Giada De Laurentiis to cook for royal couple

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has been tapped to cook a meal for Britain's royal couple when they arrive in California next month.

The Italian American chef announced the news Friday on American network NBC's morning TV show The Today Show for which she acts as a correspondent, saying she's "purely excited" to be cooking for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The couple arrives in California July 8, and will attend a glitzy charity polo event the next day at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club where the prince is due to play.

On The Today Show, a beaming De Laurentiis said she signed up for the gig last month before knowing the royal couple would be attending. In addition to feeding the royal newlyweds, the celebrity chef will be catering the event for 2,500 attendees.

The menu will center around fresh, seasonal California ingredients, she said, starting with pea presto crostini, California chopped salad and chicken Milanese with tomato and fennel sauce.

"It's sort of a dream come true," she said.

To get a taste of what the royal couple will be eating, try out the chef's recipe for pea pesto crostini as it appears on The Food Network, a simple 12-minute recipe that uses half a dozen ingredients.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pea-pesto-crostini-recipe/index.html