Let the planning begin....

So, on Friday night I am hosting a small get together with some family and friends to celebrate the season. I was thinking it would be fun to have a night filled with some of my favorite wines and beers and pair them with food. Over the weekend I went through all my cookbooks to get inspired and tried to come up with a menu filled with food that would please all palates. I love putting together a menu for a party or family gathering. It allows me to try out new recipes or sometimes even old recipes that I've changed a bit.

When planning I always think of what I want it to feel like and for Friday I want my friends to be comfortable and feel like they can rest their elbows on the table! The first dish I know I will make for Friday is a fig, prosciutto and red leaf salad. I love figs and prosciutto together, with the addition of red leaf lettuce, radicchio and Manchego cheese it becomes that sweet and salty dish we all crave when eating. The salad will be tossed with a light sherry vinaigrette. I haven't yet decided if I will be using fresh figs or dried, what the market has available will determine that.

For the pairing part because of flavor profile of the salad I thought a wine like Primitivo would be great paired with it. Primitivo is a dark red wine with bold fruity flavors. It is believed that this grape originated in Greece and it is not known when this particular grape variety was transported to Italy, but the history of this grape dates back many centuries. A fun fact about the primitivo grape is that it is said to be the father of the zinfandel grape, now so popular in California. I love Primitivo because it is low in acid, has a round body and finishes clean on the tongue. I also enjoy the fruit notes of the wine, they are subtle and somewhat savory.

Ok, one dish and one wine down! I will keep you posted on the rest of the menu tomorrow! Enjoy!

My Etsy Shop is open!

Jennathomecatering can now be found on etsy.com. I have finally opened shop on etsy and you can find me at jennathome.etsy.com. I have a delicious panforte for sale (my pics are not my best work, but next time they will be better) and I am ready for business! Panforte is a traditional Italian sweet filled with nuts, spices, honey and cocoa and is really more a confection than a cake. It is commonly enjoyed during the holiday season and makes for a great gift. Please visit my shop and if you are interested in purchasing from me let me know. I am also available to do custom orders if you are interested. I plan to add more items to my shop for the holiday season including jam thumbprints, holiday biscotti and peppermint bark.

Friendsgiving!

This past Saturday Phil and I enjoyed an early Thanksgiving dinner with some good friends. Erica played hostess to a fantastic "Friendsgiving" and cooked a mean and moist bird. The dinner was amazing with everyone pitching in and bringing something to the table! Let's see Amanda, brought, well, everything including her mom's Jamie Oliver pan!! Seriously, she brought some amazing appetizers including a delicious Brie with Cranberry jam and some of my favorite wines! She didn't stop there she brought some much needed slice and bake thanksgiving cookies! Lizzie made some biscuits and possibly one of my new favorite pies, maple poached pear pie. Jess added some pretty perfect mashed potatoes, making it known that there was tons of butter and salt in there, music to my ears! I was happy to bring roasted butternut squash salad with a mustard vinaigrette and for a side, roasted cauliflower with pecorino romano cheese and breadcrumbs. As for Erica, our amazing hostess, she provided the best turkey I have ever had! It was moist and flavorful topped with some homemade turkey gravy made from the meat of the neck of the bird. She also made some delicious sausage stuffing, which she was afraid dried out, but it was everything you want stuffing to be.

When Phil and I left, he kept saying how full he was and how that was possibly his best Thanksgiving meal ever. It was delicious and Erica sent all us girls home with some jars of something pickled! I was lucky to get some of her pickled beets and I can't wait to open them.

To Erica, Amanda, Lizzie and Jess Saturday was not only delectable and filling, it was special and I am happy to have met you. Cheers to Sportello for bringing us all together! Have a great Thanksgiving to you all!

Onion Soup...

When I was in Quebec there was nothing more comforting than a hot crock of onion soup. The soup would come out piping hot with melted gruyere cheese bubbling on top. The onions were sweet and would melt in your mouth and the broth was a rich, dark color of beef broth and red wine combined.

Last night, I decided to throw some onion soup on the stove and here is my recipe for onion soup.

makes 2 crocks of onion soup

3 tbls of unsalted butter
3 sweet yellow onions, peeled and sliced julienne
3 fresh sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup burgundy wine
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup shredded gruyere
2 slices of crusty bread

In a heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter and bring pot up to medium temp. Add the onions and cook on medium heat until tender and caramelized. You don't want to move the onions around constantly, just give them a turn now and then. You will begin to see the sugar come out of the onions and they will begin to caramelize and get brown in color. At this point add the thyme and some salt and pepper. Deglaze with the wine and let alcohol cook off. Add the beef stock and let simmer for 45 minutes. At this point the onions should be completely cooked and the broth a rich brown color. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide into two oven proof bowls, top with one slice of bread each and divide the gruyere between the two bowls. Broil until cheese is bubbling and browned. Enjoy!

Salting and Straining!

Tonight Phil and I had dinner with my parents at an Italian restaurant. I enjoy dining out and eating at different places. I was also really excited to taste the homemade fusilli that the restaurant was known for. The fusilli were fantastic, but Phil's pasta mush! So, I wanted to take this time to talk about the importance of salting and properly straining pasta. Every cook I have ever met understands the importance of salting the pasta water! It is one of the biggest misses at some restaurants and the final product is bland pasta. So, next time you are boiling your water for pasta, add some salt. I always use kosher salt and I typically do one full spin around the pan or a good way to test it is to taste the water to see if you can taste the salt.

As for straining pasta invest in a good colander or sieve to strain your pasta, don't be lazy and scoop the pasta from the water and put it into the sauce. I myself do use a few tablespoons of pasta water to bring together certain sauces when I add the pasta, but I still make sure my pasta is completely strained before adding it. Take your time, pour the pasta into a colander, shake the excess water and then toss it in the saute pan with the sauce. You've spent time cooking it, now shouldn't it be perfect?