Palmabella's Passions

I've been quietly scrapbooking a GTG album all week, as I have "cooked ahead" everything that can be cooked ahead. I had a large chunk of gorgonzola leftover from the ravioli, and remembered this great recipe I learned from Judith when she posted it on her blog over a year ago! The scrapbook is almost done, and I had an urge to cook. I love the cheesy smell coming from the oven when these bake. Better than chocolate chip cookies for me!

Gorgonzola Cookies (makes 4-5 dozen)

7-8 ounces of gorgonzola
4 ounces of soft butter
1/3 cup of flour
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (peperoncini in polvere)
3 cups of protein breakfast cereal flakes, but make sure they aren't sugar frosted!
(Palma used bran flakes and smashed them.)

Mix the gorgonzola and the butter together (You may use a food processor or mixer.) Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and form each one into a long roll about 1" (2.5 cm) in thickness. Do this on a piece of plastic wrap and the wrap will help you roll them out evenly. Seal your gorgonzola ropes in the plastic and refrigerate for half and hour or more.

Heat the oven to 325 F (160+C) and cut the rolls into 1/4 inch slices, placing them on big baking sheets (placca di forno) with plenty of room between them. One sheet at a time, bake them for 12-15 minutes, and using a spatula, remove them to cooling racks. Done!

You may store in sealed container in fridge, or freeze. You may reheat before serving if you want them to crisp again. These are GREAT with a glass of wine.

2 Weeks Before:

This weekend, it was Brad who did all the work. I happily sat at my computer, or kitchen table printing photos, cropping, cutting, and gluing scrapbook projects.

Brad cleaned ice chests, hung more Christmas lights on one of our olive trees where the gardner accidently cut the cord while trimming the tree, did some yardwork, cleaned the fountain and installed a new pump, and carried home 4 cases of large bottles of water.

I did laundry and straightened my craft closet. (not party-related)

We "found" (in the garage), 48 wine glasses, LOTS of champagne flutes for prosecco, and 48 water glasses.

I ordered the pork roasts from Bristol Farms.

My shopping lists are ready for next week for Costco, Trader Joe's, Bristol Farms, and a regular grocery store!

This week, my only party tasks are:
Touch base with kitchen helpers.
Re-confirm restaurant reservations and counts.
Iron the dinner napkins (that I didn't do 2 weeks ago).

Maybe I'll read my book club book for this month!

As is my usual "problem", I was too well-planned, so this past week, I had little to do except wait...until closer to the party date. I am excited and hyper. I can't WAIT!

Today: (Saturday)
Clean house
Wash all glasses on bar (over 120)
Clean yard and all patio furniture/BBQ (Brad)

Sunday:
Brunch with Marcia and David
Costco

Monday:
Work 10 hrs. (supervision/therapy)
Take out all serving pieces

Tuesday:
Bristol Farms
Albertsons – rest of groceries

Wednesday:
Make Butterscotch Cake
Have windows washed
Clean house

Thursday:
Prep Hot Crab dip
Prep Cippolini Onion dish
Black and white cake
Panna Cotta
Get nails done
Gail, John, Sandi, Jerry arrive tonight!

Friday:
Bristol Farms with Jerry (pick up pork roasts, asparagus, cheese, antipasti)
Kathy, Terry arrive!
Marinate pork
Fig reduction sauce
Grill veggies (Jerry)
Prep Mushroom filling
Make and chill Ganache for Black and white cake
Frost Black and White cake
Set up tables/chairs (houseguest helpers)
Take out wine, prosecco and water glasses (Brad)
Acqua Pazza!

Saturday morning:
Set tables (houseguest helpers)
Stuff mushrooms
Cook pork roasts (to be reheated)
Mozarella-tomato skewers
Go buy ice (Brad)
Ice prosecco, water, white wine (Brad)
Put out pool candles (Brad)

Saturday afternoon:
Brie with fig jam
Prosciutto-salami platter
Cheese tray
Antipasti
Crackers, flatbreads

4:00: PARTY!

I have nothing to report. I am SO ready! This must be the lull before the storm. My house is clean (except the windows will be done tomorrow). My yard looks nice. The weather is perfect. I bought every cippolini onion in the desert. I haven't run out of fridge space YET. Tomorrow I get to start cooking. Two potential disasters have been solved.

