Country Apple Galette

I took a French cooking class at Sur-la-Table this winter with both of my sister-in-laws. Not only was it a fun evening together, but it was also a wonderful way to learn how to make some things that were out of our cooking realms, and then enjoy the fruits of our labor by sitting down to a delicious French meal! You should really consider taking a class at your local Sur-la-Table; the prices are incredibly reasonable, they prep and clean everything (worth the price of admission in itself), the classes are small and intimate and completely hands-on, the instructors are knowledgeable and engaging, you can bring your own wine to make the evening more lively, the menus are well thought out, and the finished product is a meal that might cost upwards of $100 in a restaurant. We all left the class feeling satisfied belly-wise and kitchen skills-wise.

Anyways, one of the items we made that night was a Pear Galette. A galette is basically a free form pie or tart which you can fill with anything you can imagine, savory or sweet. It is a fairly simple dessert, with very few ingredients and very little time involved. Well, especially little time if you purchase your pastry dough as I did! It is a fresh and delicate dessert that really lets the ingredients sing. I used apples because it is winter, and because I like apples! I found this Jacques Pepin recipe on Food and Wine. At some point I will try the dough recipe and I will report on how it turns out later.

The apple galette turned out beautiful and so yummy! We actually took this over to a friend's house for dessert. It traveled easily and reheated perfectly to be served after dinner warm and bubbly out of the oven. I think you really only need two or three apples tops. I did not do the bottom layer of chopped apples (I was running very short on time!), I just did the decoratively arranged sliced apples, and that turned out to be plenty of apple in the dessert. I actually think you could cut the sugar down to 1 tablespoon rather than two. Otherwise I think the recipe is pretty much perfect.

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Ingredients:
1 refrigerated pie dough
4 Golden Delicious apples (I think you could actually use just two or three tops)
2 tablespoons of sugar (I think you could cut this down to 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of butter, cut into small pieces

Steps:
1. Gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peel, halve and then quarter the apples. Once each apple is in 4 pieces, you can easily cut out the core from each piece.

Peeled. 

Halved.

Quartered.

Cored.

Still messy!

All cleaned up with no skin!

3. Thinly slice the apple quarters into crescent shaped slices. Set the apples aside.

Sliced.

Sliced.

4. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the cinnamon.

5. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray and stretch the pastry dough into a circle on the tray.

6. Decoratively arrange the apple slices on the dough, leaving about an inch at the edge of the dough uncovered.

7. Drizzle the honey evenly over all of the apples.

8. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over the apples.

9. Dot the small pieces of butter evenly onto the apples.

10. Gently pull the 1 inch of uncovered dough up over the apples to create a one inch border.

11. Bake the galette in the 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. You want the pastry to be golden brown and the apples to be tender.

12. Serve warm or at room temperature. Ice Cream might be a fun addition!    

Sleepy puppies after a big walk and bath!

Italian Wedding Soup

What is Italian Wedding Soup? I always assumed that it was something that authentic Italians ate at Italian weddings. I equated it in my mind to the Groom's Cake in Southern weddings, a longstanding tradition that you do not question, you just let your groom's imagination and taste buds run wild, and in the end create an entertaining conversation piece for your wedding guests. However, after doing some extensive research (aka...wikipedia!) I now know that I was wrong, so very wrong!

My ever loyal sous chefs, Cort and Shafer! 

Italian Wedding Soup actually has nothing to do with the happy marriage between two people in love. Rather, the original Italian name for the soup, minestra maritata, refers to the happy marriage between ingredients. I agree fully with this accurate translation. The flavors and textures in this soup are wonderfully balanced, and "marry" well. I love this version which is creamier than any canned variety you will ever find. This is also incredibly economical. The ingredients cost about $15 and includes many things that you have on hand, and serves at least 8 servings. Enjoy with hearty thick bread on a chilly evening.

This recipe is brought to you by: The Kitchn, a super cute food blog.

Another beautiful and creative person in my life is just amazing me with her fun creations! Adrienne Norwood Dougherty has the most adorable Etsy shop where she makes custom made banners. Here is an example that she made for our 100th post celebratory dinner. Please check out her little shop and get in contact with her if you want something sweet and handmade to make an evening turn into a special event! Here is the link: Hawthorne Ave Arts and Vintage!

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Ingredients:
3/4 pound of ground beef (you can also use ground chicken, turkey or pork)
1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs (I used Italian)
3 large eggs (one used on its own and 2 used together)
1 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan, divided into 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon of dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
3 tablespoon of olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced (per usual in the Curnes house...I omitted the onions)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
8 cups of chicken stock
3 cups of spinach
2 cups of cooked orzo pasta
Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
Squirt of fresh lemon juice (optional)

Steps:
1. Combine the ground meat, bread crumbs, one egg, 1/2 cup of the cheese, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

2. Mix these ingredients together (I used my hands..this is a recipe where you really have to get your hands dirty!).

3. With your hands, form the mixture into 1 inch balls. I ended up with about 20. You want them to be smaller rather than larger because these should be bite sized and they should be able to fit on the spoon size that you will use while eating the soup.

4. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium high heat.
5. Add the meatballs to the oil in about 3 batches (you do not want to overcrowd the pan), and cook until browned all over. They might still be a bit pink in the center, and that is okay because they will keep cooking once you add them to the broth.

6. Once browned on all sides, place the balls on paper towels so that the excess oil is absorbed.

7. In a large soup pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium high heat and add the onion and garlic, and saute until they soften but not browned. About 5 minutes.

Again...note the absence of onions here. It turned out delicious without them and my husband was happy!

8. Add the stock to the onions and garlic and bring to a boil.

9. Add the spinach.

10. Reduce the heat to low and then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
11. Add the meatballs and cook for another 5 minutes at least (I didn't plan perfectly...so mine simmered at a very low temperature for a bit.

12. While this is cooking, use a small bowl to combine the two eggs and remaining cheese. Stir to combine.

13. While stirring constantly, slowly pour the egg and cheese mixture into the hot soup.

14. Add in the fully cooked pasta.

15. Cover and let simmer for about one more minute.
16. I also added a dash of red pepper flakes for spice and a generous squirt of lemon juice to brighten the flavors.
17. Serve and enjoy with hearty bread!