Private Event – Kids Birthday Party Sat, Aug 16 2025
Meatballs
Fresh Pasta with Marinara
Mixed fruit with yogurt
Chocolate Chip Skillet cookie with homemade ice cream
Fresh Pasta Dough
yield: 2 servings
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.
In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.
Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.
Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.
Savory Meatballs
yield: 12 1oz meatballs
8 oz ground chuck (80% lean)
2 tablespoons yellow onion, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 slices stale white or wheat bread, cut in ½ inch cubes (or bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon tomato paste
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch ground black pepper
½ teaspoon parmesan cheese, grated fine plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped.
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a small mixing bowl, combine cubes bread, egg and milk, mixing frequently to saturate bread. Mash into a chunky paste by hand, then add ground beef. Add remaining ingredients and using a wooden spoon, mix until just blended but do not overmix.
Use a small scoop or disher to portion meatballs into desired size. Pick up each portion and roll between hands to form a tight ball. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and continue until all portions are rolled. Place close together but do not compress or meatballs will be “meatcubes”.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until meatballs brown slightly and are firm to the touch. Lowest internal temperature should be 145 degrees. Transfer to pot of marinara sauce and simmer until ready to use. Garnish with chopped parsley and grated cheese if desired
Fruit Salad
2 T honey
1/8 cup orange juice
Lime zest
½ cup vanilla yogurt
4 oz Strawberries
2 oz blueberries
2 oz raspberries
½ kiwi
½ orange
½ apple
½ cup grapes
Whisk together the yogurt, honey, orange juice and zest in a bowl. Add fruit and toss to combine.
Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie for Two
Ingredients
1/2 cup (75g | 2.6oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (50g | 1.8oz) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50g | 1.8oz) light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract, (store-bought or homemade)
1/4 cup (60g | 2.1oz) butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (90g | 3.2oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (save a few tablespoons to melt and drizzle over cooked cookie)
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Your favorite vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously butter a 6-1/4” mini cast iron skillet. If you didn’t have such a skillet, you could use a 6” cake pan instead, but you may have to adjust baking time slightly.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and mix well with a whisk until well combined; set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until well combined.
Add the egg yolk, stir well, and then carefully stir in the flour mixture. Mix until completely combined, then stir about 2/3 of the chocolate chips.
Transfer the cookie dough to the cast iron skillet and arrange it delicately with your fork, just so it’s evenly distributed across the skillet.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are puffed and browned and the center appears set.
Remove from the oven and press a few additional chocolate chips across the surface of the cookie, if desired; allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining chocolate chips in the microwave, adding a few drops of oil to make it more drizzleable, if necessary.
Garnish the cookie with a great big scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with the melted chocolate and serve with 2 spoons!
Vanilla Ice Cream with Condensed Milk
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream also called whipping cream/double cream/fresh cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Take chilled whipping cream in a large bowl. Whip it until you see stiff peaks.
Add cooked condensed milk, and vanilla. Mix with the help of a spatula.
Mix thoroughly.
Transfer ice cream to a 1.5-liter container. Then cover it with butter paper or cling wrap. It should touch the surface of ice cream.
Chill for at least four hours in the freezer. Remove the ice cream 10 minutes before serving. Scoop and serve immediately
