My Evening with Chef Gillis

Between teaching, rehearsals and composing it is hard these times to get some quality cooking and baking time in. So when my beautiful friend, Jessi Gillis asked if I'd like to get together and have some culinary fun, I leaped at the chance! Last Saturday Jessi came over and we drank delicious red wine and shared some fun recipes while Jessi taught me some simple and very useful little tips for the kitchen!

We had decided ahead of time that I would choose the dessert to make and she would choose the main course. I was beyond excited and intrigued when Jessi proposed the idea of making homemade pasta! I learned all about making delicious pasta dough, the uses of mascarpone cheese (yum!!) and how to make a tasty roasted vegetable sauce and another pesto variation - I love pesto!!

The result? A delicious ravioli stuffed with mascarpone cheese and caramelized onion (I'm drooling thinking back on it) with both a homemade pesto and a roasted red sauce! I know, she is all kinds of talented.

When Jessi asked me to take charge on dessert I contemplated for quite awhile what to make but I decided it would be best to stick to what I love most - strawberries, vanilla and exorbitant amounts of icing. So, we created "the rose cake". Excited by my new piping kit (a lovely present from my sister's beloved), I made a vanilla buttercream frosting infused with a simple strawberry syrup. Jessi was kind enough to teach me all about how to make different syrups - I have no idea how easy it was! Underneath the mountains of frosting was a VERY sweet and simple vanilla cake.

Voila! The Rose Cake!

All in all, it was a perfect evening of delicious food and fabulous friendship. To read more about Chef Jessi Gillis and her fantastic catering company, Highland Drive (and her new shop opening up in the Hydrostone!!),

Check out what Jessi has in store!