Dinner parties -- a sure-fire cure for beating back the winter blahs

Last weekend I attended a pot luck dinner party where every dish was a winner.  The host made a savory chicken stew, almost a soup really, in his crock pot.  Although I know that crock pot meals are amongst the easiest things in the world to make, they're sometimes short on flavor.  Not this chicken stew!  Absolutely delicious and hearty, too.  In my 'umble view, though, the most surprisingly tasty entry at dinner that night was the basil panna cotta with macerated berries.  The panna cotta was a very pale green, gracefully wiggling as scoops were placed in dessert bowls.  Silence descended as everyone at table bent over to taste it.  And then a collected contented sigh emerged.  Followed shortly by "wherever did you find this recipe??"  Turns out it came from none other than Jim Gop, our local boy made good as chef for Guido's.  And, for recipe vultures, available online! 

I was so taken by the panna cotta that I planned a dinner party for this weekend so I would have an excuse to make it.  And while I was at it, I decided to insure that most of the  preparations for the dinner be dishes I'd never made before.  Luckily, all but one of the dishes worked really well, and one of them sparkled and gleamed, bringing ooohs and ahhhs around the table.

Appetizers included bacon jam (see recipe on Feb 14 entry) on toast points (see recipe for Pullman bread on Dec 18), and potted mushrooms.  I'm usually a sucker for any appetizer with mushrooms, so when I read this one on food52.com, I knew I'd have to make it.  The next time I do, though, I'd up the ante a little, like substituting shitakes for the buttom mushrooms, and Marsala instead of sherry. 

The Caesar style swordfish, highlight of the main course, was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. And although I'm a worrier, always sure that I'll screw things up, this was a "not to worry" situation.  Like perhaps every recipe in every Ina Garten cookbook, this is simple...and simply delicious.  Served along with the swordfish were roasted potatoes (always a hit), sauteed Brussels sprouts topped with fried capers, a lackluster broccoli and scallion puree (I think the problem here is that I had made it ahead of time and that when I reheated it, it lost the punch of the freshly made puree), and, in lieu of a quiet dinner bread, cranberry-cornmeal quick bread (yum).

Through the generosity of my dinner guests, I had a nice selection of red wines to accompany the meal.  Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the food, maybe it was simply the deliciousness of the wines, but eight of us polished off four bottles.  Not excessive...just appreciative.

And then came the dramatic denouement--the basil panna cotta with macerated berries.  For years now I've stressed the importance of buying local food and eating seasonally.  And for the most part, that's how I eat.  So it's with no little embarrasment that I'm bragging about such an out-of-season dessert.  But wow!  It was well worth breaking rules just to taste it. 

I'm told  one can substitute mint for the basil, which I think I'll try the next time I make it (in season, to be sure) but the basil is so subtle and disarming that I'm a bit reluctant to muck with the recipe.  Best of all, it couldn't be easier to make.  A big hat tip to Jim Gop!

If you're interested....

Caesar Style Swordfish (Ina Garten "How Easy Is That")

Preheat oven to 500.  Ina Garten advises that your oven be very clean.

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

For the Caesar sauce, place garlic, parsley, anchovy paste, and mustard in bowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade and pulse until garlic is minced. Add mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 t salt and ½ t pepper and pulse to make a smooth sauce.

Place sword fish steaks on pan and sprinkle both sides generously w/salt and pepper. Set aside ⅓ of sauce to serve with cooked fish. Spread fish on one side with half of remaining sauce, turn fish and spread remaining sauce on second side. Sprinkle with scallions and allow to stand for 10 minues.

Roast the fish for 10-12 minutes, until the center is just barely cooked. Cover fish w/aluminum foil to rest on the pan for 10 minutes.Meanwhile, heat oil in small sauté pan until ver hot, add capers, and cook for 30-60 seconds, until they start to pop and are a little scrip. Serve swordfish hot with lemon wedges, frizzled capers, and reserved Caesar sauce.

This recipe serves 6.  I had 8 over so I added a pound of swordfish, but the proportions for the sauce worked just fine.

