#1 Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil

This is the recipe that actually prompted me to get on Amazon and finally buy the Silver Palate cookbook. I had heard about the cook book years ago and been interested in the easy, yet elegant recipes it promised. But is was an interview I had heard with the authors about this gooey brie dish that ended my procrastination and it was this dish that I made about two days after the book was in my hot little hands. I love Brie and pasta but I thought that eating an entire pound of brie and two pounds of pasta between just the two of us might be a little ridiculous. So, I invited some of our favorite dinner guests to a nice Sunday dinner and went shopping. This dish is a dream to make for guests. The only real work is cutting tomatoes and garlic. I have to confess that I didn't read the recipe thoroughly at first and it did come to a surprise to me that you didn't cook the sauce at all. But it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The warm pasta adds enough heat to melt the Brie but it is still cool enough to be refreshing and almost kind of light. (If you don't think about all the cheese you just ate). We had this with a Cameron Hughes Lot 58 Chardonay and some La Brea bread. I highly recommend this dish more summer dinner parties. You make the sauce a couple hours ahead of time so the flavors can meld then all you have to do is cook the pasta before your friends arrive. Although, I would recommend not letting this easy step allow you to lose your focus. I got distracted and let the linguine burn a little. Oops. Luckily, I made a lot and there was enough pasta left to serve. Overall, I think it was a success and I am looking forward to having another dinner party with this dish.