Cherry-Vanilla Won Tons
Cherry Vanilla Won Tons
I had an open package of won tons and needed a quick dessert the other night so I made these cherry won tons. I started with a can of tart cherries I had gotten from King Orchards. They are just cherries so I sweetened them and added vanilla, thickened them a little a made what amounts to cherry pie filling. The nice thing about starting with plain cherries is that I was able to control the amount of sugar I added. I am not a fan of overly sweet desserts. I placed a small amount of filling in a wonton and moistened the edges of the wonton with water so it would seal. Some I rolled up like little egg rolls. I also made some more like ravioli, placing filling in the middle and pressing a second wonton on top of the first. I fried them in a minimum amount of oil in a small pan and dusted them with powdered sugar before serving. It was a great last minute dessert.
Cherry Vanilla Filling
1 can (15 oz.) plain tart cherries
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Allow to cool before using in wontons.
Cherry Vanilla Won Tons
Cherry Vanilla Won Tons
Won Ton Duck Soup
Won Ton Duck Soup
After duck dinner with friends a few days ago I was left with the wings, neck and a few bony pieces of back. I didn’t want to waste them so I used them for stock. The few pieces of duck I had only gave me about half a cup of meat. Then I got a call from a friend and suddenly had company coming for dinner. To make the duck meat go a little further I used the meat in won tons and made an Asian inspired soup. I had an onion, a small sweet potato, some canned straw mushrooms and green onions. Ended up with a very yummy dinner for two. Jonathan gave it two thumbs up. I was happy to get a nice meal out of just stuff I had on hand. I had also trimmed off some skin from the ducks before roasting them and had rendered the fat. I used it to brown the onions for the soup. Use oil if you don’t have duck fat.
Won Ton Duck Soup
4 c. duck stock- made from wings, neck, gizzard and back pieces, onions, carrots etc.
1/2 c. duck meat
1 T. hoisen sauce
1/4 t. ginger
about 12 wonton wrappers
1 T. duck fat
1 onion, diced
1 rib celery, sliced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 can straw mushrooms, drained
sesame oil
salt and hot sauce to taste
3 T. green onion, chopped fine
Make a stock from duck trimmings and aromatic vegetables. Strain and set aside. Remove what meat you can from the duck and mince fine. Combine cooled duck meat with hoisen sauce and ginger. Place a teaspoon on the duck mixture in a wonton wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper and fold like a small egg roll. Set aside. Continue with remaining meat until it is used up. You should get about 12. Meanwhile heat a little duck fat in soup pot and cook onions until tender. Add stock, vegetables and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add wontons and simmer until they are tender, about 4 minutes. Add a drizzle of sesame oil, season to taste and top with green onion right before serving. Serves 2-3.
Cherry Soda and Cherry Almond Milk
Cherry Soda
I have to admit that I mostly drink water. I know, pretty boring, huh? Sometimes I forget to have something else to offer when company is over. I can make lemonade or iced tea and of course, there is always coffee. I try not to keep sodas around because if they are here, I will drink them. A nice alternative is making a simple drink with concentrated juices and soda water. I have been on a cherry kick lately so this is what I used. Just pour some syrup into your glass and stir in soda water to taste. Add ice and there you are. Something that is better for you than soda and frankly, tastes better, too. 
- Cherry Almond Milk
I am also lactose intolerant so I don’t have milk around, but I do have almond milk. I tried adding some of the cherry juice to it the other day. Came out pretty good. Sort of tasted like a cherry milkshake.Think I’ll pop it in the freezer for a little while the next time or maybe freeze some of the almond milk and combine it with the cherry juice in the blender.
Duck with Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
Duck with Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
In a recent dinner with friends we cooked up a couple of ducks. Using ingredients I had on hand I made a glaze for one of them with a fresh mango, some fresh mandarin oranges and ginger. It had a great mix of flavors that complimented the duck quite well. Here is the recipe for the sauce.
Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
5 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated into segments
2/3 c. orange juice
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. hoisen sauce
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1 t. sesame oil
salt to taste
In large skillet brown onion in oil. Add remaining ingredients, except sesame oil and salt, and cook until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add sesame oil and salt to taste. Use as a sauce on duck, poultry or pork.
The Duck
1 duck
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe mango/mandarin/ginger sauce
I cut off the extra fat and skin from the neck of the duck to save for rendering later. I also removed the wings and set aside for another use. I then cut the duck in half and placed it in a roasting pan on a rack. Season it with salt and pepper. Bake in a 425 degree oven for half an hour. Turn down heat to 350 and cook until duck is done. That will take about an hour- depending on the size of the duck. At this point I had to come up with a plan B. The oven I was using stopped working. To finish off the duck I heated up a large skillet and put the duck in the skillet, skin side up. I poured the mango sauce over the duck and cooked it with the lid on for 15 minutes. Then I took the lid off and turned the duck skin side down. On medium high heat I allowed the sauce to reduce. It also caramelized on the skin making a nice glaze. If the oven hadn’t stopped working I would have finished off the duck under the broiler.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Apples
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Apples
I think cabbage is under rated. It is such a versatile vegetable. It’s good in both hot and cold dishes, it isn’t expensive and cabbage is good for you. I was looking for a side dish for a duck dinner with friends the other night and I decided on sweet and sour cabbage. Since I had a pretty good sized head of green cabbage and just a small piece of red cabbage I mixed the two together. I added cider vinegar, sugar and apples to round out the dish. It came out this pretty light pink color and had a flavor that went well with the duck. I’d also serve this as a side dish with ham, pork or even a lamb roast. It would go well with any of them. You could use any color cabbage for this dish- or combine colors, as I did.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Apples
2-3 T. oil
2-3 onions, sliced thin
8 c. chopped cabbage, any color
1 c. stock- chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. celery seeds
3 apples, peeled , cored and diced
salt and hot pepper sauce to taste
Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until tender and a little wilted. Add cabbage, stock, vinegar, sugar and celery seeds and cook until cabbage is tender. Most of the liquid will evaporate. Add the apples and cook until apples are just heated through. Season with salt and hot sauce and serve. Serves 5-6.
Duck with Cherry and Red Wine Sauce
Duck with cherry and red wine sauce
As part of a dinner with friends I made duck 2 ways. The first was with a cherry and red wine sauce. The tart cherries – I used frozen- paired very well with the duck. I could see using this sauce on pork, lamb or even chicken. I had a duck in the freezer from Plum Creek Farm, a local farm. The cherries were from King Orchards in Central Lake, Michigan. They are neighbors of my sister. I recently got some frozen cherries from them and wanted to use them with the duck. I started by making the sauce.
Cherry and Red Wine Sauce
2 T. oil
1/2 c. minced shallots
2 c. frozen cherries, thawed
1/2 c. red wine- I used Merlot
1 cinnamon stick
salt and pepper to taste
3 T. honey
In skillet saute shallots in oil until they start to turn golden brown. Add cherries, with any liquid they are in, and the wine and cinnamon stick. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Add the honey, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook a few more minutes. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick.
Reducing the sauce
The Duck
1 duck
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe cherry and red wine sauce
I cut off the extra fat and skin from the neck of the duck to save for rendering later. I also removed the wings and set aside for another use. I then cut the duck in half and placed it in a roasting pan on a rack. Season it with salt and pepper. Bake in a 425 degree oven for half an hour. Turn down heat to 350 and cook until duck is done. That will take about an hour- depending on the size of the duck. At this point I had to come up with a plan B. The oven I was using stopped working. To finish off the duck I heated up a large skillet and put the duck in the skillet, skin side up. I poured the cherry sauce over the duck and cooked it with the lid on for 15 minutes. Then I took the lid off and turned the duck skin side down. On medium high heat I allowed the sauce to reduce. It also caramelized on the skin making a nice glaze. If the oven hadn’t stopped working I would have finished off the duck under the broiler.
https://www.facebook.com/plumcreek.farm
Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet Potato Pie
A friend of mine gave me this recipe years ago. I try to make it at least a couple of times a year. Confession time- I actually have had a piece for breakfast. Don’t judge me until you try it. Hey, it is a vegetable.
