Midday Meals :: Farmer's Market Salad

Thank you for all of the amazing responses thus far ! We have decide to start another column on our blog called Midday Meals...easy, fresh ideas for snacks & lunches at home.

For our first dish...a farmer's market salad. Casey and I paid a visit to the union square farmer's market & were inspired to make this wonderful salad with market greens, baby purple potatoes, spring onions, shitake mushrooms & pecorino. mmmm- tell us what you think !

scroll down for the full recipe below....
photo by Karen Mordechai



Casey's tips....Greens: We found this lovely mizuna and baby greens at the farmer's market but you can make this salad with any greens. Something with a bite is nice; arugula, watercress , etc.
Potatoes: Always start potatoes in cold water when boiling. It helps them to cook evenly. Purple potato skin tends to be a little bitter. We left it on but if you'd like to take it off, after they've finished cooking, peel the skin off with a paring knife. It should come off pretty easily. Make sure you do it while they are still warm so they can soak up the dressing.
Mushrooms: Always clean mushrooms by brushing with a damp paper or kitchen towel. Don't rinse under water. They will be rubbery after cooking.

Farmers Market Salad
For 4

Salad
4 cups of mixed baby greens
2 cups mizuna
1 bunch spring onions- white part only
12-15 shitake mushrooms
1/2 lb baby purple potatoes
1 lemon
a good hunk of pecorino
lemon dijon vinaigrette- see recipe below

Boil potatoes until just fork tender. Cut in half while they are still warm and toss with 2-3 tbl of the vinaigrette. Set aside.
Cut the roots off of the onions but leave the core in tact. You want the onions to hold while roasting. Cut the stems off of the mushrooms. Toss the onions and mushrooms with some olive oil and kosher salt. Roast on a baking sheet (onions should be cut side down) at 350 degrees for 15-20 min.
In the meantime, coat a pan with a little olive oil. Cut lemons into thin slices, removing any seeds. Sauté on medium heat, 3-4 minutes per side until caramelized.
Toss all of the greens with a little dressing and pile on plate. Scatter dressed potatoes, onions and shitakes, and caramelized lemons. Shave some pecorino over the top.
Finish with a little extra dressing if desired.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
1/2 shallot- finely diced
juice of half of a lemon
2 tbl good Dijon mustard
1/2 c good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk shallot, mustard and lemon juice together. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking constantly.
Finish with salt and pepper.
You can also do this in a blender. This will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Sunday Supper :: Brunch

Omy gosh, Brunch. 
Our Sunday Supper Brunch Class last week was sooo amazing. Between the flowers, the food and the lovely people -it all came together so fantastically - we couldn't be more pleased. 
Scroll down the page recipes and more photos. We're breaking things down a bit for ya...in case you want to try this at home - we hope you do ! Happy Cooking. 

We served biscuits & butters, a souffle with wild mushrooms, heirloom tomato salad and wild salmon on the side.  For dessert- poached stone fruit with marscapone.  deeelish.  For the decor, we wanted to do a very clean white (kinda-girly) feast. A very long chef's table, adorned with jessie's wildflower arrangements, mismatched silverware and....voila ! the best brunch ever ! 

All Photography by karen mordechai

Upcoming Classes !

We are pleased to announce the following upcoming classes at Sunday Suppers

email us : karenandcasey{at}gmail.com for more info

Sunday June 7, 2009 

Food & Wine Pairing :: A French Dinner 

Featuring Pour Wines ! More details about pour coming soon....

M E N U

moules marinieres

grilled skirt steak au poivre

parsnip puree

braised fennel and tomato

bittersweet chocolate and orange pot de crème with almond cream

……………….

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Market :: Farm Fresh Meal

a spontaneous menu made up of seasonal ingredients found at the farmers market

*this will be a vegetarian friendly meal

M E N U

greens

pasta

fish

sweets

………………..

Sunday July 19, 2009 

Morrocan Feast :: Featuring a Dessert Table by Amy Atlas (!!)

M E N U

pan seared harissa brushed lemon sole filet, parsley and mint puree, lemon cilantro yogurt sauce

tajine w/chicken, preserved lemon and cracked olives 

coriander and feta polenta

roasted beet salad with fresh mint 

fig and sesame tart with orange cardamom cream

Recipe:: Soufflé d'Oeuf et de Gruyère with Sauteed Mushrooms

Casey's tip: This is not a temperamental soufflé. You can even open the oven door and take a peek!
Use any kind of mushrooms you like. We used shitake and crimini.
These can be made a day ahead and placed in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to reheat.
-------------
See Recipe Below

All Photography by Karen Mordechai







Soufflé d'Oeuf et de Gruyère with Sauteed Mushrooms

2 tbl butter plus 2 tbl for ramekins
1/3 c flour
2/3 c milk
1 c ricotta
4 egg yolks
2 tbs each: chopped parsley, thyme, rosemary
1/3 c grated gruyere cheese
6 egg whites

1 tbl butter
3 cups assorted mushrooms
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the inside of 6- 3/12 inch ramekins with melted butter. Melt the rest of the butter in a sauce pan on medium-low heat. Stir in flour to make a paste. Let this cook for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook, whisking often, until the mixture thickens and little bubbles appear on the sides of the pan, approximately 5-7 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove from heat. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add in ricotta, yolks, herbs and gruyere. Season well with salt and pepper.

Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites through the ricotta mixture. Fill the ramekins just to the top. Place in a baking dish and pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the sides.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the soufflés are browned and risen.
In the meantime, roughly chop the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a sautee pan. 

Add the rosemary to the butter and cook for 1 minute. 

Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. 

Cook until the mushrooms release their juices.

To finish: Remove the soufflés from the oven and spoon mushrooms over top. Serve immediately

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Recipe :: Heirloom Tomato Salad

Casey's tip: Tomatoes are at their peak in August/September. When choosing tomatoes, press gently with your thumb. If it gives a little its ready. At that point in the year, they are so beautiful all they really need is some good olive oil, a little sea salt and maybe some fresh herbs. This salad is best with heirlooms but you can use Jersey, they are just as lovely. Maybe New Jersey’s not so bad after all!! ha.
-----------
See Recipe Below
All Photography by Karen Mordechai






Heirloom Tomato Salad

4 large heirloom tomatoes of any size and variety
really good olive oil
flake sea salt
2 tbl snipped chives

Cut the tomatoes in nice big segments. Arrange on the plate. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and chives.
*We served the soufflé and tomato salad with a nice big piece of smoked salmon. Any kind will do but I prefer cold smoked/lox. It is buttery and rich and pairs beautifully with the meal.

Recipe :: Jam Butters and Buttermilk Biscuits

These are the easiest, fluffiest, yummiest biscuits. Make them once and you’ll never forget them.
And the butters...Oh baby- the butters! These will be the simplest things you ever make and they will knock the socks off of your guests. Make sure the butter is at room temp so they’ll incorporate properly. Also, use any brand or flavor of jam you like. Take it one step further by using French or Danish butter. Trust me- you’ll notice the difference.

----------
see recipes below
All Photography by Karen Mordechai








Biscuits
1c unbleached all-purpose flour
1c cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbl turbinado sugar
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
8 tbl cold butter
¾ c cold buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a food processor, combine all dry ingredients. Pulse to aerate. Cut cold butter into ½ inch cubes and scatter over the flour mixture. Pulse 12 times. The mixture should look like cornmeal. You should still be able to see pea sized pieces of butter. Dump the mixture into a medium sized bowl and add buttermilk. Mix swiftly until just combined. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop biscuits onto a baking sheet. Do this quickly so as to keep the mixture as cold as possible. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm with jam butters.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Butters
3 sticks of room temperature unsalted butter (8oz each)
4-5 tbl each: strawberry, apricot, blueberry jams

Mix one stick of butter with one type of jam. You can do this by hand or with an electric mixer. Put in a ramekin or place in wax paper and roll to a log. These will keep for a week.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Dessert :: Poached Stone Fruit with Marscapone

For dessert we poached apricots & plums, and served them plated with a little dollop of marscapone...the perfect ending
& now time for a nap!
Casey's Tip: You can use any kind of stone fruit for this. It’s gorgeous with peaches when they are in season.
------------
See Recipe Below
All Photography by Karen Mordechai






Poached Stone Fruits and Vanilla Bean Mascarpone

2 c water
1 c sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 sprig of thyme
4 plums
4 apricots
8oz mascarpone at room temperature
3 tbl powdered sugar

Cut fruits in half and spoon out the pit.
In a saucepan on medium heat, combine water, sugar, vanilla bean and thyme. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add enough fruit to the pan to have a single layer floating at the top. You will have to poach in batches. Apricots will take 4-5 minutes. Plums will take 8-9 minutes. You want to be able to pierce the fruit with a pairing knife with little resistance. The already poached fruit can wait in a baking dish flesh side down, while you finish the rest. When all the fruit has been cooked, pour enough liquid to cover half way. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled. Reserve the vanilla bean.
Place the mascarpone in a bowl with the powdered sugar. Split the vanilla bean down the center and scrape out the seeds. Combine with a whisk.
Serve both types of stone fruit with a dollop of the vanilla mascarpone and a little of the poaching liquid poured over top.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Spotlight :: Rountree Flowers @ Sunday Suppers

We were so excited when Jessie at Rountree Flowers agreed to do our flowers for last week's brunch, and when we received them...well "holy mama"!( as casey would say !) The arrangements were made of wildflowers, garden roses, queen anne's lace, artichokes, mushrooms...yes mushrooms. They tied in perfectly with our brunch decor and we were so thrilled.

Check out the photos below...& stay tuned for more pics of the brunch & recipes coming soon !

And please check out Jessie's work- she is so talented and sweet & amazing to work with - we can't recommend her enough.
Check out her site here, she does weddings, events and gift arrangements. And she has an office in newport as well.

All Photography by Karen Mordechai