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Friday, March 13, 2015

APRIL 2015 SUPPER CLUB: Denise and Greg host!

hercampus
IT'S FINALLY SPRING!!!!!
AND - APRIL Supper Club is going to be celebrated at Denise and Greg's!



Our next Supper Club is in April at Denise and Greg's home.  Excited as always to catch up with these friends and enjoy some great food at the same time!

Denise came up with the upcoming menu with an Italian flair:

ANTIPASTO PLATTER (Wendy)
HERBED RICOTTA WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKE SPREAD (Cate) 

CHICKEN PICCATA
ROASTED FINGERLING POTATOES
SAUTEED SUGAR SNAP PEAS

CAPRESE SALAD (Leslie)

FRENCH BREAD

CHEESECAKE TOPPED WITH CHOCOLATE AND CARAMEL (Sharon)

DRINK DU JOUR:
St Germain Greyhound (or Bichon Frise)
Beer & Wine

Sounds delicious!

HERBED RICOTTA WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKE SPREAD (with CROSTINI)
(Adapted from two of my favorite blogs - Smitten Kitchen and Lottie&Doof)

I scour other foodie blogs and found bits and pieces of this dish and put them together. It's more amazing with fresh ricotta, but if you buy good organic ricotta, it's still pretty amazing. The flavors of all the dishes combine beautifully and can be prepared in advance. Ricotta, roasted tomatoes, olives, artichokes and crostini = LOVE!

Makes about 1 generous cup of ricotta.  I made 2 batches since I'm serving 10 people.

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Heat the milk to 190 degrees F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. It takes about 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Then let the pot sit for 5 minutes.

Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey).
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
After an hour, you’ll have what you want - - - a nice, spreadable ricotta. If you wait two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.) After the hour, scrape the ricotta off the cheesecloth.  Eat the ricotta right away, or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

HERBED RICOTTA

1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta (you COULD use store bought here, but fresh is SOOOO much better - trust me!)
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
good extra virgin olive oil
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Mix the ricotta, thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and drizzle some good quality olive oil over the top.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES
I'll double this recipe since it's serving 10 people.
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. If tomatoes are large, cut in half.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, and oregano. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes are wrinkling and beginning to release juices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
ARTICHOKE & OLIVE SPREAD

1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 cup large green pitted olives
1 TBSP capers, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a food processor, process the garlic, olives, capers, artichoke hearts and olive oil to a coarse paste.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
 The olive paste can be refrigerated for 2 days. Let it return to room temperature before using.

Crostini

Baguette or loaf of country style bread, cut into 1/4 inch slices
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange bread in single layer on a baking sheet.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Brush tops of bread lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Bake until edges begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Beautiful- - -don't ya think????
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
PANKO CRUSTED CHICKEN PICCATA
(Adapted from Food and Wine)
neighborfoodblog
1 cup flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves,
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup olive oil
6 TBSP butter
2 TBSP capers
2 TBSP lemon juice + A few slices of lemon
1 TSBP chopped parsley

Place the flour, eggs, and panko in three separate shallow bowls.
Butterfly the chicken so each piece is half as thick as it was to begin with. Lay the chicken out on a cutting board, cover with wax paper, then use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound it to a ¼ inch thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shake off the excess, then dip in the eggs, and coat with breadcrumbs. Add half the dredged chicken breasts to the skillet and fry for 3-5 minutes or a side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Add the other half of the oil to the skillet and repeat with remaining chicken breast.
When the chicken has been removed, add the butter to the skillet and use a spatula to scrape up any brown bits (that's where the flavor is!). Let the butter cook until sizzling and just starting to brown. Stir in the capers, lemon juice, and lemon slices.
To serve, plate the chicken then spoon the lemon butter sauce over top. Top with lemon slices and fresh parsley.

OVEN ROASTED GARLIC FINGERLING POTATOES
(Adapted from the slow roasted italian)

3 pound fingerling potatoes
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP chopped rosemary (about 4 sprigs)
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Rinse potatoes. Place potatoes in a 7”x10”x3” baking dish (or similar size). Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Pour over potatoes. Toss with clean hands until potatoes are well coated.
Bake 60-70 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are fork tender.

SAUTEED SUGAR SNAP PEAS
(Adapted from Wickednoodle.com)
wickednoodle
2 TBSP canola oil
3 cups sugar snap peas
3 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl around the pan. When oil is shimmering, add sugar snap peas. Stir frequently for 3-4 minutes or until peas are starting to soften but are still crisp-tender. Add garlic and stir constantly for one minute. Season well with salt & pepper and serve.



Denise served up a pitcher of these drinks.  So so good!  She topped them with a sprig of rosemary for a fresh touch.
ST GERMAINE GREYHOUND (OR BICHON FRISE)
Per serving:
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce St-Germain liqueur
2 ounces pale yellow grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed would be great)
Ice
1 lemon wedge
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue
Combine the vodka, St-Germain, and grapefruit juice with ice in a cocktail shaker. Squeeze the lemon wedge into the shaker and then add the wedge to the mixture. Shake vigorously and pour over fresh ice into a chilled cocktail glass.***Or you can make up a pitcher of these. Simply add all the ingredients into a pitcher and chill. Serve by squeezing lemon in a glass and then serve over ice - add a sprig of rosemary.

Denise's beautiful table setting:
Photo Credit: Denise Jones
Wendy's gorgeous antipasto platter:
The crostini with herbed ricotta, olive-artichoke spread and roasted tomatoes:

Greg and Denise's fireplace!







Delish caprese salad from Leslie:
Amazing cheesecake topped with chocolate and caramel from Sharon:

The fabulous plated main course from Denise:

Typical shot of the girls:




Next Supper Club is in the warmth of June - 
at Leslie and Mark's!
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