Basil Panna Cotta with macerated berries (Jim Gop, online at Guido's website)

	Serves: 4
FOR THE BERRIES:
½	pt. (about 1 c.) strawberries, washed and hulled
½	pt. raspberries, blackberries or blueberries, washed
	zest of 1 lemon (optional)
	juice of half lemon
¼	c. honey
	pinch fresh cracked black pepper
FOR THE PANNA COTTA:
3	tbs. cold water
1	packet powdered gelatin
1	c. basil leaves, washed well, chopped and tightly packed
1	pt. (2 c.) heavy cream
¼	c. sugar
1	tsp. vanilla
FOR THE BERRIES:
	Combine all ingredients into a medium size mixing bowl. Lightly mash berries. Place in refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
FOR THE PANNA COTTA:
	Place water in a small, shallow bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add basil, cream and sugar to a medium sauepan. Slowly bring to a simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly for a few minutes. Transfer cream mixture to a blender or food processor and pour in gelatin and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
	Using a fine strainer or sieve, strain mixture into a bowl. Ladle into ramekins or small cups. Let panna cotta chill until it's firm, about 1½ to 2 hours.
	To serve, run a knife around the ramekin and invert onto a plate, spooning berries over the top. Alternatively, serve in ramekins and spoon berries on top.

This recipe serves 4.  I doubled it in all regards save the amount of gelation.  Instead of using two packets, I used 1 1/3.  I was told that if I used two packets, the panna cotta wouldn't wiggle...and what's a panna cotta without a little movement?

Cranberry-Cornmeal Quick Bread

1	cup unbleached all purpose flour
1	cup whole wheat white flour or regular whole wheat flour
1	cup cornmeal
½	cup granulated sugar
1-½	teaspoons salt
1-½	teaspoons baking powder
1-¼	cups buttermilk
½	cup unsalted butter, melted
½	cup pure maple syrup
2	large eggs
½	teaspoon maple extract
¾	cup chopped pecans plus more halves for garnish
¾	cup dried cranberries (about 4 ounces)

In a large bowl whisk together both flours, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, maple syrup, eggs and maple extract. Add this mixture to the flour mixture; stir just until blended. Stir in chopped pecans and dried cranberries.

Spoon batter into a 9 × 5 loaf pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper.

Arrange pecan halves in row down center of batter.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes until the top is golden brown and a pairing knife inserted into center of bread comes out clean. Tent bread loosely with foil if browning too quickly.

Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool further.

I lined up pecans across the top of the bread as the recipe requested, but I'm not sure they added anything to the presentation.

This recipe comes from a newly-discovered cooking blog, Noble Pig (noblepig.com), written by a women who owns a vineyard in Oregon and who REALLY likes to cook.

Potted Mushrooms (another find from food52.com)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, separated 8 oz button mushrooms, stems removed (use shitake instead) 8 oz cremini mushrooms 1/4 c thinly sliced shallots, separated 1/4 c thinly sliced leeks (white part only), separated 4 t fresh thyme leaves, separated S&p 4 T dry sherry, separated 1 T lemon juice 1.  Finely chop shitakes (or button, if you must), half the shallots, and half the leeks in a food processor.  Scoop into a lint-free kitchen towel, roll it up, and twist tightly over the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. 2.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons butter. Swirl to melt and add chopped mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and add a few grinds of black pepper. Stir to coat with butter. Increase heat to medium high. Cook until the mushrooms on the bottom begin to brown – about 2 minutes – stir and repeat three more times. 3.  Add ½ thyme and 2 tablespoons of sherry and cook until sherry evaporates. Scoop into a medium mixing bowl. Repeat steps 1 – 3 with creminis and add to first batch. Mix in lemon juice. Melt remaining butter and pour it into mushrooms. Stir with a fork to mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to let flavors meld. Allow to warm for 1 to 2 hours before serving on crackers or slices of thin toast. This will keep three to four weeks refrigerated and can be frozen. Eat with thin slices of toast or crackers.

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