A Tablescape Thursday Sit-Down- a new adventure is coming...

Happy Thursday All!

It is HOT here in NC- I mean brutally, the- streets- are- barren, HOT! And tomorrow is supposed to be hotter. Oh, yay. Thank heavens for central air!

Today's table is for you parents out there. Those of you with children all understand the need for some grown-up time now and then. Time to connect, time to catch up, and sometimes- like tonight- time to discuss.

As it happens my parents, who share our home, had a dinner tonight and all the kids were scattered at various friends and babysitting jobs. I've been hinting to you all about some changes at Casa Bramasole, and tonight Mr B and I took advantage of the "alone time" to do some brainstorming.

The study seemed like a nice quiet spot...

I did some mixing and matching...

a little Noritake...

a little Haviland Limoges...

the white dinner plate is a simple English ironstone

Waterford- cased and clear...

my favorite orange roses

my favorite old crystal bowl holds the roses

on one of my favorite vintage hand embroidered supper cloths

such beautiful crisp linen

this cloth came from a dealer in England that I worked with in NY- he'd probably die if he knew we were eating on it! :)

I love the look of old brass and gold

the sun stays bright till much later in the evening these days, but I wanted candles

so I lit candles (they help me think!)

a simple Caprese salad...

and some garlic cheese bread to start

I just noticed that one of the candles was out here- oops...

decisions, decisions....

so rare to have a quiet house (it didn't last long!)

Well folks, it's not set in stone yet, but it looks like  the time has come for a change. We're looking at putting our home on the market and making a move. We have so loved our time here and many forever friends have been made. Our Miss Allie isn't too happy with us right now, but sometimes parents have to make decisions for the long term good of a family that just aren't very popular. I trust completely that our wonderful children will adapt well and understand. The translation for "Bramasole" is to yearn for the sun- it is a state of mind and a state of the heart. We will carry Bramasole with us and hope you'll come along for the ride.

The reality is, unfortunately, that houses are sitting on the market for some time, so we're not anticipating that this will go very quickly (though it would be nice). I am NOT looking forward to keeping a house "show ready" with kids, parents, clients, and sundry children constantly in and out, so you may hear a few raging vents here and there :)

With everything going on today I simply didn't have time for a recipe, so I thought I'd repost one from a few months back. As it happens, I did make it this week with the wonderfully sweet strawberries I got at the local farmer's market. Enjoy!

Strawberry Risotto

3 cups of milk 

1 cup of coconut milk from 13.5 oz can 

1/2 a vanilla bean, scraped

zest of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoon of butter

3/4 cup of sugar 

1 cup of  arborio rice

1/2 cup of heavy cream

3 tablespoon of orange liqueur 

1 cup plus 1/2  cup sliced strawberries 

Toasted sliced almonds for garnish

 Heat the milks, sugar, vanilla and lemon peel in a largish saucepan until the liquid is simmering. Blanch 1 cup of berries in liquid for 30 seconds and remove.

Reduce the heat and keep liquid hot.

 Meanwhile in  another saucepan melt the butter. Add the Arborio rice and saute for a minute or two till coated and translucent.  Stir well.Add orange liquer and stir till absorbed.  Add 1/2 cup of hot milk  mixture at a time waiting till each ladleful is absorbed before adding the next and stirring well.

   The process takes about 45 minutes to complete. I've noticed that it seems to take longer with the milks than with broth- I'm guessing due to the lactose and thickness of the coconut milk. Meanwhile puree the blanched berries in a blender or food processor

When done, add the heavy cream, half at a time. Stir well to completely incorporate. Remove from heat and add the puree and sliced strawberries, stir slowly, cover and set aside for about 15 minutes.

Add some more strawberries for garnish and sprinkle with almond slices.

We're linking up with Between Naps on the porch for Susan's fabulous Tablescape Thursday party!! Come join us for some fun and inspiration. And join us tomorrow for Foodie Friday at Gollum's.

As Always,

Buon Cibo, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie

5 Minute Pasta- Pappardelle con Gamberi e Porri- a Meatless Monday Cheat

Hi All! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that Monday isn't being TOO awfully hard on you.

As I said last week, Casa Bramasole is in the midst of some potentially major changes (stay tuned....), so time is of the essence lately. I had promised to post some chocolate goodies that Allie and I whipped up for Mr B on his day, but, as sometimes happens, they weren't QUITE what we expected.

Something that gooey and chocolatey should make you swoon, right??

Not so much. They were "okay" but just "okay" is just not good enough to share with you all. 

This brownie recipe came from a local publication- these caramel brownies are a specialty of a fabulous bakery in Charlotte, but somehow, they lost something in the translation. Interestingly, another blogger told me these have been showing up all over the Net- I'd be interested to know if we were the only ones not impressed. We're going to tweak these a bit, then bring them back- the concept is just too good to give up on

Now THESE.....!

THESE were GOOD! 

Buttery, gooey, salted caramels (I used the pink Himalayan salt- isn't it pretty?!)

The recipe for these will be posted on our Facebook Fan page tonight, so be sure to come on over and "like" us here

Today for Meatless Monday I'm going to cheat just a bit. I happened to have some gorgeous shrimp that needed to be used up, and since Mary at One Perfect Bite says it's okay, then it's okay by me. If you've never been over to Mary's blog, you're missing something special- this is one of my very favorite daily reads

This is a recipe I've had literally for years- from WAY before I even knew what a blog was (okay, so that was just a few months ago...) and certainly way before I ever thought I'd be writing anything and the importance of crediting the source. So please forgive me for not remembering where this came from, but it's been at least 25 years (I can't believe I just admitted to that!).

Anyway, this can easily be done in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta and it's one of my very favorite quick pastas. I once made this for a friend who dropped in unexpectedly for lunch and this tiny, petite little person finished off the whole platter- a pound! (minus what I ate of course....)

Just a few simple ingredients.....

a little Brandy, a little cream......

(Pasta with Shrimp and Leeks)

Pappardelle con Gamberi e Porri

1 pound pappardelle or fettucine

about 3/4 pound fresh raw shrimp- peeled, deveined, and chopped into 3 or 4 pieces

3 leeks, washed and trimmed- halve lengthwise and cut crosswise in very thin slices

6-8 scallions, washed and trimmed- finely chopped

6 TBLSP unsalted butter

2 TBLSP chopped fresh tarragon

salt, to taste

zest of 1 1/2 lemons

1/3 cup Brandy

1/2 cup (maybe slightly more) heavy cream

ground white pepper, to taste

Put a large pot of well salted water on to boil. When boiling, add pasta, stir and cook till al dente. In the meantime:

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add leeks and scallions and saute about 5 minutes till softening. Add shrimp, tarragon, salt, and lemon zest. The licorice-y aroma of the tarragon will be divine. This brought Allie right out of her room on the second floor to see what was cooking! :) Toss and saute 2-3 minutes till shrimp starts to cook and turn pink.  Add Brandy and cook till almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add cream and pepper and remove from heat. Drain pasta and serve topped with sauce- if too dry, add a bit of cream

**NOTE- I have also made this with Vermouth

Have a wonderful day!

As Always,

Buon Cibo, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

Happy Fathers Day Everyone!

<3 I hope everyone is having a great Father's Day! I know for sure that I'm a Daddy's Girl, so I just wanted to tell you all  about how great my dad is. <3

***He's really funny, and has a great sense of humor... haha***

***He loves his kids,***

***And Grandkids!***

***and everyone in the family!***

(notice the AMAZING "#1 Dad" shirt, made by me in kindergarten)

This is my Dad and my 2 fantastic grandpas!!

Daddy and Grandpa James (HIS Dad)

***he's a GREAT grandpa!***

(he makes special magic reindeer food!!)

