All Photos by Karen Mordechai
Recipes Courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Pearl Couscous Salad
2 cups couscous
1 3/4 cups fresh orange juice
juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
splash of white vinegar
splash of olive oil
half a stick of butter melted
salt and freshly ground black pepper
one red onion finely diced
2 roma tomates finely diced
1/2 bunch of parsley (the market variety, not the small bunches from the supermarket)
1/2 bunch of cilantro (as above)
toasted slivered almonds
Combine orange juice, lemon and lime juice, white vinegar, olive oil and butter in a pan on the stove. Season. When this mixture is boiling pour it over the cous cous and mix it through with a fork. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for ten minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and separate the grains of cous cous with a fork. Add the red onion, tomato, parsley, cilantro and toasted almonds. Check the seasoning, it may need a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper.
All Photos by Karen Mordechai
Recipes by Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Kabobs of Artic Char, Swordfish, Green Pepper, Red Onion and Cherry Tomatoes
1 lb Artic Char
1 lb Swordfish
2 lb Peppers
Two handfuls of Cherry Tomatoes
1 Red Onion
Soak the wooden skewers in water for a few hours.
Cut the swordfish and artic char into cubes.
Cut the green pepper and red onion into pieces that are similar in size to the fish.
Thread a piece of fish, pepper, onion and tomato, repeating three times.
Barbecue skewers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are softened/browned and fish is cooked.
Note that these skewers cook very quickly over hot coals – be sure to turn them more regularly than you would with meat.
Pine Nut, Caper and Golden Raisin Butter
3 ounces of pine nuts
1 ounce of salted capers rinsed and drained
3 ounces of golden raisins
2 sticks of butter
Gently warm the butter, when it starts to foam, add pine nuts. As these start to golden, add raisins and capers. Check for seasoning and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Pour this wonderful mixture over the grilled fish & enjoy.
All Photos by Karen Mordechai
Recipes courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Salad of Watermelon, Feta, Caramelized Onion and Aged Balsamic
One quarter of a whole seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
Half Pound of Bulgarian Feta crumbled
One bunch of Basil leaves picked and washed
Caramelized Onions (see below)
Aged Balsamic
Black Pepper
Gently mix all ingredients together and finish with a good drizzle of the best quality balsamic and a grind of black pepper.
For the caramelized onions:
3 red onions, peeled and sliced finely
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown soft sugar
Put the oil in a small pot, add onions on low heat and allow to caramelize. When the onions are soft add the red wine vinegar and sugar. Cook on low for about ten minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Allow to cool before adding them to the other salad ingredients.
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Marigold and Mint Salad
6 cups mixed greens
8 marigolds, petals only
1 bunch of mint
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c olive oil
sea salt and pepper
Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in the bottom of a bowl. Layer greens, torn mint and marigolds over top. Keep chilled and toss right before serving.
Aran served a wonderful array of petit fours at the end of our summer meal.
Our first thought…are these cookies too pretty to eat ? well almost ! The Pistachio Currant is our fave, but really they are all wonderful. We were able to truly taste test Aran’s desserts, and the verdict is out – her desserts taste as good as they look. See full recipes below & have a wonderful weekend.
We will continue to post recipes from the summer class next week and a few other fun things we’ve been working on. I (karen) will be leaving for 2 weeks: Paris for a few days and then to Israel to visit family and work on a few projects…I hope to take lots of photos and notes and share them while I’m away. stay tuned…xo
Raspberry Financiers
Makes 3 dozen mini financiers
120 grams egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams flour
55 grams almond flour, toasted
150 grams brown butter
25 grams raspberries, halved
Place the butter in a small saucepan and cook until it starts to smell nutty and the milk solids caramelize in the bottom of the pan. Strain through a fine sieve and let it cool.
Toast the almond flour in a 325F oven for about 5 minutes until lightly golden. Let it cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, flour, toasted almond flour and finally the brown butter. Let the mixture cool in the fridge for about 4 hours.
Place the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe into mini rectangular molds. Top with half a raspberry.
Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Pecan Sandies
280 grams butter, room temperature
110 grams powdered sugar
340 grams flour
85 grams chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for rolling.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Add the chopped pecans.
Scoop the dough into a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicon mat using a 1 to 2 inch ice cream scoop.
Bake at 350 until lightly golden, about 12 minutes depending on the size.
Let them cool for a couple of minutes and when they can be handled but are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar until coated.
