by Kathy Douglas | Nov 9, 2015 | Desserts
Our Recipe blog for this Week: Apple, cranberry and orange are the perfect flavors for Thanksgiving desserts. Our aromatic recipe is created using homemade or jarred cranberry relish and fresh apples. This recipe is perfect for your Thanksgiving Day dinner or a great dessert to make after the big day with your leftover cranberry relish.
INGREDIENTS
For the filling:
2 pounds or 3 large firm apples (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji)
6 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups of homemade Cranberry Relish or 18 oz. jar of New England Orange Cranberry Relish, Williams Sonoma or other Quality Brand
For the topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
Softened butter for pan
Whipped cream (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Peel and core the apples and cut them into large chunks. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and sauté until they start to soften and their edges brown, about 4 minutes. Add the zests, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Stir until well coated. Add the cranberry relish. Stir until combined and pour in a buttered 8″x8″ baking dish.
To make the topping: Combine the flour, sugar, salt, zest, walnuts and cold butter in a bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives. Cut until large crumbles form. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely. Place the baking dish on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 27, 2015 | Soups
Zingy and sweet, our Ginger Pumpkin Soup has all the spiciness of fall. Loaded with layers of flavor, our recipe could be served for a special event or a simple weeknight dinner. Sugar Pie Pumpkins are the best choice for this recipe. You can finish the soup with either coconut milk or cream. However, we must say, the coconut milk makes this soup exceptional.
INGREDIENTS
6 lbs of pumpkin, cut pumpkin(s) in half and remove the seeds and stringy interior
kosher salt and pepper
4 tablespoons of butter, divided
2 medium onions, cut into 16ths
2 medium apples (2-1/2 to 3″ in diameter) peeled and cored, cut in chunks
3 tablespoons of fresh ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups unsalted chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch cinnamon
1-1/2 cups coconut milk or cream
Crème Fraiche or Sour Cream
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the pumpkin(s) in half; scoop out the seeds and stringy parts. Lightly salt and pepper the flesh. Place the pumpkin(s), cut side down in a large baking pan. Fill with ½ inch of water, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour or until the flesh is easily pierced with a small paring knife. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the outside skins; discard skins.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large 12″ sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and apples. Lightly salt then sauté until the onions are sweet and browned and the apple are soft and browned – about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of brandy and cook until the brandy is completely absorbed.
Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add the ginger and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add to the stockpot the pumpkin and the onion and apple mixture. Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables and add cloves, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Stir to combine well. Bring the soup to a low boil, then lower the heat to medium and let it simmer 60 minutes. Using a food processor or blender, process in batches to the consistency of a purée. Or use an immersion blender in the stock pot to blend the soup to the consistency of a purée.
Add the coconut milk or cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is cool, reheat to warm. Serve in bowls and swirl in a tablespoon of Crème Fraiche or sour cream before serving.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 23, 2015 | Desserts
Using reduced apple cider as a base to cook the apples in this recipe creates an amazing apple caramel sauce. Be sure to serve this dessert in a bowl so you can baste some of the gooey, delicious sauce over the apples right before serving. To select the correct apples for this recipe, be sure to choose the type that holds up well during baking. According to Bon Appetit magazine those very best apples are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and Mutsu or Crispin.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups apple cider
6 firm baking apples such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Mutsu or Crispin
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup flour
¼ cup raisins (optional)
⅓ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
4 tablespoons butter, softened slightly
Vanilla ice cream, gelato or whipped cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Pour the apple cider into a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes until the cider has reduced to one cup. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Slice a small piece off the top of the apples and using a spoon carefully scoop out the core in the center of the apple and make a small “bowl shape”. Be careful to not cut through the apple sides or bottom. Discard the flesh and seeds. Place in a pie pan or shallow baking dish and drizzle the apples with lemon juice.
To make the filling, combine together the flour, raisins, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts in a small mixing bowl. Using your fingers, combine the butter into the sugar mixture until well incorporated.
Pack the mixture into each apple allowing any extra to fall into the baking dish. Sprinkle any leftover filling on the apples. Pour the reduced apple cider into the bottom of the baking dish and bake until the apples are cooked through. Depending on the size and variety, the apples should bake in about 40-55 minutes. While baking, baste the apples a couple times with the cider sauce. When a small knife moves smoothly through the apples remove them from the oven and cool down until still just warm. Serve warm apples with the cider sauce and vanilla ice cream, gelato or whipped cream.
by Kathy Douglas | Sep 27, 2015 | Side Dishes
Celebrate Fall with the delicious combination of fresh corn, parmesan cheese and basil. You can substitute frozen corn in this recipe, but fresh corn is worth the extra effort of cutting it off the cob. You will have left over basil oil but it can be used on a salad, roasted vegetables, or drizzled over tomatoes, cheese or pizza.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup grape seed oil
2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallots, minced
2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen, defrosted
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons hand-torn basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
To make the Basil Oil – heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the basil leaves and remove from the heat. Let the oil and basil leaves cool completely. Pour into a Vitamix or Blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Do not push on the solids to force the oil through the strainer. Throw any solids away and set the basil oil aside. (You can store any leftover basil oil in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.)
To make the Risotto – in a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a light simmer over moderately heat. Cover and keep warm.
In a 12″ sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat, then add the corn, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the corn edges turn lightly browned. Remove from the heat and set aside. Cover and keep warm.
In a 4 quart sauce pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter with the olive oil over medium heat and then add the shallots and cook over medium heat until softened about 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the grains are thoroughly coated with fat about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and continue stirring until the wine has almost evaporated. Add 1 cup of the stock to the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue to add stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring the risotto until the stock is absorbed before adding another cup. When there is 1 cup of stock remaining, check the risotto. If the risotto is finished it should be just tender, give easy to the bite, and the sauce should be creamy. If it is not ready, at this point add the stock 1/2 cup at a time until the risotto is finished. (You may not need all the stock.) The risotto should take 20-24 minutes total. When the risotto is finished stir in the 2/3 of the corn, Parmesan cheese, and the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, scoop into serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with some of the remaining corn, a drizzle (1-1/2 teaspoons) of Basil Oil, the basil leaves and serve immediately.
by Kathy Douglas | Sep 14, 2015 | Breakfast
These savory delights are perfect for a tasty treat anytime – breakfast , lunch or a snack. Be sure to use fresh thyme in this recipe; it is delicious with the apples and honey. If available, due to it’s butter content, we recommend using Dufour Puff Pastry.
Ingredients:
1 cup diced fresh apples
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
kosher salt
4 ounces brie cheese
I package puff pastry, preferably Dufour
¼ cup cream
Directions:
Peel and core the apples. Cut into 1/4″ dice to make 1 generous cup. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When hot and bubbling stir in the honey. Cook for one minute to melt the honey then add the apples and thyme. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt over the apples. Cook the apples over medium heat until they release their juices, then stir until all the liquid is absorbed and the edges of the apples have slightly browned. Remove from the heat and let the apples cool to room temperature.
Slice the brie into eight even slices. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the Puff Pastry to form a 11″x16″ piece of dough. Cut into eight pieces, 5-1/2″x4″. Place the cheese in the center of the puff pastry and top with 1/8 of the apple mixture. Fold the dough over to close. Press lightly on the dough to seal it. Repeat with the other 7 pieces of dough until you have 8 total. Using a pastry brush, lightly baste the top of each pastry with cream. Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt.
Place on a parchment lined sheet pan, cover with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the oven is ready remove from the refrigerator, remove the plastic cling wrap, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly on a backing rack, can be served warm or at room temperature.
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