Ciao
a tutti!! I am so sorry for not posting for a while, things have been hectic.
Between a recent family vacation, preparing for culinary school in Italy at the
end of next month, an active social life and my fabulous internship with Feast on History, I've been pretty busy. But that’s the way I like it!! As I
mentioned, I’m an intern with an amazing company called Feast on History where
I recently got to help develop recipes and cook for their Feast of the Seven
Fishes which was HUGE SUCCESS!! The kitchen space they used was so beautiful;
it actually inspired me to use it for my own upcoming event!!! For more than a
year, I have been toying around with the idea of doing a supper club. But where
to do it? I didn't want to do it in my own apartment and all of the spaces I
found where way too big for what I needed.
When
I saw this space, I felt like Goldilocks. Not too bag, not too small, it was
just right. So, I will be inviting close friends to this first event to get
some feedback...it will be a Masquerade Pop Up Dinner tied in with Halloween.
The theme is good vs. evil, as is showcased in the menu. Sweet, light and
luscious vs. rich, spicy and indulgent. Eventually my plan is for people to
purchase a ticket for the event, but I want to do a few test runs and receive some
feedback first. For those that interested in the underground dining scene, does
this sound like something that might interest you in the future? PLEASE COMMENT
AND LET ME KNOW! So, I would like to share with you one of my recipes that will
be served at my Masquerade….Fried Polenta Bites with Butternut Squash
Mascarpone Mousse and Crispy Speck…fried carbs
with a light, sweet mousse topped with a piece of smoky cured Italian
meat…how good does that sound?
Fried
Polenta Bites with Butternut Squash Mascarpone Mousse and Crispy Speck
Butternut
Squash Mascarpone Mousse
1 Butternut
Squash
1 tbsp. olive
oil
¼ cup of
mascarpone
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. dried
rosemary
1 tbsp. crushed Aleppo chili
Preheat
your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with foil. Clean and cut your
butternut squash in half. You will want to remove all of the seeds and “guts. ”Rub
with olive oil and top with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Roast for 2-3 hours
or until the butternut squash is tender. Scoop out the butternut squash and put
it in a food processor (if you have a Vitamix, use the Vitamix, I swear by this
thing!!). Process until smooth and creamy and no fibers remain. Add your
mascarpone, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, dried rosemary and Aleppo chili. Puree
until thoroughly combined and smooth. Put the butternut squash mascarpone
mousse in a container to chill for 3 hours.
Fried Polenta
1 ½ cups of
polenta
4 cups of water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried
rosemary
1 tbsp. crushed
Aleppo chili
1 cup of neutral
oil (canola, peanut)
1 cup of flour
Prepare 4 cups
of water in a medium size deep pot over high heat. While waiting for the water,
butter a casserole dish. When water is boiling, add your polenta and stir with
a wooden spoon for five minutes. You want to get the polenta nice and smooth.
Add salt, pepper, dried rosemary and Aleppo chili. Pour the polenta into the
casserole dish and spread so it is even. Put it in the refrigerator to chill
for two-three hours.
When the
polenta is done “chilling”, take it out to fry. In a medium size pan over
medium-high heat, heat your oil. Cut your polenta into 1 inch squares and lightly
drench in the flour. Put in the oil and fry on each side for three minutes.
Continue doing this with all of the polenta bites.
Fried Speck
6 slices of
speck
1 tsp. olive
oil
In a medium
size pan over medium heat, add your olive oil. When it is hot, fry your speck
very briefly, around 2-3 minutes. Take it out of the pan and allow to cool
before breaking the speck into small pieces.
Assembling the
bites:
Take
one of the polenta squares and using a small ice cream scoop, scoop some of the
butternut squash mascarpone onto it. Top with a small piece of fried speck. Buon Appetito!!
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