3.01.2013

Birthday Party Food


Viola party food! I loved making all of it, all honestly quite easy and fast or able to be made a few days ahead. The day of the party we had plenty of time to relax and not have to cook all day. Hubs is the Bacon & Date master maker now too!



Vanilla Marshmallows w/ chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp powdered gelatin
2 egg whites
1 tsp bourbon vanilla paste

1   butter an 8x8 baking dish
2   dust with cornstarch, so they don't stick
3   in a small saucepan stir together 1/4 cup water, sugar and corn syrup
4   gently stir until the sugar is dissolved
5   turn heat up to high and bring mixture to 265 degrees F on a candy thermometer
6   while it's heating up combine 1/4 cup water and gelatin to soften
7   in another bowl whip the egg whites until soft peaks form
8    when the sugar is at the correct temperature turn mixer on low and pour it into the egg whites
9    plop in the gelatin mixture and vanilla
10  beat mixture on low until it becomes bright white and fluffy, 5-7 minutes
11  pour into prepared pan and spread around evenly
12  cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 8-10 hours
13  sprinkle cornstarch lightly on top of marshmallows
14  cut with a warm knife in 1" marshmallows
can be stored for a few days in a sealed container

seriously YUMMM!!!
from Flour




Parmesan and Black Pepper Focaccia:
from Flour

2 cups water, at room tempurature
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbs salt
2 tbs sugar
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; grated
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

1     in a large mixing bowl combine yeast and water, let sit 30 seconds until yeast dissolves
2     add in flours, 2 tsp salt, and sugar over yeast mixture 
3     mix on low until it starts to combine, 30 seconds
4     turn mixer on in short bursts, dough should look shaggy
5     pour olive oil down the side of the bowl with mixer on low
6     knead dough on low for 5-6 minutes, it should be elastic ans stretch
7     oil a large bowl and transfer dough into it, cover with towel
8     let rise in warm, dry place 2-2.5 hours
9     lightly put cornmeal on a baking sheet and flour your hands
10   pull dough and roll out into 9x13, flour the top of it
11   cover with a cloth and let rise for another 1-1.5 hours
12   preheat oven to 425 degrees F
13   with your fingers press down into the surface of the dough
14   drizzle remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over the dough
15   sprinkle remaining 1 tsp salt and the pepper evenly
16   then sprinkle the parmesan cheese
17   bake for 25-30 minutes, golden brown
l8    let cool, you can store it for a few days wrapped in towel and placed in a paper bag
(or you can wrap it in plastic wrap and store in freezer for up to a week, it thaws great!)



recipe for Bacon & Date Bites stuffed with a roasted almond and goat cheese HERE


Spanakopita:
these were so great for people to grab and eat, plus they looked really cute in their little cups

1 roll phyllo dough; thawed
1- 1 1/2 lbs fresh spinach
about 2 cups feta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter

preheat oven 375 degrees F
1      melt 1 tbs butter in a large skillet
2      add in spinach and cook until wilted, 3-5 minutes
3      remove from skillet and squeeze all the liquid out that you can
4      coarsely chop the spinach and place in large bowl
5      mix in feta, salt, nutmeg and pepper
6      melt remaining butter in skillet
7      unroll phyllo dough and cut in strips of about 2 1/2-3 inch strips down the short
        side of the roll
8      keep strips covered with a lightly damp paper towel so it doesn't dry out
9      pull out 1 strip, brush lightly with butter and place another strip on top
10    place 1 tbs of the spinach mixture at the end of the strip
11    fold the corner over to form a triangle and then flip it over itself and repeat until
        it makes a triangular shape all the way down.
12    lightly brush butter on both sides and place on baking dish
13    repeat with remaining filling
14    bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown
15     remove and let cool

Raspberry Honey Mustard Pretzel Dip:

This stuff seriously rocks!!!

1 bag pretzels
3 tbs raspberry preserves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup djon mustard
1/3 cup honey
pinch of salt

1   mix preserves, seeds, mustard, honey and salt together
2   presto- ready to go! serve with pretzels
can store covered in fridge for up to a week







1 comment:

  1. The first one made me think of that chocolate covered marshmallows you had for your bachlorette party which I have been thinking about lately because I really want some! haha

    ReplyDelete