First Outdoor Dinner???

Not.  I invited a friend to come over for dinner, a drink and a catch up on Monday Memorial Day, or Tuesday - just Tuesday.  We both found the idea of dining outside quite appealing so opted for Tuesday instead of Monday thinking it would be a bit warmer and sitting outside would be more comfortable than in the chilly temperatures of Monday.  Idiots.  Monday was - and probably will remain the most beautiful day of this week.    As I write there's the most wicked thunder and lightening storm that I believe that I've ever witnessed tearing up Hudson right now.  My dog is sitting under my desk panting on my legs.  I just hope the lights don't go out.

Back to the dinner.  Eger Brothers, out at the junction of routes 9 and 23 - Hudson, NY - have heaps of fresh spinach in their bins right now.  That's it.  When I was in the city last week I bought a slab of paneer, the Indian, rennet-free (making it completely vegetarian) skimmed milk cheese used in the classic spinach dish, saag paneer.  A personal favorite.  Best when you can make it yourself with fresh spinach.(there many recipes that call for frozen spinach - which is way, WAY less labor intensive than using fresh - but not the same).

I bought 6 pounds of fresh spinach and spent over an hour, maybe close to 2 hours, ripping spinach leaves from their ribs and rinsing it in batches at least three times . I used some to make Allegra's dinner (that's another story which will appear in my Friday, May 31st Register Star column) and the rest to make a pretty fabulous batch of saag paneer - which fed us two with 2nd helpings each, and lunch and dinner for me for the next few days.

SAAG PANEER - based on Maya Kaimal MacMillan's from her book, Curried Favors (Abbeville Press Publishers, 1996)

Serves 8

1/2 pound paneer - found in Indian and Middle East food shops - or can be made by draining skimmed cottage cheese for several hours in cheese cloth - cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 pounds fresh spinach, leaves torn from ribs, thoroughly rinsed and chopped
1 chili pepper; Serrano, Thai, or jalapeno - I used a cayenne from last summer that was in the freezer
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
1/4 cup grape seed or another neutral oil
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
1 heaping teaspoon grated ginger
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes) or canned, drained
1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
a pinch of ground cayenne (and this depends on the spiciness of the fresh pepper that you use)
1 1/2 cups water - I used excess water from the cooked spinach
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (I used a particularly good curry mix)

1.  If your making your own paneer - you'll need to make it at least 2 hours before serving.
2.   In a very large saucepan, over medium heat, cook the  spinach with the chili pepper until soft - you'll probably have to do this in batches - or keep turning over the cooked leaves as you add new ones - it should all fit into the pot.  Four pounds of spinach will take about 15 minutes or so to cook.
3.   In a large skillet over medium-high heat, fry the onion in the oil until browned.  Add the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute.  Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt, and fry until tomato pieces begin to break up.
4.   Add the dry spices and stir for a minute.  Add 1/4 cup spinach water and continue frying until all tomatoes pieces have softened and broken up.
5.   Stir in the cooked spinach.  Add another cup or so of spinach water and the paneer and simmer until water is absorbed.  Stir in garam masala and remove from heat.  Taste for salt.

I served the saag paneer  with basmati rice cooked in 1/2 water and 1/2 coconut milk to which I added finely grated carrots halfway through the cooking time.

And, fresh mango chutney.  Those sweet little bright yellow-orange mangoes from Mexico are in season right now.     I cut two of them them into pieces and tossed them with thinly sliced red onions that had soaked for an hour in salted ice water to remove the onion sting, currants, lime zest and juice, a few drops of walnut oil, fresh spearmint (up in the garden from last year) and chives.

I started to make dessert - a sour cherry crostata - but it didn't happen until today - the day after dinner.  Time got away from me.

