The appetizer started with fresh artichokes. Not because we've wanted to "choke" Courtney (and Ben for keeping Courtney around this entire Season) but because we love a fresh artichoke! :)
You slice the bottom of them.
And place them in part water/part chicken stock (the stock "J" made a few weeks ago....still coming in handy) as well as fresh cut lemons. They boil until done.
Take some fresh Roquefort cheese (which is just a very high quality blue cheese).
Stick it inside the boiled artichokes, and bake with bread crumbs on top. Yummo!
This is our beautiful table scape. We weren't trying to "escape" Courtney, rather our troubles. LOL. Really, couldn't wait to get in and start the show!
The artichokes. Really yummy.
The start of the main entree.
Yep, fresh rolled pasta.
"J" rolling it out!
The stuffing was a veal mixture.
Pine nuts and herbs were added. The pine nuts were my favorite. They added a surprise inside each "package".
The meat mixture layed out on the rolled out pasta.
Second layer on top.
Cute little ravioli cutter!
How cute are these little "packages". Although Courtney wasn't the packaged deal, we ended this series with one!
The sauce? Simple. Roasted tomatoes and garlic.
Pureed with a dash of cream and salt/pepper to taste.
Heated on the stove, and done!
No pasta dish is complete without "J's" homemade bread.
The ravioli complete! This was so fresh!!! The filling reminded me of "J's" bolognese sauce, again with that surprise crunch of the pine nuts. The sauce? So simple, and yet SO delicious! As I said, these little packages were just what this Monday night ordered. Even though Courtney and Ben weren't a Packaged Deal!
Dessert started with fresh vanilla.
Panacotta was the dessert of the evening. Panacotta is a cooked custard.
Cute, in the ramekins.
Fresh berries.
Sliced to perfection, I must say. Hehehe. I sliced the berries myself. :)
The berries got a hefty dash of pepper, and marinated in a good balsamic vinegar.
I'm not going to lie: I worried what this flavor would entail. Balsamic is very strong, next to a sweet berry. Folks, you wouldn't believe it. The balsamic took on a taste of its own. It was unbelievably delicious.
This is the dessert before I ate it. Horrible pic. So sorry, I didn't notice until today. It is a plate of the panacotta and berries surrounding it. Was very tasty. Below is the recipe for the panacotta. Enjoy!
We've enjoyed supporting Jennifer during this season of the Bachelor, and are so glad she got out when she did! Ben, you're an idiot. Courtney, you're a horrible person no matter how much you try to fake cry.
Until next time......A la cuisine!
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
¼ cup skim milk
1/2 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
Directions
Place the cream in a saucepan. Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise; scrape out the seeds with a knife, then add the seeds and pod to the saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Discard the vanilla pod.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk (whole and skim) in a bowl and let stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Stir the gelatin mixture into the hot cream mixture until dissolved, then stir in the yogurt. Divide among six to eight 4-ounce ramekins, cover with plastic wrapand refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Combine the strawberries, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Set aside at room temperature. Serve around the panna cotta.
Dip each ramekin three-quarters of the way in warm water and invert onto a plate. Garnish each panna cotta with strawberries and mint, if desired.
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