Tricks for These Treats

A Candy Maker’s Kitchen Must Haves, Chewy Caramels & More! 

We’re plowing through October, leaving fall leaves in our wake. Is it just me, or is 2012 wrapping up faster than a re-gift? All joking aside, have you thought much about the upcoming holidays? My chewy caramels are not just fun to have on hand Halloween night, but make nice Christmas presents too. Whether it’s now or later, rolls of wax paper showing up at the house can mean only one thing: Mom is making caramels to wrap up like penny store candy!

Not to knock the candy companies, but the incredible sweetness and goodness of homemade caramels cannot be matched, and that’s why this post focuses on tricks for these treats; making them with ease is a matter of two Kitchen Must Haves: 1) a candy thermometer and 2) poultry shears that do double duty cutting through the chewiest of cookies, caramels and bars you’ll be making this holiday season.

 

I like to use my slow cooker or double broiler when I make caramels—the deeper the pot the better. As your confection bubbles away, you’ll want to stick the candy thermometer in for a reading of around 250 degrees; this is the temperature that allows you to dredge a spoon through. Note: you’ll be looking to see that the track of yummy caramel doesn’t fill back up immediately—then it’s time to spread your treasure into the baking dish you’ve coated in vegetable oil spray and wax paper—or better yet, a Silpat Liner; a priority Kitchen Must Have since I started in the cooking biz. Once the caramel cools, you can cut pieces for wrapping later on, or….

You COULD skip the cooling and cutting, and dip up to 10 apples in the caramel while it’s still hot and melted in the pot. I think offering caramel apples is the ultimate TV viewing snack when ABC puts on its annual It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” I’ve checked TV listings and the exact date is not yet available, but do touch base with me on Facebook to see my near daily notes (and admitted obsession with) sitting down to this sixties classic with an apple on a stick. I think it’s airing somewhere around October 27^th this year.

I’ve decided to make a make a day of prepping a half dozen apples or so before show time—and my readers, especially the ones who cook with kids—might want to do the same. It’s got great memory making potential! Whether you prepare the caramel the old-fashioned way, or tear open a bag, the Youtube instructional video you’ll find posted to my Nana Network gives the best dipping and decorating 411 on candied apples you’ve ever seen. I hope you’ll visit the page next time you’re on Facebook, “like us” and submit a fall photo for the contest we’re running until Halloween. The prize is a $25 gift card to Yankee Candle—where candied apple scented tallows are bound to be on sale!   

P.S. Nothing wrong with paying a local treat shop to do all this—I love the Confectionary at Disney that lets you custom create your candied apple! But if you decide to save a ton of $$ and make your own, feel free to write me with your experience. And don’t forget to count the apples in the Charlie Brown special! I think the party dunks for a few…          

Chewy Caramels

Makes approximately 3 pounds of caramels
Prep time: about 30 minutes

2 cups dark corn syrup

1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate

Confectioners’ sugar

Place all of the ingredients into a large deep pan. Heat over medium high heat stirring constantly. Remove the caramel mixture from the heat. Cool to room temperature.

Spray a 13X9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the sprayed pan with wax paper. Spray the waxed paper. Pour the caramel mixture into the pan. Let the caramels continue to cool until they are firm.

Turn out the caramels onto a cutting board. Remove the waxed paper.

Use poultry shears to cut the caramels into ½ inch squares and drop them into a bowl of powdered sugar.

Wrap each one in wax paper twisting the ends.  

On March 25th, We Can All Have a Drink with This Guy

How to plan a Mad Men dinner party 

We’re all (well, aren’t we?) addicted to a certain T.V. show, and for many of us that’s Mad Men, which returns to AMC on March 25th. Friends of mine have either set the DVR for the 2-hour Season 5 premiere, or plan on catching it Sunday night. Per usual, I’ve got my antennae trained in the direction of party talk, and its picking up a big buzz for sixties themed cocktails and appetizers.

What are my friends doing? April got herself revved up for the series by reading Mad Women by Jane Maas. It’s a day in the life of a female copywriter in 1960s Manhattan. April’s Mad Men menu is a healthy affair that makes up for all the chain smoke surrounding the Camelot era. She’s having classic roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans with dinner rolls. She’s not sure about the dessert yet, but it’ll probably a cobbler, and most certainly what April describes as “straight up” Tanqueray martinis! We’ll have to visit her blog in a few weeks and see what’s on tap!

Ahhh….a girl after my own heart. I love a nice, stiff drink.

My little Mad Men gathering features The Perfect Martini. You’ll just have to click the link if you want its secrets (i.e. how many ice cubes; how much vermouth). In my 60s research I learned that servings sizes—especially when it came to drinking glasses in bars—were much smaller in the old days; about 5 ounces, compared to today’s 8! Is that why they were able to drink at work? In addition to martinis, I think Mint Juleps would be nice. I’m growing fresh mint in my backyard.

While the cocktails are reserved for show time, there’s the perfect 7 o’clock dinner to consider, one that pays homage to a time when there was more time. That’s right. It’s a dinner just like Mama (or in this case, Betty Draper used to make.) Some of us have held onto our TV trays, right? Well, get them out again for a reprisal of the Swanson TV dinner.

