Most Lavish Dinner Yet

Last night I hosted a dinner to support the charter school I work for. I dubbed it Italia Organica (I'll let you figure out what's wrong with that) and put together a mixture of organic vegetarian dishes. It was probably one of the better things I've ever made. On the menu was:

1) Mixed Crostini (half with a marinated tomato spread, and half with a cannellini/pesto paste that was yum)

2) Mixed roasted veggies over bed of polenta and topped w/ roasted pepper puree

3) Roasted beet salad with vinaigrette and goat cheese

4) Wild mushroom goat cheese

5) Spinach salad with warmed goat cheese (I forgot to warm it)

6) Sorbet

You can find all the recipes on epicurious, so I won't spell them out here, but I will offer a few suggestions:

1) sometimes grilling is a better method to roasting veggies for the polenta dish. I would have preferred more of the grill flavor and springyness you get from the control of the grill.

2) the cannellini/pesto combo is a keeper and something you have to try

3) Keep the roasting of beets to a little over an hour. They're going to cook a little longer as they cool down, and then when you marinate them they'll soften up too. No overkill allowed here.

4) I've changed my mind about the risotto. Cook the crimini mushrooms before so they brown properly, then add about 2/3 of the way into the risotto recipe, but before adding the butter/parm. Roast the shitake and add at the end for both flavor and texture.

I might make a habit of this

Josh