Inspired Entertaining: DIY S'Mores Dessert Bar

One of the parts of Sweet Escape 2013 that I was most excited about, was the Bonfire and DIY S'Mores Bar Event that I planned for Friday night.

I'd always dreamed about having a lavish s'mores themed party where my guests could choose from a bountiful array of marshmallows, chocolates, cookies, and toppings to create their own unique combinations.

Life in an apartment makes this a bit tough (lack o' fire), so I knew I had to make this happen at Sweet Escape.

I was so honored to have two sponsors who made this possible for me with their generous product donations. 240 Sweet, an artisan marshmallow maker based in Chicago provided an assortment of some of their incredible marshmallow flavors including vanilla-sriracha, coffee chip,  honey & pink peppercorn, avocado & lime, elephant ear, and SO many others.

Green & Black's sent us a variety of their delicious organic and free trade chocolate bars in varieties like dark chocolate mint, milk, toffee, chocolate almond, ginger, creamy white, and spicd chile.

In addition to classic graham crackers, I put out cinnamon grahams, ginger snaps (my favorite!), buttery shortbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and dark chocolate-covered pretzels to sandwich the marshmallow and chocolate.

For filling, I included some chocolate nut butters, jelly, and Nutella to spread on the crackers.

I also added fresh ripe blueberries and strawberries, as well as some wrapped caramels and (since we were in Vermont!) maple candy wafers.

I love savory elements in my desserts, so I added a log of soft and creamy Vermont Creamery goat cheese, some dried culinary lavender buds, and fresh mint leaves.

I also included a jar of thick and syrupy balsamic vinegar glaze.

To drink, I put out a couple bottles of chilled RumChata--a sweet rum and horchata cream liqueur that was the perfect accompaniment on its own and poured into coffee.

I also included a little cutting board and knife for cutting the big puffs into smaller pieces.

And for toasting, we lit a gorgeous crackling fire in the bonfire pit outside.

The attendees freaked out a bit when they saw the display, which is exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

After attacking it with their cameras (check out the hashtag #sweetescape2013 on Instagram), they got to work creating some pretty incredible s'mores combinations.

I saw everything from toasted coconut & blueberry, to strawberry marshmallows with goat cheese and balsamic to bacon peanut butter and maple.

Such a perfect ending to a lovely summer day!

Click here to read more about my Sweet Escape Retreat Weekend. And email me if you'd like to get on the list for next year's event!

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!

DIY Pantry: Homemade Nutella (vegan recipe)

One of my favorite workshops during this past weekend's Sweet Escape Retreat (more about that soon!), was the DIY Pantry class, during which I showed the attendees how to make easy homemade versions of popular condiments and pantry staples. In the hour-long workshop I showed them how to make a quick strawberry jam and homemade ketchup, but the definite hit was my recipe for Homemade Nutella.

This quick and dairy-free version tastes almost exactly like the kind you get in the bottle, but doesn't contain any funky ingredients. Even better? It's made entirely in the food processor--all you have to do is combine the ingredients and let the machine do the work.

The recipe starts off with blanched hazelnuts--this is key as it eliminates the need for you to roast and remove the skins yourself, which is a total pain in the butt (trust me. I tried it that way once and it wasn't fun.).

I get my blanched hazelnuts from nuts.com (one of my top three favorite shopping websites EVER!), but you can also find them at the bulk aisle of grocery stores like Whole Foods. They're about a dollar or two more expensive per pound than the ones with skins, but it saves you so much time and effort, that it's totally worth it.

Photo by Connie of UrbanBakes.com, via Instagram

You then puree this with unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar (I used organic as it's GMO-free), a bit of salt, some vanilla extract, and hazelnut oil, which helps loosen the spread and also intensifies the hazelnut flavor.

You'll note that in the recipe I am flexible with the oil--that's because different batches of nuts will have more oil than others, so you'll have to use your eye and just keep adding oil until it hits the right creamy texture.

Another thing to note is that as this is homemade, it's unlikely that you'll get it as perfectly smooth as the bottled kind. Many of the bloggers on the retreat actually noted that they preferred the slightly gritty texture as it felt "more rustic and natural." I have to agree!

P.S. Check out retreat attendee Judith's post about the class here.

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!

Homemade Nutella (Vegan, Dairy-Free)
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients
4 cups (1lb) blanched hazelnuts
2 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup hazelnut oil plus more as needed (Note: substitute walnut, canola, grapeseed, or coconut oil if you can't find the hazelnut oil although note that the hazelnut oil will give it the stronger "nutella" flavor)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Process the hazelnuts in a food processor about 2 to 5 minutes,  until they start to form an oily hazelnut butter (similar to a rough peanut butter).

