Easiest, Lightest Dinner Party Dessert

I hate having to make desserts for dinner parties, not because it's not the crowning moment of the evening, but because by the time dessert comes out, everyone is always too full, too tired, or even too drunk! I think I solved the puzzle with the below churro recipe. It takes 5 minutes of prep and it's so simple.

I pair this with a spicy salted chocolate dip. A hit every time!

Ingredients (Churros): 

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1 stick butter
1 cup each cinnamon and sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the puff pastry in half width-wise and then into about 4 inch long rectangles. ( I ended up with about 20 per pastry sheet).

Lay the cut pastry on parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and immediately roll each pastry in the cmelted butter and then cinnamon sugar mixture.

Ingredients (Spicy Salted Chocolate Sauce)

12 ounces good quality milk chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp sea salt (to start)
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Heat the chocolate in a heavy-bottomed pan until melted. Add the cream and stir until very smooth.

To the chocolate mixture, add the salt and cayenne to taste. I always end up adding a lot of salt, which people like because they don't expect it, but be very sure to add it slowly and taste as you go along so you don't make it too salty or spicy!

Rustic Onion Tart

Without a doubt, one of my top appetizer recipes is Claire Robinson's Brie and Onion Puff. If you are having a dinner party and I'm asked to bring an app, chances are high that's the one I'll choose, main;y because of the savory caramelized onion layer. It smells like Thanksgiving stuffing when you're browning the onions and it's complex sweetness makes any dish special.

So it's not much of a surprise that I recently created this onion tart recipe to feature these onions for a recent wine tasting Boyfriend and I hosted. (More on that later!)

Simple, elegant and just a little country flair, rustic onions tart may be my next go-to appetizer!

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pie crust
2 T olive oil
2 T butter, salted
5 lbs sweet onions, sliced thinly on mandoline
2 garlic cloves
10 sprigs thyme, stems removed
Kosher salt
Black pepper

~4 Swiss cheese slices 

Directions:

Flour a work surface and unroll the pie crust onto a parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the pie crust until it nearly doubles its size, and the crust is about 1/8 inch thin.

To a hot pan, add the olive oil and butter (the combination is less likely to burn). Once the butter and olive oil are melted, add the garlic and then quickly add the onions.

Stirring every so often, watch the onions turn a dark caramel color, which can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on how hot your pan is. If your pan is getting dry and your onions have a ways to go, add some water or stock, about 4 T at a time.

When the onions are soft and caramelized (they should have shrunk in size significantly), add the salt, pepper and thyme and continue to cook for about 2 minutes. Let cool.

Back to your crust (laid out on the  parchment paper), add about 4 slices of good quality Swiss cheese to the center of the crust- in about an 8 inch circle. This will be the bottom of your tart, so make sure your crust isn't too thin here.

Add the cool onion mixture to the top of the cheese and then fold the crust over on top of itself in 4 inch sections until you end where you began. It should be fairly even, but shouldn't be perfect.

Sprinkle with Swiss cheese, and brush crust with a beaten egg, if you are feeling fancypants.

Bake for ~20 minutes at 350, ensuring the crust is cooked.

If you like, finish with additional thyme and a sprinkle of sea salt. Pair with an Oregon pinot and you're in business!

How to throw a Wine Party at Home

Want to throw an awesome wine party at your house? Boyfriend and I had a last-minute change in plans a few weeks ago when the wine festival we were supposed to attend with friends was canceled due to rain. We made do, and relocated to my house. We asked each couple to bring at least two wines- one red, and one white. All of us had varied knowledge of wines, so it was fun.

A friend told us doing themed wine parties is more fun--for instance Oregon Pinots, 2007 Cabernets, only New Jersey wines. Next time, I'd put a  theme around it.

Of course, wine parties call for a few staples: classy minibites to complement the taste of the wines, and bland crackers or bread to cleanse your palate in between wines.

Find my tips and menu below!

My menu:
-Mini crabcakes with roasted red pepper aioli 
-Rustic onion tart
-Baked ricotta and tomato puff pastry flatbread

Wine Tasting 101

Wine Party Scoring Cards

Dad's Skinnier Mussles (Mussels Fra Diavlo)

Remember that time I made those ridiculously amazing mussels? Well, here's an alternative if you're not into the heavy cream base. (Though I can't imagine why you wouldn't be...)

My dad has done a lot for me over the years. I could go on and on, and I probably will one of these days, but in gratitude for helping me fix a few odds and ends around my little house, I wanted to bring Dad something just for him.

Aside from Dad and I, my family members aren't very adventurous eaters, so this was really something just for us. I had planned on making my compliment-worthy mussels, but Dad requested something a bit less rich. (The apple falls far from the tree here.) A few cookbook searches and some kitchen magic later, I came up with this spicy Mussels Fra Divalo recipe. They became the perfect kick-start to a lazy Father's Day afternoon.

Ingredients:

2 T good olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 onion or 2 shallots, finely diced
1 cup dry white wine (make sure it's good stuff so you can feel free to drink the rest while making the marinara)
1-28 oz. can whole tomatoes (dump these out into a big bowl and use your clean hands to burst them, so you end up with a chunky tomato "soup")
Fresh basil, chiffonaded 
Kosher salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste
3 lbs. mussels (I used P.E.I. mussels, scrubbed and beards removed)
Round, warmed foccacia bread for serving

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pan until it shimmers, then add the onion or shallot and cook for a few minutes until the onions begin to turn soft.

Once the onions are soft, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. To the pan, add the crushed tomatoes, and let simmer for 10 minutes so the flavors combine.

Add the wine and basil (save some for garnish), and adjust the seasonings. I like to go heavy on the red pepper.

Once the sauce is hot, add the mussels and cover the pan with the lid for about 12 minutes or until all of the mussels
 
have opened. Remember, throw out any mussels that don't open.

Garnish with extra basil and serve piping hot with tasted bread for dipping.

Why I Love Cooking and A Classic Beef and Noodles Dish

I don't quite know where my absolute passion for cooking came from. My brothers and I were so blessed to have grown up with a hot, homemade dinner on the table every single night, ready at 6pm when my dad walked in the door. My mom is an amazing cook, and some of my best conversations with her happened when she was standing up against the stove, hand on hip, stirring up something wonderful. She taught me to experiment with foods and more importantly, showed me that food is really love. Mom, you changed the course of my life by showing me that, and I will be forever grateful. Thank you!

My mom and I both learned a lot about cooking from my Gramma, my father's mother. She's a great cook and is responsible for many of the traditions my family has today on holidays. She and I are very close, and regularly talk on the phone to catch up. Despite an over 50 year age difference, she "gets" me, and encourages me. She bought me some of my best pots and pans for the kitchen, and lets me comb through her binders and binders of recipes when I visit her. Since she is getting older, I want to learn everything I can from her so I can pass traditions and recipes down to my family one day.

When I visit her, Gramma often pulls up a chair at her kitchen table and walks me through a recipe.This photo is exactly how she looks when we're saddled up to the stove! Last time I saw her, we made Beef and Noodles, a classic comfort dish my father grew up on. The tomatoes tenderize the meat, so you don't have to get an expensive cut. The cloves add another layer of really interesting flavor you can't quite put your finger on. One ultimate dish of comfort.

Here's her recipe:

Ingredients: 

2 lbs beef chuck, cubed or cut into strips
4 chopped green onions
4 gloves garlic
2-3 whole cloves (don't make the recipe if you don't have this!)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1-lb. can of tomatoes (diced or crushed works)
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
4 oz egg noodles
1 cup beef stock
1 can V8

Directions:

1. In a large pot, combine the first 8 ingredients. No need to brown the meat, just let it simmer be for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 
2. After ~2 hours, add the mushrooms (if you likemushrooms), egg noodles and stock and simmer for another 20 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.
3. For a thinner sauce, or to add more liquid, use V8.
4. Remove the bay leaves and serve.
 

Easy and Elegant- Really! Parmesan Frico

Have extra Parmesan cheese to use and want to make a very classy addition to a salad or soup? Make Parmesan frico! This turns cups of grated cheese into dainty, lacy crisps.

It's as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Grate your cheese (about 1 cup for 4 fricos)
2. Arrange cheese in 1/4 cup circles on a NONSTICK baking pan (or use parchment paper)
3. Pop in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown

These will be a bit bendable when they come out warm, so you can shape the frico into cylinders or cones if you are very fabulous and a master chef. Or you can do what I did and thrown them on a Cesare salad.

Either way, you look like the hostess with the mostest and your guests will be impressed and your culinary prowess.

Mussels in an Herbed White Wine Sauce - Restaurant Worthy!

I co-hosted a dinner party a while back for our closest friends- most of us who have been together since college! We decided to make it super classy-- simple, decadent dishes and a wine pairing with each course. I was tasked with the appetizers and side dishes (he did the hard work - stuffed crown roast!). We wanted to push the envelope bit for our friends who much prefer mini hot dogs over escargot. :) I decided to make classic mussels in an herbed white wine sauce.

It turned out to be the best idea! I'm not kidding, this is better than dishes I've had in restaurants. Having never worked with mussels before, I did hours of research into cleaning, preparation and recipes and came up with the below recipe- an Elaine original! I hope you enjoy; this really is a fun, cheap and delicious alternative to standard dinner party fare.Even those initially wary loved it. Experiment!

 Ingredients

6 pounds fresh mussels (I used Prince Edward Island [P.E.I.] Mussels), scrubbed and beards removed
4 T olive oil
4 T butter (go ahead, use the whole stick if you want.)
8 shallots, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
32 oz. chicken stock
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups heavy cream 
8 T fresh herbs (I used an herb paste, but would recommend basil, parsley, thyme, maybe even a but of oregano or rosemary)
Good quality crusty bread, warmed right before serving
 
Directions  

Scrub and debeard (remove a thin hairlike strand) mussels. Throw away any that are opened. If mussels are slightly opened, tap on their shell. Good mussels should close; toss those that stay open. 

Preheat a very large pot (fair disclosure, I underestimated how large a pot I would need!) over high heat. Once pot is heated, add the butter and olive oil. Warm until butter melts.

Into the melted butter, add the shallots, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until shallots are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute or just slightly longer.


Add wine, chicken stock and the mussels into the pot. Cover with a lid and steam until all mussels open, about 12 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open. 

Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and place into a large serving bowl. (Remember to set an extra bowl on the table for the shells.) To the remaining liquid, add the cream and herbs (or herb paste) and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Once you have a great-tasting broth, pour over the mussels in the bow.

Serve with warm, crusty bread and soak in the complements.