.

The Secret

Happiness

Carl Sandburg, Chicago Poems, 1916

I ASKED the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell

     me what is happiness.

And I went to famous executives who boss the work of

     thousands of men.

They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though

     I was trying to fool with them

And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along

     the Desplaines river

And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with

     their women and children and a keg of beer and an

     accordion.

Not that you need it...

Over at "The Happiness Project," Gretchen lists some swell tips on non-diet weight loss. Nothing new here, but some good reminders of conscientious (vs. mindless) eating. Not a lot of "don't s (thank goodness), but some helpful do's. For example...

When I’m filling my plate, I put all the food I plan to eat on my plate at once, and I don’t allow myself seconds. This has made a huge difference in the way I eat. My previous habit was to take three lady-like helpings that probably added up to much more than one enormous serving.

Check it out.

Dinner Music One

Dinner + Music

Good music makes the food taste better. Turn down the lights, turn up the volume, light the candles and serve  up a great evening.
This is the first post of suggested tunes for your meal. Let me know what you think...

Cheesecake Factory

My wife is Canadian and when we visit her family home in Ontario, I always make a point to pick up the latest copy of the LCBO's (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) seasonal magazine. Invariably the pages are filled with great drink recipes, dinner ideas, and entertaining tips. Some of their suggested drinks have become our party standards. Great food too. Like this recipe for great, savory mini-cheesecakes. Try them with ham or shrimp. Mini Cheesecakes                       Basic Cheesecake 3oz  pretzels ¼ cup butter, melted 8 oz cream cheese, softened 2 eggs 2 tbsp all-purpose flour Pinch freshly ground black pepper 1 cup sour cream Smoked Salmon Filling ½ cup chopped smoked salmon 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill 1 tbsp lemon juice ½ tsp grated lemon zest Fresh dill sprigs to garnish Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Filling 5 tbsp finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes 3 tbsp chopped black olives 1½ tbsp chopped fresh basil Fresh basil leaves to garnish 1. Preheat oven to 300ºF. 2. Spray 3 miniature muffin trays with nonstick cooking spray. 3. Process pretzels in food processor until very fine (consistency of dry bread crumbs). You should have ¾ cup crumbs. Mix with melted butter. Press 1 tsp into bottom of each muffin cup. Bake in center of preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until set. 4. Beat cream cheese to blend. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in flour, pepper and sour cream. Divide mixture into 2 bowls. Stir ingredients for salmon filling into 1 bowl and Sun-dried Tomato and Olive filling into the other. Mix well. Spoon about 1 tbsp filling over each tart base. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or just until filling is set. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, then cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Run knife around edge of each cheesecake to loosen. Garnish with fresh dill or basil leaf before serving. Makes 36 mini cheesecakes LCBO

As Winter Drags On...

Before winter escapes, celebrate snow by giving this drink a try. For our winter parties, we call this a "Snowflake" (still trying to think of a name so that I can serve it year-round). This drink is amazing. I don't know where I came across it, but it is a hit. Shake it with ice and pour it over a short glass rimmed with coconut and filled with ice. 

1 oz White Cranberry Juice
1 oz Hpnotiq Liquor
1 oz good Vodka

Pour all the ingredients in a shaker with a lot of ice and go at it.
   

Spring in a Glass

With Spring looming, now's the time to try out some fresh recipes for your backyard parties. This is a simple, great cocktail that goes down like a dream. Make a pitcher (and another for everyone else).


This cocktail is great shaken and strained into a Martini glass

            

1 oz  Grapefruit vodka
½ oz Grand Marnier
1 oz orange juice

Garnish with a twist of grapefruit zest or an orange wheel

Life Changer

Well, I just finished Sara Miles book, Take This Bread. The review at Salon convinced me. Sara writes a great story and by the end of the book, I was ready to change the world. 

The Best Flourless Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Intensity
from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book
makes one 9-inch cake or two mini 4 inch cakes

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 62% cocoa), finely chopped
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brewed coffee
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round
cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment round and butter the
parchment. (If you're using a pan with a removable bottom like a
springform, make sure to wrap the pan with 2 or 3 layers of foil.)

Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir butter, sugar and coffee
until the butter is melted and mixture is boiling. Pour the hot
mixture over your chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute then
gently stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs vigorously until blended. Whisk in
the vanilla and salt. Slowly add about 3/4 cup hot chocolate mixture
to the eggs, whisking constantly. (Tempering the eggs with a little
bit of the hot chocolate mixture will prevent "scrambled eggs" when
combining the two mixtures.) Add the egg mixture to the hot chocolate
mixture and whisk to combine well.

Strain the batter through a sieve (to catch any cooked egg bits) and
then pour batter into prepared pan. Set cake pan in a large roasting
pan and fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the
sides of the cake pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the center is
shiny and set but still a bit jiggly. Transfer cake pan to a cooling
rack and cool for 20 minutes.

Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Place
a cardboard round on top of the pan and invert the cake onto it.
Remove pan and carefully remove the parchment paper. Refrigerate the
cake for at least 2 hours before glazing with chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove pan from heat
and add the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute then gently stir
until chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth. Gently stir in the
vanilla. Transfer glaze to a small bowl and cover the surface of the
glaze with plastic wrap and let cool for 5 minutes at room temperature
before using.

To glaze the cake:

Place the chilled cake, still on the cake round, on a wire rack set
over a baking sheet. Slowly pour the hot glaze onto the center of the
cake. Smooth the glaze over the top and sides, letting the excess drip
onto the baking sheet.

Scrape the extra glaze from the baking sheet and put it in a small
ziploc bag. Seal the bag and cut a tiny hole in one of the bottom
corners. Gently squeeze the bag over the top of the cake to drizzle
the glaze in a decorative pattern. Refrigerate the cake at least one
hour before serving.