Martha Stewart Endorses Jello Shots for Weddings

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings on The Huffington Post

Rarely do I post anything on a Friday afternoon — I know the wedding vendors among us are racing to get ready for this weekend’s weddings — but I had to post this, because it feels like the earth just shifted. Martha Stewart has endorsed jello shots for weddings. Either Martha Stewart Omnimedia is finally starting to run out of content, or this could be a signal that we as an industry are outgrowing the candy buffet. Either possibility would be a shame.

Still, we’re not talking about the jello shots you’re probably used to seeing. These shots are very Martha Stewart. Very Pinterest. In fact, they look like they could have been created by sushi master Jiro Ono.

David Tutera might not be on board yet, but if I was planning a small cocktail or hors d’oeuvres reception, I’d consider serving one of these jello shots, especially if the flavor matched the sophisticated visual punch. But I wouldn’t serve more than one kind.

Yes, I lifted the photo from the article at The Huffington Post, because there’s no way to tell the story without a visual. Will trade traffic for image. You really should take a look.

MORE TO SAMPLE:

• Persian Pomegranate Sangria (Kosher Recipe)
• Another Budget-Friendly Alternative to an Open Bar (With Recipes)
• Vintage Champagne Wedding Punch Recipe
• Summer Bliss Wedding Punch Recipe

Walk-in ice bar at Damenti’s Restaurant, Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. Photo: Bill Bywater.

AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS:
Oh, Martha Stewart, THIS is an ice bar

HE’BREW: Great Kosher Beer for Your Jewish Wedding

One big plus of moving Huppahs.com to New York has been finding out about HE’BREW beer, a line of great-tasting kosher craft beers. If you want to offer your wedding guests something different at the bar and give the beer lovers in the crowd something they’ll appreciate, serve up some Origin Pomegranate Ale, Hop Manna, Messiah Brown Nut Ale, or one of the line’s other amusingly-named but seriously good brews.

I don’t have the beer vocabulary to even bluff at describing the tastes, but one reviewer who presumably does have that vocabulary was reduced to the word “WOW.” In the 2011/2012 World Beer Championships, where HE’BREW’s maker, Shmaltz Brewing, entered fourteen beers, nine of their beers won gold medals and five won silver. It’s good beer.

HE’BREW beers are brewed in upstate New York, but you can find them in more than thirty states (as well as extremely selected locations in Canada, Australia, and Japan). A newer line of Coney Island Craft Lagers is available through a more limited number of outlets. Shmaltz Brewing’s website provides helpful lists of wholesalers, shops and bars that carry its products.

Related: Special Wedding Details: Catoctin Cocktail with Kosher, Organic, Rye Whisky

Generally, an unflavored beer made with only water, barley, yeast, and hops, without any additives, will be kosher even without certification (for this information, I go to Orthodox-Jews.com). But when you want to get at all adventurous with taste and still keep kosher, you have to look for certification. HE’BREW beers are certified by the Orthodox-grade Kosher Supervision of America.

I raise my glass to the folks at Shmaltz Brewing Company for advancing the art of beer for the rest of us to enjoy and impress our guests.

RELATED: Real Life Wedding: Alanna + Joe’s Brooklyn Neighborhood Wedding

Persian Pomegranate Sangria (Kosher Drink Recipe)

Recipe: Blueberry Sauce (Parve, Vegetarian, Non-Dairy)

This gorgeous, sweet sauce can be made with fresh blueberries in the summer and frozen berries year round.

We post this sauce to accompany our baked pears for an autumn or winter celebration, but can’t you imagine it with something lemony? Let us know how you use it.

The recipe comes from one of my go-to cookbooks, Marlene Sorosky’s Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays. Not all of the recipes in the book are kosher, but sticking to the kosher recipes, I’ve found them to be not only delicious, but fast and foolproof.

Ingredients for Blueberry Sauce

Maked 5 cups of sauce

• 1 quart (4 cups) fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup water

Instructions for Blueberry Sauce

In a medium saucepan, stir all ingredients together. Bring to a boil over moderate heat and cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly and sugar is dissolved. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Make-Ahead Option

Sauce can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 weeks.