Got any rosemary growing alongside that mint? Fabulous. Use it—and fresh thyme—in my Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy.  You’ll be amazed at how moist it is—you’ve just got to make sure you buy high quality ground beef and equally fresh breadcrumbs. Stylize your own salad and/or vegetable sides for this All American supper—and don’t forget Cocoa Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Sauce for dessert; it’ll pick you up by your Fedora hat and take you straight to heaven.

If you’re looking for more great ammunition in your chilled glasses and shaker, please click on my 10 Kicked Up Cocktails post; though originally intended for Labor Day weekend, these elixirs could win over the toughest client…I mean party guest. You may also want to read my Mad Men inspired tiki party post for more retro ideas. I’d also like to suggest a nice book club party menu, since interpreting this show appeals to the art and literature geek in all of us.

Don’t hesitate to post your reviews the day after Mad Men premieres. It’s sure to leave a welcome after-taste when we’re all battling a case of the Mondays the morning after. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a 3 martini lunch to me.

Bottoms up, folks : )

Cocoa Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Sauce

1 cup cake flour

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup cocoa

10 egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pint fresh raspberries, about 1 ½ cups

1/3 cup raspberry preserves

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


1.  Sift the cake flour with ½ cup confectioner’s sugar and the salt.  Set aside.


2. Sift the granulated sugar with the cocoa powder.  Set aside.


3. Use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites until foamy.


4. Add the cream of tartar.  Continue beating until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold in the vanilla.


5. Fold in ¼ of the flour/confectioners’ sugar mixture.


6. Fold in ¼ of the sugar/cocoa mixture. Continue until all of the flour and sugar mixtures have been incorporated into the batter.


7. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10 x 3-inch tube pan.  Bake in the lower third of the oven for 45 minutes.


8. Remove the cake from the oven.  Invert the pan onto a funnel or bottle.  Let cool completely.  Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan with a knife.  Turn out the cake onto a platter.


9. Place the raspberries, raspberry preserves, water and granulated sugar into a pan.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook for 1 minute.  Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash the fruit.  (Alternatively, you may puree the sauce with an immersion blender or a food mill.)  The sauce will be thick and syrupy.  Cook for 1 minute.  Cool.


10. Place a swirl of raspberry sauce on a plate.  Slide a slice of cake on top.  Garnish with a shake of confectioners’ sugar and fresh mint sprigs.  

Servings: 8 to 12

Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus baking

Soft Center Chocolate Cakes

Individual cakes may be prepared as much as a day in advance and baked just before serving. Remember to add a couple of minutes to the cooking time when baking chilled batter. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is the perfect accompaniment.

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
½ cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour


Preheat oven to 450 degrees
1. Prepare two individual soufflé (8-ounce) ramekins by coating the inside with butter.
2. Stir together the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Whisk the egg and egg yolk together in a bowl.
4. Whisk in the sugar, the melted chocolate mixture and flour.
5. Pour the batter into the ramekins about ¾ full.
6. Bake the cakes until the sides are set and the center wiggles when shaken about 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Serve the cakes by running a sharp knife around the center and inverting the ramekins onto a dessert plate. Garnish with a scoop of ice cream, a sprinkling of cocoa powder and a fresh mint sprig.

Serves 2
Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus baking

The No Pumpkin Left Behind Bakery

I haven’t done any baking yet, but as you can clearly see my items are all laid out, and this year gives cause for both trepidation and eagerness to try something I can’t believe I haven’t tried before: making my own pumpkin puree.

I’ll admit it’s the one item I don’t—or didn’t in previous years anyway—mind phoning in; after all, the ingredient list on the back of the can features just one item, “pumpkin”, so you know it’s as pure as the driven snow that’s just a few weeks shy of blanketing us this season.

But let me tell you what’s driving me. I got the idea to make my own pumpkin puree from a new Slow Food Movement Challenge, called “October Unprocessed.” For anyone who’s game, that means that everything you eat should and can—for not too much money—be made from scratch. I think that’s a great idea, except for a cheat day on October 31st when ripping into a Fun Sized Snickers doesn’t seem like the worst of crimes. I won’t tell if you won’t, and just to put this out there now: I do intend to decorate my purest pumpkin desserts with a little candy corn—which is just for show and comes right off, leaving your icing intact.

So there’s that…and the second driving force to gut, bake and scrape 2 smallish pumpkins until my best friend Mr. Food Processor can render them into a creamy paste, is my excitement over kitchen gadgets, or KMHs. To the uninitiated, that’s a Kitchen Must Have, and I’m writing a new cookbook right now that encourages their avid use. From deep fryers, chicken rotisseries, mandolins and food mills, I am all about the KMH. They can cost a lot, yes, but in no time at all they’ve paid for themselves by giving your family superior food and MORE of it. The particular beauty of making your own puree is that you get to keep the pumpkin seeds and roast ‘em later on!

