A few weeks ago we had our autumn edition of Moveable Feast, appropriately themed for the wine harvest – les vendages. Dishes ranged from those traditionally served during the harvest to recipes made with wine. One thing about this group, in spite of our claims to creating garlic soup, we can all cook and cook well.

For my part I chose to make two savory tarts as appetizers.

• The first, a Galette with Caramelized Onions, Tomatoes, Niçoise Olives and Goat Cheese found on the Wine Spectator website (I love researching recipes on the Internet)
• The second, a Savory Galette with Caramelized Onions, Pears, Blue Cheese, Walnuts, and Prosciutto found on the Bev Cooks blog, a new blog I came across while researching recipes

I doubled the crust recipe used in the first recipe rather than using store bought crust (store bought just wouldn’t do for our group – bring on the butter!). I also doubled the caramelized onions from the first recipe just to make my life a little easier.

My biggest concern was cooking the onions too quickly and burning them rather than caramelizing them. I kept them on a very low setting (unfortunately I have an electric stove, not gas) and watched them very carefully. My apartment smelled like onions for days but I didn’t burn the onions!

I made two of each galette and that seemed like just enough to start off our meal (with a few wedges left over for lunch the next day). Of the two my favorite was the pear, blue cheese, prosciutto – because who doesn’t like a little bacon – but I would make either again. The salty savoriness goes well with wine or, in my case, a glass of champagne.

After our little “cocktail hour” we moved on to the main meal which consisted of coq au vin; braised beef shanks in red wine; risotto with corn, mushrooms, and bacon; cauliflower croquettes; potato, leek, and sausage gratin. And just to balance things out we had a green salad 🙂

And to round out the meal we had a chocolate tart and poached pears with goat cheese.

Throughout the meal, wine and champagne flowed freely as befitting the theme. I love spending time with this wonderful group of smart, funny people. I never laugh as hard as when I’m with this group. Although the demands of everyday life can make it difficult to get together (our last Moveable Feast was in June), I’m glad that we continue to make time for our Feasts – friends, food, fun, what more do you need.