Pistachio and currant cookies
110 grams butter, room temperature
110 grams brown butter
55 grams sugar
1 egg
225 grams flour
85 grams pistachios, chopped
65 grams dried currants
3g baking soda
4g salt
Cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar together. Add the egg and mix. Scrape the bowl and mix until all ingredients well incorporated.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until ingredients come together. Add pistachios and currants and mix some more.
Roll the dough into a log that is about 2-3 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment and let it set in refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Cut the log into disks and place them on a baking sheet (leave about 1 inch between the cookies as they spread a little). Bake them at 350F for about 8 minutes.
100 grams unsalted butter
100 grams sugar
100 grams flour
125 grams pistachios, chopped
pinch of salt
Cream all ingredients together in an electric mixer. It will be crumbly. Place on a cookie sheet or in an airtight container and refrigerate over night.
The next day, spread the crumble on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 350F until golden, about 8 minutes. Let it cool.
Roasted Nectarines
5 nectarines
25 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean split
Juice of ? lemon
Peel and cut the nectarines into medium dice. Mix nectarines with sugar, vanilla bean and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook for 2 minutes until slightly soft.
Let the nectarines cool before assembling the tart.
Place the almond paste and one egg in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream the almond paste and egg until it starts to break down and turn into a smoother paste. Add the lemon zest. Slowly add one egg at a time.
Switch to the whip attachment and whip until ribbons are formed, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix.
Add cooled and melted butter and mix.
Place the batter in a piping bag with the plain pastry tip and fill the savarin molds about ? full.
Bake at 365F for about 12 minutes until lightly golden brown and springy.
Vanilla Mousseline
250 grams whole milk
1 vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
40 grams sugar
25 grams cornstarch
125 grams butter, cold and cut into small pieces
Place the milk, vanilla and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a light boil.
Whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. When the milk mixture comes to a light boil, temper it into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk to incorporate and then return this to the saucepan. Cook while constantly whisking until the custard thickens.
Remove vanilla bean and transfer the custard to a clean bowl. Whisk to slightly cool the custard down and start adding the cold butter while whisking. This will cool it down and make it shiny and creamier.
Place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming and chill.
Lemon Mascarpone Cream
200 grams heavy cream
50 grams mascarpone
25 grams sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until semi stiff peaks form.
Assemble the Dessert
Place a 3” ring on a plate and press in some pistachio crumble. Next add a layer of roasted nectarines (previously drained a bit). Press gently to make it compact.
Carefully remove the ring.
Place the lemon sponge savarin on top of the nectarines.
Pipe some vanilla mousseline in the savarin cavity.
Top with a quenelle of lemon mascarpone cream.
Our guest chef from the Summer Supper was Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille. Aran is one of those people you meet that are so lovely and wonderful and beautiful – both inside and out that you just want to have her around all the time ! Her talents are incredible as many of you know, and watching her in action – it is just effortless and graceful. We were entranced watching her make a perfect one spoon quenelle. We were so honored and thrilled to have Aran teach a class and are happy to have her as a friend as well. If you have not clicked over to her site yet, what are you waiting for ?! go here to see more of Aran’s work. Below is her first course – a pre-dessert: berry consomme with lemon champagne sorbet. recipe below.
Berry Consomme
500 grams assorted berries (strawberries, currants, raspberries)
50 grams sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Place all ingredients in a non reactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the bowl over a double boiler (low heat). Let the berries macerate and release their juices for about 4 hours.
Strain the berries through a fine sieve. Do not press the flesh down. We just want to collect the clear juice. Let it cool completely in the refrigerator before serving.
Lemon Champagne Sorbet
adapted from David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”
1 1/3 cups (330 ml) champagne
1 cup (100 gr) sugar
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Heat half of the champagne with sugar until it dissolves. Add lemon juice and rest of champagne. Cool completely and churn in the ice cream machine.
The gorgeous bowl we used for Aran’s pre-dessert are a set created by Asya of Gleena Ceramics. Asya created a custon line of pink summer bowls for us to match the decor of the evening. They were even numbered 1-18 for our 18 guests ! how cute is that. Check out Asya’s work here. For you locals she’s at the brooklyn flea in fort green on Saturdays. Thank you Asya !
