Trendy Restaurant Salad

Trendy Restaurant Salad

You don’t have to go out to eat to enjoy this trendy restaurant salad; it’s so simple, you can make it yourself! With fresh ingredients, a light vinaigrette dressing and the unexpected flavor of frizzled leeks, it’ll be a favorite on your own menu in no time.

Ingredients:

 

Salad

fingers of roasted carrots, 3″ long

mesclun lettuce

avocado

frizzled leeks

sprinkle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Lemon Vinagrette

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Roast carrots in oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Mix with mesclun lettuce and avocado.

Dredge leeks in flour and deep fry them (aka frizzled leeks). Sprinkle on top of salad.

In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and serve.

 

Fettuccine a la Pesto

Fettuccine a la Pesto
(best with fettuccine pasta, not shown here)

 

This dish is a menu staple in Italy. Our tasting group said they could really taste the flavors of the fresh ingredients in our pesto sauce, making their dining experience something special.

Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons pine nuts (pignolia)

1 dash salt and pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Add the garlic to the food processor and mince.

Next, add the basil leaves, pine nuts, and a dash of salt and pepper to the bowl of the processor.

While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in olive oil through the feed tube until all the ingredients are pureed. You may need to stop the processor at this point and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to get everything  mixed together.

Now, add Parmesan cheese and combine it with the rest of the mixture. If the pesto is too thick, add a tablespoon of water.

Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use. The mixture should keep for 2 – 3 days in the fridge and freezes well if you want to keep it longer.

When ready to serve, pour over three cups of cooked fettuccine and dig in!

Semifreddo

Semifreddo

A semi-frozen dessert that’s as refreshing as it is delicious, this version is easy to make and will surely impress your guests.

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks

1 cup of honey

zest of one lemon

zest of one orange

3 sprigs of thyme

Directions:

Whip over a double boiler until thick and creamy and pale in color. If mixture feels hot to the touch, cool it down in an ice bath until chilled, thick and glossy in color. Set aside.

Strain egg and honey mixture. Set aside.

Whip four cups of heavy cream until stiff. Mix in 1/2 cup of heavy cream with egg and honey mixture. Fold in the rest of the cream.

Freeze in 10′ bowl overnight.

Tomato Salad

Tomato Salad

A light and healthy lunch or dinner side dish. It’s so easy to make and has so much flavor. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

5 ripe tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh basil

1/8 teaspoon chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons chopped scallions

chopped parsley

 

Directions:

Blend lemon juice and olive oil well. Combine with chopped tomatoes. Add fresh basil and chopped scallions. Mix well. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.