I often give tips on how to entertain at home, from simple dinners to carefully staged productions, and I would say I live that scheme in my own entertaining ventures. It's been a busy couple of weeks around the house and at work, but we wanted to have a few people over, to relax and enjoy some time with our Terre Haute friends. But, I didn't think I was up for a full-fledged day of shopping, cooking and arranging, so I devised an easy plan for a pizza night with ten friends.
The plan:- Some simple nibbly-items to start (bread sticks, olives, little stuffed peppers, and pickly things)
- A big salad with thin slices of blanched asparagus and little, spring carrots in a spicy, citrus vinaigrette
- A selection of pizzas from La Familia de Jeshua across the street
- A killer dessert
This menu takes advantage of a natural resource, right at our doorstep: some of the best pizza I have every eaten. Anywhere. Hands down. I know, you're saying, "Some of the best pizza you've ever eaten is in Terre Haute?" Don't be a hater, I said the same exact thing. But, it's true. So the plan revolves around some purchased items to which I add a few homemade touches. Easy enough. The lesson is: use what you have and what you love. Great Chinese or Thai around the corner? Get several orders of your favorites, make a big salad and dessert, and call it done. Tamales by the boatload? Margaritas, chips and salsa and you are set. Wherever it is you love to eat, there is a way to incorporate that into your entertaining. Think semi-entertaining, but not semi-homemade with Sandra Lee. (Ugh.)
Just because you are ordering pizza, doesn't mean you can't set the scene. I realize I went
a little overboard, but I was just trying to be inspirational to you, dear reader.Since I was planning on the essence of simplicity for dinner, I knew I would have time to spend on a great dessert. This idea came to me on the long drive to Omaha over Easter: tiramisu sundaes. What? Bear with me: the flavors and concept of tiramisu, but in a sundae form. This requires the creation of two ice cream/gelato recipes; some ladyfingers; chocolate sauce; and whipped cream. I think I was recalling the frozen tiramisu Michael made years ago and was thinking about how I could use my ice cream maker to do something similar. The results? Divine. The recipe for marscapone ice cream is something I developed and the coffee gelato is variation on a recipe I use for chocolate. Either would be good on their own or with a couple of cookies on the side, but the combination of the two with some homemade chocolate sauce was....killer.
Recipe: Marscapone Ice CreamI developed this recipe using a couple of others I've enjoyed. The marscapone makes a rich, indulgent ice cream that is just amazing all by itself. You could also layer in some jam or pureed fruit before you ripen the mixture in the freezer, but as I said, "just amazing all by itself."
16 ounces marscapone, room temperature
1 1⁄2 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
Combine the marscapone, sugar, milk, vanilla and salt in blender. Process until smooth. Depending on the size of your carafe, you may have to do this in two portions. Stir in the heavy cream and chill completely. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
Recipe: Coffee GelatoThis gelato is rich and has a strong, coffee flavor. Use less if you want a more subtle result, and remember to use decaf if you're serving it late in the evening and are worried about keeping your guests up all night. The recipe I used before, which I couldn't find, utilized whole coffee beans which are steeped in the cream to develop the flavor. This version is much simpler and just as delicious.3 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sugar
In a small bowl whisk 1/2 cup of the milk, scalded, into the espresso powder or instant coffee, whisking until the powder is dissolved. In another small bowl stir 1/2 cup of the remaining milk into the cornstarch, stirring until the cornstarch is dissolved. In a large heavy saucepan combine the remaining 2 cups milk, 2 cups half-and-half and the sugar and bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Stir the cornstarch mixture, whisk it into the milk mixture, and simmer the mixture, whisking, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the coffee mixture. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, chill it, covered, until it is cold, and freeze it in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions.
To make sundaes:
Add a scoop of marscapone ice cream and a scoop of coffee gelato to each individual serving dish; place two or three ladyfingers on the side; pass your favorite chocolate sauce, homemade whipped cream, and cacao nibs, allowing your guests their choice.
Recipe: Stuffed Pickled PeppersThe other thing I made (besides the salad, which is more assembled than made) was my favorite little stuffed peppers. I like to serve these as part of tapas menu, but they make a good starter for just about any Mediterranean menu. You can usually find the little peppers on the salad bar at good groceries, or jarred with the olives and other pickly things. Whole Foods often has a red and orange variety, which makes for a colorful presentation.
8 oz. of cream cheese at room temperature
8 oz. of goat cheese at room temperature
2 tbsp of butter at room temperature
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 to 2 tbsp of half-and-half or heavy whipping cream
24-30 red, Peppadew peppers (rinsed, drained and dried with a paper towel)
Using a hand mixer, cream together all of the ingredients through 1 tbsp. of the cream until smooth and light. Add the additional tablespoon of cream, if necessary. Place the mixture into a large, sealed bag. (A one-gallon bag works best as you want more bag than contents. Alternately, you can use a pastry bag with a tip, if you prefer.) Snip one corner of the bag and pipe the filling into each little pepper. Chill until the cheese has firmed up, at least an hour, but overnight if you wish. Serve.
Salty, buttery marcona almonds are a great accompnaniment to the peppers.
Mangez!
