CHOCOLATE FLUFF TARTLETS

This is the easiest dessert I've ever made and you are gonna love it!

2 packages of Phyllo tart cups

1 cup heavy whipping cream, well chilled
1/2 cup Hershey's or other chocolate syrup, well chilled
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, chilled
Powdered sugar
In a very well chilled bowl, whip all liquid ingredients on high for 7-10 minutes or until thick & fluffy. Pipe into each tart cup. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

That's it! Honestly, that's all there is to it.

CULINARY MONDAY

Fricassee (FRIHK-uh-see): A dish of meat (most often chicken) that is sauteed in butter. Then used in stews with chunks of vegetables. The results are a thick, chunky, hearty tasting stew. Often wine is used to deglaze the pot after the meat has been sauteed.

Yorkshire Pudding: Make no mistake, this is NOT pudding. But according to the British, it's just as loved. No good Brit would consider Roast Beef with out it. The name comes from the Yorkshire region of England.
It is a souffle/ popover type bread that is made from eggs, flour, milk & meat drippings. Then cooked in either a popover pan, a small baking dish or even in the roast pot.
I had the opportunity to serve this at a catering I did a few years ago. I had NO idea what in the world it was. I looked for a recipe and made some in advance. They were "perfect" according to the clients. Here's my recipe.
Yorkshire Pudding
Save leftover beef drippings from your roast- at least 1/2 or more cups.
1 cup of flour
1 tsp. of salt
1 cup of milk
2 eggs, beaten
a dash of black pepper
1/2 cup of drippings (melted butter will work in place of drippings)
Muffin Tin
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Sift salt & flour. Beat eggs with milk and add black pepper. Mix with flour until smooth. Set aside to rest.
Pour a little of the drippings into each muffin well. Place in warmed oven for about 10-15 minutes. Remove and quickly pour the mixture 1/2 the way up into each well. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR DURING THIS TIME. Reduce heat to 375 and continue baking for 15 minutes or until golden & puffed.
Let cool and remove from pans. The puddings will deflate after baking- this is normal. ENJOY!!

A Country Tea

I had such fun prepping tea today for my friend Patty Gironda. She has taught me a lot about foods and seasonings and I'm looking forward to learning even more. So it was my pleasure to serve tea for her today. This is a beautiful scone loaf before cutting.

Our table. It was set for 6, just to make it look prettier.
Tarts: Almond Cheesecake & Chocolate Fluff.
Curried Egg Salad with Watercress & Roast Beef
with Red Leaf Lettuce & Major Grey's Chutney. Scones
Tablescapes
We shared a lovely pot of Passion Fruit Green tea.
Chicken- Artichoke Salad in Parmesan Cheese Cups

I served the curd & jam in my grand-

daughter's tiny tea cups. Isn't cute?
Raspberry Jam & Lemon-Lime Curd


Please visit with Patty on her food blog Home At Last and also read about her soon to open Bed & Breakfast Casa Bella. You'll be glad you took the time to visit.

MAJOR GRAY'S CHUTNEY

Okay, so I need a count of hands. How many of you have even heard of let alone eaten this stuff? I must be the only person in the good old U.S. that hasn't. Because after extensive research I've seen it touted as America's most favorite chutney. Lately I've seen the name popping up in recipes everywhere. I had no idea what it was. Then last week while looking for horseradish, I spotted this jar on the shelf! Of course you know I had to buy it! Not knowing exactly what it was I thought, "Could I use it for a sandwich spread?" So, I bought a large bread from the deli (it's Publix's Sports bread which is by far one of the best breads I've ever tried).
Look at all that good stuff inside.
I also bought a few slices of pancetta and provolone cheese.
I made this lovely sandwich using the Major Grey's chutney.

Publix's Deli Sports Bread, Pancetta, Provolone, Watercress, onion, tomatoes, mayo & MAJOR GREY'S Chutney! YUMMMM

Bake the pancetta & thick bread slices on 425 for 7-10 minutes or until the pancetta is crispy and well cooked.

CULINARY MONDAY- PATE BRISEE & BARQUETTES

PATE BRISEE: (paht bree-ZAY): A French term for a short pastry. Like a pie crust only more rich & flaky. Dough can be used for sweet or savory dishes like pies, tarts, quiche or barquettes.

BARQUETTES: (bahr- KHET) A cute, small, boat shaped pastry crust that is used for hors d' oeuvres or desserts.

PATE BRISEE

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon of butter

1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of water & 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

1-2 tablespoons of water added as needed.

Cut the stick of butter into approximately 32 small pieces, toss with the flour in bowl and place flour & butter in freezer to get very cold. (About 20 minutes)

Dump the cold mixture on a work surface and work the dough just enough to blend the butter in, making small crumb like texture. Crush the butter into flat pieces, but DO NOT over work or let the butter melt from the heat of your hands. Form the dough into a ball making a well in the center and mounding up on the sides.

