Summer Stack Salad with Stella Vinaigrette
4 small tomatoes (sliced)
4 small, egg-shaped fresh mozzarella balls (sliced)
8 large whole basil leaves (finely sliced) plus 4 additional leaves for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1⁄3 cups mixed baby salad greens
1 medium shallot (finely chopped)
2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Stella Artois beer

Arrange alternating slices of tomato, mozzarella and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Top each stack with 1/3 cup baby salad greens. Whisk together the shallots, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Stella Artois and season with salt and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle some of the dressing around the mozzarella and tomato stacks, and garnish with sliced basil. Serve with additional salad dressing. Serves 4.

Recipe from Master Beer Sommelier Marc Stroobandt

Photo courtesy Cheryl Porro

March/April 2008: Lemon Cupcakes with Bitters, Sorrel
and Toasted Meringue

Lemon Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour (cake if you have it, otherwise all-purpose)
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup grape seed oil or vegetable oil
4 egg yolks (approximately 3 ounces)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract, all natural
grated rind from 1 lemon
1 tsp. Peychaud’s bitters
5 egg whites (approximately 5 ounces)
1/4 tsp. cream of tarter
1/4 cup sugar

Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into the bowl of a standing mixer.

In a medium bowl, combine oil, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon extract, lemon rind, and bitters. Stir to combine.

On a low setting, start to beat the dry mixture and slowly add the wet. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until incorporated.
Transfer mixture to another bowl. Wash and dry mixer bowl.

Whip egg whites with whip attachment on medium-high speed until foamy. With the mixer on medium speed, add cream of tarter and slowly add sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Scoop a cupful of the stiff egg whites into the batter and stir to combine. This should lighten up the batter.

Transfer the batter to the egg whites and gently fold until there are no more streaks of egg white. Scoop into cupcake cups about two-thirds full and bake at 350 F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 20 cupcakes.

Sorrel Simple Syrup
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. chopped sorrel

Add sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium high heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until fairly thick, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in sorrel and set aside to cool.

Sorrel Meringue Frosting
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg whites
Sorrel simple syrup
Splash of Peychaud’s bitters

Whisk the egg whites and sugar over a water bath in the standing mixer bowl until it reaches a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. This only takes only a few of minutes.
Transfer to standing mixer and whisk using whisk attachment at high speed until soft peaks form.

With the mixer on medium speed, drizzle sorrel syrup into the mixer. Splash in a bit of bitters. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

To Assemble:
Pipe meringue frosting onto cupcakes. Toast with a culinary or blow torch.

Cheryl Porro, cupcakeblog.com

Photo courtesy Amai

January/February 2008: Green Tea Cookies

3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
5 oz. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 Tbsp. matcha (powdered green tea)
1 cup granulated sugar (for coating)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Whisk sugar and matcha together in a bowl. Add sugar mixture and butter to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until smooth and light in color. Add flour and mix until well combined. Add egg yolks and mix just until eggs are fully incorporated and a mass forms. Form dough into a disk and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes). Roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a small leaf cookie cutter (or whatever you prefer). Toss each cut cookie in a bowl of granulated sugar to coat. Place cookies on a parchment-lined pan. Bake 12–15 minutes, or until slightly golden around edges. Makes about 25.

Baker’s Note: You can purchase matcha (powdered green tea) from specialty tea shops, Asian grocery stores or natural foods stores. The higher-quality matcha you use, the brighter green the cookies will be. Store cookies in a tin or other container that blocks sunlight to preserve the color.

Kelli Bernard, Amai (amainyc.com)

For more tea recipes, see the “Turning Over a New Leaf” article in Imbibe’s Jan/Feb 2008 issue.