The Shower

Well, the shower came off without a hitch yesterday! The weather was beautiful, the company was enjoyable and the food...well, if I don't say so myself, the food was fantastic! I spent about 8 hours on Friday prepping and cooking in anticipation of the big event, and then another 5 hours on Saturday morning, pulling everything together. A friend came over in the morning to help as well...much needed help, I must say. Even when the guests of honor showed up, I was still putting the finishing touches on the items I decieded to include in the menu! The theme of the shower was Hawaiian Luau, and for that reason I chose many things using tropical fruits, such as pineapple and mango, as well as pork, which is a great meat for luaus - it's very versatile and goes well with lots of fruits, and tropical sauces.

The Menu

Signature Drinks:

Pomegranate Spritzer (Dinner at My Place by Tyler Florence)

Mango Fizz (Williams-Sonoma Entertaining: Cocktail Parties)

Pineapple Mojito (Dinner at My Place by Tyler Florence)

Citrus Caipirinhas (Williams-Sonoma Entertaining: Cocktail Parties)

Strawberry Sandwiches (as pictured above) (Stonewall Kitchen Harvest)

Lamb and Sweet Pepper Skewers (Williams-Sonoma Entertaining: Cocktail Parties)

Char-Siu Glazed Pork and Pineapple Buns (as pictured below) (can be found here)

Fruit Spring Rolls (as pictured below) (can be found here)

Simple Salad with Mixed Fruits and Tropical Dressing (a la Sarah)

Chunky Gazpacho with Piquillo-Scallion Relish (Stonewall Kitchen Favorites)

Citrus-Glazed Pork Tenderloin (recipe a la Heidi) 

to be served with Caribbean Fruity Salsa (can be found here)

Pineapple Truffles (can be found here)

Lemon Vanilla Cupcakes (a la Sarah)

When hosting an event like this one, you really need to go into your prep work with a plan. For me, it helps to lay things out on a piece of paper. Think about what parts can be prepared the furthest in advance, and get those out of the way. Think about the things that need to marinate, and get those set in the fridge. What needs to be completed immediately before guests come? That's the most important list you'll make...since those are the things you'll be scrambling to complete as the doorbell is ringing!

When all was said and done, and the pork had all been cooked, the pineapple had all been eaten, and the presents had all been opened, I think I had a houseful of happy, full guests who thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon of good company, good laughs, and celebrating the start of Rachel's and Jon's new lives together. And me? Well, I was entirely satisfied with the spread that I turned out, and the course that the day took. It makes me happy when others enjoy the things I work so hard to create, so to me...and hopefully to everyone else...SUCCESS!

A Minestrone for Spring

Yesterday, we were in Vermont for a quick visit with Matt's mom, and we woke up to what I can only describe as a snowstorm. There was an inch of snow on the ground, it was coming down in buckets, and it hardly felt like the end of April! We drove back through rain and snow to warmer temperatures here in Boston, and thankfully, today was short-sleeve and flip-flop weather! What a difference 24 hours makes, huh?

Last night, it was so dreary and blah. It was definitely a soup and sandwich kind of evening, so I started cooking early in the afternoon...this soup takes a LOT of prep work, and minimal cooking time.

From Jamie's Kitchen, Jamie Oliver creates a delicious minestrone for the spring season. Using vegetables readily available during this time of year can make a meal seem even more comforting. It just seems...right. I made some basil pesto (for the end of the process), and gathered some chicken stock, diced fennel, sliced asparagus, cauliflower florets, diced zucchini, blanched and diced plum tomatoes, olive oil, sliced garlic cloves, chopped scallions, sliced green beans, shelled fava beans, broken spaghetti noodles, salt, pepper, basil and chives. I left out peas and yellow beans - and i'll tell you why - I couldn't find yellow beans and I was already shelling fava beans, so I chose to just stick with those. Check out the mise en place on this one!

It took a long time to cut, dice, chop, slice and shell all these veggies! I totally cleared out a nice little alcove in my fridge though - that's a lot of vegetables!

Once we were ready to start cooking, I brought a pot of stock to a boil. Meanwhile, I added about 5 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot. I heated the oil until warm and then added the sliced garlic cloves, diced fennel, and sliced scallions, and gently fried them without browning for about 15 minutes.

While that was cooking, I started to gather the ingredients for my sandwich...Chicken and Mango with Cilantro-Pesto, from the Williams Sonoma Panini Cookbook. While I didn't take pictures of the process, I will say that the recipe was quite easy...and delicious! I'll make it again so I can document it for you guys sometime soon.

Once the 15 minutes were up, I added all of my veggies (asparagus, cauliflower, zucchini, fava beans, green beans, tomatoes) along with some broken up spaghetti noodles and my boiling chicken stock. Stir everything together, and depending on how liquid-y you like your soup, add some more stock accordingly. I added an extra cup of stock because it didn't look soup-y enough for my taste, but if you love a REALLY chunky soup, there's no need!

I brought it all to a boil and allowed it to cook for about 10 minutes more. Meanwhile, I assembled and pressed my panini sandwiches.

When plating, I scooped some soup into each bowl and then topped them with a hefty tablespoon of pesto. I sprinkled some chopped basil and chives on top and then put a panini on each plate. The pesto packs a real punch of flavor into each spoonful of the soup...I'm so happy I've got leftovers for lunches this week! :)

Joey's Scallops with Jasmine Rice Risotto

So, I've started cooking from my new menu, and the first meal I chose to make is Joey's Scallops with Jasmine Rice Risotto, from Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook. Joey was part of Season 3, and during Episode 4, he participated in a Quickfire Challenge that asked him to create an appetizer to pair with a Bombay Sapphire cocktail for Bombay Mixologist, Jamie Walker. The recipe included in the cookbook has been adapted for main course servings, and was reproduced here, as well.

Now this recipe doesn't call for that many ingredients, and while they are a bit more exotic than you may be used to, this dish is SUPER-easy, so don't get overwhelmed.

What you'll need:

1 cup jasmine rice

2 cups coconut milk

8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh mint, plus more for garnishing

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil, plus more for garnishing

8 sea scallops

salt

cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon peanut oil, for frying

And of course, here's a look at my mise en place:

Did you take a look at those GORGEOUS scallops? So let's get going with the first step, shall we? In a medium dry saucepan over medium heat, lightly toast the rice. Add the coconut milk, stir, and cover. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook the rice until creamy, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, then stir in the mushrooms, mango, the 1 tablespoon of mint, and the 1 tablespoon of basil.

I recommend waiting until the risotto is complete, before starting the scallops. They only take 2 minutes per side, and I will warn you, overcooked scallops are TERRIBLE, and you shouldn't eat them. You want to JUST cook them through, no more than that (and I will admit now that I threw away a LOT of scallops before perfecting it, but if you follow the times on the recipe, you should make out okay!)

Season the scallops with salt and cayenne pepper. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the peanut oil. Add the scallops and sear for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.

To serve, place several spoonfuls of rice on each plate and top with scallops. Garnish with mint and basil.

Mmmm, this sure was delicious! And I know you guys can do it too! So, give it a try, and let me know how it goes...and if it doesn't go so great the first time, try again. Perfecting a cooked scallop takes some practice, but oh, it's SO worth it!