Catering an Olive Garden Banquet

Make butter topping

• Warm ½ cup butter, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Reserve.

Make Dough

• PROOF THE YEAST: In a small bowl, dissolve sugar, a pinch of flour, and yeast in a little bit of the warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes. If the yeast doesn't bubble and foam within 10 minutes it is either mostly inactive or completely dead. Get fresh yeast and try again.
• Add the rest of the water, flour, salt and melted butter to yeast mixture. Mix with dough hook attachment of stand mixer until fully combined.
• Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth in consistency. Do not overknead!
• Oil container three times the size of the dough. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight
• Remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to shape it.
• When the dough is roughly room temperature, lIne a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Divide dough into 2 ounce portions. Fold each into a long rectangle, than roll into a 5 inch log. Place on sheet pan, seam side down.
• Allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake

• Preheat your oven to 400 °F.
• Once oven has preheated, bake breadsticks for 6-7 minutes.
• Brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture. Return to oven and bake for 5-8 more minutes.
• Remove and brush with remaining butter.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating.

• Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. Reserve.
• In a large brazier, heat the oil over medium heat. When shimmering hot, add onions. Saute till light gold. Add garlic and saute a few minutes longer until fragrant..
• As soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add all the tomatoes and reserved tomato water. Add red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt. Stir.
• Place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (like a flower). Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (If using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, adding more salt and oregano as needed.) Discard basil.
• Garnish with parmesan and parsley

FOR THE CREAM

• Using an electric mixer in a medium bowl, whip together egg yolks and 1/4 cup/50 grams sugar until very pale yellow and about tripled in volume. A slight ribbon should fall from the beaters (or whisk attachment) when lifted from the bowl. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, wiping out the medium bowl used to whip the yolks and set aside.
• In the medium bowl, whip cream and remaining 1/4 cup/50 grams sugar until it creates soft-medium peaks. Add mascarpone and continue to whip until it creates a soft, spreadable mixture with medium peaks. Gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the sweetened egg yolks until combined.
• Combine espresso and rum extract in a shallow bowl and set aside.

ASSEMBLY

• Using a sifter, dust the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish (an 8×8-inch dish, or a 9-inch round cake pan would also work here) with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
• Working one at a time, quickly dip each ladyfinger into the espresso mixture — they are quite porous and will fall apart if left in the liquid too long — and place them rounded side up at the bottom of the baking dish. Repeat, using half the ladyfingers, until you’ve got an even layer, breaking the ladyfingers in half as needed to fill in any obvious gaps (a little space in between is O.K.). Spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the ladyfingers in one even layer. Repeat with remaining espresso-dipped ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture.
• Dust top layer with remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder. Top with shaved or finely grated chocolate, if desired.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (if you can wait 24 hours, all the better) before slicing or scooping to serve.

• Preheat convection oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease a full size sheet pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Lightly grease parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating until the yolk disappears into the batter before adding the next egg.
• Add sifted flours and sour cream, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with flour.
• Add vanilla and mix on low until well combined.
• Carefully spread thick batter on prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Tap on bench to remove bubbles.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes rotating twice during the cooking time at 15 and 30.
• Cake is done when wooden toothpick comes out clean and top is a uniform rich golden brown.