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.
Sweet Potato Muffins- Gluten Free
I love cooking with sweet potatoes in all sorts of dishes from sweet to savory. I had been cooking with sweet potatoes recently and had some extra cooked ones so I used them in this recipe. Easy to make, moist and not too sweet they make great breakfast or snack. They also freeze well.
Sweet Potato Muffins- Gluten Free
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 c. oil
1 c. sugar
2 c. cooked sweet potatoes
1 3/4 c. gluten-free flour
1 T. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
Blend together in large bowl eggs, sugar, sweet potatoes and oil and set aside. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir until well blended. Pour into paper-lined muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until muffins spring bake when touched lightly. Makes 30-36.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
If the only way you enjoy sweet potatoes is as a side at the holidays or in pie it is time to expand your thinking about them. In this recipe the mashed sweet potatoes add both sweetness and moistness to the finished cake. Great plain or with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
1 1/2 c. cake flour*
1/2 t. each baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. sour cream, room temperature
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 c. mashed sweet potato
1 t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly oil an 8×4-inch loaf pan. Mix flour with next 4 ingredients and set aside. In large mixing bowl beat together butter and sour cream. Beat in sugar and then beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in mashed sweet potato and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in pan 30 minutes before loosening cake sides from pan and removing. After cake has cooled wrap in foil and store at room temperature. Serves 8.
* If you don’t have cake flour you can make your own. Simply measure out a cup of all purpose flour and remove 2 tablespoons of the flour. That is now the same as a cup of cake flour OR remove the 2 tablespoons of flour and replace them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and sift together to combine. I do the flour/cornstarch mix and keep a batch on hand for when I need it in baking.
Balaton Cherry Cheesecakes- Gluten Free
Balaton Cherry Cheesecakes- Gluten Free
I was having some friends over recently and wanted a gluten free dessert. I was also lucky enough to have recently received some frozen cherries from King Orchards in Michigan.* Inspiration struck and I ended up making these mini cherry cheesecakes. The crust is a shortbread type cookie made with gluten free flour. The filling pretty straight forward with a nice splash of lemon juice and vanilla. The cherries are a variety called Balaton with Hungarian origins. While they are considered a tart cherry they are darker than most tart cherries and have a sweetness to them that I just love. I used 2 cups of frozen cherries-I like a lot of cherries on my cheesecake- but I only used 2 tablespoons of sugar to sweeten them. The recipe made a dozen. Here is what I did.
Balaton Cherry Mini Cheesecakes – Gluten Free
Crust:
1/4 c. softened butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. gluten free flour – found in some grocery stores- I got mine at Costco
pinch of salt.
Filling: 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
Balaton Cherry Topping:
2 c. Balaton cherries- or other frozen tart cherries- thawed
2 T. sugar, or to your taste
1 t. tapioca starch- you could also use cornstarch
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin pans with paper or foil liners. In mixing bowl combine ingredients for crust by first mixing the butter and sugar together and then stirring in the flour and salt. Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll into balls. Place one ball in each paper lined pan and press to flatten. Bake for 10 minutes. While crust is baking make the filling. Combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and blend until smooth. Stir in the eggs. Spoon the batter into the muffin pans- they will be pretty full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until puffy and set. Cheesecakes will flatten a little when cooled. While the cheesecakes are baking you can make the cherry topping. Pour off any liquid from the defrosted cherries into a small saucepan. You should have about half a cup. Add sugar and tapioca starch or cornstarch and heat over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens- it just takes a few minutes. Stir in the cherries and allow mixture to cool down. Once cheesecakes and topping are both cooled down spoon cherries over the cheesecakes and chill until ready to eat. These could be frozen- but you aren’t going to have any left over.
*http://kingorchards.com/
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies- Gluten Free
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies-Gluten Free
I got a bag of gluten free flour a while ago and keep experimenting with it. Last night I made a shortbread-type cookie and was really pleased with the results. Not because these cookies are OK, but because these cookies are great. I would make them again in a minute. Super crisp and not too sweet they were also very easy to make. Gluten-free flour is getting easier to find. I got mine at Costco.
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies- Gluten Free
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
1 c. gluten-free flour
2 t. cinnamon
extra sugar for topping the cookies
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour and then stir in the cinnamon. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten the cookies out by dipping the bottom of a glass in some sugar and pressing down on the dough. To help the sugar to stick to the bottom of the glass rub a tiny bit of butter on the bottom of the glass. I used the paper the butter was wrapped in. After you dip the glass the first time the sugar will stick to it. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes- or until golden around the edges. Cool on wire rack. Makes 30.
Chili Bean Spoon Bread
This is a great meal when you want to go meat free but still have a hearty meal. The base is a lentil chili that you place in a casserole dish and top with a cornbread batter. Bake until the spoon bread is cooked. To serve, spoon some of the bread onto your plate and top with the chili.
Chili Bean Spoon Bread
1/2 lb. lentils
pinch of ground cloves
2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. cornmeal
4 T. butter
4 eggs
4 T. oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 T. chopped parsley or 1 t. parsley flakes
1 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
salt and pepper to taste
In saucepan cover lentils with about 2 cups water and add cloves. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more water. Meanwhile in another saucepan heat milk and salt almost to boiling. Stir in cornmeal and continue cooking, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and eggs and set aside. In oil sauté onions and garlic until tender. Add seasonings, tomatoes and lentils and heat until bubbly. Adjust seasonings. Pour lentil mixture into greased 2-quart casserole dish. Spoon over the cornmeal mixture. Set casserole dish in larger pan and add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until bread is firm and golden. Serves 4-6.
