Spicebox Supperclub: Jack Mormon Wedding

In March 2016, we celebrated Chris’ Mormon upbringing with a classic menu from a Mormon wedding.  And we got into costume!

Chris and Diana

Angel of Moroni Potatoes with Temple Square Fry Sauce

Sweet Apple Ham with Joseph Smith’s Accompaniments

Golden Plate Spinach Florentine and Nauvoo Chicken Casserole

Lamanite Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes o’Nephite

Provo’s Favorite Jello Shot

Jack Mormon Jack Daniels Chocolate Cake

Orrin’s Cider Poached Apples with Sabayon le Pere Jules

Spicebox Supperclub: Local

Last year, life/culinary school got in the way, and we fell behind on preserving our delicious memories of Spicebox Supperclub.  Now it’s time to catch up.

Back in September 2016, Nalin and Heather hosted a lovely meal on the theme of “Local.”  While we don’t have any photographs of the amazing meal, here are the recipes, many from the Gjelina cookbook, and a partial list of local purveyors.

LOCAL: Menu and Recipes

 

Amuse Bouche

Watermelon cubes with balsalmic reduction.

Roasted beet cubes with goat cheese.

Ingredients

watermelon

basalmic vinegar

honey

3 medium beets (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

goat cheese

Directions

Cube watermelon, about 3/4” in size, core small depression

Reduce basalmic vinegar in half by heating slowly

Add gently to depression in watermelon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the leafy stems and roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks.

Place the cut beets on the prepared baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Roast for until the beets are tender when pierced with a thin-bladed knife, 35 to 40 minutes, tossing once with a spatula midway through.

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and maple syrup in a small skillet. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by about half (if should lightly coat the back of a metal spoon). Pay close attention and be sure not to over-reduce it; it goes from sweet and syrupy to burnt and hard very quickly.

Toss the glaze with the roasted beets and chill until ready to serve.

 

Andulusian Gazpacho

(from Serious Eats)

• 3 pounds (about 4 large) very ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 pound (about 1 small) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 pound (about 1 small) small red onion, peeled and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 pound (about 1 medium) green or red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 4 ounces (about 2 slices) white sandwich, French, or Italian bread, crusts removed, torn into rough 1-inch pieces (see note)
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving (McEvoy Olive Oil)
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons finely minced chives
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, pepper, garlic, and salt in a large bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain juices into a large bowl and add the bread. Transfer the drained vegetables to a rimmed baking sheet and place in freezer until vegetables are frozen, about 60 minute.

Remove vegetables from freezer and allow to sit at room temperature until mostly thawed, about 30 minutes. Transfer vegetables and all their juices from the pan to bowl with soaked bread.

Working in two batches as necessary, blend vegetables, juice, and bread at high speed, slowly drizzling olive oil and sherry vinegar into blender as it blends. Strain soup through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve, drizzling each bowl with olive oil, a few sprinkles of sherry vinegar, extra cracked black pepper, and chives. Gazpacho can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

Ceviche

(from Serious Eats)

• Yields 4-6
• 1 pound fresh ocean fish such as sea bass, grouper, or striped bass, cut into 1/4-inch slices (see note)
• 1/2 cup lemon, lime, or sour orange juice, or a combination
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, ribs and seeds removed, rinsed, and finely minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

Combine fish, juice, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño in a large bowl and gently fold with your hands to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for at least 5 minutes, folding occasionally. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with boiled corn and sweet potatoes, if desired.

