SUNDAY AT DOMENICA

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Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Spread

On our honeymoon, my brand-new husband and I crossed the threshold of Domenica’s in New Orleans at around 5:00 p.m. To our surprise there was already a 3 hour wait for walk-ins. So, reservation-less and with the subtle glow of fainting newlyweds, we began stalking the tiny bar, which was tucked away in the corner of the restaurant. After a few moments of pathetic low-blood sugar stares, we finally nabbed 2 seats at the bar. Shameless success.

We made it clear we were here for the pizza as Domenica boasted some of the best in town. We ordered 2 full-sized pizzas, one with meat for the carnivorous male and one white pizza for myself. I felt content with our selection until I saw something roaming around the restaurant that caught my eye.  From a distance, the dish looked like a large, charred, textured…ball? As the plate got closer and closer I realized it was cauliflower. Cauliflower. Whole roasted cauliflower served with a creamy spread, puddled with rich, fruity olive oil.

The fair head is poached in a lovely, bubbling bath of white wine, lemon juice, olive oil and butter, stained and roasted in an 800-degree wood-burning oven. The whole head of cauliflower arrives dramatically at the table; singed with a Laguiole steak knife strategically plunged into its head, exposing a hint of winter white under the bronzed florets.

Domenica’s pizzas were outstanding, but it was this unusual, dramatic appetizer that grabbed my attention and did not dare let go. As we were about to walk back onto the streets of New Orleans, bellies full and spirits (and blood sugar) high, I turned and looked at the restaurant and spotted many a cauliflower heads and smiled. New Orleans knows how to feed its people and anyone else that walks across the city’s threshold.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Feta SpreadRecipe: From Domenica, Courtesy of Bon Appétit

Serves 6

Note: Whenever prepping the cauliflower head, pull back and discard the leaves and trim the core so that the whole head will sit flat on the roasting pan. Also, if you don’t care for the taste of wine, you can omit it; just add 2 ½ cups more water to the poaching liquid.

Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of dry white wine (optional)

1/3 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of kosher salt

3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed

Whipped Goat Cheese Ingredients and Assembly:

4 ounces of fresh goat cheese

3 ounces of cream cheese

3 ounces of feta

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Roasted Cauliflower:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Bring wine (if using), oil, kosher salt, lemon juice, butter, red pepper flakes, sugar and 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add cauliflower, reduce heat to a simmer, turning occasionally, until a knife easily inserts into the center, about 15-20 minutes.

Using a mesh spider, drain the cauliflower well and transfer cauliflower to a rimmed baking sheet (make sure there is very little liquid remaining in the cauliflower or else smoke could pour out of your oven and make your smoke alarm go off and your neighbors would very much dislike you.) Roast, rotating sheet halfway through until browned all over, 30-40 minutes.

Whipped Goat Cheese and Assembly:

While the cauliflower is roasting, blend goat cheese, cream cheese, feta, cream, and 2 tablespoons oil in a food processor or blender until smooth, season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Transfer whipped goat cheese to a serving bowl and drizzle with oil.

Transfer cauliflower to a plate. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt. Place a steak knife in the middle of the roasted head of cauliflower. Serve with whipped goat cheese.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS

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Strawberry Shortcakes

Pulling off onto the unpaved, bouncy road suddenly woke me from my afternoon car nap. Cars lined up and down a small driveway, pulling off onto the grass as though they were parallel parking with imaginary lines as their guides. Minivans scattered as far as the eye could see. We were all here for the same reason, to pick berries, as many as our little buckets could hold.

The farm was actually a privately owned home with a berry farm attached. We made our way past the eternal line of cars and arrived at a canopy hanging (more like dangling) over a woman sitting comfortably in her lawn chair, handing out plastic buckets for our haul.

Strawberry Shortcakes

I walked alone to find my treasures, taking in the aroma of the berries, the warmth beating down on me from the sun, and the overall thrill of imagining the countless ways to consume these beauties. I dreamt of sweet, sticky strawberry jam stretching across layers of a delicate angel biscuit, eating them in the morning in a cereal bowl filled to the brim with berries, a dash of cream and sugar, or my favorite, as dessert. Strawberries left to sit alone, unharmed with a little bit of lemon juice and sugar atop shortcakes, which are still slightly warm from the oven, and a dollop of sweet, vanilla-scented whipped cream on the side for good measure.

