Entertaining Dinner for Eight

PHYLLO PIZZA
6 sheets phyllo dough
4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 packages Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs, room temperature
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
enough plum tomatoes to cover pizza, about 10 depending on size
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh basil chiffonade
Lay phyllo on a work surface and cover with waxed paper and a damp cloth. Butter a jelly roll pan large enough to hold phyllo.
Lay one sheet of phyllo on pan, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Continue layering until all phyllo is used. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Sauté onion until softened but not brown.
Spread boursin on top sheet of phyllo, scatter onions over, then mozzarella cheese.
top with thinly sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the tomatoes.
Bake 20-30 minutes or until phyllo edges are golden. Sprinkle with basil. Serve hot or room temperature.

VINAIGRETTE
3/4 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger,peeled and grated(if your blender blades are sharp, cut the ginger in a few pieces instead of grating it)salt and pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.






SUGARED ALMONDS

1/2 cup sugar
8 oz bag slivered almonds
Put sugar in a 12 inch stainless steel skillet.
over moderately high heat. When sugar beings to melt add almonds and stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as almonds begin to turn golden turn out onto foil. Let cool and break apart. These burn quickly so be sure to turn them out as soon as the start to caramelize.

SALAD
About 1 cup any kind of lettuce
1 1/2 cups sweetened dry cranberries
sugared almonds
Toss salad greens and cranberries with lettuce. Toss salad greens with dressing. Place on individual salad plates and top with sugared almonds and sweetened dried cranberries.


HEAVENLY POTATOES
3 bags Simply Potatoes shredded hash browns
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Put potatoes in a 9 by 13 glass baking dish. Pour cream over and sprinkle with Lawry's salt until the top of
potatoes is orange. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

BEEF TENDERLOIN
1 beef tenderloin
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
Mix salt,thyme, garlic powder, and pepper together. Add enough olive oil to make a paste and rub all over tenderloin.
Grill over indirect heat for about 20 minutes for medium rare. Remove from grill and let rest for 5-10 before slicing.





HORSERADISH SAUCE
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained.
Stir sour cream and mayonnaise together. Add 1 tablespoon horseradish and taste. Add more horseradish if desired.
Season with salt and pepper


MERINGUES

5 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 275; line two baking sheets with parchment.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Start adding the sugar gradually and beat until stiff and glossy. Beat in vanilla.

Drop about 1/2 cup meringue in eight mounds on baking sheets, spacing several inches apart. Make a well in the center of each with the back of a spoon. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let meringues cool in oven for 20 minutes. Carefully transfer meringues to a wire rack to cool.If not using right away, store in an airtight container for up to two days.
Fill well of each meringue with lemon curd.. Top with fresh fruit and garnish with a mint sprig.


LEMON CURD
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter



Whisk together zest, lemon juice,sugar, eggs and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan. Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes, immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl. Put plastic wrap directly on curd and chill. Lemon curd will thicken as it cools.

TO SERVE
lemon curd
meringues
strawberries
mint
Place one meringue on a serving plate. Fill well almost to the top with lemon curd. Top with fruit of your choice and a mint sprig for garnish.

SHRIMP AND GRITS

SHRIMP AND GRITS
Serves 4
Grits:
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup grits (preferably stone ground, not instant)
1/4 cup freshly grated Pamesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Bring water, milk, and garlic to a boil. Stir in grits and cook according to package directions. Add remaining ingredients and keep warm in a double boiler. Thin with a little milk if they are too thick.

Shrimp

4 ounces pnacetta, diced or bacon
2 tablespoons butter

2 pounds shrimp, cooked peeled and deveined
8 ounces baby portabellos, sliced
5 green onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, pressed
zest of one lemon
juice of half a lemon
fresh parsley for garnish

In a large skillet, fry bacon. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon. Add butter to bacon drippings. Stir in the remaining ingredients. and heat through. Add shrimp and stir well.

To Serve:
Divide grits on 4 plates and top with shrimp.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

This is a great recipe for a casual dinner. You can everything prepped before your guests come.
If you're in a hurry use instant grits instead of stone ground.

Coachouse Gourmet Hors d' oeuvres

TRI COLOR PEPPER CROSTINI

1 package red, yellow, orange mini peppers (available at Trader Jo), thinly sliced
1 12 inch french baguette, thinly sliced
1 package garlic and herb soft cheese such as Boursin or Allouette
Kosher salt
Spread each bread slice with a thin layer of cheese. Top cheese with about 1 tablespoon of pepper slices (just estimate this don't measure) Press down on peppers lightly.
Put finished crostini on a rimmed jelly roll pan and sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until hot.
To Make Ahead;
Put crostini on rimmed jelly roll pan. Put in the freezer until frozen. When frozen, put in freezer zip-lock bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake frozen crostini at 400 for about 12 minutes.

Coachouse Gourmet

My goal is to provide superior tasting recipes that anyone can make. Many of the recipes are ones that I've developed in my seventeen years as a cooking teacher. I love food and entertaining and hope to show how easy it can be entertain with ease. Recipes to follow.