Potential disaster 1: One of my kitchen helpers flaked out. The other, Nina, found me a replacement, and even talked me into a third helper during the dinner "rush hour". Sure, why not? They will get more dishes washed before they leave, and we can party on into the night. (Actually, she asked if the famous "Slowchicks" were performing.)

Disaster 2: Brad and I decided since this has become an ANNUAL event, we might as well invest in buying 48 dinner forks, salad forks, and knives, instead of renting them every year. I ordered some from a restaurant supply company on the internet 2 weeks ago. They confirmed shipping charges, and said 10 days. I hadn't gotten a package yet, so I called their Customer Service # today. Not only have they not shipped, they don't HAVE them, and won't for 3 weeks! Their "automatic email" was not sent to let me know. I told them they had to fix this NOW. They did. We found a similar pattern, IN STOCK, and THEY paid for 1 day air Fed Ex from Colorado. I will have them Thursday morning. Allora!

All is good. I am going to take a nap. Brad will be home tonight. We are excited. OK, I am actually OVER THE TOP CRAZY excited! No more caffine until ...later. I LOVE parties!

Monday has been a VERY long day. I am tired. I worked 8 hours, then 2 more. I will have more coffee and time at home on Tuesday. I will sleep well tonight!

It appears that everyone had a good time!

Next, let's go BEHIND the scenes...(coming soon)

Thiursday night, our amazing friends began to arrive for the GTG weekend. Gail, John and Sandi landed in Palm Springs shortly after 9, and arrived just as I had made the last of the 48 panna cottas. We enjoyed some wine on the patio while we waited for Brad and Jerry to get home from the Ontario airport. It was a 2:30 a.m. bedtime.

I crawled out at 6:30, after 4 hours of sleep, to find Jerry up and blogging. After enough coffee, a print out of today's list, and a light breakfast for my guests, Jerry and I took off for Bristal Farms. We bought cheeses for the cheese tray, picked up the ordered pork roasts, chose veggies for Jerry to grill, chocolate "pencils" to decorate the cheesecake, and a few flatbreads and breadsticks. We sampled a few cheeses for a snack, and ran into Sandi on our way out. Jerry managed to pick up a few goodies to take home.

I had a great team! The tables, chairs and linens arrived from the rental company, and in seconds, the tables were set up. I did various prep jobs, marinated the roasts, and took frequent coffee/smoke breaks. Sandi picked up Kathy and Terry from the airport, dropped their stuff off at their condo, and they arrived with our phone ordered list of sandwiches from the sub shop. Jerry helped me brilliantly manage refridgerator space at home, and my neighbor, Diana, took home whatever didn't quite fit in one of mine.

John cools off:

I put the ladies to work stuffing mushrooms, and the guys took naps.

THEN we were able to have a Slowchick rehearsal! We had time for a shower before leaving for dinner at Acqua Pazza.

We met for dinner at Piero's Acqua Pazza at "The River", an upscale movie, dining, shopping complex with lots of water features.

Everyone seemed pleased with their menu selections. I didn't take food photos, but saw LOTS of pear-gorgonzola salads and seafood at my table, and many fontina and pancetta stuffed artichokes at Brad's table.

As we left, some of the ladies jumped on the "Babe Wagon" for a photo.

You can view more photos from Acqua Pazza

How can I thank the amazing group of friends/house guests and hard workers who helped me behind the scenes? I will sing their praises in a blog post!

It goes without saying that my wonderful husband helped for weeks before the party! He was "pasta man", "yard guy", schlepper of bags, wine buyer, and ice guy. He also loves the Slow Travel group, and enjoyed hosting and MCing the Slowchicks.

Jerry was my right hand in the kitchen! I can't wait until our next opportunity to cook together. Since we were on my turf, he whipped through my lists, was self-directed, took orders well, cleaned up after himself (and others), never complained, and helped me manage refridgerator space in the house and garage! He was the first one up with me with coffee in the dark early morning hours, and the last one to bed at night. Here he is grilling veggies around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday!

Gail and John were also fabulous houseguests. The did WHATEVER needed doing, from setting up tables and chairs, carrying chargers, dishes, plates and glasses wherever I pointed, filling salt and pepper, opening packages of dessert plates, cocktail napkins and nametags, and helping Brad with heavy loads of 160 lbs of ice!
Gail walked around with a bottle of windex, spitshining everything in sight, and did a final room check of all bathrooms and bedrooms! They were both fun and amazingly helpful. They work and play well with others!

"The girls" (Sandi, Kathy and Terry) brought us lunch on Friday, and also took orders well. I was in the role of drill sargent! They picked basil, cut rosemary sprigs for garnishing, cut tomatoes, stuffed four trays of mushrooms, and made mozarella/tomato/basil skewers.

Saturday, the kitchen crowd was joined by David making Caesar salad, and Marcia joining in wherever she was needed, from salami platter to dishwashing!

My neighbor, Diana was a lifesaver with fridge space and moral support!

Thanks to my PARTY DREAM TEAM!

ALl the GTG photos have been posted on Slow Photos. You can see them here.

The "Something Italian in a bag" mixer was fun. People were very creative! I'll try to remember what people brought. We had olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 00flour, Pocket Coffee, Italian catfood and chocolate with chili pepper, an Italian I.D. card, a story about walking through Italy with a bunion (you had to be there), nail clippers, Italian cough drops, photo of an Italian ghost, an Italian bell and clothespins, a gorgeous liquore bottle, photos, miniature books on Florence museums, a mousepad, Italian comic book, autographed copy of "Best selling Chow Venice", photo of a pizza oven, authentic copy of Columbus' ship, Sue's Italian roomate, Piemonte brochure, Shannon's spray grappa, and many more creative items. Brad wore his Italian shirt, and I shared the secret photo of my pagent in Greve this summer:

How we could eat agin, I'm not sure, but we all met at Keedy's at 10:30 for breakfast.
Keedy's is a Palm Desert Favorite for breakfasts and lunches in an old diner setting with formica tables and a soda fountain counter from the 50's.

Here are the photos from Keedy's.

John and Brad seem to be having fun!

After breakfast, we all split up. Kathy and Terry took jackets up to the Palm Springs Tram, and found it to be 45 degrees and windy.

Gail, Sandi, Jerry, and I went to the College of the Desert Street Fair for a shopping fix, and then took Jerry on a field trip to Trader Joe's. Brad and John came home to nap in front of a football game. I took a much needed 45 minute power nap.

After a quick back yard/champagne flutes clean up, we dragged out ALL the leftovers for a very CASUAL last supper together. It was an evening of merryment, wine, paper plates, and much laughter. I love my Slow Travel buddies! We made some GREAT memories!

So far, the MOST requested recipe is for the Cippolini onion dish:

I doubled this:
3 pounds cipolline onions, stem and root ends trimmed
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup Cognac
1 cup dried apricots
40 cooked and peeled unsweetened chestnuts (I used a jar from William-Sonoma,
but Trader Joes has them frozen during the holidays)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the onions and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain in a colander under cold running water. Slip off the papery skins and pat the onions dry.

In a large, deep skillet, combine the chicken stock with butter, vinegar and sugar. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the onions, cover and cook over moderately low heat until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are covered with a deep-golden caramel, about 30 minutes longer; add a few tablespoons of water as the liquid evaporates.

Add the Cognac, prunes and chestnuts to the onions and cook just until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet and scrape up any caramel stuck to the bottom and sides. Pour the sauce over the onions, and serve.

*I made this dish two days beore the party, adding apricots and chestnuts to the carmelized onions. The night of the party, I added the cognac, and reheated the dish for 20 minutes.

Fig-Port Reduction Sauce (William-Sonoma) I doubled this.

20 dried mission figs, sliced in quarters with stems cut off
Soak in 1 c. port for an hour, reserve liquid

Use drippings from pork in a sauté pan with:
reserved port from figs.

Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to medium and add:
2 T. veal demi-glace
figs
¾ c. chicken stock
2 tsp. balsamic fig vinegar (or regular balsamic vinegar and some fig syrup)
¼ c. honey

Simmer 30 minutes until thicker and reduced by half Whisk in butter, one T. at a time.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Brie with Fig Jam:

This is a no-brainer appetizer. Fill a baking dish with brie with the top rind cut off.
Spread fig jam on top. Bake at 350 until melted (about 20 min.) OR microwave for 3-4 min.

