THE ADVENTURES OF A SUPPER CLUB...

Sunday, June 21, 2015

JUNE 2015 = LESLIE AND MARK'S PLACE!

SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE!

awakenings2012

So looking forward to June's Supper Club hosted by Leslie and Mark. It'll be a seafood extravaganza with our friends~

Cate Bogue

MENU:

APPETIZER:
CRAB DIP
TUNA DIP

SHRIMP AND CHEESE GRITS
CAESAR SALAD

DESSERT:
ANGEL LEMON PIE

CRAB DIP
I'm bringing this appetizer to Supper Club this month. I usually go with a hot crab dip, but since it's been in the 90s for the past 10 days or so, I thought I'd opt for a cold dip instead. And it doesn't get much easier than throwing all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing it up!

1/2 cup sour cream
2 TBSP mayonnaise
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (I use lower fat)
1 tsp horseradish
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp hot pepper (I use tabasco)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8-12 oz crab meat
paprika

catebogue

Combine all ingredients, and mix.

catebogue

Place in a serving bowl, and sprinkle with paprika before serving.

catebogue

Better to prepare it a few hours in advance to allow the flavors to blend. Serve with veggies, pita chips, crackers or potato chips.

And I may make this tuna dip if time allows. It's always a crowd pleaser!

TUNA DIP
(Adapted from Biggirlssmallkitchen)

Photo Credit: Biggirlssmallkitchen

Serves 4---can easily be doubled for a large group.
2 TBSP lemon
1 cup sour cream
1 cup tuna
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
a pinch of garlic salt
a few turns of black pepper
1/2 tsp ginger powder
6 scallions chopped
1/4 cup minced onion
2 TBSP pickle relish
4 TBSP mayonnaise
4 hard boiled eggs chopped
1 lemon wedge for presentation
Crackers

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Mix the lemon, sour cream, tuna, paprika, garlic powder, garlic salt, pepper and ginger in a food processor.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Place in a bowl and stir in the scallions, onion, relish (if using) and mayo.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

catebogue

Peel the eggs, dice it up, and gently fold it into the dip.

catebogue

SHRIMP AND CHEESE GRITS

3 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 TBSP butter
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
6 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

Bring chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat; stir in grits. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in salt and next 3 ingredients. Set aside, and keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon from pan.

Cook shrimp in same pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until almost pink, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and next 4 ingredients, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in bacon.

Spoon grits onto individual plates or into shallow bowls; top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.

CAESAR SALAD
(Adapted from Ree Drummond)

catebogue

Salad Dressing:
4 whole anchovy fillets
2 TBSP (and up to 3 tablespoons) Dijon mustard
1 TBSP balsamic or red wine vinegar (balsamic makes it nice and rich)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1/2 whole lemon, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 dash salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Croutons:
1/2 loaf crusty French bread
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
Salt
Salad:
Hearts of romaine lettuce
Fresh Parmesan wedge

For the dressing: Place the anchovies into a blender or food processor. Throw in the Dijon mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse the processor or blend on low speed for several seconds. Scrape down the sides.

With the food processor or blender on, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture in a small stream. Scrape down the sides. Add the Parmesan, salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Pulse the whole thing together and mix until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the dressing for a few hours (it just gets better!) before using it on the salad.

catebogue

For the croutons: Slice the bread into thick slices and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Throw them onto a baking sheet.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan or skillet over low heat.

Crush-but don't chop-the garlic and add them to the oil. Use a spoon to move the garlic around in the pan. After 3 to 5 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the garlic from the pan.

Slowly drizzle the olive oil over the bread cubes. Mix together with your hands, and then sprinkle lightly with salt. Toss and cook in the pan until golden brown and crisp. (Add a little butter for more flavor!)

For the salad: Wash and dry the hearts of romaine lettuce. Leave them whole. Use a vegetable peeler and shave off large, thin slices of Parmesan.

Drizzle about half of the dressing over the top of the hearts. Throw in a good handful of the Parmesan shavings. Give it a good initial toss, just so you can evaluate how much more dressing you need.

Add more dressing and Parmesan to taste. Add the cooled croutons. Toss gently.

ANGEL LEMON PIE
(Adapted from Mrs. Sam Nunn)

4 large eggs (separated)
Lemon - rind/zest and juice (~6 TBSP)
3 TBSP flour
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP butter
1 1/8 cup sugar (divided)

Cook all in a double boiler until a thick custard consistency, the lemon zest, juice, water, butter, flour, 2/3 cup sugar and the beaten egg yolks (you'll use the remaining sugar and the egg whites for the meringue). While the custard is still hot, fold in 1/2 of the white mixture, and pour into a baked crust. Use remaining white mixture for meringue - stiffly beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (~8 minutes or so), and then gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Pour on top of the lemon pie. Cook 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until golden brown.

NEXT UP - AUGUST Supper Club at Sharon and Daves! See you in 2 months!

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

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

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: