Hosted by Amy and Dan de Lannoy
Dear Friends:
After much finagling, we managed to find a date that works for all of us! Alleluia! And, in celebration of Father’s Day and the birthdays of our fabulous hubbies (three of whom have birthdays within a few weeks (or days!) of the dinner), we will be having a backyard barbecue comprised of some of our male counterparts’ favorite foods – pesto bread sticks (for Dan), barbecued ribs (for Llew and Art), mashed potatoes (for Bret and Dan) and pie ala mode (for Dan and Art)! Thanks to Bonnie for inspiring the theme!
As always, Dan will be supplying some fabulous wines, as well as an assortment of ales.
DINNER CLUB MENU
Starter
Grilled Pesto Breadsticks with Goat Cheese Pesto Spread
Rochelle and Llew
Main Course
Chili-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs with Espresso Barbecue Sauce
Amy and Dan
Grilled Tomatoes with Yogurt
Rochelle and Llew
Overnight Coleslaw with Mustard Seed
Mary Lauren and Bret
Garlic and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
Mary Lauren and Bret
Dessert
Raspberry and Blueberry Pie
Bonnie and Art
GRILLED PESTO BREADSTICKS WITH GOAT CHEESE-PESTO SPREAD
11 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), room temperature
14-ounce pesto (2 containers prepared pesto or 1 recipe of homemade pesto*)
1 1-pound French bread baguette, cut into 6-inch lengths
1/4 cup olive oil
Purée goat cheese in processor. Mix in 7 ounces pesto. Transfer to medium bowl.(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving)
Prepare barbeque (medium-high heat). Halve each bread piece lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into 1 1/4-inch-wide strips. Combine 7 ounces pesto and oil in small bowl. Brush bread with pesto mixture. Grill until brown, about 45 seconds per side. Serve with cheese spread.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Bon Appétit
August 1996
*HOMEMADE PESTO
5 large garlic cloves
¾ cup pine nuts
3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely grated (1 cup)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
4 ½ cups loosely packed fresh basil
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
With food processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop. Stop motor and add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper, and basil, then process until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil, blending until incorporated. Makes about 2 cups.
Cooks’ notes:
You can buy prepared pesto at the grocery store or make it yourself. If you prepare it yourself, you can make it up to a week in advance, and keep it chilled in the refrigerator with its surface covered with plastic wrap. We would suggest that you cut the breadsticks and prepare the pesto/goat cheese spread in advance, and come a little early (around 7:15) to grill the breadsticks at our house.
OVERNIGHT COLESLAW WITH MUSTARD SEED
This coleslaw should be made the day before you plan to serve it.
1 head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced*
2 carrots, peeled and grated*
1 medium white onion, diced
¾ cup canola oil
½ cup honey
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a large nonreactive bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots and onion.
In a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, mix the oil, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Take the dressing off the heat; immediately pour it over the vegetables. Toss well, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (overnight is best) before serving.
Makes 8-10 servings.
Fine Cooking
June/July 1996
Cooks’ Note: The cabbage and the carrot can be chopped very quickly and efficiently in a food processor. We suggest cutting the cabbage into wedges that fit the chute, and then using the slicing blade. We use the grating blade for the carrot.
CHILI-RUBBED BABY BACK RIBS WITH ESPRESSO BARBECUE SAUCE
2 tablespoons hot Mexican-style chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 pounds baby back pork ribs
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
1 18-ounce bottle good-quality barbecue sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Rub spice mixture all over ribs. Place ribs in heavy large roasting pan.
Boil beer in medium saucepan until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour beer around ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake ribs until fork-tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Combine barbecue sauce, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, and espresso powder in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer until flavors blend and sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. (Ribs and barbecue sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover separately and refrigerate.)
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush ribs with some barbecue sauce. Grill ribs just until heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to platter. Bring remaining sauce to simmer. Brush ribs with more barbecue sauce. Serve ribs, passing remaining barbecue sauce separately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Bon Appétit
R.S.V.P.
