Friends to Table - Late Summer Bistecca Menu

Its late August and autumn is slipping into the evening air. With the crisp nights come new foods harvested with earthy and warm flavors. We at To-Table have made it easy for you to capture these full fall flavors by showcasing a delectable Late Summer Italian Menu featuring Bistecca alla Fiorentino for your next dinner party. Check out our Pinterest board here for more recipes to fill out your late summer meal.

Late Summer Bistecca Menu

Cocktails with Jamon Iberico and Rocky Ford Cantaloupe

Buy a Rocky Ford Cantaloupe and check the ripeness at the end of the cantaloupe where the flesh, when pressed, should be soft around the "nipple." De-seed, slice and serve with Jamon Iberico pieces either side-by-side or tooth-picked together. Garnish with mint.        

Bistecca Alla Fiorentino

Two To-Table bone-in porterhouse steaks (3 lb.)
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 sprigs rosemary
Lemon wedges, for serving

• Heat a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to high; bank coals or turn off burner on one side.
• Brush steaks with half the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on hottest part of grill, flipping once, until browned, 4-6 minutes.
• Using rosemary sprigs as a brush, baste steaks with remaining oil.
• Cook to desired doneness, 4-6 minutes more for medium rare, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 125°. If the outside starts to burn before the steak is fully cooked, move to the cooler side of the grill until done.
• Let steaks rest 10 minutes; slice against the grain along the bone.  

Stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms

• 24 To-Table Squash Blossoms
• 1 and 1/2 cup soft goat cheese at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks
• one half cup shredded gruyere cheese
• 2 pinched black pepeer and 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
• for batter:
• 2 cups self rising flour (GF or not)
• one cup cornstarch
• Ice cold water as needed (apporx 1/2 cup)
• Mix goat cheese, egg yolk, Gruyere cheese, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl; stir until smooth. Spoon filling into a heavy, resealable 1-quart plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal the bag. Cut a small corner off the bag.
• Gently insert the cut corner of the bag all the way to the bottom of the open end of a blossom and pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling inside. Pick up petals and drape them up over the filling, covering filling completely. Fold any excess petals over the top of the filled blossom to keep them out of the way. Refrigerate filled squash blossoms until cheese is set and firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Combine self-rising flour and cornstarch in a mixing bowl; whisk in ice-cold water, a little at a time, until batter is smooth and has the thickness of pancake batter.
• Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch into a heavy skillet (such as a cast iron pan) and place over medium heat. Heat oil until a thermometer placed into the oil, not touching the bottom, reads 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). A drop of batter carefully dripped into the oil should sizzle immediately.
• Remove squash blossoms from refrigerator and dust lightly with all-purpose flour on all sides. Shake off excess flour and dip blossoms in batter. Let excess batter drip off.
• Gently lay coated squash blossoms in the hot oil on their sides; cook about 6 at a time until pale golden brown, 1 minute on the first side and 30 seconds to 1 minute on the remaining sides. Let cool slightly before serving.

Amorosa Fingerling Potatoes

• Take these fingerlings, boil them slightly for 3 or 4 minutes and then grill them until they have a slight char.
• Cut them up and then mix with grated Parmesan, chopped fresh rosemary/chives/parsley, salt and pepper, garlic powder, olive oil and little bit of vinegar.
• Mix it all up and serve at room temperature.

Huckleberry Pie

• Mix the above ingredients together with a spoon so that everything is well distributed; pour into the bottom pie shell as it sets in the pie plate.
• Dot the top of the mixture with 2 or 3 dabs of butter.
• Top off with the second pie shell.
• Once it is correctly positioned you should have a 1” overlap on the top crust so that it can be crimped with the bottom crust.
• Crimp or pinch the two crusts together and make a decorative edge to seal the two piecrusts.
• The pie can be refrigerated until you are ready to bake or baked immediately.
• To bake, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
• Place the pie on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for 15 minutes then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30-40 minutes or until the filling starts to bubble over.
• Once the pie looks done and the crust is a light golden brown, it should be done.
• Take it out and let the pie cool on a cooling rack until it is ready to serve.