Dinner with Friends

Nothing beats ending a long week than having dinner with friends.  We try to get together with our friends, Nikki and Adam pretty regularly.  Sometimes we go out, but lately we have been eating in and taking turns at each others homes.  Nikki and I normally share the meal and trade off on what we bring.  Sometimes though we opt to do it all so the other couple can have a night off.

This last Saturday was just such a night.  Steve and I wanted to treat them to a night off so we planned a very comfort food type meal, with wine and dessert. 

I am always using them as guinea pigs for new recipes and this evening was no different.  I had received an email about Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa's) blog and found this recent recipe for a French Apple Tart.  Nikki and I both love to cook and have our strengths, Pies are definitely Nikki's and not mine, although I am still trying.  So when I saw this tart I thought this was right up my alley.

As a side note, Steve still talks about the Apple Pie and Christine (Nikki's daughter) made maybe 5 years ago as the best he has ever had and compares all others to that one.  Apple Pie is one of his most favorite desserts.

Below is the link to the site and recipe but I have also copied in the recipe.  I stayed pretty true to her recipe but I didn't have the Calvados or Rum, and who wants to use water when Alcohol is an option.  I had some Amaretto on hand and used that with the Apricot Glaze.  Gave it a nice almond flavor, subtle but good.  I think I may try this with other toppings as well.  A keeper for sure!!!

Ina Garten's blog: http://barefootcontessa.com/blog.aspx
and her recipe can be found here: http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=387&S=0

French Apple Tart (Serves 6)

Copyright 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, All Rights Reserved

Photo: Quentin Bacon

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for the pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup ice water

for the apples
4 Granny Smith apples
½ cup sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, small-diced
½ cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam (see note)
2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 x 14 inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in ¼-inch-thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full ½ cup sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don’t worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart’s done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn’t stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Baked French Toast

As I was going through the meal I had picked out for that evening and to see what meat I had to take from the freezer I realized I didn't want to make pasta again.  I saw the french bread that was left over from the previous night and the light bulb when off.

Coming up for what to make for dinner can be a chore in itself.  Always trying to make the meals new and interesting for my family it so hard at times. 
I decided to make French Toast.  I remember seeing on a Diner's Drive In and Dives a baked French Toast and thought this would be perfect.

Baked French Toast Recipe

Slice 1" slices of left over French Bread

3 - 4 Eggs, Depends on how much bread.

1c Milk

1t Vanilla

1/4t salt

Plan this the evening before or the at least 4-5 hours before you need to cook it.

In a medium bowl mix eggs, milk, vanilla and salt.   (May need to add more eggs/milk depending on how much bread you have.)  I had 1/2 a loaf, 7 1" slices and this was perfect amount.) 

Lay your bread slices in a container, if possible in a single layer or in a Ziploc bag.  Pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate.  (Key is to make sure that the bread absorbs all the liquid.)

Heat over to 350-375 degrees.  Place the bread slices in an even layer in a greased baking dish.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are lightly browned and the center is slightly firm to the touch.  (May take longer, test 1 to ensure the center is done.)

Meanwhile....  While the French Toast is baking, if you would like to make a sauce to go over the top, now is the time to do it.  I used some fresh strawberries that I had sliced and froze over the summer.  I added them to a sauce pan, added sugar and a little bit of water.  Let that cook down. 

I served with the save and dusted with powdered sugar.  So good. 

A great evening meal for a change.  (For the guys I did also cook some sausage.)  Also, since it is baked a nice coice to have for guests instead of standing over the oven and having some get cold while waiting to cook enough. 

Enjoy!

In Loving Memory, Zoey 7/15/04-10/1/12