Recipe: Chili Chocolate Cupcakes to Spice up Your Dessert Buffet

Chocolate cupcakes with chili chocolate frosting.

Guest blogger: Agnes Goldrich, Age 14.

As the resident baker in the Bywater family, I recommend these chili chocolate cupcakes for a wedding cupcake buffet (or a great dessert for your Mom’s birthday). Also, I’m told they go well with champagne.

(What was the best cupcake flavor you ever had? Share it in the comment section!)

For the chili chocolate cupcakes, start with Devil’s food chocolate cupcakes from a mix, then add this chili chocolate icing:

Chili Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

• 4 sticks butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Baking tip: When baking the cupcakes, fill the cupcake pan liners a little more than 2/3 full. You’ll only get 20 cupcakes instead of 24, but the cupcakes will be a nicer size.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, chili powder, vanilla, and cayenne pepper. Beat until fluffy.
3. Add bittersweet chocolate and beat until blended.

ALSO VISIT:

• Recipe: Mini Orange Almond Cakes, Dessert Hors D’Oeuvre (Parve, Non-Dairy)
• Recipe: Hazelnut Wedding Cake with 50 Servings (Non-Dairy, Parve)
• Dessert Hors d’Oeuvre Recipe: Chocolate Truffles (Parve, Vegetarian)

Happy Anniversary Prince William and Kate! A Wedding Anniversary Party Menu

Happy anniversary, Will and Kate. To celebrate, I’m reposting Backyard Huppah’s kosher-fied version of the canapè reception Queen Elizabeth hosted for the royal couple following their wedding — and I’ve included recipes.

You can use this menu for your own hors d’oeuvre reception or cocktail hour. We’ve pared the number of canapes down from 23 to nine, creating a nice selection of savory and sweet, meat and parve, non-dairy and vegan. Most of the recipes have friendly make-ahead options for a self-catered affair for forty people, though you will need kitchen and serving help on the day.

If you’re feeling really nostalgic for the royal wedding, take a look back at William and Kate’s original wedding day canape reception menu.

Cheers!

Kosher Royal Wedding Canapè Reception Menu
Follow the links to 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)

5 Tips for Creating an Inviting Wedding Pie Dessert Buffet

Photographer: Jessica Watson | Source: Ruffled®

Are you considering a pie dessert buffet for your wedding? Follow these tips to create a mouthwatering display:

1. Choose rustic/country or pretty/elegant: Does the feel of your wedding lend itself more to a rustic/country feel or a pretty/elegant feel? If it’s the former, choose traditional fruit pies. If it’s the latter, think custards, meringues and fruit tarts.
2. Vary the pie toppings: For visual interest and to whet your guests’ appetites, choose pies with a variety of tops: crumble, lattice crust, full crust top cut with slits.
3. Display the pies at various heights: Instead of putting all the pies directly on the table, raise some up on raised cake/pie plates or props such as upturned baskets or stacks of old books.
4. Add tall decorative elements: Especially if your buffet doesn’t include a tall wedding cake, add tall decorative elements such as flowers in vases, flowering branches, or sheaves of wheat.
5. Add generous displays of fresh produce: Display fresh produce of the kind used in the pies. The fruits can be stacked on plate tiers or heaped in pretty bowls or baskets. The produce will add color and freshness.

Looking for pie recipes? Take a look at our recipes (they’re all parve, so they can fit into a kosher meat or dairy meal):

• Peach Lattice Pie
• Ginger Pear Pie with Crumble Topping
• Perfect Plum Pie
• Fresh Raspberry Pie
• Parve Pie Crust

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: Zucchini Pancake Hors d’Oeuvres for a Summer Wedding (Vegetarian, Parve)

When I was growing up, there was always one week when every homemaker’s backyard garden exploded with zucchini. All the Moms in the neighborhood would race each other to hand out the surplus harvest to people in the neighborhood who didn’t have gardens before those folks, too, were inundated with more zucchini than they could use.

Those Moms would have loved to be able to hand over some of their zucchini to someone in the neighborhood who could use them for a backyard wedding.

Even if there’s no one in your neighborhood offering you an armload of free zucchini, you can hit the supermarket or local farmers market for zucchini to make zucchini pancakes, a wonderful savory summer hors d’oeuvre for your summer wedding. I’ve tried a few versions of zucchini pancakes, but I like this one from Ivy Fueurstadt in New Kosher Cuisine the best. The pancakes come out nice and crispy. I’ve upped the quantities to make enough for a crowd.

Like all my favorite backyard wedding hors d’oeuvres, these can be made ahead and frozen.

Ingredients for Zucchini Pancake Hors d’Oeuvres

Makes 100-125 hors d’oeuvres

• 5 medium zucchinis, coarsely shredded (about 10 cups)
• 10 large eggs, beaten
• 1¼ cup minced onion
• 5½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 scant Tablespoon baking powder
• Salt, to taste
• Oregano,to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions for Zucchini Pancakes

You may want to mix this up in 2 batches.

1. In batches, place shredded zucchini in a colander and press out as much moisture as possible.
2. In a large bowl, mix egges, onion and zucchini. Add dry ingredients and mix.
3. Heat oil on griddle or in skillet over medium heat. Drop a scant tablespoon of batter into the hot oil. Flatten, if desired, and fry for 3 minutes on each side until brown and cripsy.

Make-Ahead Option

To freeze, place pancakes between pieces of wax paper so they don’t become soggy. When frozen solid, transfer to freezer bags. Reheat in 425 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes until crispy.

Enjoy Our New Summer Bliss Wedding Punch Recipe

We put on our celebration hats to come up with this cool new wedding punch recipe to celebrate the launch of our new Huppahs.com’s Facebook page. We call our divine creation Summer Bliss.

Your guests will love this original summer punch: a cool combination of watermelon, Catoctin Creek Distillery’s Organic (and kosher!) Watershed Gin, and other tasty ingredients. It makes a refreshing and delicious addition to a wedding or party beverage menu.

Get the recipe on Huppahs.com’s Facebook page.

Along with the recipe, you’ll also find out on our Facebook page how to enter a drawing for a free Catoctin Creek Distillery T-shirt.

We even show you how to style your table like we did using garland from FiftyFlowers.com.

Check it all out – Summer Bliss awaits…

Photo: Jason Weil
Garland: Wholesale flowers from FiftyFlowers.com

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: 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: Mini Orange Almond Cakes, Dessert Hors D’Oeuvre (Parve, Non-Dairy)

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

Two of my favorite words from the Royal Wedding are “fascinators”, those contraptions a lot of the ladies wore on their heads instead of hats, and “financiers”, the classic French almond sponge cakes. The Queen served them during her canape reception following the wedding ceremony.

Financiers (pronounced fee-nahng-syehr) may have been good enough for the royal wedding, but they have butter in them, so they are out of our kosher-fied menu of meat and parve canapes. As it happens, classic Jewish cuisine includes a parve almond sponge cake. The base combines ground almonds and a mixture of eggs and sugar. There are no grain-based flours and no chemical leavening agents, so this cake is a centuries-old star of the kosher baker and homemaker’s Passover repertoire. There are many variations. This version incorporates orange zest and orange juice. It is the traditional Sephardic orange-almond cake called Torta de las Reyes, “cake of kings”, which makes them a grand choice for your royal wedding.

The recipe comes from The World Of Jewish Desserts, by Gil Marks. His classic recipe calls for baking the cake in a 9″ springform pan, but to make canape-sized bites I used small bundt cake shaped molds.

Because classic financiers are garnished with berries, I placed a raspberry in the center of each tiny torta. The berries’ flavor complements the orange in the cake, and they make a festive touch.

The number of hors d’oeurves you get from this recipe will depend on the size of the molds you choose. The mini bundt cake molds used to make the canape cakes shown in the photo take a half tablespoon of batter, and the the batter yielded 110 hors d’oeuvres.

Ingredients for Torta de las Reyes

• 2 cups (10 ounces) ground almonds (find them at your kosher grocer’s or the kosher aisle of your grocery store)
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¼ cups bread crumbs or matza meal
• 1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon orange blossom water, or 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 12 oz. fresh raspberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the molds with a thin layer of vegetable oi.
2. Combine the ground almonds and ¼ cup sugar and mix well. Add the crumbs, zest, and salt.
3. Beat the eggs and remaining 1¼ cups sugar until thick and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the nut mixture and orange blossom water.
4. Pour into prepared molds. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 to 12 minutes. If you are going to serve the cakes within a day of baking the cakes, you can place a berry on top of each cake about halfway through the cooking time.
5. Place on a rack and let cool.

Make Ahead Options

If you leave off the berry during cooking, you can freeze the the cakes for up to 2 months. Add the berries up to a few hours before serving, using a small dot of decorator’s icing to stick the berry on the cake.

The next canape: Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole

√ Read more recent posts…

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

√ Read more recent posts…

Your Own Royal Canape Reception: Kosher-fied Menu and Recipes

We’re tickled pink to see that The Queen’s canape reception for Will and Kate took a cue from Backyard Huppah’s own hors d’oeuvres reception menu by including miniature Yorkshire puddings with roast beef. Your welcome, Your Majesty.

The full menu from The Queen’s reception is below. It includes some mighty tasty looking tidbits.

For your own royal wedding, and for the sheer fun of it, we’re going to create a kosher version of the menu and give you the recipes over the course of a dozen or so posts. The final menu will be meat (fleishig) with parve options. Some of The Queen’s canapès will have to go because they’re just not kosher, like the crab and the pork belly, and some will be cut as we edit the menu down to a selection that is doable for a self-catered reception (although you’ll need to get some help in the kitchen).

To start you off, we’re going to link you back to the hors d’oeuvre that started it all: Individual Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef, then we’ll move on to Quail Eggs with Celery Salt. See the full menu below.

Royal Wedding Canapè Reception Menu
Not all of the foods listed in the menu below are kosher. You can find the edited, kosher version of the menu at Kosher-fied Royal Wedding Hors d’Oeurve Reception Menu with Recipes.

Cornish Crab Salad on Lemon Blini
Pressed Duck Terrine with Fruit Chutney
Roulade of Goats Cheese with Caramelised Walnuts
Assortment of Palmiers and Cheese Straws
Scottish Smoked Salmon Rose on Beetroot Blini
Miniature Watercress and Asparagus Tart
Poached Asparagus Spears with Hollandaise Sauce for Dipping
Quails Eggs with Celery Salt
Scottish Langoustines with Lemon Mayonnaise Pressed Confit of Pork Belly with Crayfish and Crackling
Wild Mushroom and Celeriac Chausson
Bubble and Squeak with Confit Shoulder of Lamb
Grain Mustard and Honey-Glazed Chipolatas
Smoked Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole
Miniature Yorkshire Pudding with Roast Fillet of Beef and Horseradish Mousse
Gateau Opera
Blood Orange Patè de Fruit
Raspberry Financier
Rhubarb Crème Brulee Tartlet
Passion Fruit Praline
White Chocolate Ganache Truffle
Milk Chocolate Praline with Nuts
Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle

Related posts:
Update: The Complete Kosher-fied Royal Wedding Hors d’Oeurve Reception Menu with Recipes
Tips for Hors d’Oeuvre Receptions
Backyard Wedding Menu Fit for Royalty (You!)
√ Read more recent posts…

Raspberry Kir: A Great Champagne Cocktail for a Spring Wedding

This delicious spring champagne cocktail comes from the menu of The Fearrington House Restaurant, in Pittsboro, North Carolina. It would make a festive addition to a spring wedding cocktail hour and reception.

The recipe appears in Sharon O’Connor’s romantic Dinners for Two: Cookbook with Music CD.

Ingredients for Raspberry Kir Recipe

• ¼ cup defrosted frozen raspberries
• 2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 1 split (7 ounces) of champagne

Mixing Instructions

1. At least a few hours before the reception:Strain the raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds. Add the Grand Marnier and chill.
2. Place 1½ teaspoons of the raspberry mixture in the bottom of each of 2 champagne flutes. Slowly fill with champagne and serve immediately.

Pomegranate and Pear Salad Recipe (Parve)

Continuing our celebration of pomegranate wedding details, this is a recipe for pomegranate and pear salad; great for an autumn or winter wedding. The recipe and photo were shared by JPMJ on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients for Pomegranate and Pear Salad

Serves 8

• 12 cups green leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn
• 4 Bartlett or Anjou pear
• 1 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup pomegranate juice
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Divide the lettuce between two bowls. Halve and core the pear, then cut each half in slices. Divide the pear slices and pomegranate seeds among the two bowls and mix gently.
2. Combine the vegetable oil, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, mustard, honey, and pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the dressing thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Pour the warm dressing over the salads and serve.

Make Ahead Option

You can make the dressing the day before. Refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat before using.

Mushroom and Walnut Pâté Recipe for Hors d’Oeuvres Reception (Parve/Vegetarian)

For the final item on our hors d’oeuvres reception menu, we’re serving up this savory, celebration-worthy pâté. We’ve pulled together the full list of hors d’oeuvres in the Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu.

This pâté is vegetarian and parve. Serve it on a buffet table with thin slices of French bread.

The recipe comes from “W” on allrecipes.com, who picked it up at a winery’s wine tasting party. I’ve substituted margarine for butter to make the pâté fit into a meat menu. I also incorporated the recommendation of several commentors to add a splash of white wine to the mushrooms as they sauté.

Ingredients for Mushroom and Walnut Pâté (Parve)

• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup minced shallots
• ½ cup unsalted margarine
• ¼ pound shitake mushrooms, chopped
• ¼ pound crimini mushrooms, chopped
• ¼ pound portobello mushrooms, chopped
• Splash of white wine
• 1 Tablespoon roasted garlic puree
• ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions for Mushroom Pâté

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast 10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.
3. In a large sauté pan, cook shallots in margarine over medium heat until translucent. Then add chopped mushrooms, garlic, splash of white wine, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is evaporated.
4. Process toasted walnuts and olive oil in a blender or food processor until mixture forms a thick paste. Spoon in the cooked mushroom mixture, and process to desired texture.
5. Place mixture into well-oiled ramekins or bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
6. When ready to serve, turn pâté out onto serving platter.

Make Ahead Option

Pâté can be prepared the day before and refrigerated overnight. Wait to turn out the pâté until just ready to serve.

√ Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu

√ Read more recent posts…

Scrumptious Macaroon Recipe for Dessert or Hors d’Oeuvres Reception (Parve)

This week at Backyard Huppah, we’re all about hors d’oeuvre receptions, a great option for small weddings. We started with tips for Hors d’Oeuvre Receptions, and all week we’ll be posting hors d’oeuvre recipes for a 40-person reception. The menu will be kosher, and meaty (with vegetarian options), with make-ahead options for couples self-catering their reception.

See the full Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu

Macaroons are a traditional Jewish almond cookie. They are baked without a leavening agent, so they hit the table most often during Passover, but they make a great sweet tidbit in an hors d’oeuvre reception, either on a buffet table or passed on trays after the cake is cut. They’re also great for a dessert reception. These macaroons are chewier than the canned version, and they’re easy to make.

Ingredients for Macaroons (Parve)

Yields 36 cookies

• 2 cans (8 oz. each) almond paste
• 2 egg whites (extra large)
• 1 cup sugar
• 18 maraschino cherries

Instructions for Macaroon Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Break almond paste into small pieces and place into food processor or mixer. Add sugar and mix well.
3. Add the egg white and mix until moist and sticky, about 2 minutes.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Alternatively, use a large pastry bag fitted with #6 star tip and pipe stars about 1½ inches.
5. Bake 20 minutes on middle shelf, move to upper shelf (about 4″ above middle shelf) for approximately 8 minutes until golden brown. Move parchment paper with cookies onto baking racks to cool. When completely cool, carefully peel macaroons off paper.
6. Store in airtight container.

Make Ahead Option

Macaroons can be made several days ahead and stored in an airtight container.

√ See the full Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu

√ Read more recent posts…