High Tea Dinner Party

Well readers, if you have been reading my blog for any time at all you'll know that Nate and I love to throw a good dinner party! I love planning, decorating, dressing, conversing and feeling like the hostess with the mostess. 

Tonight's theme is high tea and as such, we have a three-course meal with accompanying teas (and dressing to the nines). 

The first course will be cranberry orange scones with "clotted" cream and lemon curd. 

Cranberry orange scones 

I got this recipe from Ina Garten, while I generally dislike her slightly conceited and pretentious demeanor on television ("if you can't find unsalted butter churned by virgin Latvian milk maids, store bought is fine") I must admit, the woman can cook and make some damn good recipes. 

4 1/4 C flour

1/4 C granulated sugar, plus some for sprinkling 

2 Tbsp baking powder 

2 tsp salt 

2 tsp fresh orange zest 

3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled 

4 eggs 

1 C heavy cream 

1 C dried cranberries 

1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp water (for egg wash) 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest and cut in cold butter until the butter is cut into pea-sized chunks. 

In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, combine 4 eggs with 1 C heavy whipping cream, slowly mix into the dry ingredients; the batter will be lumpy and sticky. 

Once combined, fold in dried cranberries and 1/4 C flour. 

On a well-floured surface, knead dough into a ball and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Once rolled out, cut dough using your favorite biscuit ring and place on a silicone mat or a pan lined with wax paper. 

Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the scones are hard to the touch and golden brown. 

To accompany these fluffy and delicious  scones, I bought some lemon curd at Harris Teeter in the International Section and made some fresh "clotted" (whipped) cream. 

"Clotted (Whipped) Cream

1 pint heavy whipping cream  

The key to a good whipped cream is a very cold bowl. I always use a glass bowl and stick it in the freezer for at least half an hour prior to use. 

Once your bowl is cold, pour 1 pint of heavy whipping cream into it. Using your favorite hand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, beat until peaks form. This shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. 

This course was served with a Lady Grey tea (black tea), cream and lemons. 

For the second course, I decided to make a quiche with Jarlsberg and Gruyere cheeses. 

Quiche Au Fromage 

Of course I used my tried and true Julia Child recipe from Mastering the Art of French  Cooking, because Julia is queen. 

I began with the crust: 

2 C flour

1 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp sugar 

1 1/2 sticks of butter, chilled 

4 Tbsp shortening, chilled 

1/2 C cold ice water 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Combine flour, salt, sugar, butter (cut into 1/2 inch pieces) and shortening in a big mixing bowl.

Using a hand cutter (or food processor) cut in the fat until the butter forms small pea-sized balls. 

Add in the ice water and knead the dough until it just comes together. 

On a floured surface, knead fhe dough into a ball and roll out to the appropriate size for your tart or springform pan; however work quickly because the dough is difficult to manage the warmer it gets. 

Once dough is the desired size, place in pan and crimp the edges. Pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. 

Using a piece of foil, line the unbaked crust and fill with rice or dried beans to weigh down the crust while par-baking. 

Bake the crust for 8-9 minutes to stiffen it up enough to handle the filling. 

Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 48 hours. 

The filling: 

4 eggs 

2 C heavy whipping cream 

1 1/2 - 2 C shredded Jarlsberg and Gruyere cheeses 

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of pepper

Pinch of nutmeg 

In a bowl, whisk together eggs and whipping cream. 

After combined season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. 

Whisk in cheeses until combined. 

Pour into prepared crust. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and set (doesn't jiggle when you move the pan). 

To compliment the richness of the quiche, Nate made a salad with fresh cherry tomatoes, basil and blackberries topped with a balsamic glaze. The freshness of the salad perfectly offset the rich decadence of the quiche. 

This course was served with Bouquet of Flowers (black tea), cream and lemons. 

The third and final course was a pumpkin spice cake topped with chocolate ganache. It was moist, rich and flavorful. Unfortunately we were all very full by this course so no one finished their piece. 

This course was served with Van Gogh Smiling (herbal tea) and lemons. 

Well readers, I hope you enjoyed reading about our High Tea dinner party and will be inspired to have one of your own! Happy eating! 

Pumpkin Bread

Ah readers, it finally feels like fall in the City of Oaks! It's raining, it's chilly and its Halloween week! 

To celebrate my favorite holiday/season, I decided to bake pumpkin bread (originally intended to be bars). 