***AND husband***

**and uncle**

** and son (he rebuilt that whole porch for my grandma!)**

*** and daddy :] <3***

<3***<3 I LOVE YOU DADDY!!! YOU'RE THE BEST!!! <3*** <3

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Allie

I think he's pretty darn special too! I married this wonderful man 17 years ago after a no-so-good marriage that left me on my own. He took on  3 boys who were hurting and became Dad in every sense of the word. He is so proud of the men they've become and tells anyone who will listen of all the accomplishments of his sons. He coaches for our youngest 2, sits through countless games and cheer practices, misses his grandbabies terribly (and mixes up special sparkly reindeer food a month before they visit for Christmas!), and most of all loves their Mom unconditionally. I know he's been a great role model as a Dad because we've seen our son with our grandbabies and couldn't be prouder. He made a wonderful choice of a wife

 and has shown himself to be a phenomenal Daddy.

I also want to wish a very Happy Father's Day to my own very special Dad. I couldn't have asked for better. 

 I feel very blessed

xoxo Pattie

Stay tuned- Allie and I are cooking up some Father's Day treats for our favorite chocoholic Daddy. We'll be sharing later :)

As Always,

Buon Cibo, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie 

Floating Islands for Foodie Friday

Friday.

In Italian that's Venerdi.

So that makes it time for Venerdi Foodie, or as we all know it, Foodie Friday! 

Yay! Our favorite day of the week! 

Come join us at Designs by Gollum for Michael's fabulous party- your taste buds will thank you.

We wanted to do a special dessert this week, but as I mentioned yesterday I haven't been home much and it's been pretty hectic. Then I thought about a dessert that I've made many times over the years and ALWAYS get requests for when I'm catering a dinner party.

A dessert that went through a period of popularity back when I was a child- many a genteel lady served this at her elegant dinner parties or ladies' luncheons. It never fails to impress and the best part is that most of the components can be made a day in advance.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the French "L'Iles Flottantes"- better known in America as

 Floating Islands

A lovely vanilla infused Creme Anglaise upon which floats a mound of light as air Meringue topped with a drizzle of Caramel and, in my version, a drizzle of Raspberry Coulis. The top is then sprinkled with crumbled Praline. 

This is a showstopper dessert- light and perfect after any meal from Chateau Briand to Carolina Barbecue!  :)

** TIP- If you want to take a tropical meal right over the top, float a scoop of mango sorbet alongside the meringue- trust me on this- worth EVERY extra calorie

The custard, caramel, praline, and the coulis (which is optional, but highly recommended) can all be made the day before. The meringues should be made within a couple of hours of serving.

To make a day in advance, leave the caramel and praline at room temperature and refrigerate the creme anglaise and the coulis.

Enjoy!!

L'Iles Flottante

2 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 cup water, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

8 extra large egg whites, at room temperature

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

CREME ANGLAISE:

4 extra-large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 3/4 cups scalded milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 vanilla bean- split and seeds scraped out

1 1/2 teaspoons cognac

To Serve: Raspberry Coulis in a squirt bottle

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

FOR THE CARAMEL: Heat 1 1/2 cup of the sugar and 1/2 cup of the water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Cook over medium heat until the syrup turns a warm caramel color. Don't stir, just swirl it in the pan. Turn off the heat, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoons of the vanilla; be careful, the syrup will bubble up hard. Stir gently with a whisk constantly and cook over high heat until the caramel reaches 230 degrees F.  on a candy thermometer. Set aside.

PRALINE: Combine the almonds with 1/4 cup of the caramel and spread them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the almonds are lightly browned. Allow to cool at room temperature and then break up in pieces. Lower the oven to 250°F Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

MERINGUES: Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Turn the mixer on high speed and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and glossy.

Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla. With dessert spoons place 12 mounds of meringue on parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes, or until just barely coloring and a cake tester comes out clean.

CREME ANGLAISE: Beat the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch. With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the custard mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened. The custard will coat the spoon like heavy cream. Don't cook it above 180F or the eggs will scramble! Pour the sauce through a fine strainer, add the vanilla extract, Cognac, and vanilla seeds, if using, and chill.  Pour creme anglaise on the bottom of individual plates. Place a meringue on top of each serving, drizzle with caramel sauce and raspberry coulis if using (trust me- use it!), sprinkle with praline, and serve.

As Always,

Buon Cibo, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie