Spring and Summer Recipe Testing with Parties That Cook!

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in For Fun, General, Menus, Menus & Recipes, Menus and Recipes, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , March 16th, 2010 @ 9:58 am

The rain is drying up, the storm clouds have cleared, the sun is out, and the birds are chirping. This means one thing at Parties That Cook: time for Spring and Summer menu recipe testing! For months ahead of time, Bibby and Tanya gather ideas, altering and rewriting recipes to fit the Parties That Cook standards.

Recipes must be straightforward and must be doable within about an hour — start to finish. And most importantly, they must be absolutely delicious. Last Friday, our team took over the Sur La Table kitchen to test 25 new recipes. It was a day of cooking, tasting, critiquing and tweaking. Some recipes, like the Shrimp  Po’boys with bacon mayo, were instant winners. While others, like the Teeny-Bostini Cream Cakes with chocolate glaze, required four or five alterations.

Check out some of our favorites!

Mini Shrimp Po’Boys with Bacon Mayo

Crostini of Queso Fresco and Garlicky Chorizo

Fettucine with Arugula-Pistachio Pesto

Bacon, Creme Fraiche and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Mussels with Herb and Smoked Paprika Croutons

Puree of Fava Beans, Sweet Peas with Garlicky Pita Chips

Lamb Skewers with Mint Chimmichurri

Mini Fish Tacos

Chicken Under a Brick with Artichokes

Curry-dusted Brined Sea Bass

Raspberry Streusel Bars

All in all, in a was a delicious day and a very big success! Look forward to some of these tasty dishes at PTC events and classes this spring and summer! For an early sample, try the Raspberry Streusel Bars at home. Enjoy!

Going Green for St. Patrick’s Day: Fettuccine with Arugula-Walnut Pesto and Shaved Asiago Recipe

1 comment By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , , , , March 11th, 2010 @ 5:42 pm

Chicago celebrates with a green river, Seattle paints its roads green, and San Franciscans will be searching for green beer in pubs all over the city.  St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and if you haven’t found your “something green” or if green just doesn’t look good on you but you still want to be festive, here’s an idea — eat your green!

Join the green theme and put together an all-green meal for a St. Patty’s Day party or for the family.  This may be the one time of year when you don’t have to try too hard to get your kids to eat their veggies.  We’ll get you started with our GREEN Fettuccine with Arugula-Walnut Pesto and Shaved Asiago recipe.  Use spinach or any other green-colored fettuccine and you will have a wonderful belly full of green ready to absorb all that green beer to follow!

Fettuccine with Arugula Walnut Pesto and Shaved Asiago

Ingredients:

Pesto:
2 gloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 packed cups arugula
1/2 packed cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice (+ plus more for seasoning)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

Pasta:
1 pound dried fettuccine
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt for pasta cooking water

Garnish:
1/3 cup (3 ounces) shaves Asiago
Basil leaves, cut into thin strips
Chopped walnuts

Methods/Steps:

Make Pesto: Place the garlic, arugula, basil, walnuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Asiago, lemon zest/juice and salt in a food processor.  Process until a rough paste is formed.  Add the olive oil and process until the paste is smooth.

Cooking Pasta: Meanwhile, in a large stockpot of heavily salted boiling water, cook and stir pasta until tender but firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.  Drain pasta well, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.  Transfer to a bowl and toss gently with the pesto.  Add pasta water as needed to loosen up the pasta.  Season with additional salt and lemon juice.

Serve: Spoon pasta onto a pasta plate.  Garnish with shaved Asiago, basil and walnuts. Serve immediately.  Serves 8 as first course.

Read previous entries
Read more recent entries