Ladies of the Rose Tea

Within the medieval group I play with, there is a group of women that have served previously as Queen. They are know as the Ladies of the Rose, and their symbol is a yellow rose. I suggested to the current queen that I'd like to do a tea for these ladies. She thought this sounded like a great idea.

Now, there is nothing remotely medieval or renaissance about a formal tea. It is a Victorian invention. However, our group has strong roots in Victorian Gothic Romanticism. I don't think it is a great sin to acknowledge that. Besides, how cool is it to sit in the shade, nibble delicacies, and chat the afternoon away?

The Queen expressed a preference for leaning toward savory. I tried to pick a menu that reflected that.

For the savory course, we made two items. For the first, I did a riff on the classic BLT. When shopping at the El Cajon Farmer's Market, I found a little local company, Jackie's Jams. She had a tomato jam, and I just had to try it. It was really good, and I bought a jar. I thought it

would be a great idea to build a BLT around the jam. We got some good, crusty sourdough bread, and I toasted it on the grill. I then cut it into squares. We spread a thin layer of tomato jam on the bread, place a piece of bacon the size of the bread on top. We put a little dab of jam on the bacon, to act as glue for the chiffonaded bronze leaf lettuce that went on last.

The second savory item was a lettuce cup with curried tuna salad. The intent was to use all endive, but the head we bought didn't have quite enough leaves, so I used some heart of romaine as well. The tuna is a simple mix of canned tuna, mayonnaise, curry powder, and hot curry paste.

For the scone course, I decided to keep it simple, and I made just one kind of scone, the cream scones I made for the Princess Tea, the only difference being that I did not sprinkle the top with sugar after brushing them with cream.

I also made some gluten free scones, as we had an attendee that was gluten intolerant. The gluten free scones were made with Bisquick Gluten Free Mix. I followed the biscuit recipe on the box, but substituted heavy cream for the milk, to get a richer scone.

We then made a choice of four toppings, two savory and two sweet. For the savory, I made a chili lime butter, and a pesto butter. For the sweet, I made kiwi curd and the spouse made mock Devonshire cream. The kiwi curd was sweeter than I'd expected, and set up a little soft, but it seemed to be popular.

For the sweet course, the spouse made rose tea shortbread cookies, and I made safflower infused white  modeling chocolate roses.

I wanted to make yellow roses, and I'd hoped to use natural color to do it. I originally planned to use saffron, but realized I was out, and couldn't find any on short notice, but safflower was easily available. I couldn't get a deep enough color, so added some commercial coloring paste. The safflower added a bit of a savory note to the rather sweet modeling chocolate. Modeling chocolate is just white chocolate and corn syrup.

I included instructions for making a modeling chocolate rose in this post.

Recipes

Curried Tuna Salad

3 cans tuna, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tsp. hot curry paste
salt to taste

In a bowl, mix all ingredients until tuna is well moistened.

Chili Lime Butter

8 oz. by wt. butter, softened
1 ripe jalapeno chili
zest of 6 key limes
juice of two key limes
kosher salt to taste

Char outside of chili over open flame. Remove skin, seeds, and inner membranes. Mince.

Mash together butter, chili, zest, juice, and salt until well blended.

Pesto Butter

8 oz. by wt. butter
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic
kosher salt to taste

Place all ingredients in  a food processor. Run until butter is smooth.

Kiwi Curd

1 cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup kiwi fruit puree
pinch kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until curd thickens, about ten minutes.

Strain curd. cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in freezer for 20 minutes, then transfer to refrigerator to finish cooling.

Mock Devonshire Cream

8 oz. by wt. cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add rest of ingredients, whisk until stiff peaks form.

Rose Tea Cookies

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. Scottish Breakfast tea
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. rose water
1/2 cup butter

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together rose water and water. Set aside.

 In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, sugars, salt, and tea leaves until tea is well incorporated.  Add vanilla, 1 tsp. of the diluted rose water, and butter. Pulse until a dough forms.

On a floured surface, roll dough very thin. Cut out cookies, place on an ungreased sheet pan. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

 

Safflower Infused Modeling Chocolate

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup safflowers
10 oz. by wt. white chocolate

In a microwave safe bowl, combine corn syrup and safflowers. Heat in microwave until syrup just begins to boil.

Remove from microwave. Let cool to room temperature. Strain.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate to 100 F. Add 1/3 cup of the safflower infused corn syrup. Mix with a spatula until smooth and shiny. Let stand at least 4 hours before using. If kept refrigerated, good for up to one month.

 Combine with rubber spatula until smooth and shiny. Let sit 4 hours to over night.
Happy Eating!

 

Angel Hair Pasta with Carrot Green, Dry Jack, and Pistachio Pesto

We picked up some lovely carrots at the El Cajon Farmer's Market the other day. They add lovely greens, so I knew I'd be making pesto soon. I've made pesto with carrot greens before. I really love the sharp, parsley-like flavor of them.

This time, I used dry jack cheese, and pistachios. This may be my best pesto, ever. The dry jack adds a lot of umami and a real depth of flavor. The pistachios add just enough sweetness to balance out the mild bitterness of the carrot greens.