I was inspired to make the crostata when I found a quart of frozen sour cherries from last summer. Wow - it'll be cherry time again soon -  best to use these up now and make space for the 2013 harvest.  I did a quick defrost by placing the container in a bowl of water.  Then I cooked the cherries with rapadura sugar, fresh orange peel, a cinnamon stick and a star anise until they reduced to a kind of preserves.    I made the crostata dough, a pasta frolla (a cookie-like pastry dough) with:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweet and salty almonds or roasted, salted almonds
1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into bits
1 egg
1 tablespoon ice water
a splash of pure almond extract

1.  Add the flour, sugar and almonds to a food processor and pulse until the almonds are broken up - they don't have to be finely ground.
2.  Add the butter, egg, water and almond extract and run the food processor until the dough forms a ball on the blade.
3.  Remove from the processor - divide the dough into two - flatten each piece into a disk and wrap them in plastic film.  Refrigerate until ready for use.  Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before using.
4.   Heat an oven to 350 degrees F.  Roll out each disk on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2-inch thick. Cover the bottom and sides of a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable sides.  Press the pastry into the pan and trim away any excess.  Prick the bottom of the pan.   Fill with the cherry mixture - or a jar of your favorite jam.
5.   Roll out the second pastry disk to the same size.   Cut into 1/2-inch wide strips.  Arrange half of the strips, 1/2-inch apart, over the tart.  Repeat with the remaining strips, placing them perpendicular to make a grid pattern.  Trim away any excess.  There will be leftover pastry.  I usually form a ball, roll it out, then cut out shapes such as circles, flowers, or hearts, and place them on top of the grid in a decorative way.
Make a wash by beating 1 egg with water or milk (I use milk - or almond milk) in a small bowl.  Brush the strips with the wash - sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.  Bake until the top is golden, 30 - 35 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

Christopher, I owe you a slice of dessert.  And, dinner outside.  Although, pretty soon it'll be too hot and buggy to eat outside.
 
SUSANSIMONSAYS:  I hadn't to been to one of my favorite NYC restaurants in more than a year.  You can imagine how pleased I was to arrive at Prune and find the chef/owner, Gabrielle Hamilton, in the kitchen, solo.   It was just the right kind of day to eat lunch at this exceptional East Village bistro with it French doors opened to a view onto a park which acted as a buffer between  Prune and raucous Houston Street.  

Gabrielle generously sent out an simple offering  when we arrived-  half of a most perfectly ripe avocado its cavity filled with spicy, sweet and fragrant Spanish olive oil and flaky sea salt.  I could have stopped there.  That is until the sorrel soup - acid enough to make your mouth pucker, not curl ,tempered with a glob of salty whipped was served. Heaven?  You bet.

 

sorrel soup with salted whipped cream

 

fried artichokes with saffron aioli

 

My friend and I shared fried artichokes sunk into sunshine bright saffron aioli, and the "sous chef's" salad filled with a mixture of greens, herbs, beans, roasted yellow peppers, seeds and a pronounced nut oil dressing.
 Remind me to go to mid-town to eat anymore.  There are too many good restaurants downtown.

Chicken Almond Rounds

center, Lisa Dolan, founder Hudson Reads, & Children's Book Festival

One of the best ways to raise funds is to offer people tasty food, free-flowing drinks, and an opportunity to engage in conversation with other people. 
Last Saturday, my friend Chris  & I did exactly as described.  Chris, & her husband, Bert are the proprietors of The Red Barn, and they kindly donated their restaurant space so we could host a cocktail party to raise money to benefit the Hudson Children's Book Festival .  The money that we raised is targeted for children who might not have the opportunity to shop, and buy a book directly from one of their favorite authors and illustrators who participate at the festival.  Now, at least 200 kids will have that opportunity.
While Chris & I put in some extra hours planning and making the event happen - it was kind of a no- brainer for us.  Before Chris became a restaurateur (and baker - see her at the Hudson Farmers' Market) she produced commercials in NYC, and I had a catering business there for 26 years.  We know how to put an event together.



