old friends for dinner

I have a group of old co-workers that get together with our spouses a few times a year. We  enjoy each other's company and have a great time together. I had them over for dinner on Saturday night. I wanted an easy dinner so that I could enjoy my friends. I decided to make Bernice's Brisket,  butternut squash-apple soup and apple dumplings.

The brisket can be prepared several days ahead, sliced and then placed back in the oven the day of the dinner. Although Williams-Sonoma sells jars of butternut squash puree, I purchased fresh squash at Delicious Orchards and cooked it in my pressure cooker. Once the squashed was cooked, I mashed it before placing in the soup. When the soup was done, I  pureed it in my blender. 

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The apple dumpling recipe is from an October 1985 issue of New Jersey Monthly Magazine. ​The recipe is from Ruth Best and was a great ending to our brisket dinner.  My husband picked up Jonagold apples at Delicious Orchards. The apples were a bit larger than I would have liked. I had to make another batch of pastry in order to cover the eight apples that I needed. I also substituted part of the hot water in the sauce with a cup of Delicious Orchards apple cider. I thought the water/cider combination would enhance the apple flavor that was used to glaze the dumplings as they cooked. 

​Everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed this seasonal meal.

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