Fresh Tart

If you've eaten at Barrio Tequila Bar lately (and if you haven't, you should...), you'll recognize this guacamole presentation, with sliced jalapenos and radishes.  I copied it because I'm absolutely smitten with the extra crunch and heat of the raw vegetables - as if I needed yet another reason to love guacamole.

Or anything at Barrio.

(I knocked back a soft-shell crab taco last night.  Lordy.)

I'm a bit promiscuous with my own guacamole concoctions - jalapenos, tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lemon, lime, chipotles...they all make appearances, in various combinations.  This version features garlic and smoky chipotles.

I would have added a chopped tomato, but I heaped this particular green glory on a grilled, open-face burger, along with a big ol' slice of tomato.

Be aware - I like it hot, so start with a smaller amount of chipotle if you need.  And taste your jalapeno before eating big slices - their heat varies widely!  (You can tell that I blog from Minnesota with all of those spicy! heat! uff da! warnings...)

Smoky Chipotle Guacamole
Serves 4

1 ripe avocado (gives lightly to pressure when pressed)
sea salt
1 chipotle chili from a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, minced to a paste (note: if you are sensitive to heat, start with 1/2 of a chipotle chili, taste the guacamole, and add more to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced to a paste
juice of 1 lime
1 ripe garden tomato, seeded & chopped

1 thinly sliced jalapeno pepper
2 thinly sliced radishes

Cut avocado in half.  Remove pit and discard.  Spoon flesh from the skin and add to a medium bowl.  Season with salt (1/2 tsp. to start), then mash avocado with the chipotle, garlic, and lime.  Gently stir in the chopped tomato.  Correct seasoning.  Garnish with sliced jalapenos and radishes.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Here's a new twist on an old favorite, turning this lovely 101 Cookbooks tomato tart into little tomato tart canapes.  Don't worry, I didn't mess with that perfectly buttery, cheesy crust.  Oh no.  I just baked it in a flat rectangle instead of in a tart pan, then cut the still-warm crust into bite-size squares.  I used ripe cherry tomato slices to fit the diminutive bites, then topped it all with fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a generous grind of black pepper.

A mini replica of the original.  (Which makes a fantastic dinner, by the way, the original.  Add a light salad.)

Pretty, right?  Easy too.  And so damn delicious, you'll be a little bit blown away. The contrast of soft, ripe tomato bursting through the shatteringly crisp crust is just...whoa.

Scene stealing.

Expensive tasting (but not expensive).

Party making.

Especially since you can make the crust ahead (yes!) and salt and dry the tomatoes in advance too.

Quickly assemble them right before your guests arrive.  Eat a couple while they ring your doorbell.  Don't forget to wipe your mouth!  You're golden.

(Those are skin-on marcona almonds above, by the way.  I snagged them in the Whole Foods cheese section and you should too.  The toasted skin adds another addictive layer of salty, oily crunch and nuttiness.  Good.)

Bite-Size Tomato Tarts on a Parmesan Crust
Slightly adapted from a recipe by Heidi Swanson on www.101cookbooks.com

1 pint in-season, ripe cherry tomatoes (great tasting!), cut into thick slices
1 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
1/2 c. butter, well chilled + cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
4-oz. chunk of good fresh Parmesan, microplane-grated (you should end up with about 2 cups loosely packed grated cheese. Save any leftover grated cheese for sprinkling on the crusts when they come out of the oven)
2 Tbsp. ice cold water
2 Tbsp. best quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. slivered basil
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prep the tomatoes:
To avoid a soggy crust later on, you need to rid the tomatoes of some of their liquid.  Clear a space on your counter and put down a double layer of absorbent paper towels.  Place the tomatoes in a single layer on the paper towels and sprinkle them with about 1 tsp. fine-grained sea salt.  Top the tomatoes with another layer of paper towels and press gently.  Let the tomatoes sit until you are ready to use them.

Make the tart crust(s):
Place the butter, both flours, and Parmesan in a food processor and pulse quickly about 25 times.  You are looking for a sandy textured blend, punctuated with pea-sized pieces of butter.  With a few more pulses, blend in the 2 Tbsp. of ice water.  The dough should stick together when your pinch it between two fingers.  Pour the dough onto the baking sheet.  Working quickly, press the dough uniformly into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle.  Place in the refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the tart crust:
Pull the crust out of the refrigerator and poke several times with the tongs of a fork.  Cover the tart with aluminum foil and cover generously with pie weights, or alternatively, lay a second baking sheet on top of the foil.  Slide the crust onto the middle rack in the oven.  Bake for 15 minutes, pull the shell out of the oven and remove the pie weights or second baking sheet, then gently peel back the tinfoil.  Place the uncovered tart back in the oven, weight free, and allow to cook for another 10 minutes, or until it is a deep golden brown in color.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little shredded Parmesan (this will act as another barrier to the tomato liquid).  Using a pizza cutter, cut the still-warm (and therefore slightly soft and easier to cut) crust into bite-size squares.  Place the pan on a rack and let cool to room temperature before filling.

Assembling the tarts:
Just before serving, arrange two tomato slices on each square.  Drizzle with your best quality extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with the slivered basil.  Grind black pepper over the bites.  Serve at room temperature.

You're likely thinking finally, sheesh, have the party already.  And indeed we did, and it was great fun.  I can't say enough about how awesome Silver Service catering is, I wish they just lived with us - it is so decadent to have someone think about how the table looks, and add garnishes, and light candles, and do all the things I would do (except waaay better) so that I can completely relax and talk to my guests.  Heavenly, truly.

The food - other than what I made - was prepared by Vincent Francoual, owner of the Vincent's Restaurant.  He actually delivered the food himself, which I didn't expect and left me more than a little starstruck.  Nothing like making your own kitchen feel completely weenie than to have one of the best chefs in town standing in it, eek.  Thankfully, he's a very sweet and low-key person and it was way cool that he delivered the goods himself.  Made my day.

So the wine flowed, and food was devoured, and friends and coworkers had plenty of time to chat and spread good cheer.  My 13-year old son was a huge help, greeting guests, taking coats, clearing plates, and making me so proud I almost burst.  All that remains are a few lemon tartlets (from Vincent's) and a few almond triangles (the Star Trib cookie contest winner that I prepped, very tasty).  For the rest of the menu, see below.

All in all, a grand time, thanks again to Silver Service and Vincent's and John's partners and spouses for making such a fun afternoon/evening.

I'm done entertaining until Christmas Eve (menu, haven't considered, but stay tuned).  Until then, Happy Holidays!

John and I shifted into high gear today, doing set up for tomorrow's party.  Plates and glassware are set out.  Food is assigned spots on the buffet table.  Flowers are arranged.  Fruit and nuts are scattered amongst the greens and pine cones (this year I chose kumquats, persimmons, and seckle pears - mostly because it's so fun to say all those words).  The actual centerpiece I got from Arts & Flowers and it turned out beautifully - they do seriously cool arrangements (I love Roger Beck too). Candles are distributed around various parts of the house, wood is in the fireplace; both await the touch of a match.  Beer is chilling in the garage; water, soda, and wine are ready to pour.

Despite a cold day, I was able to get my grill hot enough to put a good sear on both pork and beef tenderloin roasts (I'll serve them tomorrow cold, sliced, and garnished with mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, and fresh herbs). Tonight I'll bake the Almond Triangles (stay tuned for results).

Tomorrow we'll do the final straightening of the house, chop and prepare garnishes, slice the roasts, compose a cheese tray, set out bowls of cashew brittle and almonds, ice the beverages, light a million candles, get some good holiday tunes playing, and clean the kitchen of pretty much everything in preparation for the caterers to do their thing.  Somewhere in there I'll remember to get dressed and put on some party shoes.

Hope your holiday party plans are going well!  (We're going OUT for dinner tonight - Cafe Barbette, here we come!)

Ho ho whoa, it's holiday party time!  Always fun, of course, seeing friends and coworkers and tasting all sorts of delicious appetizers, cookies, and drinks.

Back in the 90s, I used to do a rip-roaring holiday buffet for the neighbors each year - I thought of it as the perfect opportunity to serve all of my favorite appetizers in one night and experiment with new ones.  I would start cooking and freezing a couple of weeks before the big event, then spend the whole night in the kitchen chatting and cooking my brains out.  Great fun, but exhausting.

 

 

 

 

These days, I edit my menus - and stretch my energy! - a bit more carefully.  John and I are hosting his partners and spouses on Sunday, a group of about 70, for a late-afternoon cocktail party.  I'm making a few things and having the rest catered (by the fantastic Silver Service, they always do a lovely job), with the goal of leaving the kitchen to greet our guests.  The buffet menu is shaking out as follows:

cold, sliced, grilled beef and pork tenderloins with wild mushrooms and fresh herbs (me)

assorted cheeses with crackers  and apple slices (me)

roasted vegetables

warm chicken curry with red pepper skewers

warm puff pastry with cauliflower puree & sauteed mushrooms

warm shrimp spring rolls

mini lemon tarts with raspberries, chocolate truffles, almond triangle cookies (me), & grapes (me)

 

 

 

 

John and I are doing all the beverages, ice, and set up.  I'm renting plates, glassware, and silverware.  I'll complete the decorating and flowers.  I've done giant parties this way before - plugging in a caterer to help with the most time-consuming tasks and clean up, but taking care of decor, set up, drinks, and a portion of the food myself.  It's pretty much the perfect combination - I get to do what I like to do without killing myself, or our budget.

I managed to put the final touches on the Christmas decorations despite Puppy Louis having a difficult time post-neutering.  Bad reaction to pain meds, biting/licking his incision despite the "cone of shame," special food and narcotics, lots of puppy pain, trips to the vet, antibiotics, and finally...a happily healing pup.  A bit more of an adventure than we expected, but all's well that ends well.

Happy Partying!

Ah, the parties are over. In the last week, we've entertained almost 100 people (30 on Tuesday, 70 on Saturday), and I have to say, it all went off without a hitch. Whew! And both were really...FUN, which is the point of course. Reconnected with old friends, met a lot of new ones, ate good food, drank good wine, and in preparation, really got our house in order. Feeling good. Next big one: Thanksgiving, woo hoo!

