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What Mario Batali Is Cooking for the Obamas' Final State Dinner

Sweet potato agnolotti, green apple crostata, tiramisu, and more

Batali at the White House Monday

Pasta, a Gwen Stefani concert, and a celebrity chef in the kitchen: The Obamas sure know how to throw a dinner party.

Mario Batali will be manning the kitchen at the White House tomorrow night. The black-tie event will be the last state dinner of the Obama administration and will honor Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi and his wife, Agnese Landini — and if the menu is any indication, it’s going to be incredible.

The four-course meal will come complete with wine pairings, a petit fours display and, of course, pasta (sweet potato agnolotti, to be exact). As if that weren’t enough, the dinner will be followed by a performance from Gwen Stefani.

According to literature that will be distributed at tomorrow’s event, the dinner is meant to highlight “the bountiful fall harvest,” and is a collaboration between Batali, White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, and White House executive pastry chef Susan Morrison.

The first course is described as “a velvety pillow of paper-thin pasta stuffed with a puree of sweet potatoes, garnished with a hint of nutmeg and Italian parsley, and topped with brown butter and sage leaves.” The decor sounds lovely, too: Guests will dine al fresco, in a tent on the South Lawn decked out with chandeliers, mirrored tables, and fall floral arrangements.

Below, the menu in full:

First Course

Sweet Potato Agnolotti with Butter and Sage

Palmina Vermentino “Santa Ynez” 2015

Salad Course

Warm Butternut Squash Salad with Frisee and Pecorino di New York

Villa Ragazzi Sangiovese “Napa” 2012

Main Course

Beef Braciola Pinwheel with Horseradish Gremolata and Broccoli Rabe

(A vegetarian version of this dish will be available)

Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel “East Bench” 2014

Dessert

Green Apple Crostata with Thyme Caramel and Buttermilk Gelato

Petit Fours Display:

Sweet Corn Cream and Blackberry Cup

Concord Grape Bittersweet Chocolate Leaf

Orange Fig Slice

Pumpkin Cranberry Tart

Tiramisu

Mario Batali and Gwen Stefani Headline the Obamas' Final State Dinner [E]
All Obama Endorsed! Coverage [E]


Watch: How The White House Chef Does Turnip Curry

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