Bard College classmates at the fundraiser

For my contribution to the food, I went straight to my catering menu and chose two appetizers that were unfailingly popular, and the most requested items on my list. No matter how I tried to introduce new tidbits to my cocktail menu everyone always asked for Chicken Almond Rounds and Smoked Salmon Focaccia.



Bert works his magic in the Red Barn kitchen

Chicken Almond Rounds are labor intensive.  You can make them a two, or even three day project in order to ease the work load. 
Here's what I wrote about them in my  book, "The Nantucket Table" (Chronicle Books, 1998)
"Before coming to Nantucket in 1953, the pioneering and entrepreneurial James Beard had a business in New York City called Hors d'Oeuvre, Inc. opened in January 1939.  The shop offered New Yorkers who were entertaining - giddy with the end of prohibition - a great variety of cooked cocktail-party food.  One of the most requested items on this way-before-its-time take-out menu was an onion sandwich on brioche bread.  This was snack dear to Beard's heart as it was one made for him as a child by his mother.   Two slices of brioche were slathered with mayonnaise, then sliced onions were placed on one slice, and the other was placed on top to make a sandwich.  Three rounds were cut from the sandwich and were squeezed a bit to let some mayonnaise ooze out, then were rolled in chopped parsley.   These little onion rounds gained ingredients as time passed.   I learned about the Chicken almond rounds about fifteen years ago, far into their evolution."
btw - James Beard's Nantucket hamburger joint was called, ahem, Lucky Pierre.

CHICKEN ALMOND ROUNDS
Makes 4 dozen one-bite sandwiches  (are you reading this, Ned?)

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup good-quality commercial mayonnaise, plus more as needed
2 celery ribs, peeled and finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons dried tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
24 very thin slices white bread
1 1/2 cups roasted salted almonds, chopped in a food processor to the consistency of fine gravel

1.  Place the chicken breasts in a large skillet with water to cover.  Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, with the cover askew.  Lower the heat a notch and simmer gently until the chicken is opaque throughout.  Remove the chicken from the liquid and let cool.
2.   Place the 3/4 cup mayonnaise in a bowl, and add the celery, onion, tarragon, salt , and pepper.  Stir to mix well.  Break the chicken into large pieces.  Working in 2 batches, use a food processor to chop the breasts until they resemble oatmeal.   Add the ground chicken to the celery mixture.   Carefully combine with a rubber spatula.
3.   Line up 4 bread slices at a time.  Spread each slice with some of the chicken mixture, forming a layer 1/4 inch thick.  Cover each slice with a second slice.  Repeat until you have 12 sandwiches.   Using a 1 1/2-inch-diameter biscuit cutter, cut out 4 rounds from every sandwich, gently pushing them free from the cutter after every two cuts.  Keep the pairs of rounds stacked together and cover with damp paper towels until all of the sandwiches are cut.

4.  Pour the chopped almonds into a baking dish or onto a dinner plate.  Holding a stack of sandwich rounds between thumb and forefinger, spread a film of mayonnaise around the cut edges.   Roll the stack through the chopped almonds until the edges are completely coated with the nuts.  Re-cover the stacks with the damp paper towels until all are coated.

5.   To serve, separate each stack back into two sandwiches.

Day one:     make chicken mixture and refrigerate.
Day two:     make the sandwiches and cut into rounds.
Day three:   roll the sandwiches in the nuts.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:    While the cocktail party has passed you can still make a donation.  Here's the info.   Every penny that you contribute will go directly towards a gift card that will allow a child to shop at the May 4th book festival:

