Thursday, May 26, 2011

Book Club

This past weekend was my turn to host our monthly book club meeting. This month we chose to read a beautiful chef's memoir titled Blood, Bones, and Butter written by Gabrielle Hamilton. She writes in a way that appears to be effortless and it really captivated me right from the beginning. It is amazing that this woman has been gifted with both the ability to cook and to write! I highly recommend it for your summer reading list.

I had so much fun planning the menu and trying to capture elements of the book as well as try to put my own spin on keeping some healthy elements. I don't know if I have it in me to run a restaurant after reading about her journey and how much work it really does take, but I certainly love hosting people, especially my girlfriends. I literally jumped out of bed that morning to start preparing. My husband thought it was cute.

I will post each of these three recipes on separate posts but here is a preview:
  • Raw Brussel Sprout Salad made with a fresh vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese, and pistachios
  • Ethereal Mushrooms (cooked 15 hours and were heavenly like their name!)
  • Balsamic Marinaded Tomatoes served over fresh Burrata Mozzarella

I tried to incorporate elements on the book while also trying to add some healthy elements. This is a great way to entertain. Focus on an inspiration but stay true to the way you love to eat. Gabrielle spends a month a year in Italy so of course I had to include Italian elements. The Burrata Mozzarella was inspired by a specific scene in the book where she gets married and her and her husband choose to serve each other big heaping spoon fulls of the creamy cheese instead of wedding cake. How cool is that? A true food lover!

These recipes are for you, Gabrielle! And I hope everyone else loves them too!

Love,

Sam



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