I tossed the pesto with some whole grain angel hair pasta, and a little olive oil. To accompany the pasta, I sautéed some onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli. I flavored the vegetables with a little dried thyme and basil.

Carrot Green, Dry Jack, and Pistachio Pesto

3 cups rough chopped carrot greens
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/3 cup grated dry jack cheese
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil (approximately)

In the bowl of a food processor, combine greens, nuts, cheese, and garlic. While processor is running, drizzle in olive oil, until pesto is smooth. Add salt to taste, process a few more pulses.

Happy eating!

Pasta with Radish Green - Walnut Pesto

 

I love my CSA. It challenges me to make the best use of the ingredients. We had gotten some marvelous radishes, with luxuriant greens. I hate to just throw things out, so I look for ways to use everything. I have previously used the carrot greens we've gotten to good effect.

I had a package of tri-color spinach and cheese tortellini in the freezer. I love tortellini with pesto. I made a pesto of radish greens, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Hard to describe the radish greens. They have a rich herbaceous taste, with a little bite and some bitterness. They paired well with the walnuts.

I just prepared the pasta as directed, then drained it and tossed it with the pesto.

To go with, I sauteed some beautiful Savoy cabbage with some strips of green pepper and green onion.

Radish Green - Walnut Pesto

3 cups radish greens
2/3 cup walnut pieces
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
2 -3 tbsp. olive oil

Place radish leaves, walnuts, salt, and garlic in a food processor. While processor is running, drizzle in olive oil until pesto has a smooth consistency. It may be necessary to stop and scrape down the sides of the processor bowl once or twice.

Black Hat Tea Recipes: Part II, Scone Course

This is the second post containing recipes for the Black Hat tea. Part I, with the savory course recipes, has already been posted. These are the three scones, Cilantro-Pepita Pesto, Brown Sugar-Pecan with molasses butter, and Caramel Apple Pie. I hope you enjoy.

Recipes

Cilantro-Pepita Pesto Scones

For the Pesto:

1 cup cilantro leaves
2/3 cup pepitas
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

Place everything except olive oil in a food processor. While processor is running, slowly dribble in olive oil until pesto is smooth.

For the scones:

3 1/4 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pesto
3/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1 tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and pesto, stirring until just mixed. Dough should be soft. Turn onto a floured surface, knead just until dough holds together, and is not sticky on the surface. Pat to about three-quarters of an inch thick, cut out in three inch diameter circles. Place scones on a well greased sheet pan. Bake until golden brown, between 10 and 12 minutes.

Brown Sugar-Pecan Scones with Molasses Butter

For the scones:

4 cups flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream and pecans, until mixture is just moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead just until dough holds together and is not sticky. Pat flat until about 3/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut into 2 inch squares.Brush tops of scones with additional cream. Place scones on a well greased sheet pan. bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

for the butter:

Beat together 1/2 cup butter with 2 tbsp. molasses, until well combined, and butter is fluffy.

 

Caramel Apple Pie Scones

for the caramel:

1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

In a heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat, whisk together water and sugar until mixture is combined and starting to boil. swirl occasionally, until mixture turns amber. Whisk in butter. Remove from heat, wait three seconds, then slowly whisk in cream. Let cool, set aside.

for the glaze:

1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. apple juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

In a microwave proof bowl, heat butter and juice just until butter is melted in a microwave. Whisk in sugar and vanilla until smooth.

For the scones:

 1 gala apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 ½ cups butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup buttermilk

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, toss together apple, lemon juice, and spices, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add in apple mixture, stir until well combined.

In a measuring cup, mix together buttermilk and juice. Pour a little liquid at a time into the flour mixture Fold the liquid in. Do this just until all dry ingredients are brought in. You may not need to use all the liquid.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead just until dough holds together, and is not sticky. Pat to about 3/4 inch thick;. Using a sharp knife, cut into triangles. Place scones on a well greased sheet pan. Bake until golden brown, about  15 - 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. While scones are hot, brush with glaze.

Let cool. Just before serving, drizzle lightly with caramel.

As always, Happy Eating!

Tortelloni with Carrot Green Pesto



I love when you can use something that many people would throw out, like old bread, or vegetable trimming (but that's a future post). In this case, we are talking carrot tops. They have a wonderful green taste, like a mild parsley. They can be used in salads, but I've found that they make a superlative pesto.

For the side, I sauteed together mushrooms with green and cherry peppers, garlic, and red onion.

I did use a commercial  chicken and cheese tortelloni. Tortelloni are ideal for pesto, as they have lots of nooks and crannies to pick up the pesto.  I boil the pasta, and drain it when it is perfectly al dente. Once drained, I return it to the pot, and toss it with the pesto.

I like to strip the leaves off the stems, as the stems are a little tough. For nuts, I find that toasted pecans work great, although this time I used a mix of hazelnuts, pecans, and almonds, because that is what I had in the house.

Carrot Green Pesto

3 cups carrot fronds, rough chopped
1 cup chopped nuts
1 Tblsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup olive oil (approximately)

Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor.  While food processor is running, drizzle in olive oil, about a teaspoon at a time, until pesto is smooth.

Happy Eating!