Sacher Torte

based on the recipe in Cooking the Austrian Way
serves 12

ingredients
CAKE:

• 5 1/3 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 stick, plus 3 tbsp Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 6 Eggs, separated
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
• 12 oz Apricot Jam, room temperature

ICING:

• 7 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbsp Butter
• Lemon Juice, a few drops
  
• 8 - 10 tbsp Hot Water

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Line the base and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with wax paper.
3. In a double broiler, heat the chocolate for the cake until melted.
   
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add melted chocolate and beat. Then add the yolks, one at a time, beating continuously until creamy.
5. In another bowl, sift flour and baking powder together.
   
6. In a third bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites and powered sugar until stiff peaks form.
   
7. Add egg whites to chocolate mixture. Sift flour mixture onto egg whites, a little at a time. Fold egg whites and flour carefully into chocolate mixture.
   
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading batter evenly.
   
9. Bake for 50 minutes, testing with a toothpick until it comes out clean.
   
10. Remove cake from oven, remove springform rim and carefully peel away the paper. Allow cake to cool slightly.
    
11. Turn cake onto a cake plate and remove the base of the pan and the wax paper.
    
12. Slice the cake horizontally, and spread bottom layer with jam. Replace the top layer.
    
13. For the icing, melt the chocolate in a double broiler.
    
14. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice to the chocolate. Add the hot water one tbsp at a time to get the right consistency for spreading on a cake.
    
15. While icing is hot, spread over top of cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
    
16. Allow icing to cool completely.
    

Delicious Details

Theme: Bring in Spring!

Number of Guests

10

Starters

Truffled Eggs
A three-minute egg set on a bed of coarse salt, cap removed, drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

Bread

Herbed & Onion Focaccia
Fresh out of the oven and topped with thyme, red onions and olive oil.

Salad

White Bean & Tomato Salad
A true reflection of spring combining fresh tomatoes, cannellini beans, new potatoes, scallions, and fresh lemon juice this hearty salad is bursting with flavor.

Main Course

Snapper en Papillote
Papillote is the French word for the paper used to decorate the tips of a crown roast. "En papillote" refers to the food wrapped in a special kind of greased parchment paper. As the snapper cooks in the paper, the heat and steam released create a puff in the top of the paper and the snapper cooks with the paper in its own juices. We've combined the snapper with red peppers, leeks, capers and lemon...yum!

Sides

Scallops with Ginger-Scallion Sauce
Pan seared to golden perfection and set on a lime-ginger-scallion sauce.
Grilled Zucchini
Charred on each side and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Corn on the Cob with Herbed Butter
Sweet white corn smothered in our housemade rosemary butter.

Dessert

Strawberry Mascarpone Granita
How could we not have strawberries on the menu? We've pureed them with a mint syrup, and mascarpone cheese, frozen the concoction and will be serving it "forked."

Scallops with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

based on the recipe from Kate Brown Entertains
Makes 10 servings

ingredients

• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 6 Scallions, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• 6 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 5 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 tbsp Lime Juice
• 4 tbsp Water
• 2 tbsp Ginger, grated
• ½ tsp Pepper
• 20 Scallops

instructions

1. Mix the sauce ingredients with a whisk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and set aside
2. In a medium sauté pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil.
3. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
4. When the pan is just starting to smoke, add the scallops and sear approximately 2 – 3 minutes per side. You want a golden sear on the outside, so try not to move them while they are searing.
5. Remove the scallops from heat. Drizzle the sauce on each plate, and place scallops on top.

strawberry & mascarpone granita

based on the recipe from the foodnetwork
makes 10 servings

ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup mint, chopped
• 4 cups, strawberries, chopped
• 1 cup Mascarpone
• 6 tbsp lemon juice
• chopped strawberries for garnish

instructions

1. Place the water, sugar, and mint in a saucepan and bring to a simmer to dissolve sugar Strain the mint from the syrup. Discard the mint.
2. In a food processor combine 2 cups of strawberries and lemon juice, puree. Add the cheese, and mint syrup and run the machine to combine.
3. Place the mixture in an 13 x 9 glass dish and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
4. To serve, use a fork to scrap the granite. Spoon the mixture into chilled bowls. Top with chopped strawberries. Serve immediately.

Bread

herb & onion focaccia
based on the recipe from Kate Brown Entertains
makes 8 servings

ingredients

• 1 package Pillsbury Pizza Dough
• 2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp thyme, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, julienned
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• extra-virgin olive oil: enough for drizzling

ingredients

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Unroll the pizza dough as directed on the package onto a pizza stone. Sprinkle half of the herbs on the dough and fold the dough in half lengthwise.
3. Brush the top with olive oil and evenly distribute the remaining herbs, onion, and cheese.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until the foccacia is golden brown and crispy.
6. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve sliced.

