Mackinac Island Adventure - Grand Hotel November 13, 2010 Appetizer Salad Entrée Vegetable Dessert Wild Mushroom and Gruyère Tart with Apple slices and Seedless Grapes Tomato, Olive and Mozzarella Salad with Vinaigrette Pistachio Crusted Snapper Oven Roasted Ratatouille Dark Chocolate Molten Lava Cake Wines: Suggestions: Red: Monte Antico Toscana from Italy ($10.89) or Mark West Pinot Noir White: La Consulta Gewürztraminer (floral, medium bodied but not sweet) ($9.99) or a Pinot Grigio Barbera should go nicely with the appetizer, salad and vegetable and the Gewürztraminer should go nicely with the Snapper. The suggestions are from Goody Goody House of eight Couple 1 Couple 2 Couple 3 Couple 4 Salad and Vegetable Appetizer Entrée Dessert House of ten Couple 1 Couple 2 Couple 3 Couple 4 Couple 5 Salad Appetizer Entrée Vegetable Dessert
Wild Mushroom and Gruyère Tart with Apple slices and Seedless Grapes Yield: Makes 6 to 8 appetizer servings The base of the tart is purchased puff pastry, which makes this dish as easy as it is delicious. Ingredients 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese 1 large egg yolk 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream 1-1/2 pounds assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, oyster, or stemmed shiitake), sliced 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon butter 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed 1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)* 4 ounces thinly sliced Gruyère cheese Apple slices and seedless grapes Preparation For tart: Puree ricotta in processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 1 yolk and 2 teaspoons oil and blend. Transfer ricotta mixture to bowl; fold in crème fraîche. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté 7 minutes. Mix in thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add butter and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Mix in green onions. Preheat oven to 400 F. Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface to 13x9-inch rectangle. Using sharp knife and starting 1/4 inch in from edge, cut score line around entire perimeter of dough, cutting halfway through. Brush 1/4-inch dough border with glaze*. Transfer dough to ungreased heavy baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over dough, inside border. Top with half of mushrooms, half of Gruyère, then remaining mushrooms and Gruyère. Bake tart until crust is golden and Gruyère melts, about 25 minutes. Cut tart into rectangles. Transfer to plates. Serve with apple slices and seedless grapes
Tomato, Olive, and Mozzarella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Makes about 4 servings 1 can large black olives, cut in half (6 oz. olives after draining) 3 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls, cut in half (or use regular fresh mozzarella and cut into pieces 1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing. Any type of homemade or bottled vinaigrette like Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing will work. 1/2 cup chopped or torn fresh basil leaves salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste Drain olives and fresh mozzarella pearls while you cut cherry tomatoes in half; place tomatoes in bowl. Cut olives and mozzarella pearls in half and put in bowl with tomatoes. Wash basil and spin dry in salad spinner or dry with paper towels, then chop or tear basil into small pieces. Mix chopped basil into vinaigrette dressing, and then gently combines dressing with the tomato mixture. Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Pistachio Crusted Snapper Ingredients: 1-1 1/2 lb snapper, in boneless, skinless fillets ** (See Bottom) 1/4 cup bread crumbs 1/3 cup roasted, unsalted pistachios, chopped finely 2 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese 1 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley 1 tbsp. fresh thyme 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 cup milk 2 tbsp. butter, melted sea salt freshly ground pepper lemon wedges Serves: 4 Preheat oven to 425 degrees and cover a shallow glass baking dish with tin foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup pistachios, parmesan, parsley, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper in shallow dish and mix until well blended. Place milk in a separate shallow dish and dip fish in milk. Roll fish in crumb mixture and place in prepared baking dish. Drizzle melted butter over fish and sprinkle the remaining pistachios on top. Bake at 425 for about 10-12 minutes (10 minutes for each 1" of fish). Fish will appear white and flakey when it's ready. Remove and serve garnished with fresh lemon wedges. ** Adjust to 6 8 ounces per person. Central Market fillets are approx. 3/4 pound which should be adequate for two people.
Oven Roasted Ratatouille Traditional ratatouille requires browning each vegetable separately to develop individual flavors, then combining them for further cooking to blend the flavors. This method, while not necessarily quicker, is less work. Quantities and proportions can be varied to suit personal preferences and seasonal availability. Be sure to use shallow pans so the vegetables roast rather than steam. Ingredients 2 eggplants, 1-1 1/2 lbs 2 red peppers 2 yellow pepper 2 zucchini 2 summer squash 2 onions 4 cloves garlic, or to taste 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 6 large tomatoes, more if small Salt Servings: 8 Container: rimmed baking sheets Preheat oven to 375 Cut eggplant, peppers, squashes and onion into 1" chunks. Cut the garlic cloves in half, lengthwise. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the rosemary, mixing well. Salt lightly. Oil a rimmed baking sheet or other large shallow pan (like the bottom of a two-part broiler pan) and spread the vegetables, if possible in a single layer. Put in heated oven. Cut tomatoes into halves (if small) or quarters (if large) and spread in a second oiled pan. Salt lightly and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Put pan in oven. Roast vegetables, turning with a spatula once or twice to ensure even cooking (tomatoes won't need to be turned) about 45 minutes, or until tender. There should be well browned areas on each but they don't need to be uniformly browned. Don't let them become charred (blackened) as this will produce a bitter taste. Combine contents of both pans, correct seasoning, and serve hot, warm or room temperature
Dark Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes What could be better than a chocolate cake for dessert? How about a chocolate cake that is served warm with a river of chocolate running from it. Using dark chocolate makes this recipe for Molten Lava Cakes better than any you can get in a restaurant. Servings: 4 Ingredients: 5-6 ounces dark chocolate 6 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup flour Optional: Whipped or ice cream Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease four 4-ounce custard cups. In double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Stir in sugar. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add some chocolate mixture to eggs to temper eggs. Carefully, stir egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Add flour and combine completely. Add batter to custard cups. Place on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Centers should be soft but sides should be done. Invert cups on individual serving plates. Remove cups after 2 minutes. Serve warm with whipped or ice cream.