Fancy Food at Home

So for my birthday, my parents got me a Whole Foods gift card. Which means... splurge time! Like a kid in a candy store, I walked around in circles, trying to pick out what I wanted to eat. So far, I've made two really pretty and delicious meals.

Dinner #1:

Seared scallops on a bed of polenta and fresh corn, accompanied by
a chimichurri sauce

The scallops were pricey, but worth the expense. Measuring over an inch in diameter each, they were sweet and matched well with the corn. The chimichurri sauce helped brighten the dish by adding some acidity (and color!).

Dinner #2 may not be particularly expensive, but it was the first time that I made fresh pasta and so I'm especially proud of it.

Homemade ravioli with a fresh tomato cream sauce

Ravioli was filled with a mixture of ricotta and parmesan cheese, lemon
zest, and cracked black pepper.

Making pasta dough is COMPLETELY different than making bread dough. It's much tougher to knead, as the gluten seizes up. The pasta ended up a tad tough (especially on the edges where it's double in thickness), but it still tasted delicious. For the sauce, I simply simmered some chopped tomatoes until it broke down, stirred in some basil, and added a splash of heavy cream and a dab of butter before serving.