The lovely office of Peachtree Planning volunteered to be my guinea pigs on Tuesday. I catered the weekly "lunch and learn" for 20 financial planners. I was a bit nervous but they were the perfect group to test my catering skills.
On the menu:
ham and pimento cheese sandwiches on sourdough and Italian panne
chicken caesar club sandwiches on ciabatta
roasted vegetable orzo
peanut butter cookies
Ham and Pimento Cheese
This sandwich was inspired by Palmetto Cheese (found only at Publix). This store bought but homemade like pimento cheese is a huge hit among my friends and family.
Slather one side of bread with a pimento cheese of your choice
Spread the side with dijon mustard
Add thinly sliced virginia ham
Chicken Club
I adapted this sandwich from a similar sandwich by my idol Ina Garten. It is so hearty and flavorful that is makes a great dinner sandwich as well.
You will need:
2 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
olive oil
4-5 slices of bacon
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1.5 tsp anchovy paste
1 tsp dijon mustard
1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup mayo
ciabatta loaf
arugula or lettuce of your choice
parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan
Rub chicken breasts with olive oil
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Roast 35-40 minutes
Cool slightly
Slice meat thickly and set aside
Place bacon on a sheet pan
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp
Set aside to drain on paper towels
*I love this method of cooking bacon
For the homemade caesar mayo:
Place garlic and parsley in a cuisinart with steel blade
Process until minced
Add anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice and mayo
Process until smooth
Refrigerate until ready to use
*you may want to add more mayo depending on taste preferences, it's strong!
Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally
Toast in the oven and cool slightly
Spread both sides of ciabatta with Caesar mayo
Layer arugula, parmesan, chicken, bacon
Cut into thirds
Serve at room temp
Roasted Vegetable Orzo
It's safe to say that 90% of the time I have a batch of this pasta salad in my fridge. It's healthy, fresh and a crowd pleaser.
You will need:
1 small eggplant,
1 red bell pepper,
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 pound orzo
Dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Finishing touches:
4 scallions, minced
1/4 pine nuts, toasted (Trader Joe's sells them toasted)
3/4 pound of feta, diced not crumbled
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (long ribbons)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Dice the eggplant, bell peppers and onion into uniform size pieces, about 3/4 inch
Toss with garlic, olive oil, s&p
Spread on large baking sheet
Roast for 30-40 minutes, until brown, toss once during roasting
Boil the orzo in salted water for 7-9 minutes
Combine lemon juice, olive oil, s&p
Drain orzo and transfer to a serving bowl
Pour dressing over pasta while still hot (the pasta will soak up the yummy flavors)
Add roasted vegetables to pasta, be sure to capture all liquid
Cool to room temp, this is important!
Add scallions, pine nuts, feta and basil
Check seasonings
Serve at room temp
*if you are making this ahead of time, add basil at the last minute so it won't turn brown
These classic peanut butter cookies and be refrigerated for up to a week in an airtight container. Makes 20 large cookies if you eat a some dough along the way.
You will need:
2 stick of butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup regular sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 375
Cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and regular sugar in mixer until well combined
Add the eggs and vanilla
Mix until all ingredients are combined
Sift flour, baking soda and salt
Slowly add to peanut better mixture, stirring until smooth,
*don't over-mix
Scoop dough onto cookie sheet
Flatten cookie dough ball sightly
Sprinkle with chopped peanut and sugar
Bake 10-12 minutes
Cool on a baking rack
Ta-da, lunch is served!
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