June 2003
Lovell’s of Lake Forest, Lake Forest, IL
GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATOES
As this dish is denser and more intensely flavored than traditional mashed potatoes, our suggested serving size is smaller than you might expect. These potatoes make a fine accompaniment to simply seasoned grilled meats, fish, and poultry.Serves 8
INGREDIENTS3 pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
8 medium cloves garlic, peeled
3 teaspoons kosher salt plus 1/4 additional teaspoon
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil plus 3 additional tablespoons
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
PREPARATION
1. Place potatoes in large saucepan with water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and cook at bare simmer until just tender (potatoes will offer very little resistance when poked with paring knife), 40 to 45 minutes. 2. While potatoes are simmering, mince 2 garlic cloves (or press through garlic press). Place minced garlic on cutting board and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Using flat side of chef’s knife, drag garlic and salt back and forth across cutting board in small circular motions until garlic is ground into smooth paste. (A mortar and pestle could also be used for this.) Transfer to medium bowl and set aside.3. Mince remaining 6 cloves garlic (or press through garlic press). Place in small saucepan with 1/2 cup olive oil and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until garlic foams and is soft, fragrant, and golden, 5 minutes. Transfer oil and garlic to bowl with raw garlic paste.4. Drain cooked potatoes; set food mill or ricer over now-empty saucepan. Using paring knife, peel skins from potatoes. Working in batches, cut peeled potatoes into large chunks and process through food mill or ricer into saucepan.5. Add remaining salt, pepper, lemon juice, and remaining uncooked olive oil to bowl with garlic and cooked oil and whisk to combine. Fold mixture into potatoes and serve.Cooks’ Note: There is no easy way to prepare mashed potatoes in advance. You can certainly prep all ingredients the night before (e.g., wash the whole potatoes, peel and mince the garlic and squeeze the lemon juice). You can also probably mash the 2 garlic cloves with the salt (step 1) and mix together the salt, pepper, lemon juice and remaining olive oil (approx 7 tablespoons) (step 5) in advance. You should bring all of these ingredients in separate containers to our house to finish the prep. We will make sure we have a big pot of water ready for the potatoes when you arrive.
GRILLED TOMATOES WITH YOGURT
Serves 8
Thick, creamy Greek or Middle Eastern yogurt, available at specialty-food stores, is especially good with these tomatoes, but plain full-fat yogurt will also work.
8 ripe, red tomatoes(about 1 3/4 pounds)
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek or Middle Eastern
Preparation1. Cut 1/2 inch off top of tomatoes. Sprinkle cut end of tomatoes with oregano, thyme, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Brush a grill or grill pan with oil. Heat to hot. Place tomatoes on the grill, cut side down. Grill until slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and grill until soft and warm throughout, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a dish, and serve with yogurt on the side.
Cooks’ Notes: The tomatoes can be cut and the other ingredients mixed together just prior to coming to our house. The tomatoes can be drizzled with the oil/lemon juice/seasoning mix at our house and grilled on our frill just prior to the ribs.
RASPBERRY-BLUEBERRY PIE
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
6 tbsps. chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into ½ inch cubes
¼ cup sour cream
3 tbsps iced water
Filling:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups fresh raspberries (about 12 ounces)
2 ½ cups fresh blueberries (about 12 ounces)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup tapioca, ground to a powder in a grinder /or cornstarch
¼ cup crème de cassis (blackcurrant flavored liqueur)
1 large egg
2 tbsps milk
3 tbsps raw sugar (aka turbinado or demerara sugar)
Vanilla and Chocolate ice-cream
Whisk flour and salt in large bowl. Add butter and shortening and rub in with fingertips until pea-size pieces form. Add sour cream and 3 tbsps ice water. Stir just until dough comes together. Gather dough into ball and divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 9 inch diameter glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Roll out one dough disk on to lightly floured surface 12-13 inch round. Line prepared pie dish with dough. Roll out remaining disk on lightly floured surface to 12-13 inch round.
Mix raspberries, blueberries, 1 cup sugar, tapioca and crème de cassis in large bowl. Spoon berry mixture into crust-lined pie dish. Top with second crust, trimming excess dough. Crimp edges together. Cut ¾ inch hole in center of top crust.
Whisk egg and milk in small bowl to blend. Brush some of mixture over crust. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake pie 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Continue baking until crust browns and juices bubble thickly (cover crust with foil after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning) about 1 hour.
Cool about 2 hours. (Pie can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature). Cut pie into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with ice-cream.