The dinner theme that night was cornmeal, and the menu was sundried tomato tapenade on polenta triangles; wilted bacon and arugula salad; cornmeal-crusted roasted ratatouille tart; and fried okra. I completely forgot to take any pictures at all on the night of the dinner. However, I made the polenta and tapenade the night before and did manage to get a couple of pictures of that. Lucky, too, because I thought it was one of the standouts of the meal, and something that may make a reappearance at the annual Davis Christmas party. Here's the recipe:
Sundried Tomato Tapenade and Polenta Triangles
Makes 24 (from www.pepperfool.com)
Tapenade:
- 12 black brine-cured olives (like Kalamata), pitted
- 9 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil - well-drained - coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 small garlic clove - minced
Polenta:
- 1 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- Chopped fresh parsley
For tapenade:
Combine all ingredients in processor. Using off/on turns, process until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
For polenta:
Combine cream, water and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir until polenta is thick, about 10 minutes. Mix in hot sauce. Season with pepper. Pour into an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Chill until cold, about 1 hour.
(Tapenade and polenta can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill).
Cut polenta into 12 squares. Cut each square in half diagonally, forming 24 triangles. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy large non-stick skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add polenta triangles and saute until golden, adding remaining 2 Tablespoons oil as necessary, about 2 minutes per side per batch. Transfer polenta to paper towels, drain. Divide tapenade among triangles. Arrange on platter. Garnish with parsley. Serve at room temperature.
While I enjoyed this entire meal, I think that the ratatouille tart was another great dish that seems pretty versatile. It would be great for a light dinner with salad, but equally at home at brunch with a pitcher of mimosas. My only suggestion for cooking it is to make sure that the eggplant slices are cut thick enough to roast well, and to make sure the roasting pan is well-oiled. I cut mine kind of thin and it was difficult to scrape them off. I also planned to make two tarts because we had a big crowd on hand, but I only had one tart pan. It was a bit of an endeavor to get the first tart off the removable bottom of the tart pan (I'm sure Mitch enjoyed watching that fiasco). So a tip for aspiring entertainers: read the recipe and make note of any specialized equipment you'll need in advance. Then, make sure you have all that you need before you get in the middle of cooking two hours before the big event!
Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart
Makes 8 servings (from Food Network)
Cook time 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/3 cup whole-grain pastry flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 tablespoons water
Filling:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced eggplant rounds (about 1/3 medium eggplant)
- 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (about 8 ounces)
- 3 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine cornmeal, pastry flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add water and pulse until mixture forms a loose dough. Remove dough from processor and press into bottom and about 1/8-inch up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable rim. Press aluminum foil into the bottom and sides of the pan on top of the dough and weigh down with uncooked rice or pie weights. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until no longer shiny and wet. Remove from oven and let cool.
For the filling: Increase the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; saute shallots until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spray 2 baking trays with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices on the trays in a single layer and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.
Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Lay the eggplant slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Add the zucchini and shallots, top with another 1/3 of the mozzarella and basil, then the tomatoes. Top with rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and cut into 8 slices. Serve warm.
Enough recipes, now on to the guests. Along with Mitch, we were graced with some other fantastic people that I totally forgot to photograph: Chase Milner and Rebecca Heselmeyer and their friend Warner, Paul and Erika Mabrey, and Julie and Kevin Caran. Chase graced us with some hilarious stories, complete with YouTube search terms. I only wish I took notes so I could remember them all here. Oh well... next time.
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