My Homemade Pumpkin Puree (click the link to find out how to do it; I’ve gleaned together my own recipe by reading over scads of others and perfecting my own technique! I’ll post news ASAP on how effective it is. But I can tell you now that it SOUNDS easy!) calls for two midsized pumpkins, and from what I understand they’re going to yield several Ziplock bags of puree—way more than I need for the baked goods I plan on surprising my loved ones with this month. After I use a fraction of the lovely, sweet smelling autumn colored stuff for Pumpkin Apple Muffins and Pumpkin Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting, I’ll have enough left over to freeze for other pumpkin treats further down the road. Plus, I’ll have the added pleasure of getting back with my readers on Facebook and Twitter to let them know if there was much of a difference between the pumpkin confections I’ve made with canned puree vs. the real deal that I mashed up myself.

Can you stand the suspense?

My senses are going to go wild with the scent of ground ginger, clove, cinnamon and allspice. I might actually turn into a pumpkin if I served it with TOP NANA’s seasonal hot toddy of “Pumpkin Pie in a Cup.”

Am I out of my gourd? Stay tuned to find out!

A Summer Tiki Party

Where the Birds Sing and the Flowers Bloom

Welcome to a tropical hideaway, you lucky people, you…or so the Enchanted Tiki Room song went, when it was written for Disney World in 1963. In Mad Men, (if you’ve never heard of the AMC television series, come out of your cave) Don Draper would definitely approve of the ambience found in a tiki room; a party with the kind of atmosphere where “Skirts” and fedoras drift by, the booze flows freely and kool kats enjoy a little intoxicating food and drink, their smokes, and music that gives Elvis’ Blue Hawaii a run for its money. To recreate such a scene, I’m recreating the Polynesian PuPu Platter and serving up my Hurricane Brew in hollow coconut shells—what a way to cool off this summer!

Tiki Time Event Menu

Purveyors of tiki culture were the proprietors of Don the Beachcomber restaurant and Trader Vic’s; both were, in the 1930s, young men who had sailed throughout the South Pacific and loved exotic rum punches, rattan furinture, tropical flowers and tiki torches—it was a way of dining and entertaining that peaked in the 50s and 60s, vanished in the 70s and has come back for an encore now. In homage, her’es my PuPu platter, defined as a tray of Chinese American/Hawaiian assorted small meats and seafood appetizers: think egg rolls, chicken wings, savory skewers and other temptables for kool kats.

Get out your best monkeywood platter and load it up with all or some of the following:

Grilled Rum Marinated Flank Steak Sandwiches with Chipotle Lime Aioli
Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Skewers with Cranberry, Corn and Avocado Relish
Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps
Mustard Coated Chicken Skewers with Grilled Veggie Salsa
Fried Calamari with Tuna Caper Dipping Sauce
Tropical Trifle for Dessert
Signature Drink: Hurricane Brew

I can’t say enough about these tiki-rific choices. Make sure you have a jar of Maraschino cherries standing by to garnish the plate in true PuPu platter style. For the flank steak sandwiches, your everyday sammy gets a makeover with a big burst of flavor, and the chicken skewers offer an update on fast food chicken fingers that’s easy to prepare. Fried is a distinguishing factor to any PuPu platter, which is why I added the calamari, but with a dipping sauce that cuts through that salty, deep fried heaviness.

As Seen on Mad Men…Drink It, Wear it or Use it at Your Tiki Party!
And now to introduce my signature drink for the big event. My Hurricane Brew is best whipped up in a pitcher, then authenticated by pouring the concoction into hollowed pineapples. You’ll need a few tools to serve the Brews this way; first a pineapple slicer, which removes the core and gives you a neat stack of pineapple rings—and drinking glass!!—in seconds. This is a cocktail that will have you looking all over for those little paper umbrellas; it calls for rum both light and dark, grenadine, fresh citrus juices and plenty of granulated sugar. If you don’t want to trouble yourself with real pineapple glasses, check out the Tiki drinking glasses I found shopping online; you’ve probably seen this same set with lipstick stains on the rim in Mad Men. Oh, and speaking (again!) of that series, did you know Banana Republic is coming out with its own Mad Men clothing line in August 2011? That’s this summer! View the whole Retro clothes collection by clicking the link.

Here’s a hyperlink shortlist of other tiki bar supplies I found for cheap…real cheap…on Amazon:

Paper Cocktail Parasols - Pack of 144
Pineapple slicer
tiki luau drinking straws

And while you may love behaving like "Mad Men" at your tiki party this summer, don’t expect to see the show again until 2012…how many great parties will you have before then!

Happy Mai Tai Sipping, Everyone!

Fireworks on the 4th Can Sure Be Sweet!

How to Create a Glamorous Outdoor Dessert Bar
When it comes to dessert spreads for all holidays, my mind drifts unwittingly to pie. I do love pie, and on the Fourth of July, it’s easy to picture a flaky crust bursting with berries and topped with a great big dollop of vanilla ice cream. But…if you’ve come to my blog expecting another pie recipe, you’re out of luck this time. I’ve decided to feature two lighter than air, summer desserts from my “Show Stoppers” list. So what looks stunning dolled out into a full body set of 8 Marquis by Waterford goblets? Mixed Fresh Berries with Zabaglione Sauce. This is just what you want on a sultry summer’s night: a light and foamy wine, cream and berry soaked creation to ring in the fireworks.