Make your tax deductible check to:   HUDSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT ENDOWMENT FUND
 and mail to:       Lisa Dolan
                           Hudson Reads
                           102 Harry Howard Avenue
                           Hudson, NY 12534



crudités & pita chips with butternut squash-tahini

 THANK YOU 

A Bridge between Two Holidays

Sometimes it just works out this way.  I was born on April 7th.  So, my birthday can be on Passover, or on  Easter - or, as this year on a gorgeous Hudson Valley Saturday sandwiched between both holy days.  Like most people born under the sign of Aries the ram, I have some rather headstrong ideas about the way things should be.  Like celebrations.  I like to celebrate, to mark occasions - almost always with food.  The celebrations don't have to be loud, or dressy, or involve printed invitations - they must, however, have a good selection of guests, food and drink. And so, with those essentials in mind, I invited a group of people that I had recently met in Hudson, some people that I have known for ages, and others who live in the area to stop by for a drink and some food between 4:30 - 7:30 on Saturday afternoon.   The majority had no idea that it was my birthday - and I was happy to leave it that way.  I liked being in on a secret.
I made a menu that included some of my all time favorite  afternoon snacks -  kind of tea party/cocktail party fare.

SWEET AND SALTY ALMONDS - these tasty nuts come straight out of my friend, Amy Chaplin's granola.  Amy moistens her legendary granola with olive oil and - this is important, brown rice syrup which gives all the granola ingredients a kind of crackling glaze.  So, I extrapolated the almonds that are part of the granola mix and coated them with them with extra virgin olive oil, brown rice syrup and sea salt and roasted them at 325 degrees F. for 15 or 20 minutes - until deep gold.

FEGATINI DI POLLO ALLA TOSCANA - which is Tuscan chopped liver.  My nod to Passover.  I sauteed chopped onions with fresh sage leaves in lots of unsalted butter until the onion was translucent.  I added chicken livers to the butter and tossed to coat with the other ingredients.  I added a generous splash of dry white Vermouth, the juice of a lemon and some salt preserved capers.  Simmer until the liver is no longer pink.  Remove from the heat and let cool. You might taste for salt and add as needed.  Since I don't rinse the salt-preseerved capers - they add enough salt.  Add to a food processor and blend until smooth.   I served the liver paste with cornichons and matzos.

CUCUMBER, DILL AND CHIVES SANDWICHES.  To my mind there is no afternoon party without cucumber sandwiches.  They are the food that refreshes. These sandwiches add the crunch and moisture that's needed as a antidote to the other richer offerings.   Hothouse cucumbers are found in most supermarkets year 'round.

Make 4 dozen 2 bite sandwiches

24 very thin slices white bread
one hot house cucumber (the ones shrink-wrapped in cellophane) rind peeled off in stripes and thinly sliced. Store for a few hours in double layers of paper towels so the cucumber can sweat and won't make soggy sandwiches
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup good-quality commercial mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1.  Line up the bread in pairs, 4 - 6 at a time.
"mask " each slice with a thin film of butter (masking the bread not only adds flavor to the sandwich, but also protects it from becoming soggy).
2.  Stir the dill, chives, salt and pepper into the mayonnaise.  Spread each bread slice with a thin layer of it.
3.  Cover one side of each pair with the sliced cucumbers.  Cover with the other slice of bread pressing gently but  firmly.  Trim away the crusts and cut on the diagonal to make 4 triangular 2-bite sandwiches.
4.  Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered with damp paper towels until ready to serve.

SMOKED SALMON FOCACCIA.   This very thin focaccia (recipe to come in another post) is covered with sliced red onions before it's baked.  I coat the cooled strips of focaccia with an ersatz mascarpone - sweet butter blended with cream cheese, some lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.  The cheese mixture is topped with sliced smoked salmon and cut into 1-inch strips.  I like to serve strips piled onto a platter in log cabin pattern groups.  

