Nov4

Special 4-course Cheese Dinner

Cheese Dinner Menu

This evening we hosted a small dinner party featuring a deluxe menu. Unbeknownst to your own chef, I wasn’t realizing each course included cheese. Parmesan, marscapone, romano, mozzarella, and a double-crème from France.

Plating Shrimp

The first course was a garlicky duo of shrimp over a creamy polenta. This was my favorite course.

Shrimp with Marscapone Polenta

First, make polenta with vegetable stock. Add parmesan and marscapone cheese to finish off the polenta, and plate. On top, add shrimp you have marinated in olive oil and garlic, sautéed in more garlic, and add a garlic-chili sauce on the side for extra “pep.” Simple ingredients here, but a good marriage of flavors.

The second course included fresh melon, lemon sorbet, romano cheese, and Virginia country ham.

Melon with Virginia Country Ham

Simple, light, unexpected flavors. Salty, sweet, and sour. Deliciously refreshing.

The third course was a variation on “baked ziti,” featuring sweet Italian sausage, garlic, eggplant, and red pepper in a light tomato sauce. Fresh mozzarella cheese made things stringy.

Penne Rigate with Sausage, Eggplant, and Mozzarella

The ultimate course was a special pairing of a melting cheese wrapped in flaky pastry with one of the more intense, thick chocolate drinks you ever had.

Cheese and Chocolate

For the chocolate sauce, four chocolates were used… combinations of melted 64% semi-dark chocolate (Guittard) with triple cocoas with a combination of 50% heavy cream and 50% 2% milk. It got frothy hot, and was served alongside the melting cheese. Decadence, defined.

Dessert - Cheese with 'World's Best Hot Chocolate'

The cheese was made by wrapping phillo pastry and butter around the butter-like cheese. This really was too much, in terms of fat. But, I nevertheless enjoyed it. You have to try somethings at least once.

I hope you enjoyed the photos and menu!


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Over a year ago, friends and I decided to produce our own cooking show. What might we call it? The Messy Chef was born, a moniker inspired by my own mother’s description of my abilities in the kitchen. “You might cook well, but you sure are messy.”

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