Friday Night Dinner Party
All the recipes I made that you requested from my Political Dinner Party on Friday Night. Including some favorites like my Tuna crudo and that divine Apple tarte tatin!
I’ve been asked back multiple times now by my political clients who love to entertain at their home in Beverly Hills. And the guests at these dinner parties are an amazing showcase of who’s who of the Democratic Party here in California or America in general. Ex governors, current governors, current and past mayor’s, democratic national candidates, senate members. You name it! And to even be in the same room as some of these people is completely insane as a Brit here in the USA. But I do love it. And we always make some crowd pleasing classics that go down a storm. So after many requests from you all, I’m here to share some of them!
Crudité with a Lemon Whipped Ricotta Dip
Ingredients For the Whipped Ricotta:
2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta
2 tbsp Milk or Cream
1 clove Garlic
2 tsp Honey
Juice and zest from one lemon
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Blend ricotta, milk, garlic, lemon and honey until smooth in a blender.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tuna Citrus Crudo
Ingredients For the Crudo:
1 lb wild caught ahi tuna (or yellow tail or albacore - just make sure it is sushi grade)
I also added fresh orange segments from 1 orange here in between the fish which was a lovely bright and fresh addition!
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Zest of half a lemon and half an orange
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 small orange
2 tablespoons caper juice
1-2 tablespoons capers
1/2 a shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp Calabrian chili oil (optional)
Salt/pepper
Instructions:
First, it’s time to make your vinaigrette.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon and orange zest, caper juice, capers and salt and pepper.
Set aside or place in the fridge until you are about to be ready to plate it all. If you pour the citrus over the fish too soon it will cook the fish.
Slice your sushi grade tuna with a sharp knife, as thin as you can but not too thin. I like to aim for 1/4 inch thick. Place gently layered over each piece on a tray or serving platter. You can also add your orange segments in between each piece here if you are doing that!
Now it’s time to serve your crudo! Pour over the the dressing once you’re plating. Then I would highly suggest drizzling over a few drops of Calabrian chili oil here and there along with a dusting of micro greens and some edible flowers to make it look pretty.
Chopped Italian Salad
Ingredients: Serves 2-4
Salad
4 heads little gem or 2 heads romaine lettuce, finely chopped
½ head radicchio, finely chopped
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup roasted red peppers (from a jar), finely diced
1 medium cucumber, finely diced
1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, quartered or finely chopped
½ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and chopped
¼ cup pepperoncinis, finely chopped
1/3 cup, mozzarella, cubed
1 avocado, diced (optional)
Optional protein additions (choose one):
½ cup finely diced salami
1 cup grilled chicken, chopped
1 jar of tuna
Red Wine Vinaigrette
1 small garlic clove, crushed into a paste
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or to taste)
A few scrunches of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
1. Prep the Ingredients
Finely chop all salad ingredients so everything is similar in size. This is key to a great chopped salad — you want a little bit of everything in each bite.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas well and pat dry.
2. Make the Vinaigrette
In a small bowl, whisk together:
Crushed garlic
Dijon mustard
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
Red wine vinegar
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
3. Assemble the Salad
In a large bowl, combine:
Lettuce and radicchio
Chickpeas
Roasted red pepper
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Olives
Pepperoncinis
Mozzarella
Optional protein or avocado
Pour dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly so everything is evenly coated.
4. Serve
Serve immediately for best texture and freshness.
Roasted Tomato and Calabrian Chili Pasta
Ingredients:
2 pints baby heirloom or cherry tomatoes
1 large or 2 small shallots, cut in to quarters
1 bulb garlic, halved horizontally
Generous drizzle olive oil
Generous pinch of Maldon flakey sea salt
Scrunches of black pepper
Roast at 425 F for 25 mins
Squeeze out the garlic from the bulb
2 tbsp Calabrian chili paste
1/2 cup pasta water
1 handful fresh basil
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Roast the tomatoes at 425 F for 25-30 minutes, tossing half way through.
Blend all together in a blender with the heavy cream, if using.
Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta of your choice.
Add a 1/3 cup pasta water to the drained pasta with the sauce poured over. Toss together with more lashings of freshly grated parmesan and stir to combine and create a smooth creamy sauce.
Add extra basil leaves and lashings of freshly grated Parmesan to top and even some burrata!
For my main proteins I serve these two delicious classics from my website that are great crowd pleasers at a dinner party or simply perfect to serve on a weeknight to your family!
Topped with my Olive-Caper Salsa Verde
Ingredients For the Olive-Caper Salsa Verde:
1 cup Parsley, finely chopped
⅓ cup Green Olives (castelveltrano if possible), finely chopped
2 tbsp Capers, rinsed and chopped
1 tbsp caper brine
3-4 anchovies
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
⅓ cup Olive Oil
1-2 tsp Calabrian chili paste
Sea Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix all the finely diced ingredients; parsley, olives, capers, garlic, lemon zest and juice, brine, Calabrian chili paste, anchovies and olive oil.
Season salsa verde with salt and pepper to taste and let sit for 10 minutes before serving
Grilled Broccolini with Charred Lemon over Whipped Ricotta, topped with my Arugula Lemon Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients (Serves 4 - double for more)
1 lb broccolini, ends trimmed
2–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large lemon, zest and juice, cut in half
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Instructions
1. Preheat the Grill
Heat a grill to medium-high (about 400–425°F). Clean and lightly oil the grates.
2. Prep the Broccolini
Pat the broccolini dry. Toss with olive oil, freshly crushed garlic, salt, and pepper and the juice and zest of 1 lemon, until evenly coated.
3. Grill the Lemon
Place the lemon halves cut-side down directly on the grill.
Grill for 3–5 minutes, until nicely charred and caramelized. Remove and set aside.
(Grilling the lemon mellows its acidity and adds a subtle sweetness.)
4. Grill the Broccolini
Lay broccolini perpendicular to the grates so they don’t fall through.
Grill for 6–8 minutes total, turning occasionally, until:
Tender but still slightly crisp
Nicely charred in spots
Bright green with lightly blistered florets
If the stems are thick, move them to a slightly cooler part of the grill to finish cooking without burning.
Pesto recipe HERE
Note - Instead of nutritional yeast in this original recipe on my website, I added in Parmesan cheese.
5. Finish
Transfer to a serving platter. I added some extra of the whipped ricotta dip to the bottom of the platter first.
Top with dollops of your pesto and extra freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Apple Tarte Tatin
Makes 6-8 individual mini pies
Ingredients:
2 good quality, store bought puff pastry sheets
For the apples:
6-8 honeycrisp apples peeled and sliced thinly
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup organic cane sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/4 cup water
For the Caramel:
• 1 Cup white cane sugar
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/4 tsp flakey Maldon sea salt
Instructions:
For the puff pastry: cut the puff pastry into 5 inch diameter circles. Keep refrigerated on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
For the apples: wash and peel the apples and thinly slice them lengthwise and pop them into a pot with your cinnamon, sugar and water. Toss to combine. Place over a medium heat with lid on for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.
For the caramel: place the sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and constantly stir with a wooden spoon until melted and amber in color. About 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add in the butter using a whisk to combine with the sugar mixture until the butter is fully melted. Start adding in your heavy cream with a whisker until fully incorporated. Let caramel boil for about 1-2 minutes over medium heat being careful not to bubble over
Remove from heat and add in flaky sea salt and let cool slightly until you are ready to assemble your tarte tatins. Once ready to assemble, take your circular disks of puff pastry on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper out of the fridge and add apples in a circular pattern to cover the puff pastry. Drizzle about 1 spoonful of caramel over the apple mixture and bake at 425 F (218 C) for about 20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and crisp and golden brown. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and your favorite scoop of ice cream!
This was another successful client dinner party! All of these politicians LOVED it and I know you will too!