This dessert is tops in my house guest recipe file because it’s light and yummy and the sweet sauce it requires can last for days, making any spare fruit a heavenly experience. Made traditionally with Marsala wine, it’s a delicious upgrade from whipped cream. Use the freshest, ripest berries available and display the dessert in an inviting circle of glasses on your deck or patio table; your guests will forget they’re in your backyard and mistake their surroundings for the bar on a cruise ship.

Happy Birthday America Cake
Another summer confection that melts in your mouth with patriotic flair is Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting; picture it sitting atop an antique silver beaded cake stand, its faux diamonds shining brighter than the fireworks in the night sky. This is a grand strawberry cake, and you can cut it, quite easily, into the shape of a star, just like the image pictured with this blog. Because you’ll also want blue accents on the cake, I think the blueberries pushed into the border at the bottom are a very nice touch. On the cream cheese frosting top, place a few small American flags and sliced strawberries.

And remember…
It certainly doesn’t have to be 7/4/11 to enjoy this dessert. It’s also just right for a ladies luncheon, bridal shower, or birthday party. The technique of folding the egg whites into the batter produces a very light cake that holds up to the rich frosting. It’s a breeze to prepare and in this summer heat, we could all use a breath of fresh air! Just don’t tell the guests watching their girlish figures that the recipe contains, not one, but two packages of cream cheese!

Red, White and Bloom
A few days before the party, visit a Home Depot or reliable nursery and pick up a few big terracotta pots and flowers for planting; it’ll set the picnic scene for the most beautiful and apropos summer evening possible. This is a list of what Better Homes and Gardens calls “Red, White and Bloom”. Plant these guys in nutrient rich soil and flank either side of your outdoor buffet table with gorgeous mixed flowers.

• Red & White flowers: Geraniums, Petunias, geraniums, verbena, snapdragons, Zinnias and Cosmos


• Just Red: Cannas, red dahlias, red begonias or even the somewhat fleeting red gladiolus. Red cockscomb and a red globe amaranth such as “Strawberry Fields” are also strong possibilities. Also look at vines such as cardinal climber or cypress vine.


• Mostly White Flowers: White Lilies, Clematis, Hydrangea, Dianthus, Daisies, Zinnias, Salvia, Impatiens and Begonias


• Blue Flowers: Bachelor buttons, Morning glorys, Pansies and Forget-me-nots, Blue verbena, blue salvia, blue lobelia, blue petunias and delphiniums, and, especially blue hydrangeas…
  
  Sigh…all so lovely. Here’s wishing you luck and fun in sewing the seeds for a yummy 4th of July weekend.

Derby Time Makes Us Crave the Southern Classics

The Secret to Really Good Oven-Fried Chicken, Collard Greens and Pecan Pie

We all know and love the term, “Spring is in the air,” but imagine, too, the divine way it smells, sliding into summer with our barbecues, mint juleps, potato salad and corn on the cob. Whether you’re setting an elegant table, or wearing a Kentucky Derby hat as you graze an outdoor buffet, three of my freshest traditions in American cuisine are laid out for your perusal.

Something to Toast the Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports With…

You can round up your friends, serve fried chicken and all the fixins, and tune into live Kentucky Derby coverage; click here for all the broadcasting info. Encourage frilly hats and sundresses on your party invitations, and channel pure Paula Deen when it comes to the menu. One day of butter n’ bacon never killed anyone—and I’ve got some twists and turns on the old Southern classics that’ll make your party guests start humming My Old Kentucky Home. Just make sure you serve plenty of Authentic Mint Juleps before the karaoke begins!

Fried Chicken: Every Southern Girl’s Favorite Food

For my Oven Fried Chicken, brining the chicken pieces makes the end result extra juicy; then, when you bake it in the oven, expect a crusty coating that’ll make you reach for thirds. Looking for spirits to drink with it? My summers in the Blue Ridge Mountains got me excited about wine—asking around and doing a little taste testing, yielded the answer I was looking for: a hearty young Argentine red (click here for best reds between $10 and $20 a bottle) is the way to go when you’re looking for the perfect pairing with fried chicken.

Collard Greens EXTREME--There’s nothing quite as flavorful as Slow Simmered Collard Greens. My gal pal, Cindy, makes the world’s BEST collard greens. Her secret is the addition of Balsamic vinegar—hopefully, Cindy won’t mind this, but I found a way to kick up the dish even more: by adding kielbasa! Just slice the sausage into thin rounds, and brown it in a little olive oil. Toss in the chopped collard greens and stir, adding chicken broth and water until it all comes to a slow boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, and up to several hours adding liquid as needed. Remember that younger collard greens cook more quickly than older ones. If you are using purchased chicken broth, be sure to use a low sodium product for this dish. Kielbasa is plenty salty on its own!

What’s for Dessert, Darlin’?

This traditional recipe is a winner on every dessert table; I feel so strongly about that, my Southern Pecan Pie has already been featured on my entertaining blog as a must have Thanksgiving treat. But it’s great for a Derby party too, and begs for a little Southern comfort…I mean, experimentation! Try substituting black walnuts for pecans and Bourbon for rum. Yumm!! And take even more Southern comfort in the fact that you can use prepared pie dough for this recipe; no one will notice—especially if you add ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips to the filling, for a chocolate-pecan pie.

