bridal shower bliss & cherry pits

I really can't get enough of planning menus for showers-- especially when one is celebrating the upcoming nuptials of a good girlfriend of mine.

While on vacation in Austin, I cooked for my friend Reagan's shower held at another high school girlfriend parents' house. Lucky for my, this hostess is also a fabulous new photographer and my last minute food preparations turned into an impromptu photo shoot.

My social media peeps also went crazy when I posted a picture of this decadent sweet contribution to the shower: Banana Cream Cheese Muffins with Peanut Butter Frosting and Toffee Peanuts-- I couldn't get the recipe posted fast enough...

First on the shower menu: Stone Fruit Salad with Rosemary Syrup and Toasted Hazelnuts

I began with a cooled rosemary simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water simmered with fresh rosemary from the garden until reduced by half), and soaked it with sliced Texas peaches, white nectarines, plums and cherries in the refrigerator overnight.

Next, I toasted a handful of buttery hazelnuts at 400 degrees on a sheet pan until toasted and fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.

Serve toasted hazelnuts atop chilled, soaked fruit with a sprig of rosemary. Refreshing and so summery! Remind guests to mind their cherry pits.

Next on the menu is an oh-so-simple side from my "non recipe" in the summer issue of Fort Worth Foodie Magazine: Tomato Carpaccio.

I also made a syrupy balsamic reduction to serve alongside the gorgeous tomatoes. Guests can gracefully spoon (or slather) the increments of their liking atop the juicy tomatoes.

I like to cluster the tomatoes by size in a monochromatic fashion to add eye appeal. Make sure to bring the tomatoes to room temperature if they aren't already to truly taste the wonderfulness of this summer staple.

Finish tomatoes with fleur de sel, fresh-cracked pepper and fresh thyme leaves. Delicious!

Next on the menu: Salmon Phyllo Tarts perfect for breakfast, lunch or brunch.

I began by making a salmon salad with flaked, cooked salmon, dijon, mayonnaise, fresh rosemary, fresh tarragon, capers and liberal salt and pepper. Next, I began an assembly line with melted butter, the salmon salad and delicate phyllo sheets. After I filled and folded the tarts, they went to chill on sheet pans until ready to bake.

Brush tops of tarts with melted butter or olive oil then bake at 400 degrees approximately 8 minutes until they reach a gorgeous golden brown.

I served salmon tarts with a simple aioli made with mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice and zest, fresh tarragon, salt and freshly-cracked pepper.

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for...

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

with Peanut Butter Frosting & Toffee Peanuts

These "muffins" are creamy, luscious and the perfect guilty pleasure with a morning (or evening) cup of coffee.

Yields 36 muffins

Adapted from Artisan Baking Company's Seasonal Fruit Muffin Recipe

3½ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 pound cream cheese, softened

½ pound unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

½ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 cups ripe bananas, mashed (about 4 bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin pan or pans with nonstick baking spray or place paper liners in each cup and lightly coat papers with nonstick baking spray, so that the paper liners slip off muffins easily.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with milk, vanilla and almond extract. Fold in mashed bananas. Batter will be thick.

Portion into prepared muffin pans with an ice cream scoop. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Rotate pan in oven (for even baking), and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center of a muffin has only a few or no crumbs clinging to it.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Remove muffins from tin and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Peanut butter frosting:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

4 T unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

4 T whole milk

Cream together peanut butter and butter in a stand mixer with the whip attachment until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Scrape down sides. On medium high speed, slowly add 1 cup of powdered sugar, then whole milk. Add remaining powdered sugar then beat 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Pipe or spread atop cooled banana muffins. Top with salted peanuts, candied peanuts or toffee peanuts.

Foodgasm, for real. Enjoy, folks!

peaches & velvet cream

There is nothing better to me in the summertime than sweet peaches and rich cream.

Add some honey, reduced white wine, bright lemon and a dash of smoky cinnamon and you're in business for a refreshing summer appetizer or cooling dessert course. A sprinkling of pistachios adds an appropriate salty crunch and texture contrast.

Chilled Peach & White Wine Soup Shooters with Pistachios

I ran across this recipe for Chilled Peach and Yogurt Soup in culinary school then adapted the recipe and swapped tangy yogurt for cream. I just adore the richness of the velvet cream with the tart peaches.

yields approximately 1/2 gallon

4 lb frozen peaches

4 cups white wine

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 c honey

1 cup heavy whipping cream

roasted and salted pistachios to garnish

Begin by simmering peaches, white wine, lemon, cinnamon and honey over medium high heat approximately 45 minutes to reduce and soften. Enjoy the gorgeous aroma because your kitchen will smell insane!

