Mad Men Dinner Party Part II

Now down to the food we served at our dinner party!  We did research and try to create a menu that you might have seen at a dinner party in the early 1960's with a couple twists, of course.

Appetizers
Deviled Eggs (David made these from a basic recipe we found and they were delicious!  Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly what we put in them, oops!)
Pigs in a Blanket
Cheese Spread with Ritz Crackers

First Course
Iceberg Wedge with Bacon, Grape Tomatoes and Ranch Dressing
Shrimp Cocktail Shooters with Cocktail Sauce

Entree
Individual Beef Wellington with Mushroom and Onion Ragout
Individual Vegetable Wellington  with Mushroom and Onion Ragout (for our vegetarian friends)
Au Gratin Potatoes
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar
Herbed Dinner Rolls

Dessert
Chocolate Fondue

The au gratin potatoes only came out ok but the rest of the meal was pretty good.  The herbed dinner rolls were a hit and probably my favorite thing that we had.  They were another recipe from Annie's Eats and I can't wait to make them again.  The individual beef wellingtons are something that I have been making for years.  I found a recipe online many years ago and have been tweaking it as I go.  Unfortunately, I have no idea where the original recipe came from so I can't give credit where credit is due.

Individual Beef Wellingtons with Mushroom and Onion Ragout

Ingredients:
1 package cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp. fresh thyme
3 tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
6 1 1/2 inch thick eye round steaks (can also use filet mignon)
2 sheets frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. Water
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Directions:
Place olive oil and onions in a large pan and cook on medium-high heat until soft and they begin to caramelize, about 6 minutes.  Add mushrooms to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes more until mushrooms are tender.  Mix in the thyme and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from pan and let cool slightly.

Season steaks with salt and pepper.  In a hot pan, sear steaks for 2 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan and let cool slightly.

Mix the egg yolk and water in a bowl.

On a lightly floured surface, cut each piece of puff pastry dough into 3 pieces.  Roll each piece out to about 1/8" thick.  place some of the mushroom and onion mixture in the center of each piece of dough.  Place a steak on top of each and, using egg wash to seal the edges, wrap up each steak and place it, seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Herbed Dinner Rolls
From Annie's Eats

Yield:  about 18 rolls
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup warm milk (105-110 degrees F)
8 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, chives, thyme, sage, basil, dill, etc.)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp. milk
Whole fresh herb leaves (for topping)

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and salt on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Mix in the yeast, sugar, milk, melted butter and flour.  Stir until a dough forms.  Beat in the chopped fresh herbs until incorporated.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Generously butter 18 muffin cups.  Punch the dough down.  Scoop the batter, dividing it evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise about 45 minutes, until slightly puffed.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.  Uncover the rolls and brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg mixture.  Gently press a fresh herb leaf into the top of each roll so that it adheres completely.  Bake until a toothpick inserted int he center comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes.  Let cool in the pan a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.  (Note:  I had to run a small paring knife around the edge of each roll to get them to release from the pan.)

Mad Men Inspired Dinner Party

My husband Joe was looking through the kitchen cabinets a couple of months ago and found out that we owned 3 cocktail shakers and martini glasses that we had never used before along with a book of drink recipes.  That revelation began our journey into throwing a Mad Men inspired dinner party.  It gave my husband a reason to start perfecting his bartending skills and gave me a reason to come up with a 1960's themed tablescape and menu.  A few weeks ago we hosted the party and had so much fun.  We couldn't have pulled it off without my brother David who is my kitchen sidekick.  Put the two of us in any kitchen together and not only do we produce some pretty good food but we have a great time doing it.  Menu and recipes to come in a later post.

The inspiration for the whole table setting came from the table runner I found at Home Goods.  I thought the green, brown and white design was perfect for the time period and set out to create dinner menus, drink menus and place cards utilizing that pattern.

This was Joe's bar set up:

And the martini glass that started it all:

I promise, photos of food and recipes to come tomorrow!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

So I created this blog last year and then just kind of let it fall by the wayside.  It is not that I wasn't cooking or taking photos of some of my dishes, I just didn't upload the pictures and write the posts.  I promise that is going to change!

My mom hosted Easter this year and I decided to bring a dessert.  I didn't want to do anything traditional and I love making cupcakes so I decided on trying these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes from Annie's Eats.  I have made quite a few things from Annie's website in the past and have not been let down on any of them.  These did not disappoint either.  Every layer that goes into making these cupcakes is made of the ingredients you would think of in a traditional chocolate chip cookie.  The base is a brown sugar-chocolate chip cake with an eggless chocolate chip cookie dough filling topped with a cookie dough flavored buttercream.  Annie tops her with mini homemade chocolate chip cookies but I have to admit that I was crunched for time so I used store bought.  All of the elements of these cupcakes were amazing but I have to admit that put together they were all a little too sweet for me but not for the rest of my family.  One of my brother's had 3 of them and the other one had 4!  The leftovers went over very well at work the next day too!

 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
From Annie's Eats


Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips (I forgot to put these on)

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total).  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir together to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Blend in the vanilla.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake.  Fill each hole with a a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar int he bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy.  Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth.  Beat in the flour and salt.  Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.