Thankful Butterscotch Cake
Recipe from: Inspired by Ingredients
by Bill Telepan, Andrew Friedman,
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com

Servings: 16 to 20

BUTTERSCOTCH FILLING: (* I one and a halfed the filling recipe from past experience.)
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 cups cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoon dark rum

CAKE LAYERS:
3 1/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
18 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) butter, softened at room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated brown sugar (Domino Brownulated or very fine turbinado)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark rum
1 cup milk

BUTTERSCOTCH FILLING
Put all of the filling ingredients except the vanilla and rum into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Have another pot of a similar size ready and on the side. Over medium-high heat, melt the sugars, stirring continuously until the butterscotch boils. Once the mixture comes to a boil, stir frequently, taking care not to scrape any sugar crystals from the sides. Cook at a full boil until the mixture reaches 242 degrees F.
Immediately pour the butterscotch into the empty pot. (Do not scrape the sides or bottom of the cooking pot, which would cause the filling to crystallize.) From a height, add the vanilla and rum. It will steam (and burn you if you aren’t careful) right away. Stir to combine. Cool the filling for 20 minutes. It should be thick yet pourable.
CAKE LAYERS
Cut ten 8-inch circles (or squares if using square pans) of parchment or waxed paper. The baking will progress more quickly if you have at least three 8-9 inch cake pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk lightly to combine. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachments, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Lower the speed and add half of the flour mixture. Blend well. Add the vanilla, rum, and milk. When the liquid is just combined, add the remaining flour mixture and beat until smooth.
Fill each cake pan, three at a time, with a heaping 1⁄2 cup of batter. Use a spatula to evenly spread the batter in the bottom of the pans. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool the layers in the pans slightly, remove, wipe the pan sides clean, and continue to fill and bake. You will need 9 layers.
Line the inside of a clean, dry cake pan with plastic wrap. If the plastic wrap sticks out above the rim of the cake pan, fold it over the outside of the pan. Peel the paper from one cake layer and place the layer upside down in the pan. Ladle about 1⁄4 cup of warm filling over the cake. Top with another cake layer, paper removed. Continue ladling the filling evenly over each layer. The cake will grow higher than the cake pan as you fill. Don’t worry if the edges of the cakes are a bit ragged; they will be trimmed before coating the outside of the cake. Just make sure the cake layers are evenly stacked. It’s difficult to move a layer once it has been placed on the filling. If the butterscotch filling becomes too thick to pour easily, heat on low. Do not top the last cake layer with butterscotch. Chill the cake for at least 1 hour; it must be completely chilled to trim the edges.
Place an 8-inch circle of parchment on top of the cake. Carefully invert the cake onto a cake cooling rack. Remove the pan and lift off the plastic wrap. Hold a long sharp knife against the side of the cake. Trim off about 1/4 of an inch evenly all around, making sure you are not tilting the blade. The size should be uniform, not wider at the bottom than the top.
Gently spread (reheat the butterscotch if too thick) and pour over the top and sides of the cake. Let stand until the coating is firm. Slide a metal spatula under the cake and place on a serving platter. Keep chilled, but serve at room temperature. This cake is best if made a day ahead, and keeps beautifully for 5 days.

Fig and Fennel Bread Bon Appetit February 2002

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
1 envelope or 2 1/4 t. dry yeast
3 c. bread flour
1 c. rye flout (I used whole wheat)
1 1/2 c. dried calimyrna figs, chopped
2 T. fennel seeds
1 T. salt

Mix warm water, sugar, and yeast in small bowl. Let stand about 10 minutes until it bubbles. Combine dry ingredients and half the figs in large bowl of mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. On low speed, gradually add yeast mixture until all flour has been incorporated. Replace paddle with dough hook, and knead until smooth and elastic. Then knead by hand on counter for about 5 more minutes. Place in and oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).

Turn dough onto work surface, and knead gently until deflated. Knead in remainder of figs. Shape into one large loaf, or two long thin loafs (for mini slices). Brush rimmed baking sheet with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, kitchen towel, and let rise again until almost doubled (35 minutes).

Preheat oven to 375. Bake about 45 min. Cool on rack.

It was yummy for breakfast with cream cheese and fig jam.

