Yesterday was time for the annual cooking club tea. We’ve been getting together for 17 years now! We aren’t as committed as we were 17 years ago, in the past we got together about 6-8 times a year, now we’re at one or two times a year, but we still get together, and thats all that matters. I hosted the tea this year, it’s always an excuse to pull out all my pretty things, china, crystal, silver, linens and enjoy them. Tea things are always so feminine, floral, and comforting.
Typically when I do a tea, I really to a tea with scones or crumpets, little sandwiches, little cakes and tarts the whole nine yards, but this year I wanted to do something very simple. I created a menu of three types of tartines and an old fashioned chocolate whipped cream roll cake. For the tartines I made tomato with pesto ricotta and rouille, shredded Brussels sprouts with goat cheese and toasted hazelnuts, and marsala mushrooms with fontina. As you can see I cut them in small pieces since I was serving a variety, a traditional tartine is a long piece of baguette.
The cake was sweet and simple, as a jelly roll cake should be. A chocolate sponge filled with sweetened whipped cream and served with a cinnamon ganache. I wanted something lightly chocolate and something that came from the era to match my Francisco ware plates. My mom was a big fan of sponge cakes, jelly rolls, and bavarians.
This menu really is quick to pull together and can be prepped the day ahead so it’s a great one for entertaining. It’s easy on the host and appealing to the guest. Yesterday my guests stayed well into the evening, so I’m guessing this is winning combination.
Tomato and Pesto Ricotta Tartine
1 basket cherry tomatoes, washed
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 t chopped chives
1 C ricotta cheese
1 T pesto
salt and pepper to taste
rouille (optional garnish)
1 baguette
Heat oven to 375. Place a medium skillet over a high flame. Once the pan is hot add the olive oil and sautee the tomatoes a minute or two until they begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper and add the balsamic vinegar and cook a minute longer. Cook briefly, you don’t want the tomatoes to explode. Remove from the heat and toss with the chives. Combine the ricotta and pesto and season with salt and pepper. Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and cut each half in half so that you have 4 tartines. Spread the baguette with the ricotta mixture, place on a cookie sheet and arrange the tomatoes over the ricotta. Place tartines in the oven for about 10 minutes until warmed through and the bread is slightly toasted. Serve warm. Serves 4.
Rouille is a roasted red pepper garlic sauce and the recipe appears with the Paella recipe. If you have some around, drizzle some over the tartines before serving.
Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese Tartine
1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed, sliced thin
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 T espresso balsamic vinegar (or other balsamic if you don’t have espresso)
2 T finely chopped sage
8 oz goat cheese, room temperature
2 T chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 baguette
Heat oven to 375. Place a medium skillet over a high heat, once hot add the olive oil and sliced Brussels sprouts and sautee about 5 minutes or until wilted. seasons with salt and pepper and add the espresso balsamic and cook a minute longer. Remove from the heat and combine with the sage. Cut a baguette in half lengthwise and cut each half in half so you have four tartines. Spread each piece of baguette with goat cheese, place on a cookie sheet and arrange the Brussels sprouts over the goat cheese. Place in the oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through and the bread is slightly toasted. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the tartines and serve. Serves 4.
Marsala Mushrooms with Fontina Tartine
1/2 pound mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 shallot peeled and sliced
2 oz. butter
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1/4 C Marsala wine
2 t thyme leaves
4 oz fontina cheese, shredded
1 baguette
Heat oven to 375, place a large skillet over a high heat. Once hot add the 2 oz. of butter, let the butter melt and add the sliced mushrooms and shallot and sautee about 5 minutes, season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and marsala. Sautee on high until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the thyme leaves.
Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and cut each half in half to make four tartines. Place each piece of baguette on a cookie sheet and divide the shredded fontina amongst the four pieces of baguette. Top each piece with the mushrooms. Place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the breat has started to toast. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Chocolate Cream Roll Cake
For the cake:
8 eggs, room temperature, separated
1 C sugar plus 1/4 C sugar
2 t vanilla
1/2 C good quality cocoa (plus another 3 T to coat the pan)
1/2 C cake flour
pinch salt
For the cream:
1 1/2 C heavy cream
2/3 powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
For the ganache:
1 C heavy cream
1 pound semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1 t cinnamon
To make the cake, heat the oven to 375. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper. Lightly coat the buttered parchment paper with cocoa, set aside. In a large bowl beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, slowly beat in 1/4 C sugar and beat until whites are stiff, but not dry. In a medium bowl combine the egg yolks, 1 C sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on high until the yolks are a thick and fluffy and a light yellow color. Whisk the yolks into the whites. In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa and cake flour and fold into the eggs. Spoon the batter onto the cookie sheet and smooth out evenly in the pan using a spatula. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Do not over bake or the cake will become rubbery. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool about 15-20 minutes. While the cake is still warm, and using the parchment paper to help, roll the cake jelly roll fashion lengthwise. Set aside and let cool completely. Once the cake has cooled you can wrap in in plastic wrap and store it room temperature over night if you don’t want to bake it the same day you serve it.
For the cream place the 1 1/2 C cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and whip on high until stiff. Carefully unroll the cake and remove the parchment. Using a cake decorating spatula spread the cream evenly over the cake and gently roll up. Cover the cake in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To make the ganache heat the cream until just scalded. Add the chopped chocolate and cinnamon and whisk until smooth and glossy. If the chocolate won’t melt either heat slowly over a double boiler until the chocolate has melted or place in a microwave on high for a minute.
To serve, slice the cake into one inch slices and arrange on a platter and drizzle with ganache.
Serves 12.
