Archive | November, 2009

Leftover Fruit Cobbler

30 Nov

On my further quest to use up the cranberries (I STILL have more than a full bag left), I got bored and decided to make some form of cobbler thing… I didn’t have apples and was worried just cranberries would be too tart, so I threw in some grapes I had laying around and pears that had been stewing in apple cider since the party.  I also had some of the leftover cider, so I threw it all in a pot with a bit of sugar and let it cook down to a loose syrup consistency.

For the topping, since I neither like nor had oats in stock, I combined flour, sugar, brown sugar, and slivered almonds in a food processor and then combined cold butter in with a fork and my hands.  It didn’t quite come out as the crumble I expected (not enough flour? lack of oats?) but it tasted scrumptious.  I forgot to take a picture of it so about 2 minutes after it went into the oven, I took it back out to take a pic.  It had already melted, but you get the point.  I got to use my new ramekins from Kim, which was OH SO fun!  (I LOVE new kitchen toys!)

I baked it for about 35 minutes and then broiled it for about 30 seconds.  (I’m still new to broilers since I haven’t had a working one in 5 years, so I was cautious not to overdo it… though it probably could have become a little crisper on top).

I then let it cool for 15 minutes and proceeded to burn the heck out of my mouth as I gobbled it down… I’m so impatient! It was worth it though.

It definitely didn’t come out as pretty as I would have liked with crumbles on top, but the taste more than made up for it.  I like things SWEET, and this certainly was.  If I were making it for the masses I’d probably tone down the sugar a tad.  The fruit inside, however, was a perfect consistency and the cranberries + grapes + pears was good enough to repeat!

Since I eyed the entire topping, I don’t really have a recipe.  I also don’t think it turned out pretty enough to make for guests… but for me… it was DELISH

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Duck… Duck… Duck… Cranberry

27 Nov

Another great “you know me SO well” housewarming gift came from Kim.  I had noted that I needed ramekins, but was so surprised when the ones that came to my house had frozen Mac & Cheese in them!  (Kim also sent me a jar of pumpkin butter from William Sonoma which is OH SO splendid.)  We defrosted them but needed a protein.  On the end of our new block is a butcher shop and I sent Mike on a mission to pick something interesting out.  I think he got a bit flustered, but he managed to secure 2 duck breasts and 2 duck legs.  I don’t think he realized that a duck breast has TWO, so we had a LOT of food PLUS another set of duck boobs in the freezer for another night.  I was a little disappointed to see that the he got frozen meat from the butcher, but it was still fun and duck, so why not?

On a quest to find a way to not only use the duck but to also use some of the HUGE bags of cranberries I have leftover, I found another Cookstr recipe that seemed adaptable. Sure it called for cherries, but what is a cranberry if not a tart little cherry?  More maple syrup would surely make it palatable!

We even used the middle griddle top that came with our stove rather than 2 big frying pans.

The sauce was very liquidy, but it cooked down into a delicious syrupy masterpiece that smelled heavenly.

The duck must have been thicker than the recipe called for since it took at least twice the time to cook (and I’m still not positive it was fully done, but we’re not sick, so I call it a win!)  The skin got crispy, but not quite crispy enough for some reason.

Most duck recipes called for cooking or braising for hours… so I guess I can’t complain too much for taking the quick way out.  It just didn’t have the pizazz I wanted or expected of duck.

Slicing into it was easy on the breasts… the legs were another battle.

The sauce definitely added some punch to it… though again, not my favorite dish.

Next time I make duck I’ll try one of the longer cooking recipes to see if that makes it better.  I also just realized I forgot to take a pic of the Mac & Cheese. D’oh!  Luckily we have two more so I’ll have to give them their photo op later.

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RECIPES
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Ingredients

4 boneless duck breasts, about 7oz (200g) each

½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

½ tsp lightly crushed black peppercorns, plus more to taste

For the sauce

1 tbsp butter

1 shallot, finely chopped (we were missing this)

1/3 cup ruby port (we used leftover red wine from the party)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 whole star anise (we were missing this too)

1 sprig of rosemary (we used dried)

½ cup chicken stock

2 cups pitted fresh bing cherries (we used cranberries)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

(If you want to prepare ahead, the sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.)

1. Score the skin of each duck breast with a sharp knife. Season with the salt and crushed pepper. (I made little Xes… still not sure if this was correct)

2. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a large frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes. Turn and brown the other sides, about 3 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a carving board and let stand for 5 minutes.

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes, until softened.

4. Stir in the port, maple syrup, star anise, and rosemary, and boil for 30 seconds. Add the stock and boil for about 3 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Add the cherries, and cook for 2 minutes more, until heated. Season with salt and pepper. Slice each breast on the diagonal into thick slices and transfer each to a plate. Top with the sauce and serve hot.

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Pork Belly

25 Nov

I can tell when someone really knows me when they bring Pork Belly to my housewarming as a gift.  Thanks to Lillian and Josh, I got to make an attempt at cooking this delicious food.  Honestly, at first, I wasn’t too sure.   When I took out the pork belly and cut it up, however, there was SO much fat on it that I was wondering if it would even be edible.  Oh how naive of me!

Lillian told me it was salted pork belly (which sent me to Google, only to find out that brining is customary for pork belly and doesn’t impact the preparation… shrug… okay!

I found a recipe that sounded good and mixed pork with fruit (basically, I love just about anything with warm fruit).  I put it all together and hoped for the best.

While I’m sure I could have poured off the rest of the fat from the pork, I decided it was much more tasty sounding to use it to cook the veggies in. And OH was it good!  I had leftover citrus cauliflower (it’s yellow and smaller) and mushrooms to play with.  SOOOO good.

I also had some leftover yummy pasta.  So the plate was delicious AND colorful.

Holy crap did it turn out well!  I think this may be one of my favoritist things I’ve ever made.  I’m sure it’s terrible for me, but I could eat this every single day.  In fact, my mouth is watering for it right now.

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RECIPES
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Ingredients:

  • 6 slices of belly pork
  • 4 medium cooking (tart) apples, peeled, cored and quartered (I didn’t peal mine since I love roasted apples with skin)
  • 2 tbsp plain flour (All purpose)
  • 1 1/4 cup cider
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Fry the pork in a frying pan until crisp on both sides.
  3. Remove from the pan with tongs and arrange in a baking dish. Surround with the apple quarters.
  4. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the frying pan. (or use the rest for delicious veggies!)
  5. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
  6. Gradually stir in the milk or cider and bring to the boil.
  7. Add salt and pepper, then pour this sauce over the pork and apples.
  8. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350°F) for 35 to 45 minutes.

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