Recipe :: How to Preserve Lemons

We used these Preserved Lemons in our Chicken Tagine, and they are one of the most popular Moroccan condiments. You can use them in many traditional Moroccan dishes, like couscous, fish & lamb. But don't be afraid to throw them into a salad, a pasta or any old chicken dish - we use them all the time!






All Photos by Karen Mordchai

10 to 12 lemons (2 1/2 to 3 lb)
2/3 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Equipment:
a 4- to 6-cup jar with a tight-fitting lid

Scrub lemons well, and slice them into medium or thin slices, leave a few extra lemons for juice
Coat the sliced lemons in kosher salt & a bit of the olive oil, allow them to sit for about an hour to allow the juices to formulate
Pack the lemons in a jar and Push the lemons down firmly to pack them tightly
Fill the top of the jar with the extra lemon juice and top it with remaining olive oil. Be sure to fill the jar up to the very top and seal well.
Store in Refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Moroccan Sunday Supper :: A Sweet Goodbye

A warm thank you to all of our wonderful guests who attended & contributed at our moroccan sunday supper. Happy friday & thanks for all the love & support !
Scroll down for a Moroccan Mint Tea recipe, traditionally served at the end of a great meal.





All Photos by Karen Mordchai

Moroccan Mint Tea

1 tablespoon loose green tea
5 cups boiling water
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1 large bunch fresh mint or spearmint

Put tea in teapot and pour in 1 cup boiling water, then swirl gently to warm pot and rinse tea. Strain out and discard water, reserving tea leaves in pot.

Add remaining 4 cups boiling water to tea and let steep 2 minutes. Stir in sugar (to taste) and mint sprigs and steep 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve in small heatproof glasses.

**traditionally served sweet, you can also try adding orange blossom water to your tea for an added sweetness

Sunday Supper + Thoughtful Designs

Our dear friend Erica Miller designed all of the custom paper items for the Moroccan Evening. Inspired by the Moroccan tiles, Erica designed a custom Mandala for both Amy's Dessert Table and the Sunday Supper Table - allowing both tables to relate well to each other and create a cohesive story. The colors and scale of patterns of the dinner table were a softer interpretation of the designs.

For those of you who don't know what a Mandala is, it's quite a beautiful concept...in Sanskrit maṇḍala literally means "essence" It is a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism and represents"circle-circumference" or "completion." Erica at Thoughtful Day created a Mandala for Karen's wedding invitations last year, and thus inspired the tradition. It was a beautiful way to create a unique logo that was infused with a bit more meaning. We were clearly thrilled to have Erica design another mandala for SS, and all the proper paper goods that followed ! For those of you who may not be familiar with Erica's work, you must see it immediately. Erica's line of Invitations (both custom & mix and match suites) are elegant and delightful at the same time. And not only is Erica Super talented, she is one of the sweetest-funniest-cutest people you'll ever meet. Check out her Wedding Invitations here and her awesome wedding blog here.
Erica's full suite included recipe cards for our guests to take home. Each recipe card had its own unique border all complimenting one another. Along with the recipe cards and the cookie bags from Amy's table...guests took home these adorable jars of home made preserved lemons. Erica designed the tags for these jars and the cookie packaging as well. Thank you e! xoxo

We'll be posting tips on how to preserve your own lemons at home soon.

Recipe:: Fig and Sesame Tarts with Orange Blossom Whipped Cream

As many of you know one of our guests at the last sunday supper was Aran Goyoaga ( who will also be teaching our next class. (yay!!) Casey was putting the finishing touches on her fig & sesame tarts for dessert, and Aran happily jumped right in to help us plate and garnish. Aran was a true pleasure to have at our class, she wrote the sweetest review here - if you haven't seen her inspiring work, go there now ! It's absolutely amazing. Scroll down for the recipe of our Fig & Sesame Tart below.








All Photography by Karen Mordechai

Fig and Sesame Tarts with Orange Blossom Whipped Cream
Tip: If you want a smoother filling, put the cooked fig mixture in a blender and pour in to tart shells then chill.

10 oz dried Turkish figs
¼ c sugar
zest and juice of 1 orange
¼ c marsala wine or any sweet dessert wine
¼ c water
¼ c sesame seeds, toasted
10-12 pre-made mini shortbread pastry crusts
3 fresh figs
whipping cream
1 tbl sugar
½ tsp orange blossom water

Chop the figs into small cubes. Combine figs, sugar, orange zest and juice, wine and water into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture becomes the consistency of jam.
Let cool for 15 minutes and stir in the sesame seeds. Spoon into tart shells.
Make whipped cream with 1 tbl sugar and ½ tsp orange flower water. Put a dollop of cream on each tart.
Top with a sliver of orange zest and fresh fig.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Recipe :: Feta and Coriander Polenta

This feta coriander polenta was a clean and soft flavor accompaniment to the chicken tagine. Be sure to buy stone ground polenta or cornmeal. You can use instant in a pinch but it doesn’t have the same texture as stone ground.



All Photos by Karen Mordechai

Coriander and Feta Polenta
3 ½ c of chicken stock
½ c half and half
1 tsp salt
2 tbl ground coriander
1 c yellow polenta or cornmeal
2 tbl butter
16 oz french feta

Bring chicken stock, half and half, salt and coriander to a boil in a sauce pan. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly to prevent clumping. Cook for 10 minutes, continuing to whisk. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Crumble feta into polenta and fold in gently.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Recipe:: Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons, Green Olives and Golden Raisins

The full menu from our Moroccan dinner was : A Harissa brushed Halibut, Gazpacho, Greens followed by the Chicken Tagine with preserved lemons and cracked olives a coriander feta polenta and a roasted beet and fresh mint salad. For dessert: a Fig and sesame Tart with orange cardamon cream.

