Thursday, the Fourteenth of August, two thousand eight
Seven Thirty in the Evening
Cambridge, MA
RSVP Required
Ok…so technically the party past already, I apologize for the late invite. Although quite frankly, I’m not sure I could have handled more guests; I ran out of chairs in my apartment.
The party was successful (or at least my friends are good sports and like to humor me). It was actually the first time I had cooked for more than 5 people and I haven’t heard of any cases of food poisoning, so I guess technically that defines a successful party; depending on who you ask.
Initially, I was excited to have a get together with friends. Having just moved to Boston, I thought it was a good idea to get some people together and eat. Then of course I started getting overwhelmed, not with what to make, but what not to make. There are so many options and I wanted to impress, but not make it too complicated that the meal wouldn’t be done cooking until midnight. Eventually I decided on a menu, presented below (with selected recipes!). I do apologize for the lack of pictures though, it’s difficult to cook for ten people and take pictures.
As a side note though, I do recommend having dinner parties during the workweek. It is likely your guests will bring more alcohol than consume, thereby replenishing your wine rack.
Simple Green Salad
Stuffed and Broiled Tomatoes
Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts
-8-10 beets depending on size
-1/3 c Goat cheese
- 1/3 c Pine Nuts
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Red Wine Vinegar
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil (it will help keep the moisture and flavor in) and cook in oven ~45 minutes or until skewer can be inserted easily
- Meanwhile, toast pine nuts over medium heat until they begin to brown, then remove from heat
- Let the beets cool ~10 minutes then remove skins by holding a beet in a paper towel and rubbing the it off. This will also prevent your hands from turning hot pink
- Add the chopped beets, goat cheese and pine nuts to a bowl. Toss with olive oil and vinegar to taste
Chicken Roulade with Mustard Sauce
Sauce:
-1/2 c plain yogurt
-1 tbsp Dijon mustard
-2 tsp chopped chives
Chicken:
-4 boneless chicken breasts
-1/3 c plain yogurt
-1 tsp Dijon mustard
-1 c breadcrumbs (I used Italian style for extra flavor)
-1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
-2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt & pepper
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Lightly brush baking pan with olive oil
- Mix together the yogurt, mustard and chives for the sauce and set aside
- Sprinkle ~1 ½ teaspoons of basil in the center of each chicken breast and season with salt & pepper. Roll the chicken breast up, enclosing the basil
- In a bowl mix together the yogurt and mustard. Separately, mix together the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan
- Roll each chicken breast in the yogurt mixture then the breadcrumbs. Place on the baking pan and drizzle with the olive oil
- Bake ~30 minutes and serve with the sauce on the side
Source: Williams-Sonoma Chicken Cookbook
Mixed Berry Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies
WARNING: If you tend to eat the batter while making baked goods, chances are you will end up with very few of these cookies
Ingredients
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Scharfen-Berger aka the Rolls Royce of chocolate)
1 c + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c + 2 tbsp Cocoa powder (I used Droste)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c + 2 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c whole milk
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a double-boiler (or make-shift one, like I used) melt the bittersweet chocolate until smooth then remove from heat and set aside to cool
- Stir flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together in a bowl
- Beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy
- Slowly add the sugar to the butter until smooth
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well
- Beat in the salt and vanilla
- Add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated
- Mix in the milk
- Slowly add the flour mixture until fully incorporated
- Place ~1 tablespoons onto baking sheet lined with parchment, about 1 inch apart
- Bake until the cookies are barely firm, ~7-10 minutes – highly recommend using a thin metal spatula to transfer from pan to wire rack for cooling
- Store in an airtight container
Source: Tartine Bakery Cookbook
Now any takes to help with some of the dishes?!
