The Culinary Challenge

Kim and Kristin present basil creations at Wednesday's concert on the square

Jennifer and Jill

Our feast!

Kim's basil pasta dish

Jill's corn bread with basil and sun-dried tomatoes

Kristin's pressed sandwiches with pesto, fresh mozzarella, grilled veggies, and prosciutto, on Ciabatta bread

Last night’s concert on the square, and much-hyped culinary challenge, were a huge success. The weather was perfect, the food was the best yet, the music was twangy, and the company and conversation were, as always, hilarious and memorable.

The culinary challenge was a blast. All of the dishes were unique and delicious, and we had so much fun with the whole idea. Kim made a simple and flavorful pasta dish with basil linguine, and Jill made a hearty cornbread with basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

My pressed sandwiches turned out even better than I had hoped for. They looked amazing. Surprisingly, they were perfectly pressed, and you could clearly distinguish each beautiful layer of colorful veggies, basil, mozzarella, and prosciutto. The small sandwiches were also quite filling. Next time I try the recipe, however, I might attempt a modified version with just tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. I think a simplified version would be more appropriate for appetizers, whereas the sandwiches I made last night were hearty enough for a meal.

Since we obviously had so much fun with this week’s culinary challenge, we’ve decided to try it again next week, for the sixth and final concert of the summer, and then hope to continue the tradition by hosting dinner events each month at our homes. Kim picked “Lemons” as next week’s theme ingredient, so until then, I’ll be searching for the perfect lemon recipe.