And as I strewn fresh berries over warm shortcakes, the aroma brings me back to those moments of picking berries in May. This recipe preserves the moment of late spring and the memories it shares.

Strawberry Shortcakes

Recipe: Serves 4

Shortcake Biscuits:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoons of sugar

½ teaspoon of salt

¾ cup of chilled heavy cream

Melted butter, for brushing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Switching to a spoon, stir in the heavy cream and gently mix until the dough begins to hold together (the dough will still be very wet at this point.)

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly flour the top of the dough. Form the dough into a 4 ½ x3-inch rectangle, about 1-inch thick (if the dough sticks to your hands, just coat your fingers in flour and continue forming the dough.) Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise to form 4 rectangular biscuits.

Arrange biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 1-inch apart. Brush the tops with butter. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Strawberries:

1 pound of fresh strawberries, cleaned, and hulled

2 tablespoons of sugar

Juice of 1 large lemon (or 2 smaller lemons)

Cut the strawberries in half for smaller berries and quarter any larger berries.

Toss berries, sugar and lemon juice until berries are coated with the juice and sugar. Let the berries macerate for at least 10 minutes.

Whipped Cream:

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk whipping cream, sugar and vanilla together on medium-high speed until soft peaks form

Assembly:

Carefully split biscuits with a serrated knife (they are quite fragile) and brush with more melted butter. Fill the biscuits with strawberries and any liquid from the berries. Serve with whipped cream.

 

 

 

 

 

THE BEST BROCCOLI SALAD OF MY LIFE

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Broccoli Salad

In planning my wedding reception, I discovered a wonderfully enchanting venue called Limestone Bay Trading Co. in the historic Mooresville, Alabama. Tucked away in a quiet spot off of the highway, sat the tiny, unforgotten old trading company, chockfull of vintage charm. Shelves full of old-fashioned kitchen tools don the walls, classic cameras hang right above a stained-glass window, and homemade jams and jellies stand at attention behind a vintage register. As charming as the venue might be, there is one priority for the reception dinner. The food must be wonderful.

So, the owner, Dee, brought out a few sides for us to pick at while hashing out the details of the event: flowers, vases, and menu items… that’s about the time my fork dove into the broccoli salad. The broccoli salad. In mere moments, I became completely distracted from the most important day of my life and began dissecting what was in this simple and elegant salad. Sweet, crunchy, creamy… Dee, while excusing herself to get a cup of coffee, asked if anyone needed anything. I looked at her with the most pathetic eyes and stared at my empty dish. “I’ll get you some more broccoli salad,” she said. Life instantly got better.

The big day went off without a hitch. When sitting down at the wedding reception dinner, Dee offered to make my plate, and within moments, a whole plate filled with red wine infused beef brisket, dreamy creamed corn and crispy cornbread arrived in front of my beaming face, along with an entire plate full of my beloved broccoli salad. Thanks, Dee.

Broccoli Salad

Recipe: Inspired by The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Makes 4 cups

Deb Perelman highlights a sensational broccoli salad in her new book The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. In the original recipe, Deb uses raw onions, but I substituted the onions for shallots (I’m not a huge fan of eating raw onion.) Also, running the chopped shallots under cold water for a few seconds mellows out the oniony bite even more.

1/4 cup of buttermilk

1/4 cup of good mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 shallot, finely chopped

1 head of broccoli

1/4 cup of toasted sliced almonds

1/8 cup of dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and salt until smooth. Stir in the shallot. Allow the shallot to mellow out in the dressing for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim the broccoli, and chop it into large chunks. Then cut chunks into thin slices (you could do the slicing with a mandoline, just watch your fingers!) Toss the broccoli with almonds and cranberries.

Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture, and add a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Stir the salad until all of the components have been evenly coated. This salad can be served immediately or lasts 3 days in the fridge.

