Ode to Ina

Attendees: Peanut, 3-B, & Cliff
Cocktail: Everyone was fine with wine (well, everyone except for Peanut)
Appetizers: Umm.....
Main Course: Pissaladiere, fennel & orange salad
Dessert: Apple crisp with ice cream

Like most Sundays, I woke up today at 10 am (which was really 9 am with daylight savings) to watch a little Barefoot Contessa. Ina really inspired me today with the fennel and orange salad- I HAD to try it. We had planned to get together with Cliff since George was out of town, so I invited him over for an impromptu dinner party featuring a bunch of Ina's recipes that I had yet to try.
With a dinner like this, all I really wanted was glass of wine. But since it was a Sunday, Peanut made himself his favorite- Grey Goose martini with a twist, straight up.

Pissaladiere is essentially a rectangular pizza without tomato sauce, I guess. I actually made the dough, too. The one on the left is covered with ~2lbs of sauteed onions... it was supposed to be made with anchovies and olives, also, but I thought that was chancing it. The one on the right is tomato, mozzarella, and basil, with shredded white cheddar.
But THIS was what it was all about. Oranges and fennel that 3-B julienned with some baby arugula and a lemon vinaigrette. So simple, so good.
I initially thought it would be simple to make Peaches in Sauternes, but regardless of where they are grown, peaches don't seem to be in season. So we'll save that dessert, and the Sauternes, for the future. I didn't have much time to think of an alternative, but figured apple crisp would do the trick.
And with some Breyers Vanilla, how could you really go wrong?