Timing

• 0 minutes: Fish is completely raw. Slippery texture, like sashimi (I mean, it is sashimi).
• 1 minute: Fish is strongly flavored, but still essentially raw. No noticeable difference in texture yet.
• 2 minutes: Very exterior of fish is starting to show some textural changes.
• 5 minutes: Definite textural changes in fish, with a pleasing firmness to the exterior. Not ideal yet.
• 10 minutes: For my taste, this is where it begins to become ideal. Niceley firm on the outside, but still tender and moist in the interior.
• 15 minutes: Even better.
• 30 minutes: Still good, bordering on too cooked.
• 1 hour: Overcooked. The acid has begun breaking down the connective tissue in between the layers of the flesh, which causes it to start falling apart.
• 1 1/2 hours: The fish breaks into distinct chunks with even the slightest poke from a finger or fork.
• 2 hours: Completely gone. Fish has spontaneously started to break apart even without touching it. It’s cooked through to nearly the center, with a chalky, dry texture.

 

Tomato, Beet and Carrot Soup

(from Gjelina)

Yield 6-8

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, chopped

Kosher salt

3 peeled carrots, chopped

7 red beets, peeled, chopped

6 garlic cloves, sliced

1.5 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp Harissa

2 cups beef stock

2 cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf, bruised

3/4 cup (120 ml) pomodoro sauce

freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup (60 ml) spiced yogurt

2 tbsp snipped chives

olive oil

Procedures

In a large soup pot over medium high heat, warm the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, about 2 mins. Season with salt. Add the carrots and beets and turn the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are cooked through and slightly carmelized, 20-30 mins. Stir in the garlic, and cook until just fragrant, about 2 mins longer. Stir in the tomato paste and harissa until aromatic and beginning to brown, about 3 mins. Add the beef and vegetable stock, and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaf and simmer until the beets are very tender, about 20 mins. Add the pomodoro sauce.

Remove from heat and with an immersion blender, puree until relatively smooth. (Or puree in batches in blender.) Return to medium-high heat and cook until warmed through. (Add more stock if the soup is too thick.) Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with spiced yogurt. Sprinkle with chives, dizzle with best quality olive oil and a few rounds of pepper.

Spiced Yogurt

Toast 1/4 tsp coriander and 1/4 tsp cumin seeds in a small frying pan, about 3 mins. Remove from heat, cool and then grind. In a food processor, combine yogurt (1 cup Greek style), coriander and cumin seeds, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro and 1 tbsp chopped mint and process briefly, about 5 seconds. Add olive oil (2 tbsp), white wine vinegar (2 tsp) and juice from 1/2 lemon and pulse briefly. Taste and season with salt. Stir in 3 tbsp water until yogurt is thin enough to drizzle with spoon.

 

Arugula and Radicchio Salad with Crispy Shallots

(from Gjelina)

Ingredients

Crispy shallots and shallot oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp honey

kosher salt

1 bunch arugula

1 head radicchio

chunk of parmesan

Procedures

Pour 1 1/2 cups of shallot oil into a small bowl, whisk in the lemon juice, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar and honey and season with salt/pepper.

Crispy Shallots

In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add 5 shallots and cook, stirring until deep golden brown and temperature of oil is 230 degree F, 10-15 mins. Using slotted spoon or strainer, transfer shallots to a paper-lined dish and drain. Allow shallots to come to room temperature.

The key to frying shallots is to add them to warm oil and raise the temperature gradually while moving the shallots briskly. The bubbling action of the shallots will tell you when the temperature is right.

Sous vide Beef Steaks

(from Serious Eats)

Procedures

Season steaks with salt and place in the fridge for 4 hours. After, coat generously with spice mixture (anardana, fennel, five spice, and thyme). Add to water bath (131 degrees) for 2 hours.

Heat cast iron skillet, add butter/canola oil mixture. Sear each side for 15-30 seconds, including sides. Slice.

Chimichurri

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1/2 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 shallot

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

some sliced apple

Combine cilantro, parsley, oregano, paprika, shallot, olive oil and salt and stir. Blend until roughly combined

Red Wine Sauce

2 cups red wine, 4 shallots (chopped), 1 carrot, peeled and sliced

3 sprigs thyme, 1 fresh bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

2 cups concentrated veal stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

butter

Combine the wine, shallots, carrot, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently until the liquid is reduced to 2/3 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the veal stock and continue to boil gently until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard against the solids to extract all the liquid. The sauce can be stored for up to a day in the refrigerator.