 

A SOUTHERN WEDDING

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Wedding Photos

This post is in remembrance of a wonderful, strong Southern woman, Meme Dupes. Being Michael’s grandmother (and lovingly adopting me as a granddaughter), she was one of the greatest pillars in our relationship. Weeks before the wedding, she became ill and passed just 2 days before the ceremony. Honestly, her presence was very much there in every moment of our wedding and her memory lives on with us everyday. 

The air was cool and crisp on the night before our wedding day. Family and friends gathered in an old, historic home in Courtland, Alabama. The grounds were laced with magnolias, charm, and the heavenly smell of beef roasting away on the bricked patio. Galvanized tubs, filled to the brim with glass bottles of Coca-Cola welcomed guests as they made their way across the threshold into a moment in time. Antique silver platters and vases were strewn across the dining table. White orchids, ranunculus and hydrangeas filled silver vases throughout the house and the flicker of candles created a warm glow on the evening. Just as Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” commenced, I walked into the living room where a roaring fire had been set ablaze, and I couldn’t help but feel I had been transported into another world. A world of Southern elegance, grace and charm.

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After a dinner of perfectly cooked beef tenderloin, charred-roasted tomatoes, and one of the most wonderful salads in the world, we gathered around the hearth and Michael’s family welcomed me as one of their own with the kindest of words, the best of wishes, and the most overwhelming sense of family, warmth and love anyone could ever ask for.

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The skies were overcast the next morning, but faithfully we gathered at the Tennessee River. The breeze tossed my hair as I walked down to meet Michael on the moss-shrouded grounds. I was covered in a billowing white dress laced with pearls and Michael was decked out in a navy blazer and his infamous smile.

Pose on the Tenneessee

Solo Pose

We met with the rest of the family at a reception held in the historic town of Mooresville, Alabama at the Limestone Bay Trading Co. Life flooded the building as we arrived, and we were embraced with such love and warmth and happiness. Dinner was delicious as we were served brisket, roasted potatoes, heavenly creamed corn and the best broccoli salad I’ve ever had. The rest of the evening was a blur of laughter, cake and candlelight. We drove off into the night, leaving the closest of our hearts behind, cheering us on in this new venture of life.

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THE MELTING POT

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Butter Beans

The best treat after playing outside all day was a pot full of slow cooking melt-in-your-mouth butter beans. I knew exactly which pot they were hiding in. My mom only cooked butter beans in the small, shiny silver pot that glimmered on our very “loved” stove.  The petite, unpretentious pot came from my great-grandmother. Mother adored butter beans so much as a child that the vessel was unquestionably bestowed upon her. The taste of the velvety beans against salty ham was a perfect combination that made even the worst mosquito bites magically stop hurting. They are just that powerful.

Recipe: Inspired by Frank Stitt’s Southern Table

Serves 4 as a side

Note: If you don’t have bacon, or want to make this dish completely vegetarian, use herbs such as thyme, oregano or sage to the cooking liquid and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of fruity olive oil at the end instead of using bacon fat.

3 strips of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 cups of water

½ onion, quartered

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes

½ pound of baby butter beans, fresh or frozen

Salt and black pepper

In a skillet on medium-high heat, render the fat and brown the bacon. Make sure the renderings measure 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Set the crisped bacon aside as a garnish.

Combine water, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt together in a saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the butter beans and continue simmering the beans for 15-20 minutes, or until tender.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow the beans to soak in its liquid for 10 minutes. Drain the beans from the cooking liquid, drizzle rendered bacon fat with the beans, season with cracked black pepper and garnish with reserved crispy bacon pieces.

HUNGER PAINS

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Mustard Green Pizza

First, I want to share some great news! This blog is a finalist for Saveur’s 2013 Food Blog Awards as the Best New Food Blog. What an honor! Voting has already begun and ends this Friday, April 19th. Click here to vote! I am in company with so many talented people and blessed to be here. Thank you for all of your support!

For me, cracking the fridge open at exactly noon means I need something in my tummy and QUICK. In pure desperation, I pull leftover dough, mustard greens and Parmesan cheese out of the fridge. Because of my passion for combining Italian and Southern influences, my mind automatically wheels in the direction of creating a pizza with Southern flair. So with pangs in my stomach, I swiftly roll out the dough and slather it with marinara. While the pizza is baking, I quickly, quickly, sauté mustard greens with red pepper flakes, garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice. Once the pizza is golden and crispy, I pile the greens onto the baked pie and shave Parmesan cheese on top, and the result is unexpected perfection. Buon appetito, ya’ll.

