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{goat} cheesecake + thyme-infused cherries.

August 31, 2012 — 4 Comments

I’m pretty sure goat cheese cheesecake is one of the seventh wonders of the world that I’m just a littttle upset to be just discovering.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Thyme-Infused Cherries

I mean, where have I been? It’s been a long 27 years without goat cheese cheesecake.

Cheesecake should probably be my favorite dessert, right? Considering that cheese is my numero uno food group. I do love a good cheesecake, now that I think about it. Sometimes I get a craving and send Daniel down the street for this ridiculous “30th Anniversary” crazy-town chocolate number from The Cheesecake Factory. It’s so rich and indulgent and just totally NUTS. Have you ever had this sucker?

It might happen only once a year for me, for said reason – it’s so over-the-top sweet and indulgent that I have it once and I’m good for, um… a year. Such is not the case with this very distant relative of that cheesecake.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Sweets + Treats cheesecake, cherries, cream cheese, goat cheese, summer recipes, thyme

prosciutto-roasted sea bass.

August 9, 2012 — 11 Comments

Guys, I made fish. (!!!)

Prosciutto-Roasted Sea Bass

What, not exciting enough for you? Allow me to elaborate.

Fish is something I love ordering out, but I rarely cook it at home. I’ll do it occasionally during the week, but I’ve never really took it upon myself to make something delicious. It’s usually more along the lines of getting something together for dinner that’s fast and healthy. I’ll throw a piece of salmon in the oven with a little lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper and call it a day.

And I wonder why I’m not excited to cook it!

I watched Ina make this the other day, and I was inspired. Finally! Just what would we do without Ina Garten? I don’t want to think about it.

Her version looked lovely for fall but I thought, this sea bass idea would be equally perfect anytime of year. I served it alongside my summery peach panzanella but you could do virtually any side. A simple roasted tomato dish would be perfection right now, too.

The beauty of this dish is that it comes together in NO TIME. I am not exaggerating. This is shockingly simple.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Fabulously Simple, Main Dishes dijon mustard, fish, prosciutto, sea bass, seafood

goat cheese mac with caramelized shallots.

June 7, 2012 — 8 Comments

Is it annoying for me to say that I’m pretty sure this is the best mac and cheese ever?

Goat Cheese Mac + Cheese with Caramelized Shallots

I can’t decide. But I’m thinking yes.

I’m now imagining every mac and cheese I’ve ever had, and I want to revise that statement to the best mac and cheese that I’ve ever made.

See, mac and cheese is probably my favorite dish EVER, like in the world … so I’ve had my fair share of it. And the thing about mac and cheese, for me, is that I love it every time. No matter which way it’s made – truffle this, lobster that, three-cheese, four-cheese, any cheese … I’m in.

We should discuss the fact that even though this is my favorite food, I’ve shown it virtually no love here on this blog. You need to know that I’m aware of this, and I do realize the asininity of the situation.

{Yes, that is a word. I just looked it up to be sure … I wouldn’t say it out loud, though – because it definitely doesn’t sound real}

It’s asinine! It is. There’s just no other word to describe it. And I blame Ina.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Obsessed caramelized onions, goat cheese, mac and cheese, macaroni, parmigiano-reggiano, pasta, shallots, thyme

tangerine semifreddo + salted almond brittle.

April 13, 2012 — 4 Comments

Looking for an absurdly delicious take on the classic “Creamsicle” flavor combination?

I thought so.

The second I saw this recipe, I was in. I wasn’t exactly sure what a semifreddo was, but I took a look at the ingredient list and figured that eggs, sugar, and heavy cream wouldn’t fail me – and a little tangerine love? Yes, please.

A semifreddo is really just a fancy Italian word for a frozen custard type of dessert. This recipe is actually quite simple – yolks, sugar, and citrus come together for a custard, the whites are beaten into a meringue-like cloud with the rest of the sugar, and cream is whipped into, well, whipped cream! They’re all folded together and frozen in layers with what happens to be the very best part of the recipe, which is the salted almond brittle.

