the perfect tea sandwiches

Over the weekend, I had a little time to indulge in watching the food network, and found a new cooking show that I absolutely love. It's called Southern at Heart, with Damaris Phillips who I guess won the food network's next Food Network Star.  

Anyhow, she’s the cutest little thing and she really got me when she started preparing Benedictine sandwiches, which is a staple in Kentucky, but having never been to Kentucky, these were new to me. It's basically a yummy tea sandwich with cucumber and bacon.

In my family, I am known for my cucumber and cream cheese open-faced tea sandwiches, which my boys all love, but this recipe takes the cucumber sandwich to a whole new level, with the addition of BACON!! omg, I had to make these!  

I made it to the market yesterday to buy all the ingredients and got down to business. One of my boys even helped me grate and drain the cucumber, which only took a few minutes. This recipe is very easy and cooking the bacon is the the most time consuming part.

The sandwiches come together very quickly. We opted out on the borage flowers, which boys don't really care about anyways and substituted a little watercress and arugula. This recipe is perfect for a tea party as Damaris showed, or just a yummy lunch for the clan.

Borage, Benedictine and Bacon Sandwiches

Yield: 16 tea sandwiches

ingredients

8 strips bacon
1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices country wheat bread
2 cups fresh borage petals or microgreens or baby arugula
Directions

Working in batches if necessary, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

While the bacon is cooking, grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the grated cucumber in cheesecloth and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.

Combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the cucumber and red onion and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To assemble the sandwiches, divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between 4 slices of bread. Break the strips of bacon in half and top each sandwich with 4 halves. Sprinkle the borage petals over the top, then cover with the remaining four slices of bread and press down firmly. Cut away the crusts. Slice the sandwiches diagonally in half and then diagonally again, to make triangles. Serve.

Damaris and her cute friend Terra after preparing a scrumptious tea

ciao! fabiana

p.s  the boys loved the Benedictine!

photo credit:

Damaris on Facebook

cooking show: baked in vermont

Happy Sunday! We’re officially one week into the new year, yay! I don’t know about you, but the colder weather (50-60 degrees here in Newport Beach) always draws me into the kitchen and I end up cooking a lot more than usual, especially on the weekends.

I was especially inspired by my latest discovery on the Food Network, Baked in Vermont with Gisine Bullock-Prado. Evidently I’ve missed several episodes this season, but the ones I’ve seen have me hooked!

Not only does Gesine bake up wonderful goodies in her Vermont kitchen that also doubles as a cooking school, but her personality is absolutely bubbly and so fun to watch!  

Gesine's a multi-talented pastry chef and baking instructor that you may have also seen on The Kitchen and on TheToday Show. Have you guys watched her show at all?

She lives and teaches in the 18th century farmhouse that she shares with her husband Ray. She also has some amazing savory recipes that she makes, but for today we're gonna keep it strictly sweet!  

Such a dreamy old home! 

Picture perfect!

Here’s a little peek at her BH&G feature from last year. 

When I first heard Gesine, her voice and mannerisms reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t pinpoint it right away... 

...then I remembered she’s Sandra Bullock’s little sister. They really do sound a lot a like!

At the top of my list of new dinner items to make this month are Gisine’s Turkey Potpie with Biscuit Crust and her Broccoli Salad with baked Croutons, but as for this today, I'm gonna start with making these lemony blueberry muffins. I wanted to give you a head start too, so here's the recipe, plus one more for good measure!

Lemon Blues Muffins with Crumble Topping

Muffins:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon natural lemon extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 cup blueberries

Crumble:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the muffins: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add the lemon extract and mix to incorporate.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and nutmeg and whisk for 30 seconds to evenly distribute the leavening. With the mixer running on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then add the buttermilk and follow with the remaining flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Using a large rubber spatula, gently give the batter a few quick strokes to make sure there are no pockets of flour remaining. Fold in the blueberries. Fill each muffin cavity three-quarters full.

For the crumble: In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt using a wooden spoon or your fingers. Keep working the mixture until the butter is absorbed and the mixture starts to clump.

Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the crumble on top of each muffin. Bake until the muffins just spring back when gently poked, 15 to 20 minutes.

Mini Berry Ladyfinger Tarts

Makes 8 individual tarts

2 packages of lady fingers

FOR THE FILLING:

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream, divided

½ cup granulated sugar, divided

6 egg yolks

pinch salt

5 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup raspberry purée or jam

FOR THE ASSEMBLY:

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 cups mixed whole fresh berries
1 spool decorative ribbon, 1 inch wide

Make the filling:

In a large saucepan, combine the milk and 1 cup of the cream and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the granulated sugar, egg yolks, salt, cornstarch, and raspberry purée. Whisk on high speed until combined. Once the milk mixture has come to a simmer, slowly pour it down the side of the bowl into the whisking egg yolk mixture and continue whisking until well combined.

Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface so that a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.

Remove the filling from the refrigerator. It will have firmed up quite a bit; stir it with a wooden spoon until it loosens and is smooth.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the filling until combined. Transfer the raspberry filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip.

To assemble:

Place 8 metal rings on a parchment-lined half sheet pan. Line each ring with ladyfingers, the sugar-dusted side facing out, by standing them up side by side until the ring is filled. Place a ladyfinger cake round into the bottom of the ring, trimming the round if it's too tight a fit with the standing ladyfingers. Repeat with each of the remaining rings.

Place 3 raspberries on the bottom layer of each ring. Pipe filling into each ring until it just reaches the top of the standing ladyfingers. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

To serve, carefully remove the rings. (Heat the rings gently with a kitchen torch or blow dryer for easier removal if necessary.) Arrange the mixed berries atop the filling. For an especially adorable presentation, gently tie a ribbon around each tart.

(I simplified this recipe by purchasing good-quality lady fingers. Gesine, of course bakes her own!) 

P.S. Gesine’s fun cookbook Bake It Like You Mean It is available on Amazon, or just tune in to the Food Network. Her next show is on Tuesday, January 9th at 12:30pm. 

ciao! fabiana

photo credits: Gisine Prado, Food Network, BH&G

By the way, don’t forget to watch the Golden Globe Awards tonight! I’ll be tuning in early to catch all the red carpet fashion for sure, and we can talk about it tomorrow!

a few egg-cellent ideas

Just a little Good Friday Easter egg inspiration…

Graphic patterns on pastel eggs

are easy to pull off using stamps made out of

bubble wrap and corrugated cardboard..

I love this blue and white decoupage idea

that’s easy to replicate using pretty paper and Mod Podge.

Wooden eggs painted in a two-tone ombre look is fun!

Everyone loves Jelly Bellys!

what’s your favorite flavor?

I especially love Pina Colada and Root Beer.

Brass candle holders used as egg cups…

brilliant!

And now for a few adorable recipes…

Info on this wood bark cake stand can be found at the end of this post.

ORANGE CHAMOMILE CAKE

For the Cake:

2 1/2 c. whole milk

8 chamomile tea bags

Cooking spray

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/4 c. granulated sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tbsp. finely grated orange zest

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

2 c. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 lb. confectioners’ sugar

3 tbsp. fresh orange juice

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Plus: Bunny Sugar Cookies and chamomile flowers, for decorating

TOTAL TIME: 1:50

1. Make the cake: Place milk and tea bags in a small pot. Cook over medium heat until warm to the touch (do not let it boil), 7 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat and cool completely; discard tea bags.

2.  Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 4 (8-inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; grease parchment. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

3. Beat butter and granulated sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Beat in orange zest and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture, just until incorporated. Divide batter among the prepared pans.

4. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans, on wire racks, 10 minutes, then invert onto racks to cool completely.

5. Make the frosting: Beat butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce mixer to low and gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Beat in orange juice, vanilla, and salt. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

6.  Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate and top with 1/2 cup frosting; repeat two more times. Top with the remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting (save 1/4 cup frosting for bunny tails). Add bunny sugar cookies.

YIELDS: 16 SERVINGS

Recipe Courtesy of Country Living

Lemon Pudding Cake

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp,

      plus more for the dish

1 c. granulated sugar

3 large eggs, separated

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. whole milk

1/3 c. fresh lemon juice

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F and grease shallow 2-quart oval baking dish.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar and egg yolks in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and mix to combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in milk and lemon juice (batter may look curdled).

3. In second bowl, with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, 3 minutes. Stir one-third of whites into lemon mixture, then fold in remaining whites until combined.

4. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and place dish in roasting pan. Add enough boiling water to roasting pan to come one-third of the way up baking dish. Transfer roasting pan to oven and bake until light golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

5. If desired, place a bunny cutout on top of cake, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. Carefully lift away template and serve.

Yields 6 servings

Edible Crudité Garden Patch

Spread about 4 cups of hummus in a 9 x 13 baking dish, and then spread 1 ½ cups of ground pumpernickel crackers or pumpernickel bread to cover completely. Place your adorable garden veggies in even rows, as you would in a vegetable garden, and trim as needed. Recipe courtesy of the Food Network.

ciao! fabiana

Shop here for this fun cake stand, 

as seen above.

photo credit:

1,2,4,5  Martha Stewart

3,6,7,  Country Living

8  Good Housekeeping

9 Food Network