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January Gorgonzola Pistachio Crostini ~ Mixed Green Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette ~ Cioppino Sourdough Bread ~ Lemon Tart ~ Espresso Hazelnut Crescents
Late fall and winter is crab season here in San Francisco, and one of the many great ways to celebrate crab season is with Cioppino, fragrant with garlic and oregano, and brimming with mussels, clams, shrimp, and, of course, crab. Add some sourdough bread to sop up the juices, a glass of wine, and you’re good to go. Some people like to add some pasta in the bottom of their dish, and that works, too.
Open with Gorgonzola and Pistachio Crostini and a glass of Pinot Grigio. A simple mixed salad with Champagne vinaigrette comes next, followed by the main attraction, the Cioppino, accompanied by a crusty loaf of San Francisco sourdough bread. Sourdough bread is available all over the country now, but if you can’t get it where you live, any Italian-style bread will be great. After the richness of the Cioppino, just when you are thinking you might crave some brighter flavors, a Lemon Tart appears to once again satisfy. Round out the evening with Espresso and Hazelnut Crescents, and your guests will wonder just how you manage to get it perfect every time.
For the table, I envision a red-checked table cloth and thick, white hotel napkins. And I love drip candles in raffia wine bottles – hokey, I know, but they say warmth and comfort to me. What can I say? Really big bibs, embroidered with each guest’s name, are a fun idea, and practical, too, since eating crab in the shell is messy business. Set them at each place to let people know where they should sit. And make sure to set out large empty bowls for the shells. Some people I know can generate unbelievable amounts of crab shells while eating Cioppino.
Your music could be San Francisco-themed, Italian-themed, or both. Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra come to mind. When that gets old, switch to soft jazz.
As always, invite your guests by phone, so you know whether or not they can come. Then follow up with a written invitation by mail.
½ pound gorgonzola cheese ¼ cup butter, softened 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 2 tablespoons dry Marsala Freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup green onion, finely minced ½ cup pistachios, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
1 thin baguette, sliced thinly ¼ cup butter, melted
Combine gorgonzola, butter, cream cheese, parsley and Marsala in a food processor and process until smooth. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Chill.
Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush both sides lightly with butter. Toast under a broiler until golden. Turn slices over and toast again until golden. Cool.
To serve: Spread each baguette slice with the gorgonzola mixture. Top with a sprinkling of minced green onion and chopped pistachios.
Mixed Green Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette The flavor of your dressing for such simple ingredients depends entirely on the quality of you vinegar and olive oil, so buy good quality here. Sea salt, as opposed to regular salt, will also make a big difference.
About 10 cups of mixed baby salad greens
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar 1 shallot, very finely minced ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper
Combine vinegar and shallot. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Taste on a lettuce leaf for seasoning and add sea salt and pepper to taste.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil 5 anchovy fillets 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 2 onions, finely chopped 4 ribs celery, finely chopped 10 cloves garlic, chopped 2 bay leaves 1½ teaspoons dried thyme 1½ teaspoons dried oregano 2 cups white wine 1 quart chicken stock 2 8-ounce bottles clam juice 2 28-ounce cans tomatoes, pureed in blender ½ cup chopped fresh parsley 1 pound shrimp ½ pound scallops ½ pound calamari rings 2 cooked crabs, cracked and cleaned 16 clams 16 mussels Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons butter Fresh, crusty Italian bread for sopping
Heat a very large pot over medium heat. Add oil, anchovies and pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add onions and celery. Sauté until vegetables are soft and transparent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant. Add bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and a couple of grindings of pepper. Cook, without browning, 2 more minutes. Add wine and cook 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock, clam juice and pureed tomatoes. Simmer 30 minutes. Add clams and mussels, then shrimp and scallops, and cook until shrimp and scallops are barely done and clams and mussels open. Discard any that do not open. Add calamari and crab and heat until crab is hot and calamari are done, about 1 more minute. Be careful not to over-cook the seafood. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each serving with a teaspoon of butter. Serve with plenty of Italian bread for sopping up the fabulous juices.
1 9-inch tart shell, pre-baked in a tart pan with a removable bottom
1 ½ cups sugar 5 tablespoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon salt 1½ cups water 4 egg yolks ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon butter
4 egg whites ½ teaspoon cream of tartar ½ cup sugar 2 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt and water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer until clear, 2-3 minutes. Lightly beat egg yolks. Whisk a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, then pour egg mixture back into the hot mixture. Cook 2 minutes. Add butter, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour into pre-baked tart shell.
Make the meringue while the filling is still hot. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Bring sugar syrup to a boil and cook until a thermometer reaches 236 degrees. Remove from heat. Pour syrup a little at a time into the egg whites beating constantly. (If you are using a stand mixer, you will need to turn the motor off each time you add syrup, then immediately turn on the motor and beat for a minute or so before adding more.) Continue beating another 2-3 minutes after all the syrup has been added.
Drop meringue by dollops all over the top of the hot filling. Spread with a spatula all the way to the crust, sealing in the filling and swirling decoratively. Bake pie for 5 minutes. Slip under the broiler for a few seconds to brown lightly. Cool to room temperature.
4 ounces hazelnuts ½ cup butter, softened 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped 2 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast hazelnuts on a pie plate about 12-13 minutes, or until hazelnuts are brown. Be careful not to burn. Immediately turn nuts into a clean kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove skins. Cool. Process half the nuts in a food processor until finely ground. You should have ½ cup. Coarsely chop the remaining nuts by hand. Set aside in a small dish. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Stir in the ½ cup ground hazelnuts. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter and sugar mixture and mix until combined. Don’t over mix. Roll a tablespoon or so of dough into a 3-inch log. Lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the shape of a crescent. Roll remaining cookies in the same fashion. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until lightly brown. Cool on baking sheet until firm, 5-6 minutes. Remove to rack and cool completely.
Place milk and
semi-sweet chocolate in a double-boiler over barely simmering water.
Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Dip each crescent half way into
chocolate, then dip he chocolate end into the dish of chopped
hazelnuts. Let cool on rack until chocolate has set.
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Copyright © 2008 by Charlotte Rose. All rights reserved. |
