Nutty Fruit N Cheese Tray Food

FRUIT AND CHEESE PLATTER

Steps:

• Line a wooden board or flat dish with fig leaves and artfully arrange the goat cheese, grapes, preserves and crackers on top.
• Place the orange zest and orange juice in a medium (10-inch) heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the sugar, vanilla bean, and figs to the pot. Cover and bring to a full boil over medium heat. (Don't worry; it may look dry.) Stir the mixture and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat, and cook uncovered at a full simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the little bubbles to be throughout the pot, not just at the edges. After 45 minutes, refrigerate a small amount of the liquid to see if it becomes syrupy. It should be like a soft fruit preserve. Keep cooking just until the liquid starts to gel when cold. If the liquid is too firm, add a little orange juice or water, cook for a minute, and test it again until it's right. Depending on how ripe the figs are, they will probably keep their shape, but it's fine if they don't. Discard the vanilla bean and serve or refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Place the oats, flour, brown sugar, and kosher salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse for 45 to 60 seconds, until the oats are coarsely ground. Add the butter and pulse 15 to 20 times, until the butter is the size of peas.
• Dissolve the baking soda in the lukewarm water and drizzle it over the crumbs in the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened and can be pressed into balls that will hold together.
• With a medium (1 3/4-inch) ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop the dough into your hands and roll them into round balls. Evenly space 12 balls on the prepared sheet pans. Flour the bottom of a flat-bottomed 3-inch-diameter drinking glass and use it to flatten each cracker to 1/8 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. The crackers will not be perfectly round. If there is a lot of flour on the crackers, turn them over with a metal spatula. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• "Cooking for Jeffrey" by Ina Garten © Clarkson Potter 2016. Provided courtesy of Ina Garten. All rights reserved.

FRUIT AND CHEESE PLATTER

Steps:

• Choose a large round or rectangular tray, along with a small round cutting board or ceramic tile. Set the cutting board or tile on the tray for the cheese wedges. Allow cheese to stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Quarter the pineapple, cut out the fruit and cut into wedges. Use the rind as a "basket" on the tray for the fruit wedges. Place the melon cubes on the tray on bay leaves. Arrange grape clusters on the tray.

NUTTY FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Place bread in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon; pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. , Meanwhile, in a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and syrup until smooth; spread over bread. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until golden brown.

NUTTY ORANGE PLATTER

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Add the pistachio nuts and cook for a few mins until toasted, turning and shaking the pan frequently to prevent them from burning. Sprinkle over the sugar and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn out on to a plate and leave to cool (about 5 mins), then roughly chop.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the bottom off each orange, then carefully cut away the skin and pith, following the curve of the fruit. Cut into slices. Arrange on a plate with any juices. Serve with the nuts scattered over and the yogurt or crème fraîche to dollop on top.