Impromptu Dinner Party

On Monday afternoon my husband called me at work to say that we were having company for dinner!  His childhood friend and college roommate was in town and since Monday was the only night I was going to be home all week, it was settled that Monday would be the day for our dinner party.  An easy menu was definitely in order, with items that can be made quickly with minimal preparation time.  Here is what I came up with:

- Warm Spiced Olives with Orange
- New York Strip Steaks with Cranberry Madiera Pan Sauce
- Roasted Potatos
- Mashed Carrots with Turnips
- Apple Crisp with Vanilla Icecream

First, take your steaks out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature.  This will help ensure the steaks are perfectly cooked.

I got things going by cleaning and cutting new red potatos into quarters.  Toss these with a couple of pads of butter, some oil, and a healthy dose of salt and pepper in a pyrex pan and thrown in a 400-degree oven. 

Put your carrots and turnips (peeled and cut into 2" chunks) into cold water on the stove.  Heat to boiling and cook until carrots and turnips are soft.   (You can also use parsnips, which we prefer, but were unavailable at my local grocery store.)  When they are soft, mash with a potato masher or fork, melt in some butter, and season with salt and pepper.  You can keep them warm on the stove or in a ceramic serving dish.

Meanwhile, peel 8 granny smith apples and dice.  Toss in an oven-safe ceramic pan with about 1T sugar, 2t cinnamon, and 1T vanilla.  For the topping, mix together 1/2c brown sugar, 1/4c white sugar, 1/2c flour, and 1/4c oats.  Cut in 1 stick of butter until it forms a crumbly mixture.  Place on top of apples.

To prep the olives, just toss them with red pepper flakes, orange zest, and a little balsamic vinegar (mine were already oily, so no oil added).  I bought a mixture of olives from the olive bar at my local grocery store, so there were some stuffed with feta and other wonderful varieties.  Wrap the olive mixture in a foil packet and place on an oven sheet.  About 10 minutes before your guests arrive, throw it in the oven (which is probably going at 400 degrees for your potatos) for about 10 minutes.  Serve warm.

To make the steaks, heat oil in a large saute pan and seasoned the steaks well on both sides.  Sear the steaks over high heat for about 2-3 minute on each side, or until a good crust develops.  One trick to know whether you've acheived a proper sear on meat is to test whether it will easily lift away from the pan.  If the meat is sticking, it is not ready to be turned.  Once the seared "crust" develops, it will easily lift off the pan.  (Note that this is contingent on having enough oil in the pan.)

Once the steaks are seared, put them (still in your saute pan) in the oven (at 400 degrees) for about 10 minutes, or until cooked to your desired doneness.  When they are done, put on a platter and tent with foil to rest.  In the pan, make your sauce by deglazing with about 1/2c madiera wine.  Reduce.  Add about 1/2c beef stock.  Reduce.  Add cranberry sauce (I made my own, but I'm sure canned would be fine for this).  I spiced the sauce up with grated red chili pepper too. 

Serve the steaks and sauce, potatoes, and carrots with turnips.  Reduce the heat of your oven to 350 degrees and put in your apple crisp.  Cook for about 45 minutes, which should be perfect timing for dessert.  Serve with icecream.

(Optional homemade cranberry sauce:  Combine 1 pint raw cranberries with 1/2c water and 1/2c madiera wine, or other red wine).  Cook over medium heat at a simmer until cranberries pop and a sauce forms, about 20 minutes.  Add juice from 1 orange and about 1/2c sugar to taste.)

Figs, Blue Cheese, and Prociutto

I was inspired by all of the figs at my local grocery.  Somehow I can't keep away from them the past couple of weeks.  So I decided to conduct an experiment by selecting two different types of figs, two different types of blue cheese, adding prosciutto, and balsamic and making two different small plates. I selected the Black Mission Figs (on the left) and Brown Turkey Figs (on the right). 

   

For the cheeses, I picked a Cambazola and Valdeon Blue.  The Cambazola is a softer milder cheese with a rind, which looks like brie.  The Valdeon Blue cheese is a more classic, sharper blue cheese. 

Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Blue Cheese:

- Fresh figs

- Blue cheese

- Prosciutto 

- Balsamic Vinegar

- Cut the top stem of the figs off, and then cut an "x" about two-thirds of the way down the figs. 

- Put a small slice of blue cheese in each fig

- Wrap with a thin slice of prosciutto (about 1 inch wide)

- Place in a baking dish and drizzle each fig with a few drops of balsamic vinegar

- Bake at 400 degrees for about ten minutes or until heated and cheese starts to soften

Fig, Prosciutto, and Blue Cheese Crostini: 

- Figs, cut up into eighths

- Blue cheese

- French bread, cut into thin slices

- Prosciutto

- Olive oil

- Water

- Balsamic vinegar 

- Put the cut up figs in a saucepan with enough water to cover the figs, and a splash of vinegar.  Cook until moisture is reduced, sauce is thick, and figs are very soft.  If desired, you can smash the figs with a fork or a potato masher at this point.

- Toast the sliced french bread in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes

- Put a small amount of prosciutto and goat cheese on each toast

- Top with fig topping

I made each recipe with both types of figs and both types of blue cheese.  With Cillian as a willing test-taster, we evaluated each option.  We both agreed that the black mission figs were more flavorful and better in both recipes.  The Cambazola was the winner for the crostini because it is milder and creamier, and complimented the figs well.  While I am a huge fan of very stinky cheese, this milder choice would probably be better for a wider audience.  The soft Cambazola did not work well, however, for the prosciutto-wrapped figs because it melted out and made the dish messy.  For the prosciutto-wrapped figs we recommend sticking with the traditional, hard blue cheese.

Bon appetite!

Fig and Apple Compote

There are some nights when I get home and just don't want a big meal.  This is usually days when I've had too large of a lunch or have been snacking all afternoon.  My solution last night was to pull ingredients from the fridge and make a very seasonal cheese plate.  Of course, you could also make this as an hors d'oeuvre to have out when company comes for dinner and you're still putting the finishing touches on things!

This fig and apple compote is a great way to use some of the most flavorful fall ingredients.  You can find fresh figs in most grocery stores right now.  I used black mission figs, but any kind will do for this recipe.  I also used a tart granny smith apple.  A touch of good balsamic vinegar will really bring out the flavors and balance the sweetness of the fruit with a hit of acid.

Ingredients:
- About 6 figs
- Granny smith apple (or other tart cooking variety)
- 1T balsamic vinegar
- 1T sugar
- Tiny pinch of cloves and nutmeg
- Water

Chop up the figs and apple.  I left the skin on my apple, but you can peel it if you prefer.

In a small saucepan, combine the figs, apples, a splash of vinegar, and a little water.  There should be just enough liquid that you can get it boiling.  As the fruit cooks, it will release its own juices (and then reabsorb some) so you don't need too much water.

As it cooks, the fruit will naturally release its juices.  Continue cooking it so that the juices get thick and almost syrupy.  At this point, taste the compote and add sugar if needed.  Add a tiny pinch of cloves and a tiny pinch of nutmeg.  You can also add in other ingredients here if you like.  I think ginger could be a great addition.

You can cook this until it gets to the texture you like.  I cooked mine so that the fruit was soft and fully cooked, but still in distinguishable pieces.  If you continue cooking you can reach a soft/mushier consistency - more like applesauce.

I served the compote with tree-ripened italian plums, brie, and crackers.  It was a great light meal for a cold fall day!

Bon appetite!