Saturday, November 2, 2013

What's Cooking? A Special Fall Birthday Dinner, Part 2


When we left off, I had just finished sharing with you what I made for my mom's birthday dinner a few years ago. Back to this year!

This year, I once again took my inspiration from my time in Italy. 



Aperitivi:
A mix of Trader Joe's treats including quince paste, pumpkin cranberry crisps and apple cinnamon goat cheese
Primo Piatto:
Rigatoni with creamy squash sauce, sage and rosemary
Contorno:
Spring mix with gorgonzola, pomegranate seeds, dried figs, crispy shallots and nasturtium blossoms
Dolce:
Pear-ginger upside down cake 


For those of you who haven't made it to Trader Joe's recently, get off your computer and go. Go right now. They have some incredibly tasty seasonal finds right now! This blog does a nice job explaining some of the many treats. Among my favorites (in addition to the pumpkin soup and pumpkin biscotti...) were the items I picked up to serve my mom for her birthday aperitivi(Side note: Items from Trader Joe's are still a bit f a novelty in Vermont since there isn't a brick and mortar store there, hence why I brought store-bought appetizers instead of making something!) The pumpkin cranberry crisps were super flavorful and a perfect match for the sweet and tangy apple cinnamon goat cheese. Read: goat cheese rolled in the best part of apple pie. So good. I'm not sure if the quince paste is a season TJ's item, but it sure was good! A bit sweet, a bit citrusy, and perfect with the goat cheese and crisps.


Next up: Salad. Who doesn't love a tasty fall salad? For this one, I wanted to go for a mix of textures and colors hence the dried figs, pomegranate seeds, crispy shallots and nasturtium blossoms. I used my favorite dressing from Trader Joes - a light champagne vinaigrette that blended perfectly with the sweet figs, tangy gorgonzola and tart pomegranate seeds. 


For dinner, I channeled my Italian host mother who used squash to make the most comforting pasta sauce I've ever encountered - and it's simple too! To start, all you need to do is roast two butternut squash (although I bet you could use acorn or delicata, too!) until they are very, very sweet and tender. Next, saute onions and garlic until they begin to caramelize. Then you'll want to mash the squash and add it to the onion mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. I then added finely minced rosemary and red pepper flakes, but that's up to you! You could also add sage. Finish off the sauce by adding cream (light, heavy, Italian panna, doesn't matter!) until the sauce reaches your desired creaminess. If it's still too thick, I like to add chicken or vegetable broth. Serve over your favorite short pasta with some freshly grated parmesan and some crispy fried sage leaves - voila! 



And finally... dessert! My mom has always loved ginger cake but I wanted to make something a little more special this year. After much searching, I found a beautiful photograph of a pear upside down ginger cake (thank you, Pinterest!). Unfortunately, the measurements were in grams and that's always a bit complicated and tricky! After much searching, I stumbled across this recipe on Epicurious. SO DELICIOUS! For once, I followed the recipe (almost) to the T! (I may have added a little extra ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves, and I would highly recommend you do the same!). Mine didn't come out nearly as beautiful as some of the photographs online, but it sure was tasty!! Next time, though, I think I'd like to try adding some chopped crystallized ginger for a little extra kick! 



That's all for now, folks! Check in soon for yoga studio reviews and a recap of what is bound to be a spectacular weekend! xo

1 comment:

  1. The birthday dinners that Sera has made for me are always the best part of my birthday celebrations. Although she has provided the recipes here, remember that she adds more than a pinch of love to everything she makes. If you leave that out, it will just taste like good food. If you add it, you will nurture your soul.

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