Rotkraut mit Äpflen

based on the recipe in Cooking the Austrian Way
serves 6

Red cabbage is atypical Austrian side dish. During Christmas, people add apples to sweeten this already tasty dish. We used just half a head of a giant cabbage, and it was still enough to feed well over a dozen people, so choose your head wisely.

ingredients

• 1 head Red Cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 small Onion, peeled and cut into quarters (may be sauteed in oil beforehand)
• 6 Whole Cloves
• 1 large Green Apple cut into quarters (we used 2)
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Flour

instructions

1. Combine cabbage, onion, cloves, apple, vinegar, 3/4 tbsp sugar and oil in a large pot.
2. Add enough water to just cover the bottom of the pot.
3. Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender, or about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Add boiling water if needed during cooking to maintain enough water at the bottom of the pan (we didn't need to do this.)
4. Sprinkle flour and the rest of the sugar over the mixture before serving.
   

Gurkensalat

based on the recipe in Cooking the Austrian Way
serves 4 to 6

ingredients

• 2 large Cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 White Onion, peeled and minced
• 1/4 tsp Whit Pepper
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 tbsp Chives, chopped
• 2 tbsp Sour Cream (use plain, nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream for a lighter salad)

instructions

1. Place cucumber into a bowl, add salt, mix, then let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Drain liquid from cucumbers, squeezing out excess, and return to bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients, toss well, and keep cool until ready to serve. Tastes best when chilled overnight.
   

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.