EGG SALAD SANDWICHES.  I woke up on Saturday morning in a panic.  I worried that I didn't have enough  food.  Isn't that an age old worry?   I also heard my friend, Nally's voice in my ear saying that I "had to have something with eggs for Easter."   Okay.  I was on my way to the Hudson Farmer's Market so I picked up 2 dozen eggs instead of one.  I came home and hard cooked 8 eggs while I put together the cucumber sandwiches.     Because the eggs were very fresh I added copious amounts of salt to the water which eases the peeling.  Sort of.    I peeled the cooled eggs. Then separated the yolks from the whites. I pushed the yolks through a sieve and finely chopped the whites.  I added some mayonnaise, chopped dill, chives, salt and pepper.  The finished mixture should resemble an egg salad paste. It makes for a less oozing-out-the-edges tea sandwich.
Line up very thin white bread as you do for the cucumber sandwiches and mask each side with softened unsalted butter.   Spread egg salad on one slice and cover with the other.  Trim away the crusts and carefully cut on the diagonal to make 4 triangular 2-bite sandwiches.

The offering was supplemented with my favorite buttery, salty black olive shortbread cookies made by my friend, Cynthia.  And  to-die-for pecan bars made by my friend, Margaret,  And a sumptuous variety of chocolate dragees filled with praline, with marzipan and with salted caramel made by the French company, Maison Pecou brought by my friend, Clementine.

It was a lovely party.  Nice to see everyone.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

At this time of year when there's a large variety of potted flowering plants I like to decorate the house with them instead of cut flowers.  Just take them out of their unattractive plastic containers and put them into terra cotta pots, ceramic bowls or glass vases.  I'm especially fond of the pink-flowering strawberry plants. 

A Rhubarb? No, a Tea Party with Rhubarb, etc.

My only rhubarb (ahem!) would be with the weather.  Will sun ever come out again I growled towards the heavens? And despite - or because of the incessant rain - my garden is lush and glorious. I'm one of those lucky New Yorkers who has an outdoor space.  Not just a sliver of balcony but a full-on, south-facing space with established plants and an enormous Norway maple - growing in the adjacent garden - that hangs over a corner of my garden, and in the summertime gives the blazingly hot spot a patch of shade.

The periwinkle blue clematis (don't ask me its name - because it has long ago been erased from my memory - which I shouldn't have trusted in the first place - and like a real gardener, should have written down)  and its saucer-like, white neighbor are the first plants I see when I open my back door. They almost make me forget the weather.  But not for long, because the relentless rain battered them, and they are disappearing sooner than usual. 
The heuchera, however - ding-dong (my adjective) coral belles and purple palace - are enduring specimens having lived for at least 15 years confined to not too big pots. They live through the freezing and thawing winter weather, love to be covered with snow, and faithfully come back, year after year.

I chose this apartment, with its very large garden (almost the size of my apartment)- instead of one with an extra bedroom - so that I can entertain outside.  I can invite more people for a meal in the warm weather then the cool.  My guests can dine comfortably, surrounded by fragrant plants, chirping birds, and the occasional firefly, buffered from screeching city noise by thick greenery and my apartment.   All is weather-dependant, of  course.    

My friends, the Bellati had been in New York for the past 2 weeks visiting from their home in the Veneto, Italy - ( see Contessanally for all their adventures while in the City - well, at least Nally's!) - I wanted to have them over for tea - in the garden - on their final day in New York.  You probably know how that tea in garden didn't happen - it happened inside.  It wasn't really raining - but it was grey and chilly.   However, I carried on with my menu.  

This rhubarb started with rhubarb, the stalk.  It seems that every farmer, in every market in the greenmarket system has piles of blushing rhubarb for sale.  I'm crazy about rhubarb - even although it makes my teeth feel like a chalkboard being scratched by fingernails.   I do several things with rhubarb.  But this compote is my favorite way to use it.  Once I have the versatile  compote in the fridge I use it in several preparations.

RHUBARB & STRAWBERRY COMPOTE

I use honey for this compote.  First and most importantly, my brother-in-law, Jim Gross, is a beekeeper on Nantucket.  His dozen or so hives produce hundreds and hundreds of pounds of  blue-ribbon award-winning honey not defined by a particular blossom - but, a blend of many - he collects his honey at the end of season.  I like the way its deep, earthy flavor  takes the edge off the rhubarb without turning it into something that's cloying. And, the sturdy rhubarb stands up to the honey and retains its integrity.   Local strawberries are coming from South Jersey.  Huzza.


