BON APPETIT!!

MENU

APPETIZER - CAMEMBERT

SOUP - VICHYSSOISE

SALAD - FENNEL AND MUSHROOM

ENTREE - BEEF BOURGULGNON

DESSERT - APPLE TART & BAKED APPLE (FOR THE NONDAIRY)

BEVERAGES - RED & WHITE WINE, PERRIER WATER, ORANGEADE (WHICH IS ACTUALLY A FRENCH THING!!)

BON APPETITE!!









FANTASY CAMPFIRE CAMEMBERT
Ingredients
• 1 round of Camembert, with its box
• A splash of white wine
• A sprinkling of chopped thyme leaves
• Pepper

Directions
1. Remove the cheese from its box and unwrap it. Put the cheese back in its box. Poke all over the top with a fork, and splash on a little wine to run into the holes. Scatter over the thyme and sprinkle over the pepper. Close the box. Wrap in foil. Bake at 400ºF/200ºC for 10 minutes or until very hot and runny. Serve immediately with crusty bread.




Vichyssoise
Ingredients
• 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced or chopped
• 4 leeks, sliced and washed
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 onion (or 3 shallots), sliced
• Vichy mineral water, to cover
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions
1. Put the vegetables in a pot. Add mineral water to cover. Season with salt and pepper, cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until very tender. Purée and strain into a glass bowl. Thin with the cream, and with more liquid if needed. Cool and chill.
2. Before serving, thin the soup to consistency with more water or milk. (You can also use chicken stock, but if you’re trying to be vegetarian, then obviously don’t.) Check the seasonings. Serve sprinkled with chives.


FENNEL AND MUSHROOM SALAD
Ingredients
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1/2 Pound mushrooms, sliced
• a large bouquet of parsley leaves
• handful of chopped fresh chives
• Olive oil
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper
• Lemon juice, to taste
• Parmesan curls

Directions
1. Put the shallot and vinegar in a ramekin and set aside to macerate. Cut the fingers off the fennel bulb and discard, then peel the bulb. Slice the bulb very thinly into rings. Toss with the mushroom slices and parsley leaves. Dress with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Serve with Parmesan curls on top.

Beef Bourgulgnon

Ingredients
• 4 pounds boneless stew beef, such as chuck or sirloin tip, cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons pork fat or olive oil, more if needed
• 2 carrots, peeled and halved
• 2 onions, peeled and halved
• 4 cloves garlic, just crushed
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 bottle red wine
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1 bouquet garni (made from bay leaf, parsley stems, and thyme)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, more if needed
• 6 to 8 slices bacon, cut into lardons
• 40 baby onions, peeled
• 1 Pound mushrooms

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 325°F/160°F. Take the meat from the fridge and bring to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Heat the oil in a large casserole. Working in batches, brown the meat well on all sides, removing as you go. When the meat is done, cook the carrots and onions in the same pot until tender and lightly golden. Add the garlic, and cook one minute. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over the wine and the stock. Add the bouquet garni. Return the meat to the pot, cover, and transfer to the oven until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
2. While the meat cooks, prepare the garnish: Heat the oil, if using, in a pan and brown the bacon. Remove. Add the onions until browned all over, remove. Finally, brown the mushrooms, and remove. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup/125 ml water, reduce, then pour over the garnish. Set aside.
3. When the meat is done, remove it from the pot. Strain the stock, discarding the vegetables. Pour the liquid back into the pot and boil until thick enough to coat a spoon. Return the meat to the pan and add the garnish. Cover and simmer until the onions are tender and the flavours have blended, 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. Serve.

SOFT BAKED APPLES

• 6 medium baking apples, such as Boskop
• 4-6 dried figs
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons/100 g butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or crème fraîche
• Lemon juice to taste

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Core the apples. Using a paring knife, score a ring around the midriff of each apple, just cutting through the skin to prevent bursting during baking. Stuff the apples with the figs and almonds. Set on a baking sheet, and bake until puffed up and soft all the way through, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a saucepan with a spoonful of water and boil to a golden caramel, about 5 minutes, depending on how much water you've added. You want a nice rich caramel colour, but don't let it get too dark. (It can go from caramel to black in a flash so keep an eye on it.) Turn off the heat and stir in the butter to melt. Stir in the cream, and add lemon juice to taste.
3. Serve the baked apples warm from the oven with the sauce poured over and with a generous slump of cinnamon whipped cream or crème fraîche on the side.

APPLE TART
Ingredients
Tart Shell
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
Cream Filling
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
Topping
• 3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts

Directions
Tart Shell
1. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Make the crust: cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Finally, mix in the flour to make a smooth dough. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch/20 cm spring-form pan, giving it about a 1-inch/2.5 cm rim. Bake 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven.
Cream Filling
1. Beat all the ingredients for the cream filling together until smooth. Make the topping by tossing the apple slices with the cinnamon, sugar, and nuts. Remove the tart shell from the oven. Spread over the cream mixture.
Topping
1. Arrange the apple slices on top, then scatter over the nuts. Bake until the apples are tender and golden, about 40 minutes.


BEVERAGES


Orangeade

Ingredients

2 c orange juice
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
1 c water

Instructions

Stir the ingredients together, pour over cracked ice in tall glasses, and
garnish with orange slices, sprigs of mint, and fresh strawberries or
raspberries. Serves 4.

Red Wine

White Wine

Perrier Water