Allow me to begin by saying, Pinterest Fails is definitely a thing. I don't know if people just slap things on Pinterest thinking "I don't need to recipe test, someone will try this recipe and do it for me!" or what is going on there but the recipe I used was for "Pumpkin Bars" and not "Pumpkin Bread" but it was definitely a bread. A very tasty and comforting bread, but bread none-the-less. 

The interesting thing about this cake is that there is no butter, no oil and no egg yolks. These things are all replaced by pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt. 

Pumpkin Bread 

1 15 oz can pumpkin purée 

2/3 C low-fat Greek vanilla yogurt 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

4 egg whites 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 C white sugar 

3 tsp baking powder 

2 C flour 

1/2 tsp salt 

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

Cooking spray 

Optional: 

1 C chocolate chips 

1/2 C sliced almonds 

1 C quick oats 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your favorite cake pan or brownie dish with cooking spray. 

Mix pumpkin, egg whites, yogurt, vanilla and sugar until well combined. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice until it looks like a pancake batter. 

Now comes the optional ingredients. At this point I added in the 1/2 C sliced almonds and poured into my cake pan, where I then mixed the chocolate chips into half and the oats into the opposite half. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until you can do the toothpick trick. 

The bread was so moist and delicious! I brought a couple pieces to work to share and everyone loved it! I hope you enjoy it just as much as I, Nate and my coworkers did! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I adore pumpkin. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bars, pumpkin pie, and of course, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. 

I started using this recipe (retrieved from Pinterest) last year and it was a big hit among husbands and coworkers alike! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1/2 C unsalted butter, melted 

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/4 C light brown sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

6 Tbsp pumpkin purée 

1 1/2 C flour

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

1/4 tsp cloves 

1/4 tsp allspice 

1/2 C (or an entire bag) of chocolate chips 

In a medium bowl, cream melted butter, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin purée until smooth. 

In a larger bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. 

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients using a rubber spatula and combine completely. Fold in chocolate chips. 

Let the dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. This step is crucial! The dough is very soft and chilling helps it set up. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a silicone lined or parchment paper lined baking sheet, roll out and portion out cookies to be 1 Tbsp-1 1/2 Tbsp dough balls. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. They will look soft and underbaked but leaving them in the oven for longer will dry them out. 

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack to completely cool.  

I hope you all enjoy these pumpkin-y, chocolate-y and all around tasty cookies as much as I do, readers! 

Sierra Nevada Mills River

Last weekend Nate and I visited the Sierra Nevada brewery located at 100 Sierra Nevada Way, Fletcher, North Carolina 28732. 

In addition to their beautiful brewery and delicious beers (seriously, go there and take a FREE brewery tour; 18 oz of FREE samples of beers plus behind-the-scenes knowlege and experiences), the Sierra Nevada property also bosts a taproom with a full-service restaurant. 

Decor: excellent. The brewery obviously spared no expense when designing the taproom because it was simply beautiful! 

Food appearance: excellent! Food was served tapas style, so everything was shareable and came out when ready. Food was beautifully and artistically plated. 

Food taste: excellent! I wish I had had 

another stomach with which to eat with. We ordered the duck fat fries, beet salad and apple cinnamon ice cream. The beet salad made me, I hate to admit it, like beets. I do not typically care for beets. Roasted, pickled, put in a stew; I dislike them all equally but these beets were so delicious and paired so well with the tangy goat cheese, sweet balsamic and crisp micro-greens that I almost didn't want to share. The duck fat fries were double fried in duck fat, topped with duck con feit, coated with melted cheddar and drizzled with hot sauce aioli with a side of raspberry mustard for dipping. These fries were nothing short of heavenly and no words can do them justice. The ice cream was a nice way to end the meal; chunks of cinnamon apples running through vanilla ice cream, what's not to like? 

http://www.sierranevada.com/brewery/north-carolina/taproom

Cleanliness: excellent. The brewery operates like a well-oiled machine, they receive so many visitors a week that they know how to please. The smallest details are handled quickly and efficiently so no problems with cleaning here. 

Service: excellent! Our servers were friendly, knowledgable and definitely made sure we had exactly what we needed to be happy. 

Total: 15/15

Well Sierra Nevada, you have definitely won me over! From your beers I didn't even know existed (still drooling over the Narwhal Imperial Stout), to your gourmet food menu (I'm coming back for the sweetbreads!), I vow to return to the Mills River Location as often as I can to enjoy your hospitality. 