I used Giada's recipe for panna cotta. This recipe makes 6 servings. (I made it 8 times...lol)

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 c. whole milk

Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a saucepan, and let sit for 5 min. Turn on heat to med high, and stir until ALMOST boiling. Turn down heat and add:

3 c. heavy cream
1 T. sugar
1/3 c. honey
a pinch of salt

Stir over med heat for about 2 min. until sugar and honey are melted. Cool in fridge for 10 min. until cool enough to pour into serving glasses. Chill overnight.

I served it with 3 toppings: Caramel, Fudge, and a berry sauce. The caramel and fudge were Mrs. Richardson's (from a jar).

The berry sauce is very simple:
Defrost 2 10 oz. containers of raspberries and or strawberries in syrup. (I used one of each). Drain syrup into a small pan with 2 T. cornstarch and a T. of lemon juice. Bring to a boil. It will be thick. Stir in berries and keep covered in fridge.

Bittersweet Cheesecake Torte (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Baking 2007)

2/3 c. whipping cream
8 oz. dark chocolate (chopped)
Nonstick cooking spray
2 boxes of your favorite brownie mix
3 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (softened to room temp)
3/4 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz. milk chocolate, melted
3 oz. white baking chocolate, melted
(optional) chocolate "pencils" or rolled cookies to garnish

1. For ganache: In a small saucepan, heat cream over med-high heat until just boiling. Remove from heat. Add 8 oz dark chocolate. Don't stir yet. Let stand 5 min. Then stir until smooth, and transfer to bowl. Cover and chill 2-3 hours.

2. Prepare two 9 1/2" cake pans by spraying with cooking spray, and preheat oven to 350. (I used a 10" springform...same pan twice for brownie layers). Make brownies according to package directions, EXCEPT, only bake for 25 min. until outer edges are done. Cool, and remove from pans.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and beat until combined. Beat in eggs until combined. Divide mixture evenly into two bowls. Into one bowl, add 3 oz. melted milk chocolate. Add melted white chocolate to other half of cream cheese mixture. Stir each until smooth.

4. Preheat oven to 350. Wrap heavy foil around an 8" springform pan, making sure doil come at least an inch up the sides of pan. (I used a 9 1/2" springform.) Using a sharp knife, cut (using the pan bottom as a guide) the brownie layers the size of the springform you are using, Place one of the brownie layers in your foil-wrapped pan. Pour over the chocolate cheesecake batter. Place the next brownie layer on top. Add the white chocolate cheesecake batter. Place your filled springform pan into a large roasting pan. Pour enough water around the edges to go up the sides half way. CAREFULLY, place roasting pan in oven, and bake for 60 min. Carefully remove pan from water (I poured water out so I could get my potholders around springform). Cool in pan for 15-20 min. Using a small, sharp knife, loosen cake from edges of pan. Cool for another 30 min. Remove springform edges, and cool completely on wire rack. Cover and chill overnight.

Remove ganache from fridge. Beat with electric mixer until smooth and fluffy enough to spread. If it is stiff, add a splash of cream. Spoon into pastry bag, and pipe decoratively on top of cheesecake using large star tip, and make mounds around edge of cake.

For chocolate "pencils" (I ordered them from Bristol Farms bakery by the box), I used a little ganache as "glue" around the edges of cake, then stuck them on, close together. You can break them into any height.

I have always loved Halloween! I remember dressing as a young child in a VERY politically incorrect costume as Aunt Jemima (I thought she was all about pancakes), and I loved my mask. Later, I remember being a ghost, a witch, an Oreo cookie, and a California dancing raisin!

Our neighborhood doesn't have too many kids (I think there were 9 or 10 last year), so I give the neighbor kids that I know, full size Snickers bars, and have a bag of mini size "just in case" (Brad is always hopeful they'll be his by 8:30).

My mom always fixed a special Halloween dinner, so I have continued that tradition. The menu varies each year, but dessert ALWAYS is something apple!

Tonight's Menu:

Mango martinis
Stuffed Veal Chops
Pumpkin Polenta
Roasted Acorn Squash with cornbread, chicken-apple sausage, apricot stuffing
Cheddar-crusted Apple Tart

Photos and recipes tomorrow. Have a fun, spooky night!