Delicious Details

Theme: Autumn Harvest Foods
Guests:
8

Starter

Fresh Pumpkin Soup
We took a whole pumpkin, chopped it up, scoop it out and turned it into a very orange, but delightful soup! Garnished with a swirl of sour cream, it is sure to warm you up as you step inside.

Bread

Hot Cross Buns
Spiced with love and risen to perfection, these hot cross buns are a bite of happiness right out of the oven.

Main Course

Crown Roast Lamb with Vegetables
What is a crown roast lamb? Well, we didn't know either, but it turns out that it is two racks of lamb ribs strung together to form a circle of deliciousness. We complete this dish with asparagus, new potatoes and baby carrots.

Dessert

Scarlet Poached Pears
These pears have been bathed in a scarlet pool of orange muscat, beets and cinnamon to delicately flavor and brightly color them for this festive menu.

Soup

bel's pumpkin soup
based on a creation from Bel's imagination
Makes 8 servings

We never intended to make pumpkin soup, but owing to a lack of butternut squashes in the world we bought a pumpkin.

ingredients

• 1 medium pumpkin, seeded, stemmed and skinned
• 2 chicken bullion cubes
• water
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• italian parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt & pepper to taste
• sour cream

preparation

1. Sautee garlic and onions and garlic in the butter until tender
2. Add the remaining ingredients and boil for a while (about an hour or two) until everything is soft
3. Blend in batches until smooth. Garnish with a swirl of sour cream

Bread

hot cross buns
based on the recipe from Epicurious.com
Makes 24 buns

We made an entire batch of another recipe that turned out horribly. These were better, but we forgot to add the currants. Doh!

ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (105°–115°F.)
• two 1/4-ounce packages (5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar

preparation

1. In a small bowl stir together milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let mixture stand 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2. Into a large bowl sift together flour, allspice, cinnamon, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Cut butter into bits and with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Lightly beat 1 whole egg with egg yolk. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in yeast and egg mixtures, currants, raisins, and zests. Stir mixture until a dough is formed. Transfer dough to a floured surface and with floured hands knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Butter 2 large baking sheets.
4. On a floured surface with floured hands knead dough briefly and form into two 12-inch-long logs. Cut each log crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and arrange about 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Let buns rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F.
6. Transfer buns to a rack to cool slightly. Top buns with a simple frosting of powdered sugar and lemon juice.
   

Main Course

crown roast of lamb with shallots, mustard and mint
based on the recipe from Epicurious.com
Makes 6 servings

We went to our favorite butcher for the crown roast, and they failed us. They wouldn't make a crown smaller than 3 racks and they wants $100 for it. That seemed ridiculous, so we went to Whole Foods where they happily made a double crown rack for around $35 (the cost per lb). We ended up cooking the roast for about half the estimated time, and it was perfect. ABSOLUTELY use a meat thermometer. The early finish meant that we ran behind in cooking the veggies, but it all tasted good. Also you should invest a good knife and ask the butcher how to carve the lamb. We had no idea...

ingredients
For lamb:

• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 crown of lamb made from two 8-rib racks (about 4 1/2 pounds total)
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock or canned unsalted broth
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

For Spring Vegetables with Mint:

• 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
• 1 baby carrot bunch, stems trimmed to 1 inch, peeled
• 1 10-ounce basket pearl onions, peeled
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into thirds
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

preparation

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon mustard and 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary in bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place lamb in roasting pan. Rub all over with butter mixture. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. and continue roasting until thermometer inserted into lamb registers 140°F. for medium-rare, about 40 minutes. Transfer lamb to platter; let stand 15 minutes.
• Pour off fat from roasting pan and set pan aside. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over low heat. Add shallots and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary; sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine to roasting pan and bring to boil over high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add wine to skillet. Add stock; boil until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon mustard and mint. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon vegetables in center of and around roast. Serve, cutting lamb into chops and spooning sauce over.
• To make spring vegetables place potatoes in vegetable steamer and steam 10 minutes. Add carrots and onions and steam until vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes longer. Add asparagus and steam until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes more.
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mint and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and stir until vegetables are coated with butter.

Dessert

scarlet poached pears
based on the recipe from Epicurious.com
Makes 6 servings

We saw a picture of the final product and knew we had to try it. The end result was a surprising and subtle new flavor. The beets stained the pears a shocking scarlet color, and flavored them in a way we could not have imagined. definitely worth making again.

ingredients

• 2 cups Orange Muscat such as Essencia (from a 750-ml bottle)
• 1 medium red beet (1/4 pound), peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 Turkish bay leaves
  
• 3 small firm-ripe pears (3/4 to 1 pound total), such as Forelle, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cored

preparation

• Bring wine, beet, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and bay leaves to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2-quarts saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Add pears and cover with a round of parchment paper. Simmer, turning occasionally, until pears are tender and liquid is syrupy, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pears to a bowl. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaves and pour syrup over pears. Cool completely in syrup, about 30 minutes. Poached pears can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Serve in individual ramekins.