Enjoy your taste of the Derby…whether it’s from your living room, or under the twin spires and a deep blue Kentucky sky, it’s all GOOD!

Will & Kate, Plus 8 Great Reception Ideas

Starring Two Cakes, Two Drinks and Four Cocktail Infusion Flavors

There’s a lot of heavy stuff happening in the world right now, yet the royal wedding between the late Princess Diana’s son, William and his lovely bride-to-be Kate Middleton continues to capture headlines across the globe. The big day is scheduled for April 29th. How many millions will flick on “the telly” and watch these two exchange vows in GORGEOUS Westminster Abbey? Before she settled in for her royal breakfast reception, Princess Di and Charles brought in 750 million viewers! Wow.

Reading over all the whipped cream surrounding the event—fun stuff like what the bride and groom have planned for their individual wedding cakes, and where they’re honeymooning (I here they’re planning on Australia)—was highly addictive for an EXTREME party planner like me. Inspired by what I read about Will & Kate’s tastes in cake, I dusted off my best springtime event menus. Sure they went to sleep over the long winter, but now they’re back for a green and blossom-filled season, one that begs for a splash of elegance and ideal springtime table settings.

Groom Cake Drumroll…His Royal Highness Likes His Trifle!

There’s a charming story—very Knave of Heartsish—surrounding Prince William’s choice for the groom’s cake. According to the former chef who served the royal family in the late 90s and published his recipes in Eating Royally, William and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, had a custom of taking tea together in the garden, eating Chocolate Biscuit Cake whenever he was home from college. The Queen shared the Prince’s love affair with this dessert, and paid close attention to whether or not anyone from the royal kitchen stole a piece—or so much as nibbled from an edge. In my Chocolate, Banana and Walnut Trifle, you have something very similar—it tastes dark and decadent, but it’s airy light too—a British classic. Well done, William!

Kate Middleton Chooses a Bride’s Cake that Screams for Edible Flower Decorations!

My Lady Marmalade Coconut Layer Cake is fit for a Duchess, bride-to-be or Chairman of the Board. The bottom line is, it’s elegant—a show stopper on any buffet table—not to mention tres au natural, just like the fruit cake, Kate has planned. This layer cake is the perfect canvas for pansies, rose petals, snapdragons and violas; it’s an eye catching, spring-fresh trend that helps GREAT party favor ideas materialize, like mini watering cans for every table and seed cards, as place cards, that can go home with every guest…and come up roses later! Two

Cocktail Recipes that Let You Create a “Signature Drink”

Nothing personalizes your wedding day, quite like a signature cocktail. With sultry weather on the rise, wetting one’s whistle while gently taking the edge off, is a matter of serving crisp, cool thin-stemmed flutes of Raspberry Champagne Cocktail or Bourbon Minted Iced Tea. These drinks can be garnished with many of the herbs that define the flavors and aromas of spring, like rosemary, sprigs of bright green mint, and other edible flowers, such as cherry blossoms, lilacs, lilies of the valley, peonies and the ever-popular daisy!

Look toward a companion blog on the royal wedding on Nana’s Kitchen where the new Favorite Thing is Cocktail Infusion Flavors, great for upping the anti on thirst quenching spring and summertime drinks. You can mix infusion sachets into virgin lemonade, iced tea or high-octane cocktails, creating such personalized medleys as Lavender Citrus, Lemongrass Mint, Silkroad Chai or a Sour Apple Twist. Just remember to stay sweet on each other! Best Wishes and Congratulations to Brides and Grooms everywhere, in Summertime, Wintertime, Springtime and Fall!

In Many Ways Drinking Irish Coffee Is An Affair to Remember

Irish coffee turned fifty-eight on November 10th of last year. Did you realize it was so young? The drink literally flew into the United States when a travel writer from the San Francisco Chronicle brought the recipe with him on a return flight from Shannon Airport. The belly-warming bar favorite, made with a frothy whipping cream, loads of sugar, piping hot coffee and 2 parts Irish whiskey, is based on a rather romantic story—perfect for sharing in the month of March when it’s all about St. Pat tidings and gathering friends for a little Guineas, some darts, and perhaps, in coming weeks the savory foods and desserts I’m bringing to the table in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Between this and the Nana blog, you’ll dig into Irish delights like seafood stew, Irish soda bread for dipping and a fun and easy Crème de menthe cheesecake recipe that’s color celebrates the approaching spring.

In the Meantime, Cuddle Up With a Good Cup of Joe, or Should I Say Cup o’ St. Patty?
The necessity of Irish coffee’s fortifying ingredients were clear on a frigid winter night in Ireland in the 1940s, when a group of weary American passengers disembarked from their flying boat Pan AM flight (these were the precurosor days to the Shannon airport) and asked the guy in charge on the dock, Joseph Sheridan chef of County Limerick, if he had anything to remedy dampened spirits. The answer turned out to be a history-in-the-making yes when he concocted Irish coffee for them; about a decade after that, it was all the rage in the Emerald Isle’s Shannon Airport, where the American journalist with the very fitting name of Stanton Delaplane fell in love with the drink and popularized it at California’s world famous Buena Vista café in the fall of 1952.

