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Pepper Boursin Tea Sandwiches with Walnuts, Cherries and Watercress Baby Spring Vegetables with Green Goddess Dip Strawberries with Brown Sugar and Sour Cream Mint Chocolate Rocks Darjeeling Tea
Pepper Boursin Tea Sandwiches with Walnuts, Cherries and Watercress
8 slices good quality white bread About 2 tablespoons very soft butter One 5.2-ounce container Boursin cheese with black pepper (or a container of plain Boursin mixed with ½ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper) ¼ cup walnuts 2 tablespoons dried cherries 1 bunch watercress
Place walnuts on a pie plate and toast at 350º for 6-8 minutes, watching carefully so they don’t burn. Chop walnuts. Chop dried cherries. Wash and dry watercress. Cut the crusts off the bread slices. Roll over each bread slice with a rolling pin to flatten. Spread a very thin layer of butter on each slice. Mash Boursin and spread some on each slice, dividing cheese equally among the 8 slices. Cut each slice in half lengthwise. Sprinkle half the bread slices with the walnuts, and the other half of the bread slices with the chopped cherries. Place two watercress leaves (without the stems) on one end of each piece of bread and roll up, allowing watercress leaves to peek out the sides. Put on a plate, seam side down. (Secure temporarily with a toothpick if necessary, but be sure to remove before serving.) Roll remaining sandwiches in similar fashion. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate if you are not serving right away. Bring to room temperature before serving to allow flavors to fully develop. Use the remaining watercress as a bed for the vegetables and dip.
Baby Spring Vegetables with Green Goddess Dip
3 anchovy filets, rinsed well and finely chopped 2 finely chopped scallions 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon 3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives 1 cup mayonnaise ½ cup sour cream 1 teaspoon lemon juice Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper A selection of baby spring vegetables, such as baby carrots, baby zucchini, sugar snap peas, whatever you like and whatever is available.
Peel the carrots. The zucchini just needs to be washed. Some vegetables, such as sugar snap peas, need to be blanched: heat a large pot of water to boiling. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Add a good handful of kosher salt to the boiling water, and another to the ice bath. Drop the peas into the boiling water for 20 seconds. Immediately remove with a strainer and put into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Arrange vegetables attractively on a bed of the watercress left over from the sandwiches. Place a small bowl of Green Goddess Dip in the center of the platter
Combine anchovies, herbs, mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until well-combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate dip for an hour or so to allow flavors to develop.
Strawberries with Brown Sugar and Sour Cream
1 basket of ripe, fragrant whole strawberries 1 cup brown sugar ½ cup sour cream
Be sure to smell your strawberries before you buy them. If they are ripe and smell wonderful, chances are they will also taste wonderful. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. If your strawberries are chilled, bring them to room temperature before serving to bring out the flavor. Wait until just before serving to wash them, leaving on the hulls and any stems. Drain, and place in a beautiful bowl. Place a small bowl of brown sugar, and another of sour cream beside the strawberries for dipping.
These are the same chocolate cookies as in the March “Dinner and a Movie” menu, except they are flavored with mint instead of coffee. Either way, they are delicious.
¾ cup butter, softened ½ cup brown sugar ¾ cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 2/3 cup sour cream 2/3 cup premium-quality cocoa (I like Valrhona) 2 cups flour ¾ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon salt
Frosting: 2 ounces high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted 2 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon mint extract
Preheat oven to 350ºº. Combine sour cream, cocoa and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside. Cream butter and sugars together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add chocolate mixture. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to mixture and beat just until combined. Drop small scoops of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cookies resist when pressed lightly with a finger. Cool on racks.
Melt the chocolate in a small dish in the microwave like this: Heat on high for 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each 10 seconds. Continue to do this until chocolate has just melted. Do not overheat. Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. The frosting may seem too thick, or it might start to set up before you are finished frosting the cookies. If this happens, zap the whole mixture in the microwave for 5 seconds or so to re-melt the chocolate. Frost cooled cookies. Let rest on racks for an hour or so to set frosting.
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Copyright © 2008 by Charlotte Rose. All rights reserved. |