July 26, 2010

Blueberry Chick Magnet

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OK, so the original recipe by Smitten Kitchen, was call Blueberry Boy Bait.  But we had to modify the recipe name when my son, and pastry chef for Caffè Victoria, created this deliciously beautiful coffee cake this weekend.  He put his own special twist on it, and has now made into something that is sure to be a mainstay at the caffè.   Blueberry Chick Magnet is quite a catch!

Blueberry Chick Magnet

  • 2 cups + 1 tsp flour, divided

    Serve warm if you like with some fresh whipped cream.

  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1  teaspoon salt
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, soft
  • 1 ¼  cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • 1 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • ¼ cup sanding sugar
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat convection oven to 325  ̊F .  Grease and flour 9″ x 9″ baking pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together two cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in lemon zest.  Set aside

In a steel bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy and lemon colored.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add vanilla. Scraped down sides of bowl.  Add sour cream, and half of the milk, mixing until incorporated.  Add half of the dry ingredients mixing until just combined.  Add last of milk and then last of dry, again mixing until just combined.

In a separate bowl, toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold half of blueberries into the batter. Spread into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining blueberries over top of batter, sprinkle sanding sugar and a dusting of nutmeg over the top of cake.  Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter.  Cover, and allow to cool completely.  Makes 8-12 servings.

 

May 5, 2010

Mother’s Day Specials

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Specialty Cakes in your Mom’s Favorite Flavors will be available for pick-up on Saturday, May 8th.

Our hearts hold a special place for our mothers.  Caffè Victoria is ready to help you celebrate and honor your Mom on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8th.  Join us from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Reservations are strongly encouraged to ensure availability.

In addition to our regular fabulous menu, we’ll be dishing up some yummy specials.

MOTHER’S DAY SPECIALS

Eggs Mornay  Served with herb roasted potatoes, $8.85

Mama Mia Pillar – Crispy hash browns topped with melted Mozzarella cheese, grilled spicy Italian sausage, and two eggs any style, with zippy Marinara Sauce.  Choice of toast or muffin, $9.25

Ham, Cheese and Baked Apple Breakfast Lasanga, now THAT’S a celebration! $8.95

Fresh Fruit & Vanilla Yogurt Parfait, with homemade almond granola.   Served with choice of toast or fresh baked muffin.  $7.50



 

March 30, 2010

Quiche

Posted by Chef Victoria under Caffè Victoria, Catering by Victoria, Recipes, breakfast | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Artichoke and Asparagus Quiche

Yield 6 servings.

1  – 9″ pie crust, par baked

1/4 cup Vidalia onion finely chopped

2 tsp. butter

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces, blanched

1 cup marinated artichokes, rinsed, drained and chopped

10 ounces goat cheese

12 fluid ounces cups heavy cream

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

4 eggs

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt, or more to taste

1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

In a pan, saute onion in butter until translucent.  Set aside to cool.  Into the cooled pie crust, layer onion, asparagus, artichokes and goat cheese.  Mix remaining ingredients together, and pour over layered vegetables and cheese.  Place quiche on rimmed baking sheet.  Bake in 350  °F oven for about 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden.  Serve warm, or at room temperature.

 

December 28, 2009

Business Planning for 2010 Success

Posted by Chef Victoria under Catering by Victoria | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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He who fails to plan, plans to fail.

A business model that adapts and is modified to meet the needs, wants and wishes of the customer is dynamic.  Some businesses start with a business plan and fail to realize that times change, and if the plan doesn’t change along with the seasons, economy and industry standards, that business may face failure.

Line up your staff for success.

As a new year begins, many businesses set aside a planning day, or two.  They cluster their top people and formulate a plan.  Regrouping talents and statistics is a great way to keep your people on board and all moving in the right direction.  If your team is floundering, a regrouping session my be just the ticket to future success for your business.  Without this regrouping, your business may find itself after the first quarter of the year like a ship without a rudder.  Time is money, and wasting time spinning your wheels yields you very little which is positive for your business success.  Wasting a quarter of your business revenue by operating without direction or focus, is time that cannot be recapture and capitalized on.  Plan first.