Let Your Inner Irishman become Lord of the (Bartender) Dance!
While the focus of this entertaining blog is on gnoshing, nibbling and all out feasting, its got its fair share of entries, devoted to beverages too—thirst quenching, party pleasing cocktails and hot drinks, like Mexican coffee. But now is the time to celebrate our inner Irish! My recipe possesses all the ease, familiarity and romance of the original served up in 1952. I recommend making The Extreme Party Planner’s Irish Coffee, on a night when you want to indulge at home with your friends, rather than go out barhopping. Whipping up a batch of Irish coffees in your own kitchen is done faster than you can say, Blarney! So get out your hot sugar cubes, best whiskey shot glasses and clear mugs that illustrate your point, which is to say, “Kiss Me! I’m Irish!”.

Nibbles For Nods

Root For Oscar Nominated Stars While Dining On Primo Appetizers!

The 83rd Oscar Awards Ceremony is February 27th this year, same bat time, same bat channel as usual: ABC at 5pm Pacific and 8pm Eastern. It’s a great occasion to invite your best buds over for food & drink that look as cinematic as all the things you’ve seen on the silver screen together in 2010. Go ahead and treat my blog like a word puzzle, and see if you can find all the references to films and actors given Oscar nods this go around.

Get the Dipping Bowls in Your Living Room Ready!

Since fish dishes are the very definition of the word easy—in fact, they NEVER take over 127 Hours to make—seafood dishes like Tuna Tatare, diver scallops and crab cakes are part of my new Nana Network crusade to stop patronizing fast food joints as much…unless of course, there are Toy Story 3 items inside the kids’ meals! On Oscar Night, serve your guests Sautéed Crab Cakes with Three Sauces. This delicate appy features three very distinct sauces—their secret to perfection? Make sure you gently mix and form the crab cakes, thoroughly chilling them before sautéing.

Make Sure “The Kids Are Alright” With These Hot and Spicy Nibbles

Chipotle Spiced Cocktail Meatballs Simmered in Tomato Sauce and Served with Cilantro Cream owe that incredible taste many of us have a hard time identifying, to plain ol’ sugar—just a spoonful of sugar in the tomato sauce and the rich cream reduction, smoothes out this dish’s flavor, making it one your pals will come back for again and again! Who among us doesn’t love a meatball that’s soaked in spicy hot smoked peppers? Do me a favor! Post your guests’ reception of this appy to my Facebook page—your social network will love it, wink, wink!

When It Comes Time to Toast the Winners, These Cocktails are Worthy of The King’s Speech!
I’ve posted them before and I’ll post them again: Oyster Shooters are amazing for social gatherings like these. Shifting gears into coffee clatch territory, I think your Oscar Night friends would also approve of Mexican coffee—when it’s spiked with the tequila you’ve been saving, Mexican coffee is especially warm and welcoming—plus, who doesn’t love an excuse to pull out the cinnamon sticks and whipped cream? It’s a dessert and beverage all in one!

A Black Swan/White Swan Color Scheme in Your Decadent Oscar Night Dessert Offering

I’m making Chocolate & Marble Cake in homage to the movie most likely to score best picture, The Black Swan. In this movie, best actress hopeful Natalie Portman must perform in a ballet, not just as The White Swan, but as the Black one too—you can guess which one’s more decadent; however, in this tasty cake that goes great with Mexican coffee, it’s all sinfully delicious!

Even if all you do is rip open a bag of chips and gulp a couple of beers on Oscar Night, I hope you enjoy the fun—and if you should find yourself more in the mood for a formal affair than a nibble here and a nip there, contact me for recipes, catalogued in my Diary of an Extreme Party Planner project, where the ultimate Oscar Night menu will blow your black tie and tails off!

And the Oscar goes to…???

Buttery, Pretty Macaroons More Popular Than Ever in the Coming New Year

Whip Up My Lemon Coconut Macaroons in Minutes

According to over a thousand chefs surveyed about food trends setting the world on fire/flambé this coming New Year, 2011 is all about farmers markets, eating less gluten, hormone and pesticide-free fruits and veggies (and lots of ‘em), humanely raised poultry and beef, sustainable seafood, and carefully mixed cocktails that include fresh fruit, herbs or savory add-ins. These same chefs also mentioned macaroons by name. I agree whole-heartedly—with my entire palate—that macaroons deserve top billing this coming year. Chefs and food reviewers say they’re putting pies and cakes on the back burner—with new cookbooks, like I Love Macarons, gracing cookbook aisles everywhere.

Let’s Go Macaroon Shopping!

I’m sure just about everyone has tasted a macaroon—or macarons as they’re known abroad—at some point in their lives. They’re a pastry phenomenon (in that they’re so simple) and have been around since the 1500’s when Italian monks brought them to France. Funny story: a pair of nuns traveling with the monks were the only folks in the group who knew how to make them, and earned their room and board by becoming, as they were known by their brethren, “The Macaroon Sisters”!

Ever since, macaroons have been on a world tour. Every country touts its own particular version. My recipe is more faithful to the U.K. and American way of preparing them, which is to say I don’t go the meringue route. But that isn’t to say that I shouldn’t: Wolfgang Puck happens to like the meringue version of macaroons so much that, in addition to claiming they’re his all-time favorite dessert, he also makes a habit of visiting the Payard Bakery every time he’s in New York. I have to agree that this pastry chef’s “coffee macaroons” do look amazing (you can also get them in Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas). If you’re pastry shopping, look to Sucre in New Orleans; they also make a mean macaroon.

