SKS Date Night with Signature Kitchen Suites

I wanted to share a wonderful event I participated in last week sponsored by  Signature Kitchen Suite and DesignHounds : SKS Date Night with Chef Nick Ritchie! Any time Signature Kitchen Suites/SKS holds an event, everything is done first class. Last week’s event was the followup to the Sous Vide Limoncello Cocktail evening in January. This time, the event was billed as a Date Night – but the definition of “date” was fluid and participants had their spouses/significant others, children, pets, friends and neighbors. This was a zoom event and there were over 50 participants from across the US. We were sent recipes and all the fixings to make three delicious appetizer/toppers for crostini. You can download the recipes here (groceries not included, sorry!) and you can view a “how-to” prep video by Chef Nick in the Signature Kitchen Suite Experience Kitchen in Napa.

The goodies included two bottles of delicious wines from Gentleman Farmer winery in Napa.

I don’t have a food processor or a large blender, so my small smoothie blender had to work overtime. This is the Parm Dip below – and it is the bomb. My version is a little more “rustic” because my blender couldn’t chop up the parmesan and asiago cheeses too finely. But delicious nonetheless!

And below is the white bean and artichoke dip. Also very delicious. There is a third eggplant caponata recipe which I didn’t get made in time for the event. I made it over the weekend and brought it to a gathering yesterday – delicious! 

Enjoying a delicious rose and apps on the deck with my friend Rob before the online event started.

In addition to the cooking and eating portion of the event, we also got a lesson on food styling from Will and Susan Brinson, renounced photographers and food stylists and home renovators.

You can see the big difference between Susan’s grocery display and my own above.

One of the easiest tips for presenting a dish, not just for photos:

Signature Kitchen Suites is a luxury kitchen appliance company, their range (pun intended) includes: Ranges, Rangetops,Cooktops, Wall Ovens, Microwaves, Ventilation, Dishwashers, French Door Refrigerators, Column Refrigerators, Column Freezers, Column Wine Refrigerators.

Bon Appetit!