Recipe: Baked Pears for an Autumn or Early Winter Wedding (Parve or Dairy, Vegetarian)

These pears work for both elegant and rustic menus. Add homemade berry sauce and serve them as an accompaniment to a slice of light wedding cake or as a side dish for a wedding brunch.

Today my daughters and I packed a brunch and brought it to my parents’ house to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The planned menu included poached pears, but last night, when I should have started the poaching, I hung out with a bunch of brothers and sisters and in-laws instead, talking about, among other things, Bill’s latest ice sculptures. So this morning, my daughters and I prepared the pears by baking them. The prep for baked pears is less fussy and less time-consuming than than for poaching, which makes them an appealing dish not just for easy-going family weekends, but for small self-catered weddings, too.

Serve these baked pear halves with a slice of light wedding cake and homemade berry sauce for a complete wedding dessert, or include them as a side dish for an autumn or early winter wedding brunch. We’ll make the berry sauce recipe our next post.

Menorah Ice Carving Hanukkiah

BTW, here’s a pic of the Hanukkiah ice sculpture Bill carved today during a demonstration at Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in Manhattan.

Ingredients for Baked Pears

Serves 24

• 12 Bosc or Anjou pears
• Cooking oil spray
• ½ cup butter, melted (or for a pareve version to serve with a meat meal, use non-dairy margarine)
• 6 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions for Baked Pears

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
2. Lightly spray the bottom of two 9″x13″ baking pans with cooking oil.
3. Cut pears in half, cut out the core, and peel the pears.
4. 

   Make 4 slices in each pear half, stopping about a quarter inch from the narrow end of the pear.

   Optional: Make four slices in each pear half, stopping about ¼” from the small end. This will enable you to fan out the slices on the plate when you serve it. Or leave the halves unsliced for a more rustic presentation.
5. Place the pears flat side down in the baking pans.
6. Mix the melted butter, honey and spices. Drizzle the mixture over the pears.
7. Cover the pans and bake for 40 minutes or until the pears are tender.

The pears can be stored overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Fresh Raspberry Pie

Another late summer fruit pie inspired by our fruit picking trip and the popularity of pie dessert buffets for weddings: Raspberry Pie. This recipe comes from canida at Instructables.com.

Ingredients for Fresh Raspberry Pie

• 5-6 cups fresh berries
• 1 pie crust (homemade or store-bought) [parve pie crust recipe]
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar (for tart berries, use the larger amount)
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• Pinch salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Dash allspice (optional)

Instructions for Raspberry Pie

Visit Instructables.com for canida’s photos of the steps.

1. Sort and gently wash berries. Set them aside to dry on a towel or in a colander.
2. Meanwhile, make or buy your pie crust, then bake it. Use the package directions for baking a store-bought pie crust, or just bake at 350 until lightly golden-brown, 10-15 minutes depending on the recipe you’ve chosen. Homemade pie crusts may require weights to toast evenly without slipping down the sides (line with foil and add dry beans for weight if you don’t have pie-specific tools), but this isn’t absolutely necessary if aesthetics aren’t your thing.
3. When pie crust is cool, fill with raspberries (reserve 1/4 cup berries for the glaze). Spread evenly, and mound them a bit in the center as shown below.
4. Place in a small pot the reserved 1/4 cup raspberries, water, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
5. Cook and stir with a wire whisk over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have turned to mush. When sauce begins to thicken, add lemon juice and allspice (if using). Stir until glaze becomes thick, and remove from heat.
6. Pour the glaze over your berries, spreading gently to cover the entire top surface. Allow the pie to set up for at least 30 minutes in a cool room or in the refrigerator.
7. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Make-Ahead Options

Raspberry pie can be stored covered in the refrigerator for two days.

Recipe: Ginger Pear Pie for a Wedding Dessert Buffet (Dairy or Parve)

We’re continuing the pie recipes, inspired by our recent fruit picking trip to Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh, New York and the growing popularity of pie dessert buffets at weddings. In our last post, we offered peach pie.

Today, we present a pear pie enhanced with the flavor of ginger and a crumble top with pecans. The original recipe and the photo come from Delilah Stauffer on allrecipes.com, but we adopted the commenters’ recommendations to use real maple syrup (in place of the original recipe’s corn syrup) and pre-bake the pie crust.

