We sent out the request to a few couples for a sit-down dinner at our place, and got a resounding “yes” from everyone. Uh-oh…didn’t really have space at the table for all eight yeses! We dusted off the dining room table, borrowed a bench from mom & dad (since we didn’t have enough chairs), and pulled out the boxes of our china from storage. Three years after getting married – we’re finally able to use our china! Of course that meant de-stickering and washing eight place settings with the stemware to match! Maybe eight people for a sit-down dinner was overly ambitious for our first dinner party?
With a few pescetarians in our mix, I thought fish was the best route. That’s not an easy feat, particularly when you’re trying to cook eight pieces of Salmon
perfectly while entertaining & getting other dishes out on the table. But I was willing to give it a try. If it didn’t work out, then hopefully I could get our friends drunk enough that they wouldn’t notice the overcooked Salmon. Thankfully, I didn’t have to resort to that – because the fish was perfectly cooked. It was crusted with white bread, parsley, salt and pepper – which was so easy (shhh, don’t tell my guests!) I put it over a heaping bed of Mediterranean-style orzo. We had such a wonderful feast…including the almond torte and pear sorbet for dessert (recipes from my mom). And although I was absolutely exhausted when it was all over, I’d happily do it again. Great friends around the table, delicious food and amazing wine. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe a bigger table and more seating. Oh, and one more place-setting of china (hint hint, mom).
Endive & Watercress Salad
1 tablespoon malt vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb Belgian endives (4 large), cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
6 oz red endive or radicchio di Treviso, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, or 1 medium round head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups loosely packed watercress sprigs (2 ounces)
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large salad bowl until combined, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Cover vinaigrette and let stand 1 hour. Add salad greens to vinaigrette and toss to coat.
Source: Epicurious/Gourmet 2004
Herb-Crusted Salmon
3 slices white bread
1 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & ground pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. In a food processor, combine bread, parsley and one tablespoon oil, salt & pepper. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. Place salmon on baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Spread top of fillets with Dijon, top with crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Roast until salmon is cooked through – about 10 to 13 minutes.
Source: Martha Stewart Living
Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Corn
1 lb orzo pasta
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut off cob
1 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1 cup black Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
½ cup thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons chopped regular or opal (purple) basil
2 tablespoons drained capers
¼ cup packed fresh parsley
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl.
Add the corn, red pepper, olives, and scallions and toss well. Add the basil, capers, parsley, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and gently toss. (Salad can be made 2 hours ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving)
Source: Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook
Almond Torte
½ tsp. sugar
½ tsp. flour
7 oz. almond paste
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. almond extract
1 tbl. kirsch (substitute pear liqueur if making pear sorbet to accompany torte)
¼ cup sifted flour
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Topping: 1 cup raspberries (eliminate if making pear sorbet)
Preheat oven to 350ยบ. Butter an 8” round cake pan (I use a springform), then sprinkle with a mixture of ½ tsp. sugar and ½ tsp. flour. Tap out any excess from pan.
With an electric mixer, cream the almond paste and butter until smooth. Beat in ¾ cup sugar, scraping sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add baking powder, almond extract, and kirsch. Fold in ¼ cup flour. Spread batter in prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake 30-35 min., or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and remove from pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Top with raspberries, if desired.
Pear Sorbet
2 lbs. ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 ½ cups extra-dry or brut sparkling wine, divided
¾ cup sugar
2 Tbl. light corn syrup
Put pears and ¾ cup sparkling wine in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pears are tender, about 10 min. Whirl pear mixture and sugar in a blender until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, cover, and chill.
When mixture is cold, stir in remaining ¾ cup sparkling wine and freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze until ready to serve.
