Garden Dinner of the Garden State

What a marvelous summer it has been! My garden has produced a glut of heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, Russian kale, black and white eggplants, and herbs galore. I now have so many beets I have run out of ways to cook them. 

I recently hosted a 6 course dinner for 6 at our place. I decided to make it a “farm to table” affair using as much produce from my garden as I could. I wanted the dinner to reflect the abundance of my New Jersey garden. It was a wonderful dinner that lasted for hours. We enjoyed the gracious bounty of the earth, the beauty of life, good conversation and good wine, and the fortune of good friends.

Garden Dinner of the Garden State

Italian Gin & Tonic

Guacamole and Chips

Grilled Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

Grape, Cucumber, and Basil Gazpacho

Accoutrements

    Radish Salad

    Fried Mozzarella 

    Croutons

    Basil and Fried Sage

Ricotta Gnocchi in Brown Butter

Seared Cod with Capers & Preserved Lemon

Avocado Stripe

Crispy Duck Breast with Orange Gastric & Oranges

Ratatouille Tartelette

Cauliflower Hash

Pickled Beets & Carrots

Humboldt Fog

Grilled Kale Salad

Brioche Points

House Pear Butter

Dessert Tasting

Chocolate Bouchon & Chantilly

Peach Crisp

Lime Posset & Blueberry Juice

Tomato Raspberry Ice Cream

Here are two recipes from this amazing dinner: Grilled Tomato Gazpacho and Lime Posset

Grilled Tomato Gazpacho

Yield: 6 - 1 Cup servings

This traditional Spanish dish is typically made with raw vegetables. I find that grilling the tomatoes elevates the flavors of this soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

INGREDIENTS

5 Very ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and quartered

1/2 Large Vidalia onion, or other sweet onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 Medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into large chunks

1 Clove garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 Cup packed fresh basil leaves

1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 TBSP Fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

Coarse sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. On a hot grill heated to medium heat, place the tomato quarters. Sear them until black marks appear. Remove from heat.

2. In a blender, pour tomato chunks and purée for about 30 seconds. Once smooth, add onion, cucumber, garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Purée mixture until very smooth, about 2 minutes.

2. Add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper as needed to taste. If the gazpacho is too thick, gradually add water until it is a drinkable consistency.

3. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours. Place 2 ice cubes in each of 6 tall glasses. Fill the glasses with gazpacho, and serve.

 Lime Posset

Yield: 6 – 3 oz. servings

A posset historically refers to a drink made with hot milk and subsequently curdled with alcohol. This posset is a custard-like dessert that can be flavored with citrus or berries. I like how the freshness of the lime lightens the decadence of the cream.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups (470 mL) Heavy cream              

2/3 Cup (130 gm) Granulated sugar

1 TBSP Lime zest     

3 oz. Lime juice (Approximately the juice from 3 Limes)           

Fresh blueberries or raspberries for garnish, or jam

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the cream, sugar and lime zest. Place saucepan on stove and turn heat on medium. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. Keep an eye on the cream so it doesn't overflow.

2. Once the mixture reaches a simmer, lower heat and reduce it for 10 to 12 minutes.

3. After the cream has reduced, remove saucepan from the heat and stir in lime juice. Let cool for 20 to 25 minutes. A thin skin will form on top.

4. Place a strainer over a medium sized bowl. Once the mixture is cooled, pour it through the strainer and discard zest. Using a ladle, divide mixture evenly among 6 individual ramekins or serving glasses.

5. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Once chilled, possets can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

6. Serve cold and garnish with berries or jam.

Enjoy!

Cake Pudding and Strawberry Shortcake

June. I love the flirting, warm days of June that presage Summer's arrival. My flowers are blooming and the vegetables are growing. When summer comes, the cooking will be more varied and even more delicious. But before Summer arrives, I want to enjoy Spring to the fullest.

As I don't like to waste ingredients, I try to find new and creative ways of using leftovers or scraps. In my pastry classes, I use cake remnants left by my students for my cake pudding. It's like bread pudding -- except it's made with cake instead of bread cubes. Because the cake is already sweet, I don't add sugar to the custard. It is so delicious and tender because there is no gluten developed in the cake as there is with the bread. I like to serve it with softly whipped cream or ice cream. In the Spring and Summer months, I add seasonal fruits.

In addition to leftover cake scraps, I sometimes have a surplus of an almond flour and powdered sugar mixture. This is typically used for macarons, but I've found it to be delectable as a shortcake served with macerated fruits.

