Evie Cranston
On July 5th, my good friend and longtime client, Evie Cranston, had a group of girlfriends visit her for several days of fun. Besides hiking, fishing, shopping and Lord knows what else those girls were up to, they had a wonderful dinner at Evie’s beautiful home on the Yellowstone River. Almost a decade ago, in nearly the same spot, I catered her daughter Catherine and son-in-law Jeff Vermillion’s wedding. This home and backyard remain one of my favorites.
The girls enjoyed one of Evie’s favorite meals of Chicken Torte Milanese with Tomato Basil Sauce and Caesar Salad and finished with Fresh Berries with Prosecco Sabayon Sauce. They started out the meal with peppadews filled with Boursin cheese, my famous Smoked Trout Dip on Raincoast Crisp Crackers and Prosciutto-Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus.
Always the gracious hostess, Evie Cranston sets her table for a casually elegant garden party along the Yellowstone River. Chicken Torte Milanese with Tomato Basil Sauce. Smoked Trout Dip in quenelles on hearty crackers. Classic Caesar Salad.
The perfect setting. Boursin-Filled Peppadews. A toast to the hostess and a midsummer’s dream. Prosciutto-Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus.
SERVES 8–10
1 egg
2 teaspoons water
Torte Dough (see recipe below)
6 (6-ounce) herb grilled chicken breasts (see recipe in Chapter 4) diced into 2-inch chunks
8 cups shredded Italian cheese mix (mozzarella, Parmesan and Fontina)
2 cups cooked spinach, squeezed of excess moisture
3 cups roasted mushrooms, squeezed of excess moisture (see recipe in Chapter 9)
4 cups quartered artichoke hearts, squeezed of excess moisture
3 cups canned roasted red peppers, drained, dried with paper towels and diced
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1. Prepare a 9x12-inch pan by rubbing it lightly with butter.
2. Mix egg and water for an egg wash; set aside.
3. Cut chilled dough in half. You will use only one half for this recipe; wrap the other half in plastic and freeze for up to 2 months. Divide remaining dough in half and roll out one for bottom layer of the pan and the other for top of torte. Use flour on both sides while rolling out so as to not stick to the surface.
4. Gently lay the rolled dough into the pan. Push dough into pan so it fits into bottom and sides; leave enough hanging off the sides to roll an edge over top layer.
5. Layer one at a time: meat, cheese, spinach, cheese, mushrooms, cheese, artichoke hearts, cheese, roasted red peppers, cheese, pressing down on each cheese layer to pack evenly.
6. Using remaining dough, roll out a top for the torte. Place over layered ingredients, leaving a little hanging over sides. Trim any excess of both layers, but leave enough to fold over crust. Reserve trimmed excess dough.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
8. Pinch dough together and roll around the edge of the torte. Pinch or press your finger into crust to make it more decorative.
9. With remaining dough, roll out and cut about 6 “leaves” and put on top of the torte. Make 5 or 6 small air slits on top and an “x” in the middle for venting. Brush top and leaves with egg wash. Sprinkle with dried Italian seasonings.
10. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust is brown and an internal temperature of about 130 degrees F is reached.
11. Let sit 15–20 minutes before cutting. Serve with warmed Tomato Basil Sauce (see recipe below).
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 TORTES
4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups salted butter
¾ cups ice water
1. Place flour into bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment. Mix for 1 minute to aerate.
2. Add butter a little at a time until mixture resembles a course meal.
3. Add water a little at a time, mixing until dough pulls away from paddle and forms a ball.
4. Flatten dough to a disk, cover in plastic wrap and chill until firm; 45 minutes to 1 hour.
TOMATO BASIL SAUCE
MAKES APPROXIMATELY 3 CUPS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade
salt and pepper to taste
1. Pour olive oil into a small sauce pan over medium heat. After 30 seconds or so, add the chopped garlic. Stir garlic a few seconds and add the drained tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and dried basil.
2. Let simmer for 10–15 minutes.
3. Remove the sauce from heat and add the fresh basil, salt and pepper.
MAKES APPROXIMATELY 4 CUPS DRESSING
juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons garlic, chopped
½ cup shredded Parmesan
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3½ cups mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
romaine lettuce
croutons
1. Whisk dressing ingredients together until well combined.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Toss 1 cup of dressing with romaine lettuce, top with croutons.
SMOKED TROUT DIP
MAKES 2 CUPS
½ lb. smoked trout
¼ cup (2 ounces) cream cheese
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1½ tablespoons marinated red onions (see recipe in Chapter 9), diced
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
1. Place all ingredients into a stand mixer with a metal whisk.
2. Whip until ingredients come together into a mousse-like consistency.
3. Serve with hearty multi-grain crackers. I love serving it with Raincoast Crisp; these fig and olive crackers are available at Livingston’s Gourmet Cellar and other gourmet shops.
PROSCIUTTO-PHYLLO WRAPPED ASPARAGUS
SERVES 12
1 package Pepperidge Farms Phyllo, thawed
¾ cup melted butter
½ cup Pecorino-Romano cheese, finely grated
12 thin slices of prosciutto, cut in half
24 asparagus spears (choose thicker as opposed to thinner), trim to 4 inches long
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place two sheets of phyllo dough on a dry surface keeping the other sheets covered with a slightly damp towel.
4. Brush phyllo with melted butter and cut phyllo sheets in half horizontally and then into fourths vertically so you have 8 pieces all together.
5. Sprinkle phyllo with 2 tablespoons grated cheese, then place one piece of prosciutto on each square.
6. Arrange one piece of asparagus on the bottom edge of each square and carefully roll phyllo around asparagus, making sure the tip of the asparagus is “peeking” through.
7. Brush with additional butter and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Repeat with the remaining asparagus.
8. This can be made one day in advance if tightly wrapped with plastic wrap and refrigerated.
9. Bake the rolled spears until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Serve warm.
BOURSIN-FILLED PEPPADEWS
SERVES 5–6
½ cup, plus 1½ tablespoons Boursin cheese, room temperature
1 dozen firm peppadews, drained of excess juice
1. Fill a pastry bag with 12-inch floret tip with Boursin, using a rubber spatula.
2. Gently pipe Boursin into peppadews until a ½-inch floret tops the pepper.
3. Chill and serve on a platter.
FRESH BERRIES WITH A PROSECCO SABAYON SAUCE
SERVES 8–10
4 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup Prosecco
2 tablespoons kirsch
8 cups assorted fresh berries
1. Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar together in the top part of a double boiler over boiling water, until foamy. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water, or your eggs will curdle.
2. Add the Prosecco and whisk constantly until thick and creamy, about 10–12 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the kirsch.
4. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
5. Serve chilled in glass bowls with fresh berries.