The menu for our Summer Supper was a 3 course Savory, 3 course Sweet celebration of summer. Casey’s portion of the meal was served family style in big bowls and platters that were passed around the table. The market inspired menu was filled with the most seasonal goodies, marigolds, watermelon, corn, berries, currants….the list goes on. We will start posting recipes tomorrow, we’ll be working our way backwards and starting with the wonderful creations by Aran, we know you are patiently awaiting them The menu was as follows:
savory: swordfish and salmon kabobs with market vegetables pearl couscous salad watermelon, feta and basil salad market greens with mint and marigold
sweet: berry consomme with lemon champagne sorbet nectarine, pistachio and lemon mascarpone tart assorted petits fours
The table Design for our Summer Supper was a large family style setting. We used white table clothes, layered with brown kraft paper. We set the table with our vintage silverware and a mix-matched array of vintage napkins. Jessie’s flowers topped it all off with a wonderful deep hues of pinks and reds. One of the things that makes Jessie’s work so unique is how she seamlessly incorporates the most unexpected items, look closely and you’ll find acorns, poppy pods and the really dark flowers are called scabiosa. We also collected vintage white milk glass vessels as containers for the flowers in an array of shapes and sizes. The wonderful menu was designed by thoughtfulday (and it actually gives you a sneak peak at our new logo which will be revealed in coming weeks!)
2 cups couscous
1 3/4 cups fresh orange juice
juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
splash of white vinegar
splash of olive oil
half a stick of butter melted
salt and freshly ground black pepper
one red onion finely diced
2 roma tomates finely diced
1/2 bunch of parsley (the market variety, not the small bunches from the supermarket)
1/2 bunch of cilantro (as above)
toasted slivered almonds
Combine orange juice, lemon and lime juice, white vinegar, olive oil and butter in a pan on the stove. Season. When this mixture is boiling pour it over the cous cous and mix it through with a fork. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for ten minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and separate the grains of cous cous with a fork. Add the red onion, tomato, parsley, cilantro and toasted almonds. Check the seasoning, it may need a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper.
Recipes Courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Kabobs of Artic Char, Swordfish, Green Pepper, Red Onion and Cherry Tomatoes
1 lb Artic Char
1 lb Swordfish
2 lb Peppers
Two handfuls of Cherry Tomatoes
1 Red Onion
Soak the wooden skewers in water for a few hours.
Cut the swordfish and artic char into cubes.
Cut the green pepper and red onion into pieces that are similar in size to the fish.
Thread a piece of fish, pepper, onion and tomato, repeating three times.
Barbecue skewers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are softened/browned and fish is cooked.
Note that these skewers cook very quickly over hot coals – be sure to turn them more regularly than you would with meat.
Pine Nut, Caper and Golden Raisin Butter
3 ounces of pine nuts
1 ounce of salted capers rinsed and drained
3 ounces of golden raisins
2 sticks of butter
Gently warm the butter, when it starts to foam, add pine nuts. As these start to golden, add raisins and capers. Check for seasoning and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Pour this wonderful mixture over the grilled fish & enjoy.
Recipes Courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Salad of Watermelon, Feta, Caramelized Onion and Aged Balsamic
One quarter of a whole seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
Half Pound of Bulgarian Feta crumbled
One bunch of Basil leaves picked and washed
Caramelized Onions (see below)
Aged Balsamic
Black Pepper
Gently mix all ingredients together and finish with a good drizzle of the best quality balsamic and a grind of black pepper.
For the caramelized onions:
3 red onions, peeled and sliced finely
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown soft sugar
Put the oil in a small pot, add onions on low heat and allow to caramelize. When the onions are soft add the red wine vinegar and sugar. Cook on low for about ten minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Allow to cool before adding them to the other salad ingredients.
—————————————————–
Marigold and Mint Salad
6 cups mixed greens
8 marigolds, petals only
1 bunch of mint
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c olive oil
sea salt and pepper
Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in the bottom of a bowl. Layer greens, torn mint and marigolds over top. Keep chilled and toss right before serving.
Recipes courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Raspberry Financiers
Makes 3 dozen mini financiers
120 grams egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams flour
55 grams almond flour, toasted
150 grams brown butter
25 grams raspberries, halved
Place the butter in a small saucepan and cook until it starts to smell nutty and the milk solids caramelize in the bottom of the pan. Strain through a fine sieve and let it cool.
Toast the almond flour in a 325F oven for about 5 minutes until lightly golden. Let it cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, flour, toasted almond flour and finally the brown butter. Let the mixture cool in the fridge for about 4 hours.
Place the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe into mini rectangular molds. Top with half a raspberry.
Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Pecan Sandies
280 grams butter, room temperature
110 grams powdered sugar
340 grams flour
85 grams chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for rolling.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Add the chopped pecans.