Cast of Characters

Serves 1 Hungry Soul:

For the Mustard Green Topping:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 pinch of red pepper flakes

½ bunch of mustard greens, triple washed and dried

Juice of 1 lemon wedge

Salt and pepper to taste

Pull the leafy greens off the tough stalks of the mustard greens. Discard of the stalks and set greens aside.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Once the garlic beings to shimmer and shake in the pan, add the greens and juice from lemon. Quickly toss all of the ingredients together and sauté for 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the Pizza:

1 portion of pizza dough (see recipe below)

2 tablespoons of favorite homemade or jarred marinara

Mustard green topping (see recipe above)

Parmesan cheese shavings, to taste

Preheat oven with pizza stone to 500 degrees

On a sheet of foil dusted with flour, place pizza dough in the middle and gently roll the pizza dough into a circle until thin (you can also pick up the dough and gently stretch the dough with your hands.) Spoon 2 tablespoons of marinara over the dough and spread close to the edges.

Place in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Transfer the pizza to a plate and scatter with prepared mustard greens and a healthy scattering of Parmesan cheese shavings. Enjoy!

Pizza Dough: Makes 8 Individual Pizzas

2 packages of Rapid Rise yeast

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 cups of warm water

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of salt

6 cups of bread flour

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a mixing bowl fitted with the dough hook. Let the yeast bubble and puff up for about 5 minutes. Add the salt and olive oil. Mix on low. Add 3 cups of flour and mix the flour into the dough. Add the other half of the flour and continue mixing on a low speed until the dough forms into a ball. Set the dough in a large bowl covered in olive oil. Place a kitchen towel over the bowl and let rise in a warm spot for an hour.

Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down and place on a cutting board. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place in a gallon sized freezer bag. Place in freezer until ready to use.

THE SWEET LIFE

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Bananas Foster Crepe Cake

My favorite time to visit New Orleans is during springtime. Azaleas radiate with blushing hues, early blooming magnolias perfume the streets, breezes from the river tousle my golden locks, and the air is softly sweetened with the city’s many treats. I always stand astonished at Aunt Sally’s as pralines the size of moon pies studded with toasted pecans lay in a row, basking in front of an old fan, awaiting their fate to be boxed up and devoured within mere moments. Looming next door at Café Du Monde is a different type of lure, one that was deep fried and laden with powdered sugar, begging to be washed down with a café au lait.

Bananas Foster Crepe Cake Top

New Orleans offers another treat, one that entices and excites as it gleams and glows with its amber flames and saccharine scent. Brennan’s Bananas Foster. There is a tinge of delight that never grows old as this famous dessert is prepared tableside, blazes and all. Even though I sit in pure elegance of the restaurant, the combination of cinnamon, butter and sugar will always remind me of the swamp and the bananas added to the concoction of tiny pirogues bubbling away in the murky darkness. No amount of sophistication will ever make me outgrow my bayou roots. As my imagination twirls, rum is added to the sauté pan and whoosh. The flickering flame engulfs everything in its sight. Surrounding tables applaud at the spectacle while the spark dies down and all that’s left is bourbon-brown bananas scented with spicy cinnamon and sugary rum.

Bananas Foster Crepe Cake with Bananas

Traditionally, this delectable dessert is spooned over ice cream, but I decided to do a spin on this New Orleans classic. Once the bananas have browned in the sugar and butter, I mash the whole mixture together and use it as a filling for a crêpe cake, delicately adored with whipped cream spiced with rum and caramelized bananas. Springtime couldn’t get any sweeter.

Sliced Bananas Foster Crepe Cake

Recipe: Makes 1 Crêpe Cake

Filling:

1 stick of butter

2 cup of brown sugar

2 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 teaspoon of vanilla

7 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced on a diagonal

½ cup of good, dark rum (optional)

In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt butter in the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla to the pan. Stir until dissolved and add bananas. Whenever the slices begin to brown and soften, carefully add the rum (if using.)  Light the pan with a long match or a torch. Allow the flames to subside. Let cool and mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher until thick and almost a puréed consistency.

