Lilly Birthday Luncheon {The Recipes}

As promised, and in lieu of Sunday Supper, I’m back with all the recipes from our Lilly Birthday Luncheon.  Feast your eyes on this, y’all…January 2014 531 copy




Chicken Salad Croissants
This one is hard ladies – hold onto your hats :-)  I purchased the largest container of chicken salad offered at Chick fil A and spread it on mini croissants from Publix.

Endive Orange & Roquefort Salad
From: Ina Garten

Dressing:
½ teaspoon grated orange zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
2 heads Belgian endive
½ cup walnut halves, toasted (I used pecans.  Just because they are my favorite nut.)
¼ pound French Roquefort cheese, ½-inch-diced (I used crumbled gorgonzola because I didn’t see roquefort.)
1 sweet red apple, unpeeled, cored and medium-diced
4 ounces baby arugula
1 orange
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Cut the heads of endive in half lengthwise, remove the triangle of core at the base of each half so the leaves separate, and cut the leaves in half again lengthwise. Place in a large bowl. Drizzle the leaves with the vinaigrette and add the walnuts, Roquefort, and apple. Add the arugula and toss. Zest the orange into the salad with a strip zester. Peel the orange and remove the white pith around the orange with a small sharp knife. Cut the orange sections between the membranes and toss them on the salad. Discard the membranes. Sprinkle with salt and serve.  Serves 6.

Jalapeno Cheddar Crackers
Source: Ina Garten

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¹⁄8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 14 tablespoons (13/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, 1/2-inch-diced
  • 5 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar, grated
  • 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (I used chipotle chili pepper as it was the only thing similar I saw at Publix.)
  • 3 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash
  • Fleur de sel or sea salt

Place the flour, kosher salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheddar, jalapeño, and chipotle chili powder and pulse again. With the food processor running, add the ice water all at once. Continue pulsing until the mixture begins to form a ball. Dump the dough onto a floured board and roll it into a 14-inch log. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Cut the dough in 3/8-inch-thick slices (should make 32-34 crackers). Place the crackers on the prepared sheet pan, brush with the egg wash, and sprinkle with the fleur de sel. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt
Source: Ina Garten

2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons good honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fruit –  I used blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, red grapes and a banana because they all looked luscious at the store.

Combine the yogurt, honey, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl and set aside. Combine the orange juice and banana slices in a separate bowl. Add the berries and grapes and gently mix the fruit mixture together. Spoon the fruit into serving bowls and top with the yogurt.

January 2014 524 copy



Strawberry Mousse Cake
From: Southern Living

Cake Layers

  • 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 7 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 3 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Strawberry Mousse

  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup whipping cream

Strawberry Frosting

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
  • Garnishes
  • Halved fresh strawberries, edible flowers
  1. Prepare Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°. Beat 1 1/4 cups softened butter and 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until fluffy. Gradually add egg whites, one-third at a time, beating well after each addition.
  2. Sift together cake flour and baking powder; gradually add to butter mixture alternately with 1 cup water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Pour batter into 4 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans.  (I used 9” because that’s what I had.)
  3. Bake at 350° for 22 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
  4. Prepare Strawberry Mousse: Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Process 2 cups sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Transfer strawberry mixture to a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add gelatin to strawberry mixture, stirring constantly until gelatin dissolves. Cover and chill until consistency of unbeaten egg whites, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes).  After reading reviews online, I let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours.
  5. Beat cream at low speed until foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture until well blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes or just until mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when mounded.  I chilled mine overnight – again after reading reviews.
  6. Spread about 1 cup Strawberry Mousse between each cake layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edges; cover and chill 3 hours or until mousse is set.
  7. Prepare Strawberry Frosting: Beat 3/4 cup softened butter at medium speed 20 seconds or until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar and 3/4 cup finely chopped strawberries, beating at low speed until creamy. Spread frosting on top and sides of cake.  I had JUST ENOUGH icing to cover the cake.

Note: Next time I think I will forego the mousse filling and double the icing to spread between the layers too.  It is really sweet but sooo yummy!

January 2014 530 copy

Strawberry Limeade
Source: Southern Living

  • 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 cups cold water
  • 2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 large limes)  (Mine were nearly juiceless so I used bottled lime juice to make the difference.)
  1. Stir together strawberries and sugar in a large bowl; crush strawberries with a wooden spoon, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
  2. Process strawberry mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Press mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, using back of spoon to squeeze out juice; discard solids. Add cold water and lime juice, stirring until blended. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours

I can’t tell y’all how lovely it was to make a big plate of these leftovers for supper that night.  I could eat like this every day and be happy!!  I’ve since made both the salad and the jalapeno cheddar crackers for other gatherings and they both received rave reviews around the horn!
xoxo

 

 

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9 thoughts on “Lilly Birthday Luncheon {The Recipes}

  1. All of the recipes sound (and look) devine, but especially the crackers & the cake. I'm a fan of pretty much any cheese straw, and who doesn't love strawberries? Yum!

  2. I think this cake needs to be added to our Easter celebration. Since you mentioned how sweet the icing was, I think lemon curd between the layers would be scrumptious. After all, who doesn't love strawberry lemonade? Thanks for sharing the delish recipes!

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