I luckily didn't have to prepare food for 70, since Saturday's party format - parent party - had folks bring either an appetizer or dessert. You know what that means - WAY more food than everyone can eat, but lots of fun tasties to try! I did make a few things, to get the party rolling, including gougere (cheese pastry puffs), a platter of cold sliced beef tenderloin surrounded by couscous, and a plate of toasts topped with ricotta and roasted tomatoes (I'm into them lately, what can I say?). I was even able to take leftover ricotta and tomatoes, puree them together, and make a quick-n-lovely pasta for dinner last night. That's about as far I was willing to go with 1) prep, or 2) clean-up, no surprise there.

Today, back to reality. Few things to put away, but not much (thank you John and Nathan, my official clean-up crew; thank you also to my extremely polite guests, who tossed almost every plate and napkin and deposited every bit of glassware in the kitchen - if that's Minnesota Nice, I'll take it). The pool gets put to winter-sleep this week, so it's time to think about putting away patio and porch furniture. The lights and lanterns have come down. Flower and herb pots will soon be emptied (I've still got a few tomatoes coming in, although they are the obviously the very, very last). Yes, the parties are really over. Sniff.

Guess I'll just have to cheer myself by...going out for dinner with Kim & Suz! To celebrate Kim's birthday - Happy Birthday Maven of Mischief! Look out, True Thai, here we come!

Moderate it: there's nothing like hosting a huge party to get a good workout. I'm not kidding! I hauled around four cases of wine, 100 bottles of water, 80 lbs. of ice (up and downstairs a couple of times), furniture, trays of glassware (I rented wine glasses), not to mention all the groceries and trash. I felt it in my lower back, for sure!

Oh, I am so glowing after my neighborhood's holiday Afterglow Party - shield your eyes, baby, I'm bright, bright, bright. OK, maybe I'm just emitting uber-tiredness, since it's 1:30 a.m.(!), but hey, I wasn't the last one to leave, so I'm kinda proud. And, oh, tired.

I totally missed out on my neighbor Kasey's yummy-sounding appetizer - crisp bread with chives, ricotta, and prosciutto - so maybe I can snag the recipe from her, since they were obviously scrumpers and disappeared in a flash. The whole setting - generously hosted by Matt & Melinda Pfohl - was truly holiday gorgeous. Great food, lovely home, fine drink, a couple of roaring fires, good friends - what else could one want? Nothin' but a soft bed to fall into at the end of the night. And so...

Well, what can I say? Several didn't make it to my party tonight, but most did, so how honored am I that my dear friends and family braved snow and wind to be here to celebrate with me? VERY!!! It was a fabulous night, with fabulous people, amazing food from Vincent's, and plenty of wine and good cheer. And the service from Silver Service catering - unbeatable, truly. Both the chefs from Vincent's and the servers from Silver Service were here early, despite the crummy weather, ready to go. I just can't say enough about their level of professionalism.

The tasties included tuna tartare on potato crisps, roasted tomato and caramelized onion tartlets, mini-croque monsieur sandwiches, roasted vegetables, smoked salmon with creme fraiche, steak with chimichurri sauce, chicken and red pepper skewers, imported cheeses with freshly baked baguette, and assorted cookies and truffles. Oh my gosh I had a great time, The Best. I'll post more pics tomorrow, but for now, I'm toddling off to bed, full and happy and so grateful for the company of my brave guests.

And, Happy Birthday Jen (chillin' here with Jon Brown and her husband, Steve Katz)! Tonight may have been my party, but it was Jen Leopold's real birthday!

Friday Morning Coffee with Suz! Man, it's been weeks again, waaay too long. It was great to see her beautiful face and talk super-fast so I could fill her in on all the goings on of the last couple of weeks. You know, the stuff we haven't covered in email or on the phone, ha. Like bitching about the oncoming snowstorm! Bad timing, my friends, since I'm hosting a Silver Service-catered 40th Birthday Bash tomorrow night...pour MOI! Uuuuugh (or more likely a far more offensive word!) if the snow wrecks my lovely party! Vincent Francoual - yes, of the fabulous Vincent A Restaurant- is doing the food, people, this is serious business! (That's the beauty of catering with Silver Service - they work with many of the best chefs and servers in the city.) So although I of course want everyone to be safe - I also want everyone to realize that the food is going to be worth braving the snow - this isn't just me cooking (that's our usual party routine), it's Vincent...

Sigh. Well, at least we were unhampered in our trip to Fugaise for dinner last night. It was as great as I had hoped - for me, silky squash soupfollowed by three small wild boar raviolis (small raviolis, I mean; I have no idea the size of the boar but I'm guessing not terribly small) garnished with figs, wild mushrooms, and truffle demiglace. The usual attentive, knowledgable service. Lovely wine list. Rarrr...

And tonight? Back to spiffing up the house, arranging flowers, setting out candles. And of course plowing through my closet to figure out what the hell I'm wearing - even if I end up standing here alone, just me, a few cases of wine, and a mountain of croque monsieurs, I want to look DAMN GOOD. Hmph.