Birthday Cooking Class

For my birthday I wanted to do a cooking class with some friends.  My friends Rachael and Heather did all the planning and it turned it so fun!  We had a signature cocktail, a few appetizers and then we made a salad and a pasta dish for the main course and Heather did an ice cream sundae bar for dessert.  

It was a great night!  I picked the main entree which was Ina Garten’s rigatoni with sausage and fennel.  

We had the party/class at Heather’s House.  She is an amazing cook and has the best house for parties.

Every party needs a signature drink so Rachael made a signature cocktail for me.  It was a Rasberry Cosmo.  She made it with fresh raspberry purée, vodka and raspberry liquor.

Heather made homemade bread which was so amazing!

It was honestly so fun to get together and cook with my friends.  I really love doing that.  Everyone pitched in and helped with the cooking.  We made a citrus and beet salad and the rigatoni together.

And of course we took lots and lots of pictures. 

For dessert Heather had a sundae bar including homemade lemon sorbet.   She gave me the recipe for the sorbet and I am going to make it soon.  It was so delicious!

Here is the pasta recipe we made

Rigatoni with sausage and fennel

3 tablespoons good olive oil

3 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 1/4 pounds sweet Italian sausages, casings removed

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup half-and-half

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pound rigatoni

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, divided

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

The party  was perfect.  Heather was a great teacher and it was so fun to cook together. This cooking party was a fabulous way to celebrate turning 42!

Xoxo