Breakfast

Here is a breakfast I put together for some coworkers on 10/29/2007. I think all three of these recipes were pretty tasty:

Citrus Compote with Honey (center of the picture)

2 cups sweet dessert wine, such as late-harvest
  Gewürztraminer, late-harvest Riesling, French
  Sauternes or Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 vanilla bean
5 seedless oranges
2 grapefruits
3 kiwifruitsIn a saucepan, combine the wine, orange juice and honey. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of a knife, scrape the seeds into the pan. Add the pod and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the raisins. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Using a sharp knife, cut a thick slice off the top and bottom of each orange to reveal the flesh. Then, standing each orange upright on a cutting surface, cut off the peel and white membrane in thick, wide strips. Working with 1 orange at a time, hold the orange over a bowl and cut along either side of each segment to free it from the membrane, letting the segments drop into the bowl. Repeat this same technique with the grapefruits, using the tip of the knife to remove any seeds.
Peel the kiwifruits. Cut each into 8 wedges and add to the oranges and grapefruits. Add the cooled liquid and raisins, remove the vanilla pod and stir.
To serve, spoon the fruit into individual bowls. Serves 6. 

Spinach Gruyere Puff Pastry (right of the picture)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 (17 1/2-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drain spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, for 5 minutes. Stir together spinach, mushrooms and cheese; set aside. Roll 1 pastry sheet into a 13 by 11-inch rectangle. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Brush 1/2 melted butter over pastry. Spread 1/2 spinach mixture over butter. Roll-up, jellyroll fashion, starting with the long side. Repeat procedure with remaining pastry sheet, butter, and spinach mixture. (Wrap rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days, if desired.) Cut rolls into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Quiche Lorraine (left of the picture)

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into
  small cubes
1 to 2 Tbs. ice water
For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
3 cooked bacon slices, chopped
To make the pastry, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour and salt until blended. Scatter the butter over the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles pea-size crumbs. While pulsing, add the ice water 1 Tbs. at a time until the dough begins to come together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a 5-inch disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 425°F.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 6 portions and form into balls. Roll out each into a 6-inch round. Press 1 round into a 4-inch quiche pan and fold in the overhang. Press to make the sides thicker than the bottom. Repeat with the remaining dough. Using a fork, prick the dough in several places. Freeze the shells for 15 minutes.
Line the shells with parchment paper, fill with pie weights and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue baking until the shells are just golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Reduce the heat to 375ºF.
Meanwhile, make the filling: In a bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, salt, black pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Divide the bacon among the tart shells, then pour the filling into the shells. Bake until the filling is set and puffed and the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.