French Dinner a la Aundrea Scott

I love dinner parties. Especially those where everyone participates. If everyone is involved in the cooking process then everyone feels as if they did a little something to put the whole meal together.

Tonight there was 8 of us in one small kitchen. Though at times it was slightly crowded, I did not mind being close to good friends and surrounded by the smell of butter sizzling in the frying pan.

I was in charge of the appetizer. Immediately, I thought of serving a baked Brie. Brie is always a crowd pleaser mainly because of it's creamy, mild, buttery texture. I covered the top with coarsely chopped pecans and baked it for about 10 minutes. You'll know it is done when the creamy center starts oozing out from the soft white rind. I served mine with crisp granny smith apples, crunchy pretzels, and a chewy french baguette. I particularly liked to top the bread with the brie and walnuts and sit an apple slice on top. Chewy, creamy, crunchy, cheesy. And trust me, way better than a cheesy gordita crunch.

Next we had our salad. Simple and elegant. Assorted baby greens including arugula, dandelion, frisée, mizuma, mâche, radicchio, oak leaf, endive and sorrel were served with a dijon vinaigrette. My friend Judi sweetened hers up with a little white sugar and it was perfect. I always have used honey but sugar works just as well!

Aundrea was in charge of the main course. As I watch her reading the recipe for Hunter's Chicken (which was completely written in French by the way!) I am in awe. The French language is so sexy and romantic! I wish I could write the following description in French but unfortunately my vocabulary only lends itself to English and Spanish. So... skin on chicken pieces were browned in butter and then laid to rest in a mixture of sauteed shallots, mushrooms, white wine and cognac and baked until the chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes.

Last but not least was the Pear Almond Frangipane Tart. This was a joint effort between me, Stu, and Aundrea. Well... I mostly watched. I was so enthralled by the simplicity of the process. I had always thought that French desserts were so complicated! I'll post the recipe below... it seems long but honestly it is very easy. Don't be alarmed but the tremendous amount of butter, dinner parties are not every day treats!

Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart

adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

makes one 9-inch tart

Pâte Sablée aka THE CRUST

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoon butter, very cold, cut into small pieces

1 egg yolk

Poached Pears

3 ripe medium pears (I used Anjou) - you only need 2 pears but I suggest having an extra one just in case you mess up a pear

3 cups water

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Frangipane

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup ground blanched almonds

2 teaspoons flour

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 large egg plus 1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons almond extract

For the pears: Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, cut the pears in half, remove the seed core and fibrous cores at either end, then peel the pears.

Add the pear halves to the simmering syrup and reduce heat to low. Cover, and let pears poach for about 10 minutes, turning them halfway. The pears will become slightly translucent, very tender, and easily pierced with a knife or skewer.

Let the pears cool in the liquid until room temperature before using. Or, you can store them in their liquid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For the tart shell: Put the flour, confectioner's sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse until the butter is cut into pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and combine in several pulses until the dough starts to turn from dry to clumpy. Do not let the dough form one giant ball or it will be be overworked - just keep checking after every pulse and when the dough pieces looks like they will stick when you press them together, stop.

Butter a 9-in tart tin with removable bottom. Turn the dough out into the tin and press into the bottom and up the sides with your fingers. You probably will not need all the dough - save the extra for patching the shell after you bake it. Do not press the dough too hard or it will become tough - just enough for it to form to the tin.

Freeze the tart shell for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to bake it, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

To partially bake the tart shell, take a piece of foil and butter the shiny side, then press the buttered side tightly to the shell. You do not need pie weights. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until the shell is dry and lightly colored. If any places have cracked, repair with the extra dough. Let cool on a rack until room temperature.

For the frangipane: Combine the butter and sugar in the food processor and combine until smooth. Add the ground almonds and blend together. Add the flour and cornstarch, and then the egg and egg white. Process the mixture until it is very smooth. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts just to blend. The frangipane can be used immediately or you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If it becomes too firm in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for a while to soften before using.

To finish the tart: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the frangipane evenly into the cooled tart shell (It should be liquid enough to smooth out on its own so you don't need to work too much on it).

Take the poached pears out of their liquid and drain them on paper towels. You don't want too much excess liquid or they will make the frangipane soggy. Cut each pear half crosswise into 3/8 (or whatever you feel like!) inch thick slices.

Do not separate the pear half yet.

Slide a spatula or other flat utensil underneath the pear so you can transfer the entire half onto the tart. Press on the pear to fan the slices toward the top narrow end of the pear.

Slide the pear half onto the frangipane carefully - you can move the pear after you place it, but not much.

Repeat with three other pear halves until there are four halves on the tart, evenly spaced.

Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, until the frangipane is puffed, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Cool the tart on a wire rack.