Yes – it is the salted almond brittle that takes this one over the top. Without it, we’d be facing a super-creamy dessert with lots of fresh tangerine flavor – thanks to the quick sauce that’s added just before serving – but also a very sweet dessert. I actually added just a touch of lemon to the tangerine sauce to give it a little extra tartness, because my tangerines were oh-so-sweet. This way, we’ve got the holy flavor trifecta happening: salty, sweet, and tart. Holla!

In addition to bringing the salty vibe to the party, the brittle also provides that crazy-necessary element of crunch. Between the plush, ice-cream-like texture of the semifreddo (no ice cream maker required!) and the salty-crunchy goodness of the brittle, this dessert has it all.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Sweets + Treats almonds, brittle, citrus, italian recipes, salty + sweet, semifreddo, tangerines

rosemary-garlic roasted leg of lamb.

April 11, 2012 — 1 Comment

There’s something inherently fabulous about serving a roast when you’re entertaining.

It’s got a lot to do with the presentation. Plop that baby onto the center of a pretty platter, and surround it with potatoes that just so happen to cook beautifully (and conveniently) underneath the lamb, and you’re basically done with dinner. It’s really like a centerpiece – and I do believe it’s best served buffet-style, so that everyone can simply and easily serve themselves and marvel at your pretty centerpiece all at the same time.

If you’ve had rack of lamb, then maybe it will be hard to tear you away from those brilliantly tender and flavor-packed lollipops of meat – but I can assure you, a whole leg is definitely the way to go for a dinner party. Cheap? No. Cheaper, for a lot more meat? Yes.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes carrots, everything's better roasted, fingerling potatoes, lamb, meat roasts, rosemary, spring recipes, thyme

spring vegetable {goat cheese} dip.

April 9, 2012 — 9 Comments

Oh, how I love a hot and cheesy dip.

Typically reserved for our football gatherings in the fall and winter, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a cheesy dip designed for the spring. A hot and cheesy dip packed with fresh flavor from all of my favorite spring vegetables? Yes, please.

Now, don’t me wrong: This dip is still creamy, cheesy, and totally dreamy – thanks to the béchamel base it starts with, and plenty of white cheddar and goat cheese. The goat cheese makes for a perfect pairing with spring vegetables like asparagus and artichokes – which make for a perfect pairing with – drumroll, please – wine! Yes, wine. It can be done, and it can be done well.

If you’re not into wine – or, let me rephrase – if you’re into drinking wine but don’t know too much about it, spring veggies like artichokes and asparagus are a no-no when it comes to vino. They contain certain chemicals that can make the wine taste off, or even rancid (especially red wines).

You can imagine the predicament I found myself in here. I was obsessing over two things: a springtime dinner party, and a wine pairing dinner party. But how could a springtime dinner party not pay homage to all of the fabulous vegetables springtime has to offer? I’m not one of those super-fussy people who say X wine must be served with X food, but at the same time, if I’m hosting a wine pairing dinner party, well, then the pairings need to make sense!

In Dinner Party Worthy, Starters artichokes, arugula, asparagus, dips + spreads, goat cheese, peas, prosciutto, spring recipes, sugar snap peas

spring {wine pairing} dinner party.

April 6, 2012 — 6 Comments

It had just been too long since my last dinner party. Yes, I’ve been crazy-busy – but that doesn’t mean my love for entertaining has to suffer. We’d been meaning to see a couple of friends of ours for an eternity, so what better way to reunite than over fabulous food and vino?

Spring {Wine Pairing} Dinner Party Menu

As I’ve been getting more and more into wine, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to host my first wine pairing dinner. Gone are the days when I used to be able to drink anything as long as it was under $10 a bottle. Don’t get me wrong – there are still plenty of inexpensive bottles out there that I’m more than happy to drink. But as I’m not learning, all are not created equally. Let me know if you guys are interested in learning more about wine here. Your wish is my demand! Plus, I really love to ~~drink~~ talk about the stuff. I’m certainly not an expert – but we can learn together, right? When you think about it, it’s the closest thing I may get to having an actual drink with many of you, so cheers to that!

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy hostess with the mostess, spring recipes, wine pairing

tiramisù with homemade ladyfingers.

March 4, 2012 — 6 Comments

Welcome to the vat of creamy, coffee-filled delight that is tiramisu.

Layers of espresso-cream cheese-mascarpone filling, espresso-soaked homemade ladyfingers (which are really little sponge cakes), and a dusting of chocolate? Yes. Please.

Even though most people associate tiramisu with eating out, I think it was put on this Earth for at-home entertaining. It’s the perfect make-ahead dessert for a dinner party – especially a big group. And, your oven’s off-duty, meaning you’ve got room for lasagna! Which is another perfect recipe for feeding a crowd.

This particular recipe had a host of issues, but I hope it doesn’t stop you from trying it entirely; because it does have some great ideas, and I’ve adjusted the recipe to give you a better result. I actually intended to give you a video for this recipe, but since I couldn’t stand behind the original recipe as I’d made it in the video, I nixed it. Gotta keep it real!

In Dinner Party Worthy, Sweets + Treats coffee, espresso, italian recipes, make-ahead, no-bake desserts, pastry cream, project pastry queen

meyer lemon {rosemary} margaritas.

February 22, 2012 — 5 Comments

One day, if I ever own my own company or have any say in the schedule of another life’s work, National Margarita Day will be an official holiday. Mark my words.

And I don’t know about you, but for me that means we’ll also have the following day off.

On second thought, I’m thinking we should make it National Margarita Week altogether. There are just too many delicious variations on this all-time favorite cocktail of tequila and citrus, and we need time to celebrate them all.

For now, we can start with this insanely perfect Meyer lemon version. I truly now believe that Meyer lemons were put on this Earth for the purpose of dirty dancing with tequila and orange liqueur. This cocktail would be entirely perfect on its own stopping right there, as the Meyer lemons already strike that perfect balance needed for margarita-making; if you’re unfamiliar with Meyer lemons, they are thought to be a cross between lemon and a mandarin or orange – and so that is what makes them perfect for a margarita…they provide that extra sweetness needed for balancing the tangy-ness of the lemon.

In Cocktails, Dinner Party Worthy, Fabulously Simple fresh herbs in cocktails, margarita, meyer lemon, rosemary, tequila

truffled mushroom lasagna.

February 15, 2012 — 5 Comments

Allow me to introduce to this truffled lasagna, also affectionately known as “sink lasagna.”

No, it doesn’t mean that this lasagna bears an ingredient list including everything but the kitchen sink. It means that this lasagna was so good, that I proceeded to eat it after dropping it…face-first…into the kitchen sink.

Not only did I eat it, but I actually served it to a friend. A poor, defenseless friend….I mean, really – what could she have said when I asked her if she minded eating it, once the laughter subsided and we got over the fact that yes, we just watched this lasagna plop right into the sink as I was trying to pour off the liquid that had accumulated in the dish from being refrigerated overnight?

Poor thing didn’t even like truffles.

This might be a good time to point out that I like to keep my sink super-clean. It’s true that Daniel’s the neat freak in the house but I get on his ass probably four times a week about the sink. My sink must be totes spotless, at all times. I don’t get why he refuses to understand this. It’s like, for someone who insists on cleaning the coffee table every time as much as a coaster has been placed on it – true story – how the hell can you not care about the fact that there is crusted food stuck to the side of the sink!? I don’t care if it’s the size of an earring back and no one can see it but me. It needs to go, and it needs to go now.

Thank goodness for my complete insanity, because I had just squeaky-cleaned my sink mere minutes before the incident. A bit of it fell too close to the garbage disposal for comfort, and so I had to part with it, but most of it was salvaged.