Dinner at Palazzo Pomodori

Last night we were invited to a dinner given by Sally, Principessa di Pomodori at her riparian Palazzo Pomodori. I have been dying to make a Crême Bavarorise so I offered to make dessert. I haven't made one of those since cooking school so I was a little nervous about whether it would come out of the timbale but it worked beautifully. I used Julia Child's recipe for Creme Bavaroise aux Fraises (Bavarian Cream with Strawberries) which really was a lot more easy than one would think. It seemed to be a big hit. 

But now to Sally... She killed herself making a delicious dinner for us.

Sally Tomatoes in La Cucina

We started off with cocktails in her drawing room with a beautiful Antipasto. 

I especially enjoyed the cerignola olives. They were big, meaty and just a little bit spicy. The
Antipasto also had ricotta drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with crushed pepperoncino.

Then to the Dining Room for the first course. It was an Heirloom Tomato Tart with a schmear of a Green Goddess sauce. I don't know where those tomatoes came from but it was a nice reminder of tomato season to come. 

The sauce on my plate was a little slapdash but boy, was it tasty!

The main course was Braised Short Ribs sitting on creamy Polenta flavored with Fontina, Parmigiana and Mascarpone Cheeses. It was so rich and delicious, I couldn't imagine it tasting any better than it did. The contorno was a Saute of Spinach with Raisins and Toasted Pignolis. Sal outdid himself with this meal. It was absolutely perfect. Buonissimo!

This dinner was sooo delicious!

We finished off the meal with the Bavarian served with Strawberry Coulis and Crême Chantilly.

All things considered... the meal, the friends and the beautiful surroundings made for a spectacular evening on Bass River. Grazie Principessa!