I sometimes wonder if I am crazy for loving miniature foods. As beautiful as they are, the amount of labor that goes into making these tiny little packages of perfection is intense. Hundreds of little bites must be prepared as uniform and consistent as possible. Hours and hours of painstaking labor is made worth it when I see the reaction of the guests to the food. Witnessing a “sea” of minis on a table at an event excites and inspires me to keep coming back for more…

Last weekend, we catered a wedding brunch full of miniatures. One of my favorites, as well as a favorite of the guests was a play on crab cakes benedict-”McMuffin” style. Homemade mini english muffins layered with egg, jumbo lump crab cakes and a bearnaise butter.

This english muffin recipe is very simple and creates muffins with the perfect airy texture. Create your own “McMuffins” or enjoy them warm with butter and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. If you don’t want to make the mini version, use a larger cutter. Makes approximately 25 miniature muffins.

Mini English Muffins

4 cups organic bread flour

2 1/2 tsp. active yeast

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 egg whites

fine yellow cornmeal for dusting

canola oil

Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, yeast and water in large bowl. Mix until smooth. In separate bowl, beat egg whites into moist peaks. Fold dough mixture into egg whites. Add salt. Add remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough becomes difficult to stir. Remove dough from bowl and continue adding flour, working into dough until dough becomes silky smooth. Form a ball with dough and place in lightly oiled bowl, coating all sides of dough. Cover and allow to rise for 1hr.

Lightly pound air out of dough and roll out onto work surface. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut circles and place on baking sheet covered with parchment. Dust with cornmeal, cover and allow to rise for 5 minutes.

Heat canola oil in heavy-bottom fry pan over medium heat. Add muffins, several at a time and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Cool over wire rack. Makes approximately 25 miniature muffins.

It wasn’t too long ago the idea of eating something gluten-free sounded as appetizing to me as eating cardboard, but with a sister who maintains a gluten-free diet, I had to shed my prejudices and be open to experimenting. Gluten-free products have certainly come a long way. Today, there are tons of options for people with wheat allergies and those simply wanting to maintain a gluten-free way of eating, that are also quite tasty. Bread, cupcakes and pie crusts can all be enjoyed to one’s gluten-free content.

My latest gluten-free experiment, with brown rice pasta, grilled asparagus and leeks, ricotta and basil, has made me a believer that it doesn’t need gluten to be good. I think if I was blindfolded, I may very well fail this Top Chef challenge of identifying the wheat-free impostor. The texture of gluten-free pasta is slightly different from wheat pasta, but the taste is almost the same.

The verdict: gluten-free doesn’t have to be taste-free!

Gluten-Free Rigatoni with Grilled Asparagus, Leeks, Ricotta & Basil

Serves 4

16 oz. Wheat-Free Rigatoni, cooked as per instructions

1 Bunch Fresh Asparagus

1 Leek

1 cup Ricotta

Basil Leaves

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Cook rigatoni per instructions on packaging, rinse and drain.

Wash asparagus and leeks. Cut each asparagus stalk into into 4 pieces, slicing on the diagonal. Remove end of leek and cut in half . Place leek on flat side and slice each leek half into 1/4 inch pieces.

Heat olive oil in grill pan on medium/high heat. Grill asparagus for 2-3 minutes and then add leeks. Season. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until leeks are lightly colored and asparagus is al dente.

Heat olive oil in large saute pan on low heat. Add leek and asparagus mixture. Add pasta. Toss to combine and heat through.

Serve immediately, top with a spoonful of ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Garnish with basil.

The recipe I made for the Spring Entertaining Class was inspired by a recent shoot I assisted on for Bon Appétit, where we made Strawberry “Pop Tarts” for the April 2010 issue.  These tarts are simple and delicious and have lots of possibilities for shapes, sizes and fillings.  Try pancetta, egg and cheese squares or asparagus, caramelized onions and goat cheese.  Get creative!

Strawberry Tarts

Makes 20

2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour plus additional for shaping and rolling

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4 tablespoons ice water

12 tablespoons organic strawberry preserves

powdered sugar (optional)

Whisk 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, coarse salt, and sugar in large bowl.  Add butter and using back of a fork, blend butter and flour mixture until resembles consistency of coarse meal.  Add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, tossing until moist clumps form.  Gather dough into ball, divide in half, shape each half into disks, wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Line two rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Working with one disk at a time, flour surface and roll dough to around 13×11 inches. Using a 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 triangle pastry cutter,  cut the dough into 40 triangles and place 20 in rows on each baking sheet.  Take a teaspoon of strawberry preserves and place in the center of 10 of the triangles on each sheet.

Take the 10 remaining triangles on the baking sheets and place on top of each jellied triangle.  Press the sides of each triangle to seal shut.  Take a small fork and score the edges of each triangle.  Working quickly.

Put baking sheets in freezer for 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 375 and place one rack in top third of oven and one in bottom.  Bake frozen tarts for 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 15 minutes.  Transfer to cooling rack and cool.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Suggestions:

Break up butter cubes as evenly as possible.  Large pieces of dough in the butter can be difficult to work with and make for uneven pastry.

Do not use too much water in the dough or it will become tough.  Add slowly and toss quickly.

Once the dough is rolled, work quickly to cut and assemble the tarts.  If the dough begins to get too soft, stick in the freezer for a few minutes.

Some filling may come out of the sides of the tarts, but that just adds to their rustic nature.

Ideas:

Fill chinese takeout containers with tissue and add a few tarts.  Give as gifts for holidays and special occasions.