Here are the recipes:

Cake Pudding
Serves 6 - 8
For the Custard:
4 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla
½ Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Clove
Pinch of Salt
480 mL (2 Cups) Half and half
480 mL (2 Cups) Whole milk

2 Lb White cake cubes, dried or old
115 grams (8 TBSP) BKLYN Buttah brand Butter for beurre noisette (if unavailable, substitute unsalted butter)
     
Directions:
1. If the cake is fresh, toast it lightly in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes just until dry. Remove from oven and pour evenly into a clean baking dish.

2. Put the butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Cook until the butter melts and the milk solids (white foam) appear. The milk solids will lose their color and start to brown. You will see little brown flecks throughout the butter. The butter will have a nutty scent; the darker the butter, the deeper the flavor. Just be careful not to burn it!

3. Drizzle the brown butter over the cake, making sure to get as many pieces as possible. Set aside until the custard is ready.

4. Make the custard: In a large bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, salt, milk, and half-and-half. Whisk the mixture until it is completely combined. Pour over the cake cubes and let rest for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 300°F.

6. Sprinkle brown sugar over the pudding (as much or as little as you like) and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a small knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

6. Cool slightly and serve with your favorite ice cream or whipped cream.

Variations:
√ Sprinkle dried fruits over the cake cubes before adding the custard
√ Whisk in 1/4 cup of Brandy or Rum to the custard
√ In the fall and winter add 2 grated apples to the cake cubes. Serve with caramel sauce


Strawberry Almond Shortcakes
Serves 4

Grease 4 muffin tins or ramekins

1/2 LB Strawberries (Approximately 2 cups of strawberry halves)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
Zest and juice from one lime

6 TBSP Heavy cream
1 TBSP sugar

Shortcakes:
43 grams (3 TBSP) Unsalted Butter
75 grams (1/2 Cup) Almond flour
80 grams (1/2 Cup) 10x (Powdered) Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
Pinch of Salt
35 grams (1/4 cup) All-Purpose flour
30 grams (1/4 cup) Crushed Graham crackers

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin tins and set aside

2. In a food processor fitted with blade, add almond flour and powdered sugar. Mix until they are combined.

3. Add butter, egg, vanilla, and salt to the almond flour and powdered sugar.

4. Process the mixture until thoroughly combined.

5. Add AP flour and graham crackers to the almond flour mixture. Process everything until it is well incorporated.

6. Divide the mixture evenly into the greased muffin tins, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

7. Carefully wash and dry the strawberries.

8. Using a paring knife, hull the strawberries and cut them in half. Place strawberry halves in a bowl.

9. Add sugar, lime zest, and juice from half the lime to the strawberries. Gently stir so all the berries are coated with sugar and lime.

10. Let the berries sit and macerate for 15 minutes.

11. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add heavy cream. Turn the mixer on low speed and whip. As the cream starts to whip, slowly increase the speed. Gently add the sugar and continue whipping until the cream is at soft peaks (the peaks will fall over).

To serve:
Cut the warm shortcake in half and place one half cut side up on a plate.
Top the shortcake with strawberries and juice.
Place a dollop of the whipped cream on top of the strawberries, and top with the other half of the shortcake.
Enjoy!!

Bonbons,Three Ways

Spring was fighting to come out this year. Winter didn’t make it easy but Spring is finally in full bloom. My garden is coming to life, proof that Spring is really here. I have 4 varieties of potatoes, in addition to asparagus, arugula, parsley, cilantro, and other seedlings ready for transplant. I love to spend hours on end in the garden planning for the days and months ahead. 

I've been busy in the kitchen, too. In the midst of finishing wedding cakes and special desserts, I made an array of chocolate bonbons: lemon filled (layers of lemon curd and lemon milk chocolate ganache); dark chocolate Sicilian pistachio ganache; and milk chocolate espresso ganache. I can't pick a favorite as they are each exquisite and decadent in their own way. The lemon curd and lemon milk chocolate are refreshing, while the milk chocolate espresso ganache has a little zip. The dark chocolate Sicilian pistachio bonbons are a nice combination of salty and chocolate. You can't go wrong with any of these. 

If you'd like to see my tutorial, check out my YouTube video on making bonbons:

https://youtu.be/TOGhpb4HjTU

You will need the following for the bon bons:

Tempered white chocolate for the white chocolate shell

Tempered dark chocolate for the dark chocolate shell

Proceed to make all the shells first so they set at room temperature. (Make sure you are working in a cool kitchen not hotter than 72°F). Here is my YouTube video on tempering chocolate using the seeding method: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bydThAkiHzI&index=8&list=PLAWpIBpOvRSJa8KNjNwUtSojHovkMX2Ul

Lemon Bonbons

White Chocolate Shell

Lemon Curd

Ganache 

For the Lemon Curd:

1/2 Cup (100 grams) Sugar        

Zest of 3 Lemons

1/3 Cup +1 TBSP (90 grams) Lemon juice (from lemons)

3 eggs

3/4 Tsp (5 grams) Gelatin powder 

12 TBSP (180 grams) Butter, softened

1. In a small bowl, place 3 TBSP water. Sprinkle the gelatin powder evenly over the water. Let it rest for 5 minutes until it congeals. 

2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs in a bowl. Transfer the mixture to a heavy saucepan. Over low heat, whisk the lemon curd and bring to a simmer. 

3. As soon as the mixture simmers, it will start to thicken. Remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin and softened butter. Whisk the curd until it is well emulsified.  

4. Pour the lemon curd through a strainer into a bowl. Let the curd cool slightly, and cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't create a skin. Let it continue to cool down to room temperature.

For the Ganache:

1/4 Cup + 3 TBSP (100 grams) Heavy cream

1 1/2 Cups (250 grams) Milk chocolate

150 gm Lemon curd (Approximately 1/3 of Lemon curd from recipe above)

1. Place chopped milk chocolate into a large bowl. Set aside. 

2. Pour the heavy cream into a heavy saucepan. Bring the cream to a boil over low to medium heat. Remove from heat and pour carefully over chopped milk chocolate.  Let it rest undisturbed for 1 minute.

3. After it rests, whisk the mixture slowly. Start in the middle of the bowl and slowly incorporate more of the chocolate into the heavy cream. Continue whisking slowly until it emulsifies. 

4. Add the curd to the ganache and fold in until it is mixed well.

Assemble the Bonbons:

1. Temper white chocolate

2. Put a #3 plain tip into a pastry bag. Fill the pastry bag halfway with the lemon curd. Pipe half the shell with the lemon curd.

3. Put a #4 plain tip into a pastry bag. Fill this pastry bag halfway with ganache, and fill the bonbon almost to the top. 

4. Seal the bonbons with the tempered white chocolate per the instructions in the Bonbon video. Set the molds in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. 

5. Turn the bonbons out of the mold, being careful not to break them. 

Pistachio Bonbons

Tempered dark chocolate

Pistachio ganache

For the pistachio ganache

1 1/2 Cups (250 grams) Milk chocolate

1 1/2 Teaspoons (10 grams) Honey

Pinch salt

1/4 Cup + 3 TBSP (100 grams) Heavy cream

1/2 Cup (150 grams) Sicilian pistachio paste.

1. Place chopped milk chocolate, honey, and salt into a large bowl. Set aside. 

2. Pour the heavy cream into a heavy saucepan. Bring the cream to a boil over low to medium heat. Remove from heat and pour carefully over chopped milk chocolate.  Let it rest undisturbed for 1 minute.

3. After it rests, whisk the mixture slowly. Start in the middle of the bowl and slowly incorporate more of the chocolate into the heavy cream. Continue whisking slowly until it emulsifies. 

4. Add the pistachio paste to the ganache and fold in until it is mixed well.

Espresso Bonbons 

Tempered dark chocolate

Espresso ganache

For the Espresso ganache:

1/4 Cup plus + 3 TBSP (150 grams) Heavy cream

1 1/2 Tsp (10 grams) Honey

Pinch salt

1 1/2 Cup (250 grams) Milk chocolate

1/4 Cup (50 grams) Espresso coffee, brewed

1. Place chopped milk chocolate, honey, and salt into a large bowl. Set aside. 

2. Pour the heavy cream into a heavy saucepan. Bring the cream to a boil over low to medium heat. Remove from heat and pour carefully over chopped milk chocolate.  Let it rest undisturbed for 1 minute.

3. After it rests, whisk the mixture slowly. Start in the middle of the bowl and slowly incorporate more of the chocolate into the heavy cream. Continue whisking slowly until it emulsifies. 

4. Add the espresso coffee to the ganache and whisk together until it is mixed well.

Assemble bonbons as above for the lemon bonbons, filling a pastry bag fitted with #3 tip halfway with pistachio ganache. Fill prepared bonbon shells nearly to the top with either pistachio or espresso ganache. Seal bonbons with tempered dark chocolate, cool for 10-15 minutes until they set, and gently turn out onto a clean surface.

Enjoy!