Easy Dinner Party Menus

[mollyanne]

I'm doing a small informal dinner party tonite for 4. I'm recreating from memory a recipe for Taglierini del Golfo that I once enjoyed at "Caffe Luna" (Italian restaurant here in North Carolina) so wish me luck

Main Entree:
Taglierini del Golfo...shrimp, peas, and roasted red peppers all in a pink cream sauce over pasta. I'll pick a fresh feathery sprig of dill from my garden for a garnish on the side (or maybe poke it up in the center for height?).

Sides:
Fresh Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms...sauteed and stuffed with store-bought roasted red pepper hummus and topped with fresh chives from my garden.
Fresh Organic Steamed Brocolli...just pure unadulterated-not even salt...okay, maybe some olive oil sprayed over it

Wine:
White Sauvignon Blanc (of course there's one who will probably insist on a margarita )

Dessert:
Peach Cobbler/Vanilla IceCream (no, uncleBob, you can't come )

Help: I'm struggling with how Caffe Luna made their pink cream sauce for the shrimp dish. I'm tempted to make it easy and buy a Lobster Bisque that my market has on sale today, and then add a teensy bit of cream, paprika, and white wine that I already have on hand. But it would be my luck that someone would ask how I made the sauce...gulp. But maybe what they did was use roasted red peppers and cream...it was a light pink color.

 

[Kayelle]

Help: I'm struggling with how Caffe Luna made their pink cream sauce for the shrimp dish. I'm tempted to make it easy and buy a Lobster Bisque that my market has on sale today, and then add a teensy bit of cream, paprika, and white wine that I already have on hand. But it would be my luck that someone would ask how I made the sauce...gulp. But maybe what they did was use roasted red peppers and cream...it was a light pink color.

Ohmygosh, that sounds like a wonderful menu, Mollyanne!! Personally, I think your idea for the pink cream sauce is genius! Nothing at all wrong with it not being "from scratch".......and if someone wants the recipe tell them it's "top secret". Have fun and enjoy, I wish I was on the guest list.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Dessert:
Peach Cobbler/Vanilla IceCream (no, uncleBob, you can't come )

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[mollyanne]

You know I had to say that so there'd be some icecream left for the guests. I know you can be sneaky around icecream, uncleBob

Thanks kayelle. I'm so excited! I just did the pink sauce and it's BETTER than I remember at Caffe Luna! Wheeee...i'm twirling

I whisked half Lobster Bisque (on sale for 2.99) and 1/2 Classico-Roasted-Red-Pepper-Alfredo together, then added about 2 TBSP White Wine and 2TBSP HalfNHalf (not necessary but lightened the color nicely and toned down the flavor a teensy bit). Now I'll add the shrimp, green peas, and roasted red peppers and then pour it all over thin spaghetti pasta (i think the cafe used angelhair but that's too fine for me).