By the way, did you see Bill’s question in the comment section of the last post? He asked about kosher foods at Lawrence Farms. In addition to the fresh fruits and vegetables being kosher, of course, the farm shop also has a freezer of Klein’s kosher ice creams and flavored ices for the many kosher-keeping families who visit. Yeah!

Ingredients for Ginger Pear Pie

• 1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell (dairy or parve) [parve pie crust recipe]
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 4 large pears, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

TOPPING:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup cold butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions for Ginger Pear Pie

1. Pre-bake pie shell according to package directions.
2. In a saucepan, combine the next six ingredients until blended. Gently stir in pears. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally; boil for 1 minute. Add butter. Pour into pastry shell.
3. For topping, combine flour, brown sugar and ginger in bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over pears. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

TIP: To keep the edge of the pie crust from over baking, cover the crust edge with aluminum foil during the second baking.

Recipe: Luscious Peach Lattice Pie for a Wedding Dessert Buffet

The peaches are ripe and ready for picking at Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh, New York. So are the pears, plums, and raspberries. Yesterday I took a trip there with my daughters and lots of nieces and nephews, and we came away with baskets of fresh pickings for munching, turning into jams (leave that to Mandy), and baking into pies.

With this profusion of late summer fruit and the growing popularity of pie dessert buffets at weddings, I thought it was time to share some wonderful pie recipes, beginning with a luscious peach pie. This recipe, with a traditional lattice crust top, comes from Deborah Snyder at BonAppetit.com. I did substitute purchased pie crust for Deborah’s homemade crust, because I want to get back outside and enjoy the gorgeous Hudson River Valley. (Today, we’re off to walk across the river on the Mid-Hudson bridge. Beautiful views.)

Ingredients for Peach Lattice Pie

• 2 purchased roll-out pie crusts [parve pie crust recipe]
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 3 1/2 pounds firm but ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, each half cut into 3 wedges
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk, beaten to blend with 2 teaspoons water (glaze)
• 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (cinnamon sugar)

Instructions for Peach Lattice Pie

1. Prepare the bottom pie crust as directed on the crust packaging.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out second pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Chill while preparing filling.
3. For filling, combine 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice and toss gently to coat. Let stand 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, stir remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 11 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); stir caramel until smooth. Strain juices from peaches into caramel; cool to lukewarm.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F. Add caramel and flour to peaches in bowl; toss gently. Transfer filling to crust, mounding in center.
   
6. Arrange 6 dough strips in 1 direction across top of pie, spacing apart. Working with 1 strip at a time, arrange 6 more strips in opposite direction atop first, lifting strips and weaving over and under, forming lattice. Gently press ends of strips to edge of baked bottom crust to adhere. Trim overhang. Brush lattice strips (but not crust edge) with egg yolk glaze. Sprinkle strips with cinnamon sugar.

7. Bake pie 35 minutes. Tent pie loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake pie until filling bubbles thickly and lattice is golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack.
   

Recipe: Apricot Rolls for a Middle Eastern Wedding Menu (Vegan, Parve)

These traditional sweets add a Middle Eastern touch to a dessert buffet, hors d’oeuvres reception or, as Gil Marks, points out, a Middle Eastern wedding shower. The recipe comes from Mark’s treasure of a cookbook, The World of Jewish Entertaining.

Ingredients for Middle Eastern Apricot Rolls

Makes about 7 dozen rolls

• 1 pound (3¼ cups) dried apricots, washed and drained
• ½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• ½ cup coarsely chopped blanched almonds or unsalted pistachios

Instructions

1. In a food processor or grinder, grind or puree the apricots with the ½ cup sugar.
2. Sprinkle a large piece of wax paper with additional sugar and spread half of the apricot mixture on top of a ¼-inch-thick rectangle.
3. Arrange the nuts along one side of the rectangle, then roll up from the nut side. Repeat with the remaining apricot mixture.
4. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 2 days, then cut into slices.

Alternatively, mix the nuts into the apricots, roll into ½-inch balls (about 50 balls), and press an additional piece of nut on top of each ball.

Kosher-fied Royal Wedding Hors d’Oeurve Reception Menu with Recipes

Cue the trumpet fanfare: Dah-dah-dah-DAH!

