ENTERTAINING I

THIS IS THE FIRST of two entries regarding my first forays in entertaining on a grand scale in my shoebox apartment. 

I've mentioned off and on that I am a pianist so this party of 8 (!) was, for lack of a better word, the litmus test to see if I could pull it all off. Playing for 80 minutes AND cooking a four-course dinner for 8 people can be daunting enough but this was meant to kill two birds with one stone, perhaps three actually. The first was to run through a dozen or so Chopin Nocturnes which I am preparing to record (all 19 of them actually) later this year. The second was to give a dear friend her belated leap year birthday party (sweet 16 as it were!) as well as reunite with the "black dog crew" from my old neighborhood. And finally, the last challenge was feeding people with dietary restrictions: no gluten, low carbs and almost no sugar and no meat (I gave it up for Lent anyway).  

In all humility, I must say that the evening proved to be a lot of fun in every way! Since it was Bach's birthday on the evening in question (I did say belated leap year), I started with the aria from the Italian Concerto and then worked my way through most of the Nocturnes. Afterwards, we began with a roasted bell pepper stuffed with tomato followed by a Sicilian Salt Cod stew with leeks, olives, potatoes, tomato and saffron cooked in a fish broth.

As if this weren't enough, we moved on to Caesar Salad (see blog entry dated January 12, 2014), followed by a Flourless Chocolate Ricotta Cake topped with mixed berries and whipped cream.

16 CANDLES!

All of this was accompanied by some pretty fabulous wines starting with Prosecco and moving on to a couple of delicious and hefty reds (see below).

 

It's pretty amazing when people arrive exactly on time (6:00) and don't leave until close to 11:00. Of course, we ate and laughed the evening away with my little Ludwig vying for everyone's attention and whatever wayward morsels from the table coming his way!

SALT COD STEW

Serves 8-10 people

Soak 2 pounds of salt cod in cold water for two days, changing the water as frequently as you can but at least 2 or 3 times. 

Rice Flour for dredging the fish

Sunflower or Canola Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as needed)

2 leeks

6 cloves garlic

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup fish stock

a pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbs olive oil

1 can whole peeled tomatoes (crushed by hand in a bowl)

1 tsp fennel extract or 1/4 cup Pernod

1 tsp ground fennel seeds

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice

1/2 pound pitted black olives

salt and pepper to taste

chopped parsley

Cut the pieces of cod into plump, square serving pieces and dredge in the rice flour. You should have roughly a dozen pieces.

You will need a large enough pot to fit all of the ingredients once finished. I use a large and deep oval roasting pan.

Lightly sauté the cod in sunflower or canola oil, a few pieces at a time (don't crowd the pan). Reserve for later and clean out the pan. Return the pan to the stove and pour enough olive oil in the pan for even cooking. Add the leeks and the garlic and sauté until tender. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the fish stock and the saffron and bring to the boil. Reduce heat somewhat and add the tomatoes, the fennel seeds and the extract or Pernod and cook for about 15 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes and add the fish. Make sure everything is coated with sauce and bring the mixture to the boil again and then reduce heat to a simmer and cover and cook for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, add chopped parsley and serve immediately.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE RICOTTA TORTE

This cake is incredibly dense and packs a complete and total chocolate punch! Topped with berries and whipped cream or just dusted with cocoa powder or powdered sugar - any or all of these toppings make for a dramatic presentation.

Grease a 9 inch spring form pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder.

Heat the oven to 375º.

1 cup fresh Ricotta Cheese (I make my own - it's the best!)

4 eggs

1/2 cup powdered sugar

8 oz. finest quality bittersweet chocolate cut into pieces

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted) 

In a stand mixer, cream the cheese and sugar until blended and then add the eggs until the cheese is creamy. 

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate pieces and the butter until completely melted and smooth. Slowly whisk the sifted  cocoa powder into the melted chocolate until completely incorporated. 

Add the chocolate to the cheese mixture. Mix for about 20 seconds or until it is blended completely

Pour contents into baking pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 25-35 minutes or until the edges of the cake shrink from the pan. Test the cake with a toothpick for doneness. Don't worry if it comes out gooey in the center; the cake with set as it cools. 

Cool the cake for about 10 minutes in the pan and remove the spring form but keep the bottom of the pan under the cake and let cool on a rack or a plate.

Serve warm or cold. This cake will stay very fresh for 24 hours so if you're entertaining as I do, you can make it the day before with no worries of it getting dry. You can refrigerate it if you like but do not cover it in plastic wrap and let come to room temperature before serving.

Vi auguro e buon appetito!

Next up: Entertaining II: Easter!