 

Tomates a la Provencale

(from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

Ingredients

6 firm, ripe tomatoes, all of the same size, about 2 inches in diameter

salt and pepper

olive oil

1-2 cloves mashed garlic

2 tbsp minced shallots

4 tbsp minced fresh basil and parsley

1/8 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp salt

big pinch of pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup crumbs from fresh white bread with body

Procedures

Remove stems, cut top of tomatoes off, gently press out juice and seeds. Sprinkle halves with salt/pepper.

Blend ingredients in a mixing bowl, correct seasoning. Fill each tomato with mixture. Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil. Bake in upper third of oven at 400 degrees 10-15 mins.

 

Beef Broth with Kale and Poached Egg

(from Gjelina)

8 cups beef broth

8 small eggs

two bunches of kale, 2 garlic cloves

Parmesan cheese or other firm cheese

green onion, thinly sliced

Saute garlic in a large non-stick pan, saute kale for about 2-3 mins, add to bowls. Heat broth in two pans until just boiling, drain and add eggs to pan and allow to poach for 3-4 mins, transfer to bowls. Add broth to bowls, top with olive oil and a sliced green onion

 

LOCAL: Purveyors

Fresh produce:

Fifth Crow Farms, Pescadero – Castro Farmer’s Market (beets & other fresh produce)

Dirty Girl Produce – Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market (tomatoes, beets, carrots)

Shelly’s Farm Fresh – Castro Farmer’s Market (pullet eggs)

Oysters:

Hog Island Oysters, Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market

Fresh fish:

H&H Fish (http://www.hhfreshfish.com), fresh snapper from Monterey Bay

Grass-fed beef:

Stemple Creek Ranch and Prather Ranch Meat Co (Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market)

 

 

Supperclub Morocco: Mourad’s Loubya

The Supperclub, satisfied, after our feast at Mourad.

Sadly, we ate this dish too quickly to photograph! This is the home cook’s version of the magical beans which are served as one of the side dishes with the La’acha (family meal) at Mourad.  In the restaurant, the feta which is rustically crumbled as a topping in this home version is molecular gastronomically transformed, elevated, into a light as air foam.  The beans, though, are the same.  These beans were one of Heather’s favorites when we dined together at the end of my brief tenure in the kitchen at Mourad.

___________________

Mourad’s Loubya (Corona Beans, Tomato Sauce, Feta)

Adapted from Mourad: New Moroccan, Mourad Lahlou

Beans (can be cooked up to 3d in advance)

Ingredients

8 oz dried corona beans—soaked overnight at room temp with 2 inches water covering

1 lg carrot, peeled and quartered lengthwise

1 celery stalk, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 garlic clove

2 T brown sugar

1 T kosher salt

 

Technique

1. Drain soaked beans and put in Dutch oven, add other ingredients EXCEPT SALT, and cover with 1 ½ inches water.  Bring to simmer on stove.
2. Cover with parchment lid and brush edges with water to prevent curling.
3. Cover with lid and put in 375 oven for 2 to 21/2 hours until tender but not fallig apart. Add salt.

 

Sauce: simmer below for about 1 hour until reduced to 2 ¾ cups; add onions below; can be made 3d in advance

11/2 c (375g) diced canned tomatoes, w juices

¾ cup  (213g) tomato puree

2 ¼ cup water

¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro

¼ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 T sugar

1 T minced garlic

2 tsp kosher salt

1 ½ tsp sweet paprika

1 1/2tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

¾ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

 

Onions: caramelize for about 15mins, then add balsamic

1 T canola

1 ¾ cups thinly sliced onions

salt

1 tsp balsamic

 

 

Topping

4 oz dry packed feta, Mt Vikos or Redwood Hill, crumbled

1 c bread crumbs

3T evoo

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

 

To finish beans:

1. Heat oven to 400
2. Drain beans, discarding veg and liquid. Stir into tomato sauce.  Spread into a 6 cup gratin dish.
3. Sprinkle feta in an even layer over beans, bake 15-20 mins until melted.
4. Stir together bread crumbs, evoo, oregano and sprinkle over just before serving.