Presenting our full kosher-fied version of the canape reception menu from Will and Kate’s royal wedding day, with recipes.

This makes a great menu for an hors d’oeuvre reception or for the cocktail hour before dinner. We’ve pared the number of canapes down to nine, a good number for a 40-person reception, and the quantities given are for a 40-person reception. There’s a nice selection here of savory and sweet, meat and parve, non-dairy and vegan, tasty and tastier.

Most of the recipes have friendly make-ahead options for a self-catered affair, though you will need kitchen and serving help on the day.

Kosher Royal Wedding Canapè Reception Menu
Click the links for the recipes:

• Roast Duck and Fruit Chutney on Fruit-Nut Bread (Meat) (In the original royal wedding menu, it’s Pressed Duck Terrine with Fruit Chutney)
• Poached Asparagus with Lemon Sauce for Dipping (Parve) (In the original: Hollondaise Sauce)
• Quails Eggs with Celery Salt (Parve)
• Wild Mushroom Phyllo Triangles (Parve, Vegan) (In the original: Wild Mushroom and Celeriac Chausson)
• Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole (Parve)
• Individual Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Sauce (Meat)
• Gateau Opera (Parve)
• Mini Orange Almond Cakes with Raspberries (Parve) (In the original: Raspberry Financier)
• Chocolate Bourbon Truffles (Parve) (In the original: Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle)

Related posts:
Backyard Wedding Menu Fit for Royalty (You!)
√ More new wedding planning posts…

Recipe: Roast Duck and Fruit Chutney Canape

This is the seventh hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

The canape reception that The Queen threw for Will and Kate included an hors d’oeuvre called Pressed Duck Terrine with Fruit Chutney. A traditional duck terrine falls firmly in the unkosher category. Duck itself is kosher, though, and one of those extravagances that can elevate a special occasion menu. So I developed this hors d’oeuvre of roast duck and spiced fruit chutney on a slice of rich fruit nut bread. Its a hearty, fillling, and tasty addition to a cocktail or hors d’oeuvre reception.

The instructions for cooking the duck come from The Complete American Jewish Cookbook by Anne London and Bertha Kahn Bishov. It’s a wonderful, 1 ½-inch thick cookbook that includes instructions for cooking pretty much anything kosher you can put your hands on. My copy came as a gift many years ago. It’s out of print now and a cookbook that I’m grateful to have on the shelf. Thank you, Anne, Bertha, and Mrs. Goldrich.

Roast Duck and Fruit Chutney Canape

• 4 to 5 ½ lb. duck
• Fruited apple loaf
• Spiced fruit chutney, made or purchased

Instructions for Roasting the Duck

Wash carefully inside and out. Dry. Truss, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place duck on a rack in roasting pan. Roast uncovered, baste occasionally with pan drippings. If breast becomes too brown, turn breast side down. Roast 20 to 25 minutes per pound at 325 degrees F.

Assembling the Canape

Cut the fruit bread into slices about 3/8″ thick and cut each slice in half. Spread fruit chutney on a piece of bread, and top it off with a piece of duck. Try to keep the whole canape small enough to eat with one or two bites.

The next royal wedding canape: Wild Mushroom Phyllo Triangles

TRY THESE, TOO:

• Recipe: Mini Orange Almond Cakes, Dessert Hors D’Oeuvre (Parve, Non-Dairy)
• Hors D’Hoeurves Recipe: Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole (Parve, Vegetarian)
• Recipe: Poached Asparagus with Lemon Sauce for Dipping (Parve, Non-Dairy Canape)

Recipe: Fruited Apple Loaf, Hors d’Oeuvre Base (Parve)

This recipe is for the seventh hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

This fruited quick bread makes a great hors d’oeuvre base for cheeses and our roasted duck with spiced fruit chutney. The recipe comes from Quick Bread by Beatrice Ojakangas, which is now out of print.

Ingredients for Fruited Apple Loaf

Makes three small loaves.

• 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons Sherry
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup light or dark raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup pitted chopped dates
• 1 ½ cups chopped tart apple (about 3 small apples)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 5 3/4 x 3 ½-inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, Sherry, eggs, vanilla, raisins, fruits, nuts, and dates. In a small bowl, stir the apples and baking soda together and add to the fruit-nut mixture.