Makes about 1 3/4 quarts

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 pounds rhubarb, leaf end and root end removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 quart strawberries, hulled and cut in half
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
juice of 1/2 orange
1/2 - 3/4 cup pure honey

1.  Add all the ingredients to a large, non-reactive saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook until the rhubarb is soft - 15 - 20 minutes.
2.   Let cool.  Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.


Late May Tea Party:

.  Sweet and Salty Almonds  (see Cocktail Prolonge, January 11, 2011 blog for recipe)

.  Radish and Butter Sandwiches - good quality butter spread on each side of sliced egg challah or brioche bread.  Line one side of bread with sliced radishes, sprinkle with coarse salt - I like flaky Maldon salt -  and chopped chives.  Make a sandwich and press firmly to insure that the radishes will adhere to the butter.  Cut into 2, 3, or 4 pieces.

.  Smoked Salmon on Cucumber Slices -  cut English cucumbers on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices - smear each slice with a bit of softened cream cheese, top each piece with a little folded piece of smoked salmon and garnish with a piece of chive.

.    Kunik Cheese with Crackers - I've talked about this upstate New York cheese in other posts.  It is with a doubt my favorite local cheese.  The voluptuous triple creme is made with goat's milk and Jersey cow's milk cream. 

.   Rhubarb- Strawberry Parfaits -  I used  juice glasses to create this Sunday sundae - first, some Rhubarb & Strawberry Compote, Ronnybrook Farm coconut yogurt and topped with a sprinkling of homemade granola.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

Make a scrumptious Rhubarb & Strawberry Smoothie  for one - add 1/2 cup of the compote, 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt, a splash of pure vanilla extract, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and 6 or 7 ice cubes to a blender and blend until thick and smooth.  Consume, with pleasure, immediately!

Cocktail party prolonge` - 12th Day of Christmas Eve

I sent out an invitation to a few friends on December 26th, 2010. It went something like this - "Do you think that Christmas was over and done with yesterday?  Oh no.   There are twelve days of Christmas and I'm not just talking a partridge in a pear tree.  The 12th day, January 6th, Epiphany, is the time that the 3 wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus.  The 12th eve is January 5th and this Jewish girl has decided to celebrate with a cocktail prolonge`.  7pm - whatever.   A light supper will be served a 9 or so."
Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the term cocktail prolonge` (just as I was up until about a year ago) - let me explain, this style of party was at the height of its popularity in the mid-19th century in Europe. It's a cocktail buffet.  A "prolonged" cocktail party.  Guests can stand or sit, go to a table filled with bite-sized food as many times as they wish, and drink cocktails, and glasses of  wine. Somewhere around 9 - 9:30 a small plate of hot food- which I call a light supper is served.  I usually choose a simple pasta dish - or for this particular party, risotto.  I choose starchy dishes because they always satisfy any remaining hunger and sop up too many cocktails or glasses of wine. Another reason  I  chose risotto was because it let me showcase some of those freshly shucked Nantucket bay scallops that I spoke about in a previous posting. The addition of pomegranate seeds with their sugary, tart flavor and crunchy texture marry, in stunning way, with the sweet, velvety smooth bay scallops.   The dish was inspired by a  pomegranate-seed studded risotto made with Prosecco that I ate a few years ago while visiting a friend in the Veneto region of Italy.   Two years ago I made that pomegranate risotto and topped it with bay scallops, cooked Venetian-style.  It has become a signature dish.

But wait - here's what I served to graze upon - along with cocktail shaker-fulls of Pisco Sours (see  "And then I went to Patagonia" post for recipe), glasses of icy Prosecco, red wine and anything else people wanted to drink.

