sundaysuppers

Chocolate Lavender Pie

Crust
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks organic butter, cut to small pieces
1 organic egg yolk
¼ cup iced water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together flour and salt.
Cut cold butter into flour to resemble course corn meal.
Mix together yolk and water and add to flour, knead slightly to incorporate and form dough, add more water as needed.
Chill dough to relax.
Roll out, fit to pan, blind bake for 15 minutes, checking to see if bottom is cooked though. Do not allow base to brown.

Chocolate Custard
2 cups cream
2 tbl dried lavender
8 oz bittersweet chocolate chip
1/3 cup sugar

Gently warm the cream, add lavender and steep for 3-5 minutes, strain.
Add cream, chocolate and sugar in a bain marie , stir to incorporate, warming until chocolate has melted through.
Chill slightly and pour into prepared crust.
Allow to set through (approx. 4 hours) before cutting.

Crystallized Lavender

2 tbl dried lavender
¼ cup granulated sugar

Blanch lavender in boiling water for 30 seconds.
Strain well and lightly pat dry.
While lavender is still moist roll it in sugar.
Spread on a sheet pan to dry separating clusters as best you

Recipe courtesy of Camille Becerra

Potato Croquettes
makes 12-18 croquettes

2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
mashed potatoes (made from 6 yukon gold potatoes), chilled
Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

Roll 1 rounded tablespoon of the mashed potatoes into a ball (we used a little scooper for uniformity)
Roll the ball in the flour, eggs and bread crumbs, and place on a baking sheet
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1-1/2 inches olive oil over medium-high heat.
fry the potato croquettes in batches, turning gently, until golden, about 2 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; keep warm on a baking sheet in the oven and fry the remaining croquettes

Dandelion Yogurt

2 cups Greek yogurt
1 bunch dandelion greens
2 tbl olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Chop dandelion greens in a food processor and stir into yogurt. Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste

Earlier this month we celebrated Sophia’s Birthday, her first. Amazing that a year has passed – how she has grown and how much she can do and express leaves me utterly speechless. Not too long ago we had our first sighting of S in her sonogram- she was the size of a sesame seed, flickering [...]

Cinnamon-Swirl Biscuits
Makes 8

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
About ½ cup buttermilk
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the size of small peas. Sprinkle ½ cup buttermilk over the mixture and fold together, adding more buttermilk if necessary to make a soft, tender, slightly sticky dough.

2. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and gently pat into an 8 by 12-inch rectangle. Mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon and cardamom; sprinkle evenly over the surface of the dough. Starting on the long side, roll the dough into a log. Slice into 8 evenly sized 1-inch rounds.

Baking Tip: These cinnamon biscuits, which closely resemble scones, are delicious by themselves with coffee or tea. To bake these separately, arrange about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 375° F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown.

Excerpted from Desserts From the Famous Loveless Café by Alisa Huntsman (Artisan Books). Copyright 2011

Hope you all had a beautiful Thanksgiving Day. This year we had an intimate dinner with family, it was absolutely perfect. We have lots to be thankful for and it was nice to celebrate that with a close few. We made this ridiculous truffled turkey and are still full. We’ll be back next week with [...]

Double-Chocolate Fudge Cake
Makes a 9-inch triple-layer cake; serves 14 to 16

What’s a pound of chocolate or so among friends? At the Loveless, we can go through one of these tall beauties in an hour without blinking. Because it’s chocolate and it’s three layers high, it makes a great birthday cake for chocolate lovers. And since it is drip-glazed rather than frosted, you don’t need to be a pastry chef to make it look fantastic.

2 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sour cream
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze

 
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and grease the paper.
 
2. Place the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl and blend on low speed for about 30 seconds to mix. Add the butter, sour cream, and unsweetened chocolate. Continue to beat on low until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bowl and raise the speed to medium; mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and mix to blend well. Divide the batter evenly among the pans.
 
3. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool completely.
 
4. To decorate the cake, place one layer bottom side up on a cake stand or dessert platter. Top with 2/3 cup of the Chocolate Glaze, spreading it to the edge of the cake. Set another layer on top and repeat. Set the top layer in place and pour the remaining glaze slowly over the center. Using a spatula, guide the glaze to the edges of the cake as you turn the stand so that the chocolate slowly spills over the sides and drips down the cake.

- MORE -

Chocolate Glaze
Makes about 3 Cups

1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup half-and-half

Place the bittersweet chocolate and half-and-half in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on the lowest setting or the defrost setting for 1 minute; stir well. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir again. Repeat, if necessary, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Let cool until tepid; do not refrigerate.

Melting Chocolate

Chocolate scorches if allowed to heat above 120°F. Even if you are careful, melting it over direct heat can easily cause burns in spots. Chocolate also “seizes”—becomes grainy and tough—if it comes in contact with even a few drops of water. For these reasons, a double boiler is ideal for melting chocolate, because water in the bottom container tempers the heat of the stove while the top container shields the chocolate from any moisture. If you don’t have a double boiler, set a stainless-steel mixing bowl over, not directly touching, a pan of water that is just below a simmer over low heat. The warm bowl keeps the melted chocolate fluid while you add other ingredients and make your batter or frosting.

A microwave is not as reliable for melting because the heat is very uneven and power varies from model to model, making it easy to burn the chocolate in spots. That said, we recommend using a microwave for melting either very small amounts of chocolate or larger quantities with a substantial amount of liquid, such as cream or half-and-half. Place the chocolate and liquid, if using, in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on the lowest setting or the defrost setting for 30 seconds for very small amounts (2 ounces or less) or 45 to 60 seconds for larger amounts; stir well. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir again. Repeat, if necessary, until the mixture is melted, shiny, and satiny smooth.

Excerpted from Desserts From the Famous Loveless Café by Alisa Huntsman (Artisan Books)

I’m excited to present, The Loveless Cafe Cookbook by Alissa Huntsman with Photography and Styling by yours truly : ). If you haven’t been, The Loveless is quite literally a Nashville based Institution: home of southern fried foods, biscuits, homemade jams and so much more. This cookbook features their decadent and (totally over the top) [...]

I was super excited to photograph this project of styled tabletops for NewlyWish.  The unique contemporary registry site NewlyWish recently collaborated with Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton, featuring individually styled table settings by 5 wedding tastemakers including: Abby Larson (Style Me Pretty), Ceci Johnson (Ceci Stationery), Xochitl Gonzalez & Mayra Castillo (of Always a Bridesmaid), [...]

Mini Chicken and Root Vegetable Pot Pies
Serves four

Ingredients
1 sweet potato, diced
1 parsnip, diced
2 sage leaves
5-6 cremini mushrooms, diced
1 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
2 chicken breasts, diced
½ c. parsley, chopped
2½ tbsp. flour
1 c. chicken stock
½ c. white wine
Premade puff pastry dough
1 egg, plus 1 tbsp. water

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Saute potatoes, parsnip, sage, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in oil and butter over medium heat.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, allowing vegetables to sweat about 5 minutes.

4. Remove vegetables and saute chicken breast 5 minutes.

5. Add vegetables, parsley, flour, stock, and wine. Simmer 5 minutes and season again with salt and pepper if necessary.

6. Fill four ramekins or baking cups with mixture and top each with a circle of dough about ¼-inch larger than the vessel.

7. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

This one might be too hearty for the heat of July, but it’s perfect for these temperate afternoons. A baguette cut lengthwise for sturdiness, slathered with aioli, mounded with roast beef, quartered hardboiled egg, and peppered with sliced red onion, arugula, and capers. (don’t forget salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil). Simple [...]