Royal Wedding Party

I have been fairly obsessed with the royal family life since the announcement of William and Kate’s engagement so thought I would throw a royal wedding party for some of my girlfriends to come over and share in my obsession.  I wanted to make an English-inspired meal and the only recipe that really came to mind was shepherd’s pie. I paired it with a pretty basic salad.  The vinaigrette turned out awesome, it was the perfect mix of tangy/sweet. Both recipes were simple and everyone asked for seconds which always makes me a happy chef!

We started the evening with a cocktail recipe that I found online.  It wasn’t my favorite cocktail in the world but some of the girls really liked it and it fit the evening with the name “royal blue cocktail”.  

Royal Blue Cocktail (from BettyCrocker.com)

Lime wedge

Ice cubes

Coarse sugar or granulated sugar

¼ cup cranberry juice cocktail

2 tablespoons (1 oz) citron vodka or vodka

2 tablespoons (1 oz) blue curacao

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Moisten rim of chilled martini glass with lime wedge. Sprinkle sugar onto small plate, and dip moistened rim into the sugar to coat lightly. Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add cranberry juice, vodka, curacao and lime juice; cover and shake. Strain into martini glass.  Note: I ended up adding 1 cup of soda water to tone it down a bit.

Shepherd's Pie (from epicurious.com)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound large mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2 pounds ground lamb or beef

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 0.87-ounce packages brown gravy seasoning mix

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup frozen peas

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

4 russet potatoes

¼ cup cream

3 tablespoons of butter

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.  

Peel and quarter the potatoes.  Place them in a pot of boiling, salted water.  

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion and sauté until mushrooms are brown.  Using slotted spoon, transfer mushroom mixture to bowl. Add the ground lamb or beef and garlic to same skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Sauté over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Return mushroom mixture to skillet. Mix in gravy seasoning and 1 1/2 cups water. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add peas; simmer until just tender, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in 3 tablespoons parsley; season generously with freshly ground black pepper.

The potatoes can be removed from the heat and strained once they are soft (pierce w/ fork to test).  Place the potatoes, cream and butter in a bowl.  Mash them with either a hand masher or hand mixer.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer lamb mixture to a large glass baking dish.

Spoon the mashed potatoes over, covering completely. Bake pie until heated through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

Arugula, Pear and Pancetta Salad (from epicurious.com)

For vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon mild honey

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

For salad

2 oz thinly sliced pancetta

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 firm-ripe pears

4 cups baby arugula

Crumbly goat cheese (as much as you want)

Make vinaigrette: Whisk together vinegar, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a salad bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined well.

Make salad: Cook pancetta in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning frequently, until just crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain (pancetta will crisp as it cools). Tear into bite-size pieces.

Halve pears lengthwise, core, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Toss together the pears, vinaigrette, arugula, cheese, and pancetta. 


I gave everyone a tiara and ring pop at their place setting so we would could all feel like princesses!