Sweet and Salty Roasted Almonds - Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spread about a pound or a pound and a half  raw almonds onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet with sides or a jelly roll pan.  Add 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive and 1 heaping teaspoon of flaky sea salt to the pan.  Use a rubber spatula to evenly coat the almonds with the the other ingredients.  Make sure are evenly spread out.   Bake until the almonds are darker brown and the liquid ingredients are bubbling, about an hour.   Let cool on a baking rack.  Some of the almonds will clump together as they cool.  Separate before serving.  The almonds should be stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid.  They will stay fresh for weeks.

Raw vegetables; celery sticks, English cucumber slices, endive leaves and jicama slices (there was a color scheme!) with spicy peanut sauce.   1/3 cup freshly ground organic peanut butter, 1/4 cup water, zest of 1 lime and juice of 2, 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce,  and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Nantucket honey (more about it in posts to come).  Add the ingredients to a sauce pan and cook until smooth - you may want to thin with a bit more water.  Finish the sauce with a handful of chopped, roasted peanuts.

Selection of cheese; Piave ( a hard Italian cheese from the northwestern part of the country), a log of soft goat's milk cheese, Kunik - an over-the-top, dangerous (because you will become addicted),  New York State (Nettle Meadow) soft cheese made with goat's milk and Jersey cow's milk cream - it will make you deliriously happy served with roasted pears (see Apples and Pears post), medjool dates, semi-dried figs and little toasts made with raisin-pecan bread.

Large, poached shrimp with cocktail sauce.  Heinz' Chili Sauce, ketchup, and very sharp horseradish.

Bacala Mantecato (see Christmas and Codfish post) served with whole wheat baguette toasts and Kalamata olives

POMEGRANATE RISOTTO WITH NANTUCKET BAY SCALLOPS ALLA VENEZIANA

Serves 8 - 12

for the risotto:

1/3 cup grape seed oil (neutral flavor will not compete with other delicate ingredients)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
2 cups baldo or carnaroli (or any short, fat rice)
1 1/4 cups Prosecco or dry white wine
10 - 12 cups water
kosher salt
3/4  cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
seeds from one pomegranate (see Easy, Rosy Last Minute Cocktail Party post for pomegranate seed removal method)

for the scallops:

3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh red hot pepper such as Thai, cayenne or jalapeno
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup dry white vermouth
2 pounds bay scallops
1/2 cup firmly packed, finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
salt

1.  Add the grapeseed oil and the onions to a large skillet or a brazier over medium heat.   Saute the onions until they become translucent but not brown, about 6 - 8 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil.  Add two cupfuls of water and stir continuously until all the liquid is absorbed.   Keep adding the water 2 cupsful at a time until the rice is tender  and a bit of liquid remains in the skillet- about 18 minutes.  During the addition of the last 2 cups of water add the grated cheese.
2.  Turn down the heat to a faint simmer, add the butter and pomegranate seeds.  Stir to combine.
3.  In a skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic and hot pepper in the olive oil.   Just as the garlic starts to turn gold, add the lemon juce and vermouth.  Lower the heat a notch and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the scallops and cook until opaque, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook, or the scallops will become rubbery in an instant.  Stir in the parsley.
4.   Add the risotto to a large, warm serving platter.  Cover with the scallops.  Serve immediately.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  If your guests ask you what they can bring to the party - the answer is easy.  "something sweet".   I asked my friend, Roy to bring some gingerbread. He obliged with a lovely, rotund cake glazed with tangy lemon icing.   Amy brought organic, hand-dipped elderflower and raspberry flavored (among others) chocolates from new Nantucket confectioner, Ambrosia - read Amy's article about them in Poetry of Food -, John brought dark chocolate "meltaways" from  Stowaway Sweets , and Mark brought colorful cupcakes in flavors like French toast, and cinnamon toast from The Little Cupcake Shop in downtown New York City.   A perfect end to a perfect evening.