 

Supperclub Morocco: Les Vins

 

Nalin did an exceptional job pairing French wines with our meal, and extensive background as well.  He chose wine from the Rhone valley:

Domaine E. Guigal Hermitage 2010

Domaine Alain Graillot Corzes Hermitage Blanc 2011

Domaine de la Jaufrette Gigondas 2009

and Provence:

Chateau Pradeaux Bandol 2015

Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol 2012

 

Supperclub Morocco: Paula Wolfert’s Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds

Paula Wolfert’s Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds

From The Food of Morocco, Paula Wolfert

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

3 lbs bone in lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch chunks

1 T evoo

2 T unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste w 1 tsp salt

1 T LaKama spice mixture: 1 tsp each ground ginger and turmeric, white pepper; ½ tsp cinnamon; pinch of grated nutmeg [good with fish, lamb, chicken, winter root veg)

2 T saffron water (1/2 tsp saffron crushed in 1 C hot water)

1 lb unpitted large prunes

1 tsp cinnamon

1 T orange flower water

3 T sugar

1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted

1 T toasted sesame seeds

 

Technique

1. Combine oil and 1T of butter with garlic, spices, saffron water, ½ tsp salt and pinch black pepper in a tagine (or Dutch oven), warm for a few minutes, then add in meat gradually so spice mixture coats all sides.  Add 1 cup water and bring to boil, then lower heat, cover, simmer for 2 ½ hours.
2. Soak prunes in water to cover for 1 hour.
3. After lamb has cooked for 1 hour, remove ¼ cup of the juices to a medium skillet, add drained prunes, cinnamon, orange flower water, sugar and cook slowly to caramelize prunes, about 20 mins.
4. Use slotted spoons to remove prunes, reserving liquid.
5. Add remaining 1T butter to the pan juices and another ¼ cup meat juices, set aside.
6. When lamb is tender, reheat pan sauce and brown chunks of lamb in batches until glazed on all sides, add to prunes.
7. Defat meat juices in the tagine. Add the lamb and prunes and cook over low heat for 30 mins, or until lamb is falling off bone.  Remove bones.
8. Serve in tagine, decorated with almonds and sesame seeds.

 

 

 

Supperclub Morocco: Mourad’s Harira

Chef Mourad Lahlou’s Harira

Recipe adapted from Mourad: New Moroccan, Artisan, 2011.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Spice Mix

Combine the following:

1 ½ tsp salt

½ T ground cumin

½ T ground coriander

½ tsp ground white pepper

¾ tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp saffron threads

Date balls

6 Medjool dates

Extra virgin olive oil

Technique

Remove pit from each date. Cut in ½ lengthwise and then cut each half into 4 strips each. Roll each strip into a ball and keep covered in olive oil.

Lentils

¾ cup green lentils, rinsed

Technique

Place lentils in 3 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, rinse and keep in cold water unti ready to use.

Celery Salad

Toss together:

½ bunch celery, diced into 1/8 inch dice (to make ½ cup)

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T minced flat leaf parsley

sea salt and pepper to taste

Soup

1 cup tomato paste

4 qts plus ½ cup water

1 bunch cilantro (discard tough stems)

½ bunch flat leaf parsley

¾ pounds yellow onions—cut into chunks and processed into a mush in food processor

