King's Cake

Ingredients

• 1¼ pounds puff pastry (available in the frozen foods section of the supermarket)
• 1 dry bean (such as a dried kidney bean or navy bean)
• 2 eggs
• 7 ounces almond paste
• Paper crown for decoration

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Grease a cookie sheet.
3. Roll out pastry an 8-inch round.
4. Mix 1 egg with the almond paste until smooth and spread evenly onto the pastry.
5. Place the bean anywhere on the filling.
6. Roll out another 8-inch piece of pastry and place it over the almond filling. Press the edges together firmly to seal. Score the top layer lightly with a sharp knife.
7. Beat the other egg lightly and gently brush over the top layer.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 400°F, and bake for another 25 minutes.
9. Serve warm, with the crown on top.

Serves 8. The person who finds the bean is designated as the queen or king.

Yule Log

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Large jar of seedless jelly (strawberry or raspberry)
• Chocolate frosting, 1 can
• Powdered sugar
• Optional decorations: holly berries and evergreen leaves (fresh or artificial)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Grease a jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet with a rim all around) and line the bottom with waxed paper. Grease the waxed paper well.
3. Beat the eggs until frothy and pale yellow in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the sugar and water to the eggs and continue to beat.
5. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
6. Add the flour mixture to egg mixture.
7. Add the vanilla and almond extract.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
9. Bake for 15 minutes. (Toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Do not overbake.)
10. Remove from oven. Cover pan with a clean dishtowel, and turn over to remove cake from pan. Remove pan and carefully peel off the wax paper. (Cake is wrong-side up.) Trim off any crusty edges.
11. Fold one end of towel over short end of cake, and carefully roll cake up inside the towel.
12. Lift the whole roll and place it, seam side down on a cooling rack.
13. Allow to cool completely. Unroll carefully.
14. Coat the cake completely with jelly.
15. Carefully roll the cake back up again, without the towel.
16. Cut a 2-inch slice from one end and cut in half.
17. Attach these pieces to the sides of the cake to resemble branch stubs on a log.
18. Frost the cake "log" with chocolate icing. Drag a fork along the length of the cake, scoring the frosting to resemble bark.
19. Arrange holly berries and evergreen leaves around the cake if desired.

Serves 12 or more.

Cheese Board

Ingredients

• ¼ to ½ pound of 3 different cheeses: select from Camembert, brie, chevre (goat's milk), Roquefort (bleu cheese)
• 1 loaf of crusty French bread (or 1 package of crackers)
• Wooden cutting board for cheese
• Basket for bread or crackers
• Cheese knife or paring knife

Procedure

1. Arrange the cheeses on the wooden cutting board.
2. Line the basket with a napkin (serviette in French), and fill it with crackers or the bread, sliced into thin rounds.
3. Diners will use the knife to cut their own individual slices of cheese. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 12 or more.

Chocolate Mousse

Packaged instant chocolate mousse mix, simpler to prepare than this traditional recipe, is available at most grocery stores and may be substituted.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsweetened cooking chocolate
• 4 eggs, separated
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• Raspberries, strawberries, and ladyfinger cookies as accompaniment

Procedure

1. Melt the chocolate over low heat in a saucepan.
2. Remove from heat, add cream and allow mixture to cool.
3. Separate egg whites from the yolks.
4. Add sugar to the yolks and mix well.
5. Add yolk mixture to chocolate in the saucepan.
6. Add a pinch of salt to egg whites, then beat with an electric mixer until stiff.
7. Stir egg whites gently into chocolate mixture and let cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
8. To serve, arrange ladyfinger cookies vertically around the mousse.
9. Arrange fresh fruit such as strawberries or raspberries on top. Serve chilled.

Serves 2 to 4.

Salmon and Shrimp Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 prepared pie crust
• 4 small pieces of smoked salmon
• 1 small can of little shrimp
• Swiss cheese, grated
• ½ cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the eggs until light and fluffy.
3. Add the sour cream and cheese to the eggs and beat again.
4. Poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork.
5. Cover the bottom of the crust with the salmon. Arrange the shrimp evenly on top of salmon.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the seafood. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Cut pie into quarters and serve hot with a salad and crusty bread.

Serves 4.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 loaf (12 slices) of sandwich bread
• 8 slices of ham
• 8 slices of Swiss cheese
• Swiss cheese, grated
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese between two pieces of bread; repeat this step on the same sandwich to make a triple-decker sandwich.
3. Repeat to make 4 sandwiches in all. Arrange the sandwiches in a baking dish.
4. Make the béchamel: Combine the flour, milk, butter, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until the flour has completely dissolved.
5. Pour the béchamel (white sauce) mixture over the sandwiches and top with the grated Swiss cheese.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and crusty.
7. Serve on 4 plates. Cut sandwiches into halves or quarters.

Serves 4.

Onion Soup

Ingredients

• ½ pound onions, cut into thin slices
• 3 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white wine (optional) or water
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 beef bouillon cube and a dash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 3 cups water
• Four ¾-inch thick slices of bread, cut from a baguette
• Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Melt the butter and olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat and add the onions.
2. Brown the onions for about 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the flour on onions and stir until dissolved, heating 5 more minutes.
4. Add the wine (if desired) and the water.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the bouillon cube and dash of Worcestershire sauce (if desired).
7. Simmer for 20 minutes.
8. Pour soup into bowls. Float a slice of bread in each bowl.
9. Top the hot soup with cheese.

Serves 4.

French Bread

Ingredients

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2½ cups warm water
• 7 cups flour
• Egg white, lightly beaten

Procedure

1. Grease two cookie sheets.
2. Dissolve the yeast, salt, and sugar in water in a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the flour until a stiff dough forms. Turn the dough onto a floured surface (countertop or cutting board) and knead for 10 minutes.
4. Clean out the mixing bowl, lightly oil it, and return the dough to the bowl.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, ½ hour or so.
6. Dip your fist in flour and push your fist into the center of the dough to "punch" it down. Remove from the bowl, and knead 3 or 4 more times.
7. Separate the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into a long loaf. Place 2 on each of the greased cookie sheets.
8. Carefully slash the top diagonally every few inches with a knife.
9. Brush the loaves with the egg white. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let the loaves rise again for about 30 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake loaves for 10 minutes.
11. Lower heat to 350°F and bake 20 more minutes.

Baguette Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 small baguette (purchased or freshly baked; see recipe above)
• Cheese (may be soft cheese, such as Brie, or hard cheese, such as Gouda)
• Ham
• Tomato
• Leaf lettuce
• Mayonnaise or mustard
• Cornichons (tiny sweet French pickles)

Procedure

1. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise.
2. Spread one half with mayonnaise or mustard, depending on preference.
3. Arrange sliced cheese and ham over the mayonnaise.
4. Slice the sweet pickles in half, and arrange on ham.
5. Top with sliced tomato and lettuce.
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and carry for lunch away from home.

Serves 1 or 2.