Welcome!
A twisty read with some sweet/savory goodies!
Alice Feeney brings us our October pick for Book & Bake. Let's dive into a twisty suspense...tis the season after all! Scroll on down and check out our food fun, and book discussion.
Nana liked it sweeeet!
What did we make?
Daisy's Nana, Beatrice Darker, loved her sweets! When the family sat down to dinner on October 31 for Nana's 80th birthday dinner it was a mish-mash of sweet and savory items. Roast chicken and Yorkshire puddings with gravy? Sure - but it is chocolate gravy. Sugar coated carrots, Smarties mixed in with the peas, and who wouldn't want Pop Rocks sprinkled over their potatoes? Beatrice Darker knows how to celebrate!
So, in keeping with the sweet/savory idea we made a tasty appetizer of pear and goat cheese tart along with a butternut squash and apple soup.
The Eats
Pre-baked Pear/Goat Cheese Tart
Pre-baked Pear/Goat Cheese Tart
Pre-baked Pear/Goat Cheese Tart
Here is our lovely tart, pre-bake. It is quite simple!
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 tart apple
- 1 sweet, ripe pear
- 4 oz. goat cheese (softened)
- 4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
- Fresh thyme
Instructions are to the right. I want to be transparent here - the image to the right (the baked version) is not the version we pulled out of the oven. That bad boy was consumed before I could snap a photo. I promise you, ours looked just as good if not better. And, before you get all copyright on me, I created the image of the baked tart through A.I. The pre-baked tart pictured above is what we made in my kitchen!
Out o' the Oven
Pre-baked Pear/Goat Cheese Tart
Pre-baked Pear/Goat Cheese Tart
- Combine goat cheese and cream cheese; mix thoroughly, set aside
- Thinly slice apple and pear, doing your best to keep the slices uniform
- Open one sheet of puff pastry and roll into a rectangle approximately 16x12. It isn't necessary to use this exact dimension.
- Fold the each edge over to make a border (see image on the left)
- Dock the inside of the edges with a fork - don't skip this par!
- Smooth the combined cheeses over the pastry, evenly and layer the pear and apple slices over. Keep everything in one layer. Brush edges with egg wash.
- Bake at 400 until puffed and golden brown.
- Liberally sprinkle the fresh thyme all over the tart.
and more Eats
Butternut Squash-Apple Soup
Butternut Squash-Apple Soup
Butternut Squash-Apple Soup
I love butternut squash because it can be versatile when making sweet/savory recipes. I'll never forget having the butternut squash with apple soup prepared by friend and fave, Chef Ryan Nelson, owner of Late Harvest Kitchen in Indianapolis. While I'm not skilled enough to make it as perfectly as Chef Ryan, I'll say we were pleased with ourselves!
For my home version, it is mostly hands off. Here is how:
- Pre-heat oven to 400
- Cover a large sheet pan with parchment or foil. To the pan, place the following:
- 1 butternut squash, cut in half (remove the seeds before or after roasting)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chunked
- 1 large onion, peeled, root removed, and chunked
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored, chunked (I used honey crisp because that is what I had. You do you.)
- 1 head of garlic, whole, unpeeled, wrapped in foil
You'll need stock/broth later. I use vegetable stock from the store.
Optional for later: pumpkin seeds, crispy bacon crumbles or pancetta
YUM!
Butternut Squash-Apple Soup
Butternut Squash-Apple Soup
- Spray the contents of the pan with coconut oil, season everything with salt, pepper, and garam masala. Don't like garam masala? Don't use it....use what you like.
- Roast vegetables until they are soft and a bit caramelized. I do my best to avoid charring things for this. Once vegetables are tender, add them to a blender/food processor*. You could use an immersion blender as well if you don't mind the extra time it would take to get a velvety consistency.
- Add a healthy glug of stock to the vegetables
*I have a Vitamix with a large container. Be careful here...pureeing hot stuff is not to be taken lightly. You'll need to vent the container so steam can release. I typically cover the small top with a towel. Just be mindful, my friends.
Whiz it all up, adding stock to reach the consistency you like. Taste as you go to adjust seasoning.
Finally, let's talk about accoutrement! I have a favorite ingredient in the fall: boiled cider. It isn't necessary for this soup to be a winner but it really adds that little somethin'-somethin', so I am mentioning it here. Top your bowl of soup with crispy bacon or pancetta, pumpkin seeds, or big ol' croutons. But, if you have it drizzle some boiled cider over the top. Whew! That's gonna convince you to either buy some, or if you're like my sis-in-law/love Teri, you'll make your own!
Discussion Document
We enjoyed a lively conversation about all of the complicated characters, conflict, and connections. There were twists and turns that most did not see coming. I love our baking time, but I truly cherish the time we share discussing the books we read. I am so honored that new and not so new friends share thoughts/take-aways, questions, and different perspectives on the novels.
Alice Feeney gave us some incredible characters! Some we loved and some we loved to hate. (Gah! - Lily!) The twisty twists were fun, too. We covered it all. If you have not read Daisy Darker yet, I encourage you to do so before you take a peek at our discussion document.
Check out the full discussion document here.
