EasyTilapia With Fresh Herb-Pistachio Butter (NAPSA)—Planning your next dinner party menu can be simple when flavor-enhancing ingredients are at the core of your creations. Once considered complicated and time-consuming, the sit-down dinner party has made a 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 bags (10 ounces each) baby spinach For herb-pistachio butter, comeback, as has all at-home entertaining. In fact, according to a Yankelovich Monitor study, more than 50 percent of us open our homesto friends on a regular basis. “When planninga dinnerparty, experts regularly rely on entertaining essentials—style, personality and quality ingredients like butter, nuts and herbs—to take the fuss out of cooking and put flair back into a meal,” says Art Smith, celebrity chef and 2002 James Beard award-winning author of Back to the Table: The Reunion ofFood and Family. For starters, set out warm rolls with an array of savory, flavored butters made with fresh herbs and a tray of aromatic nuts, roasted in honey glaze or cinnamon. Easy to do, these special touches will impress guests and eliminate complicated hors d’oeuvres. Entertaining Made Easy Partnering with Dairy Manage- ment Inc. (DMI), on behalf of the American Butter Institute, Art Smith has developed an easy-toprepare, elegant dinner party dish excellent for entertaining. Preparation for Smith’s special oven roasted tilapia with fresh herb-pistachio butter and baby spinach, can be completed up to a week ahead, freeing up more time to spend with your guests. Once the herb-pistachio butter is complete, refrigerate or freeze it until ready to use. The fillets cook in minutes and mash butter, pistachios, herbs, when placed atop the baby spinach and served with wild rice or risotto, makefor an eye-catching meal. “The pistachio-herb butter, drizzled over the top and downthe sides of the talapia, adds color and texture to the entre, while enhancing the flavor of the fish,” says Smith. Cap off your meal with scrumptious desserts. Visit www.butteris best.com for an array of sweet treats, such as white chocolate truffle tarts and apple cinnamon butter cookies. Tilapia with Fresh Herb-Pistachio Butter and Baby Spinach Makes6 servings Herb-Pistachio Butter: 12 tablespoons(1% sticks) unsalted butter % cup finely chopped pistachios 1 tablespoon chopped combination of parsley, basil and thyme \ teaspoonsalt '% teaspoon pepper ForFillets: 6 tilapia fillets salt and pepper % cup flour salt and pepper in a bowl. On parchment paper, form butter into a thick log and wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. (Butter can be prepared 1 week ahead and refrigerated, or frozen, over-wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 2 months.) Position a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Seasontilapia with salt and pepper and coat with flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium- high heat. Add the fish, three fillets at a time, and cook, turning once until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer fish to a 10 x 15-inch baking pan. Slice the herb-pistachio butter into 12 equal pats. Place 2 pats on each fillet. Bake until tilapia is opaque and flakes with a knife, about 8 minutes. In another skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. In batches, add spinach, stirring until each batch wilts before adding more. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach amongdinner plates; place fillet on top. Serve immediately.