When You’re Making My Macaroons
Because my Lemon Coconut Macaroons calls for a ground lemon peel, may I suggest the zester on my Nana’s Favorite Things page. Keep in mind, this recipe produces 3-dozen individual, happy little pastries, so it’s a good idea to serve half to your guests and freeze the rest for later. If you’d rather have them more readily accessible, just remember to keep them in an air-tight container, in a dry cool place—where they should remain tasty for up to 2 weeks—with a wink and a nudge, I challenge you to see if they’ll last that long!

A Last Note to Thank Home Cooks Everywhere and Wish Them a Happy New Year
I have to tell you that this recipe is stand-out in that it appeared in my very first cookbook. I asked a friend who likes to make them whenever she has an Asian inspired dinner (don’t ask her why; she just thinks macaroons belong on a Chinese menu), if there’s anything she’d like to pass on to someone contemplating them as their next dessert. She said to make sure you measure out the coconut to my exact specifications; otherwise they’ll come out “sandy, a little too “coconutty”…but still pretty good.” She added that the next time she’s feeling artful in the kitchen, she’s going to try putting the macaroon batter into a pastry bag and squirting it through a confectioner’s tube to make her macaroons “especially beautiful.” I would like to reach out and personally say thank you to this wonderful recipe tester and wish her, along with all my other fellow home cooks, a marvelous 2011!

Drink in the Sweet Pleasures of Autumn with This Casual Dessert Party

I have a date with a cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee, served up warm with a dollop of whipped cream—I’m setting a small but lovely dessert table for a handful of my closest friends, and hope you’ll find a likeminded opportunity this year to host a seasonal gathering of your own.

October and November are perfect for savoring spicy, aromatic and super sweet flavors associated with Fall; whether you’re cooking a figgy pudding, roasting pumpkin seeds, or sniffing crisp red caramel-covered apples during the fall carnival—you can’t help but revel in the aromas that practically cling to you this time of year—right along with the sweaters you just pulled out of storage.

This is an ideal time to play hostess since the hectic pace of the full-on holiday season has yet to begin. Extend this cozy invite before everyone is too busy—or too frazzled—to join in the fun of an informal party.

Cue my Fall Equinox Dessert Feast! What am I serving?

Well…inspired by the October 21st holiday I just read about (would you believe it’s National Pumpkin Cheescake Day?), I’ve decided to do a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake; she’ll be big and marvelous, and take center stage on my table. The rest of my desserts consist of Chocolate Spice Cake with Caramel Toffee Frosting—so fitting for this time of year with its cinnamon clove smells, so inviting as you step in from the changing leaves…I could go on and on…—and last but not least, my Butterscotch Pudding with Toasted Almonds that I plan to serve from a real pumpkin shell! (Grab a carving knife, some newspaper, and get to work hollowing out a smallish pumpkin, so that you, too, are good-to-go serving your pudding the same way!)

You can prepare the pumpkin cheesecake 1 or 2 days in advance; the other desserts require some refrigeration time to set—see the recipes for complete instructions. My point in mentioning this is that you should prepare everything for this dessert party well in advance of show time!

One of the cool things you’ll notice about these desserts—aside from OMG!Flavor—are their colors, which are going to match the scented candles I’ll put out for the occasion. I also found a surprisingly nice (for its 40% mark-off from an original price of $30!) pumpkin/fall foliage centerpiece from Michael’s; browsing the aisles, there today I saw a lot of crafting tools from Martha Stewart’s product line—and was glad I just featured one of her Halloween party prep gadgets in my Favorite Things on the Nana Network.

Hop on Top Nana’s Facebook page and hit “Like “for weekly news feeds on more family fun with a culinary twist!

But in between work and play on the computer, get on the horn and arrange to have your friends over for dessert between now and Thanksgiving. A good rule of thumb for dessert parties on a smaller scale—which means between 4 to 7 guests—is to make 2 pots of coffee, reserve 2 bottles of wine and have, between the array of desserts offered, about 70 small servings on hand; that means cutting dainty slivers of cake, but almost everyone—in anticipation of that 3,000 calorie meal on gobble-gobble day is watching their figures anyway—and trust me, you’ll have enough food on hand with this party menu so that the napkins provided dab some VERY happy mouths—SPOILER ALERT: the frosting on my Chocolate Spice Cake is particularly mouth lickin’ good.

Come in from the first cold snap of the year, my friends, and enjoy some sweet treats with me!

Butterscotch Pudding with Toasted Almonds

This dessert has to set in the refrigerator for at least an hour; to make the most out of serving it in a pumpkin shell, I recommend preparing this dessert several hours before the party. Have six or more ½ cup ramekins on the dessert table, so guests can ladle portions from the pumpkin full o’ pudding!

Servings: 6 (more when servings are small for your dessert party)
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus refrigeration

6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sliced almonds
Whipped cream

Whisk together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat. Cook until the butter is melted, then cook for 5 minutes more whisking constantly. The mixture will be bubbly. Remove from the heat.

