Finally, after our short hiatus (due to the trials of furthering my education) SCC is back and better than ever! Just in time for the cooler weather, we'll be here to hook you up with some of our fall favorites....but first, a sumptuous summer wrap up brought to you by our favorite curly haired vixen, Phoebe! - Christa
For this edition of Supper Sanity Club we went with the theme “Good Bye Summer!" With the help of our new SSC member Manika, (who let me take over her apartment because I live in a something that is smaller then a bread box), we put together a dinner showcasing foods to help us transition from summer to fall.
We made a lobster chowder, as something warmer for the changing weather, but still with lobster that screams summer. Next, we put together a salad with both light leafy greens and blueberries for that final summer harvest, but a maple dressing with walnuts for fall flavor goodness. Once we had a few amazing side dishes and dessert brought to us by our fellow Supper Clubbers, we had the perfect meal to take us into the new season. Enjoy!
- Phoebe
Maple, Blueberry & Walnut Salad with Goat Cheese I have promised my family, (who have been nice enough not to disown me because of my comedy,) that I wouldn't give away our maple soy vinaigrette, but, I will give you the basics because I love you guys too!
Vinaigrette
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
lemon juice
maple syrup
tamari
crushed garlic
Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a salad dressing container or a jar with a tightly sealable lid. Shake!
Salad
spring mix of dark leafy greens
a mix of cherry tomatoes
blueberries
crushed walnuts
chunks of goat cheese
Changs Crunchy Noodles ([fried wantons] if you can't find just use croutons)
Toss salad ingredients together. Top with vinaigrette.
Lobster & Fish ChowderThis is rather expensive to make, but you can use it as an entree if you double up on potatoes, and onions.
1 sweet onion
butter
garlic
salt
pepper
parsley
white fish (cod, mahi mahi, halibut, etc.)
celery salt
potatoes (yukon, or russet)
1/2 quart half and half or whole milk (don't be a pussy!)
canned lobster meat (can be found in any super market, just ask at the seafood counter)
fresh corn the cob, boiled or roasted
Old Bay
Sauté sweet onion in butter and garlic. Put about 3 inches of water in bottom of pan, add some salt, pepper, and a pinch of fresh parsley. Boil, then lay in your fish and cook at a still bubbling but at lower temp for about five minutes. Lower to a simmer and add celery salt.
At about four minutes into simmering, put in peeled and cubed potatoes. Take off heat and add a little butter. Whole thing should cook for about 5 minutes.
Cool down to a simmer and add half and half. Cut corn off cob. Add corn, canned lobster meat and Old Bay.
Voila!
Lentil Orzo with Pistachios and Cranberries Our mysterious girlfriend Manika is not one for recipes,
she just lets it happen! Much to our delight, what happened was deliciousness!
orzo, cooked and cooled
seasoned lentils, cooked
4 pieces bacon, chopped and browned until crispy (High quality bacon works best, Manika used bacon from the butcher at Whole Foods)
cranberries
goat or feta cheese, crumbled
olive oil
lime juice
seasoning to taste
roasted pistachios
chopped parsley
Toss all ingredients together and serve at room temperature.
Roasted peppers with Feta Dip
Peppers
baby peppers
salt
pepper
olive oil
Toss peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put on cookie sheet and roast at 375 for 40 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Dip
3/4 cup feta cheese
1 cup yogurt
2 tbsp preserved lemons (chopped)
2 tbsp capers
Blend all ingredients together quickly. Serve with peppers as a dip. Yum!
Lime Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream FillingA fantastic recipe borrowed from www.sinfullyspicy.com!
Cookies
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
Blueberry Cream Cheese Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp blueberry paste [recipe below]
Blueberry Paste
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cornstarch
Prep for Cookies
In a medium bowl, sift flour,baking soda & powder, salt. Set aside.
In a larger bowl,cream the butter and sugar thoroughly until fluffy. Add the lime juice & vanilla and beat until combined.
Gradually add in the flour mixture and gently combine with a spatula to bring together into a dough. You might need to add a tbsp or more of milk at this stage if required to make a soft dough.
Divide the dough into 2 small balls. Take a piece of plastic wrap, put the dough balls on it and flatten with palm to make a disc. Wrap the discs with plastic wrap. Repeat the same with 2nd dough ball. Chill both discs for about 30 minutes.
Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Avoid using aluminum foil. Extreme heat will burn the cookies on the bottom.
After chilling, take one disc out, unwrap it and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Initially, you may find it little difficult to roll because of the chilled dough. It will soften as you go along.
Roll the disc using a floured rolling-pin into a sheet about 1/4″ thick. Using a floured cookie cutter cut the cookies from the rolled dough.
Using a floured thin spatula, transfer the cookies to the lined cookie sheet. Picking up the cookies with fingers will deshape them.
Preheat the oven to 350. Chill the cut cookies again for 15 minutes.
Once chilled, bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the sides start turning brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
Blueberry Paste Prep
Tip in the blueberries, water and sugar to a small sauce pan. Cook it on low heat until the blueberries are soft and mushy. Transfer to a blender. Blend on high to form a puree. Dissolve cornstarch into lemon juice.
Transfer the puree to sauce pan again and add cornstarch mix. Cook on very low heat for about 5-8 minutes until you get a thick paste. Cool completely before adding to the cream.
Blueberry Cream Filling Prep
Make the filling by beating the cream cheese & butter with an electric mixer. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth. Add 2 tbsp of the cooled blueberry paste above to make a smooth mix.
Assembly
Pipe or spread 1-2 tablespoons of blueberry filling in the center of a cookie. Top with a second cookie and press together until the filling reaches the edges of the cookies. Store in an air tight box for up to 3 days.
Booze Pairings!
Okay guys, here's the thing, this particular night we drank about 9 bottles of wine so while I can't get to all of them, here's a review for one of my favorites.
Big Claw White Wine, $14
Big Claw is a new wine specifically designed to pair with lobster. It is a crisp, balanced blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Gewurztraminer, and Chenin Blanc from the North Coast. This fantastic wine was the unanimous choice as “the perfect wine to go with lobster” by members of a panel of wine and food professionals chosen by the Lobster Institute in
Maine, an organization dedicated to the preservation of lobster.
Steve Melchiskey of USA Wine West (with offices in California and Maine) and Tim Wissemann of Mariner Beverages (Portland, Maine) are the designers of this wine. It went phenomenally with the lobster stew, but was also just sweet enough to pair with the spicy peppers, and smooth and buttery enough to go to with our desert.
-Phoebe
The ladies, looking classy!
A scientific experiment: The effect of 9 bottles of wine on classiness...
Cheers!
Christa & Phoebe
About Phoebe
Phoebe is comedian, and wine shop manager, who is also somehow pursuing a masters degree in clinical social work. Though she has no real food credits on her resume, she's well versed in wine and food pairing. She was raised on farm fresh food in Maine, learned about Asian cooking during her time in Thailand, became a seafood fanatic living in Newport RI, and is now well on her way to becoming a full fledged foodie/functioning alcoholic in Boston.