Crêpes: Adapted from Tyler Florence

½ cup of water

2 cups of milk

4 eggs

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of vanilla

4 tablespoons of sugar

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons of butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan

Combine water, milk, eggs, flour, vanilla, sugar and salt in a blender. Blend until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture is no longer lumpy. Scrape down the sides and blend again. Add the butter to the mixture and blend for just a few more seconds. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for an hour.

Place a nonstick skillet on medium to medium-low heat. Brush butter onto the pan. With the batter in one hand and the hot skillet in the other, slowly pour the batter into the pan and twirl the skillet in the other so that there is enough batter to purely coat the bottom of the pan. Let the crêpe cook just until brown at the edges, flip with a spatula and brown on the other side. Flip onto a plate and continue with the remaining batter.

Rum Whipped Cream:

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 tablespoon of rum

Whisk all of the ingredients in a stand mixer until soft peaks form. The whipped cream should be able to hold a peak if inverted.

Creating the Layers:

Banana Foster Purée

Prepared Crêpes

Rum Whipped Cream

Caramelized Bananas*

*Note: For the caramelized bananas, sprinkle sugar onto 1” slices of banana. Using a torch, carefully caramelize the top of the banana like you would a crème brûlée.

On a cake stand, place one crepe on the bottom of the stand. Spread a thin layer of the bananas foster purée onto the crêpe. Repeat with remaining layers until you add the last crêpe (or run out of filling! Whichever comes first.) Finish the last crêpe with a topping of the rum whipped cream and adorn with caramelized bananas.

WAKING TO SPRING

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Light Asparagus Salad

As the snow slowly melts away and awakens us from our leaden slumber, there is a deep desire to traipse out of doors, to feel fresh blades of grass between our toes, to breathe in the crisp, cleansing air of spring and to find ourselves within the meadows. This is a time to throw off the heaviness of the former season and spring into a day free from regulatory manners.

Dull and dreary feelings left over from the sodden winter’s day are cast off by the array of color that spring most humbly offers. The saccharine aroma of honey and floral fragrances fill the air as butterflies dance beneath the branches. And we, too, take to each other’s arms and dance along to the same sweet, silent song. As the wind tousles our hair and caresses our flushed faces, fair petals fall around us. There, in that moment, we feel the magic of spring. There is a beauty in this season like none other. There is growth, inexperienced initiations and a call for inspiration and exploration that whispers to us, taunting us almost, with the promise of being renewed: body, mind and spirit.

So, here on this patch of grass with our offerings strewn about, we find peace for a moment. In raising our glasses, and with a tiny clang of the Mason jars, we toast the spring. This is a season for new beginnings, cherishing our past and holding fast to the hands of those we love.

Here is a lovely, little salad that celebrates the simplicity of the season.

Recipe: from Bon Appétit

Serves 4

Note: If you buy thinner asparagus, there is no need to peel the stalks because they are tender, but if you are using fatter, woody asparagus, you will need to peel the stalk.

Also, to trim the asparagus, apply pressure to the stalk of 1 of asparagus until it snaps and breaks. Notice where the natural break is and line this piece of asparagus with the rest of the bunch. Cut the rest of asparagus at the same place. Basically, you are using this 1 stalk of asparagus as a “template” to trim the rest of the bunch at the appropriate place.

1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and peeled (if needed)

¼ cup of grated Parmesan, plus more for shaving

1 ½ tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Working with 1 asparagus spear at a time, using a Y-peeler, shave asparagus into long, thin ribbons. Transfer to a medium-size bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine grated Parmesan, lemon juice, and olive oil. Whisk together until the mixture is combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle vinaigrette over shaved asparagus and toss with your fingertips to dress the salad. Shave desired amount of Parmesan cheese over the top of the salad. Enjoy!

NATURALLY DYED EASTER EGGS

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Naturally Dyed Eggs

Growing up, spring had officially arrived whenever the family gathered around my grannie’s enormous table and partook of the ritual of dyeing Easter eggs. The wood of the table was protected by sheets of old American Press newspaper and red solo cups which stood like perfectly painted soldiers, standing at attention patiently as we collected the egg dyeing mise en place.

