dinner party

When I was little we always had parties at our house. Holidays, birthdays, graduations and even an impromptu wedding reception where Kate made a four-tier, buttercream frosted wedding cake from scratch. Her greatest baking achievement yet. I was always in charge of finding unused tea lights in junk drawers or ironing the napkins or chopping onions - you know, the really awesome tasks.

We were long overdue for a get-together, so last night we invited everyone over for a "Marissa's leaving but we're not going to mention it" party. We had Jambalaya, arugula salad with shaved Parmigiano and a peach crostata that I had made earlier that day. The crostata, or tart with jam, in Italy is usually eaten at breakfast, but who am I to do something usual?

We lit a fire and sat outside in the yard, underneath the giant Maple that's taking over the house. Though it was a chilly night, we were savoring the Fall air, and who knows what it was, but we couldn't stop laughing for hours. Good food, good Pinot Noir and family will do that to you I guess. Maybe that's why we always had so many parties. 

Crostata

From The Romagnolis' Table

2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

7 tbs. butter 

3 tbs. vegetable shortening (I used butter)

3 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1 tbs. lemon or orange rind

1 jar jam

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. With the paddle attachment on, beat in the butter, shortening and eggs until a dough starts to form. Mix in the rind. Roll into a ball and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour until you are ready to make the tart.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter your tart pan. Divide the chilled dough into one large ball and one small ball. On a floured surface, roll out the large dough until it is as large as your tart pan. Place dough inside buttered pan and crimp edges. Pour jam of your choice onto tart. (I used a whole jar). With the smaller dough create a lattice topping. Bake for 10 minutes then adjust the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until toasty, puffed up and cooked through. Let cool before serving.