Macaroons and Sipping Caramel

One of my weaknesses is macaroons. They're so dainty, decadent and most of all, delicious. 

I had read online about a patisserie in downtown Raleigh with a menu that looked downright fabulous, so a couple weeks ago I dragged Nate to go with me! 

Lucettegrace is located at 235 South Salsbury St, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601.

Decor: good. The storefront has 2 large windows letting in plenty of natural light making the space airy and bright. In addition to the natural light, there is also a lot of exposed pipes and artwork on the walls. 

Food appearance: excellent. While we didn't partake in their full menu (click the link below) their pastry case looked divine. They had eclairs, macaroons, cakes, tarts and basically everything you'd ever want. 

http://www.lucettegrace.com/menu

Food taste: excellent! We each got 2 macaroons; I chose the lavender blueberry and pumpkin passion fruit while Nate chose the pistachio raspberry rose and the almond cheesecake. They were divine! We also got their pumpkin spice eclair to split. It was basically a pumpkin pie and an eclair had a baby. And that food baby was incredible. I also got some sipping caramel, think of the taste of a Werther's Original caramel. Got it? It was exactly that. But liquid. 

Cleanliness: excellent. The store was clean. 

Service: good, the staff was friendly and willing to help us with our needs. 

Total: 13/15 

I would love to go back to Lucettegrace again for their full menu and also all their delicious pastries. I would encourage you all to try it out yourselves too! 

Taco Tuesday Soup

Well readers, my absolute favorite season is upon us! Yes, I'm of course talking about fall! Snuggly sweaters, warm scarves, cloudy skies and cozy teas and cuddly days. Oh, and soups and stews. 

This recipe I adapted from my Sissy's recipe for Taco Soup. The best part about this recipe? You make it in a slow cooker. The only effort required is browning the turkey and opening the cans. 

Taco Soup 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

1/4 yellow onion, diced 

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/2 lb ground turkey

1/2 Tbsp Mexican oregano 

1/2 tbsp red chile powder 

1/2 tbsp onion powder 

1/2 tbsp garlic powder 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1 can diced tomatoes with chiles, not drained

1 can fiesta corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can white kidney beans, drained 

2 C chicken stock 

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in oil until onions are translucent. Add turkey and cook until brown. 

In your favorite 6 or 8 quart slow cooker, combine all canned goods, turkey mixture and stock. 

Turn your slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours. 

Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese  and/or sour cream and serve with tortilla chips! If you like a little extra spice, as Nate and I do, throw some pickled jalapeños on top and enjoy!

Enjoy the Taco Soup and enjoy your fall, readers! 

Roasted Pepper Tart (Pie)

One of my fantastic customers at my job grows peppers and gave me a huge bag homegrown peppers (yay!) and the vegetarian cookbook I've been using (What's Cooking Vegetarian by Jenny  Stacey) had a recipe for roasted red pepper tart! Score!! 

I was given a variety of different peppers so I grabbed one of the biggest peppers (as well as one red and one orange bell pepper that I already had). 

Roasted Red Pepper Tart 

The pastry: 

1 1/4 C flour 

Pinch of salt

6 Tbsp butter (or 3 Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp shortening) 

2 Tbsp pitted green olives, diced 

3 Tbsp cold water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Sift flour into a bowl, mix in salt. Cut in butter and/or shortening until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 

Knead in olives and water until dough sticks together. 

Roll out onto floured surface and transfer into tart (or pie because you don't have a tart) pan. Poke fork holes into crust. 

Par-bake crust for 10 minutes and refrigerate. 

The filling: 

1 red pepper 

1 orange pepper

1 green pepper 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 eggs, beaten 

2/3 C milk

1 Tbsp basil 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and veins. Mix together oil and garlic and brush onto the outside of the halved peppers. 

Roast peppers in the oven for 20 minutes or until the peppers begin to char and blister. 

Let peppers cool slightly and slice into strips. 

Arrange the peppers in the bottom of the crust. 

Beat together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper and basil. Pour mixture on top of the peppers and top with shredded cheese. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

The taste:

The crust was perfectly crisp and had a tasty brine-y bite from the olives. The roasted peppers were slightly sweet and the filling was so rich and meaty I didn't even miss the fact there was no meat. 

I would definitely recommend making this tart (pie) as soon as you possibly can!