Cook the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium high heat until it just begins to boil. Pour the warm milk into the butter mixture. Return to medium high heat and whisk until smooth.

Place the cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. Pour about ¼ cup of the butterscotch mixture into the cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

Whisk the cornstarch back into warm milk, bring to a boil, and cook until the butterscotch thickens.

Place the egg yolks in a small bowl. Pour about ¼ cup of the butterscotch mixture into the eggs. Whisk this mixture back into the warm milk. Cook for several minutes, whisking constantly. The mixture will thicken as it cooks.

Strain the mixture through a sieve or colander to get rid of any lumps.

Prepare a pumpkin shell and pour pudding into it; refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the toasted almonds: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the cinnamon and the almonds. Cook until the almonds begin to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Serve the chilled pudding with a sprinkle of toasted almonds and a dollop of whipped cream.

Chocolate Spice Cake with Caramel Toffee Frosting

This dessert has to set at least 1 hour…then bon appetite!

Servings: 10 or more (more when servings are cut small for your dessert party)

Preparation time: 30 minutes for baking

2 cups cake flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups packed brown sugar
½ cup canola oil
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

2 cups heavy cream, chilled
¾ cup prepared caramel topping
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate-covered English toffee candy, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt into a bowl.

Use an electric mixture to combine the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and milk in 3 additions, alternating 1/3 flour mixture with 1/3 milk until just blended.

Pour the batter into two 9-ionch cake pans, coated in vegetable oil spray and dusted with flour. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a rack and cool completely.

Use an electric mixture to beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the caramel sauce and vanilla. Continue beating until soft peaks form.

Slice the cakes in half using a serrated knife or thread. Place one cake layer half on a cake plate. Spread a layer of frosting onto the cake. Sprinkle candy crumbs onto the frosting. Repeat for all layers. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle chopped candy pieces on the top and side frosting.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Make this dessert 1 or 2 days in advance, so that it’s at its best on the day you serve it!

Serves 10 to 12 (more when servings are cut small for your dessert party)
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus baking and refrigeration

18 to 20 gingersnap cookies
7 ounces hazelnuts, toasted (about 1 ½ cups)
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)

4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the gingersnap cookies, hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add the melted butter and pulse briefly.

Press the crumb mixture into the bottom, and up the sides about ½ inch, in a 10-inch diameter springform pan using the back of a fork.

With an electric mixture beat the cream cheese and sugar. Mix in the whipping cream and stir in the eggs one at a time. Pour half of the filling into a small bowl. Add the pumpkin and spices to the remaining filling and mix well.

Place the filling into the pan by alternating between plain and pumpkin batter. With a knife gently swirl together.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes. The cheesecake will puff and may crack on the sides. The center does not have to be set. Cool the cake on a rack. Run a sharp knife around the side of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

Baked Cherries with Apples, Sage and Crunchy Oat Topping

Reminiscent of a cherry crumble, this dessert focuses on the fruit first. Cherries mixed with fresh, vibrant ingredients and a touch of fresh herbs burst in your mouth. The crunchy topping is the enhancement.
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted, about 2 1/2 cups
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, about 1 cup
1 tablespoon all natural granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour, plus ½ cup for topping
Zest of 1 medium lemon, about 2 teaspoons
1-inch piece fresh Ginger, peeled and grated, about 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), chilled, cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a pie pan, or 8” x 8” baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place the cherries, apple, 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar into the dish. Add lemon zest, grated ginger, sage and toss. Use your hands to crumble together ½ cup flour with brown sugar, oats, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the cherries. Bake until the cherries begin to burst and the topping is golden, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Macerated Berry Puffs with Mascarpone Cheese and Lime Sherbet

This simple dessert soaks in the freshest fruit of the season. It’s a wonderful, light ending to a super supper.

1 pint fresh blueberries, about 2 cups
1 pint fresh raspberries, about 2 cups
1 pint fresh blackberries, about 2 cups
1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted, about 2 1/2 cups
Juice of 1 large orange, about 1/3 cup
Zest of 1 medium orange, about 2 teaspoons
2 tablespoons Cointreau (orange liquor)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon organic heavy cream
Lime Sherbet
Confectioners’ sugar
Fresh mint leaves

Combine the berries and the cherries in a bowl. Gently stir in the orange juice, zest and Cointreau. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pastry sheet onto a floured work surface. Roll out to a 10 by 12-inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry sheet into 8 squares. Transfer the pastry squares to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet into the fridge and chill for 15 minutes.
Bake the puffs until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool.

To assemble the puffs, place the mascarpone cheese into a bowl and whisk with 1 tablespoon cream until smooth. Spilt the puffs in half horizontally. Place the bottom half of one puff on a plate. Top with a slathering of mascarpone cheese. Spoon berries over the cheese. Place the top half of the puff onto the berries. Place a scoop full of sherbet along side. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar and fresh mint.

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 to 15 minutes for puffs
Sources and Substitutions
This is a great summer dessert, easily adapted to seasonal fruit; pears and apples work well. You’ll also find the addition of a little espresso in the mascarpone really livens up a raspberry puff!