I want to also mention that a very talented friend provided guitar music and sang throughout the evening, much to the pleasure of my guests. Music (and a cozy fire in the fireplace) always tends to enhance one's experience on a cool, fall evening. And hats off to my wonderful husband, who worked so hard to make the yard look great and who is becoming quite handy at serving and clearing plates, pouring wine and just generally being a great host.
The menu was meatless (with the exception of the proscuitto garnish on the verrines) and focused on foods that were root vegetables, gourds or from the nightshade family. I served three appetizers and a cocktail, followed by soup and salad courses with a bright, limey white wine selected to enhance them (Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2010 (Washington State). The main course and vegetable were accompanied by rich, beautifully balanced red wine with a spicy finish (Juan Gil Rioja 2008 (Spain), and dessert was served with coffee and after-dinner drinks. The last guest departed just past 11 p.m. My husband collapsed, exhausted into bed while I contentedly tidied up and reminisced about the evening.
Here are the recipes from our evening together:
Miniature Goat Cheese Tarts with Roasted Beets, Herb Salad and Chive Oil
If you have the inclination to make these delicious and complex little bites, start early. The beets can be roasted and diced up to 3 days ahead, and the chive oil can also be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen until ready to thaw and use. You can also make the goat cheese filling up to one day ahead. In any event, they're really yummy and even beet-haters will enjoy them (not knowing there are beets lurking under the herb salad).
Make the chive oil: Combine 1 large bunch chives (1 ounce), minced with 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and a little kosher salt (to taste) in a mini blender. Puree all until smooth. Strain the oil through a fine sieve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The chive oil can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen.
Roast the beets: Trim ends and leaves from 2 medium beets and scrub well. Rub with olive oil, then sprinkle with dried thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast beets, turning occasionally, on a small pan at 400 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove beets from oven and set aside to cool. Remove and discard skin from beets. Slice into 1/4" slices, then make 1/4" dice. Dress with a little chive oil and set aside or chill until ready to use, up to 3 days. If you are lucky enough to have access to very high-quality salad bar or deli, you may be able to skip the roasting step by purchasing about 1/4 lb. roasted beets and dicing them yourself at home.
Make the garlic and herb seasoned goat cheese: Bring 4 oz. chevre to room temperature. Season to taste with fresh minced garlic, finely minced fresh herbs (I used chives, thyme and parsley) and some salt and freshly ground pepper. Add half and half or heavy cream in driblets, mashing with a fork and blending until you have a smooth but still somewhat firm consistency (like room temperature cream cheese). Chill until ready to use, or set aside until ready to assemble.
Make the herb salad: I used 2 Tbs. each chopped parsley, sorrel and beet greens and 1/2 Tbs. chopped chives as well as a generous pinch of sturdy, spicy sprouts, such as radish sprouts. Use whatever combination of herbs you wish, but complement the herbs in the goat cheese and remember the earthiness of the beets. Combine herbs in a small bowl and drizzle with a little chive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss to coat herbs evenly and set aside until ready to use. Can be made up to 15 minutes ahead, while the goat cheese is warming in the phyllo shells.
To assemble the appetizer: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. You'll need about 20 to 24 miniature phyllo shells (such as Athens brand). Fill each shell with the goat cheese mixture (you can pipe this in with a pastry bag, a zip bag with the corner cut off, or just use a butter knife). Place filled shells on a baking pan and bake in oven until cheese is warmed through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and put about 1 tsp. diced beets on top of each shell. Divide herb salad among shells, using a small set of tongs, or your fingers if necessary. Drizzle shells with additional chive oil. Serve warm. Make about 2 dozen appetizers.
Crusted Pumpkin Wedges with Dill and Lemon Creme Fraiche Dipping Sauce
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe in the October 2011 issue of House Beautiful. His recipe calls for sour cream, but I used creme fraiche for its richness. Find the procedure for this easy and elegantly essential ingredient here and use sour cream in place of the buttermilk if you like for extra richness and texture. Of course, you can eat these without anything to dip them in and they would still be delicious.
1 1/2 lbs. pumpkin (scrubbed well and skin on)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 Tbs. panko
6 Tbs. finely chopped parsley
2 1/2 tsp. finely chopped thyme
zest of 2 large lemons, divided
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup creme fraiche
1 Tbs. chopped dill
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the pumpkin into 3/8" slices and lay them flat, cut-side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Mix together in a small bowl the Parmesan, panko, parsley, thyme, half the lemon zest, the garlic and a little salt and pepper to taste.
4. Brush the pumpkin slices generously with olive oil and sprinkle with the crust mixture, covering the slices generously. Pat the mixture gently down.
5. Roast the pumpkin for about 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork. If crust starts to darken too much during roasting, cover pan loosely with foil.
6. Mix together in a small serving bowl the creme fraiche and the dill, seasoning with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle a little of the remaining lemon zest over the creme fraiche and the rest over the roasted pumpkin slices.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature with the creme fraiche on side for dipping. Serves 4 to 8.
You can prepare as the recipe is written in Bon Appetit, or you can do as I did and fry those little beauties in duck fat. Gotta love the purple fingerlings. And the duck fat? Oh, yummmm.
Cranberry Pear Cobbler
I added 3/4 cup pear nectar to the citrus-cranberry mash to steep before straining. A very potent cocktail, nonetheless, and very pretty in the glass garnished with cranberries and mint.
Curried Orange and Carrot Soup with Orange Creme Fraiche and Crystallized Ginger
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 cups rich chicken broth
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
3 whole cloves
1 tsp. coriander seed
12 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. cumin seed
1 dried red pepper
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick, broken in half
6 allspice berries
2 cardamom pods, split
4 slices fresh ginger, about 1/4" thick (no need to peel)
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (you can substitute reconstituted o.j.)
1 cup half and half or heavy cream
3/4 cup creme fraiche
1 tsp. orange zest
4 tsp. crystallized ginger, jullienned
1. Melt the butter in a 3-quart soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion and saute until edges are golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Add carrots, garlic, broth and turmeric.
4. Combine remaining dry spices and ginger in a large teaball or spice bag, or tie them up in a double thickness of cheesecloth.
5. Add spices to pot and bring to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove the spices and puree the soup in 2 batches in a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender (which I think is safer and easier). At this point you can store the soup for up to one day ahead in the refrigerator.
8. Rinse out soup pot and return pureed soup to it.
9. Add orange juice and heat gently.
10. Add half and half or heavy cream. Blend well. DO NOT BOIL.
11. Combine creme fraiche and orange zest in a squeeze bottle or a small plastic zip bag with a very small corner cut off.
12. Divide soup among 6 to 8 soup bowls and squeeze a zigzag of creme fraiche on the surface of each bowl.
13. Use a toothpick to draw lines through the zigzag in the opposite direction.
14. Garnish with crystalized ginger and serve hot. Serves 6 to 8.
These rich, elegant salads are labor intensive, but such a treat to make and serve. Your guests will adore you. They can be made ahead and garnished at the last minute.
Roasted Eggplant with Studded Pilaf and Manchego Bechamel
You can make the various components of this satisfying main course ahead of time or in stages: roast the eggplant and chill it up to 2 days ahead, roast the butternut squash for the pilaf up to two days ahead, make the pilaf up to 1 day ahead and/or make the bechamel up to 1 day ahead. Then bring everything to room temperature and assemble, reheating the bechamel in a double boiler or in the microwave.
Prepare the eggplant: Cut 2 medium-size eggplants in half from stem to blossom ends. Place cut side down in a sided baking dish. Add a little dry sherry and about a cup of water. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until very soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from over and set aside until ready to use, or store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
Prepare the pilaf: Cook 2 cups brown rice with 4 cups liquid (water, broth or watered-down tomato juice) according to package directions. Meanwhile, peel and dice a small butternut squash (you should have about a cup and a half of diced squash) or purchase prepared diced butternut at the grocery store if you wish to save time. Toss butternut pieces in a bowl with enough EVOO to coat each piece and salt and pepper to taste. Turn out butternut pieces onto a baking sheet and roast uncovered for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees, or until tender and caramelized. If you plan things right, you can roast the butternut and the eggplant both 2 days ahead of time and store them in your fridge until ready to assemble.
Toast about 1 cup of pine nuts gently in a skillet on medium-low heat or in the oven, watching carefully so they don't burn. Cool and set aside. Measure out about 1/2 cup golden raisins and set aside.
Next, chop an onion into small dice and brown gently in a large skillet with plenty of olive oil. Add 2 to 3 cloves minced garlic, saute briefly, then add the roasted butternut squash, the raisins and the pine nuts. Stir gently to blend and remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp. each cinnamon and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in brown rice, blending all ingredients together. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Sometimes I add chopped parsley for a little green, sometimes not. Add a little extra olive oil if the rice looks too dry or pasty. Your finished pilaf should glisten and not be starchy or glutinous-looking.
Stuff the eggplant: Carefully turn the eggplant halves over in the roasting pan with a spatula so that the skin side is down. Gently mash the pulp down with a fork. Mound a generous amount of pilaf onto each eggplant half, dividing pilaf evenly among 4 servings. Pour a little sherry (2 to 4 Tbs.) in the bottom of the roasting pan and add about 1/4 cup water. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 25 minutes.
Make the bechamel: Melt 4 Tbs. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3 Tbs. flour and whisk rapidly to blend well and break up any lumps. Slowly pour 2 cups warm milk into the pan while whisking, being careful to whisk out any lumps. Reduce heat to medium and stir and cook until sauce is creamy, rich and smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and about 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups shredded Manchego cheese (or substitute Emmentaler, Gruyere, Fontina, Monterrey Jack or another nutty white cheese) and stir well until cheese is melted. Store for later use (reheat gently in a double boiler or in the microwave) or keep warm until ready to use.
To assemble the dish: Carefully place stuffed eggplant half on a plate with a long spatula, mounding up pilaf again if necessary. Ladle a generous amount of bechamel over each serving and garnish with finely chopped parsley. Serves 4.
Roasted Red Peppers and Fennel
These peppers are lovely to look at and will bring moans and praise from your guests. I decided to grind the peppercorns, coriander and fennel in a spice grinder for a more pleasant mouthfeel, otherwise, the crushed spices are rather crunchy and unpleasant.
Pumpkin Roll Cake with Toffee Cream Filling and Caramel Sauce
You can use purchased caramel sauce as suggested in the recipe, or you can make your own, as I did. I always like to "push" the sugar past the point that most recipes recommend to a deep, dark caramel--like black roux. This sauce adds so much more flavor to the finished dessert. Top it with whipped cream and more toffee pieces. It's gorgeous and delicious.
May your tastebuds dance nonstop!
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