Warm rays of sunshine, interlaced with the warmth of good friends, created the perfect ambience for this Tuscan-inspired luncheon. We toasted our “salute” and long friendship with Prosecco while devouring our delicious appetizer. Chef Claudio’s recipe for Bresaola (an Italian air-cured beef,) stuffed with goat cheese, garlic and parsley, received a special ChezHelvetica touch with the addition of sweet mission figs. Fresh ciabatta and mixed olives accompanied this course as well as our entree.
Fried asparagus wrapped with prosciutto (then quickly roasted) sided the new house favorite, Nude Gnocchi with a Butter Sage sauce. These pillowy Ricotta and Arugula dumplings melted in our mouths as we moved on to samplings of a Pinot Grigio and two different Italian red wines. Pellegrino helped balance our imbibing!
“Torta della Nona” or Grandmother’s Cake, a luscious custard filled tart with raisins and pine nuts, further sweetened the afternoon. And then there was Limoncello, the grand finale!
NB: The resource for most ingredients used in this menu were from Cal-Mart.
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