4th of July plans?

So the forth is right around the corner and your still not sure what's in the works... here are some suggestions....

Asana 4th of July Buffet Menu at the Mandarin Oriental
A variety of delectable dishes created by Chef Nicolas Boutin

La Morra BBQ
Enjoy a delicious Italian style BBQ in your home or at La Morra. Chef Josh has put
together an amazing meal of some of his famous BBQ menu items for take-away.

Dine Like a President at the Fireplace
Enjoy cuisine of the American Presidency from Childhood to the White House, featuring the dishes of American Presidents who hail from or regularly vacation in New England. Available on the 4th and the entire month of July!

OM Family Cookout
Infusion Shots, Burgers, haute dogs, raw bar & skewers before the fireworks and red, white and blue cocktail specials after.

Grilling Out front at UpStairs on the Square & Live Jazz
They’ll be throwing steaks, ribs, chicken and corn on our new grill right in front of our door on Winthrop Street. At 8:30pm enjoy Mid-Life Crisis Jazz Band and special appearance by vocalist Judith Murray.

Charles Hotel, Special Room Rates through the 7th
While there, dine outside at Rialto, Henrietta's or grab a drink at Noir or the world-famous jazz club, Reggatabar

AND if you're heading to the Esplanade, check out these surrounding spots;

Rainy Day Recipe

Max’s Meatballs, Chef de Cuisine, TAVOLO

Dorchester, MA

The Meat

3 lbs. ground beef and 1 lb. ground veal

Herb Bouquet

1 sprig each thyme, rosemary and sage tied together with twine and set aside.

Vegetable mixture

1/2 white onion chopped

1/2 celery stalk, rinsed and chopped

1/2 carrot (medium size), peeled and chopped

1/2 cup leek, washed and chopped

1/4 head fennel, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

6 garlic cloves

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp chili flakes

1/3 C dry white wine

Place all the veggies in a food processor and ‘pulse’ until quite fine.  Place oil veggies, chili flakes and herb bouquet in a pot over medium heat, sweat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze pan with wine and cook until wine has almost completely evaporated. Toss bouquet and chill.

Breadcrumbs

1 cup plain breadcrumb and approx.  3/4 cup milk

Mix with your hands until crumbs are moist.

The Rest

4 eggs, cracked and beaten

1 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T ketchup

3 T parmesan, grated

2 T chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

In a big bowl combine, meat, veggies, crumbs, and ‘the rest’.   Mix by hand until well incorporated.  Over-mixing makes meatballs heavy.  Roll into whatever size you prefer.  Tavolo uses 1/4 lb. balls.   Roast them on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes in a 450 degree oven, or, cook them for a few hours in marinara sauce.  Serve with pasta, parmesan and chopped parsley.

 

Take a peek inside

Chef's in Shorts: Aftermath

I have to say this is my most favorite event of the summer, could be the year.... Chefs in Shorts took place this past Friday night at the Seaport Hotel and offered some of the tastiest samples the summer barbequing season has to offer. City chefs maintained the grills offering up specialties such as Eric Swartz’s (Davio's) Grilled scallops with tomato and Vidalia onion jam on bruschetta, Dante de Magistri’s (dante & il Casale) Grilled pizza margarita and Katherine See’s (Kingfish Hall) BBQ shrimp and avocado salad all to benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank. There were individual clambakes in tin foil bags; an array of scallops served 8 different ways and mini ice cream cones for dessert. The Guys from Island Creek Oysters were there shucking and shooting and the $60 ticket price included beer and wine. The setting; an urban BBQ atop Seaport Boulevard overlooking the city’s skyline. If you have not yet attended I highly recommend you mark your calendars for June 2010!

Chefs in Shorts

I had so much fun volunteering at last years "Chefs in Shorts" and am looking forward to attending next friday as a guest for the twelfth annual BBQ event. Please join in on the fun and help support the Greater Boston Food Bank to Boot! Drinks and apps are included in the ticket price and tickets can be ordered online at http://www.seaportboston.com/Event/Chefs-in-Shorts.aspx

12th Annual
Friday, June 12th, 2009
Seaport World Trade Center
7-9:30 p.m.
$60 per person

The twelfth annual Chefs In Shorts© event brings together a group of the area’s leading chefs who will fire up the grills and create their favorite dishes during this outdoor, summer-in-the-city barbecue.  Join some of the city’s most talented chefs for a night of grill-offs and fun.

Tickets are $60 per person (non-refundable), which includes complimentary beer, wine and tastings.  This event will take place rain or shine.