College Graduation Party: Tapas-style Open House

Prosciutto-Wrapped Crudite

Ingredients

20 paper-thin slices prosciutto or speck
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise
1/2 orange bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
10 stalks broccolini, blanched
1/4 head cauliflower, separated into small florets with stems intact, blanched
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil
1 (2-ounce) piece Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt, for blanching water

Preparation

• Working with 1 slice of prosciutto at a time, cut the prosciutto lengthwise in half. Wrap a small bundle of the fennel slices (about 3 slices) with prosciutto, allowing the fennel to extend over each side of the prosciutto.
• Bundle 1 strip each of the orange, red, and yellow bell peppers, then wrap each bundle with prosciutto, allowing the bell peppers to extend over each side of the prosciutto.
• Wrap the prosciutto around the stalks of broccolini. Wrap the prosciutto around the stem end of the cauliflower florets. Arrange the vegetables on a platter.
• Drizzle with the oil. Using a grater or vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan over the vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper, and serve.

"Gourmet the Easy Way" Wine Notes:
Recommended Wine: 2002 Terruzi & Puthod Terre di Tufi
Origin: San Gimignano, Tuscany
Grape: Vernaccia

For this dish I picked a white wine from a little town in Tuscany. This wine is made from vernaccia grapes and is very luxurious in texture. The crudite gives it an extra mineral edge which makes this wine a perfect match with my dish. I like to serve this chilled but not too cold because the colder the wine, the more difficult it is to taste it.

"Gourmet the Easy Way" Wine Pouring Notes:
Do not fill above the curve of the bowl, never more than 1/2 full, that way you can get a true sense of the wine's aroma and a better sense of its bouquet. To get the full experience of the wine, place
your nose into the glass and take in the wine's beautiful aroma.

Graduation Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail

(Compliments Tyler Florence)

Ingredients

1/2 lemon, cut into wedges (save other 1/2 for dressing)
1/2 lime, cut into wedges (save other 1/2 for dressing)
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes hot sauce
1 (32-ounce) bottle vegetable or tomato juice, preferably organic
1/2 cup vodka*
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*If not using, add an additional 1/2 cup tomato juice

Shrimp:

1 red onion, cut in half
1 lemon, cut in half
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 pound large shrimp, shells on

Dressing:

1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 bunch fresh chervil, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh chives, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Watercress, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Special equipment:

4 (4 to 6-ounce) molds, preferably metal

Preparation

1. Make the Bloody Mary: Put into a pitcher the lemon and lime wedges, horseradish, celery seed, cilantro, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Muddle these ingredients by smashing them together with a wooden spoon. Pour in the juice and the vodka; stir, taste, and season with salt and pepper. Serve on the rocks as a beverage or pour into the molds and place in the freezer for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Poach the shrimp: Put the onion, lemon, bay leaves, and peppercorns into a medium size pot and fill it with water. Bring to a boil, add the shrimp, reduce the heat, and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain and refrigerate. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and devein them.
3. Make the dressing: In a bowl combine the creme fraiche, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, lime juice, chervil, and chives. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Serve: Unmold a Frozen Bloody Mary onto a chilled salad plate. Toss the shrimp with the dressing and divide them among the plates. Garnish with watercress and a lemon wedge; drizzle over a few drops of olive oil.

Olive Oil Braised Potatoes

Ingredients

6 Yukon gold potatoes, skins on
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped

Preparation

• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
• Scrub potatoes under cold running water; leave skins on. Slice potatoes into thick rounds and then brush both sides of potatoes liberally with olive oil.
• Place potatoes on grill and grill on both sides until slightly brown, about 2 minutes per side.
• Remove from the grill and place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Drizzle potatoes liberally with olive oil again on both sides and then season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Place baking sheet on the grates of the grill and cook for about 10 more minutes, or until cooked through in the center and crispy on the outside.
• Remove from grill and sprinkle with minced garlic and chopped thyme leaves. Serve.

Graduation Cupcakes with Vanilla and Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 lb. unsalted butter, at room temp
1 lb. 8 oz. powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
• In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
• Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
• Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
• Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Icing Preparation

• Melt and cool chocolate (until just slightly warm).
• Beat butter until light and fluffy.
• With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar.
• Add salt, vanilla and sour cream and mix until very smooth.
• Add chocolate and mix until just incorporated.

"Gourmet the Easy Way" Note: Don't over-whip and add too much air into the frosting. The consistency should be rich and dense, like ice cream! Finally, spread atop cupcakes and adorn with graduation-themed sugar candies.