Happy Friday! It’s the end of the week which hopefully means a little down time, a little wine time and a little indulging. As I sit here writing this post, it’s a balmy 35 degrees, the warmest weather we’ve had in a while and quite confusing at that because it’s January. January is supposed to be freezing cold and white. More importantly, this is supposed to be a bad winter and so far, nothing about what we’ve currently experienced can be categorized as a bad winter for Chicago standards. It’s rather depressing. However, for those weekends when you’re not planning on much and it’s still going to be cold, you want something comforting. The best comforting meals often take a bit of time to come together and leave not much time for anything else. So today, I bring you one dish to enjoy as well as two desserts, one that could certainly pass for a breakfast!

MAIN: Squab Pie with Foie Gras and Armagnac
Squab sounds like something you’d eat in 17th century Europe, does it not? Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get around some of the ingredients that might be easily available in France but not so much here. Squab Pie is essentially an enormous meat pie. Think minced meat but with much better ingredients and a lot of veggies as well. It’s a great way to get a ton of nutrition and food groups into one dish. It takes a minute to prepare but is well worth it in the end. This is great for a Sunday dinner when you have the better part of the day to prepare it. Enjoy with a nice, full-bodied glass of red wine.

Crepes with Salted Butter Caramel
This might seem a little backwards but I know a caramel is great when I hate it even more. Something I have never been shy to admit is my lack of love for caramel. I have tried the sugary substance multiple times to test my taste buds and I’ve had it in a million forms. I have yet to meet a caramel or a caramel combination that does not make me gag. In fact, the better quality the caramel, the worse it makes me gag. This salted butter caramel must be fantastic because I was not having it. One taste was all it took for me to grab a glass of milk and a few piece of cheese to get the taste out of my mouth. The crepes on the other hand were fantastic. Light and sweet, they’re ideal for a dessert with the salted caramel butter sauce or use them for breakfast with a little bit of jam. I personally feel they’d pair even better with chocolate.

Calvados and Creme Fraiche Apple Tart
If you’re looking for a rich, dense dessert, this is your guy. This apple tart, better made in a tart pan (not a pie dish like I used), is full of apples and tons of flavor thanks to the creamy filling from the calvados and creme fraiche. The crust even has an edge to it because it’s made with a mixture of regular and almond flour. Every part of this dessert has an extra level of flavor which make it substantial and satisfying. Make sure to follow the recipe instructions perfectly. That creamy filling needs to set and if you don’t follow the instructions spot on, you run the risk of it not setting.

Remember the pumpkin soup from last week, I recently had one of my leftover containers for lunch and it helped me remember exactly how delicious it is. I highly recommend taking the time to prep that soup if you have some time one weekend. Delish! If you're catching up on the series, see the inspiration behind French Cooking Fridays HERE and catch up on all blog posts HERE.