A "Sip and See" Shower

A "Sip and See" is a Southern tradition of the old school.  It is sometimes used to allow friends and families to see new babies and the accompanying gifts on display.  Other times, wedding gifts will be displayed in a formal room in a bride-to-be's home while snacks and tea or cocktails are served. When I learned about the cocktails being included, I couldn't wait to have my own Sip and See.  Luckily my cousin Nic is marrying the lovely Evaline in October, so my daughter Amanda and I quickly got into party planning mode and held a lovely afternoon get together at my mother's home. It is always good to see my wonderful family and Evaline got to know everyone in a casual atmosphere.

We had a Champagne and Sparkling Cider Bar with juices, fruit, bubbly, and other flavorings so everyone could make a mimosa, Bellini, or their own creation. 

For food, Country Ham biscuits from Moore's are a must, as well as Derby Chicken Salad from our local grocery deli.... my theory is don't mess with perfection and try to make my own!  We got creative with our desserts: Bellini Cupcakes, and Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake.  Plenty of sipping and eating and ooooohing and ahhhhhing ensued, so a good time was had by all.

Bellini Cupcakes

We wanted to make something different....so this recipe from Paula Deen filled the requirements.  I didn't realize Champagne cake was so easy to make. The only other extra step was cooking the peaches and making the puree.  The peach taste countered the usual icing sweetness and gave an kick to the light cupcake taste.  I will definitely make these again and the only change I would make is to use a less dry champagne for a touch more sweetness in the light cake batter. Read the directions for cake carefully... on the first batch,  I missed the part that said mix the sugar in with the flour before putting it in the butter, since that is not a step I am familiar with doing.

Cake :
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup champagne
1 ½ cups cake flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix egg whites and champagne and set aside.  Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter , then add the dry ingredients until crumbly.  Mix champagne and eggs into the butter/flour mixture until blended.  Divide into 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes until it bounces back when touched.  Since there are no egg yolks, the cake will be pale, so do not overbake.

Icing and Peach Filling:
15 oz can sliced peaches
½ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
White sanding sugar or sprinkles for topping
Drain the peaches and pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Melt the two T of butter in a skillet and place peach slices until browned....3-5 minutes, watching closely.  Turn over and cook other side.  Cool and puree in a food processor or immersion blender. Use a small knife to make a hole in the top of each cupcake, removing 1/2 inch circle of cake.  Fill the holes with two teaspoons of the peaches.
For the icing, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, then add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract until smooth.  Blend in 1/4 cup of the peach puree until blended.  Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and decorate with sanding sugar or sprinkles.


Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake
Wow. This is easy, tasty and makes a beautiful presentation.  What more can you ask for?  I saw this in the July 2011 Southern Living Magazine and immediately wanted to try it.  When we decided to have the shower which had a red and purple color scheme like the wedding, I knew I had to give this a whirl.  I could not find fresh lady fingers in the deli/bakery, nor did I have the time or knowledge to make them, so I substituted an orange flavored, sugar free brand called TastyKake. Twinkies would also work, but I preferred the less sweet options to balance out the flavors.  Plan ahead when making this though, as you need plenty of time to let the layers freeze before adding the next one. Oh, and I learned something... in case you were wondering, semifreddo means semi-frozen in Italian.

Ingredients

2 (3-oz.) packages soft ladyfingers

2 pt. strawberry ice cream, softened

1 pt. strawberry sorbet, softened

1 pt. fresh strawberries, hulled

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 (7-oz.) jar marshmallow crème

1 cup heavy cream

Line the bottom and sides of a springform pan with the ladyfingers or substitutions.  If needed, trim bottom layer to fit - you can also cut them in half lengthwise to make a thinner base.  Soften ice cream at room temperature and layer on top of shortcakes. Freeze.  Soften sorbet and spread layer on top of ice cream. Return to freezer.  Process or blend strawberries together with powdered sugar, making a puree. Reserve 1/4 cup of the strawberry mixture.   Whisk the remaining puree into the marshmellow creme until well blended.(This will take some time).  Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixture until stiff peaks form. Fold strawberry mixture into whipped cream. Pour over the frozen sorbet.  Take the reserved strawberry puree and drizzle over top of marshmallow cream creating swirl designs with a toothpick or small knife.  Return to freezer until the top layer is firm. Allow cake to stand at room temperature  a few minutes before serving.(The top will be harder than the ice cream underneath, so go ahead and slice with a sharp knife to see if it is ready to serve) Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired.