All Work and No Play? No Way!

We are poised on the edge of the busy season and while I don't get too crazy with the holidays, things do seem to move more quickly.  Wednesday night a bunch of personal chefs had a great dinner together.  We meet every other month for a social/business meeting but traditionally our November meeting is social and includes food.  We've had some potlucks and they've been fun and delicious but a few years ago we decided we liked going out to eat and being served.  For a change. 

We ate at Creations at The Art Institute of Atlanta.  My friend Monique is in charge of the dining room, is a personal chef and a member of the chapter.  She worked it out that we could have dinner there as a group.  We didn't have the whole restaurant, there were only about 30 of us, so there were a few tables with others, and the meal was wonderful.

Appetizer (choice of one)

• Duck Confit Crepes with caramelized pear, gorgonzola flan, spiced pecans and pomegranate cherry compote
• Antipasto Plate of olive oil poached fennel and caramelized endive with balsamic syrup and parmesan, rosemary flatbread with artichoke aioli and roasted vegetable caponata with pine nut bruschetta

Soup (choice of one)

• Creations Gumbo with chicken andouille sausage, blue crab and smoked mussels
• Wild Mushroom with white truffle oil, smoked gouda cream and crisped leeks

Salad

• Butternut Squash and Arugula maple raosted butternut squash and baby arugula with smoked bacon lardons, blue cheese-port dressing and onion rye croutons

Intermezzo of Seasonal Fruit Sorbet

Entrees (choice of one)

• Grilled Tuna Steak served over toasted almond couscous with grilled eggplant-caper relish, smoked paprika aioli and zucchini ribbons
• Lemon Sage Coq au Vin braised, fall off the bone, crisp skin chicken thighs served over celery root mashed potatoes, jus naturale and broccolini
• Azucar Chili Venison pan seared medallions of venison rubbed with brown sugar, coffee and chilis and served with cranberry-pepito mole, sweet corn arepas and a roasted poblano-yellow squash salsa

Dessert (choice of one)

• Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart with cherry vanilla ice cream and berry coulis
• Gingered Spice Cake with pumpkin ice cream, cranberry compote and candied pecans

 The meal is reasonable priced, they do have wine and cocktails available and you do need to make reservations.  Check it out for lunch too.

Last night for dinner I tried a new recipe from the new Giada cookbook and it was good.  I am generally happy with her recipes.

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce by Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup clam juice
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp, the cooked pasta, and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.  Serves 4 to 6.

Yesterday I cooked for a client and made her 2 pie shells for Thanksgiving.  I did that for her last year too.  I started getting ready for my Thanksgiving and bought my turkey at Trader Joe's.  I got a kosher one and they don't have many left.  Now I need to decide on my menu and get the rest of the shopping done this weekend.  No Wednesday at the store for me!