Elegance

Good Morning.

Time for a high-end dinner. Jesus will understand. He liked his fish poached in wine and would certainly have the appetizer but not the entree unless he switched it to lamb. I do not know what he prefers for dessert but probably not this one.

We begin with Bay Scallops in Orange Sauce that can be served in the living room or as a first course at the table.

1/2 cup flour

1 pound bay scallops

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tbsp. Grand Marnier

1/2 cup chicken broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the scallops and flour in a bowl. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet, shake the flour from the scallops, and saute

them for a couple of minutes only. Remove to a plate. Add the shallots and sliced almonds to the skillet and saute until the almonds are slightly browned. Add the orange juice and chicken broth. Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened. Return the scallops to the pan, add the Grand Marnier, and stir everything carefully. Taste and add salt and pepper. Serve in baking shells if you have them, otherwise ramekins or small plates.

Scallops do well with the flavor of orange. The only requirement is not to overcook them. A very fine chef did that at my

daughter's wedding and I didn't sleep well for a year.

Moving along, we have Crown Roast of Pork with Apple Stuffing. You will need to contact your butcher to have the crown

put together. It will not be inexpensive.

For the stuffing:

1 package Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing mix

2 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery including some leaves

1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

2 tbsp. apple brandy

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp. dried sage

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, no dried allowed

For the roast:

1 9 to 11 pound crown roast of pork, rib ends frenched

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/3 pound sliced bacon

For the sauce:

1 cup water

3 tbsp. apple brandy

1/4 cup apple jelly

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the stuffing mix according to package directions. Spoon this mixture into a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and parsley. Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the onion and celery over medium

heat, stirring occasionally, until just soft and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the sliced apples. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until the apples are tender, stirring several times, for about 8 or 9 minutes. Add the apple brandy

and stir.

Set the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Sprinkle the roast inside and out with salt and pepper and place it in a large

roasting pan. Mound the stuffing in the center cavity and put any remaining into a casserole for baking. Wrap the tips of the rib bones with foil to prevent them from burning. Wrap the roast below the bones with overlapping bacon slices and secure with wooden toothpicks. Place the roast in the oven and bake for a half an hour. Now cover the stuffing loosely with aluminum foil, return to the oven, and finish baking. The total time should be about 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours total, but use a meat thermometer for accuracy. You don't have to cook pork until it's gray. Add the casserole of extra stuffing, covered, for the last half an hour. Remove the roast from the oven and let stand, loosely covered, on a platter for about 15 minutes to rest. Carve into chops, cutting between the ribs. Scoop out some stuffing and serve on the side.

For the sauce:

While the meat rests, skim the fat from the pan drippings. Straddle the pan across two burners and add the water, then deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up the brown bits. Add the apple jelly, then simmer, whisking until the jelly is melted. Add the brandy and season with a titch of salt and pepper. Place a little sauce on each chop.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. The biggest chore belongs to your butcher who must assemble the crown.

We suggest Green Beans with Walnuts for a vegetable.

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

Kosher salt

1/2 bunch fresh parsley

1 cup walnut halves

10 garlic cloves, peeled - note: cloves, not heads

1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Drop the beans into salted, boiling water in a big pot. As soon the water returns to the boil, turn off the heat, and leave the beans for about three minutes. Drain well in a colander, place in a bowl, and set aside. Remove the leaves from the parsley

and place in a food processor or blender. Add the walnut halves, garlic, bouillon granules, and pepper. Process until the mixture is like paste. With the machine running slowly, slowly pour in the olive oil through the top. It should be like a syrup. Pour this over the beans in the bowl, and toss to coat them. Serve at warmish room temperature.

Not your average green beans.

For dessert we suggest Amaretto Cream Puffs.

For the puffs:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet. Bring the butter and water to a boil and add the flour. Stir until it forms a ball. Remove from the heat and cool. Now beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding the salt. Drop by teaspoonfuls on

the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes. Watch them like a hawk. Cool on a rack.

For the filling:

1 cup whipping cream

4 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/4 cup Amaretto

Whip the cream, add the sugar, and finally the Amaretto.

For the sauce:

20 oz. frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. water

Place the thawed raspberries with their syrup in a blender. Puree for 10 seconds and press through a sieve. In a small saucepan, mix the cornstarch with the water. Add the puree. Heat, stirring until the sauce thickens. Cool but don't put in

the fridge.

To assemble, slit the cream puffs, fill with the cream filling, and pour a little sauce over each before serving. Serve with

coffee and maybe a little Sinatra, Tony Bennett, or Diana Krall. If you don't know who she is, you need to make her

acquaintance. If you don't know who Sinatra and Tony Bennett are, you shouldn't be making cream puffs.

Best regards,

Elisabeth