So we’re having the Mrs’s boss and his wife over for a  dinner. The is the only employee of an eye doctor, so its definitely not your big corporate thing. We’ve been over to their house several times and erally enjoy the time we spend with them. So I’d like to make something special.

So its recipe day here. The recipes are in the extended entry, but here’s the menu:

• Sea salt and rosemary focacia bread
• Lasagna roll-ups
• Caesar salad
• Buttery apple torte

So here’s the recipes or the links to find ‘em.

First off is the appetizer/bread course. Of course, you’ll want to break out the best XV olive oil for this one to dip in to, done with a little salt and pepper, just like the restaurants.

Rosemary and Sea Salt Focacia
Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Dry Yeast
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 Cup Warm Water (105°F - 115°F)
• 2 Cups White Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt (Plus Extra For Sprinkling)
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Rosemary
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter

Special Hardware:

• Baking Stone
• Peel (Wooden Paddle)

Oven Temperature: 450°F
Steps:

1. Place yeast, sugar, and water in large bowl and allow it to become bubbly.
2. After mixture has become bubbly, mix in 2 cups of flour, salt, and 2 Tablespoons of rosemary.
3. Knead dough for about 10 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and elastic. Add additional flour if necessary.
4. Oil a bowl, place dough ball in bowl, and cover with a towel.
5. Place bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise for one hour, or until it has doubled in size.
6. After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it in half.
7. Let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
8. Working on a floured surface, shape the dough into two oval loaves.
9. Melt the butter and brush it over the surface of the loaves.
10. Sprinkle the remaining rosemary on top of the loaves of bread.
11. To taste, sprinkle additional sea salt on the loaves of bread.
12. Transfer the loaves of bread to the peel, and then on to the stone in the oven.
13. Bake each loaf for 20 - 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Next is the Caesar Salad a la Alton Brown, who makes it the way its supposed to be made! With no anchovies!

The lasagna takes a little while, but is oh so worth it. Just pay attention to the recipe. I used a cookie disher to put out the right amount of sausage and cheese on each roll, about 2 3/4 scoops depending on the size of your disher.

Lasagna Rolls Recipe

Bechamel Sauce:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• coarse salt & ground black pepper to taste
• Freshly ground nutmeg to taste

Lasagna:

• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage, browned and drained
• 1 cup plus extra couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• small handful of chopped Italian Parsley
• freshly ground black pepper & coarse salt to taste
• A couple of glugs of olive oil (yes, glugs is a technical term!)
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 13×9x2 baking pan/dish.

To make the bechamel sauce:

1. Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the flour and whisk for a few minutes until you can smell a nice nutty aroma.
3. Whisk in the milk all at once.
4. Increase the heat and simmer until it is thick and smooth (this doesn’t take long).
5. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
6. Pour the bechamel sauce into the baking dish.

Now, start the actual lasagna…

1. Start water boiling in a large, wide pan. Once boiling add salt and a couple of glugs of olive oil. Boil the noodles until they are al dente (I do four at a time, which works out nicely).
2. Mix ricotta, the already cooked Italian sausage, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper together.
3. Put enough of the fillng mixture on each noodle to cover it, and roll up the noodle, placing the seam side down in the pan.
4. Once all rolled, pour the marinara sauce over the rolls and then cover with the shredded mozzarella cheese and a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese.
5. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (the sauce will bubble when it is ready). Uncover and bake another 15 minutes (the cheese will get nice and brown).

And finally, the desert, a Buttery Apple Torte. A torte is kinda like a pie, but different.

Buttery Apple Torte

• 1/2 cup (4 oz or 125 g) plus 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• 3 Renette or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
• 2/3 cup (3 1/2 oz or 105 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (8 oz or 250 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• confectioners’ sugar (optional)

1. Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Generously butter a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with 2 inch (5 cm) sides.
3. In a microwave, melt the butter. Pour 6 Tbsp (3 fl oz or 90 ml) of it into a small bowl or cup and set aside. Add the apple slices and the remaining butter to a large frying pan and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs and egg yolk until blended. Add the 6 Tbsp of melted butter, the vanilla, the granulated sugar, and the lemon zest.
6. Stir in the flour mixture and the apples.
7. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
8. Bake until browned, 30-35 minutes.
9. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate and lift off the pan, then invert the cake again onto the rack and let cool completely.
10. Just before serving, place confectioners’ sugar in a small sieve and dust the top of the cake. Or bring out the good ice cream!

So that’s it. What is so wonderful is that you can make the loaves of bread a few days ahead of time. Wrap in aluminum foil, and freeze. Make the lasagna a day ahead of time also and keep in the refridgerator, or a couple days ahead of time and freeze it also. A few hours before cooking, take out the bread and let thaw. Let the lasagna cook a few minutes longer if you just pulled it from the refridgerator, it could sit on the counter for about 1/2 hour before going in the oven to come to room temperature. After the lasagna is pulled, turn off the oven, and put in the bread to reheat. The caesar salad should be made in front of everyone just before serving.

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