The Taffetas

The Taffetas by Rick Lewis

Let me just start by saying the food for this show was NOT a normal "what kind of food can we serve?" kind of opening night. Taffet's opening night took place on New Year's Eve, so the food was particularly SPECTACULAR. We had a whole Gala, and a true community effort when it came to putting on this wonderful extavaganza!! I will include the recipes that I made in this blog, but Joe and Holly also made food for this event. I am in the process of getting Holly's recipes, and I'm sure Joe will give me his recipe for the Coq Au Vin that was truly delicious, so...this blog will be a work in progress until I get all of the truly delicious recipes posted.

The Taffeta's was a cute little show that took place in the 1950's. It was about 4 sisters from Muncie, Indiana who got a chance to appear on the Ed Sullivan show. The rest, as they say, is history!!

THE TAFFETAS: Opening Night Food Dec. 31, 2009

We started off the evening with passed hot hors'douvres and homemade canapes by Holly. I am waiting for the canape recipes

Buffet Table...

SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY

4 lbs. ripe tomatoes 1/4 cup golden raisins

1 (1 inch) piece ginger root 2 tsp. allspice

3 cloves garlic 1 tsp. chili powder

1 cup red wine vinegar 1 pinch paprika

2 onions, diced 1 TBS. curry paste

1. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Place tomatoes in boiling water and cook 3-5 minutes. Remove from water, let cool, and peel the skins

2. Puree the tomatoes with ginger and garlic in a food processor

3. Place tomato mixture, sugar, vinegar, onions and golden raising in a large saucepan. Season with the spices and curry paste. Simmer over medium heat until thick. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

APPLE CHUTNEY

15 tart apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 yellow onion, quartered 1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1. In a saucepan, mix the apples, onion, ginger, vinegar, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, white pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Stir frequently while simmering until the apples are tender. Mix in some water if necessary to keep the ingredients moist. Remove the onion and ginger. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups sugar 1 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 cup water 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 large cooking apple, chopped

1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until apple is tender and mixture thickens.

2. Cool completely.

3. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

NAPA CABBAGE SALAD

1 bag shredded cabbage 1 cup slivered almonds

1 bunch green onions, minced 1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup butter 3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 (3 oz.) pkg ramen noodles, broken 1/2 cup sugar

2 TBS sesame seeds 2 TBS soy sauce

1. Combine the cabbage, and green onions in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. Make the crunchies:

Melt the butter in a pot. Mix the ramen noodles, sesame seeds and almonds into the pot with the melted butter. Spoon the mixture into a baking sheet and bake the crunchies in the oven, turning often so they don't burn. When browned, remove from oven.

4. Make the dressing:

In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and

let boil for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.

5. Combine dressing, crunchies, and cabbage immediately before serving. Serve right away or

the crunchies will get soft.

Delicious!! I get compliments on this dish everytime I make it, whoever came up with this recipe is a genious!!

WALDORF SALAD:

Waiting for the recipe from Holly

SEAFOOD NEWBURG:

1/4 cup butter 1 pinch paprika

1/4 cup flour 3 TBS ketchup

1/2 tsp. salt 1 dash worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1/4 cup cream sherry 1/2 lb. scallops

1. Combine butter, flour and salt in a saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes, or until you have a blonde

roux. Slowly pour in milk and bring mixture to a boil.

2. Stir sherry into the mixtue (to taste) add paprika, ketchup, and worcestershire. Simmer for 20 minutes.

3. While mixture is simmering, sautee the shrimp and scallops in a pan until done. (about 5 minutes). Add the seafood to the sherry mixture. Serve over rice or pasta.

CREME FRAICHE (to go into the beef stroganoff)

Creme fraiche is a thick and smooth soured cream with a rich and velvety texture. This matured cream has a nutty, slightly sour taste. It is WONDERFUL in foods, and gives it a different lvel of flavor. I try to make it and use it in place of sour cream in recipes. It is just so much better! Although it takes a long time to make, the extra time is so worth the effort!

1 cup heavy whipping cream (try to stay away from ultrapasturized, as it takes longer to thicken)

1 TBS buttermilk

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream to 105 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk. Transfer the cream to a large bowl and allow this mixture to stand in a warm place, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until thickened.

2. Stir and taste every 6-8 hours. This process takes anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, depending on your room temperature. Creme fraiche may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

BEEF STROGANOFF:

2 lbs. beef chuck roast 1 tsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. salt 6 oz. chopped mushrooms

4 oz. butter 1/3 cup creme fraiche

4 green onions, sliced (white parts only) 1/3 cup white wine

4 TBS. flour salt to taste

1 (10.5) can condnsed beef broth pepper to taste

1. Remove fat from roast and cut into 1/2 inch thik strips or cubes. Season with salt and pepper

2. In a large skillet o/medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef quickly. Push the beef

off to one side. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes. Push

this to the side also.

3. Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a

boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour

or until the meat is tender.

4. 5 minutes before serving, stir in the creme fraiche and white wine. Heat briefly and salt and

pepper to taste. Serve over noodles.

COQ AU VIN:

waiting for the recipe from Joe