This fete was a long time in the planning. My grandmother gave me
her pasta maker years ago, and I've never put it to use. I can say with confidence that it will not fall into disuse from now on. It was so much fun to make fresh pasta! We threw quite the soiree to celebrate its debut, with nearly the same cast of characters from our July 4th party.
We made regular semolina fettuccine (which our chef friend tossed together with Alfredo sauce), some chocolate fettuccine for dessert (to be served with a raspberry sauce and white chocolate shavings) -
which we actually didn't end up serving, and a trio of ravioli. So we wouldn't confuse fillings, we tinted the dough - and if you're going to tint, go big or go home - turquoise (chicken curry with coconut and peanut), orange (potato, bacon, and cheddar), and hot pink (shrimp scampi). Not your average ravioli fillings.
Since Hazel and I needed to get our bake on, we made a Kentucky Derby pie (pecan pie with bourbon and chocolate), baklava (I let it cool too much before pouring the honey syrup over it, and I don't think I baked it nearly long enough - I was off my game), and bean pie (not for amateurs). I've seen loads of retro recipes for war-shortages-beget-creativity mock pies lately - No-Apples-Were-Harmed-During-the-Making-of-This-Pie pie using Ritz crackers (actually not awful - kind of fun for my AP students during our organic chapter), mock-pecan pie using beans, etc etc.
So when Hazel pulled out her recipe file and showed me a 1979 recipe for "Bean Pie" - I was in! We went to the grocery store for the requisite navy beans (also lemon extract and evaporated milk), came home, unfolded the recipe, and read "makes three pies". Hm. Well, if some is good, more is better, I always say. So we (actually, we made Nunzio do it) made up three bean pies! The texture is much more like pumpkin pie. But blonder. And ... interesting. Nevertheless, I still want to try this.
her pasta maker years ago, and I've never put it to use. I can say with confidence that it will not fall into disuse from now on. It was so much fun to make fresh pasta! We threw quite the soiree to celebrate its debut, with nearly the same cast of characters from our July 4th party.We made regular semolina fettuccine (which our chef friend tossed together with Alfredo sauce), some chocolate fettuccine for dessert (to be served with a raspberry sauce and white chocolate shavings) -
which we actually didn't end up serving, and a trio of ravioli. So we wouldn't confuse fillings, we tinted the dough - and if you're going to tint, go big or go home - turquoise (chicken curry with coconut and peanut), orange (potato, bacon, and cheddar), and hot pink (shrimp scampi). Not your average ravioli fillings.Since Hazel and I needed to get our bake on, we made a Kentucky Derby pie (pecan pie with bourbon and chocolate), baklava (I let it cool too much before pouring the honey syrup over it, and I don't think I baked it nearly long enough - I was off my game), and bean pie (not for amateurs). I've seen loads of retro recipes for war-shortages-beget-creativity mock pies lately - No-Apples-Were-Harmed-During-the-Making-of-This-Pie pie using Ritz crackers (actually not awful - kind of fun for my AP students during our organic chapter), mock-pecan pie using beans, etc etc.
So when Hazel pulled out her recipe file and showed me a 1979 recipe for "Bean Pie" - I was in! We went to the grocery store for the requisite navy beans (also lemon extract and evaporated milk), came home, unfolded the recipe, and read "makes three pies". Hm. Well, if some is good, more is better, I always say. So we (actually, we made Nunzio do it) made up three bean pies! The texture is much more like pumpkin pie. But blonder. And ... interesting. Nevertheless, I still want to try this.
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