GARDEN PARTY

My friend Beverly's son is getting married on August 30th and Bev has asked me to help her with the "sit down" dinner following the ceremony. Paige (Bev's son) and Tara ( his beautiful bride) are having a garden wedding and the reception is going to be in the backyard of their new home. They have an acre to play with and a whole bottom floor of their new home for me to set up my kitchen "triage."

Geraldo and I went to check out the new digs last night and it's really going to be nice. It's going to be in the evening and Tara is planning dinner right at sunset. Since Bev and I are both married to musicians (we DO live in Nashville, after all) there will be a band, dance floor, tent ,the works. I have my mission and am now in full dinner planning mode. There will be many hands on deck to pull this off, but I want to help keep Beverly as cool and calm as possible. She's my #1 in the kitchen foxhole, but on this day, she's the Mother of the Groom.
We've settled on Roast Beef /au jus (carving station) and for the umpteenth time I've decided on a chicken dish. I keep waffling on that one. So, today the chicken of choice is "Chicken Marsala." I found a great (sounds great on paper) recipe for "Chicken Marsala For a Crowd." We're expecting around 75 or so, and want to give the guests the option of beef or chicken. We've decided on serving rosemary roasted new potatoes, green bean amandine, and fresh rolls for some of the sides. At this point we are keeping our options open and know that nothing is certain till it hits the plate that night!
While the couple is getting their pictures taken, we are serving light appetizers as the guests arrive. Nothing fancy or difficult here. We need something to tie the folks over and keep them nourished as the bar will be open at that time. Bruschetta, a Caprese platter, cheeses, crudite, Artichoke and Spinach dip, pesto, and an olive tapenade for different toppings will round out that portion of the evening. Of course there will be a beautiful cake and since this is a real family affair, Paige's Aunt Barbara (Bev 's sister) is taking care of that.
So for this post,I'm going to include my very basic recipe for a delicious, bright pesto that is a favorite on our table all throughout the basil-blooming season. I call this "Green Gold." A little pricey to make...really good extra virgin olive oil is key here...pignoli (pine nuts) and "treasure cheese"(that's what I call the $18.00 a pound "real deal" Parmesan cheese) are all expensive, but since there are so little ingredients to this dish, you have to pull out the good stuff. Enjoy!!

HOMEMADE BASIL PESTO

2 Cups young basil leaves packed tightly
2-4 cloves of garlic ( I like mine garlicky)
2 TBS Pine Nuts (pignoli) Toasted lightly
1/4 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2-4 TBS (depends on consistency you prefer) Good extra virgin Olive Oil

Add basil, garlic and pine nuts in food processor ( or mince with a crinkle cutter or mezzaluna)
Pulse till basil is just minced. Scrape down the sides and replace lid of food processor.
Drizzle Olive oil into top of processor until desired consistency, stopping and scraping sides as necessary. Keep the mixture a little thick as not too get it too thin. You want a sauce consistency.
Remove all from the processor and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese at the end. Do not pulse at this point! Don't break your cheese. Sprinkle in a little fresh ground black pepper if you want ( I do) but easy with any salt, as the cheese is salty .
So, enjoy a bright taste of summer. Nothing says Italian and/or Green like fresh pesto does!
Use as a spread for crostini or a sauce for cooked pasta. You can thin the pesto with the pasta water if you use it as a sauce.
TIP:
I store mine in the refrigerator up to a week. Add a little extra olive oil to cover the top of the pesto and it will keep it's color and freshness longer. Serve at room temperature

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FROM BEV'S RECIPE BOX

I've mentioned my friend Beverly in earlier blogs and just to remind you she has been my co-conspirator on many culinary occasions. We both love good food and our husbands (Don and Gerald) just sit back and reap the benefits when we get "inspired." We've done our little fresh corn on the cobb booth at various functions at Charlie Daniels Park. We serve the corn with our home made gourmet butters and have had a lot of fun and what has turned out to be quite the successful little food booth. We call it "EAR-risistable" cause we're just so damn clever. I look forward to the warm days again and our butter-filled afternoons. I'll keep you posted on any upcoming dates.
Back to Bev and her recent contribution to the COMFORTCOOK blog........Inspired by Publix, Beverly tweaked this recipe to make it her own and the result is a creamy, delicious and light soup. Personally, I'm surprised there isn't a potato in it as I well know "POTATO" is Beverly's favorite food "group." Gotta love a gal who appreciates the staying power of starch! Anyway, try this recipe cause I know it will become a favorite. And to Bev from me and all the foodies who will be trying your delicious soup recipe, we say "Thank You Dahlink!" comfortcook@gmail.com

BEV'S CAULIFLOWER & CRAB SOUP

1 head fresh cauliflower(or 2 pkgs frozen)
1 small sweet onio or 1/4 large
1 can Mexicorn
2 small cans Bumble Bee white crab meat
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 cups of Half and Half (Bev uses organic)
1 tbsp dill weed
fresh minced garlic (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

In soup pot: saute onion and garlic in a little butter and olive oil. Add chicken broth and cauliflower. Cook till tender. Break up the chunks of cauliflower. (Do not puree..just break it down a little.) This gives the soup its nice consistency. Drain and add: Mexicorn and crab. Then add half and half and seasonings. (Note Bev adds about 2 tbsp of flour to thicken soup a little.
TIP:You could also add the flour to the sauteed onion, garlic, oil and butter to make a roux, then in a separate pot, cook your cauliflower in the broth, then drain and add to the roux mixture and add corn, half and half and seasonings.

Beverly suggests you serve this soup with a salad (romaine or spinach) topped with fresh fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, chopped pecans, avacado slices and thin red onion slices. A Raspberry Vinagrette is the perfect way to dress this salad.

COMFORT COOK CATERING (615) 525-8336