Entertain with Gelée!

Caprese Verrine with Heirloom Tomato Gelée, Burrata Cheese, Olive Oil, Basil

Camembert with Edible Flower Wine Gelée

Espresso Gelée with Coffee Liqueur Cream

Entertain with Gelée!
Another dinner party at Lori Lynn’s, but this one starts off differently…my friends join me in the kitchen as we film the first ever video for Taste With The Eyes. On the menu is a gorgeous Camembert Cheese decorated with Edible Flower Wine Gelée to be served with grilled bread as an appetizer. Our Sunken City Supper Club signature amuse bouche, the Caprese Verrine, kicks off the dinner as a vibrant 2 oz. bite. And for dessert, we serve a petite 3 oz. Espresso Gelée topped with Coffee Liqueur Cream.

All three gelée incarnations are perfect for entertaining with their enigmatic texture, the shimmering gelatin captures the essence of the flavor and melts in the mouth. They are easy to prepare, easy on the pocketbook, and feature a unique presentation that is certain to delight. They’re most likely not something your guests are preparing every day at home…

I couldn’t wait to start this project. We had a blast making the video! With my dearest friends encouraging me while we filmed the video, sipping Champagne, they gave their best advice: Fix your bangs! Look at the camera! Don’t look at the camera! Talk slower! Talk faster! Smile! CUT! This was a riot! And the dishes, they speak for themselves.

After the final cut Chip asks, “Can I taste it?”

You bet!

Appetizer
Camembert Decorated with Edible Flower Wine Gelée, Grilled Baguette

Amuse Bouche
Caprese Verrine –  Tomato Gelée, Burrata, Basil

Salad
Gail’s Mixed Greens with her Garden Herb Vinaigrette

Main
Vertical Oven-Roasted Chicken
A Medley of  Chicken Apple Sausage, Potatoes, Corn, Green Bell Pepper, Onion
Lemon Rosemary Garlic Sauce

Dessert
Espresso Gelée with Coffee Liqueur Cream

Challenge #7: Video 411

Challenge Prompt: Channel your inner Julia Child and put one of your favorite recipes on film. Pick a new recipe or one from your blog archives and make it come to life on video by showing readers the perfect way to poach an egg or just how passionate you are about seasonal ingredients. Keep your video under 5 minutes for maximum impact. (from foodbuzz here)

How to Make Caprese Verrines

No fancy verrines are required. Use a small juice glass or a shot glass and layer away!

The two-layer tomato gelée verrine is made with red and yellow heirloom tomatoes. Suggest to your guests that they dig down with their little spoon to experience all the flavors in one bite. Serve the verrines cool, but not too cold, to fully enjoy the tomato and burrata flavors.

How to Make Camembert with Edible Flower Wine Gelée

I am sharing this method in still photographs. It is one of those recipes that is super easy yet gets a big applause from guests: Wow! That is so beautiful! How did you do that? Does the gelée taste like wine? Are the flowers edible?

These edible flowers are from my garden: rose, geranium, mint and lavender. They are gently cleaned, patted dry, and arranged on a platter, ready to decorate the cheese. You can cut rose petals with a sharp scissors to make decorative patterns.

Heat 2 cups of white wine over medium-low heat. The wine should be suitable for drinking, and make sure to taste wine before cooking with it. A corked wine will ruin any dish. Meanwhile bloom one packet (1 1/2 t.) of gelatin in a couple tablespoons of  the cold wine.

When the wine is warm, add bloomed gelatin and stir gently until it completely dissolves. Place the pot with wine inside a larger pot filled with ice water to cool the liquid. Stir gently until the wine thickens to a runny-jelly consistency.

Place a wheel of ripe camembert cheese on a rack with a drip pan below. We like Ile de France Camembert. From Normandie,  it is very creamy and rich, ivory in color, with nutty earthy flavors reminiscent of mushroom. And if the wheel is well-aged, the interior will be runny, making it irresistible to cheese aficionados.

Ladle the wine gelée over the cheese. Then place flower petals in a pretty pattern. Ladle more gelée over the petals. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until this layer of gelée has set.

Add another layer of petals and gelée to enhance the design and give depth to the gelée. Refrigerate until completely set. Once the gelatin has set, it can sit out at room temperature (it will not melt) so the full flavor of the cheese can be experienced.

Serve with grilled or toasted baguette brushed with olive oil.
The glimmering wine gelée adds a hint of cool refreshment to the rich cheese.

How to Make Espresso Gelée

Espresso Gelée, Café au Lait Gelée, Coffee Liqueur Whipped Cream, Chocolate Covered Almond

Brew two cups of strong espresso. Pour into a heat-proof mixing bowl.

Boil 1/2 c. sugar in 1/4 c. water. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add simple syrup to coffee.

Sprinkle one packet gelatin in 2 T. cold water. Gelatin will bloom in about 2 minutes.
Add gelatin plus 1/2 t. vanilla to coffee. Stir to combine.

Ladle espresso into verrines. Refrigerate until espresso has set.

Reserve a small amount of the espresso for the café au lait layer. Add milk to the espresso. Stir. Do not refrigerate. When the espresso layer has set, ladle the café au lait on top. Refrigerate again until set.

To make the whipped cream topping, mix 1/4 c. brown sugar with a shot of coffee liqueur. Add 1 c. cold whipping cream and beat with an electric mixer until the cream holds soft peaks.

Top the café au lait layer with a dollop of coffee liqueur cream
and a chocolate covered almond (or espresso bean).

Or top the gelée with a foam of non-fat milk for a lighter heart-healthy dessert.

Thank You Friends!

Chip gives the Caprese Verrine rave reviews.
Thank you to Chip & Pat for their enthusiasm and unending support.

Thank you to my dear friend and Sunken City Supper Club partner, Gail,
for her help in the kitchen and all the fresh herbs from her enviable garden.

To my generous ex-husband Gary for his help and encouragement.

To my dear long-time friend Tam from Boulder, Colorado
who happened to be visiting for the weekend
for her good humor and dexterous help with the lighting.

To Lauren for her artistry and creativity.

To Curt for his incredible talent and dedication to the video project.

To Nigel for his awesome original music.

You are always welcome here my friends!

Cheers Video
Happy Entertaining!

PROJECT FOOD BLOG

Links to previous challenges:

Challenge #1 Ready Set Blog: What is TaStE WiTh ThE EyEs?

Challenge #2 The Classics: Classic Peruvian – Aji de Gallina

Challenge #3 Luxury Dinner Party: Modern Southwest

Challenge #4 Picture Perfect: quesadillas florales

Challenge #5 Recipe Remix Pizza: Asian Pizzette

Challenge #6 Road Trip: ELEGANT PICNIC BY THE SEA

Votes may be cast for Challenge #7: Video 411
Nov. 15 through Thursday, November 18th, 6 PM Pacific Time.

If you are a fan of  Entertain with Gelée!
Come, join the party, cast a vote!

UPDATE: Click HERE to vote now.  And thanks again for your support!

P.S. The Vertical Oven-Roasted Chicken with Chicken Apple Sausage recipe will be posted soon!