Posts Tagged ‘crostini’

Fun, Food, & Great Friends

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Well, after some pretty busy work weeks I found myself with a free weekend night (a rare thing for me) and so some friends and I planned a last minute summer BBQ. We all love good food so instead of buying in lots of stuff we all brought dishes…it was so much fun!  I made a total of four things with the help of my friend Kate. I tried a new recipe from Food & Wine magazine and absolutely loved it.  The recipe is from Sue Zemanick, who was voted “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine a few months back.  The recipe was Chile-Lime Crab Salad with Tomato & Avocado.  I highly recommend trying it out and not skimping on the the quality of the ingredients.  This salad is so fresh and tasty, but must have top quality ingredients for you to get the full experience.  

 

Like I said, we had a fabulous night and of course I had to fully document it with fun photos.  I also have to thank my friend Matt for providing some great eye candy for you too…I can always count on him for good photos!  So to let you in on the rest of the menu we had Crostini with Burrata, Olive Tapenade, Arugala, & Prosciutto, a delicious Farro, Cherry Tomato, & Arugala Salad made by my private chef friend, Jonathan, homemade grilled pizzas by my chef friend, Brian, and two desserts by yours truly…I will describe more later!  So I hope you enjoy checking out the photos!

And for dessert I made Sour Cream & Lemon Sorbet with Gingersnap Cookies and Pichet Ong’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.  Both desserts were extremely yummy! I will be doing a full post on the Reese’s Bar to come so watch out for them because they will knock your socks off!

Thanks for checking them out! Here is the recipe for the Chile-Lime Crab Salad!

Chile-Lime Crab Salad with Tomato & Avocado

adapted from Sue Zumanick

Serves 4

  • 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon very finely chopped jalapeño
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, plus cilantro leaves for garnish
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
  • 1 1/2 Hass avocados, diced ( 1/2 inch)
  • 1/3 cup minced red onion
  • 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into four 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • Tortilla chips, for serving
  • In a small bowl, combine the lime juice with the olive oil, vegetable oil, jalapeño, chopped cilantro, honey and garlic. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, toss the crab with 3 tablespoons of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, gently toss the avocado with the red onion and 2 tablespoons of the dressing; season with salt and pepper.

Beau-Coup Winner Plus a Recent Cooking Class

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Thanks so much everyone for the comments you left on the last post…you are too kind!  I am so glad that you all enjoyed Beau-Coup and I loved reading about your favorite finds!  The winner of the $50 gift certificate is Landa from the All-Purpose Blog!!!  Congratulations…hope you buy something fun!

Well, two days before that huge cookie order was due I actually had a cooking class scheduled that I would be teaching at Prep Kitchen Essentials.   The class had been scheduled a while back and while at first it didn’t sound like I would be able to make it through it with a smile on my face (since my legs were about to go out on me) I ended up meeting a lot of great people, cooking some fabulous food, and enjoying the night. Here are some photos from the class and of course I have to share at least one recipe with you too!  

The class was titled: Romantic Italian Date Night for Two and the menu was…

Crostini with Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella and Black Olive Tapenade & Pesto
Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup with Pesto Croutons
Pork Tenderloin with Mint Pesto
Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce
Here is the homemade Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Pesto Croutons.

Here is the Pork Tenderloin and Mint Pesto.

And finally here are the Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce.

We definitely had a great time at the class!

Well, as promised here is one recipe from the class…enjoy!  Also if you are interested in coming to some of my classes you can check out Prep Kitchen Essentials new class list and sign-up!

Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

adapted from Fiamma by Elizabeth Katz

(makes 6-8 servings)

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all- purpose flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 cup finely crushed amaretti cookies (about 16 cookies)
1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (5 ounces)
1 cup heavy cream
vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar for garnish

Whisk the ricotta and eggs together in a medium-size bowl until
smooth.  Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and amaretti and stir
until well blended.  Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

While batter is chilling, put the chopped chocolate in a bowl.  In a
small saucepan, bring the cream to a bowl and then pour the hot cream
over the chocolate.  Let it stir for a couple minutes and then stir
until smooth.  Keep warm or re-warm in microwave for a few seconds in
needed.

Fill a medium-size pot with at least 3 inches of oil and heat until
the oil reaches 360 degrees.  Carefully drop the crochette batter by
the heaping tablespoon into the hot oil and cook, turning once, until
brown on all sides, about 3 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to remove
them and then place them on a paper towel to drain.  Dust them with
powdered sugar and serve immediately with chocolate sauce.


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