Consider having a planning session.  It requires time set aside, without interruptions.  Pool your key personnel and utilize their input.  You might be surprised at how this elevates their work effort.  They feel valued, relevant and heard.  You may just gain some great insight, new ideas and the help to get your finger on the pulse of your business.

Last year at this time, due to the fact that there were economic worries, changes in Washington DC, and a sea of uncertainty in many minds thanks to the turmoil on Wall Street, many business felt the need to “collect” themselves.  These business took the time to plan, prepare and move forward with certainty.  We were called to cater these meetings.  Customers ordered breakfast pastries, burritos, fruit and hot coffee to be delivered to their meetings.  They ordered special lunches, box lunches and neat to eat foods that would work well at their meetings.  Recognizing the importance of organization at these meetings, they left the food details to us, allowing them to focus on their business.

These business project quality, and value to their employees, who will in turn project the same to the customers.  It cannot be underestimated, the value of these sessions on moral, rapport and involvement.  Your employees recognize good leadership, when they have it and when they don’t.   Question is, how can we help you lead?  How will you lead your employees on to great things?  How can a planning session help you lead your key people on the surpass their goals from 2009?  How can a meeting  allow you to promote and produce your business?

Finally, once you have structured your updated business plan and fortified your key employees, consider a customer appreciation event.  CA’s are excellent reasons to contact your clients.  As business professionals, we need to keep our focus on the customer.   We need to remind them we are here, and we need to remind them of what we do, especially if we are unveiling new products or services as a result of our planning session.  Once we contact them, and after we’ve educated them on our services, we need to ask them for the business.  A customer appreciation event is a way to achieve all of these objectives.  Contact Catering by Victoria for assistance with this, or visit our earlier blog on Hosting a Customer Appreciation Event.

 

November 4, 2009

Apple Butter

Posted by Chef Victoria under Caffè Victoria, Recipes, restaurant | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Here’s a quick, delicious gift idea for Christmas giving.  Bake a fresh loaf of brioche or a Finnish Braid to give along with this apple butter.  It will make a wonderful breafast snack for your loved ones to enjoy Christmas morning.

Spooning warmed, spiced apple butter on your toast might just fool your mouth into thinking you’re eating apple pie.  Served warm it is a very satisfying accompaniment to bagels, biscuits, pancakes and waffles.  The quantity made with this recipe can be canned and enjoyed throughout the winter months.

For canning, you will need four 1-pint jars with lids.  Sterilize your jars and lids ahead so you can fill them as the apple butter finishes baking.

Spiced Apple Butter

Makes approximately 2 quarts.

6 lbs. apples (such as Granny Smith, Macintosh, Pink Lady or Jonathans)

1 cup apple cider (or water)

2 – 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to  350 F.

Peel, core and slice apples into eight wedges.  Place them in a pot with the cider or water.  Cover and bring pot to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Cook with the cover on for about 15 minutes.  Remove lid and continue cooking about 5 minutes, or until apples are soft and aromatic.

Combine the remaining ingredients with the apples in a greased baking dish.  Cover dish with foil.  Bake apples about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is dark, and thick and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Apples should be thick, soft and easily mashed.

Ladle the hot apple butter into your prepared jars, leaving a 1/4″ space at top of jar.  Wipe the jar rim with a clean, sterilized towel.  Seal and process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 5 minutes.  Cool and label the jars.

 

September 13, 2009

Cream of Wheat

Posted by Chef Victoria under Caffè Victoria, Chef Notes, Recipes, breakfast | Tags: , |
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Make the best bowl of Cream of Wheat you have ever had by following this suggested recipe.  The recipe came about one morning when I remembered a “rule” of cooking my mother shared with me.  “Always put garlic or vanilla in everything you make, but never together,” is what she had told me.  My mother was taught to cook by my father after they married.  She perfected her cooking over the course of several years as she raised and cared for the eight children they produced.  As we grew up, we found our place in the kitchen, helping out and preparing meals to feed our large family.

Cream of Wheat was something that my mom made for me on occasion.  She liked to serve it steaming hot, with a bit of sugar and creamy half and half.  There is something very satisfying about it’s texture and the creamy smoothness.  On a cold, rainy day, it warms you from the inside out.  Wonderful to grab a good book at this point and enjoy them both immensely.

My take on this classic, comes from the directions on the box, with a bit of enhancement.  I bring 1/2 water, 1/2 milk to a simmer.  I add a dash of vanilla extract, and a pinch of ground nutmeg.  The trick to a creamy finished cereal is to whisk the dry cereal vigorously into the simmering liquid.  This will prevent lumps and bumps in its texture.

Cream of Wheat cooks quickly, and you can expect to have it ready inside of 5 minutes, start to finish.  I like to finish mine with a generous spoonful of brown sugar and some cold milk.  Adding the sugar to the hot cereal melts it rapidly, and the cold milk stirred into the cereal cools it slightly to an edible temperature.  It’s raining outside…I think that makes for a perfect day to have a hot bowl of comfort.

 

August 24, 2009

Crepes Mornay Served Today

Posted by Chef Victoria under Chef Notes | Tags: , , , |
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Our SPECIAL at the caffè today was crepes filled with ham & light egg scramble and topped with a freshly made Mornay Sauce.  They were served with herb roasted potatoes and the most beautiful fruit.  It was a great special because it was light to eat, delicious to taste, yet there was enough of it to be quite filling.  Below is a recipe for the crepe & the Mornay Sauce.   Very easy, and something that you might like to recreate.

Crepes Recipe

We filled the crepes with two scrambled eggs and about 3 0unces of diced ham.

Mornay Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups warm whole milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

3 ounces Gruyere or Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons dry white wine, optional

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Melt butter, and add flour to it in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook this roux for about 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously.  Gradually add the warm milk.  Continue to stir over medium heat.  Milk mixture should begin to thicken, and cling to the back of your spoon.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well until cheese is melted and thoroughly incorporated.  Serve  warm over crepes, steamed veggies or grilled chicken.

 

March 13, 2009

Let’s Make Crêpes!

Posted by Chef Victoria under Caffè Victoria, Catering by Victoria, Chef Notes, Recipes, restaurant | Tags: , , , , |
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Tomorrow morning we’ll  make this for our breakfast special at Caffè Victoria.  Come on into the caffè, and enjoy fresh, delicious crêpes, or try them in your own kitchen.  Either way, you’ll be impressed and delighted with these versatile treats that can be served for breakfast, dinner or dessert.

Below please find some possible fillings and sauces to finish off these delectables.  You’ll “finish them off”…no problem there!

Caffè Victoria is located at 13th & Main Streets in Windsor, Colorado.

strawberry-crepes

For dessert crêpes, try strawberry coulis and crème fraîche.

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 ½ Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • Butter, for coating the pan

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse for 10 seconds. Allow crêpe batter to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Batter can be made up to 24-hours ahead.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds, loosen slightly with a rubber spatula, and flip. (Crêpe should slid easily in pan before attempting “the flip.”) Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to a clean work surface or platter. Use immediately, or store them for future use.

To store: Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. Once they have cooled, place wax paper between them and stack them up. Place them in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crêpes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Filling  & Sauce suggestion:

CHEF’S NOTE:  Crêpes can be filled with sweetened cream cheese, crème fraîche, thick yogurt or sliced fresh fruit.  Try them with a savory filling, just omit the vanilla and sugar from the batter.  Fill them with scrambled eggs, ham & cheddar, or if you like spicy, scramble some eggs with minced jalapenos, cilantro and jack cheese.  These are delicious topped with green chile or queso.  What about some seasoned shredded chicken, pico de gallo and sour cream for dinner.  Serve it with some rice and black beans… olé!  Use your imagination… (TRY SOME CHOCOLATE!)… and the possibilities are endless.

Berry Coulis Recipe

  • 2 cups fresh berries, such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, (or any combination thereof.)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

To prepare coulis: Combine berries, sugar and lemon juice in small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. Mash berries a bit.  Serve warm over filled crêpes.