Private Party June 6, 2024

Blackened Salmon

 Cheese & Portabella Mushroom Ravioli with Butter Herb Sauce

Fettucine with Alfredo

 Mediterranean Layered Salad

 Sticky Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream

Blackened Salmon Fillets

Ingredients

1 tablespoons ground paprika

1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

2 salmon fillets, skin and bones removed

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Mix paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, white and black pepper, thyme, basil, and oregano together in a small bowl.

Brush salmon fillets on both sides with 1/4 cup butter, and sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons melted butter in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Add salmon and cook until blackened, 2 to 5 minutes.

Lift fillets, add remaining melted butter to the skillet, and flip fillets into the butter. Cook until the other side is blackened and fish flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 5 minutes.

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.

Alfredo Sauce

• 1/4cup butter, cut into large cubes or slices
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (not table salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Add the butter and cream to a large nonstick sauté pan, over medium-low heat; whisk until butter has melted.
2. Add in the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; whisk until combined and smooth.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil) and cook for 3-4 minutes, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken.
4. Stir in the parmesan cheese just until melted and the sauce is smooth.
5. Take off the heat and toss with cooked fettuccine noodles (or your favorite pasta.)
6. (If the sauce isn’t quite thick enough, allow it to stand for 2-3 minutes before tossing with the pasta.)

Portabella Mushroom and Cheese Ravioli

yield: 20-24 Ravioli

1/3 cup ricotta cheese, strained

1 large portabella top, grilled, pureed and drained

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

¼ teaspoon garlic, minced

1 oz egg, beaten

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Pinch ground black pepper

1 recipe fresh pasta dough

Warm water and silicone pastry brush

Split pasta dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll the pasta dough into. Fold edges before rolling so pasta sheets are roughly rectangular in shape

Using a 3 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut as many pasta disks from 2 of the 4 pasta sheets as possible, leaving as little scrap as you can. If dough is still moist and pliable, knead trimmings into a ball, flatten one end and repeat the process to create another sheet and repeat cutting.

Place ½ spoonful of cheese/spinach stuffing off center on each dough round, careful not to overstuff or ravio;I will not close. Once all disks have been filled, brush uncovered edge with water using a silicone pastry brush and carefully fold in half making a half-moon. Use a fork to crimp edges to seal. Set aside on a rimmed baking sheet dusted with semolina flour.

To cook, bring a pot of generously salted water to a full rolling boil. Add all pasta at once, waiting 20 seconds before stirring gently. As ravioli cooks it will float to the top. Cook until all ravioli is floating and water begins to return to a boil, about 4-5 minutes. Gently pour contents of pasta pot into a colander, or 2 separate colanders if it is a large amount of ravioli so they do not get compressed. Drain for 1 minute and transfer to mixing bowl with half of marinara sauce.

Serve onto warmed dinner plates and ladle with desired amount of remaining sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Mediterranean Layered salad

yield: 2 servings         

Dressing:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoons honey  

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch ground black pepper  

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salad:

2 cup2 romaine lettuce, chopped

¼ cup garbanzo beans

¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved  

¼ medium cucumber, ¼ inch diced   

¼ cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

2 thin slices medium red onion  

¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped  

2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled

In a small mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano honey, red pepper flakes and parsley. Whisk to combine. Drizzle olive oil into bowl as slowly as possible while whisking vigorously. If oil begins to pool, stop pouring and whisk until emulsified and continue pouring remaining oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper

Divide lettuce between two chilled salad plates. Divide hummus, spooning over greens. Arrange tomato halves in a single layer on hummus, then a layer of cucumber. Sprinkle olives over cucumber and then a layer of artichoke quarters. Arrange onion slices over artichoke hearts.

Drizzle with lemon dressing and garnish with crumbled feta cheese. Serve immediately.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Cake:

7 oz medjool dates (approximately 7-10 dates)

¾ cup boiling water

1 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses

⅓ cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs*, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Toffee sauce:

½ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup heavy cream

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons unsulphured molasses (teaspoons, not tablespoons)

pinch salt

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Finely chop the dates. You should have about 1 cup loosely packed. Place the dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water and sprinkle with baking soda. Stir, then allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until creamy and combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
5. After the dates have soaked for 20 minutes, mash or puree the datesalong with the liquid. If the dates you used were moist you should be able to mash them easily with a fork. If the dates were really dry it will likely be easier to use an immersion blender or small food processor to puree (they don’t have to be completely smooth). Transfer all of the date mixture into the cake batter and beat until combined.
6. Grease ramekins** or a 12-count muffin tin (see note for an 8×8 pan). Transfer the batter to the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Depending on the size of your ramekins this can be anywhere from 20-25 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Toffee sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cream, brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and set aside to cool slightly; it will thicken as it cools.

Assembly and serving:

1. While the cakes are still a little bit warm, remove them from the ramekins/muffin tin and place them on a baking sheet or a piece of foil or parchment paper. Note: the cakes will likely have a dome on top. If desired, you can use a serrated knife to level off the top. I prefer to level it off and serve the cakes upside down.
2. Brush all sides of the cakes with the toffee sauce, reserving the rest of the sauce for serving.
3. Serve the cakewarm, drizzled with extra toffee sauce. Garnish with heavy cream, whipped cream, ice cream, and/or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.