Try different fruit fillings or even try a savory tart with bacon, egg and cheese.  Use your imagination.

Use different shaped creative cutters like flowers, circles or animal shapes for children.

Serve two tarts on dessert plates, garnish with mint and fresh cream or melt chocolate and drizzle on plate with a dash of powdered sugar.  The tarts are simple and delicious on their own.  Make them show stoppers with creative presentation ideas.

Spring is one of my favorite times of year.  All of the senses are awakened with the beauty of its sounds, sights and smells.  Many seasonal fruits and vegetables reach their peak in the spring and summer such as asparagus, peas and strawberries. But one of my favorites is the Bing Cherry.

Bing Cherries are very sweet and  provide a variety of health benefits with their antioxidant properties. Bing Cherry season officially begins in May and ends in August.  When shopping for Bing Cherries, look for cherries that have their stems, have a nice size and shine, deep color and are free of blemishes.

One of my favorite things to make when entertaining is individual miniature puff pastry cups filled with fruit fillings. These simple miniatures make a beautiful presentation, are the perfect bite to end a springtime meal and can be made with a variety of seasonal fruits.

Miniature Bing Cherry Pastry Cups

For the filling:

4 cups fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon cherry brandy

1 teaspoon cornstarch

pinch of salt

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

Saute cherries in butter and sugar.  Add lemon juice, brandy, salt and nutmeg. The cherries natural juices will start to emerge and create a sauce. Add cornstarch to thicken sauce. Transfer to bowl and let stand, uncovered for a minimum of 1 hour.  Makes approximately 2 cups.

For Puff Pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen

5 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Sift flower into chilled metal bowl.  Add salt.  Using a box grater, cut butter into flour mixture, tossing to coat. Add ice water evenly over flour/butter mixture and stir with a fork to incorporate. Add additional  ice water if necessary, until dough binds without crumbling, being careful not to overwork.

Form mixture into around a 5 inch square, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough onto floured surface and fold into thirds like a letter. Rewrap and chill for 30 minutes.  Repeat the rolling, folding and chilling 2 additional times.

Roll dough out on to floured surface. Using a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter, cut 6 rounds in dough. In center of dough, use a 1 1/2″ biscuit cutter to score the dough. Do not cut all the way through. Brush with egg wash.  Bake until pastry rises and is golden brown.

To Assemble:

Cut off “tops” of pasty and spoon in cherry filling.  Garnish with mint and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Presentation Idea:

Serve on a rectangular white plate, arranged in rows with a drizzle of the cherry reduction and a handful of fresh mint leaves.

Suggestions:

If the task of making puff pastry seems too daunting, Dufour Frozen Puff Pastry is a good substitute.  You can find Dufour in the frozen food section at Whole Foods and other fine markets.

Photos by Lesley Unruh

Hot Dogs have become a gourmet food-lovers obsession in the past few years and upon a recent trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee, I sampled some delicious dogs at Good Dog.  Located on the quaint and artistic Frazier Avenue, Good Dog provides a whimsical, eco-friendly (and European inspired) hot dog experience.

Owner, Susan, infuses her Dutch heritage into Good Dog with traditional Frites and Fritsaus (also known as mayo and a personal guilty pleasure of mine), which are served in paper cones and fit perfectly into holders carved into the wood dining tables. Don’t expect just plain Frites here (although they certainly have them and they are anything but plain), BBQ Frites, BLT Frites and Carolina Chili/Slaw Frites are just a few of the playful Frite offerings at Good Dog.

And speaking of dogs, Good Dog’s bountiful selection of 15 specialty dogs (all-beef, natural casing griddled or griddled all-natural veggie) such as the Philly Dog with Bertman’s brown, cream cheese and onion sauce or the GB BBQ Dog with housemade BBQ sauce, crisp bacon, slaw and onion will make you want to sample more than one.  One of the selections, the Topped Dog, allows customers to get creative with their own dogs from a bounty of over 36 topping possibilities.

Good Dog offers salads if you’re not up for a dog and they have a nice selection of beers, Heineken appropriately being the “house”. And for the sweet set, cupcakes are baked fresh and iced daily.  Try the Red Velvet, a southern favorite, with its gorgeous red color, moist, light chocolate cake and sinfully sweet cream cheese frosting.

If you live in or are visiting Chattanooga, Good Dog, with its friendly staff, whimsical atmosphere and creative, tasty menu, is a must for hot dog aficionados (and those in-training) everywhere.

Welcome to my blog and my very first posting! To tell you a little bit about myself, I am a chef.  I went to culinary school in France and did an apprenticeship in NYC.  It was in France that I fell in love with miniatures and small plates.  Everything is so dainty and precise…perfect really.  And coming from a long line of perfectionists in my family, it is only natural that I gravitated toward the concept of miniatures and small plates when I launched my catering company, Canape, in 2006.

Not too long ago, I had the amazing opportunity to get some work experience in food styling, going on magazine and cookbook photo shoots, assisting in preparing the recipes for the food we would be photographing that day, and then setting them up for each shot.  I had no idea what all was involved in this process and how we actually ended up with the pictures we see in magazines.  I fell in love with the art of it all…

I decided to start this blog to bring together my love of both small plates and food styling.  To really celebrate the beauty of small plates through food styling and photography.  Unless otherwise noted, all recipes and photos are original. I hope you enjoy reading and I welcome your comments and feedback anytime!

Special thanks to Lesley Unruh for the blog layout photos and Leigh Webber for the gorgeous photo below.