Creating the Moroccan chicken in an authentic clay tagine from Morocco was divine. The earthy flavors from the clay along with the wonderful seasonings meld to create this comforting stew. If you don't own a tagine you this can be done in a heavy dutch oven and cooked stove top. Just bring the mixture to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes or longer. Scroll down for the full recipe. Bon appétit.




All Photos by Karen Mordechai


Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons, Green Olives and Golden Raisins

1 whole chicken, quartered
1 tsp each, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dried cilantro
½ c olive oil
½ c lemon juice
8 slices preserved lemon
½ c green olives
½ c golden raisins
2 c chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all of the dry spices together with the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss the chicken in the marinade and let sit refrigerated for at least an hour.
On medium-high heat, sear the chicken to create a nice golden crust, approximately 8-10 minutes. Make sure to turn the chicken so that all sides get the color.
Scatter lemons, olives and raisins over the tops. Pour in chicken stock and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Recipe :: Roasted Beet Salad

Alongside our main entree and as a palate cleanser we served a side of roasted beets. We used a mix of red & baby beets which are gorgeous at the farmers market. This is the kind of dish that gets better the longer it sits. You’re essentially pickling the beets so the longer the better.


All Photos by Karen Mordechai

Roasted Beet Salad


24 baby beets, scrubbed with stems cut
3 tbl olive oil
2 tbl minced shallot
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ c red-wine vinegar
½ c really good olive oil
1 bunch of fresh mint

Toss beets with olive oil and salt, wrap in a double layer of foil and roast in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Mix together shallots, sugar, salt and vinegar. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking constantly.
Remove beets from oven and let stand for 10 minutes still covered, Peel if desired.
Cut in half and toss with vinaigrette while still warm. Tear mint leaves and fold in gently. Serve warm or chilled.


Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Recipe :: Harissa Brushed Halibut with Gazpacho

Our first course at the Moroccan dinner was this beautiful Harissa brushed Halibut. Harissa is very powerful so use it sparingly. It’s a gorgeous contrast to the delicate white halibut. Harissa is a North African hot red sauce or paste made from chili peppers (often smoked or dried) and garlic, often with coriander and caraway or cumin and served with olive oil. It can be used both as a condiment and as an ingredient in recipes. Our favorite is this one.

The gazpacho will be one of the easiest things you’ll ever make. Double the recipe and have it on hand for lunch. So refreshing! Scroll down for the full recipe.







All Photos by Karen Mordechai


Harissa Brushed Halibut with Gazpacho
(Makes 4 servings)

For the Halibut
1 tbl harissa paste
juice of ½ a lemon
1 lb halibut, cut into 4
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine harissa powder and lemon juice. Brush a super thin layer on the fish and season with salt. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 10 minutes.

For the Gazpacho
4 cups tomato juice
1 cucumber, peeled seeded and cubed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ small red onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, chopped
¼ c olive oil
¼ c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl Worcestire Sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
juice nad zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 3 minutes
chill for at least an hour

garnish: microgreens from the farmers market tossed with a bit of olive oil

Copyright © 2009 by Casey Solomon

Moroccan Sunday Supper :: Table Designs + Flowers

The table design from our Moroccan dinner was inspired by the old tiles that we used as a runner down the middle. Jessie (from Rountree flowers) came in and constructed these amazing little mum shapes - inspired by the patterns in the tiles and by piles of spices - amaaaazing. She then continued with rose petal garlands, decorating the tabletop with those pops of orange and pink, they were just the thing. The candlestick holders were actually regular taper holders that Jessie converted into pillars by attaching votive holders on top, filling them with sand and using a bit of fun tak to attach - neat trick ! More about the menus & paper items coming soon...stay tuned xoxo

Credits:
All Photos by Karen Mordechai
Flowers: Jessie Weidinger from Rountree Flowers
Menu Design: Erica Bohanon of Thoughtful Day

Sunday Supper :: Amy Atlas Part 2...@ Moroccan Evening

Ok, please forgive us, caving into popular demand we will be going out of order a bit. We know we owe you some market photos (and we will post those next week)...but everyone is anxious to see the photos from Amy's Table up close. We don't blame you - it was magnificent and it was truly an honor to have Amy as our guest contributor. The fabulous backdrop and pattern along with all the paper goods & goodie bags were designed by the ever-talented Erica Miller of Thoughtfulday.

Other incredibly talented women worked to bring this together - Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille baked the orange flower macaroons, orange creamsicle panna cotta and baked meringue sandwich cookies. The gorgeous cake was designed by Archana Rao of Love Street Cakes. Those gorgeous flower centerpieces were created by Jessie of Rountree Flowers. And...Ali Kantor created a traditional moroccan cookie called kaab el ghazal, which served as a favor for the guests to take home in goodie bags. YUM.












All Photography by Karen Mordechai

Sunday Supper :: Moroccan Evening, a sneak peek

We are so very behind, and we're so sorry ! we have lots of market photos and recipes to continue posting...but wanted to give you a sneak peek at our Moroccan Evening that we hosted last night. So many of you wrote in and wanted to attend, we truly wish we had room for all of you ! It was a full house with guests and amazingly talented vendors...we couldn't have been more excited to work with all these lovely ladies: Erica Bohanon from Thoughtful Day, Amy Atlas (check out her Moroccan Inspired Dessert Table below (!), Aran Goyoaga from Cannelle et Vanille and of course our fav. florist & friend Jessie from Rountree...Just wait till you see all their creations...ok, back to the editing board :) more coming soon







All Photography by Karen Mordechai