February 2020 Class

February 2020 Class

February is love month! I love any reason to celebrate! Valentine’s Day, winter is ending early (ok it doesn’t even snow here!), but that means transitioning into an early spring. The food is celebratory. These are the kind of classic dishes you would order when you go out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, but made even more special by preparing them at home. This is the perfect menu for swooning and romancing your sweetie or a bunch of friends. As always there’s a great make-ahead a component to most of the recipes, so that the day of your event you’re just tossing the salad and preparing the shrimp.

So what are we cooking:

Dried Figs, Walnuts and Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette:
The inspiration for this salad was my cleaning out the pantry after the holidays! I found all these different dried fruits and nuts left over from my various creations. I decided to toss them with some beautiful winter greens, some goat cheese (everything is better with goat cheese!) and make a citrus vinaigrette, since I had copious amounts of limes in the garden. It turned out to be my family’s new favorite salad. It’s a perfect way to either to start your meal, as we do in the US, or end it, as they do in Europe. It could actually be it’s own meal in itself since there’s so many goodies in there. Feel free to change up the dried fruits and nuts so whatever you find in your pantry.

Shrimp Scampi with Fresh Pasta:
An absolute classic dish! Every good Italian has her take on this recipe. Here I keep it traditional and classic, as it is hard to improve upon perfection. Garlic, shallots and butter coat the shrimp. The addition of Meyer lemon juice and white wine gives it that acidic punch. We finish it all by tossing it with beautiful fresh-made pasta. It is so decant; so quick and easy to make. To create your own take, feel free to substitute couscous, cauliflower rice, or quinoa, which can be made a little bit more ahead than the fresh pasta. Id love to see your posts of your takes on this classic! (tag me on social media @cucinacasam)

Chocolate Orange Mousse with Meringue Kisses:
I remember as a child thinking a chocolate mousse was an animal!! As you know, it’s not, but a decadent and delicious classic dessert is a favorite of children and adults alike. This is perfect for entertaining, since it can be made in advance. The dark chocolate mousse is creamy, with just a hint of orange Cointreau. It’s simply sublime. I love the combination of orange, that fresh pop of citrus, which compliments the richness of the chocolate so perfectly. It’s one of my favorite combinations! Serve the mousse with little meringue kiss cookies. They add the perfect little crunch. Or they are just heavenly on their own. I bet you can’t eat just one! For February, we colored the meringues pink for a festive little way to end this romantic meal.

Wines:
We paired the meal with a Colonnara Verdicchio, a crisp and light white wine that goes so well with the goat cheese and shrimp. A very nice Italian white wine indeed! The red wine is Tenuta La Pergola, imported by Kermit Lynch. A blend of Barbera, Dolcetto and Bonarda, this wine has a beautiful finesse and balance and is very well priced your budget will love it. Both are available at sandiegowine.net

April 2019 Class

April 2019 Class

Spring has sprung!! My garden looks fantastic but that has nothing to do with me! Thanks to all the rain we got this year in San Diego, my grass is bright green! The flowers perfume the air and the birds are busy sitting on nests. This is a perfect menu for entertaining for Easter, some of the dishes work for Passover, or just for a lovely spring supper. Easter is my sentimental favorite holiday since I met my husband at my mom’s table for Easter dinner. I love to bore my children being all nostalgic on how Aunt Becky and my Mom set it all up. I love setting a pretty table decorated with flowers from the garden and a few bunnies, but the star is always the food.

So what are we cooking?

Salmon Pâté with Crostini:
I just got back from a visit to New York with my son and the first thing on our agenda was to get a proper New York bagel with a smear! His was with plain cream cheese mine was lox and cream cheese. This salmon pâté is inspired by that decadent combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese. A little bit more elegant version of that flavor profile. We just slightly puréed the smoked salmon with cream cheese so there are nice pieces though out the cheese. Then, we add the flavor goodies; shallots, dill, lemon juice, capers, everything you put on top a gorgeous bagel. But today we’re going to serve it with crostini, but you could certainly serve it with a bagel, chips, or crackers.

Herb Crusted Lamb with Mint Salsa Verde:
We’re going to marinate a boneless leg of lamb with garlic and fresh herbs which is going to adds tons of flavor and really complement the mild taste of the lamb. Lamb has really gotten a bad rap as being a very gamy tasting meat. It’s not. The meat is very mild tasting, and after being perfectly roasted we will serve it with a mint salsa verde. Many different cuisine have their version of a salsa verde, or green sauce. The combination of crushed garlic, herbs, and oil can transfer a dish from being good to great. In France it’s called pistou, in Italy it’s pesto, and in Argentina its a cimichurri sauce. Today we are are adding mint along with a little lemon, which compliments the lamb so beautifully.

Yukon Gold Potato Gratin:
Is there anything better than potatoes with roasted meat? I love Yukon Gold potatoes! They are so versatile because they bake and smash equally well. The exterior peel is so thin that all you have to do is wash them. You don’t even need to peel them which is an added bonus because it saves you time and you get all those great vitamins! The interior is a golden yellow color with a creamy, sweet texture that pairs so beautifully with the herb infused milk. Then topped with Parmesano Reggiano and breadcrumbs which are then cooked until golden brown. The perfect compliment of roasted meat.

Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Icing:
I think most southern families have their version of a carrot cake. It’s a classic. This is my take on my Mom’s recipe. The carrot cake batter is not light and fluffy, its more dense like a muffin batter. So I’ve added yogurt and I love the traditional addition of crushed pineapple to add flavor and help keep it moist. The cake is studded with roasted pecans and then covered in a decadent cream cheese icing. Just a slice of heaven. A perfect way to end a delicious spring meal.

Happy Cooking!!