Let cool approximately 30 minutes to prevent hot liquid splattering when pureeing the soup. With an immersion blender, puree soup until completely smooth.

Transfer peach and wine mixture into a large pitcher then chill completely over night.

Before serving, whisk in heavy cream, an additional squeeze of lemon and drop of honey. The luxurious heavy cream will turn the chilled soup into an irresistible creamsicle hue.

Serve soup chilled as shooters with a couple pistachios or as a dessert soup with a sprinkling of pistachios and a swirl of heavy cream.

Sip, shoot or slurp away!

cheese straws & lemon bars

It's shower season!

I love putting a fun twist on traditional baby shower, bridal shower or teatime bites.

For my most recent afternoon baby shower for 30 lovely ladies, I concentrated on pairing familiar flavors and preparations with unexpected colors, textures and ingredients to engage guests and tickle their taste buds.

My menu included:

Two refreshing non-alcoholic punches that were perfect alone or with a splash of champagne:

White Sangria with Lime, Raspberries and Kiwi

Grapefruit Ginger Punch with Fresh Thyme

For the drink station, a few bottles of assorted vino were set out (red, white and bubbly), along with wine glasses, mixed nuts, water with lime slices, an ice bucket and the punch vessels. Guests could mix and match their own beverages with ease.

For those interested in an afternoon snack...

Buttery and indulgent puff pastry cheese straws with pecorino cheese and herbs de provence.

Melon skewers topped with fresh mozzarella and a sweet, yet earthy, simple syrup with fresh rosemary from my patio.

Honeydew...

Watermelon...

and Cantaloupe, of course.

Chilled Peach & Yogurt Soup Shooters with frozen peaches simmered in white wine, honey and vanilla bean paste finished with the perfect pistachio garnish.

A light and delicious panzanella salad with homemade herbed croutons, crisp vegetables (English cucumbers, yellow peppers & orange peppers, red & orange cherry tomatoes), house-pickled red onions, kalamata olives, fresh oregano and small cubes of salty feta cheese.

The vinaigrette was a simple swirl of Italian olive oil and lemon rind with kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper.

And finally, an assortment of three tea sandwich varieties.

Cucumber & Radish with Fresh Lavender Butter on Pumpernickel

Bruschetta with Herbed Ricotta, Fennel Salami and

a Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lime Rind

and my personal favorite:

Black Forest Ham & Brie on Rye with a Rhubarb Fennel Chutney

All menu items were to be served chilled or at room temperature making event service a breeze!

A few weeks before, I also collaborated with a TCU friends to plan an intimate Bridal Shower for my close girlfriend, Lindsey.

Prosecco, Italian fare and a scratch-made dessert...what could be better?

We arranged the shower to be held at a quaint local Italian eatery in Fort Worth: Piola Restaurant and Garden. My friend Jessica and I both played hostess and arrived early to decorate the patio table on a gorgeous spring evening.

Jessica was in charge of decorations and I took care of invitations and a made-from-scratch dessert perfect for a bridal shower: Lavender Lemon Bars.

We arranged the lemon-bars with some lemon-hued tulips for a beautiful shower centerpiece that speaks for itself.

Jessica (a huge decorating and craft guru), outdid herself with these hand-crafted tiny boxes perfect for place setting party favors.

Blue flowers for the shower guests and a white flower for the bride-to-be.

Jessica also made a whimsical "Cheers!" banner to aptly celebrate the occasion.

For gifts, we settled on a wine-theme for the bride-to-be. I decided to put together a "Champagne & Chocolate" basket with a lovely array of gifts from World Market.

I nestled stemless champagne glasses with a split of champagne, cocktail napkins, a glass wine stopper, orange peel dark chocolate and ingenious cheese spreaders made from wine corks.

For dessert, I decided on a sweet and tart hand-held treat turned elegant with a touch of French Lavender.

Lavender Lemon Bars

Adapted from Ina Garten's Lemon Bar Recipe

Crust:

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon French Lavender

Filling:

• 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup flour
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

I was careful to use a controlled amount of lavender-- too much and you can get an overly floral, almost soapy taste. Half a teaspoon will do.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough into a foiled and greased 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, then delicately press dough into sheet building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides (as shown). Chill for 5 minutes.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut off those grumpy, "too brown edges" then slice into desired rectangles or triangles. Using a sifter or small strainer, add a light sprinkling of powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar for you fancy pants), then dot each bar with a small sprinkling of lavender.

These bars are perfect for dessert, afternoon tea or

a naughty impromptu breakfast...