In another bowl, stir the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and blend into fruit mixture.

Spoon into the prepared pan or pans and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Cut into thin slices, and cut each slice in half to make hors d’oeuvres bases.

Make Ahead Options

Breads can be frozen up to three months. Wrap tightly. Defrost overnight at room temperature.

Recipe: Spiced Fruit Chutney (Parve)

This recipe is for the seventh hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

Photo: Ocado.com

We’re building up the components of a delicious duck canape, beginning with this spicy fruit chutney. The recipe comes from Karin Engelbrecht at About.com.
The other components will be roasted duck and a nut bread for the canape base.

I’ve halved the measurements since we don’t need to put up four jars of chutney. Two jars will suffice for our reception. You will need 2 jam jars and lids. Make the chutney a few weeks before you plan to use it.

Ingredients for Fruit Chutney

Makes 2 jars of chutney

• 1 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into medium-sized chunks
• 1 lb Conference pears, peeled, cored and cut into medium-sized chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, grated zest and juice
• ½ Tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 ½ cups kosher white wine vinegar
• ½ cup kosher rose wine
• 4 oz dried apricots, finely chopped
• 4 oz raisins
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon speculaas spices (or pumpkin pie spices)
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried chile flakes
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 cups dark brown sugar

Instructions

In a medium soup pot, bring the apples, pears, onions, garlic, lemon zest and juice, mustard seeds and 2 cups of the vinegar to the boil and simmer until the fruit is tender, but not soft.

Add the remaining vinegar, the rose wine and the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for another 45 minutes, or until thick and jelly-like. Check regularly and stir so it doesn’t stick, especially towards the end. Leave to cool for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, wash 2 jam jars and lids with warm, soapy water, rinse well, and leave to dry in a warm oven (250 degrees F/130 degrees C) for 15 minutes.

Spoon chutney into the sterilized jam jars. Store in a cool, dark place for a few weeks before serving.

Recipe: Pea Guacamole (Parve Vegetarian)

Photo: Fiona Haynes via Allrecipes.com

This pea guacamole accompanies the sixth hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

This dip accompanies the haddock fish cakes in the royal wedding canape reception menu. You can also serve it with crudites. The recipe comes from the Rancho La Puerta spa in Baja, Mexico.

Ingredients for Pea Guacamole

• 1 cup frozen peas, slightly thawed
• 1 medium Hass avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice, or to taste
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and cut into ¼ -inch dice
• ½ red or sweet onion, cut into ⅛-inch dice
• 1 jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions for Pea Guacamole

1. In a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, process the peas until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with a fork or potato masher. Add the juice, tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Add the peas and mix well.
3. If the guacamole won’t be served immediately, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent browning.

√ More new wedding planning posts…

Recipe: Gateau Opera Dessert Canape (Parve)

This is the third hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

Photo: cookingathighaltitude.blogspot.com

Traditional gateau opera (opera cake) is made with butter and cream, which is a kosher clash with the meat hors d’oeuvres in our overall menu. So I developed this parve version with some creative substitutions. The biggest substitution is taking out the coffee-flavored buttercream and the ganache and instead using a parve chocolate mousse flavored with coffee and coffee-flavored liqueur. The mousse comes from Evelyn Rose’s The New Complete International Jewish Cookbook. Traditionalists might say that this version isn’t really gateau opera. They might be right, but as someone who attends weddings, I’m not going to feel bad about upping the chocolate quotient in a reception menu.

Ingredients for Parve Gateau Opera Canapes

Makes approx. 70 1″-square canapes

Almond Sponge Cake

• Vegetable oil cooking spray for pan
• 2 cups finely ground almond flour
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 6 large eggs, plus 6 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons margarine, melted

Coffee Syrup

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Chocolate Mousse

• 8 oz. parve semi-sweet chocolate
• 8 large eggs, separated
• 4 teaspoons coffee dissolved in 2 Tablespoons hot water
• 3 Tablespoons Tia Maria of other coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1 Tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

Chocolate Glaze

• 6 tablespoons margarine
• 7 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened, preferably 70 to 71% cacao), coarsely chopped

Instructions for Parve Gateau Opera Canapes

Make Almond Sponge Cake

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. Line with parchment; spray again.
2. Sift together almond flour and confectioners’ sugar in a mixer bowl. Add whole eggs; beat on medium until light, about 3 minutes. Mix in flour until just incorporated. Transfer batter to a separate bowl.
3. Whisk the egg whites on medium-high in a clean mixer bowl. Gradually add granulated sugar, whisking until stiff, glossy peaks form.
4. Fold meringue, then butter, into batter with a rubber spatula just until combined. Divide between pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely, then remove from pans and peel off parchment. Store, tightly wrapped, up to overnight.

