Menu for the BIG DAY!

It's seafood heavy and not very kid-friendly. What's doing at the kid's table, you think?

My dad was proud of the fact that he had fed two presidents and their families, both Ford and Carter. I have a set of the presidential seal cufflinks that were given to him by Carter, and cocktail napkins with the seal. He loved to tell the story of how an older woman surprised a secret service man in the bathroom, and not the other way around...

You can download the recipes here...

Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
Apple Filling

ӫ4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

ӫ4 tablespoons unsalted butter

ӫ¼ cup water

ӫ1/₃ cup granulated sugar


ӫ1/₃ cup apple sauce

ӫ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

ӫ¼ teaspoon salt

ӫGrated zest from 1 lemon

ӫ1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bread Crust

ӫ14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melt 10 of tablespoons

ӫ2 tablespoons granulated sugar

ӫ34 slices brioche bread (or white bread)
Equipment

ӫ10 Ceramic baking ramekins or metal molds (3” diameter)
Sauce

ӫ2 cups caramel sauce(store bought)

ӫ2 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored, diced small

ӫPinch sugar

ӫPinch cinnamon

ӫ1 tablespoon butter
Ice Cream
1 quart vanilla ice cream
Preparation
Filling
1. Melt butter in 6-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add apples and caramelize, add water,
cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are completely soft. Remove cover
and add sugar, nutmeg and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring apples
frequently, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in
lemon zest, apple sauce and vanilla. Set aside to cool while making crust. The filling can be made
one day ahead
Making crust and assembly
1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Grease 8 ceramic dishes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle sugar in dish and tilt to coat bottom and sides. Tap out excess sugar and
set aside.
2. Using a bread knife, remove crusts from bread. Center the bottom of mold over one of the bread
squares. Cut around mold to form circle to use as the top. Make a total of 20 of these round pieces.
Ten will be for the bottom and 10 will be used for the top. Dip each one in melted butter and place at
the bottom of mold.
3. Cut each of the 15 remaining slices of bread into four rectangular pieces. Dip one side of each strip
in the melted butter and arrange strips, upright, around the inside of molds, buttered-sides against
mold and overlapping by about 1/2” to completely line mold. Use 6 rectangles to line the mold.
4. Spoon the apple filling into bread-lined molds, mounding it slightly in center.
5. Take the remaining ten rounds of bread and dip pieces of bread into the melted butter and place on
top of filling, buttered-sides up. Press down lightly.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover top loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 15-20
minutes, until top is deep golden brown and side slices are golden brown (slide a thin-bladed knife
between bread and pan to check). Remove from oven, uncover, and let rest for 15 minutes on wire
rack. Run thin-bladed knife around edges of molds to be able to flip the mold out onto serving
plates.
7. For the apple cinnamon caramel sauce, sauté 1 cup of peeled and diced Granny Smith apples in
butter, add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon. Allow to cook until apples are lightly browned and all
sugars have dissolved. Remove from heat and add 2 cups caramel sauce to the apples and stir to coat
apples.
To Assemble
Pour caramel apple sauce over warmed apple cakes and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.