Sweet Potato Pie
½ c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. allspice
½ t. salt
¼ t. cloves
1 ½ c. cooked, mashed sweet potato
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk or almond milk
2 T. melted butter or 2 T. olive oil
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
Combine sugar with seasonings. Stir in remaining ingredients and combine until smooth. Pour into pie crust and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until filling is set.
Flaky Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. shortening, chilled
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water
Combine flour and salt and cut in shortening. Toss in vinegar and water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough holds together. Use a fork to toss the ingredients together and as soon as the mixture holds together stop adding water. Makes 2. Chill well before using.
Hot Cross Buns Bread Pudding
As part of putting together dinner with friends I wanted to make dessert using what I had on hand. I had made hot cross buns and had leftover ones so I decided to re-purpose them into bread pudding. The end result was so good I plan on making hot cross buns again, just so I can make this bread pudding. You could use home made or store bought buns for this recipe. My recipe for hot cross buns is at the bottom of this post.
Hot Cross Buns Bread Pudding
12 c. torn up hot cross buns- I used 8 buns
2 c. half and half
1 c. milk – I used almond milk
1 c. sugar- or less if you are using frosted buns
5 eggs
1 T. vanilla
1 T. cinnamon
Frosting:
1 c. powdered sugar
4 t. milk
In large mixing bowl place the torn up buns. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the buns. Stir to moisten evenly. Spoon mixture into a buttered 9×13-inch pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until bread pudding is set and a little golden on top. While the bread pudding is baking combine powdered sugar with milk to make a frosting thin enough to drizzle. Let bread pudding cool 10 minutes and drizzle with frosting. Serves 8-10.
Sweet Potato Salad
Sweet Potato Salad
This is one of the dishes I made for a dinner with friends last night. I had forgotten about this dish. I used to make it a lot more often. It is a great change up from regular potato salad and a nice side for all sorts of meals. We had it with duck but a friend of mine is planning on serving it with her ham dinner planned for next week. The secret is to watch the sweet potatoes carefully when cooking them. You need to get them cooked, but not mushy. I steam them- either traditionally or in the microwave and check them often. Once they get to the right degree of “cooked” I put them in cold water to stop the cooking.
Sweet Potato Salad
3 large sweet potatoes
2 c. corn kernels, fresh off the cob preferred but frozen is O.K.
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 c. sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
2-3 T. fresh parsley
1/3 c. oil
1 t. Dijon mustard
3 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c. cashews
In medium saucepan boil or steam potatoes until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a large bowl of ice water. Add corn to saucepan and cook until just tender about 2-3 minutes. Drain corn and add to ice water with the potatoes. Once the vegetables have cooled down drain them and peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes and corn in a mixing bowl with remaining vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients, except cashews, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well before pouring over the sweet potato mixture. Toss to blend and chill until ready to serve. Add cashews just before serving. Serves 6.
Sweet Potato Salad
Corn and Ham Saute
Corn and Ham Saute
Sometimes simple is best. I love sweet corn and had some of last year’s crop in the freezer. I combined it with a few other ingredients and came up with a great side dish. The smokiness of the ham went really well with the corn. Great dish for using up leftover ham, too.
Corn and Ham Saute
1 T. oil
1 small onion, diced
1 c. diced ham
4 c. corn- fresh or frozen
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
In pan cook onion in oil until tender. Add the ham and cook a few minutes longer. Add corn and continue cooking until corn is heated through. Season to taste and serve. Serves 3-4.
