Although most of the meals I make for my family are based on whatever I can grab from pantry and fridge, sometimes an occasion calls for something a little snazzier than ad hoc stir fry or soup and noodle casserole. Whether you’re having a dinner party, or friends are visiting town, you need a repertoire of dishes that can amaze and impress without taking up a lot of time.
Charlie Trotter — the Chicago perfectionist chef who was world-class before the celebrity chef craze — is a good place to start for the “amaze and impress” criteria, but his technique usually makes for long and involved preparation. Thankfully, amidst the massive, beautifully illustrated coffee-table tomes he’s released is a small, mostly text cookbook called Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home.
Of course, even his weeknight recipes are a tad more involved than most people would undertake, but for a special occasion they qualify as surprisingly easy, and undoubtedly impressive. These tarts are one of my go-to dishes to amaze my friends.
This article appears in Dec 30, 2010 – Jan 5, 2011.