Pour the egg mixture into the center of the well. Using one hand, swirl around the eggs into the flour until all of it is incorporated. Press the dough and fold over several time until dough is worked, adding the water as needed to keep it soft and not crumbly. Once the dough is soft, form into a round ball & place in the refrigerator in a dish. Chill no less than 30 minutes. After chilling, roll out in whatever shape you desire. It will be a little hard so you'll need to whack it with the rolling pin to flatten out. Again, do not let the dough get too warm. You want the butter to retain some of the coolness resulting in a more flaky crust.

When rolling, use as little flour on the surface as possible. Adding too much will result in a tough, dry crust.

Cooking: When using wet fillings, prebake the crust or it will never get cooked in the middle. (Remember this when using any pastry crust to get best results). Next, poke holes in the center of crust, line with PARCHMENT paper (not waxed) pour some rice in the center, bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until a soft, light brown color on the edges remove the liner and bake 5 more minutes.

BRIDAL COLORS FOR SPRING

After hitting almost every magazine & website

for brides this year, I've drawn the conclusion that there

is really not color specific choices this year. Now, with that

being said, I did tend to see a lot of the following colors.

YELLOWYellow is a popular color this spring,

with more dresses showing up in it than ever before. There is of course the usual use of silver and black.

It seems to be a real trend in clothing this year as well.Lavender is on the rise, though not as much.Coral- the wonderful revival of coral!

Coral or light orange are both great color choices for

every skin type out there.

So brides, all of your wedding party will look great

in this color. It is also a pleasing

color to compliment foods.Then the all time favorite is on the rise this year.

White.

Pure, simple & elegant.But, the biggest surprise in color this year is turquoise! Don't you just love this color?

You can go light or dark and even

lean a little toward aqua.

Either way I call it a hit this year. How about using

Turquoise and Coral-

HOT!!! HOT!!! HOT!!!

A CATERED TABLE SETTING

Join BNOTP for tablescape Thursdays.

Click here to see other beautiful tablescapes.

This was a "Thank-You" event held for those helping with the Miss Teen Georgia Beauty Pagent held at a local high school here in our area. The drama teacher holds the pagent each year and then hosts a dinner at his home as a thanks to all who helped. In the silver bowl, marinated olives, feta & Pepperocini.

A platter of fresh fruit & cheese spread.

Tri- Colored Rotini Pasta Salad

Seafood dip with croistini (Crab, shrimp, scallops)

Petit fours & Lime Mousse filled Chocolate cupsOrange Mousse Filled Chocolate Cups

Lemon Mousse with Raspberry & Kiwi

Are you hungry now?

Hope you enjoyed this tablescape, too.

CULINARY MONDAY- Haricort Verts & Paillards

Today's words: Haricot Verts & Paillards.
I know that anyone who uses Martha Stewart recipes has come across both of these words. For the longest time I would get frustrated trying to figure out what the heck she was talking about. It wasn't until after I started catering that I was most curious about these (as well as many other) unknown cooking terms, so I set out on a mission to look up as many "unknown" words as I could. I mean how many of us Southern Ladies use the term Haricot Verts or Paillards when we cook? Well I didn't and frankly still do not. I use the Southern (as well as American) names for these two French terms. String Beans & Cutlets! Yep, that's what they mean.
Haricot Vert (ah-ree-koh VERH) Green String Beans.
Haricot= bean & Vert= Green.
Paillard (PI yahrd) A veal, beef or chicken cutlet. A thin, tender slice of meat generally taken from the leg or rib section. I have noticed, the term more often used with a chicken breast. A chicken cutlet is generally from the breast, but could be any cut that is flattened out to cook quickly as in pan fried, grilled or sauteed. Occasionally the cutlet is battered before frying.
So there you are. I hope I helped you some this week. See you next time- remember send in those words!

UPDATING MY BLOG SITE

To reflect who I am & the business I do actually run, I've decided to devote my blog strictly to food & catering information as well as tablescapes & recipes from here on out.

Thanks & I hope you continue your visits.

Samantha, Nana & Mickey

Well, I couldn't wait for Samantha to come
for tea with Nana and Mickey. So Monday, I made scones of Mickey. And Samantha,
her mommy & I had ourselves a tea party.

Samantha couldn't wait, she had to have a sip right away.
We had ham sandwiches, dilled egg salad crackers, Mickey scones & Minnies cookies and fresh fruit with whipped cream for dessert. She was saying, "Come on Nana, I want to eat Mickey's head!"
Here she is trying to get the Devonshire cream off her spoon.

She loves her new Mickey bracelet. Thank you to Katherine at

Yellow Rose Arbor for her wonderful gifts. We all had a great time.