Scrape down the bowl, and add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, hazelnut oil, vanilla extract and salt and continue to process, scraping down the bowl and adding more hazelnut oil, a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy (similar in texture to jarred Nutella). 

Once it reaches the desired texture, transfer to a jar for storage. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

Sweet Escape Retreat 2013: A Recap with Pictures!

As you may know, this past weekend I brought a group of 20 food bloggers and other food lovers up to Vermont for a 3-day culinary retreat.

The retreat, which I named A Sweet Escape, was a dream that I'd been thinking about for a long time, and was excited to finally see come to life. The idea, at it's root, was to create a real-life version of my blog. An event where I could bring together some of my readers, friends, and fellow bloggers for a few days of cooking, eating, exploring, and learning about food.

Over the course of three days, we cooked, made crafts, visited farms and cool small shops, and shared incredible meals and drinks over a long wooden farmtable. The evenings were spent toasting marshmallows around a bonfire, or curled up in pajamas sipping cocktails. And thanks to Rosalie, our amazing in-house massage therapist, Maegan's morning yoga classes, and the hot tub outside, there was also plenty of time for relaxation.

Throughout this week, I'll be sharing posts with detailed recipes, tips, and tutorials of the events described below, but for now, I just want to share a quick overview of our weekend with you:

Bus Trip + Day 1

The retreat started on Thursday evening in NYC, where we all met up in midtown to hop on The Good Bus, a 24-passenger jitney that was our ride up to Vermont. 

I had prepared a dinner of Grilled Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches with Roasted Veggies and Cilantro Crema, Tortilla Chips with Black Bean & Corn Salsa, Espresso Mint Brownies, and Fresh Strawberries.

To drink, we enjoyed Minty Tequila Limeade (or "mojitoritas" as Sara nicknamed them), Vodka Orange Coolers, and Red Citrus Sangria served from my improvised little "bus bar." 

The next morning, I prepared a light self-serve breakfast of freshly baked cream scones, banana bread, blueberry banana muffins, hard boiled eggs, berries, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

The first workshop of the weekend was a craft workshop featuring Mod Podge, where the attendees learned how to make glass collage plates and tissue paper baskets.

I was so impressed with the creativity of the group--the plates they made were absolutely gorgeous!

We then gathered in the kitchen for a demo about cooking with maple syrup, using syrups from our sponsor Tonewood Maple.

I taught the group how to make Candied Maple Bacon, Massaged Kale Salads with Maple Lime Ginger Dressing, and Maple Butter.

The maple bacon was definitely a hit!

After lunch, the attendees piled back onto The Good Bus, and headed to Jersey Girls Dairy where they learned about the milk industry, and met some adorable baby cows.

This was followed by a stop in the small town of Ludlow for a little bit of shopping.

I was so thrilled that Nancy Warner, the blogger behind Potlicker Kitchen agreed to join us to lead a demo on wine jelly making.

She was really wonderful, and completely demystified the process--so much so that many of the ladies were talking about ordering cans and trying it out themselves at home!

After Nancy's demo, Bridget Jones from Boyden Valley Winery paid us a visit to host a wine tasting of five of their local Vermont wines and cream liqueurs, which the attendees enjoyed along with a selection of cheeses from Vermont Creamery.

Dinner that night was Middle Eastern themed.

The attendees enjoyed a spread of lamb kofte, spicy roasted eggplant, citrus carrot salad with hazelnut vinaigrette, and Greek cucumber salad.

The evening ended with a Bonfire and DIY S'Mores Bar (!!!) that I set up in the kitchen, featuring an assortment of artisan marshmallows from 240 Sweet, chocolates from Green & Black's, and a variety of toppings for the Sweet Escapers to create their own unique s'mores combinations.

(There will definitely be more about THIS later!)

Day 2
The second day started with yoga classes taught by Maegan Walton of Soglia Studios, followed by another low-key self-serve breakfast of freshly baked breads, fruit, and Vermont Creamery butter.

Our first workshop of the day was the DIY Pantry class, during which I taught the retreaters how to make homemade strawberry jam, homemade ketchup, and homemade nutella.

After the class, everyone gathered on the porch for a picnic lunch in the sunshine.

I wanted to keep it pretty light for this meal so I made cold peanut soba noodles, roasted ginger lime cilantro shrimp, and salad.

I also toasted up another batch of La Briola pretzel rolls and served them alongside my freshly made homemade jam and Nutella.

They then loaded back onto The Good Bus for a trip to the Calvin Coolidge Estate and Plymouth Artisan Cheese--the second oldest working cheese factory in the US (and makers of Julia Child's very favorite cheese).

We also brought the group to The Vermont Country Store and The Green Mountain Sugar House for Maple Creemees (local maple-flavored soft serve).

I stayed back to cook this massive 17lb hunk of beef:

And to wait for the arrival of Max Overstrom-Coleman, a bartender and brand ambassador for Vermont Spirits, a local spirit maker that distills vodka from local whey and maple syrup.

Max led an AMAZING cocktail demo during which he shared about cocktail history, gave tips on how to make a cocktail, and mixed up drinks for the attendees to taste.

The combo of cute barman + alcohol made for a very fun and rowdy evening!

Max then joined us for dinner, which was Latin-themed that night.

I prepared a taco bar featuring pomegranate and coffee braised chuck roll, seasonal roasted chipotle vegetables, guacamole, chips, and lime cumin creme fraiche. La Tortilla Factory (my favorite tortilla maker) generously donated their delicious new Soft-Wrap Minis to use as our tortillas.

After dinner, folks changed into their pajamas and cuddled up in the living room to watch the foodie classic Chocolat, while enjoying an array of chocolate sweets, brownies, candies, and dessert cocktails featuring RumChata liqueur.

Day 3

Our final day at the retreat once again started with relaxing yoga classes by Maegan, followed by a lavish brunch of Berry RumChata Pretzel Bread Pudding, Roasted Veggie & Cheese Frittata, Andoille and Potato Frittata, Curried Tofu Veggie Scramble, Sauteed Broccoli Rabe, and (of course!) those incredible warm toasted La Briola Pretzel Rolls topped off with my homemade strawberry jam and Nutella.

Each attendee then got a gift bag filled with all kinds of goodies from our sponsors, and I also gave out a few fun raffle prizes including a bottle of Vermont Spirits Gold Vodka, a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, a Weber BBQ Grill Set, a S'Mores Gift Bag, and a Crafting Gift Bag.

After a quick group photo, we all got back on the bus for a quiet (read: sleepy) ride back to New York City.

It was, indeed, a very sweet escape!

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!

Crispy Potato Skins with Bacon, Ramps & Goat Cheese

I was at a food blogger event recently, during which we were asked to go around the room and share our current favorite ingredient.

I said chorizo because I am now (and have always been) obsessed with it. I cook with it weekly, and if I'm in a restaurant and there is chorizo on the menu in some form, I will absolutely be ordering it.

But the majority of the other bloggers went a more seasonal way, naming bright spring greens from the farmer's market. The number one most-named ingredient?

Ramps.

Ramps Photo Credit: BonAppetit.com

Ramps are not available everywhere. In fact, they're pretty difficult to find, as they grow in cool weather climates, where they're foraged, not cultivated, and generally only found in farmer's markets and CSA boxes.

And the thing is that people go crazy about them, but I've never really understood why. I still don't understand why. They're good, yes, but they're no chorizo...

So while I happily can go through life without ramps, I occasionally get this tinge that I must be missing out on something, so I buy a bunch.

And again I think that yeah, they're good, but hardly life-changing.

I suppose talking down an ingredient is a weird way to begin a recipe, but the point is really that there is no need to stick to ramps when making these. Scallions or leeks would work just as well.

You can even just dice up and caramelize some regular onions. You just want to make sure you get something a little onion-y in there.

Paired with the smokey bacon and tangy goat cheese, and tucked into that salty crispy potato skin--it's pure perfection.

Most people usually think of potato skins as bar food. Something to share with friends while watching "the game," but I think they're also just a wonderful party appetizer. The perfect crispy blank canvas to top off with your favorite flavors.

Play around with different kinds of sauteed veggies and meats--I bet broccoli rabe and sausage would be wonderful! Or smoked salmon with creme fraiche and chives.

This version, by the way, works particularly well with a glass of something sparkly on a hot summer night.

We actually slipped a few anchovies on top of ours for a little extra salty brine.

Perfection!

Crispy Potato Skins with Bacon, Ramps & Goat Cheese Recipe
Yields 20

Ingredients
10 small Idaho potatoes, washed, scrubbed and patted dry
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 bunch ramps, washed and trimmed then diced into 1/4" pieces (root + shoots)
4oz goat cheese, crumbled

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Poke potatoes all over with a fork, then arrange on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tender.

Let potatoes cool slightly, then slice in half and scoop out inside of each potato (reserve scooped potato for other dishes).

Brush inside and outside of potatoes with olive oil, then season generously and arrange scooped-side down on baking sheet. Raise oven heat to 425 degrees, and return to oven for 10 - 15 minutes, or until skins are very crisp.

While potatoes bake, heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the diced bacon until most of the fat is rendered. Remove bacon from pan and set aside, leaving the bacon fat. Add the diced ramps and saute 2-3 minutes, or until tender. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Turn the crisped potato skins over and fill with cooked bacon and ramps. Top each with crumbled goat cheese. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the bacon is very crisp.

Serve immediately.