Make Coffee Syrup

1. Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a small pan over medium heat, stirring until dissolved.
2. Stir in espresso powder.
3. Let cool. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Make Chocolate Mousse

1. If you haven’t already separated the eggs, do that now.
2. Break up the chocolate and stand in a basin over hot (not boiling) water. Heat gently until melted, then remove from heat (Alternatively, melt uncovered for 1½ on 100 percent power in the microwave).
3. Immediately drop in the egg yolks and beat vigorously until the mixture begins to thicken.
4. Stir in the coffee and liqueur. Allow to go quite cold.
5. Beat the whites until they just hold soft peaks, then beat in the caster sugar.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl containing the egg whites and blend together. Chill.

Make Chocolate Glaze

1. Melt margarine and all but 2 tablespoons chopped chocolate in a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
2. Remove top of double boiler and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate until smooth, then cool glaze until room temperature but still liquid.

Assemble the Cake

1. To assemble, cut cakes exactly in half crosswise into two equal pieces, ending up with four (set one half aside for another use). Place one cake layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a cake board. Gently brush 1/3 of coffee syrup over cake; spread. Using an offset spatula, Spread 1 cup mousse over top. Place another layer on top, brush on 1/3 of the syrup, and spread 1 cup of mousse over top. Add third layer, brush on remaining syrup, and smoothly spread 1 cup mousse over top. Cake can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days.
2. At least 2 hours before serving, pour glaze over cake; gently spread to completely cover top (don’t worry about sides). Refrigerate until glaze is set, about 1 hour.
3. Trim edges, and cut cake into 1-inch squares using a warm serrated knife (dip in hot water after each cut, and quickly wipe dry, to make sure slices are very clean).

Make Ahead Options

• Make mousse up to 4 days ahead.
• Make coffee syrup up to 3 days ahead.

The next canape: Poached Asparagus with Lemon Sauce

TRY THESE, TOO:

• Recipe: Mini Orange Almond Cakes, Dessert Hors D’Oeuvre (Parve, Non-Dairy)
• Hors D’Hoeurves Recipe: Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole (Parve, Vegetarian)
• Recipe: Poached Asparagus with Lemon Sauce for Dipping (Parve, Non-Dairy Canape)

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Recipe: Quail Eggs with Celery Salt Canape (Parve/Vegetarian)

This is the second hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

Source: tradenote.net, a European quail egg supplier

Quail is kosher, and so are quail eggs. In fact, the Torah tells us that when the Israelites wandering in the desert cried out to God for meat, God sent them quail to eat.

Quail eggs with celery salt are often served as part of an English breakfast. They also make a filling, earthy canape. For breakfast they are usually served in the shell or with the shell half peeled off, but when serving them as reception finger food remove the shells entirely before you serve them.

Ingredients for Quail Eggs with Celery Salt

Makes 60 eggs.

• 5 dozen quail eggs
• 2 Tablespoons celery seeds
• 6 Tablespoons kosher salt (sea salt)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Garnish: Enough leafy herbs to generously line the serving basket or platter.

Instructions for Quail Eggs with Celery Salt

1. Boil half of the eggs at a time. Bring a large pot of water to boil over moderately high heat. Boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Rinse immediately under cold water.
2. Peel and dry the eggs.
3. Grind or crush the celery seeds, salt, and pepper together. Keep the celery salt covered and dry until ready to use.
4. For an attractive presentation on the buffet, put the peeled eggs in a basket or on a plate generously lined with leafy herbs. Put the celery salt in a bowl alongside the eggs.

Make-ahead Option

Boil the eggs a day ahead. Store in the refrigerator. Peel before serving.

The next canape: Parve Gateau Opera Dessert Canape

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