Timbale, Hey!

Dinner Menu:
Arugula Salad with apples
Roasted Acorn Squash with brown sugar and butter
Timbale with Smokey Roasted Tomato and Chile Sauce
Banana Cake

Figuring this stuff out isn't easy. A glance into our heads:

me: name for friday's dinner? for the post

Alayna: oh Timbale Hey!

not oh timbale...

just

Timbale! (Rhymes with Hey!)

i dont' knwo

or dinner

OH

me: got it

Alayna: i know

MY BABY GOT SAUCE

me: uhm, we'll see

Alayna: like the song

me: yeah, got it

Alayna: c'mon

me: i can't believe that was your blog title break through idea

Might not be the best title but this dinner is da bomb diggity. Everyone should roast an acorn squash for dinner, it makes your dinner plate look really pretty and it's cheap and it's delicious. What more could you possibly want?

I encourage you to copy this dinner party and impress you're own friends.

Timbale with Smokey Roasted Tomato and Chile Sauce

• Grate one small (or half of a large) zucchini with a cheese grater, then put into a colander and toss with salt. Let sit for half an hour then squeeze out the excess water before using
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and then add one finely chopped yellow onion, followed by the kernels from 3 ears of sweet corn and small handfuls of chopped parsley and cilantro, followed by the zucchini
• Add 4 shots of tequila (or 1/4 cup of white wine) and let it simmer until the liquid has cooked off, add a small handful of chopped parsley and cilantro to the sauce when it's simmering
• Beat 5 eggs in a separate bowl, adding 2/3 a cup of heavy cream, adding the vegetables when they have cooled and a few shakes of hot pepper, black pepper and salt
  
• Pour the mixture into a deep 8 inch souffle pan (I used an 8 in baking dish instead) that is liberally coated in butter and bread crumbs
• Cook at 325 for about 45 minutes (the top should be golden brown and the custard should not shake if you tap the center)
• Let cool for a few minutes before serving

Smokey Roasted Sauce

• Cut 6-8 very ripe tomatoes in half and place face down on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 350 for about half an hour until skins peel of easily and bottoms are a little burnt
• In a separate dish, cut the tops off two cloves of garlic and place them in a pan with 4-5 dry passilla peppers. Put in the oven (I did this while the timbale and squash were cooking) and take the chiles out when they have puffed up (about 15 min) and the garlic out when it is good and soft
• When everything has cooled a little, peel the garlic and de-seed the chiles, blending the mixture in a food processor, then put in a saucepan at a low simmer until you're ready to serve it on top of the timbale

Arugula Salad

• Cut up two apples (I used one red delicious and I believe a braeburn... you want things that are crisp and tangy!) and put on a generous bed of arugula with a sprinkling of hazelnuts
• For the dressing, mix grapeseed oil with balsamic vinegar and fresh rosemary and a dash of cinnamon to taste.... dress right before serving

Roasted Acorn Squash

• Halve acorn squashes (one half per guest), empty out the seeds with a spoon and put in the oven at 350 for about 30-40 minutes (longer if you cook them at 325 with the timbale)... they are finished when you can easily stick a fork through the flesh
• Serve with butter and brown sugar so guests can season to taste

Banana Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350
• Cream 1/2 cup of butter, 1 cup of white sugar and 3/4 cup of brown sugar until light and fluffy
• Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time
• Mash 4 ripe bananas thoroughly and add to the mix
• In a separate bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups of floor with 1 tablespoon of baking soda with some salt, about 2 teaspoons of black pepper and some cinnamon
• If you don't have buttermilk on hand (who does?) make it by adding about a tablespoon of lemon juice (half a lemon) to heavy cream and letting it sit for five minutes
• Beat in the flour and milk mixtures thoroughly by alternating between the two
• Stir in about half a cup of hazelnuts, half a cup of macadamia nuts, and a handful of craisins
• Bake for 40 minutes until top is browned and a toothpick comes out of the middle clean
• Serve with home-made whipped cream (mix some whipping cream with an eggbeater until you can make a ditch with your finger that holds, then add a teaspoon of vanilla and sugar to taste)