Scoop the dough into a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicon mat using a 1 to 2 inch ice cream scoop.
Bake at 350 until lightly golden, about 12 minutes depending on the size.
Let them cool for a couple of minutes and when they can be handled but are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar until coated.
Pistachio and currant cookies
110 grams butter, room temperature
110 grams brown butter
55 grams sugar
1 egg
225 grams flour
85 grams pistachios, chopped
65 grams dried currants
3g baking soda
4g salt
Cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar together. Add the egg and mix. Scrape the bowl and mix until all ingredients well incorporated.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until ingredients come together. Add pistachios and currants and mix some more.
Roll the dough into a log that is about 2-3 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment and let it set in refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Cut the log into disks and place them on a baking sheet (leave about 1 inch between the cookies as they spread a little). Bake them at 350F for about 8 minutes.
100 grams unsalted butter
100 grams sugar
100 grams flour
125 grams pistachios, chopped
pinch of salt
Cream all ingredients together in an electric mixer. It will be crumbly. Place on a cookie sheet or in an airtight container and refrigerate over night.
The next day, spread the crumble on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 350F until golden, about 8 minutes. Let it cool.
Roasted Nectarines
5 nectarines
25 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean split
Juice of ? lemon
Peel and cut the nectarines into medium dice. Mix nectarines with sugar, vanilla bean and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook for 2 minutes until slightly soft.
Let the nectarines cool before assembling the tart.
Place the almond paste and one egg in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream the almond paste and egg until it starts to break down and turn into a smoother paste. Add the lemon zest. Slowly add one egg at a time.
Switch to the whip attachment and whip until ribbons are formed, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix.
Add cooled and melted butter and mix.
Place the batter in a piping bag with the plain pastry tip and fill the savarin molds about ? full.
Bake at 365F for about 12 minutes until lightly golden brown and springy.
Vanilla Mousseline
250 grams whole milk
1 vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
40 grams sugar
25 grams cornstarch
125 grams butter, cold and cut into small pieces
Place the milk, vanilla and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a light boil.
Whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. When the milk mixture comes to a light boil, temper it into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk to incorporate and then return this to the saucepan. Cook while constantly whisking until the custard thickens.
Remove vanilla bean and transfer the custard to a clean bowl. Whisk to slightly cool the custard down and start adding the cold butter while whisking. This will cool it down and make it shiny and creamier.
Place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming and chill.
Lemon Mascarpone Cream
200 grams heavy cream
50 grams mascarpone
25 grams sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until semi stiff peaks form.
Assemble the Dessert
Place a 3” ring on a plate and press in some pistachio crumble. Next add a layer of roasted nectarines (previously drained a bit). Press gently to make it compact.
Carefully remove the ring.
Place the lemon sponge savarin on top of the nectarines.
Pipe some vanilla mousseline in the savarin cavity.
Top with a quenelle of lemon mascarpone cream
Berry Consomme
500 grams assorted berries (strawberries, currants, raspberries)
50 grams sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Place all ingredients in a non reactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the bowl over a double boiler (low heat). Let the berries macerate and release their juices for about 4 hours.
Strain the berries through a fine sieve. Do not press the flesh down. We just want to collect the clear juice. Let it cool completely in the refrigerator before serving.
Lemon Champagne Sorbet
adapted from David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”
1 1/3 cups (330 ml) champagne
1 cup (100 gr) sugar
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Heat half of the champagne with sugar until it dissolves. Add lemon juice and rest of champagne. Cool completely and churn in the ice cream machine.
Recipe Courtesy of Aran Goyoaga of Canelle et Vanille
The gorgeous bowl we used for Aran’s pre-dessert are a set created by Asya of Gleena Ceramics. Asya created a custon line of pink summer bowls for us to match the decor of the evening. They were even numbered 1-18 for our 18 guests ! how cute is that. Check out Asya’s work here. [...]
The menu for our Summer Supper was a 3 course Savory, 3 course Sweet celebration of summer. Casey’s portion of the meal was served family style in big bowls and platters that were passed around the table. The market inspired menu was filled with the most seasonal goodies, marigolds, watermelon, corn, berries, currants….the list goes [...]
The table Design for our Summer Supper was a large family style setting. We used white table clothes, layered with brown kraft paper. We set the table with our vintage silverware and a mix-matched array of vintage napkins. Jessie’s flowers topped it all off with a wonderful deep hues of pinks and [...]