Grannie gathered the pearly boiled eggs that she carefully nested in a tea towel while boiling to prevent the shells from bumping together and cracking. Gallon-sized jugs of distilled white vinegar made their way to the party, appearing with a loud thud as they smacked onto the table. Finally, tiny, candy-like, multicolored tablets were strewn across the paper-lined surface, and the power that lay inside each one of these capsules released neon-staining abilities.

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

My favorite part of dyeing the eggs was the plopping of the little tablets into the solo cups filled with vinegar and watching the tablets bubble and dissolve, leaving blazingly colored vinegar as its only remnant. Now, as a much older child, I appreciate making these egg dyes with natural ingredients. Turmeric gleams and glows with a sunny yellow hue, blueberries create a tone that mimics the depths of the ocean, and beets blush in beautiful rosy bliss. It’s a wonder to watch pearly eggs resurrect from their bright, watery grave, beaming with such stunning tones from dyes made with natural ingredients.

Naturally Dyed Eggs

P.S.

Instead of tossing any leftover dye, you can use the dye to stain the bottom of white cardstock to create a hand dyed Easter menu. Just dip the bottom part of the cardstock into your choice hue and let dry on a flat surface. After the pigment has dried, handwrite your items onto the prepared menu. Place at each table setting. Here is where my inspiration came from.

Hand Dyed Easter Menu

Hand Dyed Menu

Each Dye Makes 1 ½  cups

Inspired by The Blender by Williams Sonoma

Note: This may seem obvious, but make sure you buy WHITE eggs. I can’t tell you how many times I have bought brown ones just by habit. Also, make sure there are no markings, cracks or stamps on the eggs prior to purchasing the carton.

1 Dozen Eggs, boiled and cooled

Pink: Beets

1 large beet, scrubbed and chopped

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

2 cups of water

 

Yellow: Turmeric

1 tablespoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

2 cups of water

 

Blue: Blueberries

1 cup of blueberries, slightly smashed

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

2 cups of water

For each individual color, combine all the ingredients in a pan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium for 20 minutes until reduced. Let cool and strain. If necessary, add cold water until the total volume for each dye is 1 ½ cups (these dyes can be made ahead. I made mine the night before I dyed the eggs and just stashed the dyes in jars on the counter overnight. Before I needed to use the dyes, I just shook the jar and they were ready to go!)

Make sure the surface you are using is well protected with newspaper or an old towel before you start laying out all of your dyes. Fill up 3 plastic cups halfway up with the natural dyes (since I used glass jars to store my dyes in, I just left the dyes in their individual jars.) Carefully place an egg in each one of the vessels (I use a gravy ladle to get each one in and out easily.) Let the eggs sit in the dye for at least 30 minutes. Using the ladle, slowly pull each egg out of the dyes and lay onto a roasting tray lined with paper towels and fitted with a cooling rack. Let dry completely before handling. Continue with the rest of the dozen eggs until you have dyed them all.

White Boiled Eggs

 

 

Going to the Chapel

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Bridal Granita-2

Flowers are in bloom, love is in the air, a wedding is at hand, and this calls for something special. This punch would present itself on any special occasion in my family. With only two modest ingredients, this punch leaves people constantly asking for the recipe. We always say, “Oh it’s just a little this and that,” secretly embarrassed at the ease of the beverage. Instead of keeping with the tradition of the punch, I decided to do a granita. Mingling the old and the new around a wedding is lovely, taking a bow to the tradition and creating new and lasting ones as well. This dessert is as delicate as a magnolia and will be perfect for your next special occasion. Let it be your something borrowed, as I am sharing my family recipe with you.

Bridal Granita

Recipe: Serves 8

1 liter of Sprite

1 tablespoon of almond extract

Open the liter of Sprite and add the tablespoon of almond extract. Place the cap back on the bottle and let the extract sit in the Sprite for an hour. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish (you may need to use 2 dishes), cover and let sit in the freezer for an hour. After an hour, take a fork and scrape the ice crystals. Place back into the freezer and scrape the ice every 30 minutes until the granita is fluffy and light. Serve in champagne glasses and enjoy!

Bridal Granita_