½ bunch celery, leaves only

3 T all purpose flour

1 cup warm water

1/16 tsp active dry yeast

1 ½ T lemon juice

Technique

1. Put tomato paste and 3 ½ qts water in stockpot over high heat. Whisk, then when boiling, reduce to gentle boil and cook for an hour, or reduced by ¼. (Take off heat if onions not yet ready.)
2. Process together the onion mush, herbs and celery leaves, adding water if necessary, until almost liquefied.
3. Transfer onion/herb mixture to a saucepan and stir in spice mixture. Add remaining 2 ½ cups water and bring to gentle boil over high heat, then simmer for another hour or until reduced by half.
4. Stir reduced onion mixture into the stockpot with tomatoes, simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until reduced by 1/3 to just over 2 quarts.
5. Add cooked lentils and keep soup warm over low heat.
6. Whisk together flour, water and yeast and let sit until foamy, about 10 mins.
7. Add to flour mixture to soup, whisking constantly, then stir from bottom to prevent sticking until soup has thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice.
8. To serve, put a spoonful of celery salad on one side of a soup plate and then next to it, 8 date balls. Ladle soup around the celery and date balls so some of the garnishes remain visible. Drizzle some of the celery olive oil and garnish with celery leaves.

Supperclub Morocco: Salade Marocaine, Salade d’Aubergine

Salade Marocaine (Moroccan Tomato Salad)

Adapted from Saveur, 2000.

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients

3 medium ripe tomatoes, or 6 Roma tomatoes (preferred in winter)

Salt

1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 minced seeded green chile

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. white vinegar

1 tbsp. olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Dice tomatoes and place in a strainer. Sprinkle with salt, toss gently, and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
Combine parsley, green chile, cumin, white vinegar, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add tomatoes, mix thoroughly, and serve at room temperature

 
Salade d’Aubergine/Zaalouk (Moroccan Roasted Eggplant Salad)

This warm Moroccan Eggplant Salad (Zaalouk) combines cooked eggplant, tomatoes, and classic spices and is enjoyed as a side or alone with lots of bread. The cinnamon is not traditional, but I added it because cinnamon was featured in my favorite version of this at Café la Tolérance, Essaouira, Morocco.

Adapted from Lands & Flavors blog.

Ingredients

1kg or a little over 2 lbs of eggplant

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

1½ teaspoons sweet paprika

1½ teaspoons cumin

¼ teaspoon (or more) red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes

½ cup water

1 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper, to taste

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼ to ½ cup (a large handful) cilantro, chopped

olive oil for roasting the eggplant and for finishing the salad

Technique

Peel the eggplant, leaving a few strips of skin for color and structure, and slice lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices. Drizzle a large parchment-lined baking sheet with a generous tablespoon of olive oil and arrange the slices evenly. Drizzle another generous Tablespoon of olive oil over the slices, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and roast in a 450°F oven. Roast until the slices are cooked and browned, around 35 minutes. Once they are golden brown, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes on the counter.
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic and cook for around 30 seconds. Add the paprika, cumin, cinnamon and hot pepper flakes and bloom the spices in the hot oil for 10 seconds before quickly adding the chopped tomatoes, water, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes.
Now chop the cooked eggplant slices into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the sauté pan, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
The eggplant should now be fully cooked and tender but shouldn’t have disintegrated. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and the chopped cilantro. Give it a taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Supperclub Morocco: le menu

Supperclub Morocco

Salade Marocaine, Salade Aubergine (Zaalouk), Pita, Olives

Mourad’s Harira

Paula Wolfert’s Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds

Couscous with Brown Butter, Preserved Lemon and Herbs

Mourad’s Loubya (Moroccan Bean Stew)

Dessert: Orange Almond Cake with Lemon Curd Yogurt

Mint tea

 

Spicebox Supperclub: Morocco

Hello Spicebox Supperclub fans! Sorry for the long hiatus.  We haven’t stopped having our supperclubs, but there was a pause in posting, as Linda took some time off to go to culinary school! (You can read my adventures here.).  We’ll catch you up on our culinary adventures.  In the meantime, let’s start with the most recent: Supperclub Morocco!

The inspiration for this meal came from Linda’s recent culinary externship/stage at Mourad, the Michelin-starred Modern Moroccan restaurant in San Francisco.  After that, Peter and Linda took a quick trip to Morocco, which was the most different and intriguing place they’d ever been.  The food has a unique history and flavor profile, which we recreated for our supperclub.  Think spices (coriander, cumin, paprika, saffron and dozens more).  Think flowers (rose, orange blossom).  Think mint.

As with all Spicebox Supperclub events, we began with cocktails.  Three this time! The curry and cardamom comes courtesy of the creative bar at Mourad.  Cheers!

 

Pamplemousse au Maroc (this makes 2 drinks)

4-5 mint leaves muddled in the shaker.

2 oz gin

1/2 oz pomegranate simple syrup

3 oz grapefruit juice

1/4 oz lime juice

Several dashes of orange blossom water

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Garnish: mint leave or rose petal.

 

The “Ilsa Lund” (Ingrid Bergman’ character in Casablanca)

4-5 mint leaves muddled in the shaker.

1 oz vodka

1/2 oz citron vodka

1 oz orange juice

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz saffron simple syrup (saffron, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, lemon rind, orange rind) (can use more for slightly sweeter and more flavorful)

 

Curry & Cardamom

Bourbon 2oz
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz honey syrup (3:1 honey/hot water)
1/4 oz ginger syrup
3 dashes angustura bitters
1 dash cardamom bitters
Shake well with ice
Then add 1oz sparkling wine

Strain & pour (coupe glass preferred)

Add curry leaf on top

Serve & Enjoy!

 

 

Thanks for coming by! Come back soon!

Up next: the Moroccan feast

Hawaii: Lilikoi Cheesecake

Our dessert recipe came to us courtesy of Chris’s mom, on the Big Island of Hawaii.  It’s a delicate cheesecake topped with lilikoi or passionfruit, which is an iconic sweet-tart fruit that always reminds us of the islands.  This recipe is meaningful because it was Chris’s memories of his parents’ supperclub that inspired the creation of ours. Mahalo and aloha to Chris’ parents!

Lilikoi Cheesecake

(recipe adapted from NOLA.com by Mike’s on the Avenue chef Mike Fennelly)

Ingredients

24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup passion fruit pulp

Passion Fruit Glaze

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2  cup passion fruit pulp

Juice of 1/2  lemon

Garnish

Unsweetened whipped cream

Mint leaves or sprigs

Shortbread Crust

(recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse “Papaya Pie with Shortbread Crust”)

Ingredients
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Technique

-To make Shortbread Crust

In a bowl, use hand mixer to blend the butter and sugar to make a paste. Add the yolk and blend thoroughly. Add the flour and using your fingers, blend to make a crumbly dough, being careful not to overwork. Pat firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and let rest in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator and prick the crust with the tines of a fork. Place a sheet of parchment or foil in the pie tin and fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice and blind bake the crust in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil and bake for another 5 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool completely.
-To make Cheesecake:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin to boil water for the water bath.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl after adding each egg.
4. Add heavy cream, vanilla and passion fruit pulp and blend until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. (If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil now, before placing in water bath.)
6. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the large pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Bake 45-50 minutes, until cheesecake just barely jiggles in the center.
7. Turn off oven (but don’t open the oven door!) and let sit 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from the oven, remove from water bath and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until fully chilled.
8. To make glaze: Boil water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add passion fruit and lemon juice, and boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool.
9. Garnish cheesecake with the unsweetened whipped cream, glaze and mint leaves. Remaining glaze may be added individually as desired.  Serve and enjoy!

 

Mahalo for joining us for our Hawaiian-themed supperclub! We hope you enjoyed these recipes and got a taste of the islands.  To review the entire menu, please visit the overview.

Come back soon for our latest supperclub, which brought us to another tropical destination.